(Jiang Wanru sat in a private room at Tea House Yi Pin, chatting happily with Chu Xiao and his wife. She liked Chu Xiao's extensive knowledge and talent, while Chu Xiao had always admired Jiang Wanru's love for learning and encouraged her to strive for progress. Although he occasionally sighed that she was a woman, when answering her questions, he would still explain each detail carefully.)

  Chu Yang was a paradigmatic lady from a noble family, with every move and gesture exuding elegance and refinement. Chu Xiao had always held her in high esteem, never having looked at another woman with the same level of admiration. The only unexpected event was the appearance of Jiang Wanyu, a fake young servant. However, the two got along like siblings, with Chu Xiao almost taking on an elder's role, watching over Jiang Wanyu and smiling at her growth.

  Chu Yang initially suspected that Jiang Wanru was a hidden fox spirit. As she saw them interact more, she noticed that Chu Xiao and Jiang Wanru's attitude towards each other was proper and respectful, without any hint of impropriety. Her concerns gradually dissipated over time. Later on, Chu Yang felt sorry for Jiang Wanru's difficult situation and admired her straightforward personality, appreciating her genuine respect for them as a couple. Eventually, she developed a maternal affection towards Jiang Wanru, paying attention to and being considerate of many things regarding her.

  Chu Yang's eyes lit up as she watched Jiang Wanru move from sitting to drinking tea, every action elegant and captivating. Chu Yang gazed at Jiang Wanru's dignified demeanor, recalling her former carefree attitude, and felt a sense of "my daughter has finally grown up". She smiled at Chu Xiao and said, "Xiao Lan has grown up." Chu Xiao heard the tone in her voice, as if she was marveling at their own daughter's growth. He smiled back at Chu Yang, remembering her former worries, and said with a smile, "No matter what happens in the future, she will always be our little sister."

  Jiang Wanmu gazed at the affectionate couple in front of her. With a smile, she stood up and said: "Brother-in-law, sister-in-law, I'll take my leave first." Chu Yang hastily stretched out her hand to stop her, asking towards the outside: "Xiu, have you packed the pastries?" Xiu from outside replied with a smile: "Madam, they've been packed long ago. The little lazy miss's favorite pastries are all in there." Jiang Wanmu bowed to Chu Xiao and his wife, saying: "Thank you for your kindness, brother-in-law and sister-in-law." Chu Xiao smiled and waved his hand, saying: "You go ahead first. Next time if you can't come out, think of a way to send someone with a message." Jiang Wanmu nodded with a smile.

  Jiang Wanru returned to the Jiang Manor with a joyful heart, and was greeted by Jiyan in the courtyard. Smiling, she said: "Today, outside, I saw your brother doing things that made people praise him, and I felt happy listening." Jiyan smiled at Jiang Wanru's delighted expression, and joy appeared between her eyebrows. It wasn't until several days later, after lunch, when she saw Jiang Wanyi and Jiang Wanyan visiting, that she suddenly realized: on that day, she had only remembered to ask about the etiquette of the occasion, but foolishly forgot the important matter - she hadn't inquired carefully from Chu Xiao's couple about the inside story of the royal marriage.

  Jiang Wanmu gazed at Jiang Wanyi and Jiang Wanyan, who had just chased everyone away. She nodded slightly to Jiyan, who looked anxious, indicating that she should follow the others out. Only the three sisters were left in the room. Jiang Wanyi sat down in the main seat at the table, as if she were the hostess. She pointed to the two seats beside her and smiled: "Second sister, third sister, it's rare for us to be together. Please sit wherever you like." Jiang Wanyan took a seat on the left, while Jiang Wanmu hesitated for a moment before moving from the corner to sit down on the right.

  Jiang Wan-yi glanced at Jiang Wan-mu, who was sitting upright, and nodded to Jiang Wan-xian to speak. Jiang Wan-xian looked at the wooden Jiang Wan-mu and said: "Third sister, big sister is concerned about you. She just finished dealing with the New Year's affairs of the Lian family and came over to see you as soon as she had some free time, wanting to have a chat with you." Jiang Wan-mu glanced at the two sisters who were much warmer than before, looked up at Jiang Wan-yi's sarcastic expression, and listened to her cold laughter: "Second sister, do you still remember that I am your big sister?"

  Jiang Wan's words were a clear warning, and Jiang Wanru couldn't help but sigh inwardly. After marrying into the family, Jiang Wan's ability to pretend to be a good person had diminished greatly. She was no longer as skilled at using gentle and affectionate tactics on the surface as she had been when she was living in the Jiang household. At that time, Jiang Wanru had admired her for being able to put on a perfect act with ease. Now, hearing Jiang Wan say these words to Jiang Wanxian, it was clear that her intentions were too obvious.

  Jiang Wanxi's expression didn't change, smiling as she said to Jiang Wanyi: "Big sister, you will always be my good sister. If there's something on your mind, just tell me straight out, I'll do my best for you even if it means going through fire and water." Listening to such cheesy words, Jiang Wanru felt goosebumps rising on her arm. She didn't dare show any unusual expression on her face, so she could only glare at the table with hatred.

  Jiang Wan-yi glanced at her younger half-sister, who had been following her since childhood. In recent years, she had been obedient on the surface but actually disagreed with Jiang Wan-yi's words in secret. Looking at Jiang Wan-xian, whose appearance was becoming more and more beautiful, Jiang Wan-yi thought of the woman she saw in the mirror that morning, whose expression was as cold as water, a stranger even to herself. Jiang Wan-yi blinked slightly, hiding the disappointment in her eyes.

  She glanced at Jiang Wanruo, who was lowering her eyebrows and saw her gentle appearance. For the first time, she felt that she shouldn't have been impulsive for love back then, which led to her own misfortune and harm to this person in front of her. However, she suddenly remembered the woman with a gentle face behind Lian Zimo. She looked at Jiang Wanruo in front of her, and a hint of hatred emerged in her eyes. Lian Zimo had shown a guilty expression in front of her back then, feeling that he owed Jiang Wanruo for a long time. Jiang Wanyi still remembered that when she and Lian Zimo were deeply in love, he said: "Wanruo is gentle, you're the older sister, help her out."

  The hatred in Jiang Wanyi's eyes made Jiang Wanxian secretly shocked. She quickly glanced at Jiang Wanyu, who was lowering his head, and quickly shifted her gaze away. In recent years, she had been living a good life. Although her husband's family was not wealthy, being a small official's household, the atmosphere at home was warm and harmonious. Her in-laws were kind and tolerant, and relatives came and went with affection. Her husband treated her and their children with care, and even dismissed the servants who had been by his side before. Jiang Wanxian only wished that life could continue like this from now on. As for the Jiang family, apart from missing her birth mother, she didn't have any other thoughts about them.

  Jiang Wan-yi stared at Jiang Wan-mu and said, "Third sister, do you still remember your big brother who was good to you back then?" Jiang Wan-mu continued to lower her head. Under Jiang Wan-yi's gaze, Jiang Wan-xian stretched out her hand to push Jiang Wan-mu, seeing her raise her eyes, and asked that question again. Jiang Wan-mu looked at the two of them and said, "I don't remember." Jiang Wan-yi was so angry with this answer that she was fuming, while Jiang Wan-xian smiled and tempted Jiang Wan-mu, saying, "Think again, he also taught you to recognize characters." This time Jiang Wan-mu remembered, loudly exclaiming, "That's my sister's husband!"

  Jiang Wan-yi's expression softened upon hearing this, and she smiled, saying: "He has always been thinking of you." Jiang Wan-xian's face changed greatly upon hearing these words. If they were to spread, would the reputation of the Jiang family's daughter still be intact? Her eyes showed concern, but she forced a smile and said: "Elder sister-in-law is well, it turns out you still remember third sister." Jiang Wan-mei didn't have much reaction to Jiang Wan-yi's words. To her, whether Zimo thought of her or not made no difference. She just hadn't expected that this time, Jiang Wan-xian wouldn't follow up with another blow.

  Jiang Wan-yi heard Jiang Wan-xian say something unpleasant again and again, her temper flared up, and she smiled at her: "Second sister is right, he has always remembered third sister. The secret we told third sister last time, now it's only a few months away from third sister's wedding day, for the good of third sister, tell her now and let her have some happy days." Jiang Wan-xian looked at Jiang Wan-yi with a gloomy expression: "Third sister loves to go out and play, that secret is better left until before she gets married, we'll talk about it again then."

  Jiang Wan Yi tapped the table lightly and said with a smile: "A silly child, what are you afraid of when going out? You can rest assured that Mother has already told us in advance, so she didn't plan to hide it from Sanmei for long. You're better at talking than me, so go ahead and say it quickly, you still have to go home later." Jiang Wan Xian thought of the children at home, looked at Jiang Wan Mei's eyes, and her expression turned cold and hard. She opened her mouth and said: "Sanmei, my sister and I are thinking for your own good, we don't want to hide such news from you. But I'm worried that if we tell you, you'll just leave afterwards, and Grandfather and Father will not forgive me and my sister."

  Jiang Wanmu suppressed the urge in her heart and said to Jiang Wanyan with a wooden face, "Second sister, you're having a hard time, so don't say anything." Jiang Wanyi suddenly burst out laughing and said to Jiang Wanyan, "You can talk as much as you want, but this fool won't understand. You've revealed the secret of the Lian Wang Fu marriage, but I'm afraid this fool still won't get it. Why bother thinking about it? She's been with us for years and has never run away, proving she has nowhere to go."

  Jiang Wan's words hit the nail on the head. Jiang Wanting had initially thought of leaving, but later learned that the laws of the Ning dynasty were extremely unfair to unmarried women. Once she left, she would become a permanent black household, and it would be very difficult for her to get married and have children in the future. If that was the case, it was better to stay behind and wait for marriage, waiting for fate to push her forward.

  Jiang Wanxi lowered her head and said: "After discussing with the Wang family and the Jiang family, the third son of the Wang family is willing to marry you as his legitimate wife, but it's only for a period of three years. After three years, the Wang family will give you a divorce letter and let you go free." Jiang Wanxi thought back to what she had heard before, that the emperor wanted to reuse the old aristocratic families again, but unfortunately, the direct descendants of those families were not willing to serve in office.

  Jiang Wan-yi stared at Jiang Wan-mu, seeing that her expression didn't change, her eyes fixed on the table. A smile spread across her mouth as she stood up and said: "Third sister, you can at least have three good years. This marriage is quite worth it for someone like you who's so foolish. Also, don't secretly harbor any crooked thoughts. You have nowhere to run, just obediently count down the days until your wedding."

  Jiang Wanru thought that in three years, she would be only eighteen years old and have her freedom back, so she could plan for herself. Jiang Wenyin stood up immediately after, walking to the back of Jiang Wanyi, listening to her laugh and say: "Who would have thought, one day we two sisters would become sister-in-laws. Unfortunately, it's a pity that whoever becomes the pawn is not good, actually becoming a foolish person, entering the Wang Fu to enjoy wealth and glory for three years." After Jiang Wanyi and Jiang Wenyin left, Jiang Wanru felt that this news was a mix of good and bad for herself.

  Thank you to book friend Yan Qi for sending 100 starting points. Thank you to book friend Man Kai Xin Xin for casting 1 pink vote. Thank you to book friend Cat_ for casting 2 pink votes. Thank you to book friend Ai Nai He for casting 1 pink vote. Thank you to book friend Nuan Feng Rong Rong for casting 1 pink vote. Thank you to book friend Fang Fei Fang Fei for casting 1 pink vote. Welcome to vote and reward, thank you to book friends for their support. (If you like this work, welcome to come to Starting Point () to cast a recommendation vote or monthly vote, your support is my greatest motivation.)

  Hard study