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

Having a clever daughter is just as annoying as having a clever wife.

Lu Huai rolled his eyes at Lu Zhiyuan and couldn't help but ask, "Do you know what the Emperor might do?"

"Leave the mother and keep the son; leave the mother's family and keep the Crown Prince." Lu Zhiyuan stood up and patted the dirt off her skirt. "This is the significance of Grand Tutor Wei and the person behind the scenes taking this step. Since the death of Grand Tutor Wei's son, he has stopped concerning himself with politics, left the capital, and lived in seclusion in the mountains. His sudden return to the capital and his adoption of Prince Yue's concubine as his goddaughter would make anyone think that the Empress and the Crown Prince were behind this. But no one would have thought that this was all what Grand Tutor Wei and the person behind the scenes wanted them to see."

Do you know who's behind this?

"Lu Jinyao's biological father, an old acquaintance of Grand Tutor Wei, His Highness Prince Yong'an."

"Prince Yong'an is Jin Yao's biological father?" Lu Huai was shocked. "How is that possible? How could Wan Wan be involved with Prince Yong'an, let alone have his child? No, that's absolutely impossible! Where did you hear this from? Your mother, your mother told you, didn't she?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head: "After Father met Ji Wanwan, did he not investigate anything related to Ji Wanwan? She suddenly appeared in front of Father, and Father was not curious or thought anything of it?"

Lu Huai said in a deep voice, "I asked her. She met Zhu Guozhi in the capital and came to Weinan with him. She was the daughter of a disgraced official and was not accepted by the Zhu family, so she had to move out of the Zhu family with Zhu Guozhi. Because of this, Zhu Guozhi had many complaints about her, and there were many rifts between the couple. Zhu Guozhi was fond of drinking and liked to beat people when he was drunk. On the day I first met her in Weinan, she had been beaten and ran away from home."

"These are all things Ji Wanwan said. Has Father verified them?"

Lu Huai shook his head.

“Yuan’er has investigated; Father, you might want to take a look.”

Lu Zhiyuan beckoned, and Liu Ying handed over some items. There were letters, testimonies and statements, and some trinkets that could be used as evidence. Lu Huai opened one of the letters; it was from Ji Wanwan to a certain man.

Lu Zhiyuan pointed to the name in the letter and told Lu Huai that it was the nickname of Prince Yong'an. Ten years ago, Prince Yong'an, for some ulterior motive, disguised himself and sneaked into the capital, where he met Ji Wanwan.

Prince Yong'an helped Ji Wanwan and gave her some silver, which provided her with a place to stay after leaving the Pingnan Marquis's residence. She rented an inn, bought some embroidery, and sold it in places frequented by noblemen and young masters. Selling embroidery was not her original intention; her real intention was to use it to find someone among those noblemen she could rely on long-term.

She met Zhu Guozhi, and Zhu Guozhi fell in love with her at first sight.

Zhu Guozhi wasn't the best choice, but she had no other options. She was the daughter of a disgraced official, unable to curry favor with the powerful. Even if a powerful person were willing, they could only secretly bring her into their household as a concubine. Being a concubine meant her life and death were not in her own hands; she didn't want that.

Although Zhu Guozhi had no power, he was wealthy, and since he had no wife, she would be a carefree Mrs. Zhu if she married into the Zhu family.

Zhu Guozhi treated her very well, never mistreating her for a single day. He even risked a falling out with Old Madam Zhu for her sake. Zhu Guozhi loved to drink and often drank with his friends, but he had excellent manners when drunk. He would just fall asleep after drinking too much and never uttered any drunken ramblings. So how could he have hit someone while drunk?

"If that's the case, why did she betray Zhu Guozhi? Could it be, as she said, that she still cares about me?"

"Father believes her? These words are just to fool him. She betrayed Zhu Guozhi because of him..."

"How is Zhu Guozhi?"

“It’s not really suitable for use in bed.” Lu Zhiyuan touched her nose; it sounded a bit strange coming from a child. “There’s a doctor’s testimony inside, from Baicaotang in Weinan. Baicaotang is near the Zhu residence; Father should know it. The diagnosis is inside; see for yourself.”

Lu Huai searched through the pile of things and found a testimony.

Lu Jinyao was often sick as a child, and the doctors she consulted were always from Baicaotang. She was unusually familiar with that doctor's handwriting. The testimony stated that Zhu Guozhi was born short and had difficulty conceiving.

If she were a respectable woman, she would never betray her husband over this matter. However, Ji Wanwan is not a respectable woman. She has Lu Huai in the past and Prince Yong'an in the future. How can you expect someone who has taken meat to eat vegetarian food but can only eat vegetarian food?

Lu Huai clenched his fist.

Having been with Ji Wanwan for ten years, he naturally knew that her needs were extraordinary. If this was the reason, it was indeed possible that she would betray Zhu Guozhi.

“Father may not know, but Zhu Guozhi and the Zhu family are all people of Prince Yong’an.” Lu Zhiyuan picked out a sachet from there: “Father’s trip to Weinan was arranged by Prince Yong’an. It was so that Father would meet Ji Wanwan by chance and use Ji Wanwan to deal with my mother and the Lu family. If my mother and I hadn’t been lucky, my mother would have died when she gave birth.”

Lu Huai gasped.

The transfer to Weinan was suggested by her mother, and it was facilitated by someone from the Prince of Yong'an who sent a message to her mother, saying that they could use a method of changing the baby's birth to ensure that the boy born to the Marquis's family was Ji Wanwan. While stationed in Weinan, she gradually developed a rift with Xie Chaoyun, neglected her own daughter, and sent the ailing Lu Zhiyuan to a separate courtyard to fend for herself. Behind all these incidents, Ji Wanwan was involved.

Lu Huai slapped his forehead: "The Prince of Yong'an went to Weinan?"

“He not only went there, but also stayed in Weinan for several months. During that time, he was injured and was taken care of by Ji Wanwan. The house he lived in was not far from the mansion that my father bought for Ji Wanwan. My father may have met him.”

Lu Zhiyuan found a portrait, unfolded it, and handed it to Lu Huai. Lu Huai's eyes widened; he recognized the man—Manager Wang, who lived next door. Around forty-five years old, he had an unapproachable face. He rarely spoke; his steward did most of the work. He sold miscellaneous goods, and many of the household's food and supplies were purchased from him.

Lu Huai never imagined that Ji Wanwan could be related to such a grumpy, short-tempered old man, who was half-buried in the ground. He thought she was beautiful and kind-hearted, and even that strange-tempered man couldn't bear to blame her.

Speaking of injuries, there was indeed a period when the air was thick with the smell of blood. She said she had her period and wasn't feeling well, so they could only be intimate once that month, and that one time resulted in Lu Jinyao's conception.

It turns out that it wasn't because he was capable, nor because he had developed a father-daughter relationship with Lu Jinyao, but because he was being used as a pawn.

With a whoosh, Lu Huai swept all those things onto the ground.

Lu Zhiyuan gave Liu Ying a wink, and Liu Ying hurriedly stepped forward, picked up the items, and put them away. These were all pieces of evidence that her second uncle had painstakingly gathered; they couldn't be destroyed so easily.

“Father, there’s no need to be angry. Being used as a pawn proves that you have value to them.” There was a chessboard on the stone table: “If a chess piece has a spirit, it can also become a player. If the player is stubborn and self-willed, it can also become a pawn in someone else’s hands. Father, would you like to be that player and place Ji Wanwan, Prince Yong’an, and Grand Tutor Wei into the game?”

Lu Huai's eyes darkened: "How could I know that you weren't using me as a pawn?"

Lu Zhiyuan met his gaze: "Father can consider it. I won't force you."