Only after being reborn did I realize that I was the white moonlight of a powerful minister.

Yunzhi, holding a cup of tea, was stunned when she heard that Zhou Yu had been beaten. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, so she nodded quickly and secretly chuckled as she turned away.

That was so refreshing.

We should thank the brave man who beat her up; he helped the girl vent her anger.

Hearing the old woman's words, Ye Wanhua, before Yunzhi could even speak, burst into tears, exclaiming, "How could such a thing happen under the Emperor's nose?"

Ye Wanyu was equally furious. They were unaware of Zhou Yu's relationship with Xu Zhuling and still regarded Zhou Yu as their future brother-in-law. "Report to the authorities! We must report to the authorities!"

"Sisters, don't get excited. Zhou Lang is an official of the imperial court. He was beaten, and the government is definitely investigating." Ye Wanning couldn't guess who did it. Nothing like this had happened in her previous life, but she was just as excited. "I'll go to the Zhou family to see. You must keep this from Grandmother. She can't take the shock. After I go to the Zhou family to check on Zhou Lang's injuries, I'll go and report back myself."

"Don't worry, big sister, we're not the kind of people who don't know what's good for us." Ye Wanyu handed her younger sister a handkerchief. "Quickly wipe your tears. If you cry so much, won't you be crying every day when you find a powerful husband?"

"Huh?" Ye Wanhua's round eyes widened in shock. Ye Wanning told her second sister not to scare people and took Yunzhi to the Zhou family.

At this time, Xu Zhuling, after receiving the news, was worried about Zhou Yu and secretly came over to the Zhou family.

Looking at Zhou Yu's face, swollen like a pig's head, on the bed, Xu Zhuling wiped away her tears with heartache, "Have you found out who did it?"

Zhou Yu's face was numb with pain. He had dinner with his colleagues last night when the carriage suddenly broke down. Thinking that the journey was not far, he decided to walk back. However, some people appeared out of nowhere, put a sack over his head, and started beating him.

Those people robbed him of his money and stripped him of his clothes. If it weren't for the night watchman discovering him and Feng Ran, they would have been out in the cold wind all night, and would have either died or had their brains burned out.

He was alright physically, except for the fact that he had taken several punches to the face. He didn't want to talk right now and shook his head with Xu Zhuling.

"This is outrageous! To beat up an official of the imperial court in the capital is utterly lawless." Xu Zhuling had someone bring medicine to exchange for the medicine. After Feng Ran came in, she whispered that the doctor was still waiting for the medical fees.

Re-settling Xu Zhuling would cost money, and Zhou Yu, who usually needed the best food and clothing, was expecting to receive her monthly allowance from the Ye family on the appointed day, but the Ye family refused to pay. This sudden incident, with Zhou Yu injured on her face, required the finest medicine to prevent disfigurement.

Suddenly, Zhou Yu couldn't afford the medical expenses.

Feng Ran was also beaten, but much better than Zhou Yu, and looked at her master with embarrassment.

Xu Zhuling glanced at Zhou Yu, then at Feng Ran, and took out her money pouch. "I have some money here. Cousin's injury is serious, so take it to the doctor quickly." After watching Feng Ran leave, Xu Zhuling reassured Zhou Yu, "Cousin may not have heard, but Ye Wanning was lucky. The wasteland she bought caught the eye of Princess Longyu, and she made a lot of money. She'll definitely bring it with her when she gets married next month."

Speaking of this, Xu Zhuling felt a pang of jealousy. She didn't think she was any worse than Ye Wanning, but that she was born into a less fortunate family. Otherwise, with her looks and personality, she would definitely have more admirers than Ye Wanning.

After Ye Wanning marries into the family, she must personally administer an infertility drug to Ye Wanning before she can feel at ease.

Zhou Yu was short of money, and even his medical expenses had to be paid by Xu Zhuling. Feeling embarrassed, he waved his hand, signaling Xu Zhuling to go back first.

“I’d better stay here and take care of my cousin. Feng Ran is clumsy and not as careful as me.” As she spoke, Xu Zhuling tucked the blanket around Zhou Yu. “Aunt is coming to the capital soon. If she sees you like this, she will be very worried.”

Hearing this, Zhou Yu didn't object anymore. "Where's Feng-ge?"

"I'll have the wet nurse watch over things, nothing will happen." Xu Zhuling glanced around the room. She rarely came here. Thinking about Ye Wanning soon becoming the mistress of the Zhou family, she felt both jealous and resentful, but on the surface, she still had to pretend to be magnanimous. "I've heard that wealthy families send the dowry to the groom's family in advance when their daughters get married. When will the Ye family send the dowry?"

Zhou Yu was also thinking about this. The Zhou family had no wealth. Not to mention the expenses for official business and social engagements, he couldn't even afford the money for his wedding next month. He was the newly appointed top scholar, the object of many people's attention. If his wedding banquet was too meager, wouldn't he be laughed at?

Those he wanted to befriend were all powerful and influential people in the capital. When he sent out wedding invitations and invited them over, he had to make sure they were treated comfortably.

He had hinted at this to Ye Jia Dalang, who, feeling sorry for his sister, immediately offered to send money for the wedding banquet. With only twenty-odd days left until the divorce, no one had yet sent the money.

What's going on?

"It should be soon." Zhou Yu thought for a moment. Ye Jia Dalang was a steady and reliable person who wouldn't break his word.

"It's a pity I can't be there for my cousin's wedding," Xu Zhuling said, her voice choked with emotion.

Zhou Yu took Xu Zhuling's hand and comforted her, "I have no feelings for Ye Wanning. I only established myself in the capital because of her and the Ye family. Once I'm firmly established, Ye Wanning will be of no use to me, and I'll definitely find a way to divorce her. I've already obtained the medicine to prevent me from having children. The doctor said to increase the dosage gradually, and I guarantee it won't be discovered..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Ran rushed in, "Sir, Miss Ye is here."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhuling stood up abruptly, intending to leave, but upon hearing Ye Wanning walk to the door, she quickly hid behind the bed.

As soon as Ye Wanning entered the room, she noticed that Feng Ran looked flustered. Logically, Feng Ran should have brought her in, but instead, she ran to find Zhou Yu first.

I glanced around the room and didn't see anything else.

But then he noticed the smell of face powder in the room, and immediately understood what was going on.

"Wan Ning, you... why are you here?" Zhou Yu asked guiltily.

"I heard you were beaten up, I was worried about you, so I rushed over to see you." Seeing Zhou Yu's face swollen beyond recognition, Ye Wanning felt a surge of satisfaction. "Have you found out who did it?" This was her benefactor.

Zhou Yu said no, "The officials have already investigated. They think they were just some local thugs who ran out of money from gambling and drinking, so they acted impulsively and robbed people. You don't need to worry about me, or I'll feel bad for you."

Ye Wanning: ...That's disgusting.

However, considering where Xu Zhuling might be hiding, she gave Zhou Yu a perfunctory "It's only right."

Zhou Yu was preoccupied and didn't pay much attention to Ye Wanning's expression. "By the way, my brother said he would help with the wedding banquet. Did he tell you when he would send someone?"

Ye Wanning scoffed inwardly. Zhou Yu had no money of her own and was relying on the Ye family for it. Her family doted on her and were afraid that people would talk about her after the wedding, so they scraped together money to hold the wedding banquet. Zhou Yu even wanted to choose the best. In her previous life, her older brother even borrowed money just to save face for her.

She turned around without saying a word, "My brother has been busy lately and hasn't talked to me about these things."

Zhou Yu wanted to frown to express his dissatisfaction, but his brow was hurting terribly. Seeing Ye Wanning walking around, his heart jumped, afraid that Ye Wanning would notice something was wrong. He quickly said that he was fine and needed to rest.

But Ye Wanning had already discovered Xu Zhuling, and no amount of scheming could compare to the opportunity that God had delivered to her door.

Just as she was about to call out, someone came into the courtyard. After a while, Xie Bohuai brought Qingshan into the house.

“The city has been rather unsettled lately. I heard that Scholar Zhou was robbed last night, so I’ve come to inquire about the situation.” Xie Bohuai looked at Zhou Yu with a serious expression.

If anything major happens in the capital, the Zhenfu Division will be there. Recently, there have been many spies in the city, so it's normal for Xie Bohuai to come and question them.

It's just that it's difficult for Ye Wanning. As a woman, it's not appropriate for her to stay in the same room as Xie Bohuai and the others. If Xu Zhuling is brought up at this time, would it be good or bad?

After quickly going through his thoughts, he realized that although Xie Bohuai was not someone to be trifled with, there were no outsiders present, so Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling's matter wouldn't escalate too much.

If we don't make a big fuss, how can we ruin Zhou Yu's reputation?

The courtyard is now full of people from the Zhenfu Division. If things get out of hand, these people certainly won't cover for Zhou Yu. After all, Zhou Yu isn't powerful enough to make the people from the Zhenfu Division give him face.

Ye Wanning took a deep breath and made her plan when Xie Bohuai suddenly drew his sword and threw it.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the curtain, and with a scream, the longsword slammed into the wooden beam.

Xu Zhuling was so frightened that she trembled all over. Forget about hiding, she collapsed to the ground, her body limp.