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

Xiao Yao covered her burning face and glared at him fiercely with disbelief.

Faced with the wolf-like gaze in the other party, Xiao Wang's anger intensified.

“I am your father! It’s perfectly justified for me to slap you, or even kill you! How dare you look at me like that? Are you resentful?”

Zheng Peipei hurriedly shielded Xiao Yao behind her and gently comforted Xiao Wang.

“Husband, the child is still young! She grew up in the countryside, how could she know so many rules and regulations in our Duke's mansion? In the end, it is we who have failed this child…”

Xiao Wang managed to catch his breath after a few words, but the anger still lingered.

"A loving mother often loses her son!"

He sat down angrily, slamming his fist on the table and saying, "Stop spoiling your children! Do you know that last night, that bastard actually sent his own bodyguards, along with a bunch of thugs, to Qingping Village to kill and set fires!"

"what!"

Zheng Peipei exclaimed in surprise and subconsciously turned to look at Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao looked indignant: "I didn't ask them to kill or set fires! I only asked them to destroy the red straw mat that was being bought as a counterfeit. Why should she get her way if she wants to make money through trade?"

“We are the Duke’s mansion, and the area around Tongcheng is our fiefdom. These unruly commoners are nothing but servants of our Duke’s mansion! What’s wrong with killing a few servants? Father, as the Duke, are you afraid?”

"Who taught you such nonsense? Don't you know that our Xiao family is a dukedom outside our clan, and the imperial court has been plotting to weaken our power for many years?"

Xiao Wang was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and got up to hit her again, but Zheng Peipei held him back tightly.

Xiao Wang flung his sleeves, utterly disappointed in his daughter: "My children may be incompetent in literature or martial arts, but they cannot be as stupid as oxen, allowing themselves to be led by the nose by those with ulterior motives."

He didn't want to waste any more words.

Xiao Yao's stubbornness was evident in every hair, revealing her resentment and even a deep-seated hatred towards him.

He shook his head, summoned a servant directly, and gave the order.

"From today onwards, the County Princess will be confined to the inner quarters and forbidden from stepping out of the Duke's mansion until she is married! In addition, the three bodyguards who served the County Princess will return to their original positions, and no more bodyguards will be assigned to her in the future!"

Why would you need bodyguards if you're confined at home?

The young master only has three bodyguards. The madam is truly spoiling her daughter and has gone mad, actually assigning four to Xiao Yao, as if she's afraid she won't have enough men to cause trouble?

"Dad, how could you do this to me?"

Xiao Yao panicked upon hearing this and shouted, "Am I your own daughter? You owe me so much, and now you want to lock me up for a fake? Why should you?"

Xiao Wang glared at her, his anger throbbing in his temples, and a murderous aura inadvertently surfaced in his eyes again as he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"If you weren't my biological daughter, I would have ground you to dust long ago!"

Anyone who dares to harm the Duke's mansion is guilty of digging up his ancestral graves; this enmity is irreconcilable!

One sentence stunned Xiao Yao.

Zheng Peipei watched her husband from the side, feeling extremely alarmed. She dared not continue to speak up for Xiao Yao at this time, and could only keep giving Xiao Yao meaningful glances.

With a mix of fear and resentment, Xiao Yao reluctantly resigned herself to her fate and followed the servant back to her room.

Xiao Wang sat there angrily. After most of the people had left and the couple was left alone, he spoke in a low voice to Zheng Peipei, who was wiping away tears.

"From now on, you must discipline your daughter properly! Otherwise, with her temperament, she will cause great trouble for our Duke's mansion sooner or later!"

Seeing her husband's expression soften slightly, Zheng Peipei mustered her courage and said cautiously, "Husband, I never expected that adopted daughter would harbor such resentment towards the Duke's mansion after being driven out. She even deliberately sent a severed head to threaten us..."

One can discern the refined meaning from the music.

Xiao Wang scoffed coldly upon hearing this.

"You also believed your own daughter's slander, thinking that Ranran wanted to harm our Duke's Mansion, didn't you? Let me tell you clearly, if she wanted to harm us, she would have sent this head straight to Wei Zhi!"

"And another thing! When did that brat Xiao Yao start colluding with outsiders?"

His face was gloomy.

"Last night, Ruizhen went to Qingping Village with a woman of unknown identity and background. You need to thoroughly investigate the inner quarters..."

He whispered something in his wife's ear. Zheng Peipei's face turned from red to white, then from white to blue, her eyes flashing with disappointment and lingering fear.

"Husband, don't worry, I will keep a close eye on her from now on and make sure she doesn't go out and cause trouble again!"

Her thoughts shifted, and she felt a pang of reluctance towards Yu Wanran, murmuring, "Husband, since you also say that Ranran is good, when can we bring her back?"

With Ranran around before, she was very easy to take care of.

She could confidently entrust the shop to Ranran's management and the servants to her supervision. She only needed to stay in the inner quarters, leisurely enjoying flowers and tea with the other ladies. She could reflect on her actions three times a day, with someone providing meticulous care and concern.

People are judged by comparison.

In terms of ability and filial piety, a biological daughter is far inferior to an adopted daughter. How wonderful it would be if both daughters could be by my side and bring me joy!

Xiao Wang sighed and shook his head.

He repeated Yu Wanran's words before she left, concluding, "This child has made up her mind not to come back. She wants to get away from this place of sorrow, so let's grant her wish."

"She and Yao Yao are like oil and water."

Why force the two of them together? In the end, it will only make things difficult for everyone.

Cheng Pei-pei clutched her handkerchief tightly, tears ruining her makeup.

At this moment, in the inner garden, the Crown Princess, accompanied by a group of maids, sat by the pavilion watching the fish. She tossed in a little fish food, and countless colorful fish of all sizes swam to vie for it.

A maid entered the pavilion, leaned down, and whispered a few words in Tang Manman's ear. A gentle smile appeared on Tang Manman's fair and round face.

Compared to the koi in the pond, they seem to be even more beautiful.

As soon as Yu Wanran stepped out of the Duke's mansion, her expression turned cold.

Earlier in the hall, she hadn't missed the fleeting murderous intent in the Duke's eyes.

She knows too much!

Previously, the other party could trust her to participate in the Duke's various secrets because she was the Duke's daughter. Now that the blood relation is gone, wouldn't that arouse the other party's suspicion?

She had to feign deep affection for the Duke and Duchess to lower their guard. Looking up at the gray sky, she tightened her cotton coat.

She needed to make money quickly while the Duke and Duchess still had some affection for each other, and then move her family away from Qingping Village, away from the Duke's sphere of influence.

If the Duke's mansion finds out that the female assassin's master is a prince, Xiao Wang, assessing the situation, might find himself in trouble again!

Taking the riding whip from the guard, she took a deep breath, leaped onto her horse, and galloped out of the city.

Back in Qingping Village, Wu Jian and his bodyguards had already taken care of the aftermath for the Yu family. Apart from burying Rui Zhen's body, everyone else, dead or alive, was taken away by the officials from the yamen.

The officials said they would wait for the prefect to investigate and gather evidence before notifying the Yu family to come to the yamen for questioning. As for the outcome, everyone knew the answer.

They sent prisoners under the guise of local thugs and ruffians; how could they possibly implicate the Duke's daughter?