I left the residence with Shiqin, intending to go to my maternal grandparents' house to discuss the matter with my maternal grandmother. However, unconsciously, my feet turned a few corners.

By the time I stood still, I had arrived at the entrance of Baolian Pavilion.

Baolian Pavilion was the most favored teahouse among the ladies of the capital, and it was also the place my second sister and I frequented the most.

But now, there was only me standing in front of this teahouse.

I tried to shake off the sadness in my mind.

Suddenly, a pair of hands patted my shoulder.

I turned around abruptly.

It was my second sister, dressed as a married woman, with a peach-shaped face and willow-like eyebrows.

"Second sister!" I exclaimed in surprise, tears uncontrollably welling up in my eyes.

Today, my second sister wore a plain light-colored coat with only a few embroidered red beans on the lapel.

"Shh." My second sister raised her finger, took my hand, and hurriedly walked towards the teahouse. "Let's go inside and talk."

To avoid arousing suspicion from our father, I sent Shiqin to pick gifts for our maternal grandmother when I left home, and my second sister didn't bring any maidservants with her.

We entered Baolian Pavilion together.

My second sister closed the door of the private room tightly and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at me, her eyes gradually turning red.

Seeing my second sister like this, I knew that she hadn't been doing well, and I wanted to say something.

But my second sister spoke first, "Yinger, I can't stay outside for too long. I'll make a long story short about what happened these past few days."

"There's just one thing." My second sister's voice choked, pausing for a moment. "Yinger, I know you've always been devoted to me, but I advise you not to meddle in this matter anymore, or else you might bring harm upon yourself."

I understood in my heart that this marriage was not simple.

"Second sister, tell me exactly what happened, and even if I'm incapable, I can still help ease your worries." I said.

Seeing that I wasn't insistent anymore, my second sister slowly recounted what had happened after her marriage.

On that day, my second sister was unconscious the entire time. When she woke up, she was already lying on the bed in the Wang residence.

The Wang son was not there, only a few young maidservants were attending to her.

There was no uncovering of the veil, no toasting, and she hadn't even seen the groom's face.

My second sister waited until late at night before being informed that the Wang son had gone to the chambers of his concubine, Yuan'er.

On the next morning, when my second sister, who had already been dressed and made up, didn't see the Wang son, she saw the Wang master instead.

"The Wang master told me to settle down here and assured me that I would not be mistreated in the Wang family," my second sister said.

My second sister hadn't reacted yet when the Wang master brought her into the Buddhist hall and told her that she had to recite the scriptures here every morning and evening from now on.

"Recite the scriptures? What scriptures?" I had a vague sense that something was wrong.

My second sister furrowed her brows, "It's strange. We occasionally recite scriptures for blessings, but I've never seen this one before."

"That's not the most important thing," my second sister bit her lip, her face showing a difficult expression. "Since I entered the residence, the son has never come, he spends every day in the concubine's chambers."

"What?" I couldn't help raising my voice, "You are his legally married wife, his behavior is clearly a deliberate humiliation."

"That night, I felt a little unwell and wanted Nonghua to inform the son and call for a doctor. I didn't expect..." My second sister hesitated, her face showing an indescribable expression.

My second sister had always had the best temper, and I had never seen her look like this before.

My second sister took a deep breath. "I happened to see the Wang master sneaking into the son's concubine'schambers. They... they were being intimate."

I was stunned. The shock of this revelation made my mind go blank.

My second sister continued, her voice trembling, "I confronted the Wang master, but he threatened me. He said that if I dared to make a fuss, he would kill me and make it look like an accident. He said that the son has no interest in me, and I should just quietly live my days here."

"How can this be?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "This is too cruel, too heartless."

My second sister wiped away her tears and said, "That's why I came to find you today, Yinger. I don't want you to suffer the same fate as me. We have to find a way to get out of here."

"Second sister, don't worry. I won't let you be wronged like this." I clenched my fists, determination blazing in my eyes.

We sat in the teahouse for a long time, discussing various plans and ideas to escape from the Wang residence.

In the end, we decided to seek help from our maternal grandmother and ask for her assistance in resolving this situation.

Leaving the teahouse, my second sister and I headed towards our maternal grandparents' house, with renewed hope and determination.