The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Zhao calmed her slightly disordered breathing: "No need."

She smiled and said, "Thank you."

Madame Chiang Kai-shek said curtly, "You're welcome."

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.

It turned out that Madam He had returned with her servants.

She ran very fast, her temples streaked with sweat. Seeing the state of the house, she panted and said thankfully, "It's good that everything is alright."

Upon seeing her appearance, Madame Chiang was shocked: "That's not important, put the child down first!"

When Ms. He looked down, she saw that she had been holding the child too tightly, and the child's face was turning blue and purple.

She quickly let go of his hand.

As a result, the release was too great, and the child fell straight down.

Fortunately, Zhao was nearby and reacted quickly, catching Gou Danzi in time, thus preventing the poor child from falling to his death.

Zhao's expression was somewhat cracked.

She truly believed that Mrs. He was the kind of person who was both stubborn and meticulous, but this completely overturned her expectations.

In a daze, she handed the child back. He Shi hugged the child and apologized repeatedly, "Oh dear, my little darling, thank goodness you're alright, it's all my fault..."

Dog Egg was dizzy when she hugged him tightly, and he almost couldn't catch his breath again.

Zhao quickly grabbed the person and said warily, "Calm down!"

"Okay, I'll calm down!"

Watching the two of them carefully hand over the child as if it were a precious treasure, Madame Chiang was at a loss for words.

I feel like it's a bit silly.

After finally settling the child in, Zhao looked at Ding Kang, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and sat down in despair.

Mrs. He patted her on the shoulder: "Although your child is a blockhead, my child is good..."

Zhao looked at her expressionlessly.

He was completely unaware that there was anything wrong with her words, and solemnly assured him, "Don't worry! I'll make sure Gou Danzi takes good care of you from now on."

"You've decided to stay?"

After a moment of silence, Ms. He truthfully replied, "I don't know."

Madam Zhao sighed and looked at the helpless servant: "Go and get a shovel."

He cried out in terror, "I was just thinking about it! Please don't bury me! I agree, I agree!"

Zhao blinked: "You said it yourself."

Holding the belief that pragmatism is the mark of a wise person, Mr. He nodded vigorously.

Zhao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't bury you. I just want to make up for a mistake."

She watched as the servants tied Ding Kang up, then took a shovel and went to Ding Kang's yard.

The soil in the yard was soft and damp, and there was a strange smell in it. I don't know how Ding Kang managed to stay here for so long.

Zhao and four or five servants worked together and eventually dug out three female corpses from inside.

The corpses were all young girls. One of them was so decomposed that its features were unrecognizable, while the most intact one looked like it had only recently died.

Mrs. He's face turned pale. Fortunately, the child was sleepy and was now sleeping soundly, otherwise she might have been frightened into something terrible.

She wanted to leave with her child, but remembering how Zhao had rushed up to save her, she hesitated again and again, and in the end she only retreated a little further away.

Zhao stared blankly at the corpse on the ground, muttering, "The first time, I beat him up. I thought he was just being immature, and I thought he had changed..."

But his foolish act was feigned; he was intelligent enough to discern what he should and shouldn't do...

Zhao knelt down in anguish, slapped herself twice hard, opened her mouth, and cried silently.

When the emperor saw the corpses of those young girls, and thought of Ding Kang reaching out to Zheng Xun, the veins on his forehead throbbed involuntarily.

The Minister of Justice was giving a report at that moment, discussing the laws he and Qin Duzhi had drafted regarding the control of publishing houses by the imperial court. He was filled with indignation over what was happening on the screen and was trying to organize his thoughts before speaking. Suddenly startled by the emperor's expression, he was so nervous that he let out a mute fart.

The surrounding ministers were instantly disgusted by the stench.

However, no one dared to lose their composure in the Fengqin Hall; one or two of them were so embarrassed that their cheeks turned red.

In such situations, trust between people becomes extremely fragile, and everyone sees each other as worthless.

However, the Minister of Justice, because of his usual uprightness, was suspected.

He breathed a sigh of relief and continued speaking calmly, showing no sign of guilt.

In this atmosphere, Zheng Xun's voice rang out.

Fortunately, Ding Kang was young, so his time for committing evil deeds was still short.

Following his original trajectory, he has the lives of dozens of young girls at his disposal.

[Zhao still had a shred of conscience, offering some compensation to the family of the first girl who died, but what good did it do? In the end, she refused to aid and abet the evildoer again. Upon discovering Ding Kang's actions once more, she chose to set a fire, perishing together with Ding Kang.]

But by then it was too late.

No matter how many times Zheng Xun witnessed such vile desires and pure malice, he found it unbearable.

She closed her eyes, concealing the fierceness within them.

Zhao was lost in thought, kneeling blankly on the dirty mud, like a bewildered wandering soul.

Madame Chiang frowned and said seriously, "We must send him to the authorities."

"No!" Zhao looked at her sharply. "No, we can't send him to the authorities!"

Madame Chiang thought she was soft-hearted. Although she understood her feelings as a mother, she was still somewhat disappointed.

But Zhao immediately added, "I can't send him to the authorities; I have to take him to apologize."

Madame Chiang didn't react for a moment: "What?"

Madam Zhao remained silent, only ordering her servants, "Tie up all the servants in the grandson's courtyard and find out the origins of these children. Since it was Ding Kang who committed this sin, let him atone for it himself!"

Perhaps overwhelmed with anger, she vomited a mouthful of blood after she finished speaking.

The servants nearby tried to help her up, but Zhao refused.

She staggered to her feet, and in an instant, white hairs appeared at her temples.

Madame Chiang wanted to ask her if she knew the consequences of doing so, but seeing her calm demeanor, she swallowed her words.

He knew that asking a mother to abandon her child was like cutting off her own flesh, but Ding Kang was also not worth dying for.

Ding Kang is the wicked son of the Zhao family.

At this point, Zhao had passed the most shocking stage, and her mind was no longer filled with those romantic thoughts. Her entire demeanor seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

If you had seen her two hours earlier, you would have found it hard to imagine that the calm person standing here would be the same shrew she used to be.

"Thank you for your trouble today, Madam. I will have the servants prepare the carriage and send you home first."

Madame Chiang shook her head: "I have to keep an eye on you. I can't give you the opportunity to protect Ding Kang."

She wouldn't admit that this was only one reason; another part was because she was a little worried about her.

Zhao did not refuse, and instructed the servants to arrange a courtyard for her and He and her son, and also instructed the servants to keep it a secret from the old Duke Dingguo.

Everything proceeded smoothly under her arrangement.

After Mrs. He had walked a distance away, she said to Mrs. Jiang, who was traveling with her, with some worry, "I'm afraid she'll feel too guilty and do something foolish..."