The princess was ordained by Heaven.

After she finished speaking, she was worried that the little girl might not understand, and she was also afraid that the girl might want to go back to that home.

But the little girl's father looked unreliable, so she couldn't let her go back, because that would be like jumping into a fire pit.

Er Ya thought for a moment and said, "I want to follow you."

Zhao asked in surprise, "Don't you dislike me?"

"I don't dislike it, but I don't like it either."

But she has power, and powerful people can control the fate of others.

When her father beat her mother to death, she thought he was an insurmountable mountain, but this mountain bowed down in front of Zhao.

She also wants to have the power to protect herself and others.

“Okay,” Zhao solemnly promised, “You will stay with me, and I will never let you suffer any injustice in the future.”

It would be best if Er Ya was willing to stay with her; she simply couldn't trust anyone else to take her in.

She was somewhat relieved that the child was still too young to understand how to take her anger out on others.

Ding Kang chuckled and glanced at Er Ya with disdain, seemingly unimpressed.

Look, Ding Kang still thinks Zhao is just trying to scare him.

However, the Zhao family member is remarkably determined in carrying out what they've decided to do; they are indeed a talented individual.

Emperor: Hmm? A talent? What kind of talent?

He frowned and stared at Zhao for a long time.

Is this a talented person?

He wasn't the only one questioning the meaning of life; Zheng Jiao and Zheng Jin were also experiencing similar feelings.

How despicable the Zhao family was back then! They were opportunistic, cunning, and opportunistic...

Back then, she indulged Ding Kang's evil deeds quite a bit. I never expected that she would actually have a day when she suddenly realized her mistakes. This is even more unbelievable than a wild boar suddenly being able to fly.

Some ministers with unfilial sons even wanted to seize Zhao Shi and ask her what the magic potion was that changed her, so they could go back and force-feed a bowl of it to their own children as well.

After much thought, Zheng Jin finally came to a conclusion: "Perhaps her previous identity outside was that of a mother. When she realized that everything she had done had been betrayed, she returned to herself and to her humanity."

Zheng Jiao slapped her head in frustration: "If I had known it would turn out like this, how could the ladies of the capital have been poisoned by her for so many years? Wouldn't it have been better to start directly with Ding Kang?"

Next, Zhao went to the second household.

This house was even more dilapidated than the previous one. Zhao had someone investigate and found that the family lived there. The man's surname was Zhou, and his full name was Zhou Dafu. He was lazy and loved to gamble. The woman was a child bride and was called Zhou Shi. She was a notorious troublemaker in the neighborhood.

The couple had five daughters, all of whom were sold off. Finally, they had a son who just turned five this year. They doted on him like a precious gem, raising him to be chubby and quite unreasonable.

Or rather, this family is a bit unreasonable.

For some reason, Zhao felt as if she saw her own reflection in them, which made her feel a little embarrassed.

After Zhao explained her purpose, Zhou started throwing a tantrum on the ground, crying, "My poor daughter! How could she have lost her life at such a young age..."

She cried so hard that anyone who didn't know better would think she loved her daughter very much.

Zhou Dafu threatened Zhao fiercely: "My fifth daughter died at the hands of your son, you must compensate me! Otherwise, don't blame me for going to the government to sue you for abusing your power!"

The couple's faces occasionally flashed with greed, as if they wished they could bite a piece of flesh off Zhao.

After calmly watching them argue for a while, Zhao slowly asked, "Oh? What kind of compensation do you want?"

Zhou's face lit up with joy: "I want three..."

Zhou Dafu slapped her hand away, glared at her, and arrogantly waved his hand: "Five hundred taels! My daughter is beautiful and intelligent. If she grows up safely, she will definitely be worth more than five hundred taels. I'm asking for less."

In his words, his daughter seemed to be nothing more than a commodity to be sold.

And that vibrant life, whether alive or dead, is worth a fortune.

Fearing they would frighten the child, Zhao pulled Er Ya behind her: "You probably don't know who I am. Five hundred taels? Trying to extort money?"

Isn't this just another example of how fortunes change?

This couple is still clueless; the person in front of them is their "ancestor." Zhao's unreasonable and tantrum-throwing methods used to be far more effective than theirs. Today, the Zhou couple are lucky; they actually have the chance to learn what it means for the wicked to be punished by the wicked.

The Third Prince was somewhat skeptical: "Hasn't Zhao changed her ways? Could she really give them money out of guilt?"

The second prince patted him on the shoulder: "Brother, you are still too naive. Just wait and see."

As expected, Zhao did not grant the Zhou couple's wish.

She waved her hand, and several tall, burly guards took two steps closer to the Zhou couple.

They drew their knives, their gleaming blades still quite conspicuous in the dimly lit room.

The Zhou couple trembled with fright.

Did you think they were scared? Of course not.

They were afraid, but they were even more greedy!

Greed overcame his instinctive fear, and Zhou Dafu swallowed hard: "What? You still want to kill someone?"

Ding Kang watched this scene with sarcasm: "That's why I said they're just worthless lives! Look, no one will care if they die. I'm telling you, Mother, they raised their daughters, and for a mere five hundred taels, you should just consider it as fulfilling their loving parents' hearts."

Er Ya lowered her head silently upon hearing this.

She remembered the words her father used to say all the time: "You brat," "You good-for-nothing," "Born of a slut"...

Harsh words swirled in her mind, seemingly threatening to overwhelm her.

Was she really born inferior to others?

But the next moment, a crisp slap rang in her ears, like a thunderclap, pulling her back to her senses.

It turned out that Zhao had slapped Ding Kang across the face.

She was imitating Zheng Xun's slap because she had personally experienced it, and Zheng Xun's slaps hurt her the most.

Sure enough, Ding Kang's face soon swelled up.

The first time she felt heartbroken when Ding Kang was injured, she felt a secret thrill instead of heartache.

Only after beating her son did she have the mind to deal with the Zhou couple.

"You're threatening me..."

Her gaze drifted to the inner room from which soft, rustling sounds could be heard: "Go inside and catch that plump, white mouse."

The guards who received the order immediately complied.

Zhou Dafu nimbly darted to the door, looking at them warily: "What are you going to do?"

Zhou turned and ran outside, shouting as she ran, "Help! The officials have killed someone! They're bullying the common people!"

She had a loud voice, and it was impossible for the neighbors not to hear her shouting, but not a single one of them came out to check on her, which shows how unpopular they were.

Zhao scolded them impatiently, "The wild boars are making noise, what are you all standing there for?"

The guards quickly pulled Zhao back, and someone took off a smelly sock and stuffed it into her mouth, instantly filling the entire room with a stench.

Zhao's maidservant quickly said, "Move out of here!"