Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

"Princess Xiao..."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Yu Wenbin bypassed Yu Wanran and was about to speak again.

No matter what, they were once family, living together day and night for sixteen years. How could Xiao Yao have become such a cold and distant stranger in just a few days?

Yu Wanran grabbed his sleeve and tugged at it.

The force wasn't great, but it made Yu Wenbin stop in his tracks and hesitate.

“Yu Wanran, a commoner…”

Yu Wanran took a deep breath, knelt down on both knees, and bowed to Xiao Yao. She placed her hands on the ground, her forehead touching the earth, performing a standard kneeling bow. Just as humble as when she left the Duke's mansion.

"Greetings, Princess Xiao!"

Yu Wenbin, standing beside him, felt a jolt in his heart. He realized once again that Xiao Yao, his former third sister, was now in a completely different position!

If Yu Wanran hadn't stopped him twice for his previous reckless actions, Xiao Yao would have been more than willing to beat him to death for the offense.

Xiao Yao was extremely pleased with herself. Looking at Yu Wanran lying prostrate at her feet, the anger that had been building up in her chest for days vanished, and she wanted nothing more than to laugh out loud. But on the surface, she had to maintain her composure and preserve her image.

"You're smart enough to know your place! Yu Wanran, you can go back to cleaning the chamber pots and digging for wild vegetables. Enjoy the life that's rightfully yours!"

She still harbored other enemies in her heart, and asked Yu Wenbin with a cold face.

"Why is there a fence suddenly erected in this yard? Where is Liu Shi? Doesn't she always like to curse at me and slap me a few times when she sees me?"

Yu Wenbin's face turned pale as he recounted the story of the family division.

Xiao Yao scoffed as she listened.

Does she think that splitting the family line will allow her to escape the people she wants to get revenge on?

With a wink, several maids, accompanied by guards, immediately rushed into the other half of the courtyard. A moment later, they dragged over Granny Yu, Liu Yan, and Su Li, who had been hiding and spying on the commotion, and slammed them in front of Xiao Yao.

The three generations of the family were terrified, kowtowing repeatedly to Xiao Yao and begging for mercy.

Xiao Yao ignored Granny Yu and Su Li, only kicking Liu Yan, who was crawling closer, twice, and then crushing her hand on the ground.

"Liu, you always call me a worthless brat. Now let's see who's truly worthless! I'll slice your flesh into pieces and feed it to the dogs, and even they'd find your flesh rotten!"

Liu Yan was in so much pain that tears and snot streamed down her face, and she kept slapping herself in the face with her other hand.

"It is I, a lowly woman, who has a foul mouth! I beg Your Highness to forgive my transgressions! Please remember that I was once your aunt..."

She suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream as Xiao Yao crushed her fingers with all her might.

Xiao Yao moved her feet off the back of her hand and sneered, "What are you? How dare you pretend to be the aunt of this county princess? You're nothing but the aunt of that fake..."

He stared at her sweaty face with an extremely frightening look in his eyes.

"These two hands, these two feet, have they both hit and kicked this county magistrate? And that stinking mouth of yours..."

She tilted her head: "Come on, help me smash her mouth, chop off her limbs, and settle our old scores!"

Liu Yan's cries stopped in shock. Everyone heard a "plop" sound, smelled a faint fishy stench in the air, and looked closely to find that Liu Yan's skirt was wet; she had wet herself in fear.

Not only her, but every member of the Yu family was shocked and terrified. Grandma Yu had already collapsed to the ground, and Su Li held her tightly. Yu Wenbin was even more filled with lingering fear.

I never expected Xiao Yao to become so cruel and domineering after returning to the Duke's mansion. Fortunately, my third sister had the foresight to swallow her anger and not provoke Xiao Yao.

Otherwise, it would be Third Sister and her family who would be suffering now!

What right did the Yu family, a mere villager, have to contend with the Duke's mansion?

Tongcheng is the fiefdom of the Duke's Mansion, and this area is under the Duke's jurisdiction. Even if Xiao Yao killed someone, and the Yu family filed a complaint with the prefectural government, the prefect would probably only listen to the Duke's Mansion.

At this time, Yu Man and his son, Yu Tai and his son, who had gone out to farm, all rushed back upon hearing the news. Besides them, there were also many villagers who came to watch the spectacle.

However, seeing the people from the Duke's mansion grabbing Liu Yan and slapping her repeatedly, looking extremely fierce and menacing, no one dared to approach and watch the drama unfold. Even the village head hid in the crowd, trembling with fear and not daring to show himself.

After all, they were husband and wife, and mother and sons shared a deep bond. Yu Tai, with his two sons, rushed to Xiao Yao, his eyes red with tears, pleading for Liu Yan's forgiveness.

“Princess Xiao, Liu is indeed a bit domineering, but at least… at least consider that we’ve been family for sixteen years. Even if there’s no kinship, there’s still old friendship. Please spare her life?”

Xiao Yao sneered with a cold face.

"Yu Tai, your wife, with her yellow face, used to be like a tigress, daring to scold and beat even you and your mother. What's the point of keeping her? I'll beat her to death for you, then you can marry a better one!"

She then glanced at the Yu brothers, Wencai and Wenshan, and said, "Your mother is a complete scourge, a troublemaker. Sooner or later she'll ruin your family!"

Yu Man wanted to step forward and say a good word for her elder brother's family, but Yu Wanran held her tightly, preventing her from moving an inch.

Xiao Yao is clearly here for revenge. If they get involved now, it will only cause Xiao Yao's hatred to be transferred to them.

Besides, Liu Yan is the kind of person who hasn't done anything good in either of her two lives. Why would we save her? Hasn't Liu Yan already been eager to sever ties with their family?

Having just returned to the Duke's mansion, Xiao Yao's position was not yet secure, so she naturally wouldn't choose to kill Liu Yan at this moment. Seeing that the fight had gone on long enough and her anger had been vented, she reluctantly backed down after being pleaded with by Yu Tai and his two sons.

"Out of consideration for our past relationship, I'll spare this wicked woman's life today!"

Telling her men to lay down Liu Yan, whose face was swollen like a pig's head and who was on the verge of death, she said with a forced smile, "You'd better tie her up tightly at home with ropes, or you'll let her out to harm others. Don't blame me for teaching you all a lesson too!"

The Duke's mansion can't escape punishment just by dividing the family property; you bunch of stupid peasants!

Xiao Yao had never felt so happy. With a smug look at the quail-like crowd, she prepared to get into the carriage and leave, supported by her maid.

Just then, a trembling voice came from inside the room.

"Yao Yao..."

Yu Wanran, Yu Man, and the others looked back, their blood freezing on their skin.

Sometime later, Ji Chunhua had somehow climbed out of bed and crawled all the way to the door. Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Yao's back, her hand, wrapped in a white cloth, stretched out and grasped at the air in vain, tears streaming down her face.

"Yaoyao! My Yaoyao...don't you even recognize your own mother anymore?"

For sixteen years, she treated Xiao Yao like her own daughter. Unlike other families that favored sons over daughters, she did not. In fact, because Xiao Yao was the youngest daughter in the family and had a sweet tongue, she couldn't help but show her some favoritism.

However, this girl watched helplessly as she was almost beaten to death in the Duke's mansion, and the man didn't even come in to see her once. She was heartbroken and her mentality completely collapsed.

I just want to catch Xiao Yao and properly question her about why?

Xiao Yao stood with her back to the Yu family's gate, without turning around. However, she hesitated slightly as she got into the car.

She quickly adjusted herself and got into the carriage. She didn't look back even once until the convoy of carriages started moving again, leaving behind billowing dust.