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

Qin Shi sat high in the main hall, her normally pale and sickly face flushed with anger.

Little bitch!

Anyone who dares to hurt her son, she'll skin them alive!

"Come here, use the family rules!"

The servants, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward, sticks in hand.

The maid kicked Yuan Zhi in the back of the knee. Caught off guard, Yuan Zhi's knees slammed heavily to the ground with a thud. The pain in her knees was excruciating, but she frowned and refused to beg for mercy.

“My daughter-in-law said that, apart from adultery, no woman should be subjected to arbitrary private punishment. If you want to punish me, you’ll have to see if you have the right!”

Xiao Shen indulged in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, and whoring. He often associated with ruffians and scoundrels, and was quick to tell lies.

"You sharp-tongued little vixen! This afternoon behind the rockery, you said that your elder brother values ​​his official duties more than you, his wife. You even said that your elder brother has never consummated his marriage with you, and that he is lonely in his secluded chambers and wants to spend time with me. Isn't that committing adultery?"

"I tried to reason with you, but you were afraid I would leak the secret and wanted to kill me. Luckily, I was lucky and escaped. Now, facing your mother-in-law, you talk back and refuse to admit your mistakes. Who gave you the audacity to be so arrogant!"

"What nonsense!"

Yuan Zhi struggled slightly. "I haven't seen my uncle today, and those remarks weren't made by me. It's all just my uncle's side of the story. What evidence do you have to prove that I did it?"

Xiao Shen pointed to the wound, "This is the evidence!"

"What kind of evidence is this?" Yuan Zhi sneered. "If I stab myself, can't I also say it was my uncle who did it?"

"you!"

Xiao Shen was furious and stormed around the hall. Qin Shi was worried that his wound would reopen and told him to sit down quickly.

“What the young mistress says makes sense,” said Granny Li. “To catch a thief red-handed, you have to catch them in the act. Without a murder weapon, we can’t conclude that the young mistress did it.”

These words jolted Xiao Shen awake, and he shouted, "Mother, I remember now! The dagger she used to stab me was the pair of white jade plum blossom knives that Father gave to my elder brother!"

Qin instructed Li, "Go and look in Congyun's bedroom to see if the knife is still there."

Granny Li replied, "I checked when I came; it's not there. However..."

Granny Li looked at Yuan Zhi, whose sharp eyes seemed to see right through her. Feeling guilty, she looked away and dared not continue.

Qin was furious: "What are you stammering for? Just say what you have to say!"

Granny Li knelt down and replied, "At one-fifteen PM, I discussed the Double Ninth Festival banquet with Miss Luomei and met with the young mistress at the waterside pavilion. I was wondering if... the young mistress might have thrown away the dagger?"

Yuan Zhi's eyes were sharp. "Mother-in-law, to tell you the truth, there was chaos in the mansion yesterday, and a lot of things were stolen from my room. The plum blossom dagger that my brother-in-law mentioned was probably stolen by a dishonest servant. Anyway, I haven't seen it."

Xiao Shen sneered, "Stop pretending. Once I find the evidence, you'll have to obediently accept the punishment!"

Xiao Shen ordered his steward to summon the guards and servants.

"All of you, jump into the pool and search! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find the dagger for me!"

In late autumn, as night falls, the pond water is icy cold; who would be willing to go into the water?

Moreover, the future of the Xiao family is uncertain. Everyone is only risking staying for money. Xiao Shen doesn't care about the lives of his servants, so they have no reason to obey him!

Seeing that everyone was standing still, Xiao Shen urged, "What are you all standing there for? Go find it!"

The older guard clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Second Young Master, please forgive us for not being able to obey! To put it bluntly, given what the eldest young master has done, the Xiao family's good days are over. Once the decree is issued, it's really hard to say who is the master and who is the servant."

"The young mistress is grateful to us for standing by the Xiao family through thick and thin, and has given us five taels of silver as a subsidy. But the second young master is oblivious to the situation and is still yelling and bullying the servants, trying to get us to join you in framing the young mistress. I'm sorry, we can't do that!"

Xiao Shen sneered, "In the end, it's all about silver, isn't it? Listen up, whoever goes down to find it, I'll give them fifteen taels of silver!"

Someone shouted, "Pay up first!"

"Yes! Pay first!"

Yuan Zhi retorted sarcastically, "As expected, a generous reward will surely attract brave men!"

Xiao Shen looked at Qin Shi pitifully, "Mother."

Qin Shi did not want to make a big fuss, but she would not be able to quell her anger if she did not teach Yuan Zhi a lesson today!

"Granny Li, go and get the silver."

"Yes."

At Songfeng Courtyard, Granny Li confiscated Yuanzhi's keys and seal. At Qin Shi's command, she hurried off to collect the money.

Several servants and guards took the money and rushed to the garden, searching for almost an hour, but found nothing.

Xiao Shen's face turned ashen. "Keep searching!"

Seeing that Yuan Zhi was calm and composed, Qin Shi became suspicious. Where was her personal maid?

Could it be that she sent her maid back to her parents' home to get help?

That little slut is a master at twisting the truth; we must never let her open her mouth!

It would be better to beat her half to death first, then kick her out on charges of seducing her brother-in-law. If the in-laws find out, they'll only think it's their daughter's fault, not the Xiao family's!

“Shen’er, there’s no need to look anymore. The facts are already clear! You were assassinated at the rockery at Shenshi (3-5 PM), and Granny Li met you at the waterside pavilion at Shenshi (1:15 PM). The time interval is so short, how could she not have seen you? She must be lying!”

"Unfaithful to her husband, she stabbed her brother-in-law!" Madam Qin ordered the servants and housekeepers, "Hold her down and beat her severely!"

Upon receiving the order, the men, without waiting for Yuan Zhi to explain, stuffed a rag into her mouth and forced her to the ground.

Yuan Zhi struggled violently, like a live fish thrown into a pot of boiling oil, still resisting and leaping, not letting go of any chance to survive.

A fist-thick stick suddenly slammed down, breaking the fish's spine. She let out a whimper, felt a sweet taste in her throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Suddenly, a jumble of footsteps came from behind. Before the executioner could turn around, he was kicked to the ground by the newcomer.

The man was tall and straight, with black hair and a dark robe, and his sharp phoenix eyes swept over the crowd.

He stood sideways, which made his features even more defined and his face handsome. He had a high nose bridge, thin lips pressed tightly together, and an aura of menace emanated from him, making him unapproachable to those within a hundred miles.

With such imposing presence, who else could it be but Xiao Zong?!

Upon seeing his elder brother, Xiao Shen's previous arrogance immediately diminished, and he curled up in his chair without uttering a word.

Madam Qin, supported by Granny Li, stood up. "Congyun is back! Didn't you say it would be another day?"

Xiao Zong countered, "Does Mother think I came back too early?"

"What are you saying? I'm just concerned about you!"

"Care about me?"

Xiao Zong kicked the servant woman away, "You beat my wife while I was away from the capital, is that how you show concern for me?"

When Qin's temper flared, she said, "What a fine daughter-in-law you've found! Disrespectful to her mother-in-law, and when she failed to seduce her brother-in-law, she resorted to violence! How can the Xiao family tolerate such a woman?"

Yuan Zhi spat out the cloth, and with her last shred of consciousness, hooked her fingers around Xiao Zong's. She tilted her head back slightly, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Husband, I... I didn't."

Hands calloused from years of wielding knives and swords felt as if they had been suddenly stuffed into a ball of soft, fresh snow—cool and refreshing…

That handful of fresh snow, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, soothed his restless heart that had been agitated for days. The stench of blood from the execution ground in Jingzhou vanished without a trace at that moment.

Perhaps it was too comfortable, because he inexplicably took her hand in return.