Su Xiaoqi looked around cautiously, even calling Zhang Yu to guard the door.
Seeing her so formal, Du Yiyi sat up straighter, blinking to signal she was ready.
"People in the martial world cherish freedom, but the Du clan is rooted in the imperial court. They would surely not wish for you to marry a mere martial artist.
The Emperor's health is currently precarious, and the factions of the Crown Prince and Prince Duan are increasingly in conflict.
The Crown Prince lacks virtue, while Prince Duan is benevolent but weak in power.
If you can persuade Xiao Lin to stand in the right position at this juncture, it may not be impossible to forge a bright future for yourself."
Su Xiaoqi had spoken to Du Yiyi about court affairs before.
But never so explicitly. Du Yiyi understood. She nodded.
She said she would inquire and try to persuade him.
Su Xiaoqi patted her shoulder and offered some comfort, saying that they had done all they could and the rest was up to fate. They would worry about future matters later and focus on eating pastries now.
Upon smelling the fragrance, Du Yiyi quickly revived and began eating the pastries on the table.
She even asked Su Xiaoqi boisterously if any new interesting items had appeared recently.
Su Xiaoqi shared the down jacket with her.
The clothes had already been made for her, and her family had received theirs. They were about to deliver hers when she happened to visit, saving them a trip.
Du Yiyi's attention was then diverted by the down jacket Su Xiaoqi took out.
Just then, Zhang Yu called out from outside, "Madam, there's a woman named Su Yuru looking for you at the door."
Su Yuru was here?
Su Xiaoqi could hardly believe her ears.
Her relationship with Su Yuru had never been good.
The two could be said to have been at odds from the very beginning—people who couldn't appear at the same time.
She married into the Shen family as Su Yuru's substitute due to Su Yuru's family's disdain for Shen Yun's background and status.
But after Shen Yun overcame difficulties and became a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
The Su family, like dogs smelling a bone, immediately appeared by Shen Yun's side.
Coupled with the few times Su Xiaoqi had encountered them, Su Yuru had sought out Shen Yun alone many times.
The couple had even had an argument because of her.
Su Yuru had also threatened Su Xiaoqi multiple times to reveal her identity to Shen Yun.
But this plan had proven unsuccessful.
Because from the beginning, Shen Yun knew she was not the true eldest daughter of the Su family.
But a little beggar from the City God Temple.
But what of it? Su Yuru disdained Shen Yun, and their relationship had ended before it even began.
It was she who was now married to Shen Yun, and most importantly, Shen Yun had never had any feelings for her.
Furthermore, Su Xiaoqi vaguely felt that the marriage alliance between the Su family and Shen Yun back then was not a simple matter.
They definitely had ulterior motives.
Otherwise, given the personalities of Shen Yun and Madam Zhao, if the Su family hadn't proactively sent their steward to propose the marriage, they might have given up long ago.
Shen Yun and his mother were not people who would seek trouble for themselves.
It was the Su family that insisted on fulfilling the engagement, and it was also the Su family that found someone to impersonate a Su family daughter to marry into the Shen family.
Su Xiaoqi had reason to suspect that the Shen family's ulterior motive was never Shen Yun himself.
But rather something he possessed.
A flash of insight, fleeting, and Su Xiaoqi missed it.
However, an opportunity had now presented itself for her to verify this.
She stopped Du Yiyi from suggesting she refuse Su Yuru entry and said to Zhang Yu, "Please invite her in."
Du Yiyi asked in confusion, "Sister Xiaoqi, why let her in? Nothing good ever comes of her visits."
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, "Aren't you unfamiliar with her? Why do you dislike her so much?"
After saying that, Su Xiaoqi paused for a moment, suddenly remembering that the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate had always been involved with Su Yuru.
Although Du Yiyi had already realized that her feelings for the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate were merely a mistaken affection and that she had never truly liked him.
But seeing him and Su Yuru, who was associated with him, naturally made her unhappy.
She suggested inviting Du Yiyi into the inner courtyard to play with Shen Mingzhu.
Du Yiyi's eyes darted around, and she sat down with great fanfare, saying, "Forget it, I'll just sit here and watch her. See if she has the nerve."
Su Yuru was invited in.
When she arrived at the flower hall, she was somewhat surprised.
Upon seeing Du Yiyi present, she immediately felt extremely embarrassed.
Because she didn't know Du Yiyi's thoughts.
She had always believed that her appearance had stolen the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate, ruining Du Yiyi's good marriage prospects.
Of course, she didn't feel guilty towards Du Yiyi.
She just knew that Du Yiyi had a sharp tongue and was afraid she would attack her.
After all, this was Su Xiaoqi's territory now, and no one was there to protect her.
She secretly blamed her elder brother for not being diligent in gathering information.
As expected, the moment Du Yiyi saw her, her mouth began to unleash a torrent of words:
"Oh, isn't this the future wife of the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate? Heh, no, perhaps the people of Prince Duan's estate wouldn't look favorably upon you, a merchant's daughter.
Just as you looked down on my brother-in-law, who came from Zhao Village."
Su Yuru, despite being fully prepared, was still choked up by this.
What she feared most now was others bringing up the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate to provoke her.
Because what others saw was how good the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate was to her.
But in reality, she had long seen that the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate was a playboy.
He didn't have any lasting commitment to anyone.
Moreover, after seeing Du Yiyi at Ganquan Temple last time, he had developed a great interest in her.
However, he had been coldly rejected by Du Yiyi, hurting his pride, and he had temporarily put aside his intentions towards her.
But people are perverse; the more unattainable something is, the more precious it is perceived.
Those who are easily won over are cherished and doted upon at first, but before long, they find it stale.
Compared to Du Yiyi, she was the one who was easily won over.
She regretted taking Zhao Xiaohua's advice and falling so easily into the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate's arms.
Initially, she had never liked him.
Being with him was purely based on his status.
And Zhao Xiaohua had quietly told her that the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate would become incomparably noble in the future.
She had the opportunity to become the most noble woman in the Great Liang Dynasty.
Of course, all of this was not obtained easily; she had to work hard and strive for it.
Therefore, she didn't pay much attention to the Crown Prince of Prince Duan's estate's temporary change of heart.
With Zhao Xiaohua's help, controlling him was as easy as pie.
However, being directly pointed out her situation by Du Yiyi now made her feel a bit uneasy.
After all, everyone has their pride.
She looked at Su Xiaoqi, seated in the center, signaling her, the host, to at least intervene and prevent things from becoming too ugly.
Su Xiaoqi ignored her.
It was she who looked ugly, not Su Xiaoqi, so why should she care?
Therefore, she waited until Du Yiyi had vented her anger and stopped scolding Su Yuru to drink milk tea before saying, "Miss Su, what business do you have?"
"I... I've come to ask if Madam Shen can return my family's jade pendant now?" Su Yuru had prepared a set speech.
But being provoked by Du Yiyi, all her polite words were forgotten.
Su Xiaoqi's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry, I don't recall taking your family's jade pendant. On the contrary, the Su family seems to have taken something of my husband's."
"No, no, no, no, my family hasn't!" Su Yuru's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied it three times.
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow. Hey, she had only tested her casually, and she had already elicited such a strong reaction.
She was even more certain that the Su family had ulterior motives towards Shen Yun back then.
Their aim was something he possessed.
But what could it be?
Su Yuru would certainly not reveal it, and this matter would likely have to be told by Shen Yun when he returned.
However, it did not prevent her from probing Su Yuru's bottom line with all her might.
"Your family took my husband's jade pendant," Su Xiaoqi said, all the while watching Su Yuru's face.
She wanted to observe her micro-expressions to determine if this matter was credible.
Indeed, she discovered a clue.
When she mentioned that the Su family had taken Shen Yun's jade pendant, Su Yuru's face instantly turned pale. The hand resting on the armrest of the armchair trembled and dropped.
If the armchair wasn't wide enough, she might have fallen off, such was her reaction.
There was definitely something fishy.
"Although I don't know what you're saying about me taking your family's jade pendant, I think those jade pendants should appear as a pair, right?
Just like the pair of warm jade Mr. Gu gave to my husband and me."
Su Yuru's heart tightened. She never expected that not only would she fail to retrieve her jade pendant, but she would also reveal her family's secrets.
She secretly blamed herself for being too careless. She knew that Su Xiaoqi was cunning enough but failed to remain vigilant. This matter was handled very poorly.
After a moment of silence, she quietly adjusted her posture, held her teacup, and bowed her head, pretending to drink tea.
She understood that in front of the sharp-eyed Su Xiaoqi, not speaking and not making any unnecessary movements was the greatest protection for herself.
Otherwise, her secrets would eventually be exposed by Su Xiaoqi.