The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

The servants in the entire Qi household dared not breathe too loudly, for fear of doing something wrong and offending the mistress of the house.

Madam Qi persuaded Qi Yuejiao through the door for a long time before finally calling her to open it.

"You brat, what terrible thing happened that made you treat yourself like this? You've never cried like this before, what happened to make you lose your composure like this?"

When Madam Qi saw her precious daughter's eyes swollen like walnuts, she could only swallow any more words of reproach.

"Mother, your daughter is unfilial. I'm afraid I won't be able to give you confidence in front of the ladies." Qi Yuejiao wiped away her tears and took out the jade pendant. "This doesn't belong to the eldest prince. Perhaps I've made a mistake. I should ask Father to plead with the Emperor to cancel the marriage!"

Madam Qi took the jade pendant and examined it carefully. "Jiaojiao, your marriage to the First Prince is a royal decree and cannot be taken lightly. If you really want to do this, you must let your mother know what happened at the Imperial Estate today."

Her daughter was sobbing uncontrollably, and all she could do was comfort her, "Even if it wasn't the Crown Prince who saved you, we should still find our benefactor to thank him. We can't be impolite. As for your marriage, we'll talk about it when your father comes back."

Qi Yuejiao stepped out of Madam Qi's arms. "Mother, today I've seen the true colors of the First Prince..."

Madam Qi listened quietly, her brows never unfurrowing.

"No wonder you changed into your spare clothes. Someone, go and fetch the imperial physician."

When Madam Qi learned that Qi Yuejiao had been in the water for quite some time, her anger intensified.

She accidentally fell into the water in winter when she was young, and ever since then she has suffered from uterine coldness. Doctors said that she would have difficulty having children in this life, otherwise she would not have married Qi Da, who was still a poor farmer at the time.

The couple had been married for many years and consulted many famous doctors before finally having their only daughter, Qi Yuejiao.

However, she almost suffered severe bleeding during childbirth, which damaged her health and made it impossible for her to conceive again.

She had suggested that Zidane take a concubine, but he refused each time.

Qi Yuejiao was their only child, and in the eyes of the couple, they doted on her just as much as their son.

Over the years, Qi Yuejiao had never suffered such a great injustice at home. When the mother and daughter attended banquets outside, they were openly or secretly ostracized, and the two of them returned home in a sarcastic manner. In short, they had never suffered any losses.

This time, the Fourth Prince went crazy and held a banquet so far from the Imperial Estate, and his daughter left before dawn.

Their Qi family lacked resources and had no estate in Qingshuang Mountain.

Madam Qi had a generous dowry and was skilled at making money, accumulating a considerable dowry for Qi Yuejiao over the years.

At the beginning of the year, I inquired about the estates in Qingshuang Mountain through intermediaries, but no one was selling them.

The place was chosen by the Grand Princess, and it only took a few years for it to go from being penniless to being incredibly valuable.

The Qi family were newly wealthy and powerful, but they had no connections.

Lady Qi had no choice but to give up.

If they had foreseen this, they should have let Zidane find a solution in the first place. Otherwise, their daughter would have been mistreated there, and no one would have paid any attention to her on her way back to the capital.

If they were closer, Madam Qi would be willing to risk everything to get an explanation from the eldest prince today.

Qi Yuejiao was young, and she only knew the surface of the intricacies involved, naturally unaware of the deeper aspects.

Madam Qi comforted her daughter for a moment, then said, "Go, send someone to prepare a gift and deliver it to the Han family next door. Also, send someone to wait for the master and tell him to come home early today. I have approved the item in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

She didn't care what the eldest prince did to Han Lingzhi for the time being; what mattered was that her daughter had returned safely without her reputation being tarnished, thanks in part to the kindness of the two Han family girls. As their mother, she couldn't be disrespectful. No matter how bad the relationship between the two families was, with this life-saving grace, the Qi family would still show the Han family respect.

"Go to the kitchen and boil a few hard-boiled eggs to roll on the young lady's eyes. Also prepare some appetizing food. Have someone bring the young lady some snacks first."

After giving these instructions, Madam Qi took a deep breath, and only after her anger subsided did she enter Qi Yuejiao's room.

Qi Yuejiao had already washed and dressed, but her eyes were still red and swollen.

“Mother, I acted impulsively at the royal estate. This marriage cannot be called off. I will go to the First Prince to apologize another day.”

These days, she really doesn't want to see that former sweetheart anymore.

When she learned that in the eyes of her beloved, she was a woman who would do anything to marry into the Crown Prince's household, the sky seemed to fall.

“If it wasn’t the First Prince who saved me that day, then I was just being delusional. It’s understandable that the First Prince is unwilling to marry me. Today, I saw that he had a good impression of the Second Miss of the Han family. It’s true that he likes women with a heroic appearance.”

Qi Yuejiao cried for a while, which made her feel much better. She felt even more at ease after saying all this.

Madam Qi stroked her daughter's head and said, "My little darling is perfect in every way. I don't ask you to bring me honor, I just want you to be healthy and happy."

"Mother, it's better not to make things difficult for Father, lest the Emperor develop a grudge against him."

"You don't need to worry about this matter; it won't affect your father. On the contrary, the eldest prince won't have a good life from now on. Even if he took a knife for the emperor, it won't help. Who knows if there's something fishy going on here! The emperor is getting old, and if these princes make one wrong move, they'll be doomed forever."

Lady Qi also knew a bit about court affairs. Qi Da had analyzed the situation in the court with her behind her back many times, just in case she had unknowingly chosen a side in the inner quarters.

On the other side, Zidane finished his shift and walked with his close colleague. When they reached the door, he was stopped and pulled aside by the servants of his household.

"Master, Madam wants you to return home quickly and not to dine with your colleagues outside today. She has agreed to the item in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

Upon hearing the servant's words, Zidane frowned. "What happened at home?"

He had his eye on the prized possession of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and after much pleading and cajoling, his wife still refused to give it to him. This time, her behavior was so unusual; it was truly strange.

Helpless, the servant could only tell the truth, "Miss had an accident and came back from the royal estate crying."

Zidane ignored his colleagues and climbed into the carriage and left.

"Lord Qi, wasn't this an agreement—"

"Lord Li, this was invited by my wife. There are matters at home today, so you and the master can meet another day." The servant handed two silver ingots to the servant beside Lord Li and hurriedly ran to catch up with Qi Da's carriage.

These censors didn't get any extra income; they lived off their salaries and the emperor's rewards. If it weren't for Lady Qi, Qi Da wouldn't be living such a comfortable life.

"What happened that caused you to leave in such a hurry?" Lord Li muttered to himself as he led his servant to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet that day.

Qi Da returned to the mansion and went straight to Qi Yuejiao's courtyard in the backyard.

Madam Qi came to greet him from afar and told him what had happened on the way.

Upon arriving at Qi Yuejiao's room, Qi Da learned everything that had happened.

Qi Da saw Qi Yuejiao's eyes and was already furious. "Father will go to the palace to see the Emperor right now. Jiaojiao, don't cry. Father will risk his life to get justice for you."

Seeing this, Madam Qi said, "Calm down! It's getting late, and the palace will be locked up soon. If you ask me, you should impeach the Crown Prince tomorrow."

"Impeachment?" Zida was taken aback. "I've never impeached any princes before, but I really have to give it a try today."