After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming froze. What should he do?

Although the Duchess had not spoken to him, this matter was most likely arranged by her. If Xiao Cui were to reveal the Duchess's identity under the promise of a large reward, it would be troublesome.

"Young Madam is joking. How could a mere maidservant be ordered around by anyone?"

Her mother has been very ill lately, and they've spent all the family's money.

Yesterday, her father came to ask me to send him some of his monthly salary in advance so that he could pay for his wife's medical treatment.

"I guess Xiao Cui took this risk because she wanted to raise some money for her mother's medical treatment." Lu Ming immediately fabricated a reasonable explanation.

"Xiao Cui, is that so?" Rong Yingluo asked gently.

He seemed to sympathize with the little girl.

"Your Highness... I'm sorry... I was greedy. My mother is dying. I can't live without her." After saying this, Xiao Cui's head lolled to the side and she fainted.

"Since she has confessed, let's beat her to death with sticks." Lu Ming immediately gave the order.

The two old women raised their boards again, ready to continue beating her.

"Wait a minute, since she stole things because of her mother's illness, she is also a filial daughter."

My mother is the kindest mother in our capital, and I, as her daughter-in-law, cannot disgrace her, nor can I, as her mistress, be heartless.

"Granny Zhu, take some people to send Xiao Cui home. Please check on her mother's condition for me. I will pay for her mother's treatment to settle this matter between mistress and servant," Rong Yingluo instructed.

She wanted to see what expression Butler Lu would have when his hastily fabricated lie was exposed.

"Yes, Miss." Granny Zhu immediately ordered two cleaning maids to lift the person up.

Lu Ming felt a little embarrassed, but he still bowed before leaving the Silver Willow Courtyard.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Granny Zhu returned.

"Miss, Xiao Cui is dead."

"Oh? How did he die?" Rong Yingluo was taken aback.

"I don't know. I was leading her to the back street where the servants lived when she suddenly let out a low scream and then stopped breathing. Steward Lu sent someone to take her body away." Granny Zhu was startled at the time.

This Duke's mansion is terrifying. Even though the young lady spared her life, she still couldn't escape the fate of being abandoned.

"Forget it, let bygones be bygones. I've done everything I could. Her death isn't my fault; it was the person who ordered her to take her life."

"Have the maids in the courtyard spread the word about what happened in our courtyard today, so that all the servants in the mansion know the details. This will prevent gossip and the distortion of the truth," Rong Yingluo said, taking precautions.

"Miss is very thoughtful." Granny Zhu accepted the task with a smile.

The young lady has money; it would be easy for her to bribe a few maids from the Duke's mansion to do this.

After lunch, Rong Yingluo continued copying "The Precepts for Women," imagining it as copying "The Classic of Purity and Tranquility."

He copied faster and faster as time went on.

I copied it seven times before nightfall. I'll copy it three more times tomorrow to finish.

Strangely, despite copying it so many times, she couldn't remember anything about what was written inside; she only saw individual words.

That seems a bit unfair.

She sat down and read it again carefully. Some parts made sense, but too many parts made her angry.

The Qingjing Jing (Classic of Purity and Tranquility) was more acceptable to her: "The human spirit loves tranquility, but the mind disturbs it; the human heart loves stillness, but desires pull it away. If one can constantly dispel desires, the heart will naturally be still; if one can purify the heart, the spirit will naturally be clear."

That makes a lot of sense.

But the "Admonitions for Women" says, "The husband is like Heaven; Heaven cannot be escaped, and the husband cannot be disobeyed. If one's actions violate the gods, Heaven will punish them."

That's utter nonsense about not being able to escape; she's determined to get the divorce papers.

She stretched and yawned, but before she could retract her arm, she saw Gu Ce return through the window.

Thinking about having to play the role of a virtuous wife, she immediately left the study.

"My husband, you're back." Her smile was incredibly sweet.

Gu Ce stiffened inexplicably when he saw her sudden change.

This woman is such a good actress, so fickle.

On the first day, he was calm and wise, but now he feels that he is pretentious.

She's truly a woman of a thousand faces.

He felt he had seen through her, but now she was acting this way, leaving him unsure of what kind of woman she really was.

"Hmm, have you had dinner yet?" Gu Ce asked.

"Not yet, aren't we waiting for you to come back so we can have dinner together?" Rong Yingluo continued, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

She even followed him into the inner room where the two of them were resting.

Gu Ce stood still naturally and stretched out both arms.

"What do you mean?" Rong Yingluo didn't understand for a moment why he raised his arm in front of her.

"Undress me." Gu Ce was ready to enjoy the privileges of being a husband.

Rong Yingluo's sweet smile froze on her face.

Good clothes?

"What, aren't you supposed to be a virtuous wife? What wife doesn't do such a small thing?" Gu Ce felt inexplicably pleased when he saw her stiff smile, but his expression remained unchanged, still as indifferent as water.

Rong Yingluo resignedly stood in front of him and began to undo his belt.

But she had never untied a man's belt before and didn't know how.

I spent a long time clumsily trying to find the right method but failed.

Gu Ce didn't teach her, letting her do as she pleased.

"What kind of knot did you tie? Why can't I untie it?" Rong Yingluo lost her patience and pulled hard, resulting in her falling into Gu Ce's arms.

Gu Ce's face flushed slightly as the woman threw herself into his arms.

An awkward atmosphere spread between the two.

"I...I didn't mean to." Rong Yingluo realized what was happening and immediately pushed Gu Ce away, but she pushed him too hard and made him back away. However, she didn't let go of her belt. One of them backed away and the other was pulled forward, and as a result, they both fell onto the bed at the same time.

Woman on top, man on bottom.

This is even more awkward.

Their eyes met, and both were so shocked by the sudden turn of events that they didn't know how to react.

This was the first time a woman had ever lain on top of Gu Ce like this.

A strange feeling suddenly rose in my heart.

It even spread to the lower abdomen.

What's going on?

This feeling was unfamiliar, yet tinged with a hint of anticipation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Two breaths later, Rong Yingluo realized that she had pinned Gu Ce down and hurriedly scrambled to her feet.

"It's alright. You'll get the hang of it after a few more practices." Gu Ce stood up and, to hide his unease, earnestly taught Rong Yingluo how to untie it quickly.

Rong Yingluo also studied diligently.

The difference between men's and women's official belts lies in the way they are fastened.

I learned it in one go.

To make up for her mistake, Rong Yingluo offered to find him a dark blue robe to change into.

Yinghong set out the food, and the two ate in silence.

"I heard there was a thief in the courtyard today?" Gu Ce asked, putting down the handkerchief he was using to wipe his hands.

"Someone tried to steal my money. But they couldn't open the box where I hid it, and they even got some copper sulfate I sprinkled inside and outside the box, so I figured it out." Rong Yingluo was very satisfied with her foresight.

Her father gave her so much money that she was worried someone would try to take advantage of it, so she took precautions early on. It turned out that her worries were justified.

This Duke's mansion is full of demons and monsters.

She suspected it was most likely Su, but without evidence, she couldn't convict her.

"How did you know that copper sulfate changes color when it comes into contact with water?" Gu Ce praised her intelligence.

However, very few women knew this kind of knowledge; even he only learned it during his year of training in the Ministry of Justice.

His wife was only sixteen years old, yet she knew so much.