Tao Sheng nodded and gave Tang Yizi a knowing look: “I haven’t seen you for a while. How is Madam doing lately?”

“Life is okay, but if I say it’s good, there are always some troubles. I think things will improve in the house after Ruojin gets married.”

Noticing Tao Sheng’s puzzled expression, Tang Yizi explained with a wry smile: “Our family doesn’t have much extra money for Ruojin’s dowry. Grandmother and father won’t pay, and mother is angry and refuses to contribute. Your brother has been trying to borrow money for the dowry, and I’ve been pretending not to notice. Even though your brother hasn’t made it difficult for me to help, seeing him focus solely on Ruojin makes me feel suffocated.”

Although Tang Yizi didn’t go into details about what happened afterward, Tao Sheng sensed there was more to the story.

However, Tang Yizi’s comments matched what Tao Sheng had suspected before.

“Let’s not dwell on family issues,” Tang Yizi said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I heard that my sister has now become the eighth-rank music director of the Imperial Music Bureau. Congratulations!”

Tang Yizi didn’t mention the family quarrels over this because her father-in-law, Shen Yu, was unhappy about it. Luo Xin was upset with Shen Yu for not supporting his own child, leading to disagreements among the brothers.

Additionally, Shen Ruojin felt upset after learning that the Luo family gave a house to Tao Sheng, which caused Old Madam Shen to lose her temper, but nothing changed. It would not be wise for her to focus on her in-laws’ property, so she had to let it go.

Tao Sheng thanked Tang Yizi and noticed she looked a bit tired and that her belly was slightly rounder, suggesting she might be pregnant.

“Are you expecting? Since you’re still in early pregnancy, you should be resting at home.”

“I’m fine.” Thinking of the baby growing inside her, Tang Yizi smiled gently. “I was just bored at home, so I wanted to come out and see.”

“The weather has turned chilly since the start of autumn this year. It’s windy by the water right now. You shouldn’t stay out for long; it’s better to go inside and rest.”

Tang Yizi said softly, “I’ll go in first. Take care, sister.”

Tao Sheng walked Tang Yizi back to the reception room. After a few steps outside, she saw Shen Ruojin with her group of friends.

Tao Sheng remembered that in the original story, she was a side character who only appeared when Ruojin did. She often felt inferior and shallow compared to Ruojin’s noble beauty.

Because of the original plot and other strange forces, after hearing from Tang Yizi that Shen Ruojin had come to Ruiyun Villa, Tao Sheng was ready to meet the heroine. So, it didn’t surprise her to see Shen Ruojin.

Shen Ruojin’s friends were also popular in the original story. They all married well and supported Shen Ruojin after her marriage. They are lucky and high-quality female supporting characters.

At that moment, Shen Ruojin was surrounded by her friends, who were praising and flattering her, creating a joyful atmosphere.

One girl, wearing a water-green dress with white flowers, waved her fan and said, “People like us might never enter the Eastern Palace. Sister Ruojin is different. Yesterday she was with the Eastern Palace Princess, today she is the Crown Prince’s fiancée, and tomorrow she will be the head lady of the Duke’s Mansion. We grew up together, so don’t forget us when you marry into the Duke’s Mansion, Sister Ruojin.”

“Look at what you said.” Shen Ruojin smiled. “We grew up together, and I will never forget you.”

As she spoke, Shen Ruojin spotted a familiar figure—it was Luo Taosheng, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She stood up and called out, “Miss Luo, how are you?”

The group where Shen Ruojin and her friends gathered was not friendly to someone like Tao Sheng. Tao Sheng wanted to walk past quickly but was blocked by Ruojin: “Since we met today, Miss Luo, would you like to sit down for tea?”

Tao Sheng frowned and glanced at Shen Ruojin. “What do you want?”

Ruojin played with her handkerchief and said, “Even though we had some issues before, the Crown Princess helped to cancel the engagement with the Changxing Marquisate. My father agreed to the marriage proposal from Prince Guan of the Lingguo Mansion. I wanted to let you know.”

Although this news was common in the capital, Tao Sheng should have known about it.

But Shen Ruojin wanted to tell her directly to show that even if she didn’t want to marry into the Changxing Marquisate for him, it didn’t matter. With the Crown Princess’s help, she was now engaged to Prince Guan of the Lingguo Mansion.

Shen Ruojin was eager to see Tao Sheng’s reaction.

And Tao Sheng…

No response.

Shen Ruojin’s friends noticed something was off between them.

The girl in the green dress, who had been most vocal, came over and said to Tao Sheng, “Sister Shen shared such great news with you. It shows she values you, but you didn’t even say ‘congratulations.’ What’s up with that?”

Seeing no reaction from Tao Sheng, the girl added, “I heard you grew up in Qin County and came to Beijing to live with relatives two years ago. People from small places are often seen as uneducated and unruly. Is that true?”

Tao Sheng realized at this moment that she had entered a world full of family rivalries!

Not long ago, she was focused on Ji Yanming and King Chu, forgetting the realities of this world. Now she saw the main conflict that had been overlooked for too long.

It seemed that if she didn’t argue with these people and get the key to pass, she wouldn’t be able to leave.

“Congratulations?” Tao Sheng asked. “Congratulations are genuine joy and well-wishes. To sincerely congratulate someone, you need to be close. Did Miss Shen tell you what my relationship with her is?”

Shen Ruojin’s expression changed.

What does Tao Sheng mean? What is she trying to say?

What is my relationship with her? Is it a case of a cuckoo taking a magpie’s nest? ^[1]phrase used to describe someone who takes advantage of another’s situation

Shen Ruojin’s friends had never heard her mention Tao Sheng, so they looked to Shen Ruojin for answers.

Shen Ruojin bit her lip and couldn’t say a word.