The Daily Life of a Concubine's Daughter After Transmigrating

“Given what she did, Wu Gong and his concubine were caught naked in broad daylight, making a huge fool of themselves. Of course, she would have to kill them to cover it up and protect the Wu family’s reputation,” Li Anqi said coldly.

"Wu Gong's scandalous deeds did not spread, but the story of the Empress wielding a knife and setting fires became widely known."

A hint of worry appeared in Zhilan's eyes as she continued.

"This was probably done intentionally by Old Madam Wu. It must have been difficult for Your Highness, who had to walk on thin ice and observe all this time..."

It was ultimately destroyed in an instant.

There was not a trace of regret in Li Anqi's eyes.

The thought of Li Anshu filled her with unbearable sorrow.

"I had already considered the consequences before I acted yesterday. What does it matter if my reputation is damaged for Shu'er's sake?"

Zhilan's eyes held a mixture of helplessness and tenderness, as if she had known all along that Li Anqi would say such a thing.

In the afternoon, Zuo Siyun and Aunt Xia arrived at Prince Xiao's residence.

The two first met Li Anqin at Tianchang Garden, and then went to Fuying Garden.

Li Anqi knew that they had come to visit him specifically because of the rumors that he had carried a knife and set fires.

Li Anqi told the two the truth about his disturbance at the Wu residence, but deliberately concealed the humiliation suffered by Li Anshu, mentioning it only briefly.

When Zuo Siyun and Aunt Xia heard that Li Anshu was in Fuying Garden, they wanted to see him, but Li Anshu refused to let them in.

Zuo Siyun and Aunt Xia vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Li Anqi comforted the two men and asked them to tell their father and elder brother not to worry.

Afterwards, Li Anqi gave the two a food box of gardenia cakes and asked Xiao Dezi to take them back to Ning'an Village in a carriage.

A few days later, Xiao Shunzi rushed back to Fuying Garden, his shoes still covered in mud.

"Miss!"

Xiao Shunzi took off his shoes, revealing a pair of white socks, and stepped into the main room, bowing his head and kneeling before Li Anqi.

Li Anqi stood up seriously and paced back and forth in front of Xiao Shunzi, hurriedly asking, "How is it?!"

Xiao Shunzi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this servant has found out! Wu Gong is the only son of the Wu family. When Wu Gong was three years old, Master Wu passed away due to illness. For the past twenty years, the Wu family has been managed by Madam Wu."

"Wu Gong is the biological son of Old Madam Wu and the only son of the Wu family. Since childhood, he has relied on Old Madam Wu's favor to act recklessly and domineeringly. Besides gambling dens, Wu Gong's favorite place is brothels. Wu Gong has seven concubines, four of whom are women from brothels. The You family member that Wu Gong took into the Wu family a few months ago was bought from Hongqinlou."

"What about the other three houses?" Li Anqi asked.

"The other three wives are: one is a maid who originally served Wu Gong; another is a young girl from a peasant family who was taken back after Wu Gong burned down her house; and the third is a married woman who was also forcibly taken after Wu Gong killed her husband."

Li Anqi frowned.

I had only heard that Wu Gong had a bad reputation, but I never expected that he was a beast who committed murder, arson, and kidnapping women!

Damn it!

"You help me send a letter to the families of those two concubines and ask them to be witnesses. I'm going to take Wu Gong to the yamen!"

"The families of those two concubines have always been afraid of the Wu family's power and dared not file a lawsuit. But if Your Highness intervenes, I am certain they will testify in court."

Xiao Shunzi frowned and looked up in a weak voice.

"only……"

Seeing this, Li Anqi asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Shunzi continued, "However... Madam Wu's younger brother, Lord Zhang Yuan, is currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel..."

The fear is that Zhang Yuan will abuse his power and connections to deliberately protect Wu Gong.

Li Anqi understood the unspoken words Xiao Shunzi had said.

She paused, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "Go and do it."

"Yes," Xiao Shunzi replied and went out.

Li Anqi knew.

In any era, most truly wealthy and powerful people live outside the law.

But she wanted to take a gamble.

I'm betting that the Governor-General of Shuntian Prefecture in the capital is an honest and upright official, that a sliver of justice still exists in the cracks of this world, and that Daxin's laws are not just for show.

A few days later, Li Anqi brought the families of the two concubines who had been forcibly taken to the main hall of the Shuntian Prefecture government.

The witnesses delivered their testimonies with tears streaming down their faces.

The prefectural governor, Jia Huang, glanced at Li Anqi, whose face was solemn.

He immediately ordered the arrest of Wu Gong and You Shi, who were gambling in the casino, and imprisoned them to await a retrial.

When Li Anqi stepped out of the gate of Shuntian Prefecture, he was surprised to find a large group of impoverished people kneeling outside.

When the people saw Li Anqi come out, they all cried out in anguish.

"Goddess Chess, please do justice for us commoners! A few years ago, Wu Gong seized the few acres of land that my family owned. For the past few years, my entire family has been relying on begging to survive, and my wife recently starved to death because of it!"

"I originally ran a porcelain shop, and as business was booming, the Wu family deliberately spread rumors that the clay used in my porcelain was poisonous, forcing my shop to close down! My wife also suffered a miscarriage and has been seriously ill ever since! I beg Lady Chess to do justice for me!"

"Everyone has heard about Lady Chess's arson and knife-wielding at the Wu residence! Lady Chess is incredibly brave and decisive; we believe she will definitely help us!"

"Yes, yes, please help us get justice, Lady Chess!"

"..."

Listening to the complaints and pleas of the crowd.

Li Anqi finally understood that the Wu family was a bigger and more sinister cancer than he had imagined!

Li Anqi, with a serious expression, asked the crowd, "Why don't you appeal to the Shuntian Prefecture?"

They even gathered a crowd here to kneel and beg for his forgiveness.

Everyone looked at each other, not daring to speak.

Li Anqi felt slightly uneasy, having probably guessed something.

So many people have suffered bullying from the Wu family; even if things get really bad, surely not one of them would be too afraid to file a complaint with the authorities.

They must have tried, but all to no avail.

That's why I came here to seek help from myself.

"I know."

Li Anqi spoke calmly.

"You all go back first. Once these two cases are resolved, I will personally intervene and help you get your money back from the Wu family, one by one!"