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

It was already late morning when they returned to the Silver Willow Courtyard of the Gu residence.

Seeing that Gu Ce was still sleeping in the same position she had left in, Rong Yingluo lay down reassured and quickly fell asleep.

But Gu Ce opened his eyes at that moment and looked at her for a long time by the moonlight.

This woman has too many secrets.

How can I win her over and make her my loyal subordinate?

She doesn't lack money.

The power she held was solely the power to manage the inner quarters of the household, which was very important to ordinary noblewomen, but a woman like her would probably look down on it.

Only a divorce agreement can keep her in check now.

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and close his eyes to sleep.

The next morning, Rong Yingluo brought the copied women's ring to the main courtyard.

Except for being very weak, Su Jingyi is no longer suffering from alternating hot and cold temperatures.

"Daughter-in-law greets Mother. You look much better today. Doctor Qu's medical skills are truly remarkable." Rong Yingluo praised Doctor Qu's medical skills highly.

"That's really great. We're so grateful to you for asking your in-laws for help. I'll have Granny Zhao prepare some thank-you gifts to send to the Rong family later," Su Jingyi said with a smile.

Rong Yingluo admired her for her act of being a kind mother and a lady of high society; she should learn from her.

"It's my pleasure," Rong Yingluo said modestly. "Mother, this is a copy of the 'Precepts for Women' I made ten times. Please take a look."

Yinghong stepped forward, carrying the tray.

"Liuli, don't blame your mother for being heartless. You married into the Duke's family, a noble family. A noblewoman's appearance and virtue cannot be compromised."

That's why your mother teaches you this way." Su Jingyi patiently and earnestly taught you, perfectly portraying a mother-in-law who loves her daughter-in-law.

"Mother is right, I've got it."

At this moment, Granny Zhao brought in breakfast.

"Mother, you're not feeling well, let your daughter-in-law feed you." Rong Yingluo offered to take the bowl.

"No!" Su Jingyi stopped her immediately, like a startled rabbit.

She was truly terrified. Although she had no evidence, she still believed that Rong Yingluo was behind it all on their wedding night.

Regarding this poisoning, Dr. Qu deduced that the poisoning occurred twenty years ago. Before verifying this, she was skeptical, wondering if it was Rong's doing again.

Rong Yingluo had to withdraw her hand, which was halfway out.

He chuckled to himself.

It seems that Su is not stupid; she is already guessing that it is her.

Unfortunately, she will never find any evidence.

Just then, a sudden voice rang out at the door.

"Mother, I heard that the merchant's daughter hired a highly skilled doctor to examine you, and your condition is under control?" It was Gu Qingya, who hadn't been seen for several days.

She caught a cold after falling into the water, and her face was still a little pale. However, being young, she recovered almost completely in just a few days.

Rong Yingluo felt contempt.

He only caught a cold and hadn't seen his mother for a few days. Wasn't he just afraid that Su would pass on her illness to her?

Su pretended to be kind, but she didn't teach her children to be filial. Instead, she kept an eye on Gu Ce in everything.

"Qingya, don't be rude. This time, it's all thanks to your sister-in-law's family that they brought in a skilled doctor, otherwise you would have lost your mother."

"Don't always call you 'sister-in-law' like a merchant's daughter. Get along well with your sister-in-law." Su Jingyi scolded Gu Qingya weakly again, pretending to be polite to Rong Yingluo.

"Mother, I'm almost fully recovered. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I'd like to go to the palace for a banquet." Gu Qingya sat down on the edge of the bed and began to whine, not wanting to talk about her sister-in-law. She didn't acknowledge this sister-in-law at all.

"Look at your face! You can't go out. What if it worsens your condition?" Su Jingyi felt sorry for her daughter and couldn't bear to see her suffer any more.

"Mother, I won't catch a cold if I wear an extra layer of clothing. Didn't you tell me to get along well with Sister-in-law Shang...? Given her previous status, she probably never even attended a banquet in a noble family."

This sudden rise to power and direct entry into the palace—if no one were there to guide her, she would surely make a complete fool of herself and disgrace our Duke Zhenguo's mansion.

"If I take her to see the world, it will save her from embarrassment." In order to enter the palace, Gu Qingya lowered her stance and used Rong Yingluo as an example.

She hadn't seen the heir of the Xuan Prince's mansion for a long time; she was sure she would see him at the palace banquet today.

"This... Liuli, what do you think?" Su Jingyi felt that her daughter's words made sense.

Although she wanted to kill Rong Shi, she couldn't embarrass the Gu family in public.

"Since my sister is willing to take me with her, I am happy to do so."

"But I have a favor to ask. May I ask Qingyin to come with me?" Rong Yingluo wanted someone to accompany her, but she wasn't allowed to bring maids into the palace, and she didn't want to be all alone.

Gu Qingya's words sound nice, that she's going to broaden her horizons, but she'll probably disappear as soon as she enters the palace.

She had many fellow disciples, but none of them came from noble or high-ranking families.

She didn't have a single female friend in Beijing with whom she could talk.

At this moment, Rong Yingluo realized her shortcomings.

Now that she is the wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she has suddenly entered the circle of high-ranking nobles. Without her own social circle, it would be difficult for her to get along in the outside world.

Those wealthy ladies all have their own circles, and they help each other out.

"She's an illegitimate daughter, and she's about to get engaged. What's the point of taking her out? It would only bring shame to the Gu family," Gu Qingya immediately objected.

She had no intention of traveling with a concubine's daughter.

This female merchant really annoyed her.

Indeed, lowly people can only see others who are equally lowly.

"Sister, that's not right. We're all family, and the Emperor didn't say we can't bring concubine's daughters. Why can't she go?" Rong Yingluo couldn't stand Gu Qingya's unreasonable behavior.

"You... you really don't know anything. A concubine's daughter is practically a slave. You actually want to take her to the palace to embarrass yourself? Don't you know the rules? Since I was born, I've never seen any family bring a concubine's daughter to the emperor to embarrass herself." Gu Qingya became more and more agitated.

"Qingya, shut up!" Su Jingyi scolded angrily. "Liuli, your mother knows you mean well. The Emperor has not stipulated that concubines' daughters cannot be brought to the palace banquet, but no family dares to provoke such a taboo."

"If it's a family's flower viewing party or birthday celebration, then bringing her is fine. But let's skip it today," Su Jingyi gently advised.

"Thank you, Mother." Through this experience, Rong Yingluo deeply realized the importance of her status.

"When the time comes, you all need to stay close to your second aunt and not cause any trouble in the palace," Su Jingyi instructed.

She used to lead the way when attending banquets in the palace, but today it's my second brother's wife's turn to benefit.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, all officials are given a day off.

Each family was busy preparing for their entry into the palace.

Although it was a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, such a large gathering was the best opportunity for the children of each family to show off their talents.

The palace banquet, which was originally scheduled to officially begin at 1:00 PM, saw people arriving at the palace as early as the morning.

However, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is a first-class noble family, so they would not try to steal the limelight. Gu Ce asked Zhong Sheng to pass on a message to Rong Yingluo that they would set off after noon.

Rong Yingluo specially wore the ready-made clothes she bought on the street that day, the light blue one, paired with her newly bought jewelry, making her look like a fairy descended from heaven, otherworldly and ethereal.

Once inside the carriage, Gu Qingya was already seated.

When she saw Rong Yingluo's outfit, she felt inexplicably jealous.

How could a merchant's daughter be prettier than her? It must be because of her clothes.

We must find a way to get her clothes dirty.