My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 143 Tips

Inside the Qianjin Pavilion, Aunt Hua was restless and uneasy.

In contrast, Wen Zhu was much calmer than when she was at the Duke of Wen's mansion.

"Still eating!" Aunt Hua said irritably when she saw that her mouth was full of crumbs from the pastries. "This is no respectable place! How can you still have the appetite to eat? Aren't you afraid they'll poison you?"

Wen Zhu blinked: "But this is much better than the snacks we have at the manor."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua's eyes welled up with tears again.

The Wen family is a prestigious clan, so how could they not make decent pastries? It's just that she and Wen Zhu have low status in the household, so the kitchen is unwilling to give them good things and just gives them some crudely made pastries to get rid of them.

That's why Wen Zhulian thought these snacks were good.

Just then, the madam walked in. She had heard Aunt Hua's words clearly from outside the door.

"Don't worry." The madam rolled her eyes. "With the token in your hand, the entire Qianjin Pavilion will treat you as honored guests and will never harm you."

"If you would like anything else to eat, just let me know," the madam said, smiling at Wenzhu. "If Miss Wenzhu has any requests, please call me."

The moment Aunt Hua and Wen Zhu stepped into Qianjin Pavilion, their identities were revealed to her.

Wen Zhu blinked, but seeing Aunt Hua's nervous expression, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Fortunately, Aunt Hua was not nervous for long. As soon as she looked up, she saw Wen Shuyao.

"Miss!"

The moment Aunt Hua saw Wen Shuyao, tears streamed down her face, and the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.

She never imagined that she would get involved in such deadly matters.

Thinking it over, she brought Wen Zhu to Wen Shuyao: "It's Zhu'er. Zhu'er heard some incredible secrets."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao lowered her head in surprise.

Wen Zhu was bullied by Wen Yitong since childhood. Even though Aunt Hua took good care of her, she was still thin and small, and looked several years younger than her actual age.

"Zhu'er, what did you hear?" Wen Shuyao smiled and took Wen Zhu's hand to sit down at the table.

Wen Zhu wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and whispered, "Elder sister, I heard Father and Madam discussing how to kill you."

Aunt Hua had already heard it once, but her expression still stiffened as a result.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, yet when Duke Wen discussed how to kill his own daughter to clear away obstacles, he spoke with great confidence and ease, as if he had done such a thing countless times before.

Thinking about it this way, Aunt Hua felt a chill in her heart.

Wen Shuyao lowered her beautiful eyes as she listened to Wen Zhu softly recount the plans of Duke Wen and his wife.

Although Wenzhu was young, she had an excellent memory and recounted almost the entire conversation between the two of them.

Wen Shuyao simply chuckled in response.

“The people behind them are incredibly powerful,” Wen Shuyao chuckled. “They can even kill a prince and his wife.”

From their conversation, she could deduce that they not only intended to kill her, but also wanted to eliminate Xie Jinghan, who was acting as her protector.

But Prince Xin... a prince with no real power, where did he get such great power to give them such confidence?

Don't they know about Xie Jinghan's relationship with the emperor?

She had only met the emperor a few times, yet she knew how much the emperor valued and trusted Xie Jinghan. How could they be so sure that they would leave no trace after killing Xie Jinghan?

Or……

Prince Xin has other trump cards.

A complex light flickered in Wen Shuyao's eyes, but when she looked down, she found Wen Zhu looking at her with eyes full of worry.

"Big sister." Wen Zhu tugged at Wen Shuyao's sleeve, "If you have any difficulties, big sister, Zhu'er can return all the money to you."

She was still young and had been deliberately spoiled by Madam Wen. Over the years, she had never gone out to socialize. Even at over thirteen, she was still timid and cowardly, just like her handwriting back then.

Wen Shuyao's heart softened, but even the timid Wen Zhu was willing to come out of the manor to tell her about this.

"Pearl, don't worry." Wen Shuyao rubbed her head. "I am now the Princess Consort of Jing. They all have to bow to me when they see me, so how could they hurt me?"

“However, you must not tell any outsiders about these things.” Wen Shuyao carefully instructed, “Leave the rest to me.”

She gently comforted Wenzhu, which not only relaxed Wenzhu's expression, but also relieved Aunt Hua who was standing to the side.

Aunt Hua was genuinely afraid that this matter would affect her and Wen Zhu. Unlike Wen Shuyao, they still depended on the Wen State Duke's Mansion for their livelihood.

“However…” Wen Shuyao looked at Aunt Hua, “These days, Aunt Hua should take Wenzhu out to avoid the storm.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua's expression changed drastically: "Where are you going?"

She was originally a servant born into the Chu family and grew up alongside Chu Wanqing. It was only because the Duke of Wen forced her into marriage that she had no choice but to become Concubine Hua in the Duke of Wen's mansion.

If possible, she would never want to have any contact with the Duke of Wen's mansion.

However, she had already given birth to a daughter for the Duke of Wen, and the indenture was in Madam Wen's hands. How could she possibly leave?

When she was feeling bewildered and confused, she heard Wen Shuyao say, "I have already retrieved your indenture."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua's eyes widened in shock, while Wen Shuyao continued, "As for where to go... how about the Chu family's villa?"

“Auntie is a member of the Chu family.” Wen Shuyao arranged things in an orderly manner. “Going to the Chu family to recuperate is not a problem. I will also make it clear to my maternal grandmother that Auntie and Zhu’er can stay for a while longer.”

“I will arrange this matter,” Wen Shuyao said. “Auntie and Zhu’er will set off today to the villa to avoid trouble.”

"But what about the master..."

"I will have my maternal grandmother send a message to the Duke of Wen's mansion," Wen Shuyao said. "I will protect you and Zhu'er."

Aunt Hua did nothing to wrong her mother. On the contrary, whether her mother was ill or after her death, she was taken care of by Aunt Hua.

Over the years, despite being favored, Aunt Hua's life has not improved, and that is also because of her.

Now that she has the opportunity to repay Aunt Hua, she naturally won't miss it.

"As for the private properties in the manor..." Wen Shuyao pondered for a while, thinking of a solution.

Aunt Hua is extremely greedy, and figuring out how to get rid of her private assets is a tricky problem.

But Aunt Hua waved her hand and said loudly, "Miss, don't worry, I always carry that money with me!"

Wen Zhu patted her bulging purse: "I brought them all with me too!"