After eating a steamed apple, Lin Shi’s stomach felt more comfortable. When she left with Lin Hao and her sister, Wen Feng and the others had already departed.

They returned smoothly to the General’s Mansion. Lin Shi stretched lazily and sighed, “I thought going out for two days would be relaxing, but it turned out to be more exhausting than a fight.”

Cheng Shu happened to be resting at home and asked with concern, “Aunt, your complexion looks a bit poor. Did you not sleep well? I heard that the Second Miss of the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion had an incident at Green Deer Temple, so I thought you might be worried.”

Lin Shi smiled, “I wasn’t particularly worried, but you already know about what happened to the Second Miss of the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion?”

“How could I not know? It spread everywhere yesterday. The Marquis of Wuning’s mansion even sent many servants out of the city…” Cheng Shu talked about what the common people of the capital had been discussing enthusiastically the previous day.

The Old Madam also said, “I thought you would return yesterday, but unexpectedly you stayed another day.”

Lin Shi glanced at Lin Hao, “We were planning to return, but Ah Hao said it would rain, so we didn’t come back. Unexpectedly, it really did rain.”

Cheng Shu looked curious, “Ah Hao, how did you know it would rain?”

The Old Madam also looked at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao replied without changing expression, “I guessed.”

Cheng Shu didn’t believe it, “You could guess that?”

“Actually, it wasn’t entirely guesswork.” Lin Hao quickly made up a reason, “In spring, when I fell from the wall, didn’t I sprain my ankle? Later, whenever my ankle ached faintly, nine times out of ten the weather would change.”

Thinking about it, she felt rather ashamed—she had quite a talent for making up lies.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shi felt heartbroken, “So that’s how it was. I thought Ah Hao had innately comprehended the skill of reading celestial signs.”

Lin Hao: “…” So she could have said she was naturally born knowing how to read celestial signs?

The family circled the topic back to the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion.

“In the prime of youth yet her face is ruined. The Marquis of Wuning’s mansion will have plenty of trouble ahead.”

“I wonder if they caught the criminal.”

In the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion, the Marchioness of Wuning was tearfully complaining to the Marquis of Wuning.

“If we can’t catch the person who harmed Wei’er, this matter will never be settled! My lord, go speak with those government offices and make sure they put their hearts into it.”

“I already did.” The Marquis of Wuning’s expression was grim, his mood equally heavy. “However, that criminal has already fled north. It’s like looking for a needle in the ocean—finding him will be difficult…”

The conclusion about fleeing north was deduced from discovering Fang Chengji’s corpse. As for Fang Chengji’s identity, it had not yet been determined, and he had already been taken to the charity morgue as an unidentified male corpse.

“So Wei’er was harmed for nothing?” The Marchioness of Wuning stamped her feet in hatred.

Since marrying into the marquis’s mansion, she could say everything had gone smoothly. She hadn’t tasted helplessness in a long time.

“My lord, Madam, someone has come from the Eastern Palace.” A maidservant came in to report.

The Marchioness of Wuning indicated for the maidservant to invite the person in.

The visitor was Lü Shuang, a trusted palace maid of Crown Princess Tang Qiang, who had also come from the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion.

“My lord, Madam, the Crown Princess is concerned about the Second Miss and sent this servant to check on her behalf.”

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. Although the Crown Princess’s status was infinitely glorious, returning to her maiden home was not as convenient as for ordinary women.

The Marchioness of Wuning forced a smile, “Please tell the Crown Princess not to worry. Come with me.”

The Marchioness of Wuning personally led the palace maid Lü Shuang to Tang Wei’s residence. Just as they reached the door, they heard a tearful cry of alarm, “Miss, Miss, you mustn’t do anything foolish!”

The Marchioness of Wuning’s expression changed. Forgetting the composure befitting a marchioness, she rushed in and saw Tang Wei standing on a stool with both hands grasping a white silk rope, trying to loop it around her neck.

The Marchioness of Wuning was scared out of her wits, “Wei’er!”

After a flurry of activity, Tang Wei was placed on the bed. The Marchioness of Wuning wiped away tears, “Wei’er, aren’t you cutting out your mother’s heart by doing this?”

Tang Wei thrust her face in front of the Marchioness of Wuning, pointing at the ugly brand mark and crying out in anguish, “How can I face people looking like this? I’ve wanted to die for a long time, but I just didn’t want to die outside…”

“Wei’er, you can’t think like this. Mother will find you a famous physician. There must be a way to remove the brand mark…”

Watching the mother and daughter crying together with their heads bowed, Lü Shuang’s eyes also reddened.

Hearing that the Second Miss’s face was ruined had only shocked her, but seeing it in person, she realized how serious it actually was.

After the mother and daughter had cried enough, Lü Shuang gently persuaded, “Second Miss, please take heart. The Crown Princess is very concerned about you. Imperial Physician Zhao from the Imperial Medical Bureau is most skilled at treating skin problems and has already agreed to come see you tomorrow…”

Hearing the comfort from her mother and Lü Shuang, some light appeared in Tang Wei’s desperate eyes, “Is there really good medicine to remove scars?”

“There will always be a way. In this vast world, there’s no shortage of capable people.” Worried that her daughter might have dark thoughts again, the Marchioness of Wuning comforted her.

Lü Shuang returned from the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion to the Eastern Palace to report to the Crown Princess.

“This servant followed the Marchioness to see the Second Miss. The Second Miss was attempting to take her own life…”

After Lü Shuang finished speaking, the Crown Princess’s heart grew heavy. She couldn’t even attend to the vexation she’d felt these past days about her cousin from Prince Jing’s mansion becoming the Crown Prince’s Selected Attendant.

When it grew dark and the Crown Prince still hadn’t come, the Crown Princess instructed Lü Shuang, “Go ask where the Crown Prince is resting and request that he come over.”

Though the Crown Princess said this, she actually knew in her heart that the Crown Prince must be resting at Selected Attendant Sun’s quarters.

The Crown Prince had just obtained a beauty and was in the heat of passion. When someone from the Crown Princess’s side came to request his presence, he said to Sun Xiuhua, “I’ll go take a look. You rest first.”

Sun Xiuhua curtsied, “Respectfully sending off Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “I’ve already said there’s no need to be so formal.”

In truth, he was very satisfied with this gentle and agreeable beauty. If there was any shortcoming—naturally it was that he had not yet brought the Lin sisters into the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince went to the Crown Princess’s quarters in a cheerful mood, only to be met with a worried face.

“Does the Crown Princess have something on her mind?” The Crown Prince’s tone carried concern.

The newly acquired beauty pleased him, and the Crown Princess’s behavior also pleased him. The Crown Princess hadn’t thrown a tantrum because of Selected Attendant Sun’s sudden entry into the palace, but rather had very thoughtfully arranged good lodgings for Selected Attendant Sun.

The Crown Princess hid the coldness in her eyes and sighed, “Second Sister returned home today and was extremely distressed. I’m very worried she won’t be able to withstand the blow of losing her face.”

“Second Sister’s face is truly ruined?”

The Crown Princess nodded with a bitter expression.

“Second Sister has really suffered.” The Crown Prince grasped the Crown Princess’s hand, though inwardly he felt no ripple of emotion.

“Your Highness, I’d like to invite Second Sister to stay in the palace for a few days to ease her state of mind.” The Crown Princess stated the purpose of requesting the Crown Prince to come.

The Crown Prince agreed without hesitation, “The Crown Princess may arrange it as she sees fit.”

“Thank you, Crown Prince.” The Crown Princess showed a trace of a smile.

Seeing the Crown Princess smile, the Crown Prince also curved his lips, “I still have matters to attend to. Don’t overthink things and rest early.”

The Crown Princess saw the Crown Prince to the door. The coldness in her eyes was finally no longer concealed.

This was her husband, cold to the extreme. He spoke pleasantly, but when she was in a bad mood, he wouldn’t spend more time with her.

To the Crown Prince, his own pleasure was always most important.

Fortunately, she had seen through him long ago.

Two days later, the Crown Princess arranged for people to go to the Marquis of Wuning’s mansion and brought Tang Wei into the Eastern Palace.