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

"Last night, one of the guards in the manor neglected his duty and, after drinking, harassed a maid. He was beaten by Madam Su and put on the sale. However, someone I arranged bought him and locked him up."

Strangely, the handwriting he produced was not the same as the handwriting on the letter.

The nun sent to the government office by Jing'an Hall was poisoned but has been saved. The investigation revealed that a clerk had taken money to do the work for someone, and the person seeking the clerk was a middle-aged man who, based on the description, resembled the coachman who drove the Su family's carriage.

"So it can be basically confirmed that the arson at Jing'an Hall was arranged by the Su family." Rong Yingluo's eyes lit up.

"Yes." Gu Ce was somewhat pleased and smiled faintly. "This is all thanks to you. You've finally managed to get some leads out of the matter."

"It's a pity that this little bit isn't enough to convict Su Shi. She can easily deny it or shift the blame. Su Shi wants to kill me, and I guess she'll use even more vicious methods later." Rong Yingluo slumped her shoulders in despair.

"We don't need any evidence to destroy her; after all, she's my father's second wife. If I really weren't a member of the Gu family, I wouldn't want to push things to the extreme. I just want her to stop harming you and me." Gu Ce had thought a lot today.

Rong Yingluo's guess caught his attention.

Then Su's actions should be considered separately.

He had to see his father's attitude. After all, the Gu family had raised him.

"I understand." Rong Yingluo was pleased to hear Gu Ce's words; he was a grateful person.

Whatever the reason, if he really wasn't Gu Jiazi, the fact that the Gu family raised him is an immense debt of gratitude.

Moreover, he helped him pass the imperial examination with top honors and become a high-ranking official in the court, reaching the rank of third grade. These were all real contributions made by the Duke of Zhenguo to him.

If he had been raised in poverty, he wouldn't have achieved his current status.

No matter what the Su family did, they should be spared out of respect for the Duke of Zhenguo.

"However, since she's courting death and insists on putting me to death, she shouldn't blame me for being impolite," Rong Yingluo said, believing in karma.

If retribution comes, the Su family will have to bear it alone.

"Well, it's best not to kill him. Let Father handle it."

The two understood each other without saying a word.

In other words, from now on, no matter what Su does, there's no need to find any evidence to prove what she did; all she needs to do is retaliate.

A few days later, the guard Ling Feng brought news that he had found out the daily habits of the illegitimate son of the Gao family, and also found out about the young master Zhou that Gu Qingyin was in love with.

On the third day of the ninth month, Rong Yingluo specially invited Gu Qingyin to go out together. Su Shi initially disagreed, but Rong Yingluo said she was going out to buy a newly released fabric and would also bring one for Su Shi. Su Shi knew that the new fabric cost more than fifty taels of silver per bolt, so she agreed.

"Sister-in-law, why are there so many scholars on the road?" Gu Qing'an rarely went out, so she lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.

"Since the autumn imperial examinations had just ended and the results were about to be released, the students had a rare chance to relax. They liked to get together in groups of three or five and go out for a stroll."

"There's a literary hall up ahead. It must be very lively inside. Do you want to go check it out? Maybe your favorite Mr. Zhou is in there too," Rong Yingluo teased.

"Sister-in-law!" Gu Qingyin stomped her foot lightly, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"Tell me about that Mr. Zhou you know," Rong Yingluo said, wanting to hear Gu Qingyin's story.

If what she hears is different from what she's investigated, then she'll have to advise her sister. It's not terrible to be infatuated; what's terrible is being blinded by love and not being able to judge people properly.

"Once, I went to Huguo Temple to burn incense with my elder sister, but I ran into one of her close friends. She left me behind and told me to play by myself." Thinking of that time, Gu Qingyin felt a little sad.

Gu Qingya wanted to go out and play, but couldn't find any playmates, so she insisted on dragging her along, yet looked down on her.

Whenever they run into someone they know, they find her an eyesore and send her far away.

He didn't even call her when he went back.

The two of them came in the same carriage, but she was left to go back alone.

Huguo Temple is more than 30 li away from the capital. Where can she find a carriage to return home?

Just as she and her maid were squatting by the roadside crying, a young man came up and asked what was wrong.

"Ladies, are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Young master, we don't have a carriage to return to the city. If we walk back, we won't make it before the city gates close," said the maid Cuihuan, even more anxious than her mistress.

Moreover, it's over thirty miles, and both the young lady and her are women who rarely leave their homes. How could they possibly walk that far? What if they encounter thugs?

"Ladies, I have hired an oxcart. If you don't mind, you can ride with me back to the city."

That's how they met.

Although the oxcart was slow, it managed to enter the city just before the city gates closed.

The two got along very well on the oxcart.

Whenever Gu Qingyin recalls that day, a sweet smile always appears on her face.

When Rong Yingluo saw the girl's flushed face, she knew just how much her heart was fluttering with love.

"Sister-in-law, his name is Zhou Haitao, and he comes from Zhou County under Yuhang Prefecture. His family was originally a local gentry."

He originally had a modest fortune, but unfortunately, his birth mother was a concubine in the household. After his father's death, he was driven out of the house by his stepmother. From then on, the mother and son depended on each other for survival.

But he never gave up his studies. He took the provincial examination as soon as the mourning period ended and passed the provincial examination last year. However, he said that he was not capable enough and went to the capital early to study hard for another year in preparation for the spring examination next year. Gu Qingyin gently told him everything she knew.

Of course, all of this was told to her by Young Master Zhou.

"Then how did you know he was good at literature?" Rong Yingluo asked.

"Once I saw him solve an extremely difficult couplet in Honghao Tower and he received a reward of one hundred taels of silver."

Honghao Building? Isn't that part of her dowry? And it's the place they're about to go.

The shopkeeper really knows how to handle things. In order to attract candidates, he held a literary gathering and used couplets as a gimmick.

This matter was not mentioned in the information Ling Feng gathered.

It is said that in his spare time from studying, he earned some money to supplement his family income by copying scriptures for Huguo Temple. His mother was an expert in embroidery, and she supported them with this skill.

The mother and son rented a small courtyard in the capital and waited for the imperial examinations to begin.

The carriage stopped at the back door of Honghao Building.

Rong Yingluo led Gu Qingyin to a private room on the second floor.

The private room's window faces the bustling main street.

"Second sister, your sister-in-law is inviting you to watch a play today." Rong Yingluo smiled slyly.

Gu Qingyin was taken aback.

My sister-in-law said she would help her, is it today?

They haven't crossed paths since their last conversation in the garden.

She once thought her sister-in-law had forgotten about her.

It turned out she had misunderstood her sister-in-law.

Rong Yinglu smiled at her and whispered a lot of things in her ear, making Gu Qingyin's mouth gape wider and wider.

"Remember what I said. When the time comes, you must find your older brother to come and save me." Rong Yingluo gave her one last instruction. Before Yinghong could even react, Rong Yingluo led Yinghong out of the private room.

The master and servant changed their clothes and went out through the back door.

Both girls were dressed in dark-colored coarse linen clothes.

She was a typical commoner woman.

But their faces were very delicate, their skin so smooth and flawless, they looked like they were beckoning to be picked.

At this moment, they each carried a flower basket, which was filled with brightly blooming golden marigolds.

Once they reached the main street, the two began hawking their wares.

"Selling nine-flower cakes! Selling nine-flower cakes!"

"Young master, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is almost here. Why not buy a nine-flower to take home as a gift for your elders?" Rong Yingluo stopped a passing young man and called out to him.