After the arranged marriage, she farms and survives under the tutelage of the villainous boss.

"Hmm." Jiang Zhiyun patted her mother's head, as if stroking her fur, and praised her.

Zhang smiled and nuzzled against her, saying, "Yunniang, I'm growing up too."

“She’s not that weak and incompetent mother-in-law who only knows how to cry and whine anymore.” Zhang clenched her fists, looking quite strong.

"I know, my mother is the best."

After the warm moment between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Zhang was about to go about her business when Jiang Zhiyun stopped her, saying, "Mother, perhaps we still need to see someone."

"Who is it?" Zhang asked, puzzled.

"Lu Shao, we're old friends. I'm not sure how to properly meet him. I was thinking of going over tonight, when everyone else is asleep, so we can sneak over."

Zhang Shi understood now: "So you're going in the middle of the night. But I trust you, so it's fine if I don't go. If you have any issues, it might be inconvenient for me to be there."

She was implying that she wanted to make things convenient for Yunniang.

Jiang Zhiyun was both amused and exasperated: "Mother, I am a married woman. Do you think it's appropriate for you to give us some space like this?"

“I’m taking you with me. My mother-in-law and I will go together to inquire. We can’t leave any ammunition for them to use against us. Otherwise, even if we have nothing to say, they’ll still say some extremely nasty things about us.”

Public opinion is a fearsome thing, and Jiang Zhiyun was well aware of this principle.

Zhang nodded as if suddenly realizing something: "I didn't think that much about it. If that's the case, then I really should go."

“I remember when I first married into this family, I didn’t even realize where we were going, and it was all my mother who thought of everything for me. Now, my mother has forgotten all of that.”

Zhang scratched his head; things were indeed getting worse.

"Then let's leave in the middle of the night. Should we wear night clothes?"

"Should we reconsider the matter of forcibly breaking into a private residence?"

Seeing how amusing Zhang was, Jiang Zhiyun smiled.

"Then let's give it a shot. We don't need the night clothes; something lighter will do."

After saying that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sneaked towards Lu Shao's back door late at night. At first, Zhang thought it was not appropriate for Yunniang to go like this.

When they actually saw Lu Shao waiting at the back door, they realized it had been arranged beforehand. Lu Shao waved to the two of them: "Auntie, Zhiyun."

"Come in quickly."

After leading the person inside, small pastries were prepared in the main room, all of which were Yunniang's favorites. It was very simple, just like Lu Shao's own preferred style.

A servant brought in some snacks.

Yunniang noticed a very lively and spirited young girl. Curious, she asked, "And who is this?"

“My name is Qiaoyun, and I am the young master’s page. I can do anything and I can take good care of the young master. Madam Jiang, Madam Zhang, I know you. Our young master has mentioned you.”

Yunniang particularly liked her tone of voice; it felt very comfortable, conveying a sense of naivety amidst a worldly air.

“Not bad, Qiaoyun.” Jiang Zhiyun murmured her name.

At this moment, Lu Shao smiled and said, "Try it, Qiaoyun's pastries are delicious."

"Her parents were beheaded, and I found her at the market back then. She was an exceptionally sensible little girl."

"Yeah." These days, life isn't easy for anyone.

After sitting down, Zhang looked around.

He asked, "What do you mean now?"

"Lu Shao, are you on our side or on the side of the Imperial Merchants?" Madam Zhang asked cautiously.

"I've already brought you all in here. If I were the opponent, now that you're inside, wouldn't you be trapped like turtles in a jar?"

Upon hearing Lu Shao's teasing, Zhang couldn't stop laughing.

"I knew it, you're a good guy. You're capable, and you know what you're doing."

"Qiaoyun, make some pastries for me. Tell me about your skills, and let's see if we can learn one or two from our shop so we can take them back with us." Zhang was interested in this.

Now, whenever I see something new, I think about bringing it home to start a business.

Yunniang looked at Lu Shao and saw that he had indeed changed a lot. He was much gentler now, but he also had more poise and had lost his previous scholarly air.

"Lu Shao, congratulations. Your wish has come true."

Yunniang offered tea instead of wine, her eyes full of smiles as she congratulated Lu Shao.

Lu Shao nodded: "It's just studying step by step."

"Zhiyun, I've heard about what happened between you and Xie Shuheng. You two are not ordinary people; you're very capable."

"I've also read all the letters you wrote to Song Chunhe," Lu Shao said with a smile.

Jiang Zhiyun looked as if she had expected this: "I knew that relying solely on Song Chunhe to investigate those secrets of the princes was unreliable. That's when I knew you were by my side."

“I learned from Xie Shuheng that you passed the exam, but I also know my limits and was afraid that you would be in a difficult situation, so I didn’t want to make things difficult for you because of my situation.”

Lu Shao lowered his eyelids: "How could your matter be considered an influence?"

"I was thinking of coming over sometime to bring my little rice ball and teach her to read and write. Originally, I should have come to see you in broad daylight."

"But thinking about it, no matter what, I came here this time as an envoy from Bianjing. If I want to help you, I can't do it openly, otherwise it won't be good for you and Xie Shuheng."

"Yunniang, remember everything I'm about to say."

Jiang Zhiyun nodded, looking at Lu Shao's current expression, she knew he was in a bad state.

My heart skipped a beat, and I didn't know what to say.

Yunniang still remembered Lu Shao's feelings.

It's clear that they are feeling very melancholy right now.

"If there's anything, please tell me, Lu Shao. It's alright, I can handle it."

Lu Shao nodded: "Zhiyun, the current situation is far worse than you imagine."

"What do you think is our purpose in coming here?" he asked.

"Conquer the Northwest? And make it belong to the Emperor again?"

"Yes, but it's not just that. There's also the military power in the Northwest, which will be in the hands of the Director of the Censorate. Now that I've said this, do you feel okay? You've met the head of the Censorate, and you felt he was a fairly upright person?"

When Lu Shao asked this question, Jiang Zhiyun nodded.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Isn't that right?"

"Replacement."

“I personally witnessed the previous envoy make a mistake when he returned to the capital to report on his duties, and then he was beheaded in the main hall. After that, he was replaced, but I don’t know who it was. In any case, it must be someone the emperor trusts.”

The people in the Inspectorate were all wearing masks, so no one knew who they were.

"Replace the person..." Jiang Zhiyun looked at Lu Shao: "You mean, the previous person's actions did not meet the emperor's expectations, so you're replacing them? They didn't harm us before, so if that's the reason for replacing them..."

"Then there's only one explanation: it's deliberately targeting us."