After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

Thanks to the Divine Elixir, the old lady was saved, but the Fang family's expenses increased several times over.

Sitting at the table, Liu looked at the rapidly increasing accounts with a worried expression, her heart filled with anxiety and helplessness.

The Fang family already had high expenses, and the dowry they prepared for Fang Zhenghong had used up all their savings. Now, let alone buying the health-enhancing pills for the old lady, they were barely able to support their daily expenses.

Liu was shocked to find herself in such a predicament so soon after taking over the reins of the Fang family. She remembered that although the Fang family had expenses before, they were never so strapped for cash. It all came down to Wang Shi's extravagant spending. In such a short time, she had already spent almost all of Bai Qiqi's dowry.

It should be noted that although the Fang family's grandmother was wealthy, the family had become much less prosperous over the generations. If it weren't for Bai Qiqi bringing her dowry, the Fang family would probably have already fallen into crisis.

The Fang family's basic source of income is Fang Zhengyong's salary, as well as shops and farmland. In reality, it's not much at all. With just these, let alone making up for the deficit, it's probably difficult to even maintain basic expenses.

No wonder Madam Wang always coveted Fang Xiaoran's key, Madam Liu thought to herself.

In order to keep the Fang family afloat, Liu began to cut expenses, dismissed many maids and servants, and even changed the fabric of the clothes worn by the young ladies and gentlemen from the original fine Yunmu brocade to ordinary brocade. Not to mention the fine jewelry that Fang Menghe often acquired, all of which were forbidden by Liu, and no more extra money was allocated to purchase them.

The matter was quickly put into action. When Madam Wang learned of this, she was furious. What did it mean to send a servant away at this critical juncture? Was she trying to cause trouble for her son's marriage? Madam Wang even asked someone to go to Fang Zhengyong to complain, but the maid didn't even get to see Fang Zhengyong.

Fang Zhengyong couldn't get over the fact that he only obtained the Yishen Pill because of Bai Qiqi, and he had been staying in his study for the past few days, not going to either Manchun Garden or Cuiwei Pavilion.

Feeling resentful after being turned away, Madam Wang sent Fang Menghe to complain to the old lady. The old lady, who had been recuperating and had not been involved in the affairs of the household, summoned Madam Liu to inquire after learning about the situation. Upon hearing the news, she discovered that the Fang family was facing such a large deficit and immediately began to suspect that Madam Wang had secretly used the Fang family's money to cover her own family's losses in previous years.

Therefore, the old lady ordered Liu to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of all accounts, especially those related to the Wang family, which must not be overlooked.

While worrying about the accounts, Madam Wang was also concerned about Fang Xiaoran's reinvestigation of the poisoning incident. She was preoccupied and absent-minded all day long. She quickly told Granny Qian not to delay any longer and to resolve the matter as soon as possible, so that no trace could be left behind.

Granny Qian calculated the days and felt that two days had passed, so she left the Fang family that afternoon.

This time, instead of going to three places and returning the same way as before, Granny Qian went through the East Market, walked to a deep alley, got off the carriage and went into the alley without looking back. When she reached the corner of the alley, she turned right and walked forward for about a hundred steps until she stopped in front of a house.

This house is very secluded; you can't see it at all unless you look closely. It's mainly because the surrounding area is covered with Virginia creeper, which looks very dense, and there's also a large plum tree that almost completely covers the house, making it virtually invisible.

After knocking three times, a woman who looked to be in her thirties opened the door. Just as she was about to ask something, she looked up and saw Granny Qian's face. She was immediately terrified and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Granny Qian said, "Go in first."

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then quickly invited her in. After closing the door, the woman asked nervously, "Why did you suddenly come to visit? Is something wrong?"

“Someone is investigating what happened back then. You can’t stay in Kyoto any longer. Leave immediately. I’ve already prepared a carriage. Come with me right now.” Granny Qian didn’t want to waste any more words and pulled the woman to leave. Upon hearing this, the woman quickly said, “No, my husband and child are still here.”

When will your husband return?

"He went to sell fish, he probably won't be back until the afternoon, or else..."

"No, you should pack your things and come with me with the child. I'll find someone to take your husband out later. Don't worry, you played a part in what happened back then, so the concubine won't treat you unfairly. But if things are exposed, the master and the old lady won't let you off either. If you want to live, you'd better not waste your time."

Granny Qian's voice was very cold, especially her eyes, which seemed to be covered with a layer of ice, making her very frightening. The woman dared not say anything more and immediately went into the house to tidy up her things.

Soon, the woman came out carrying a child of about one year old and a packed bundle. She looked at her house with reluctance. Granny Qian knew that she was reluctant to leave, and urged her sternly, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"Granny, where are you taking us? We've already settled here, and if we go too far, we'll be unfamiliar with the place... Bao'er is still so young, I'm worried about him..."

"Is your life more important, or your place to live? If it weren't for the concubine's supplies all these years, where would you have gotten the money to buy a piece of land here to live on? The concubine told you back then that it would be best to stay away from the capital, but you just wouldn't listen. Now that things have come to this, if you still don't leave, I'll have to find another way to make you leave."

Granny Qian threatened her sternly, but the woman, lacking the necessary force, could only hold the child in her arms tighter and whisper, "I'll do whatever you say, Granny, but I really hope you can give us a way out."

After following Granny Qian out, they boarded a carriage and sped away from the city gate, heading into the distance.

The child in the woman's arms, sitting in the carriage, kept crying and wouldn't stop no matter how she tried to soothe him. Granny Qian was already annoyed, and when she heard the child crying, she got so angry that she grabbed the child's chubby little face and yelled, "If you cry again, I'll throw you out!"

"Waaah..." The child cried even harder this time. The woman held the child in her arms with heartache and scolded, "He's just a child. Why should you get angry with a child, nanny?"

“Indeed, why should I get angry with a dead person?” Granny Qian suddenly said. Upon hearing this, the woman’s face changed drastically. She immediately distanced herself from Granny Qian, shrinking into a corner of the carriage and looking at her in fear. “What do you mean by that?”

Granny Qian sneered, "I didn't want to do this either, but who told you to know so much? The concubine thinks that only the dead can never speak. Chunfang, from the moment you betrayed your mistress, you should have known this would be the end."

"You still won't let me go, it seems that the concubine hasn't been sleeping well all these years."

"Don't worry, your husband will soon be going down to join you. You won't be alone on your journey to the underworld."

Just after Granny Qian finished speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped. Chunfang hugged the child tightly, but the fear on her face gradually disappeared. "Guess why you couldn't let me leave the capital all these years, but today I want to go with you?"