He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

Chang Fu rushed in from outside.

"Miss! Miss! No need!"

His face showed a mixture of relief and surprise.

"The Wolf Guards have already made their move!"

Jiang Bingning raised an eyebrow.

"Wolf Guards?"

"Yes!" Chang Fu said breathlessly, speaking very quickly.

"Just half an hour ago, Lord Ji's wolf guards stormed into 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion,' and bound Wang Kun and several of his friends, sending them all to the capital!"

"Not only that, the wolf guards also submitted a complaint on the spot, accusing them of 'insulting the filial daughter and slandering the noble lady'!"

Jiang Bingning remained silent.

She hadn't expected Ji Ling to act even faster than her.

The next day, the court of Shangjing Prefecture opened.

The presiding judge of this case was Ji Ling, the holder of the Yue King's Golden Token, who was ordered to assist in the defense of the capital region.

With witnesses and physical evidence, the restaurant staff overheard Wang Kun and his accomplices' drunken ramblings the previous night, and the obscene poems on the wall were irrefutable proof.

Ji Ling sat upright in the hall, his expression as calm as still water, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

"Wang Kun and his accomplices are of immoral character, use foul language, maliciously slander the noblewoman of the Prince Xin's Mansion, ruin her reputation, and further dishonor her filial piety, arousing the indignation of the people. They are not to be tolerated by the law!"

"Sentenced!"

"Each person will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane, to be carried out immediately!"

"The offending official Wang Kun, along with his accomplices, is hereby ordered to apologize to Lady Jiang in front of the Prince Xin's residence to set the record straight!"

The verdict was met with applause and cheers from the onlookers.

Jiang Bingning's reputation as a filial daughter was not only undamaged, but was further deepened by this incident.

Wang Kun's misdeeds aroused immense public outrage, and his father, Vice Minister of War Wang, was impeached by the censor with three memorials, all accusing him of failing to properly educate his son and corrupting the family's morals.

That evening, Jiang Bingning met Ji Ling in the back hall of the Shangjing Mansion.

He was wearing a moon-white casual outfit, which made him look less menacing and more refined.

"Thank you, Lord Ji." Jiang Bingning bowed sincerely.

Ji Ling accepted it calmly, then chuckled softly.

"Thank me?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Miss Jiang, have you forgotten that Wang Kun's foul language also included me, Ji?"

"My reputation has been significantly damaged as a result."

Jiang Bingning was taken aback, then realized that her face was slightly flushed.

Seeing her unusually embarrassed expression, Ji Ling's smile deepened.

"So, this thank you isn't enough."

He took a step forward and moved a little closer.

"If Miss Jiang truly feels bad about it..."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on her.

"I'll be taking a break in a couple of days."

"Treat me to dinner."

"Perfect timing, we should also discuss how to deal with the Lin family next."

Jiang Bingning looked at him, and deep within those eyes that always carried a hint of cynicism, there was now a clear and serious expression.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"it is good."

-----------------

While the reputation of the Prince Xin's Mansion soared due to a farce, the Lin Mansion presented a completely different picture.

Jiang Yuerong was completely unaware of the commotion outside.

She had no idea that the older sister she hated so much was being hailed as a model of filial piety by the people of the capital.

The cold bluestone pavement hurt my knees.

Jiang Yuerong lowered her head, holding the copper basin in both hands, the water surface without a ripple.

"Hurry up, haven't you eaten yet?"

At the head of the table, the Lin family's principal wife took a sip of tea.

"Yes."

Jiang Yuerong's voice was barely audible.

Ever since she was carried into the Lin family mansion in a sedan chair as a concubine, she had to abide by this rule every day.

He knelt down to serve his mistress as she washed up.

He knelt down to serve his mistress her meals.

Even when the mistress was reading, she had to kneel beside her, ready to add tea and grind ink at any time.

The slightest mistake could result in a merciless scolding.

Several concubines, dressed in their finest attire, leaned against the door, covering their mouths and chuckling.

"Oh, isn't this our talented young lady from the State of Zhou?"

"What's wrong? The talented woman from the capital, all you can do now is serve water and empty bowls?"

"I heard that before entering the manor, she was a pure and innocent young woman. But now that she's here, she's become secondhand goods that everyone can trample on."

"Just a used shoe."

The harsh words were like poisoned needles, piercing Jiang Yuerong's heart one by one.

She dared not look up or argue back.

All I could do was let the sharp pain remind me of who was to blame for all of this.

Jiang Bingning!

It's all because of you!

If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this!

It was late at night.

Lin Wenbo would occasionally step into her simple, secluded courtyard.

There was no tenderness, no foreplay.

The man, like a wild beast unleashing its lust, ravaged her body, then pulled up his pants and left without looking back.

It was as if staying even a moment longer would tarnish his identity.

Jiang Yuerong lay naked on the cold bed, staring at the darkness above the tent, her eyes filled with a deathly emptiness.

Only after confirming that the man was far away did she sit up and take out a broken silver hairpin from under her pillow.

She rolled out of bed and, using the faint moonlight from the window, carefully carved strokes on the mottled wall with the tip of her hairpin.

"hatred."

"Hate! Hate! Hate!"

The entire wall was already covered with this single character, layer upon layer.

She won't just give up like that.

She wants revenge.

She wanted to take revenge on the Lin family, on Lin Wenbo, and even more so on Jiang Bingning, who had ruined her life!

She will make everyone who looks down on her pay the price!

From that day on, Jiang Yuerong became more taciturn and more compliant.

She allowed herself to be beaten and scolded by the principal wife and to be bullied by the other concubines.

She began to secretly gather all the information about the mansion.

Which manager accepted the bribe?

Which maid and guard had an affair?

Which concubine was secretly lending money at exorbitant interest rates?

She kept all these secrets in her heart, waiting for an opportunity to detonate them.

That day, she was punished for massaging the legs of the first wife too hard and was made to stand properly in the corridor.

My legs were already numb and felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

"Brother, you have to help me this time."

Li's voice came from the window, tinged with urgency.

Jiang Yuerong's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously took half a step toward the window.

"Help you? How can I help you?" A strange male voice rang out, sounding somewhat impatient. "Do you think the Lin family's public funds are made of paper? They're always embezzling money from there; they'll be found out sooner or later!"

He was Li Tong, a brother from Li's maternal family.

"Just this once!" Madam Li lowered her voice. "The accounts for those shops in the south haven't been deposited into the public coffers yet. Help me figure out a way to make it look like there's a deficit, transfer the 30,000 taels of silver to your name, and then pay me back once things have calmed down."

"Thirty thousand taels?!" Li Tong's voice rose eight octaves. "Are you insane! How could such a huge sum be handled flawlessly?!"

"How could it be impossible!" Madam Li sneered. "That idiot Lin Wenbo only knows how to indulge in romance all day long. I've long since taken firm control of the household affairs! As long as the accounts are done perfectly, how could he possibly spot the flaws!"

"Besides, isn't the Lin family's money my son's money? As his mother, what's wrong with me planning ahead for my son?"

Behind the colonnade pillars.

Jiang Yuerong held her breath, embezzling 30,000 taels of public funds!

Her heart started pounding.

She found it.

This is enough to completely bring down Li and the Lin family's legal wife!

The tingling and numbness in my legs seemed to disappear instantly.

She quietly retreated to her original position, lowered her head again, and resumed her submissive demeanor.

But those eyes, hidden in the shadow of her long hair, were frighteningly bright.