The beloved is reborn as a substitute, and the tyrant begs for forgiveness every night.

In the following days, Jiang Xiuxiu was unusually quiet, obediently kneeling in the ancestral hall and not causing any trouble.

Therefore, Shizhu did not report any of her movements.

Meanwhile, Jiang's mother was busy choosing a suitable husband for Jiang Xiuxiu, and had no time to cause trouble for Xu Leyao.

As for Old Madam Jiang, her arrogance had long been shaken off by Xu Leyao's slaps.

Now, she dares not be presumptuous in front of Xu Leyao, lest she lose all the face she has left.

Jiang's father then chose an auspicious day to take Xu Leyao to pay respects to the elders of the Jiang family.

"Be careful later, and don't use your old tricks to deal with the elders again. Otherwise, who knows how long it will be delayed before you're added to the family genealogy."

Standing outside the Jiang family ancestral hall, Jiang's father earnestly instructed Xu Leyao.

There was also a hint of warning in his eyes.

Xu Leyao simply nodded indifferently.

"Father, I know. May we go in now?"

Seeing Xu Leyao's nonchalant attitude, Jiang's father felt a mix of emotions.

If it weren't for Xu Leyao, why would he have stepped into this place with his head down today?

In the past, when Father Jiang entered the Jiang family ancestral hall, he always held his head high and his chest out.

He has never suffered such injustice before.

Thinking of all this, Father Jiang sighed.

He simply shook his head and didn't say anything more about Xu Leyao.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang's father led her inside.

As soon as they entered, a reprimand came from inside.

The owner of that voice immediately made Xu Leyao and Jiang's father kneel outside.

Jiang's father did not resist much and immediately knelt down.

However, Xu Leyao squinted and looked inside.

The faces of the people sitting inside were not clearly visible.

However, from the tone of the person who spoke earlier, Xu Leyao could tell that they were dissatisfied with this matter.

As for the others, they probably think the same way.

Otherwise, why would they have watched Jiang's father kneel down like that?

"You audacious wench, why aren't you kneeling down?"

The shouts came again, this time aimed directly at Xu Leyao.

However, Xu Leyao only raised a cold smile.

"Why should I kneel?"

When did the Jiang family become worthy of her kneeling and bowing?

Even the ancestral tablets inside could be set on fire without a second thought from Xu Leyao, let alone the few people who were still alive.

"How dare you! Now that you want to be added to the family genealogy, don't you want to get the elders' consent first?"

This time, the speaker was the third uncle of the Jiang family.

Xu Leyao recognized his voice.

Moreover, judging from his words alone, Xu Leyao could roughly understand that he was actually reminding her to temporarily go along with the wishes of those elders.

However, Xu Leyao was unwilling.

"Third Uncle, I have done nothing wrong, why should I kneel? I am only included in the Jiang family genealogy because of the Emperor's grace. Do you all intend to defy the imperial decree?"

Xu Leyao immediately deflected the compliment with her words.

This one sentence silenced the entire room.

Who would dare to carry this hat on their back?

I'm afraid that if I take the blame today, I'll lose my head tomorrow.

Xu Leyao looked around and, seeing that no one was speaking, continued.

"Since none of you intend to disobey the imperial decree, why make things difficult for us?"

She paused slightly as she spoke.

Immediately afterwards, her expression turned serious.

"Or do you think that person's influence isn't as great as that of your Jiang family?"

He showered her with compliments in just two sentences.

This made the group restless, and their gazes toward Xu Leyao became even more hostile.

One of the elders, who had a fiery temper, was the first to rush out.

"Jiang Yuwei, you really have good manners! Look at what you're saying, isn't every word of it leading the Jiang family to ruin?"

Xu Leyao is good at flattering, and so is he.

Seeing his righteous and indignant demeanor, Xu Leyao simply smiled disdainfully.

"The fact that the Emperor noticed my name on our Jiang family genealogy proves that the Jiang family still holds value in his eyes. Now, he was merely testing the waters, but you all have shown such shamelessness. It is truly disappointing."

After Xu Leyao said those words, the clan elder practically pointed his finger at her and cursed her.

However, the shrewd ones inside couldn't sit still.

They walked out directly and asked Xu Leyao in a calm voice.

"What do you mean?"

Xu Leyao didn't bother to answer his question.

She simply kept her mouth shut and let them guess.

The third uncle of the Jiang family stared intently at Xu Leyao and asked.

"Could the rumors outside be true?"

Xu Leyao knew that he was referring to the rumors circulating outside that Zheng Zhihe had feelings for her.

Xu Leyao did not deny it, but simply looked up at him and smiled.

"Let Third Uncle think whatever he wants. What right do I have to argue with him?"

After saying this, Xu Leyao remained silent no matter who asked her any further questions.

At this point, they couldn't sit still any longer.

Who knows if what Xu Leyao just said was the truth?

If Zheng Zhihe really has his eye on the Jiang family, what if they fail to complete this task well? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Zheng Zhihe and give him leverage over them?

However, since they couldn't get anything out of Xu Leyao, they naturally didn't want to continue asking.

The third uncle of the Jiang family was the first to point the finger at Jiang's father and ask him a question.

"Was everything she said just now the truth?"

Seeing the serious expression on the face of the third uncle of the Jiang family, Jiang's father nodded.

Although Jiang's father was not satisfied with Xu Leyao's act of using someone else's name without consulting him first.

However, since this banner is so useful, Father Jiang naturally couldn't turn away the benefits that were offered to him.

He deliberately frowned, looking helplessly at the elders of the Jiang family.

"If it weren't for the Emperor's decree, I would never have done such a thing."

Jiang's father essentially acquiesced to Xu Leyao's words.

This time, it was someone else who couldn't sit still.

The elders of the Jiang family carefully examined Xu Leyao, and then went to the side to whisper among themselves.

Seeing this, Xu Leyao remained silent and simply watched quietly.

But Jiang's father leaned close to her ear and began to lecture her with dissatisfaction.

"Next time you do something, if you don't consult me ​​beforehand, then don't do it."

Upon hearing his words, Xu Leyao simply nodded slightly.

As for whether she actually listened to him or not?

Jiang's father could have guessed it.

However, the current situation is not suitable for arguing with Xu Leyao.