Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

"Xiao Congyun, are you trying to die?!"

Yuan Zhi looked at the torn clothes with heartache and shouted down.

The Leopard Guards climbed halfway up, but under the pressure of the Commander's wife, they dared not go any further.

Xiao Zong, carrying the hem of his armor, went upstairs and, seeing the scene, scolded, "What are you watching? If you let the prisoners escape, bring them all your heads!"

Everyone answered "yes" in unison, went upstairs, and kicked open the doors one by one.

A small flag bearer arrived at Yuan Zhi's room door, clasped his hands in a fist salute to her, and then kicked her.

The woman inside had already heard the commotion and helped Wei Xueyao get dressed. When the door popped open, everyone sat up straight and looked towards the doorway.

Xiao Qi walked in, glancing at each face in turn, his gaze lingering on a young maid.

"You, come with me!"

Yuan Zhi glanced inside and saw that Xiao Qi was staring at the girl who had poured her tea.

The girl in charge of teaching blocked the maid's way, saying, "She's my person. If the official wants to take her away, he needs to give an explanation!"

"What?! My Leopard Guard has to report to you when I arrest someone?"

Xiao Zong ignored Yuan Zhi's resentful gaze and stepped inside.

He exchanged a glance with Wei Xueyao, then ordered Xiao Qi, "Go!"

Xiao Qi lifted the prostitute's arm and grabbed the maid's hand, dragging her outside.

Yuan Zhi blocked the doorway, saying, "I hired her. Leave a thousand taels of silver, and you can take her away!"

The young officer, fearing he might hurt the lady, dared not force his way in and asked, "Sir, what do you think of this..."

Xiao Zong strode over, put his arm around her waist, and said, "Anyone who obstructs the investigation will be taken back to the Leopard Guard and severely punished!"

Yuan Zhi, held in his arms, called out into the house, "Mother, Xueyao is in your care now. Don't slack off. I'll be checking the results in three days!"

When the Leopard Guards saw the lady fighting with the master, they all lowered their heads. Xiao Zong dragged Yuan Zhi out the door, and his subordinates hurriedly followed.

Yuan Zhi was thrown onto the horse by him, and the two rode together. She squirmed in his arms, but he pressed down on her shoulder to restrain her.

"Don't move."

He said in a deep voice.

The horse galloped forward, and Yuanzhi, tired from the exertion, leaned against it.

"Why did you grab a maid?"

Xiao Zong held the reins in one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist. "She is your sixth sister's sister."

Yuan Zhi was startled, then said, "She's not my sister!"

"Fine, if you're not angry, then you're not. Were you really angry or just pretending? You reacted so strongly!"

"It's half true, half false." She showed him her clothes, which he had damaged. "This is the finest Shu brocade, and you've ruined it like this. You have to compensate me!"

After he confessed last time, she trusted him more. The Leopard Guards wouldn't arrest people arbitrarily, but for some reason, this man was unusually obsessed with ruining his own reputation.

"You're so angry over a foot of cloth, how about I compensate you tenfold?"

"That's what you said!"

"Mmm." A faint fragrance lingered around his nose as he sniffed her neck. "What's on you? It smells so good."

Yuan Zhi's breathing quickened. "You, you mustn't smell it. This is an aphrodisiac that's often used in brothels. Men can't control themselves when they smell it."

This was still on the street, and she didn't want to hear rumors tomorrow morning about the Leopard Guard Commander and his wife being affectionate in the street.

Xiao Zong breathed into her ear, and Yuan Zhi immediately reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, scratching him with her hand.

He was amused by her reaction and said, "Don't worry, I can control myself."

Yuan Zhi pushed him, "You're deliberately trying to see me embarrass myself!"

"I have no conscience."

She was just too cute, and he couldn't resist teasing her.

Upon arriving at the Leopard Guard, the squad leader escorted the maid into the prison. Dou Zhao then took Yuan Zhi to Xiao Zong's office, where they served tea and snacks, taking great care of her.

"Young Madam, is there anything else you're missing?"

Yuan Zhi sat in the commander's large chair, his hands resting on the armrests, his chin slightly raised, and said in a gruff voice, "No need, you may leave!"

Dou Zhao pointed outside, "Does the young mistress really want me to leave?"

"Hahahaha, no, I was just having a go at being a commander, and I must say, it was actually pretty good!"

Last time Xiao Zong brought her here, he threw her in jail and threatened her, scaring her half to death. Unexpectedly, this time she was able to sit in the main hall, enjoying fruits and snacks, and running wild on his turf.

It's true, times change.

In the dark prison cell.

Xiao Zong stood in front of the maid, took a red-hot branding iron from the brazier, and pointed it at her face.

The branding iron was scorching hot, hotter than the summer sun. The maid's hair was singed and curled slightly, and a burnt smell filled the air.

"do not want!"

The maid screamed and turned her head to the side, not daring to look.

"If you clearly state your name, place of origin, and family situation, I may consider releasing you."

The maid's eyes flickered slightly. "This servant is Lu'er. I have lived in Yanzhou since I was a child. Later, my family became poor and my father sold me to a matchmaker. After several twists and turns, I ended up at Tianjing Tower. I don't know if my parents are still alive."

Xiao Zong held the thin handle of the branding iron and tapped it against the edge of the brazier, causing a burst of sparks to fly out.

"Where's your sister?"

"What sister?"

Xiao Zong laughed, "It's my fault for not being clear. Yuan Rou, the sixth young lady of the Yuan family, was once a courtesan at Tianjing Tower, named Jiang Rou. She has a younger sister named Jiang Xin, who is thirteen years old this year. Is that you?"

"No, sir, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Jiang Xin knew immediately that he was after her sister, and for the sake of their future, she couldn't reveal a single word!

"This young lady has quite the backbone for her age. I just don't know if she can handle trying all of these things one by one?"

"Why are you trying to scare me, sir? If you don't believe me, just try me!"

Xiao Zong beckoned with his finger, signaling his subordinates, "Administer the finger-crushing torture."

The subordinates took the instruments of torture and began to inflict the torture.

The woman's wails echoed through the prison as she cursed loudly, "Xiao Zong, you'll die a horrible death, ah—!"

Upon hearing this, the Wei family members, who were imprisoned in the distance, were all startled, thinking to themselves: "Xiao Zong is such a scumbag, he won't even spare a woman, he's too ruthless!"

"If you don't confess, it won't be me who suffers a terrible death, but you sisters! Entering the palace as a person of good birth will result in the execution of your entire family once discovered! Fortune and power are sought in danger, not in death. Sister, you must understand this!"

"Pah! You scoundrel! I've seen all sorts of tricks like this in the brothel. Don't waste your energy, I won't tell anyone!"

Xiao Zong sneered, "It's alright, we've only just begun, we have plenty of time. Let's continue!"

"what----"

Having endured the third form of torture, Jiang Xin could barely take it anymore and begged for mercy, "I'll talk, I'll talk..."

Xiao Zong ordered his men to stop. "If you had spoken earlier, you would have suffered less torture. Why bother?"

Jiang Xin said weakly, "My sister is indeed Jiang Rou, and also the sixth daughter of the Yuan family—Yuan Rou. Half a month ago, Yuan Pu approached my sister, saying he wanted to discuss a big business deal with her."

He helped his sister redeem herself from servitude, registered her in the family genealogy, and hired the best nannies to teach her. I thought my sister's suffering was finally over, but I never imagined he was doing it so she could falsely enter the palace and secure his own bright future!