Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

Zhang Ji's eyes held a hint of resentment.

Grandfather handed over all of Father's assets to Aye without hesitation, seemingly disregarding the fact that he and his sister were also Father's children.

But that man got everything, yet he hypocritically said he didn't want anything, just to show that he was a filial son who didn't want wealth for his mother.

Zhang Ji had just betrayed his mother to save himself; comparing the two...

Zhang Ji clenched his fist tightly.

Ah Ye was unaware of Zhang Ji's thoughts, nor did he try to guess what the Zhang family would think; they were none of his concern.

But Zhang Ji had to reply, "Your father's money was used to compensate for the harm he caused my mother. Do you think he doesn't need to compensate for the way he harmed his wife?"

"But Grandfather said it was for you."

Aye smiled and said, "But I told you, I didn't come to the capital to find relatives. I only want my mother's dowry."

Zhang Ji was speechless. Ah Ye had indeed never accepted those family assets; it was his ghost mother who told him to donate them.

The Duke of Zhenguo couldn't help but take a serious look at Aye.

Previously, he thought he was just a clueless country bumpkin.

But just now he requested the Ministry of Justice to file a report, which has now left Zhang Ji speechless.

Even with guidance from others, he still needed to be intelligent and courageous enough, and he remained neither humble nor arrogant from beginning to end, which was unlike someone who grew up in the countryside.

If such a promising talent had grown up by his side, he might have become a great man. It's a pity that they are now destined to become enemies.

A-Ye noticed his gaze and met his eyes. "Lord Duke, when can I retrieve my mother's dowry?"

The Duke of Zhenguo regained his composure and said, "I will have someone find the dowry list when we get back. You can come and collect it anytime."

Aye nodded, ignoring the Zhang family, and looked at Guiyao instead.

"Princess, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I will repay your kindness for the rest of my life."

Gui Yao laughed, "You've escaped to the outside of my Xuanji Tower, so I can't just stand by and watch."

Besides, she had made a pact with the spirits of the dead.

Seeing this, the Duke of Zhenguo saw no need to stay. He feigned concern and said a few words before leaving with Zhang Ji.

As for Miss Zhang, he will no longer publicly exonerate her.

The case was closed, and the Crown Prince returned to the palace. The Minister of Justice then ordered his men to escort Miss Zhang and a group of criminals away.

The onlookers gradually dispersed, but the three men from the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion remained rooted to the spot, unsure of how to face the future.

Li Deshun reminded them, "Tong Zhang, your title has been revoked, and according to the law, the Marquis's mansion should be taken back by the imperial court."

However, the Cheng'an Marquis's residence has been reduced to ruins by your presence, and you should compensate him accordingly. You only have one day to handle this matter.

If the payment is overdue, it will be considered that all money and property will be confiscated to pay off the debt.

Having served as the Marquis of Cheng'an for so many years, Tong Zhang naturally understood this point. Realizing this, he hurriedly ran home.

If they are castrated and sent to the border, their family, who have never worked before, will probably not survive. We need to make arrangements as soon as possible.

But after running a few steps, he remembered that his house had just been burgled and all the remaining family wealth had been lost to the court. He was afraid that there would be no money left to take them on their way.

Tong Zhang grabbed Lady Hou in a panic, "Go, go and beg Mingyue."

Even borrowing a hundred or ten taels from her would be better than going to the border with nothing.

At this point, Madam Hou couldn't care less about arguing with him. She knew the situation at home best, and now she could only turn to Zhao Mingyue.

"Okay, I'll go find her."

If all else fails, she'll swallow her pride and kneel down to cry with her.

People sympathize with the weak, and she is the weak one now. If Zhao Mingyue wants to maintain her reputation, she has to spend money.

Unbeknownst to them, Zhao Mingyue was sitting in the Shu County Prince's carriage, watching all of this from afar.

Seeing the Tong family's decline, she put her arm around her son's shoulder and said, "Cheng'er, you don't have to be afraid anymore. They can no longer hurt us, mother and son."

Her gaze fell on Gui Yao, "Remember the kindness of your Aunt Yao Yao. The Tong family's current predicament must be due to her helping us."

The Prince of Shu opened his mouth slightly.

To get his uncle to issue this imperial decree, he massaged his uncle's shoulders and legs for an hour today.

However, it cannot be denied that Gui Yao made a greater contribution. It was through the Zhang family's affairs that she incidentally exposed the Tong family, thus giving the title of nobility a legitimate reason.

However, he also put his arm around Feng Youcheng's shoulder.

"Mingyue, son, I also contributed to this."

Only a fool would become an unsung hero for the sake of a happy family reunion.

"I will protect you all from now on."

Zhao Mingyue and her son exchanged a glance and laughed, "Alright, then you deserve credit. We'll go pick up Yuanyuan and have barbecue at the village outside the city today."

She didn't send anyone to assassinate the Tong family on the road; it was all for the children's good. They still dared to dream that she would help them.

The Prince of Shu was very happy that the family of four could go out for a trip. "Then I will have someone buy some fresh river shrimp and scallops, Mingyue, you like to eat them."

"Take some ice with you too. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables on the estate right now; we can make fruit juice and iced drinks for Cheng'er and Yuanyuan."

Cheng'er loves fruit drinks the most, and clapped her hands in approval, saying, "Thank you, Father."

Looking at her son, who was much brighter than before, Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "He can drink, but not too much, or he'll get an upset stomach later."

The Prince of Shu nodded hastily, "Yes, we'll listen to your mother."

"it is good."

Cheng'er nodded obediently. Although no one told him, he knew that the father in front of him was different from the father before.

He likes his current father very much, and he also likes his father being with his mother and his younger sister.

Thinking of his younger sister, he couldn't help but think of the Princess Consort.

Gui Yao made him dream about the Princess Consort several times. In the dreams, the Princess Consort was still gentle and praised him for taking good care of his younger sister. She said that she was also doing well.

"Mother, are we going to the estate with Aunt Guiyao?"

He wanted to thank his aunt, Gui Yao.

The Prince of Shu laughed, "It's cool here in the manor. Let's stay here for a few more days. I'll come and invite her then. I'm afraid she's too busy today."

Cheng'er glanced at the group of people from Xuanji Tower, nodded, rested her head on the arm of the Prince of Shu, and gave Zhao Mingyue a silly smile.

Zhao Mingyue felt her heart melt.

Gui Yao also noticed the carriage over there, and Li Deshun explained to her, "It's the Prince of Shu."

He noticed any excitement on your side and sent people to the palace to relay the news.

Sure enough, as soon as the imperial edict left the palace, he went to fetch Boss Zhao to claim credit.

Gui Yao smiled, "I see."

The imperial edict from Master Zhang arrived so quickly that she thought the emperor had sent someone to keep watch outside the palace.

No, perhaps the emperor also had people watching all of this.

"De Shun, you should go back too."

The Crown Prince has fainted after all. What if someone takes their anger out on De Shun for not personally escorting him to the palace?

Thinking of the Crown Prince, she reminded him, "The gates of hell will open in July soon, and I need to go out to perform rituals for the departed souls. I won't be at Xuanji Tower."

The palace is never short of dead souls, especially in July.

When the time comes, the palace will definitely come looking for her, but she doesn't plan to shut down the Crown Prince's occult eyes for the time being, so she will avoid seeing him.

De Shun, unaware of her thoughts, only felt that she was working hard, said some words to her to take care of her health, and then left.

Ah Ye continued to borrow Xiao Huaijin's restaurant to meet with his uncle and aunt. Gui Yao saw that Bai Xiuyuan missed his sister, so he opened his Yin Eyes for him as well, so that the siblings could have a good talk.

He instructed the departed souls not to linger with them, then went to pursue the two warriors whose Yin eyes had been opened, and closed their Yin eyes.

Meanwhile, in the palace, the Crown Prince slowly awoke to find himself facing the Empress's concerned face. "My son has suffered."

The Crown Prince sat up abruptly. "Mother, there is no need to worry. Your son is fine."

He felt somewhat guilty about his second uncle's matter.

"Mother, the evidence of my second uncle abandoning his wife and children is irrefutable. The mother and child who died are indeed pitiful, and I cannot cover it up."

"Your mother knows you have your difficulties."

But the Empress was furious. "That Gui Yao is despicable. He schemed against the Zhang family, and he schemed against you too."

A sinister glint appeared in the Crown Prince's eyes. "Mother, Gui Yao is Baozhu's man. His purpose in coming to the capital is to help Baozhu seize power."

"What?"

The Empress paused for a moment, then said, "Impossible, she could never be Baozhu's person."

The Crown Prince asked suspiciously, "Why is Mother so certain?"