After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 539 The Duke's Mansion Invitation
Amidst conflicting opinions.

Su Tai took Ruan Fangyu Mei to the Ministry of Justice dungeon.

In just a few days, the once beautiful Ruan Haizhu had become a grotesque figure, screaming like a madwoman at the slightest noise, "This has nothing to do with me! The princess lied to me! She made me do this! I'm innocent! Please let me go! I want to go home! I want to go home!"

She used to resist her parents selling her for money, but now she wished they had taken her back then so she could at least survive. Now, all that awaits her is death.

"If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place." Su Tai slowly emerged from the shadows.

Ruan Haizhu was stunned for two seconds, then reacted even more vehemently, "Madam Shen, I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please forgive me, I want to go home, I want to go home!"

Ruan Fang, exasperated, scolded, "Now you want to go home? How did I advise you back then? If you had just turned back, this disaster wouldn't have happened! Haizhu, you've deceived the emperor! No one can save you! The emperor has already decreed your execution in the autumn. You'd better be a better person in your next life!"

Ruan Haizhu's face instantly turned pale, her terrified eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets, making her look particularly ferocious.

"No! Sister Fang, I don't want to die, I can't die! I'm so young, please save me, save me!"

Ruan Fang shook her head and put down the food she had brought. "Today I begged Madam to let me come and see you. I brought you some food, and Madam wants to ask you some questions."

Ruan Haizhu was terrified; she had no time to think about anything else.

She answered Su Tai's questions without hesitation, and it was clear that she was telling the truth.

The three left the dungeon.

Yu Mei asked in a low voice, "Madam, that Princess Qingfeng not only took in Ruan Haizhu, but also specially hired a nanny to teach her and went to great lengths to cultivate her, all just to steal the eldest young lady's marriage? Our Shen family doesn't seem to have offended her at all!"

Su Tai nodded, thought for a moment, and then took the two of them to the residence of Princess Huai'an.

Because of the incident in the palace, Princess Huai'an felt both guilty and grateful towards Su Tai. Upon hearing that she had arrived, she immediately had someone take her to the inner courtyard.

The relationships of the female relatives who could enter the inner courtyard were quite different.

Su Tai had something on her mind, so she didn't think much of it and immediately told Princess Huai'an the news she had found out as soon as she sat down.

Princess Huai'an paused in her drinking, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You mean that Ruan Haizhu was someone Qingfeng painstakingly cultivated? Why did she do that?"

Su Tai's expression was solemn. "If this matter is not aimed at our Shen family, then it is aimed at the Princess. I only learned that my Shen Yi has been promoted again in the past six months after I came to the capital. Perhaps I have blocked someone's path, so I wanted to ask the Princess about it."

Princess Huai'an pondered for a while and then shook her head decisively. "Although the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works is highly sought after, it is not worth mentioning compared to the position of the Minister of Revenue. The former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works had problems and was exposed. Shen Yi was promoted based on his real abilities. The Emperor's heavy reliance on Shen Yi is also to let all the court officials know his intentions."

He wanted capable ministers with real talent and ability, not sycophantic courtiers. If the goal was to deal with Shen Yi, he could simply send someone to assassinate him; there was no need for such elaborate schemes. Besides, Qingfeng has been cultivating Ruan Haizhu for some time now. Do you know when he started training Ruan Haizhu?

Su Tai grasped the key point and nodded excitedly, "It should have been two or three years ago."

Princess Huai'an fell into deep thought, her expression growing increasingly solemn. After a long while, she said softly, "In that case, her motive for cultivating Ruan Haizhu becomes strange. Rest assured, I will send someone to investigate this matter carefully. Our two families have already received the Emperor's decree for marriage, so we should prioritize the marriage."

"I plan to take Yuezhang to banquets during this period. It's good that you bring Yue'an along; it's the right thing to do is to integrate into the circle of noble ladies in the capital as soon as possible."

That was the primary way for ladies and young women to get information. If they didn't include you in their social circles, you'd miss out on a lot of news.

Su Tai readily agreed.

After what happened with Princess Qingfeng and the Duchess of Ji, she wanted to see just how many monsters and demons were still lurking in the capital. For the sake of her husband and children, she was truly ready to go all out. Anyone who stood in her way would be killed, whether god or Buddha.

Just as Su Tai was getting ready, the invitation from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion arrived.

Su Tai looked at the invitation with amusement, raised an eyebrow and asked Shen Yi, "How many dukes are there in the capital?"

Shen Yi pondered and said, "The two dukes are Ji, whose family was just raided, and Rong, the first duke. He followed the founding emperor in his early years and made great contributions. He was an important minister of Langya Kingdom. I heard that the founding emperor once said that this world belonged to him and the two dukes together."

The two dukes were bestowed with great honors. They were both clever men. Once the state of Langya was stabilized, they relinquished their military power. The founding emperor then conferred upon them the title of duke and entrusted them with the management of taxes and corvée labor in the county where their ancestral home was located. Such an honor was not even bestowed upon members of the royal family.

Unfortunately, their descendants were not up to par, and this glory only lasted for three generations. After the fourth emperor ascended the throne, he was dissatisfied with the two dukes' control over the taxes and corvée of the two counties and ordered a thorough investigation of the nobles.

If they were innocent, it wouldn't matter. However, both of the ducal mansions had many problems and could not withstand investigation. Fortunately, the current Duke of Rong was quite adept at maneuvering and immediately guessed the emperor's intention, so he decisively returned the taxes and corvée under his control to the court.

The late emperor was pleased to see that he was sensible. He declined several times, but when the Duke of Rong insisted, he reluctantly accepted and even gave him many rewards. The old lady of the Duke of Rong was also given the title of Old Lady. The Duke of Ji's family was extremely envious, but they were reluctant to give up the taxes and corvée of a county, so they did not follow the example of the Duke of Rong and give up the taxes and corvée.

The late emperor was not in a hurry. Later, when Langya Kingdom and Longxia Kingdom went to war and food supplies were running out, the court officials advised that the Duke of Ji should temporarily hand over the taxes and corvée of one county for the sake of the country.

The Duke of Ji was naturally reluctant, but he also understood that the country came before the family. If he refused, he would likely be branded as a traitor. So he agreed, but reluctantly. The late emperor was also unhappy. After Langya was defeated, the late emperor chose a young lady from the Duke of Ji's family for a marriage alliance. It was said that the young lady was the former Duke of Ji's most beloved daughter.

Only then did the former Duke of Ji regret his actions. At the same time, the late emperor offered to return the taxes and corvée labor of the county to the Duke of Ji's family. This time, the former Duke of Ji learned his lesson and refused firmly. Only then did the late emperor take back the taxes and corvée labor and bestow a golden phoenix upon the Duke of Ji's family.

The two duke's mansions, one with a golden phoenix and the other with an old matriarch, were evenly matched. However, this time, the Duke of Ji brought this upon himself. The Emperor not only investigated the Duke of Ji but also others, and all those with problems were punished. Now everyone is waiting to see how the Emperor will deal with the Duke of Ji's family's title.

The Rongguo Duke's Mansion naturally paid more attention than other families, after all, without the Jiguo Duke, the Rongguo Duke was not comfortable sitting in his position.

"The affairs of the Duke of Ji's mansion are more or less related to us, and the Duchess of Rong will definitely find an opportunity to inquire about them from you."