Now that you're reborn, who would still keep a mistress for their scumbag husband?

The lady coughed violently for a long time before she calmed down a little. She asked, "Yes, who told you?"

It definitely couldn't be the Dou family, nor could it be the Lu family. Up to now, there were only two people in the Lu family who knew about this matter, Lu Changyuan and the lady.

Lu Changyuan also thought of this, "Is it Xie Jinzhao?"

He hated Dou Jinzhao as much as Dou Miaojin did, so he simply changed his surname to Dou Jinzhao.

"What should we do now?" The Madam was trembling all over. "Will the whole city know that the mistress of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion is a bastard of unknown origin? What is she trying to achieve by doing this?"

Yes, what was she trying to achieve? Just to lose face, to not be the mistress of the Duke Dingguo's mansion, to divorce him?

Even if you divorce, you'll still be a divorced woman!

When Lu Changyuan thought about it, he wondered if he had misunderstood Dou Jinzhao.

"Let her come. I have something to ask her. Go and call her over!" The lady ordered someone to call Dou Jinzhao.

It was very quiet in Xuancao Hall. The steward had already been dismissed. Only the Dowager Lady and her son were inside. Dou Jinzhao came over, bowed, and sat down without waiting for the Dowager Lady to offer him a seat.

"You're so polite!" The old lady did not hide her disdain. "I heard from Chang Yuan that you were the one who found Aunt Qiu. It seems that you already knew your life experience. When did you know it?"

Dou Jinzhao did not expect the lady to be so wise. But when he thought about it, it was not surprising. Lu Changyuan's father died early, and she was able to keep the title of Duke Dingguo when Lu Changyuan was young and gain the favor and support of the queen. She was definitely not an ordinary person.

"It's not hard to guess. If Miaojin and I were real twins, the Dou family would have been able to form an alliance with the Dingguo Mansion. I would have been enough, and there would have been no need to sacrifice Miaojin. I am already the mistress of the Dingguo Mansion. Once the Duke hooked up with Dou Miaojin, the Dou family gave up on me. This is irrational."

"Common sense, what common sense?" Lu Changyuan couldn't quite keep up with the woman's train of thought, or perhaps his military thinking was still a little too simple.

"I am the legitimate daughter of the Dou family who spent a lot of money and energy to cultivate. There is only one reason why they gave up so easily. I was the last resort for the Dou family. Miao Jin was found when she was seven years old. We were all very young at that time. Why didn't the Dou family spend energy on Miao Jin?

Now we are sixteen or seventeen years old. As soon as the Duke proposed to marry Dou Miaojin as his co-wife, the Dou family gave up on me. Why?"

"Besides, I had heard rumors before that I was not the daughter of the Dou family. Everything today is just confirmation."

Both the Madam and Lu Changyuan understood.

The Dou family didn't want a daughter, but a daughter that Lu Changyuan liked. The reason they chose Dou Jinzhao over Dou Miaojin was that, in the eyes of ordinary people, the possibility of Dou Jinzhao being favored by Lu Changyuan was much greater than that of Dou Miaojin.

But when the results are presented, the process is no longer important, so at this time the Dou family should choose Dou Miaojin.

Dou Jinzhao truly knew about his life experience not through reasoning or guessing, but through his experience in his past life.

It was indeed she who asked Nanny Qiu to come, so she needed a convincing reason.

Lu Changyuan didn't expect Dou Jinzhao to be so resourceful. "You've put all your thoughts into these calculations. Anyway, the Dou family has done you a favor. What good will it do you if you expose everything now?"

The lady-in-waiting didn't know what was going on in her mind. She asked in a friendly manner, "Jinzhao, the outside world has spread all the news about the Dou family. You didn't tell anyone about it, did you?"

It was indeed not her who arranged for someone to tell it out, she just arranged for someone to add fuel to the fire.

"It's not me!" Dou Jinzhao smiled and shook his head, "There's no need for me to do this. The fact that I'm not the daughter of the Dou family spread all over the place before it was confirmed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to verify it."

The lady was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the Dou family. "It seems that the Dou family is really a sieve. If there is any disturbance, the whole city will know about it!"

Dou Jinzhao disagreed. If it weren't for her, what was the difference between Duke Dingguo's Mansion and the Dou family?

The lady said to Dou Jinzhao, "Jinzhao, no matter what is spread outside, since you have married into my Lu family, you are Changyuan's legitimate wife. There is no divorce in aristocratic families, so don't think too much about other things. Right now, the most urgent matter is the marriage of Changyuan and Miaojin, and the betrothal gift will be left to you first."

Without waiting for Dou Jinzhao to speak, the lady said, "Get this done. No matter who comes to talk, I won't pay attention. You are still the legitimate daughter-in-law of my Lu family."

Dou Jinzhao thought to himself, the abacus beads are about to crash onto my forehead. If she were a little more stupid and weak, by the time she took out her dowry to give to Lu Changyuan as a betrothal gift, the day of her "dying of illness" in the side hospital would probably not be far away.

She smiled and said, "Madam, the marriage between the Dou family and the Duke Dingguo's Mansion was arranged by the Queen Mother. I am not a girl from the Dou family, so I naturally cannot be the mistress of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.

The betrothal gift to the Dou family is not cheap, and I don't have that much money to spend, Madam, you should look for someone else!"

The Madam's plan failed, and she became angry and said, "You know, if you don't obey, I will have Chang Yuan demote you to a concubine. Concubines are not eligible to have dowries, and you may not be able to keep the dowry that the Dou family gives you in the future."

"I understand what Madam Tai means. My dowry should either be given to the Duke's Mansion as a betrothal gift in exchange for the title of mistress, or I should let the Dou family take it back because I am no longer the daughter of the Dou family. Madam Tai, this seems to make sense. Is there a third way?"

The lady gave her a disdainful look, "What do you think?"

"There shouldn't be any!" Dou Jinzhao seemed to know the current situation very well. "The Dingguo Mansion is the most powerful family in Northern Qi, and the Dou family is the family of the Minister of Rites, and is also one of the best among the civil officials. I am an ordinary woman, and I really look like a piece of fish on the chopping board."

She stood up and glanced at the lady, "It's a pity that I'm not!"

Dou Jinzhao left Xuancao Hall, and Lu Changyuan chased after her, trying to grab her wrist. Dou Jinzhao turned her body to avoid Lu Changyuan. He was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't understand how Dou Jinzhao could actually avoid him.

"What instructions does the Duke have?" Dou Jinzhao changed the subject, fearing that Lu Changyuan would become suspicious.

"Jin Zhao, what's wrong with mother's suggestion? Don't you really want to be the mistress of the Duke's Mansion?"

Lu Changyuan stood with his hands behind his back, facing the lake, and said in a cold voice, "Although the matter has been exposed, if the Duke's Mansion reacts now, it will be used as an excuse. That's why mother will let you continue to manage the Duke's Mansion and arrange the marriage between Miao Jin and me first. Stay constant in the face of change.

This way, people outside won't say anything. It's good for the Duke's Mansion, the Dou family, and you!"

Dou Jinzhao didn't know how she had believed such a despicable lie in her previous life.

If a person is not sentimental and does not have greed, he will not be deceived under any circumstances.

"Lu Changyuan, ever since you and Dou Miaojin secretly had an affair, the love between you and me has ended. Today, even if I am still a girl from the Dou family, you and I still cannot be husband and wife.

Since I have no intention of being your wife, why should I care about the position of the mistress of the Duke's Mansion or the household affairs?"

Actually, it wasn't. From the day she was reborn, she and Lu Changyuan could no longer be husband and wife in this life.

Lu Changyuan was stunned for a long time, "Is it because of Miao Jin? You are such a jealous woman!"