Hearing her little daughter say she wanted to watch the interrogation, Qiao Shi said to Jiang Yucheng, “Niannian was frightened today. Shouldn’t she rest properly in the courtyard?”
Though phrased as a question, she was actually explaining the reason to her little darling.
Jiang Yucheng was about to agree, but when he saw the disappointment in his little daughter’s eyes, his heart softened instantly. “Don’t worry,” he said, “let’s take her to see it. Let Niannian see for herself what happens to those who harm her!”
Just as Jiang Xianian was feeling downhearted, hearing her father’s words made her eyes light up. 【Exactly, exactly! Father really understands me best!】
Qiao Shi sighed helplessly and gently patted her daughter. Just this afternoon, the child had claimed her dear mother was the best.
The couple then took Jiang Xianian along with them.
As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they encountered the Old Marquis. The couple hurriedly greeted him.
After a perfunctory reply, the Old Marquis said, “Are you going to interrogate that wet nurse? I’ll come along too! How dare she lay a hand on my little granddaughter.”
“This…” Qiao Shi glanced at her husband. Jiang Yucheng showed a helpless expression—after all, his father, the Old Marquis, was the master of the manor and could go wherever he pleased.
So the couple had no choice but to invite the Old Marquis to lead the way.
They hadn’t walked far when they ran into the second and third sons, as well as the eldest daughter. The three immediately attached themselves to the group, clamoring about seeking justice for their little sister.
【No wonder Yao Zhaodi was so jealous of me. So I’m the beloved of the entire manor!】
Hearing their little sister’s happy and proud voice, the Jiang family members exchanged strange looks but tacitly remained silent.
The large group made their way to the remote courtyard where Yao Zhaodi was being held. They dragged her out and threw her onto the ground in the yard.
Following the usual procedure, Jiang Yucheng asked, “Yao Zhaodi, why did you try to sneak the young miss out of the manor today?”
Yao Zhaodi lay pitifully on the ground, looking disheveled. “This servant… was momentarily confused… I beg for your forgiveness, my lord…”
【Bah! You weren’t confused at all—you planned this long ago! Otherwise, where did those ragged swaddling clothes come from? How did you manage to time it so perfectly, avoiding the manor’s servants and nearly succeeding in leaving? You really think my father, my mother, and my grandfather are fools!】 Jiang Xianian fumed indignantly.
Her clear and logical outburst made the Jiang family members nod involuntarily.
The Old Marquis was astonished. Despite being just an infant, his little granddaughter’s thoughts were so coherent and rational—truly extraordinary!
Jiang Yucheng kicked Yao Zhaodi without hesitation. “Still trying to lie? Your husband has already confessed everything! He said it was all your idea! You coveted the wealth of the Marquis Manor and planned to swap the young miss with your own daughter, didn’t you?”
Jiang Xianian was surprised. 【Father is amazing! He didn’t overlook her husband! That drunken, abusive scoundrel is a real monster. If I had been swapped into his family, not only would I have been beaten and treated like a dog, but as I grew older, he would have taken advantage of me, yuck… and all under the guise of being his daughter!】
The Jiang family shuddered in horror. Their delicate little sister had nearly fallen into the hands of such a man!
Qiao Shi tightened her grip on her handkerchief. This wet nurse had been carefully selected by her, yet she had ended up placing such a person by her daughter’s side. Today, they had almost…
The thought of nearly losing her beloved daughter made Qiao Shi’s heart ache.
Jiang Yucheng had initially been pleased by his little daughter’s compliment, but the following words instantly poured cold water on his joy, making him grit his teeth in frustration. He decided to have his subordinates give that man another “special treatment” later!
The three Jiang children were also furious, their eyes red with anger—this couple truly deserved to die!
Yao Zhaodi shrank into a trembling ball, terrified to the extreme under the Jiang family’s gaze, which seemed intent on flaying her alive.
Suddenly, Yao Zhaodi broke into loud sobs, kowtowing repeatedly with tears and mucus streaming down her face as she pleaded, “This servant was wrong! I’ll never dare again! I beg you, sir, spare my life! My daughter is only a little over a month old—how will she survive without me?”
Aside from the Old Marquis and Jiang Yucheng, Qiao Shi and the others were beginning to soften, when Jiang Xianian’s voice rang out again. [Heh… Your daughter is just over a month old? She’s actually an adult soul who transmigrated into a fetus! She knew full well she wasn’t the real thousand gold of the Marquis Manor, but because she coveted a life of luxury and comfort, she pretended to know nothing. It wasn’t until she turned ten, when the Marquis Manor was convicted, the whole family executed or exiled, that she exposed the truth to avoid suffering along with them!]
The Jiang family: !!!
What? In ten years, their Marquis Manor would be raided, with executions and exile?
“Wha—” The seven- or eight-year-old third son had barely uttered a word when his sister swiftly covered his mouth.
The Old Marquis’s eyes widened in shock, and he couldn’t help exchanging a look with his son Jiang Yucheng—both saw the same astonishment in each other’s eyes.
Qiao Shi was also dizzy from the news, leaning weakly against Jiang Yucheng’s arm. If the Marquis Manor were to be raided with executions and exile, then… her husband, her children…
Jiang Yucheng quickly wrapped an arm around Qiao Shi’s waist, supporting her against him.
[Ten years should be enough time. Once I’m a bit older, I’ll find a way to warn Father, Mother, and Grandfather. Sigh… To think they’re pillars of the nation, yet for the sake of the plot, that damned Emperor wipes them out in one fell swoop.]
The Old Marquis clenched his jaw tightly, while Jiang Yucheng held his wife closer. Without a word, father and son reached the same decision: they must start preparing defenses now.
Seeing the Jiang family remain unresponsive, Yao Zhaodi didn’t dare stop kowtowing, continuing until her forehead was covered in blood, yet the Jiangs showed no reaction.
In desperation, Yao Zhaodi gritted her teeth and lunged toward Qiao Shi: “Madam, I beg you to spare my life! Consider it accumulating blessings for the young lady!”
Having only been there a month, Yao Zhaodi knew that Qiao Shi, to earn merits for her young daughter, not only provided porridge and medicine outside but also treated the servants with greater leniency.
Without a second thought, Jiang Xianian spat, [I don’t want those blessings—they’d shorten my lifespan! Mercy toward enemies is cruelty to oneself! Mother, you mustn’t listen to her!]
Jiang Yucheng kicked Yao Zhaodi away again, his tone icy. “You’re desperate to save your own skin, yet all you do is beg for mercy. Why did you steal the young lady? Who put you up to it? You refuse to say a word—what a clever scheme!”
After catching her breath, Yao Zhaodi immediately shook her head. “No one ordered me, no one…”
[The book didn’t mention anyone instructing her… Huh?]
The Jiang family’s hearts immediately followed the wavy tone of Jiang Xianian’s voice, tracing a rollercoaster-like path. What does “huh” mean? Hurry up and tell us! This is maddening!
[Holy crap! Oh my god!]
[The plot not mentioned in the original novel is actually this thrilling?!]
[“How do I tell my father that he’s being cuckolded?”]
[“Forget it, better not say anything. My mother is so wonderful, yet he actually keeps several concubines! What a scumbag, he doesn’t deserve it!”]
Jiang Yucheng clenched his fist. He only had three concubines, and they were usually well-behaved. He and Ru’er were also harmoniously devoted to each other. How could his little daughter think of him as a scumbag?
Qiao Shi pursed her lips slightly, surprised that her daughter was so supportive of her. But what did she mean by “his head is a bit green”?
The Old Marquis suddenly felt a headache coming on. His son had three concubines, but he himself had even more! He had married three principal wives alone. In his little granddaughter’s heart, wouldn’t that make him even more of a scumbag than her own father?
The third son tugged at his elder brother’s sleeve and couldn’t help but whisper, “Second Brother, what does ‘his head is a bit green’ mean? And what does ‘scumbag’ mean?”
The second son was still pondering what his sister hadn’t said aloud when the third son interrupted his train of thought. Just as he was about to speak, he heard their father cough heavily twice: “If you tell us who put you up to this, your life might still be spared. If you refuse to tell the truth, you can only beg the King of Hell for mercy!”
Yao Zhaodi remained stubborn: “No one put me up to it. It was my own idea…”
[“Tsk, she really thinks highly of herself. With that brain of hers, could she have come up with such a well-laid plan? Without someone in the manor guiding her, how would she know which route was the fastest and safest way out of the Marquis Manor? The person behind this is probably someone Father and Mother would never expect.”]
The Jiang family secretly nodded in agreement. Yao Zhaodi had only been in the Marquis Manor for a month; she couldn’t have figured all this out so quickly.
But who was that person? Hurry up and tell us!
[“Who would have thought that Jing Yiniang, who seems the most chaste, gentle, and unambitious, is actually the one who gave Yao Zhaodi the idea?”]
Except for the Old Marquis, who couldn’t recall who Jing Yiniang was, everyone else was shocked. How could it be!
Jing Yiniang had been in the manor for three years, always behaving properly. She had given birth to a daughter just six months ago and had been living contentedly with her child, appearing perfectly satisfied with her daughter. How could it possibly be her?!
After his initial surprise, Jiang Yucheng thought for a moment, then went to the manor guard and gave a couple of instructions before returning to Qiao Shi’s side.
Soon, the guard came to report: “Sir, we’ve just received word from outside. That man confessed that it was Jing Yiniang who instructed them to kidnap the young lady from the manor!”
The guard bared his teeth, puzzled as to why his superior had made him relay such a message.
Jiang Yucheng waved his hand, dismissing him. The Old Marquis and the others all looked at Jiang Yucheng with admiration.
Upon hearing this, Yao Zhaodi collapsed to the ground, muttering, “Impossible, impossible! It can’t be! I didn’t tell Dog Pisser about this. He couldn’t have confessed!”
Jiang Xianian was also astonished. [“I didn’t expect Father’s men to have already found out! I thought this would be hard to investigate. After all, although Yao Zhaodi told her man about the plan, she didn’t say who ordered it. How would Yao Zhaodi dare to let her man know that Jing Yiniang helped her brother pay off over a hundred taels of gambling debt! If her man found out, he’d definitely beat her to death!”]
Jiang Yucheng broke out in a cold sweat, nearly exposed!
So he quickly ordered, “Go! Bring Jing Yiniang here to confront Yao Zhaodi!”
“Yes, sir!” The guard promptly obeyed and left.
Jiang Xianian grew instantly excited. [They’re about to start pulling hair next! I wonder if Jing Yiniang will refuse to admit it no matter what? After all, Yao Zhaodi doesn’t have any solid evidence either. Tsk tsk, this Jing Yiniang—the more you dig, the more you find. I wonder if Father will discover her other side. If he finds out that this concubine who usually appears so docile and well-behaved has done so many audacious things behind his back, what expression will he wear? I’m so looking forward to it! Hehe…]
Jiang Xianian’s gloating tone made Jiang Yucheng itch to give his daughter a couple of slaps on the bottom.
Everyone else felt as if cat claws were scratching at their hearts: Just tell us what audacious things she has done!