At this moment, Ye Siyuan channeled all his fury into the horsewhip.
That afternoon, when Imperial Censor Zhang sent his trusted subordinate to find him, he had just returned from the palace.
Upon hearing what had transpired, he was greatly alarmed. After expressing his thanks, he immediately set off without delay.
Throughout the journey, he was both furious and fearful.
The imperial censors of this dynasty were known for their bluntness and inflexibility, especially Imperial Censor Zhang, who was particularly stubborn.
This was a hardliner who wouldn’t hesitate to remonstrate at the cost of his life—even the Emperor found him a headache.
Had this news reached him under normal circumstances, the old man would have already submitted a memorial to the throne, accusing Ye of failing to properly manage his household.
Fortunately, fortunately—he had saved the old man’s life a few days earlier. Coincidentally, the magistrate of Suixian County was Imperial Censor Zhang’s nephew.
The old stubborn man had shown leniency out of gratitude for the life-saving favor.
Although the old man had granted him face, his words had been extremely unpleasant to hear…
Remembering those words made Ye Siyuan’s teeth itch with hatred. He wished he could fly to Suixian County immediately to see his “beloved daughter”!
Meanwhile, his beloved daughter Li Jinu was sitting quietly in the main hall of the magistrate’s court.
The reason she believed reporting to the authorities would be effective was precisely because she knew about the relationship between the Suixian County magistrate and Imperial Censor Zhang.
She was certain that Imperial Censor Zhang would send word to the Marquis’ household, and equally certain that Ye Siyuan would come.
A day had passed, and the circle of bruises around her neck had actually worsened, making it difficult for people to look away.
Not far away lay the bodies of Mother Rong, the servant boy, Cuiliu, and several bandits—an eerily harmonious scene.
Li Jinu didn’t even glance at the corpses, as if she hadn’t been the one who killed them.
But so what if she had killed them? They had gotten what they deserved.
Before long, someone arrived.
The main hall of the magistrate’s court was extremely quiet, making the footsteps sound particularly clear.
Li Jinu felt the sound was like war drums, heralding the beginning of her upcoming campaign.
She regarded the Marquis’ household as a battlefield. A general on the battlefield must naturally slay enemies.
And the first enemy commander would be Ye Jintang!
Of course, before going to battle, she needed an unshakable backer.
And here he was—her backer had arrived.
Looking up, the newcomer stood with his back to the sunlight, making it difficult for her to see his features clearly. But she knew this was her biological father, Zhennan Hou Ye Siyuan.
Thinking of her biological father, Li Jinu couldn’t describe what she was feeling.
He was suspicious and prioritized interests above all else.
As long as someone was useful, he would treat even a roadside beggar well. But if someone was useless, even if his own daughter was wandering destitute outside, he would remain unmoved.
The irony was that such a man was exceptionally filial.
When Old Madame Ye ordered him to bring back his biological daughter, he hadn’t hesitated at all.
In her previous life, this Marquis had been cold and indifferent, but he had never interfered in the inner household affairs nor harmed her directly.
However, without the head of household’s tacit approval, how would the people in the Marquis’ household have dared to repeatedly torment her?
Thinking of this, the slight ripples in Li Jinu’s heart completely vanished.
She slowly rose and performed a curtsy, her posture dignified and her manners exceptionally proper.
The originally furious Ye Siyuan was taken aback, his prepared scolding stuck in his throat.
He couldn’t help but carefully examine the person before him.
Although the girl was thin and sallow, her facial features clearly showed she was from the Ye family.
But hadn’t she been raised in the countryside since childhood? Why did she possess such refined manners?
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it only takes a little nourishment to take root and sprout.
Looking again at the several corpses nearby, he suppressed his anger as numerous suspicions arose in his heart:
Could she have been raised since childhood by political rivals to deliver a fatal blow to the Ye family?
Or was she a spy from an enemy state, planning to marry into the imperial family under the identity of a noble lady?
At this thought, a chill ran down his spine.
No wonder he was being so cautious. After all, he had been highly trusted in recent years and was even carrying out the Emperor’s secret decree to investigate an old mystery in private…
The thought of that mystery made his heart sink slowly to the pit of his stomach.
Could it be… could this be a spy planted by the real culprit from back then, trying to get their hands on the clues he held and then destroy them completely?
Ye Siyuan was extremely cautious; the more suspicious he became, the less his expression revealed.
After adjusting his mindset, he put on the face of a loving father, reached out to support her in a symbolic gesture, and spoke in an unprecedentedly kind and gentle tone:
“My dear child, you’ve suffered all these years! Don’t worry, once we return to the manor, those days will be over!”
Li Jinu was utterly astonished.
A death had occurred, and the matter had even been brought before the authorities—it was an extremely disgraceful affair.
Ye Siyuan had always placed great importance on face. She had prepared herself for a scolding, but what did her father mean by this?
If she had heard these words in her previous life, she would have been overjoyed.
But after enduring such humiliating experiences, she was no longer a simple-minded person.
Now, what she felt more was confusion.
Since when had the Marquis ever been so kind? In her previous life, after returning to the manor, she had waited for several days before she was fortunate enough to meet her biological father.
At that time… at that time…
Wait! This old fox has grown suspicious!
She glanced discreetly at the corpse and formed a guess in her heart.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but grumble inwardly:
Was I a sack in my past life? So full of acting!
If the old fox could act, she could act even better. She lifted her head slightly, revealing the blue and purple strangulation marks on her neck.
At the sudden sight of the marks, even the usually unflappable Ye Siyuan was somewhat startled.
As a military man, he could tell at a glance that they were made by human hands. The marks were too severe—clearly, someone had tried to kill her.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t shocked, but as a martial artist, he knew well that if one had skills, faking such marks wouldn’t be difficult.
Although the girl appeared frail, as if a gust of wind could blow her away, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t as simple as she seemed.
Born into a noble family, he had witnessed plenty of dirty dealings in the inner quarters. He turned a blind eye not because he was unaware, but because he disdained them.
The offspring of princes and generals, if they couldn’t even navigate the intrigues of the inner quarters, deserved to be eliminated.
Looking at the corpse beside them, he formed a conjecture:
Either she killed it, or it was sent to kill her.
In either case, this girl was not simple.
He adjusted his mindset, showing a pained expression, his voice trembling slightly as he continued to probe:
“Your neck… How dare someone do this! Don’t worry, your father will surely seek justice for you!”
Li Jinu sneered inwardly. If she waited for him to seek justice, she would have already been reincarnated.
But the act had to go on.
Her face filled with terror, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“It was Mother Rong… She lured me to the lakeside and tried to strangle me…”
Watching the girl before him, Ye Siyuan felt as though his thoughts were being led astray. He disliked losing control but couldn’t help asking:
“She’s a servant. Why would she do that?”
Li Jinu’s tears continued to fall. She casually wiped her face, sniffled, and spoke in a muffled voice:
“Because… because Mother Rong resented me for hitting her. At the lakeside, she said I was just a country bumpkin, unworthy of being a master of the Marquis’ manor, and then she tried to strangle me. I struggled desperately, and that’s how I fell into the water.”
That strange feeling of being led returned, and Ye Siyuan hated the loss of control.
But for the moment, he had no better ideas.
Moreover, he was genuinely curious about what the girl would say next.
“You hit her? Why?”
The corner of Li Jinu’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.
“A nun at Phoenix Cry Mountain once taught me that if servants lack discipline, their masters must correct them. Otherwise, the distinction between master and servant blurs…”
Li Jinu elaborated at length, but Ye Siyuan’s mind went blank the moment he heard “the nun from Phoenix Cry Mountain.”
That peculiar sensation—he was being led by the nose!
He could almost certainly conclude that the girl’s lengthy speech was all leading up to mentioning Phoenix Cry Mountain.
Yet it was always he who initiated their conversations.
His heart tangled like a mess of hemp, impossible to straighten out.
He sighed heavily, deciding to abandon the futile pondering, and asked what intrigued him most:
“From what you describe, she must be a nun who understands propriety. Do you know her name?”
Li Jinu dropped all pretense, her lips curling as if recalling something delightful,
“I’ve always called her Qian Gugu!”
Ye Siyuan closed his eyes gently, realizing he had been completely manipulated by this girl.
At Phoenix Cry Mountain, who else could it be but the steward nun Qian Gugu—the one surnamed Qian who understood aristocratic decorum?
None other than the chief steward of the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, the birth mother of the current emperor.