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

She had to step over it, or she would step into the fire pit.

The charcoal in the brazier was extremely hot; even wearing shoes would inevitably result in burns.

The groom was waiting five steps away on the other side of the brazier, but he couldn't reach her even if he wanted to help her, let alone the fact that he might not even try.

At the critical moment, Rong Yingluo pushed off with her back foot. Although the posture was a bit unseemly, she successfully stepped over the fire pit. However, as soon as her left foot landed, a piercing pain came from the sole of her foot.

She lost her balance and fell forward, landing on the ground, her veil falling off her head.

"Oh dear, such an unlucky thing has happened before the bride has even entered the house. What should we do? Could it be that the bride is unlucky? A woman with unlucky fortune cannot suppress joy." Someone commented.

"Yes, this is the fifth time Young Master Gu has married. It seems he won't live another month. What kind of deity has the Gu family offended?"

Rong Yingluo endured the pain in her feet, raised her head, and saw the portrait of the Gu family ancestor on the shrine in the center of the wedding hall. She reacted quickly, immediately got up, and knelt respectfully facing the main hall.

"Ancestors of the Gu family, today is the first day of the Rong family's marriage. It is only proper for the new bride to kowtow to the ancestors. Please accept this bow from the new bride of the Rong family." Rong Yingluo kowtowed heavily.

"I apologize for making a fool of myself in front of the ancestors. I was captivated by their heroic bearing when I stepped over the fire basin. May I step over the fire basin again to complete the proper etiquette? If you disagree, please let me know. If you remain silent, it means you agree." She kowtowed again.

The portrait, of course, did not answer her, which meant it tacitly agreed.

Rong Yingluo stood up, ignoring everyone's gaze, took off her left shoe, tiptoed to the fire pit, and stepped over it again.

This time, without the veil obstructing her view, she steadily stepped over the brazier.

She bent down, picked up the shoe, turned it over, and in front of all the guests, pulled out three iron needles that had pierced through the sole.

Without saying anything, she put her shoes back on, picked up the veil from the ground, and put it back on.

Her series of actions stunned all the guests.

The three sharp iron needles, in particular, made it obvious what was going on without even thinking.

No wonder the bride fell to the ground.

It's normal to give a bride a hard time when she enters the household, but there's no need to be this vicious. She hasn't even had the wedding ceremony yet, and they've already pinned her to the pillar of shame for her lack of fortune. Even if she dies a few days later, no one will say a word.

It's absolutely flawless.

This wasn't the first time the guests had attended Gu Shizi's wedding, and they had never seen the Gu family treat the bride so coldly before. This was blatant bullying of a merchant's daughter.

Wasn't it said that the Duchess of the State personally selected her daughter-in-law and asked the Emperor to bestow a marriage upon her?

"Guards!" Su Jingyi was the first to react, her face full of anger. "Investigate which treacherous servant prepared the brazier today, and have him beaten to death for me."

Shifting blame onto a subordinate who failed in their duties demonstrates decisive and ruthless action.

Rong Yingluo sneered inwardly.

On such a joyous occasion, to order the servants to be beaten to death—is this bringing bad luck to her, or causing trouble for the prince?

In just that short time, she had already guessed who had killed Gu Shizi's four previous brides, and who was also the culprit who had caused her eldest sister to commit suicide: the Duchess of the State.

To secure her stepson's marriage, she ruthlessly punished the servants, seemingly a loving mother who desperately wanted her son to marry. However, in reality, she was as black-hearted as ink, adding a life to the prince's happy occasion as a congratulatory gift.

A faint smile appeared on Gu Ce's expressionless face.

This Miss Rong is truly extraordinary. She unexpectedly thwarted the scheme set up by the Su family and exposed their plot in public.

None of the previous four brides possessed Rong's composure; after being tricked, they cried and begged him for help.

Rong didn't even glance at him, resolving the problem herself and leaving Su extremely embarrassed.

The image of a loving mother finally began to crack.

Before long, the sounds of being beaten with a cane and the screams of the tortured could be heard in the distance.

Rong Yingluo remained calm and composed. Her master often said that karma would eventually come back to bite her, and this was not her fault.

Gu Ce continued walking towards the main hall, leading the red silk ribbon. This time, he deliberately tugged at the ribbon, giving Rong Yingluo a hint.

Since the Duke of Zhenguo was stationed at the border and not in the capital, Su Jingyi was the head of the household.

When the newlyweds paid their respects, the smile on her face was clearly forced.

After being led to the bridal chamber, Gu Ce left to greet the guests.

Rong Yingluo lifted the veil directly.

"Second Miss, you mustn't!" a maidservant interjected.

"Are you Yinghong?" Rong Yingluo recognized her as the eldest sister's head maid, someone who had grown up with her.

"Yes, it is your servant." Yinghong knelt down and bowed.

The lady told her to wait at the Gu family's new house first, and to send away all the maids from the Gu family in advance, leaving her alone to guard the house. She was also to find out how the previous four brides died, so that she could tell the second young lady and prepare a response.

"From now on, don't call me Second Miss, just call me Miss."

"Yes, Miss."

Thinking of her previous experiences, Rong Yingluo began to inspect the new house again, still feeling uneasy.

When she checked the large, burning red wedding candles, she realized something was wrong.

The red candles contain a drug that can drive people insane for no apparent reason. If someone smells it all night, there's a good chance they'll go insane.

Their methods are endless; they're determined to kill her.

One hurdle after another, as if afraid she wouldn't die.

"Yinghong, are you able to leave the manor now? Go and buy a pair of similar red candles to replace them immediately," Rong Yingluo ordered.

"Miss, I can have Uncle Wu, who serves as my maid, go and buy it, and have Granny Zhu bring it in."

"Okay, hurry up." It wasn't dark yet, so Rong Yingluo blew out the two red candles.

The maidservant chosen by Madam Rong was quite capable; she brought in the food in just 45 minutes and relit it.

During this time, Yinghong had already told Rong Yingluo how the first four brides died.

The first one drowned by accident, the second died from epilepsy, the third died in his sleep, and the fourth was bitten by a poisonous snake.

If she doesn't discover the problem today, she will go mad and then fall into a coma and die.

When it was completely dark, Gu Ce was drunk and helped into the bridal chamber.

But as soon as the servant who had been helping her left, Gu Ce's dazed eyes cleared immediately, and he saw that the bride had lifted her veil herself.

The playfulness in her eyes was even more pronounced; this bride was truly unique.

He slowly walked to the bedside and reached out to lift Rong Yingluo's chin.

Their eyes met, and they sized each other up.

Neither of them showed the shyness or embarrassment typical of newlyweds; both scrutinized each other with cold eyes.

"You're more witty than the previous four, you're quite clever, but I wonder how many days you'll live." Gu Ce's voice was devoid of any emotion, sending chills down one's spine as his fingers traced across her face.

"You want me dead?" Rong Yingluo's eyes turned cold.

"I never keep useless people around me. If you can't even protect your own life, you'd better get rid of it sooner rather than later. Anyway, you've already died once, so you probably won't be afraid of dying a second time." Gu Ce's words were ruthless and cold.

"Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down with me?" Rong Yingluo threatened.

"That depends on whether you have the ability." Gu Ce pushed Rong Yingluo hard, and she fell onto the bed.

"What are you going to do?" Rong Yingluo's heart tightened.

The man before her was the culprit who caused her elder sister's suicide, and she would never be his wife in any real sense.

"What am I doing? Of course, I'm making sure you become a real woman before you die, otherwise your short life would be too regrettable. I'm giving you this special benefit since you're about to die."

Gu Ce hovered halfway above Rong Yingluo's head, his deep eyes filled with a playful glint.