A time-travel story where I forcefully marry the leading lady in a film/TV series!

……

Wei Tingyu walked into the courtyard where snow was falling heavily, only to see two women walking towards him from the pavilion in the distance.

Leading the group was none other than his first wife, Dou Zhao! And following closely beside her was Zhou Ruyin.

He was seen bowing and scraping as he followed Dou Zhao, gesturing to guide Dou Zhao toward the courtyard.

"Husband!" Dou Zhao's eyes lit up as soon as she saw Wei Tingyu standing in the snow in the courtyard, and she even quickened her pace!

He quickly approached Wei Tingyu and then opened his oil-paper umbrella with a snap.

"Why are you here?" Wei Tingyu was surprised to see his wife in the Zhuang mansion!

Of course, two female Golden Shadow Guards disguised as maids were also following Dou Zhao.

This was something Wei Tingyu had repeatedly instructed her to do: whenever the women in the family went out, they had to be accompanied by two female Golden Shadow Guards dressed as maids.

After all, he had just made a great contribution and was promoted to Duke! He was now a very popular figure in the capital, and he didn't want to take any risks that might harm his wives and concubines!

"With the heavy snow falling today, I've naturally come to bring my husband an umbrella!" Dou Zhao smiled faintly, then subtly gestured to Wei Tingyu with her eyes, indicating that it was Zhou Ruyin who was standing nearby.

"This humble woman did not know how long the Duke would stay in our residence, and fearing that the ladies of your household might be anxious, I sent someone to inform the Duke that he was a guest here!"

Zhou Ruyin, beaming, quickly said, "Who would have thought that the Duke and his wife are such a loving couple? The eldest daughter-in-law of this mansion wanted to personally bring you an umbrella as soon as she saw it snowing!"

As soon as Zhou Ruyin finished speaking, not only Wei Tingyu, but even Dou Zhao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After all, who can't guess what this woman is thinking?

Dou Zhao had already roughly understood the situation of the Zhuang family during his journey here and during his intentional or unintentional conversation with Zhou Ruyin.

Now that the Third Miss Zhuang Hanyan has just returned to the capital from out of town, Zhou Ruyin, her stepmother, naturally doesn't welcome her! She definitely hopes that her own daughter, the Second Miss Zhuang Yushan, can marry into the Duke of Wei's mansion.

Of course, what she couldn't stand the most was that Zhuang Hanyan got the marriage!

In Zhou Ruyin's view, even if her own daughter Zhuang Yushan was not fortunate enough to marry into the Duke's mansion, she absolutely could not let the third son Zhuang Hanyan benefit from it!

So after Wei Tingyu carried Zhuang Hanyan back to her boudoir, Zhou Ruyin immediately sent someone to the mansion to inform Dou Zhao, clearly intending for the First Madam to come and "catch them in the act"!

Although Zhou Ruyin's little tricks were so rudimentary in the eyes of Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao that they were practically child's play, she herself was unaware of it.

Upon seeing the smile on Dou Zhao's lips, he assumed that the other party was thanking him, and his face immediately lit up with a smile as well.

In Zhou Ruyin's view, this move not only destroyed the possibility of further contact between Wei Tingyu and Zhuang Hanyan, but also made Dou Zhao, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke's mansion, develop a good impression of her!

That's killing two birds with one stone!

Zhou Ruyin was naturally very pleased with herself at this moment, and even secretly glanced at Zhuang Hanyan, who was standing under the corridor looking in this direction.

"Just send a servant to deliver the umbrella!" Wei Tingyu saw Dou Zhao's little face, which was red from the cold due to the snow, and felt a pang of sympathy as he reached out and touched it. Sure enough, it felt icy cold to the touch.

“That won’t do!” Dou Zhao immediately shook her head upon hearing this, saying, “Serving my husband is my responsibility as his wife. How can I stay home just because I’m afraid of the cold?”

There are quite a few people in the Duke's mansion who can help him manage the affairs of the inner quarters. Originally, He Weifang and Li Jia's eldest daughter-in-law Shouhua were both capable of being the mistress of the house. Now, with the arrival of Xiao Yan, the women work together to manage the mansion in an orderly manner.

As a result, Dou Zhao, the mistress of the house, didn't have much to do. She only needed to listen to the reports from her daughters about the situation in each courtyard.

Upon hearing Dou Zhao's words, Wei Tingyu took her slightly reddened hand and gently breathed warm air on it, his gaze filled with doting affection.

Seeing all this, Zhuang Hanyan felt a pang of envy.

In the past seventeen years, when have I ever been loved like this by anyone?

Now, witnessing the loving scene between Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao, how could she not be envious?

"Does my husband intend to stay a little longer?" Dou Zhao had also noticed Zhuang Hanyan looking this way from under the pavilion and knew that Wei Tingyu was currently flirting with a girl, so she asked with a smile, "Then I'll head back first?"

"Let's go back together!" Wei Tingyu certainly couldn't just send Dou Zhao away like that; that would be too heartless! He gently took the other's hand and said with a smile, "I've asked all the questions I wanted to ask!"

"Okay!" Dou Zhao was naturally happy to hear Wei Tingyu's words. She nodded with a smile and then glanced at Zhuang Hanyan.

But this glance was different from the previous one; she turned directly to face the other person, clearly indicating that she was having a direct conversation with them.

Zhuang Hanyan was taken aback, and quickly bowed slightly to Dou Zhao.

At the same time, she was also a little uneasy, afraid that the Duchess of Wei might misunderstand that there was some unusual relationship between her and her Duke.

If that happens, I'm afraid the elite ladies of Beijing will ostracize me!

However, Dou Zhao nodded slightly in return, then gave Zhuang Hanyan a meaningful look before taking Wei Tingyu's arm and walking out of the pavilion together.

This made her breathe a sigh of relief!

It seems I was overthinking it. The Duchess was able to reach that position and was deeply favored by the Duke, so she certainly wouldn't be the kind of woman who would act recklessly out of jealousy!

The heavy snowfall grew denser and denser, soon obscuring the figures of Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao as they walked away side by side.

Zhuang Hanyan paused slightly, then withdrew her gaze and shifted her thoughts back from Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao.

I never expected this! When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a noble lady in the capital, so that I could return to the Zhuang family mansion in the capital and stay by my parents' side.

So many things happened on the very first day back at the manor! Even important figures like the Duke of Wei and his wife appeared by his side.

At this moment, Zhuang Hanyan seemed to vaguely sense that an invisible hand was controlling everything, but she was somewhat unclear about the specific source of this power.

"Is there really a place for me here?" Zhuang Hanyan thought anxiously, then turned and went back to her room.

……

"Does my husband have feelings for that Miss Zhuang the Third?" On the carriage back to the manor, Dou Zhao lay in Wei Tingyu's arms, raised her eyes and looked at him, asking.

"Why do you say that?" Wei Tingyu didn't answer, but instead reached out and hooked Dou Zhao's chin, then asked in return.

"You can fool the whole world, but you can't fool me!" Dou Zhao said with a smug look after Wei Tingyu didn't answer his question directly.

"I suppose so!" Wei Tingyu nodded, seeing that the young girl didn't seem jealous.

"Since my husband likes it..." Dou Zhao nodded after hearing Wei Tingyu's words and said, "Then I will come tomorrow to present the betrothal gifts and bring Miss Zhuang into the household!"

"This Lord Zhuang is just a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and Miss Zhuang has only just arrived in the capital from out of town!"

"If we can use this opportunity to establish a marriage alliance with our Duke's mansion, even if she were to become a concubine, I'm sure the entire Zhuang family would gladly agree!"

Dou Zhao's words were indeed reasonable, but Zhuang Hanyan still had a great grudge to settle, so she certainly wouldn't be willing to marry into the Duke's mansion at this time.

"I'm afraid things aren't that simple!" Wei Tingyu said with a slight smile, "Moreover, it's impossible for everyone in the Zhuang family to be willing to send Zhuang Hanyan into our Duke's Mansion!"

"Husband, are you saying that Zhou Xiaoniang will interfere?" Dou Zhao was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Of course she doesn't want to, otherwise she wouldn't have had to do those things just now!"

"But no matter what, she's just a concubine! What can she do if Lord Zhuang agrees?"

"Actually, it's not just because of Zhou Ruyin!" Wei Tingyu lowered his head and gently kissed Dou Zhao's smooth forehead, while inwardly marveling that he had indeed married a good wife. He then said, "You haven't heard of the legend of the Barefoot Ghost, have you?"

"The legend of the barefoot ghost?" Dou Zhao was taken aback, then frowned. She had never heard of this before.

After all, it happened more than a decade ago, when Dou Zhao had only been born a short time ago. Later, the people of the capital gradually forgot about it, and naturally, they never heard of it again.

Wei Tingyu then recounted the story of the barefoot man from the Zhuang family, which made Dou Zhao's eyes widen even more as he listened.

"What barefoot ghost?!" After hearing Wei Tingyu finish the story, Dou Zhao frowned angrily and said with a face full of resentment, "This must be someone in the Zhuang family's inner quarters playing tricks to harm Miss Zhuang and her mother!"

"So, Miss Zhuang's trip to Beijing this time is to avenge the grudge from years ago?"

Dou Zhao is quick-witted; she already guessed eight or nine parts of it without Wei Tingyu having to explain everything.

"I hate this kind of thing the most!" After receiving Wei Tingyu's affirmative answer, Dou Zhao raised her little fist and said, "Then we must help Miss Zhuang in this matter!"

"I'll marry her after I've helped her get her revenge!"

Dou Zhao is quite experienced in situations where someone seeks revenge after being harmed in the inner quarters! After all, aside from her own affairs, which of the women Wei Tingyu has married into the household hasn't encountered such treacherous and backstabbing schemes?

When the women in the household chat, they all have a strong sense of empathy for people who have experienced this kind of thing!

At this moment, Dou Zhao felt it was absolutely necessary to help! Even if she went back and told her sisters about the Barefoot Ghost, they would all support Zhuang Hanyan in seeking revenge!

As for whether Zhuang Hanyan will become one of the sisters in her household after she takes revenge, that depends on what Wei Tingyu thinks; it's none of their business!

……

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Chapter 216 The True Colors of Zhou Ruyin, the Young Lady! Zhuang Hanyan saw through her at a glance!

The next morning, the heavy snow continued to fall, and a thick layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground.

On a path in the backyard of the Zhuang family mansion, Zhou Ruyin, accompanied by her maid, was walking briskly through the snow.

"Auntie! Why are you in such a hurry?" The maid muttered as she held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield Zhou Ruyin from the snowflakes, seeing her rushing along.

"Oh dear, what do you know?" Zhou Ruyin said in a very gentle and coquettish tone, then said, "Third Miss is the only legitimate daughter of the Zhuang family, how dare we neglect her!"

As she spoke, her steps beneath her skirt didn't slow down at all; in fact, they quickened slightly.

Zhou Ruyin's maidservant's feet ached from chasing her, but she could only purse her lips and continue, "But Young Master Yuchi is your biological son! Even Minister Han is going to break off the engagement!"

"The master is in charge of things in the front yard! I'm just a woman from the back yard, I can't get a word in edgewise!" Zhou Ruyin explained, then looked at the maid with some complaint and said, "Why are you walking so slowly today? Hurry up and catch up!"

After saying that, she didn't even wait for the maid, she grabbed the paper from the maid's hand and strode forward.

Upon seeing this, the maidservant quickened her pace to catch up, constantly reminding her, "Madam! The ground is slippery, please be careful!"

The master and servant arrived at Zhuang Hanyan's courtyard amidst their bickering.

As soon as I entered, I saw her leaning against a stone pillar in the pavilion, staring blankly at the heavy snow!

"Han Yan!" As soon as Zhou Ruyin saw Zhuang Han Yan, she immediately called out excitedly, her expression filled with joy and exaggeration.