Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

Emperor Cangxuan squinted at the little girl below.

"Fu'er, do you know what you're saying?" Emperor Cangxuan asked calmly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Ying Yufu straightened her back, her eyes were clear, and her tone was firm: "Just now in the prison, the rebel leader said that Marquis Weiyuan, Ying Nanyao, is a good-for-nothing!"

If it weren't for Commander Yu Li of the Flying Tiger Army, this suppression of the rebellion might have just resulted in handing over the city to the enemy.

Marquis Weiyuan, Ying Nanyao, not only failed to achieve any merit, but also nearly lost his city.

As the daughter of the Marquis of Weiyuan, I feel deeply ashamed and humbly beg Your Majesty for your understanding.

She spoke with a very serious expression.

The Crown Prince also said, "Father, Ying Yufu's words are not wrong at all. She was righteous and awe-inspiring, pointing out that Father had taken credit for others' work. This shows that she is loyal to you, Father. Her behavior is commendable."

The emperor glanced at the crown prince, then looked at Ying Yufu with an ambiguous expression.

Just as Ying Yufu was still uncertain about the emperor's attitude, Emperor Cangxuan spoke, "Guards, bring in the rebel leader Wu Xiaotian!"

He paused, then said, "Summon Yu Li, the commander of the Flying Tiger Army, to the palace."

……

At the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence, Liu Xueyan looked at the bill that Huabaoge had sent early that morning, her face turning pale.

The above is a list of all her and Zhi'er's spending at Huabaoge over the past three years.

A total of 230,000 taels of silver.

The head maid, Qingyuan, stood to the side, looking uneasy and barely daring to breathe.

Outsiders all thought that his wife was gentle and kind, but only those who served her knew how ruthless she was in private.

Qingyuan said, "It was delivered by Huabao Pavilion this morning after you and the eldest young lady went to the Empress's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet."

They said…

"What did they say?"

Liu Xueyan's eyes were sharp.

Qingyuan said tremblingly, "They said that if we don't settle the bill within three days, they will take it to the government office."

Liu Xueyan gripped the teacup beside her tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Just then, Ying Hengzhi arrived.

She looked in the mirror when she got home during the day and realized that Shangguan Tang had beaten her so badly that her face looked like a pig's head.

And she had actually been acting all cute and silly with the Second Prince while looking like this before.

No wonder she always felt that the Second Prince's reaction was a bit stiff.

My face is still very red and swollen, and it still stings when touched. My eyes are also swollen like walnuts from crying.

"Mother, Ying Yufu has gone too far! How did she become like this?"

Ying Hengzhi felt extremely wronged. She had been crying all day, and now that she was with Liu Xueyan, she started crying again.

She cried her heart out.

Liu Xueyan watched her cry quietly.

The expression on her face became complex, eventually turning into resentment and indignation.

Seeing that her mother didn't come to comfort her, Ying Hengzhi gradually stopped crying. She stared at Liu Xueyan with her swollen red eyes.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Liu Xueyan said, "This morning, Huabaoge sent over our bills for the past three years. If we don't pay them off within three days, they will take us to the authorities."

"What?" Ying Hengzhi was shocked and couldn't help but raise her voice, but she had cried herself hoarse that day, and her voice cracked instantly when she shouted.

She quickly shut her mouth and said, "Mother, how much money would that be for three years' worth of bills?"

Hua Bao Ge is the property of Ying Yu Fu's maternal grandmother. Their actions are clearly aimed at us!

Liu Xueyan said, "No matter how much silver it is, we have to pay it back."

Ying Hengzhi felt a chill run down her spine. "But where would we get the money? What if Father knew we owed so much money..."

Liu Xueyan lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

"Mother, things shouldn't have turned out this way. Why did things turn out this way?"

Ying Hengzhi had a vague feeling that things shouldn't have gone this way.

So what should happen?

A voice from the depths of her being told that things should have gone as planned: Ying Yufu and Shangguan Tang should have stayed obediently in the Marquis's mansion, allowing her and her mother to exploit them.

In the end, they became increasingly powerful, stepping over the corpses of Ying Yufu and Shangguan Tang.

Hua Bao Ge would never pressure them for payment. In fact, Hua Bao Ge would continue to supply them with the newest and best products for ten years to come, allowing them to choose whatever they wanted.

"Yes, things shouldn't have turned out this way, but that's exactly what happened."

Liu Xueyan looked at Ying Hengzhi's pig-like face and said.

Not only was her face swollen from the beating, but she also lost two front teeth.

Losing a tooth isn't a life-threatening thing, but it can be quite serious.

In particular, Ying Hengzhi was a beautiful, unmarried girl who had just come of age.

What's the difference between losing your teeth and being disfigured?

"Qingyuan, you may leave." Liu Xueyan dismissed the head maid.

When only the mother and daughter remained in the room, a fierce glint gradually appeared in Liu Xueyan's eyes.

"Zhi'er, when I was pregnant with you, I went to Baiyu Temple. The abbot there said..."

Liu Xueyan paused, unsure how to continue her sentence.

Ying Hengzhi looked at Liu Xueyan in surprise, "Mother, you went to Baiyu Temple when you were pregnant with me? Why did you never tell me about this?"

Liu Xueyan said, "My mother used to have a wet nurse named Sun by her side. Because of what the abbot of Baiyu Temple said, my mother killed that wet nurse Sun."

Ying Hengzhi's face turned pale, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Mother, what did the Abbot of Baiyu Temple say?"

Ying Hengzhi's voice trembled, and she had a vague premonition that what the abbot of Baiyu Temple said was definitely related to her.

In fact, it's not a good thing.

That's why her mother was so averse to it, and even went so far as to kill her close wet nurse to silence her.

Ying Hengzhi suddenly felt a chill slowly seeping out from between her bones.

Liu Xueyan said, "The abbot of Baiyu Temple told me that you are a reincarnation of a calamity star and asked me to abort you, but I did not do so."

Ying Hengzhi was terrified.

Her eyes widened in terror.

"Zhi'er, even if you are a jinx, so what? If you are a jinx, then the jinx will definitely be on others, not on us."

After you were born, your father became increasingly distant from Shangguan Tang, while showing more affection for us. I knew then that my choice was right.

"Everything was fine until suddenly, Shangguan Tang and Ying Yufu started to disobey."

"Zhi'er, why do you think this is? Could it be that they sensed something and suppressed your power as a harbinger of misfortune?"

Ying Hengzhi's heart pounded wildly. She was a jinx, a jinx.

But so what?

"Mother, I will not let them suppress me!"

"Mother, I have a vague feeling that I've forgotten something."

Liu Xueyan smiled with relief: "Zhi'er, you need to remember quickly."

Mother knows that her decision to keep you was the right one.

Ying Hengzhi nodded, a faint sense of anxiety creeping into her heart.

"Mother, but what are we going to do about this bill? Where are we going to find 230,000 taels of silver to give to Huabao Pavilion?"

Liu Xueyan chuckled softly, "Over the years, I've saved up some money, just enough to pay off the debts of Huabao Pavilion."

Ying Hengzhi subconsciously said, "Alright, let's give them the silver first, just like we're depositing it with them."

One day, not only will that silver be mine, but the entire Huabao Pavilion will be mine.