She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

The Xie family mother and daughter-in-law left in a huff. As they exited the gate, they spat on the ground before leaving, venting their resentment on the stone steps of the Marquis's residence.

Granny Chen angrily cursed, "This Xie family is truly shameless! Our young lady almost lost her life, and all they care about is their own interests! Aren't they afraid of shortening their own lifespans!"

Song Wan was not surprised at all. Back then, Old Madam Xie would do anything despicable to seize her sister's dowry. Her current behavior was just repeating the same old tricks.

On the way back to Shaoguang Courtyard, Ashou quietly followed behind Shen Jingshu and said to her, "Those two maids of the cousin, Biyi, are always crying out for justice. Feiyun seems to have lost her mind and almost strangled Biyi to death. Madam ordered them to be tied up and locked in the east outbuilding."

Shen Jingshu paused, nodded, and said to Jiang Jin'an beside her, "I'll go take a look. You go back to your room and rest first."

Jiang Jin'an naturally refused and insisted on going with her.

Upon arriving at their destination, Yaoqin took out a red envelope from her bosom and handed it to Ashou, saying with a smile, "This is a gift from our Commandant's wife; may she share in the joy."

Ah Shou was overjoyed. He accepted the gift with both hands, thanked the gift repeatedly, and consciously stepped back to a distance to stand guard.

The outbuilding was usually deserted, and the door was in disrepair. With a creaking sound, it was pushed open, and a musty smell wafted out.

Biyi and Feiyun were tied up and thrown into two separate corners.

When Biyi heard the noise, she opened her eyes and saw the person. Her pupils dilated suddenly, as if she had seen a savior. She struggled to get up from the ropes binding her legs.

"Young lady! I'm innocent! I was forced into this!" she cried out hoarsely, struggling violently. "It's my cousin! She's having an affair with her lover! They're trying to harm you!"

Upon hearing this, Fei Yun, disregarding her fear, cried out shrilly, "Young lady, please understand! This servant knows nothing! It's Bi Yi! It's always been Bi Yi who's been helping you pass messages to outsiders! This servant is innocent!"

Jiang Jin'an frowned, turned to Lin Yu and instructed, "Tell her to shut up."

Lin Yu stepped forward and deftly dislocated Fei Yun's jaw. His movements were so swift that Yao Qin and Jin Se, who were standing nearby, felt a sharp pain in their jaws.

The room finally quieted down, with only Fei Yun's sobbing voice remaining.

Shen Jingshu walked up to Bi Yi, standing straight and looking down at her, her voice cold: "Tell me."

Bi Yi felt a surge of hope and quickly told them everything she knew: "That day, Miss Biao accepted Young Master Cheng's invitation, and I followed her to the teahouse on Xiushui Street. Miss Biao dismissed me and went into the private room alone."

Later, when the young lady came out, her clothes were disheveled and her face was flushed, the maid didn't think much of it. But when she left the teahouse, she saw Young Master Cheng standing on the street! The maid knew then that she was having an affair!

Upon returning home, the young lady warned her maid not to divulge the matter, and even threatened her with the death of her sister Chunlan. The maid, fearing for her life, had no choice but to obey. Later, the young lady frequently asked the maid to deliver messages for her, and also instructed her to place strange flowers and plants outside the young lady's window…

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes: "This servant was truly forced into this situation! Please, spare this servant this time!"

Shen Jingshu suddenly thought of Chunlan.

Chunlan's death was never resolved; a few petty thieves were arrested, and the case was closed as a robbery-murder.

She didn't specifically mention Chunlan to Fu Zijin. Based on her understanding of Fu Zijin, if he really killed her, he would definitely use it as a means to torture her mind.

Just like Zhao Zhao.

Shen Jingshu stared at Bi Yi, her eyes filled with coldness: "Who is Xie Wanqing corresponding with?"

Bi Yise shrank back and shook her head: "This servant does not know. I only know that there was a servant in the manor who was responsible for delivering messages... After the incident was exposed, I have never seen him again and do not know where he went."

She thought for a moment and then added, "The teahouse owner on Xiushui Street is also a communication point."

Shen Jingshu pondered for a moment and said, "Write down everything you know and everyone you know."

These maids from official families, like Biyi, were literate from a young age and were trained to be more refined than daughters from ordinary families, so writing a few words was naturally no problem for them.

She readily agreed, and Jinse brought paper and pen. Biyi then knelt on the ground and wrote down everything she knew, word by word.

She wrote extremely fast, afraid that if she wrote too slowly, Shen Jingshu would change her mind. In no time, the paper was filled with dense writing.

After Bi Yi finished writing, she pressed her fingerprint heavily onto the paper and handed it to Shen Jing Shu.

Shen Jingshu took it, glanced at it briefly, and handed it to Yaoqin behind her, saying, "Take her away."

Yaoqin and Jinse agreed and took Biyi away.

Shen Jingshu turned around again, looked at Feiyun who was still whimpering and struggling, walked up to her and squatted down, "As for you, Mother has her own arrangements."

"You claim to be completely unaware, yet you aided and abetted Xie Wanqing in repeatedly harming me."

Shen Jingshu's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a chilling coldness: "It's your own fault for not leaving yourself a way out."

Feiyun's face was ashen, she was terrified, but her dislocated jaw made her unable to utter a single word. She could only struggle to kneel up and kowtow repeatedly, her forehead quickly breaking open and bleeding.

Is it wrong for a maid to want her master to gain power so that she can also live a good life?

Shen Jingshu ignored her miserable state, got up and stopped looking at her. Jiang Jin'an walked over, naturally took her hand, and the two walked out of the outhouse side by side.

Behind her, Fei Yun's sobs gradually subsided and eventually disappeared into the sweltering air.

Back at Shaoguang Courtyard, the maids served tea and then tactfully withdrew.

Shen Jingshu entered her boudoir and took out a stack of letters from under the bed. These were the very letters that had been shown to her when Xie Wanqing was captured that day.

Although the content was true, the handwriting was a forgery by Wuchen. Xie Wanqing was foolish and accepted it without any suspicion.

The Empress forbade her to continue the investigation, which was the Emperor's order. However, it was the Empress herself who decided to warn her that the person behind the scenes was a formidable enemy.

She couldn't figure out what the royal family was thinking, and she didn't want to take any risks.

Shen Jingshu handed the letters to Jiang Jin'an, "These letters..."

"Nature makes the best use of everything."

Jiang Jin'an didn't take the letter. Instead, he took her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "I will send these to the Fu family and hide them well."

Shen Jingshu was taken aback, then understood what he meant, "Didn't you say he was very enthusiastic about Yanzhou?"

"Hmm." Jiang Jin'an hugged Shen Jingshu and replied with an upright expression, "There's no conflict. The higher you climb, the harder you fall."

Shen Jingshu chuckled, "My lord, you really are... heartless."

At lunchtime, a banquet was set up in the front courtyard of the Marquis's residence.

Shen Zizhong, Song Wan, Shen Jingshu, Jiang Jin'an, and Shen Yuanzhou sat around a table, sharing this rare moment of reunion.

The table was laden with dishes, all of which were Shen Jingshu's favorites.

Jiang Jin'an's gaze swept over each dish, secretly memorizing their names and flavors. At the same time, he planned to find several skilled chefs in the Jiang family mansion later. Main courses, pastries, and medicinal cuisine were all essential, and he was determined to ensure that Jing Shu ate to her heart's content.

After several rounds of drinks, Jiang Jin'an put down his wine cup and solemnly said to Shen Zizhong and Song Wan, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Jin'an has a request to make."

Shen Zizhong and Song Wan exchanged a glance, and Shen Zizhong said, "Speak freely."

"I want to hold a wedding banquet again to marry Jing Shu."