Old Madam Fu was deeply alarmed. Forget Fu Zhang—even a sixth-rank Hanlin scholar would be disgraced if it were revealed he had two wives.

“That shallow-eyed Yao woman!” Old Madam Fu gnashed her teeth in fury, though she still feared Liang Youyi.

“Once the wedding is done, Yunshang will be a woman of the Fu family. Her life will no longer be her own. Even if she learns that Chen’er and the others are my children, she’ll have no choice but to accept it.”

Once a woman shares physical intimacy with a man, she becomes utterly devoted—whether he’s a rooster or a dog.

“But… will Her Majesty the Empress Dowager approve?”

The Empress Dowager wanted all her ministers to focus solely on state affairs. Those destined for greatness should not indulge in romantic entanglements.

Fu Zhang sneered inwardly. He knew Duke Ding’s household inside out—a pack of lunatics who doted on Liang Yanzhi without restraint, raising a selfish, ruthless, and hypocritical Empress Dowager. Whatever the Empress Dowager asked for, that family would scramble to fulfill it. As long as Liang Yanzhi was pleased, Duke Ding’s household would support him unconditionally. So Fu Zhang pledged his loyalty to the Empress Dowager, vowing to obey her alone. Others relied on powerful in-laws to climb the ranks—he needed only the Empress Dowager to rise to power. She told him to focus on politics, so he “abandoned romantic attachments” and kept delaying the marriage granted by the late emperor.

It worked out well—he didn’t want anyone to know about his dual households. He already had children, a promising future, and a compliant sister-in-law warming his bed. Why bother with a high-born lady to gild the lily?

Princess Yunshang was beautiful, but compared to his ambitions, she meant little. However, if she discovered the truth about his dual households, she’d hold his life in her hands.

The Empress Dowager would never tolerate “betrayal.” He had to keep Princess Yunshang under control. The best way to do that now was marriage—once they were husband and wife, their fates would be tied together. If the Empress Dowager objected, the conflict would shift to her and Duke Ding’s household. Even if Princess Yunshang wanted to hate someone, it wouldn’t be him.

Still, that wasn’t the best solution. The best solution was for Princess Yunshang to stay silent forever.

Fu Zhang was startled by his own thought.

“Prime Minister, we’ve investigated. Princess Yunshang doesn’t own Yulouchun, Rongbaozhai, and Chisu Workshop, but she has good relations with them,” Zhao Hu reported, handing Fu Zhang the findings.

“Where did you get this information?”

“As you instructed, I first checked the merchant registry at the magistrate’s office, then sent people to discreetly question the shop assistants. They all said Princess Yunshang rarely visits the shops. When she does buy something, she pays like any other customer—just gets a small discount.”

Fu Zhang tapped his pen thoughtfully, then said, “Place an order at Lingyin Pavilion. I want a full investigation into Princess Yunshang.”

He pulled out a silver note worth a thousand taels from his drawer and handed it to Zhao Hu. “Get to the bottom of her background.”

The next morning, Duke Ding’s estate was bustling.

Jiang Shuang arrived with her maid, beaming. “Yi’er, the Prime Minister is here to discuss the wedding date.”

Liang Youyi clenched her fists. Why bring up the wedding now? Was there no escaping it? Was she doomed to repeat the past?

From Bamboo Grove to the front courtyard, her mind replayed the scenes from her dream—especially the final moment of her tragic death, over and over, impossible to shake. Hatred surged through every pore.

Fu Zhang spotted her immediately, his gaze as cold as ever. No—there was something different. A strange, indescribable emotion clung to her.

“Did the princess attend the horse race yesterday?”

“Yes,” Liang Youyi replied flatly, devoid of emotion.

“I heard your horse was startled and you nearly fell. I was worried, so I came to check on you. Please don’t do such dangerous things again.”

“…”

“A princess should act with restraint, lest she invite trouble. You must consider the Prime Minister’s household’s reputation—and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”

“…”

Fu Zhang’s face darkened with anger. “What kind of attitude is this? You have nothing to say to me?”

“Qilin Pavilion is investigating who tampered with my horse. Only two people approached it—Miss Xia and Fu Sangyu. You’d better hope it wasn’t them.”

“No matter if it was Yu’er or not, the princess hit her hard enough. That should be enough to vent her anger.”

“Not enough!”

“You publicly humiliated Chen’er, disfigured my sister-in-law and Yu’er. I didn’t retaliate—I even scolded my sister-in-law and confined her and Yu’er to the rear courtyard. What more do you want?”

She only wanted to break off the engagement. She couldn’t bear to spend even a moment under the same roof with him.

“These days, you’re no longer the dignified and virtuous princess. You’ve made things difficult for me inside and out. Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Fu Zhang growled. “Princess, everything has its limits!”

“Are you done?”

“Even a clay figure has a temper. Don’t test my patience.”

Liang Youyi’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Going to complain again? To the Empress Dowager? Or to my parents, my grandparents? So this is the great Prime Minister of the realm.”

“Yunshang, aren’t you just angry that I haven’t married you? Fine—I agree. We’ll marry after the New Year!”

Liang Youyi stopped, turned to look at him, lips pressed tight, saying nothing.

“You want to marry me soon? Fine. I’ll speak with Duke Ding and ask the Empress Dowager to set a date.”

His tone was full of condescension.

Liang Youyi was utterly repulsed. She looked at him as if he were a maggot. Suddenly, she felt nauseated, clutched her chest, and ran out the door—retching violently.

Fang Ling rushed over with a basin.

Fu Zhang’s face turned black. She vomited at the mention of marrying him! She was already twenty, an old maid. He was willing to marry her, and she should be kneeling in gratitude. Had he been too lenient? How dare she defy him like this?

Liang Youyi walked up to him, looked him dead in the eye, and said coldly, “Fu Zhang, I’d rather marry a cat or a dog than live under the same roof as you. Push me too far, and we’ll go down together.” She’d said this once before.

Fu Zhang looked her up and down. She was beautiful—but now she was like a poisonous, thorned iron peony. Gorgeous, but deadly. “What if the Empress Dowager orders us to marry?”

“Then certain things should be made public. Let’s see if she still wants to issue that decree.”

Fu Zhang broke into a cold sweat. Certain things? His dual-household secret? He could pay Lingyin Pavilion to investigate her—couldn’t she do the same to him? Had Princess Yunshang already looked into him? How much did she know?

It seemed that once her investigation was complete, he’d have to report to the Empress Dowager and destroy Lingyin Pavilion entirely.

Fu Zhang didn’t press further. He smoothed his expression, said a few polite words, and left without seeing Duke Liang Bo or the others, returning to the Prime Minister’s estate in haste. On the way, that same chilling thought crept back into his mind: the best solution was for Princess Yunshang to stay silent forever.

Old Madam Fu had been craning her neck all morning, waiting for news. Fu Zhang had gone to Duke Ding’s estate to discuss the wedding—how had it gone?

Even more excited than Old Madam Fu was Steward Bai.

That morning, Old Madam Fu had told him the Prime Minister was going to marry Princess Yunshang and instructed him to begin preparations. It was the grandest event the household had seen. Though Steward Bai feared Liang Youyi somewhat, she was a noble princess, the only legitimate daughter of Duke Ding’s generation. How could the wedding not be splendid?

Yuan Yang, the head maid of Xunfang Court, came to find Steward Bai, saying Madam Yao needed his help. He frowned. “Isn’t Madam Yao under house arrest?”

“But the household still needs someone to manage the kitchen,” Yuan Yang said, slipping him a ten-tael silver ingot. “You know how people are—they flatter the powerful and trample the weak. With Madam Yao confined, who knows how many are badmouthing her in front of Madam Fu and the Prime Minister?”

Steward Bai accepted the silver and tucked it into his sleeve, then limped off to Xunfang Court.

Yao Suyi had never imagined she’d be placed under house arrest. She’d known Fu Zhang since her youth, borne him four children, and he had never treated her poorly. Even when she clashed with Princess Yunshang, one tear from her would prompt Fu Zhang to defend her without hesitation. She had always believed she was Fu Zhang’s true wife—the mistress of the Prime Minister’s household.

But everything changed after that day at the dock.

Princess Yunshang had publicly humiliated Chen’er, and both she and Yu’er had been beaten and disfigured. Yet Fu Zhang scolded her and confined her and Yu’er to the rear courtyard!

She was unwilling to accept this.

After a tearful breakdown in Xunfang Court, Yao Suyi decided she couldn’t endure it any longer. She said to Steward Bai, “Please inform Old Madam Fu that I will treat Princess Yunshang with utmost respect from now on.”

Steward Bai sighed and limped off to Cuiwei Hall.

After all, Yao Suyi had managed the household for many years—Steward Bai knew Fu Zhang wouldn’t keep her confined for long.

After hearing Steward Bai’s report, Old Madam Fu said, “There’s a palace banquet coming up. Zhang’er will release them then. Let them rest in Xunfang Court for now.”

Old Madam Fu was sympathetic to Yao Suyi, but blood ties mattered more. Her son was her only hope, and she had to stand by him.

Steward Bai relayed Old Madam Fu’s intentions to Yao Suyi, urging her to wait a few days. “The Prime Minister is just angry. If this were a true punishment, he wouldn’t allow your maids to leave the courtyard.”

But Yao Suyi couldn’t wait even a day. After just one day of confinement, some brazen maid had already dolled herself up and was delivering food to Fu Zhang’s study. And she’d just heard that Fu Zhang had gone to Duke Ding’s estate to discuss betrothal—he was planning to marry Princess Yunshang!

Discussing marriage? He confined her, then rushed off to arrange a wedding with someone else? Was he really going to bring Princess Yunshang into the household?

Had her fears of over a decade finally come true? No. She absolutely couldn’t let that woman enter the household unblemished. If she did, Yao Suyi and her children would never have a chance to rise. She would never allow Princess Yunshang to walk proudly through the Prime Minister’s gates. Through clenched teeth, she instructed Yuan Uang, “Once the academy is dismissed, summon Second Young Master.”