Lady Hou is reborn and, by pampering her illegitimate son, reclaims her life of wealth and privilege

This frame-up filled Liao Yuli with resentment and injustice.

She further revealed Liao Yuli's bitter history of "making a living by performing," her words like knives, piercing his self-esteem and igniting his anger and shame.

Then, she cleverly manipulated the wrong witnesses, continuing to weave a web of lies, reversing the truth of the two incidents, confusing the public, until Liao Yuli broke down emotionally and inadvertently revealed his true colors.

All of these tactics were meticulously planned by Jiang Huaiyu. Like a chess player, she guided Liao Yuli step by step, causing him to gradually lose himself in the torrent of anger, ultimately leading to his defeat.

The reason why the thug was willing to provide false testimony for her was simply because Jiang Huaiyu had already sent Instructor Feng to infiltrate the thug's home and kidnap his younger brother and sister as hostages.

She used her younger siblings' lives as leverage to force local thugs to provide false testimony.

Liao Yuli's gaze darted around, noticing the astonishment and confusion on everyone's faces. He then realized he had misspoke and quickly waved his hand, speaking rapidly to explain, "You're wrong. Things aren't as you think. I didn't look for him. The person I was looking for wasn't him... No, no, I didn't look for anyone at all. I have nothing to do with this matter."

However, the more Liao Yuli tried to explain, the more flustered he appeared, and in his panic, his words spiraled out of control again. He angrily slapped his thigh, pointed at Jiang Huaiyu, and shouted, "It's all this woman's fault! She deliberately framed me! She lured me into this trap step by step!"

Lord Pei sat on the high platform, his eyes sharp and discerning. He had already seen through the truth. Liao Yuli's two mistakes were enough to convince him that Liao Yuli was the mastermind behind it all.

"Bang!" A loud slam of the table rang out, and Lord Pei ordered in a deep voice: "Quickly, take Liao Yuli away and throw him into prison to await trial."

Liao Yuli was stunned. He had thought that under his mother's protection, Jiang Huaiyu had no concrete evidence and he would be safe. However, reality dealt him a heavy blow. He didn't understand where the problem lay, feeling like he had been manipulated by Jiang Huaiyu all along.

The constables carried the struggling Liao Yuli to the prison. He struggled all the way, shouting, "I did not commit this crime, Mother, please save me!" However, his denial was futile at this point.

Inside the Liao family mansion, Lady Liao, the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an, was confidently waiting for her son's return. Little did she expect that Liao Yuli would be revealed as the culprit.

Soon after, a personal maid rushed into the room, panting, and urgently reported: "Madam, something terrible has happened! The Second Young Master has been identified as the murderer who harmed the eldest son of the Marquis of Jiaxing's mansion, and he has now been imprisoned."

"What!" Madam Liao slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, too shocked to speak. She couldn't understand where things had gone wrong. She had clearly sent someone to deal with the scapegoat she had arranged, and the matter should have passed quietly. How could it have been exposed so suddenly? Overwhelmed with emotion, her body trembled and she fainted.

Inside the solemn courtroom, the surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion, their voices rising and falling. The fact that the second son of the Jing'an Marquis's household had hired someone to break the legs of the eldest son of the Jiaxing Marquis's household was truly shocking. Lord Pei's sharp gaze swept over Jiang Huaiyu, and he asked in a high-pitched voice, "Madam, the real culprit has been apprehended. What are your plans for handling this case?"

Jiang Huaiyu, with a stern expression and a strong sense of justice, said, "The laws of our Great Qi state that an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Since Liao Yuli cruelly broke my son's legs, I demand that he compensate my son with a pair of healthy legs."

Lord Pei looked troubled. He had originally thought this was just a minor injury case, at most involving imprisoning Liao Yuli for a period of time, followed by compensation from the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion to the Jiaxing Marquis's Mansion. However, Jiang Huaiyu's demands clearly indicated a complete break with the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion.

“Madam, it is better to resolve enmity than to perpetuate it. If you continue in this manner, I fear the Marquis of Jing’an’s household will hold a grudge against you, and when will this cycle of revenge end?”

Jiang Huaiyu sneered, her tone resolute: "Since the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion dares to send people to harm my son, it is tantamount to declaring war on my Jiaxing Marquis's Mansion. Why should I show them any mercy?"

Knowing that Lord Pei was unwilling to offend the Marquis of Jing'an's family, Jiang Huaiyu's tone became even sterner: "My husband sacrificed his life for the country's frontier, and the Emperor has shown great concern for our Jiaxing Marquis's family. Even when I entered the palace a few days ago, Consort Li was disrespectful to me and was demoted to the rank of concubine and confined to her quarters for a year. Now, the Marquis of Jing'an's family dares to openly harm the descendant of a hero who defended the country. The evidence is conclusive. Does Lord Pei intend to protect them as well?"

Lord Pei was speechless for a moment. He knew that he could neither offend the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion nor the Marquis of Jiaxing's mansion. Moreover, the northern army had just returned victorious. If he failed to satisfy Jiang Huaiyu in handling this matter, the Marquis of Jiaxing's subordinates would surely impeach him. If the emperor were to become angry, he would likely suffer boundless disaster.

In contrast, the current situation of the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion does indeed appear quite desolate. It has lost all its power, and with Consort Li recently being demoted and confined to her quarters, its influence is far inferior to that of the Jiaxing Marquis's Mansion, which is deeply favored by the Emperor.

Clearly having made up his mind, he resolutely said, "Since Madam has made up her mind, then let us punish Liao Yuli severely according to the principle of 'an eye for an eye,' and carry it out immediately."

As Lord Pei threw the command arrow to the ground, two burly jailers once again dragged Liao Yuli from the dark and gloomy prison. They pressed him firmly to the ground, bound his legs, and one of the jailers, a veteran of many battles, with a ferocious expression, swung a heavy stick and struck Liao Yuli's legs again and again until the skin was torn and the bones were broken.

This jailer had been carrying out executions for many years and was very experienced. He could have broken Liao Yuli's leg with a single blow, but he deliberately took several steps before slowly stopping.

"what--"

Liao Yuli's shrill screams echoed throughout the room, until he finally succumbed to the excruciating pain and fell into a coma.

The onlookers witnessed this bloody punishment, their faces turning pale and their teeth clenched. Some, unable to bear the cruelty, left prematurely.

Jiang Huaiyu witnessed Liao Yuli's gruesome state after his legs were broken, his eyes revealing a chilling indifference, yet his heart was filled with a vengeful pleasure. This was the consequence of daring to bully his own son. Unfortunately, Wei Fenghui did not witness this scene.

Jiang Huaiyu was convinced that the Liao family in the Jing'an Marquis's mansion were plotting against Liao Yuli behind the scenes. All those involved would pay a heavy price.

In fact, Jiang Huaiyu had already sent Steward Zheng to speak with the executioner, handing him a silver note of one hundred taels and instructing him to ensure that Liao Yuli's legs were crippled and that he would be bedridden for life.

This jailer possessed a profound understanding of punishments and an intimate knowledge of human anatomy; achieving Jiang Huaiyu's desired outcome was effortless for him. Meanwhile, in the Jing'an Marquis's residence, Lady Liao had just awakened from a deep sleep when she heard the news that her son had been sentenced to have both legs broken, and that the punishment had already been carried out. Unable to accept this cruel reality, she was overcome with grief and fell into a coma once more.