After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

"Snapped!"

A sharp slap landed squarely on the old woman's face.

The old woman opened her eyes wide and looked at Xie Chaoyun with disbelief.

Is she crazy?

She was a servant of the old lady, and in the more than ten years since she entered the manor, she had never been treated like this before. Even the old lady had only scolded her. Before she could react, she was slapped again. This time it was her left cheek, and the force was extremely heavy; it swelled up instantly.

The old woman covered her face and said in a trembling voice, "I am from the old lady's courtyard, and I will not tolerate such humiliation from you, Madam!"

Before he could finish speaking, his knees buckled forward, and he fell heavily to his knees. His knees hurt terribly from Qingzhi's kick.

As he tried to get up, Qingzhi pressed down on his shoulder, saying, "Threatening the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, giving you two slaps is too lenient a punishment."

The old woman gritted her teeth: "Madam, are you trying to set rules? Even if you are, it's not your place to set rules. A noble lady from a military family, acting so domineeringly, I must speak to the old lady about this."

Xie Chaoyun gripped her teacup: "What are you saying? Are you saying you bullied the servants and disregarded the mistress? Or are you saying you abused your seniority and insulted the master?"

The old woman panicked, but forced herself to say, "No, I didn't. I just couldn't bear to see Madam being unfilial!"

She was kidnapping her, using the filial piety that Beiliang valued most, and the morality that they lacked most.

Seeing Xie Chaoyun's expression change, the old woman thought she had Xie Chaoyun under her control and became smug.

The Xie family not only boasts a pillar-of-the-state general guarding the borders, but also a young vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue and a renowned wealthy merchant. Xie Chaoyun represents not only the prestige of the Marquis's mansion, but also the prestige of the general's mansion, the vice minister's mansion, and the Xie family as a whole.

Xie Chaoyun suddenly laughed, crushed the cup in her hand, and asked in return, "Does the old woman have any evidence that I am unfilial? Who in the capital does not know that less than three days after my marriage to the Marquis, he was sent to Weinan by the Emperor? At that time, my mother-in-law was seriously ill, and I, the newlywed, took care of her personally."

"In the fourth year of Yong'an, my mother-in-law fell and was bedridden for three months, and I took care of her. In the sixth year of Yong'an, my mother-in-law contracted an epidemic, and no one in the entire household came to her aid, and I, as her daughter-in-law, took care of her again. And in the seventh, eighth, and ninth years of Yong'an... I ask you, among all the daughters-in-law in the capital, who could do what I did?"

The shards fell to the ground, stained with blood. The old woman trembled and lowered her head.

“What was the Marquis’s mansion like before, and what is it like now? Since I entered the mansion, I have personally taken care of every matter, big or small. Have I ever neglected my mother-in-law’s food, clothing, and shelter? Even the medicine my mother-in-law takes was obtained by me at great expense. If it weren’t for me, Xie Chaoyun, there might not even be an old lady in the Pingnan Marquis’s mansion.”

Suppressing his emotions, he spoke slowly, word by word.

“I have already handed over the management of the household affairs, and even my and Yuan’er’s food, clothing and housing are paid for by my dowry. Under such circumstances, what is the reason for my mother-in-law to ask me to take out money to buy medicine for her? If you feel wronged, we can go to court and let the officials decide the matter.”

Since ancient times, there has never been a reason for a mother-in-law to spend her daughter-in-law's dowry.

Knowing she was in the wrong, the old woman muttered a few words and tried to leave.

Lu Zhiyuan stood in the doorway, turning left when the nanny moved left, and right when the nanny moved right. After several times, the nanny grew impatient and asked her what she wanted to do.

Lu Zhiyuan beckoned, signaling Liu Ying to come over.

How did she bully you?

Liu Ying glanced at the old woman and began to complain. Lu Zhiyuan didn't waste any words and told Liu Ying to swing her fist back at her. The old woman was stunned by the blows; first Xie Chaoyun, then Qingzhi, and now this little brat. She was so angry that she felt dizzy and covered her face as she walked towards Fulin Courtyard, where she bumped into Lu Huai and was scolded again.

Lu Huai was in a bad mood.

According to custom, officials returning from exile were either granted titles or rewards. He had served in Weinan for many years, and while he hadn't achieved great merit, he had certainly put in considerable effort. Yet, the emperor unleashed a severe scolding. Only after inquiring with the emperor's eunuch did he learn that the scolding stemmed from Zhu Guozhi.

The Emperor didn't know who Zhu Guozhi was. What the Emperor cared about were the words that Old Madam Zhu said in front of the Marquis's mansion, and the two children that Lu Huai had brought back, especially Lu Jinyao.

The child born to the concubine is older than the legitimate daughter. The concubine is a married woman and is also involved in the murder of her husband. If this gets out, what will become of the reputation of the Marquis's mansion and the emperor of the country?

The marriage between the Xie and Lu families was arranged by the Emperor, and the transfer of Lu Huai to Weinan was also the Emperor's will. If what the Zhu family said is true, how should the Emperor explain this to the Xie family and to General Xie?

His father-in-law advised Lu Huai to sever ties with the two children and to avoid any involvement in the case at the Commandant's Office, regardless of whether Ji Wanwan was alive or dead. What he needed to worry about was the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet organized by the Empress. If the Lu family could win first place at the banquet, coupled with his merit in being transferred to Weinan, a job in the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works would be a certainty.

Lu Huai rushed to Xie Chaoyun's courtyard, but after hearing from the maid that she was in Fangfei Courtyard, he turned back. As he entered the courtyard, he overheard Qingzhi talking to Xie Chaoyun, their words filled with complaints.

Thinking that Ji Wanwan was still in the prison of the Commandant's Mansion, that he could never recognize his own children again, that Ji Wanwan was accused by the slave that Lu Zhiyuan bought from the market, and that he was scolded in front of the Emperor, he was filled with anger.

He grabbed Xie Chaoyun's hand and pulled her up. His cold gaze met her slightly reddened eyes, and he paused, instinctively asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Xie Chaoyun broke free and shook her head: "It's nothing."

“You’re fine, but I’m in trouble. Do you know that I was scolded in front of the Emperor?”

Lu Huai sneered, his handsome face filled with anger: "If it weren't for your precious daughter, how could Wanwan have been imprisoned, and how could the Emperor have blamed me for her? Xie Chaoyun, do you know that you have ruined my future!"

Xie Chaoyun looked at the man in front of her who was deliberately distorting the truth and felt extremely unfamiliar... no, not unfamiliar, but rather she had never known the real Lu Huai.

Seeing that she remained silent, Lu Huai assumed she was feeling guilty. He suppressed his anger and said magnanimously, "I won't hold Wanwan's matter against you and your daughter. The Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet is approaching, and we must not make any mistakes. Yuan'er is uneducated and incompetent; she absolutely cannot embarrass herself in the palace. In my opinion, let Jin Yao take Yuan'er's place, as a way to make up for the mistakes you and your daughter made towards Wanwan."

Xie Chaoyun lowered her eyes and said, "Has the Marquis taken the wrong medicine?"

"Xie Chaoyun!" Lu Huai slammed the table in anger: "You're becoming more and more insensible! Look at you, you don't look like a proper mistress of the house at all."

"I just looked in the mirror this morning." Xie Chaoyun looked up at him. "Ji Wanwan was imprisoned because she was suspected of murdering her husband. When Zhu Guozhi died, Yuan'er was not yet born. There is no crime to be added by the Marquis. As for that slave, I have already explained and do not wish to waste my breath. But Marquis, if you had not been entangled with Ji Wanwan, why would the Emperor have blamed you?"

Xie Chaoyun looked at Lu Huai, "Has Your Excellency forgotten that Lu Jinyao has no blood relation with you whatsoever? What right does she have to replace my Yuan'er in the palace!"

Lu Huai grabbed Xie Chaoyun by the neck and let out a low, sinister laugh: "Xie Chaoyun, do you dare to say you didn't tamper with the water bowl?"