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

The Treasure Pavilion is a property of the Xie family; she actually forgot about something so important.

Ji Wanwan's expression was complicated, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment. She had lived for more than thirty years, yet she was being cornered by a little girl. Taking a deep breath, she said in a desperate act, "Qingzhi stole the hairpin. I was just greedy and wanted to keep it for myself. I didn't know it was my sister's dowry, nor did I know it was a gift from the palace. I was blinded by its exquisite craftsmanship... It's all Wanwan's fault. Wanwan will apologize to my sister."

Ji Wanwan bit her lip and knelt down in front of Old Madam Lu, looking extremely remorseful.

“People from humble backgrounds are always short-sighted. Fortunately, the hairpin wasn’t lost, so we can just return it.” Old Madam Lu tried to smooth things over. “As for you, like Jin Yao, go to the woodshed in the backyard to reflect on your actions.”

"Wanwan, I'll go right now!" Ji Wanwan stood up, but Lu Zhiyuan stopped her, saying, "I've already admitted to the hairpin matter, and my aunt has spoken. What else do you want to do?"

Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan refused to move aside, Ji Wanwan glared at her with disgust in her eyes.

"At least call me aunt, and show some mercy."

"Grandma is getting old and forgetful. How come Aunt Ji's mind isn't working properly either?"

Lu Zhiyuan looked up at the woman. Her hair was tied up high, with pearl hairpins tucked into her temples. Beside the left hairpin was a pink velvet flower that seemed completely out of place for her age. Following the flower downwards, a red mole stood at the corner of her right eye. It was this charming red mole that balanced the incongruous flower, giving her a captivating allure that other women lacked. No wonder she could manipulate that scoundrel Lu Huai so easily with her little schemes.

Lu Zhiyuan beckoned to Ji Wanwan with her finger, and Ji Wanwan bent down without warning, only to have her chin pinched by Lu Zhiyuan.

“Yuan’er came to see Aunt Ji about Qingzhi. Aunt Ji, you were the one who brought up the hairpin for Mother. Yuan’er was just taking care of it as a side issue.”

"I've already told you about Qingzhi. I hit her because she stole my sister's things."

Ji Wanwan turned her face away. She didn't want to talk to Lu Zhiyuan. This sickly girl's eyes were too scary, like a black hole full of traps. If you weren't careful, you would be led astray by her.

"Aunt Ji beat Qingzhi because Qingzhi stole Mother's things. Shouldn't Aunt Ji also be beaten for keeping Mother's things?" Lu Zhiyuan pointed her finger with a half-smile. "Qingzhi was brought from the Xie family by my mother and managed her private treasury on her behalf. Even if this hairpin was found on her, it doesn't prove that she stole it. Perhaps my mother asked her to take it. Did Aunt Ji consult my mother before resorting to torture?"

“This—” Ji Wanwan clenched her hands tightly.

She couldn't answer the question because she had originally picked the green branch for something else.

“Aunt Ji didn’t ask! Alright, Yuan’er will ask you a second question. How did Aunt Ji know that Qingzhi stole my mother’s things? Aunt Ji is staying at Grandmother’s Fulin Courtyard. How could she have gone to my mother’s courtyard for no reason, especially when my mother was out running errands?”

Lu Zhiyuan blinked, looking eager for an answer.

"Could it be that Aunt Ji went to find my father and happened to run into Qingzhi stealing my mother's things? But I remember that my father and mother's rooms and the secret storeroom are not in the same place. So, what was Aunt Ji doing in my mother's secret storeroom?"

"I--"

"Aunt Ji couldn't answer, because Aunt Ji was targeting Qingzhi from the very beginning. She even prepared the beatings for her in advance. Nailing nails into the beatings... Does the Ministry of Justice know that Aunt Ji is so talented? Aunt Ji should be working in the Ministry of Justice's prison."

Ji Wanwan was so angry that she vomited blood, but she didn't know how to refute it. This sickly little brat had such a sharp tongue.

"Aunt Ji treated Qingzhi this way because she mistakenly thought that the clothes were sent to the prison of the Commandant's Mansion by Mother. Aunt Ji blamed all her injuries on Mother. Aunt Ji didn't dare to provoke Mother, so she took it out on the people around her. That person was Qingzhi, who was beaten half to death by Aunt Ji."

Lu Zhiyuan's smile was chilling, and she exuded an icy aura.

"Unfortunately, Aunt Ji called the wrong person. The dress was ordered by Father." Lu Zhiyuan took out a receipt and handed it to Ji Wanwan. The date on it was clearly the day they ate at Zuichunlou.

She remembered now. That day, she had been pouting at Lu Huai, saying she had no clothes to wear back to the manor, so Lu Huai went to Jinxiu Pavilion to order a set for her. She had been busy back at the manor and had forgotten about the clothes.

But how did these clothes end up in the prison of the Commandant's Mansion, and how did the receipt end up in Lu Zhiyuan's hands?

"The clothes were originally delivered to the inn, but they were intercepted." Lu Zhiyuan took out another item, a special wooden plaque representing the Yong'an Prince's Mansion that she had torn off the assassin: "This was torn off that person by a servant from Jinxiu Pavilion at the cost of his life."

Ji Wanwan's eyes changed. As someone working for the Prince of Yong'an, how could she not know what this wooden plaque represented?

The jailer said she was poisoned by an itch-inducing powder, which she had given to Lu Jinyao, obtained from a spy left in Weinan by the Prince of Yong'an.

So, it was Prince Yong'an who poisoned her, and he wanted to kill her?

No! He didn't want to kill her; he was reminding her not to reveal the Zhu family's affairs in order to protect herself.

It was fortunate that she didn't say anything, otherwise he would have arranged for his subordinates to go to the Commandant's Office to turn themselves in and replace her.

A wave of fear washed over me, and my hand holding the wooden sign began to go limp.

"It seems that Aunt Ji recognizes this wooden plaque and knows who its owner is."

"No, I don't know, I'm just scared." Ji Wanwan took a step back, unable to hide her panic: "I heard that something happened to the Zhu family. Maybe it's aimed at the Zhu family. I was just implicated by the Zhu family."

“Aunt Ji is admitting it.” Lu Zhiyuan grasped her hand: “You admit that you deliberately made things difficult for Qingzhi because of the matter at the Commandant’s Mansion.”

Weren't we talking about the Commandant's Office? How did we end up talking about Qingzhi again?

"No, I just—"

"Just what? Just that you can't find a new reason to defend yourself? Whether it's because of the hairpin or the Commandant's Mansion, Aunt Ji should pay the price for her actions. Those who used vigilante justice to beat my mother should also be punished."

“She’s just a maid, how can she compare to me?” Ji Wanwan said, losing her composure. “I am the old lady’s niece, the biological mother of Lu Jinyao and Lu Jingyuan, and I am practically half the mistress of the Marquis’s mansion.”

"Half a master? A half-master can treat people's lives like dirt in the Marquis's mansion!" Lu Zhiyuan stared intently at Ji Wanwan: "Aunt Ji, should you ask my mother if she, as the proper mistress of the Marquis's mansion, has this right? Besides, how come I didn't know that a distant relative who comes to rely on us can also be considered half a master of the Marquis's mansion? When did our Pingnan Marquis's mansion become so unprincipled?"

"Aunt—" Ji Wanwan looked at Old Madam Lu: "Look at Yuan'er, she's just a junior, yet she's made things difficult for me several times in front of you. Even if I hit her by mistake, she wouldn't risk my life for a mere maid!"

Old Madam Lu cleared her throat, but before she could speak, Lu Zhiyuan said, "Grandmother, are you going to plead for Aunt Ji? If so, Grandmother will also handle things with Mother and the Xie family. I forgot to tell you, I have already sent word to the Xie family about Qingzhi being beaten. At the latest, my eldest uncle and second uncle will send someone to inquire about it by tomorrow morning."

Madam Lu panicked!