Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Mingyi was frightened by the man's obsessive and cold appearance, and felt very scared.

I wanted to escape even more.

But if they give up now, they will hardly have another chance to speak. Thinking of this, Mingyi mustered her courage and grabbed the man's hand.

Her watery eyes looked at him pleadingly, "If you're worried, Second Master, please send a few more guards with me. I'll only go out for two hours each time, and stay quietly in the manor the rest of the time. Is that alright?"

Zong Xian smiled enigmatically, "Trying to negotiate with me with just a plate of snacks is far from enough. Show me your sincerity."

During the time Mingyi spent with Zongxian, she had a pretty good grasp of his temperament and preferences.

She knew exactly how to please him.

She simply wouldn't want to get close to him until that point.

But in order to find a chance to leave the mansion and escape, she could only suppress her discomfort and pull away from his embrace slightly.

Without looking at his face, she slowly knelt down, her fingertips trembling slightly, and touched the jade belt at his waist.

The man lowered his eyes, his breathing became heavy, and a lustful look gradually rose in his eyes.

...

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mingyi's wrists became sore and weak.

A look of satisfaction appeared on the man's face. He reached out and pulled her onto his lap, and couldn't help but kiss her lips.

After some tenderness, Zong Xian finally relented and agreed to let her go out for two hours each day.

But they must not leave the sight of their attendants.

He was warning her to be good and not to have any wicked thoughts.

Mingyi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that negotiating with this man wasn't too difficult once she got past her psychological barrier.

She feigned meekness, leaning against his chest, "Thank you, sir."

Zong Xian clearly saw the ingratiation and calculation in her eyes. He picked up the piece of pastry he had left and fed it to her.

"Is Jiaojiao trying to find a chance to escape?"

Mingyi, with half a piece of pastry in her mouth, had an unnatural look on her face. "You're overthinking it, sir."

Zong Xian gently wiped away the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with his rough fingertips, his movements tender and considerate. "It's best if I'm just overthinking it. If Jiao Jiao really wants to run away, then these unruly legs don't need to be kept."

Mingyi felt a chill run down his spine.

The pastries in my mouth no longer tasted sweet.

...

After Mingyi left, Zongxian summoned Changyu for questioning.

Chang Yu then recounted how Mingyi had disciplined the servants that day.

"It turned out that the maid was disrespectful to the young lady and said some unpleasant things, which the young lady overheard. The young lady was so angry that she personally disciplined her."

Zong Xian savored the pastries on the table and asked, "How did she discipline him?"

Chang Yu then told the truth.

Upon hearing this, Zong Xian recalled the time she had taught Hua Yan a lesson and slapped her without hesitation.

He chuckled softly, then calmly ordered, "If she likes to gossip, cut out her tongue and send her to work in the washroom."

The chamber pot was a place in the house specifically for storing and cleaning chamber pots; it was where the dirtiest and most tiring work was done.

Chang Yu accepted the order and left.

...

News of Xinglu's punishment quickly spread among the servants, proving to be the most effective way to make an example of someone.

This also intimidated Concubine Yu from the main wife's family.

No one knew that Xinglu was secretly instructed by her to deliberately provoke Mingyi.

Madam Yu originally intended to take the opportunity to find out Mingyi's faults so that the old lady would kick her out of the mansion. However, before she could make any further moves, Xinglu ended up having her tongue cut out and being sent to the washroom!

When the news reached Aunt Yu's courtyard, she was terrified, covering her lips with a handkerchief, "Was her tongue really cut out?"

Cuizhu nodded. "When Xinglu's tongue was cut out, Steward Chang ordered a group of servants to watch over her, and I saw it too."

Cui Zhu was still shaken; she could almost hear Xing Lu's pitiful screams all around her—it was terrifying.

Madam Yu said, "Didn't they say that Second Master has a new lover and has lost interest in Ji Mingyi? Why is he still willing to stand up for her?"

It's no wonder that Madam Yu thought the same way.

After all, if Zong Xianruo truly loved Ji Mingyi, why would he have ignored her for so long and let her continue living in the remote Shuangxu Garden instead of taking her to Songhe Garden?

Cuizhu guessed, "Perhaps he hasn't lost interest, but rather the two of them have had a falling out, which is why the Second Master is deliberately being cold towards her. In reality, he still cares about you, Miss."

Aunt Yu sneered at this, her eyes full of disdain: "Second Master is just infatuated. He's blinded by that vixen's looks. How can he say he truly loves her?"

At first, Cuizhu thought so too, but now she doesn't agree with what Madam Yu said.

The second master of the manor was always cold and aloof, and had never treated any girl so specially.

Yet he punished the servants for her time and again; if he were merely infatuated with her appearance, he would never have gone to such lengths.

Just as Madam Yu was annoyed that her plan had failed, a maid suddenly came in to announce that Ji Mingyi had arrived.

Madam Yu looked up, a hint of surprise flashing across her brows: "What's she doing here?"

Her mind raced, and she straightened her clothes, maintaining a composed posture, before saying in a cold voice, "Let her in."

Before long, a graceful figure slowly stepped into the house, calm and peaceful, quite different from before.

"Aunt, how have you been?"

Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, her tone laced with sarcasm: "I didn't cause you any trouble, yet you had the audacity to come looking for me."

Yu was referring to the incident where Mingyi had tricked her last time.

There was no one else around, so Madam Yu had no need to be polite to her, nor did she intend to offer her a seat.

Mingyi didn't mind. She gently placed her hands in front of her abdomen, a faint smile curving her lips. "Whether my aunt genuinely wants to help me or wants to harm me, I know that in my heart."

"If I had ridden in the carriage prepared by my aunt that day, my brother and I would probably have perished long ago."

Caught off guard by her scheme, Madam Yu didn't deny it, raising an eyebrow and coldly scoffing, "I underestimated you. What, having received some preferential treatment from the Second Master, you dare to swagger in front of me?"

Yu was not afraid of her bringing up old grievances, since she had no evidence.

Mingyi smiled innocently: "Auntie, you misunderstand. Mingyi didn't mean that."

"If you're not here to show off, then what brings you here? My courtyard doesn't welcome people like you." Madam Yu's contempt was undisguised.

Mingyi didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I've come to ask my aunt for help one more time."

"Help you? Now you're not afraid I'll get you into trouble?"

Yu's face was mocking.

Mingyi smiled slightly: "My aunt wouldn't harm me."

Just as Madam Yu was about to ask her what made her so certain, Mingyi stepped forward, bent down, and whispered...

"After all, if you, my aunt, were to harm me, your affair with Master Lu would be immediately exposed, and the secret that the Third Miss is not Master Lu's biological child would also be revealed to the Old Madam..."

These few words struck Yu like a thunderbolt, leaving her mind blank. She blurted out, "How did you know...?"

Realizing she had let something slip, Madam Yu abruptly shut her mouth, her eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty, her gaze fixed on Ji Mingyi like a poisoned knife.

How did Mingyi know that?

Of course, it's because she has a God's-eye view.

When she read the novel, she knew that Zong Xian's elder brother had been cuckolded and that the illegitimate daughter was not his biological daughter.

However, she only read it superficially at the time, and the book did not go into detail about the intricacies.

It wasn't until recently that she discovered the affair between Madam Yu and Master Lu, and after piecing together the clues, she finally understood.

The Yu family is really bold!

Mingyi straightened up and said confidently, "Of course, it was Third Master who told me this himself."

"Impossible!" Mrs. Yu slammed her hand on the table, her voice shrill. "How could he tell you these things!"

Even her closest maid didn't know about the Third Miss's background. How did Ji Mingyi find out?!

Aside from Lu Zhangming, the Yu family couldn't think of any other possibility.

Mingyi remained calm. "Auntie, just tell me if you're willing to help me or not."

A blatant threat!

Madam Yu clenched her handkerchief tightly, her expression shifting several times. Once the scandalous affair between her and Lu Zhangming got out, death would be the only thing waiting for her.

And her five-year-old daughter would also perish. She dared not gamble!

Madam Yu took a deep breath, raised her head, and smiled in a way that was more like a grimace: "Cuizhu, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring a chair for the young lady."