The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Inside the Ci'an Hall.

On a large, carved rosewood chair, the old lady held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand.

Granny Fang stood behind her, her face sullen, seemingly lost in thought.

As soon as Fu stepped across the threshold, a polite smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Mother, why haven't you taken your afternoon nap yet? Don't hurt yourself. Ah Qing got injured at the polo match, and your daughter-in-law is rushing to take him to the hospital."

The old lady didn't even lift her eyelids, and sneered, "You let perfectly healthy children go out, and they either get hurt or spend the night in the carriage. With things in such a mess, how can I not be mentally and physically exhausted?"

She looked at Xu Qianhui: "Hui girl, come here."

Xu Qianhui stepped forward as instructed, knelt down and kowtowed: "Greetings, Madam."

"Those who should kneel don't kneel, so why are you kneeling when you've been wronged? Get up."

Seeing this, Madam Fu immediately interjected, "Mother, you're wronged! You don't know, this girl didn't know how to avoid suspicion last night, and actually let General Chu stand guard outside the carriage all night. If this gets out, the whole capital will say that our household is not strict with discipline."

"Avoid suspicion?" The old lady slammed her prayer beads onto the small table. "If you had arranged proper accommodations for her, why would she need to spend the night in the carriage!"

Madam Fu's face paled, and she opened her mouth, saying, "That's...that's because the servants didn't do their job well and forgot to make arrangements."

"Well, the lady of the Duke's mansion can't even arrange a junior's accommodation." The old lady glanced at her: "Since you're so forgetful in managing the household, then just leave it at that."

Fu was shocked and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall.

She looked at the old lady in disbelief: "Mother! She's just my distant niece, not even a proper mistress. Are you really going to take away my power to manage the household for her sake?"

"You think this is the only mistake you've made?" The old lady beckoned, "Granny Fang, I'm tired, you can tell me now."

Granny Fang stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Madam, yesterday at the polo match, the young master fell from his horse due to your negligence..."

"Nonsense!" Madam Fu immediately retorted, "Ah Qing's fall from her horse was an accident. How can you pin the blame for negligence on me, Madam?!"

Yesterday, when Qingshu returned to select people to serve at the polo match, the steward reported this to the old lady.

The old lady sent her steward to investigate secretly, and the steward tracked him all the way to the capital.

All the servants from the manor who had gone to the polo match earlier were imprisoned.

When the truth was combined with what Granny Fang had reported upon her return, the old lady immediately understood the whole story and told Granny Fang all her suspicions.

Granny Fang shook her head and said, "Madam will know the inside story if she asks the young master."

After speaking, she turned her gaze to Xu Qianhui, her eyes filled with resentment.

Xu Qianhui guessed what she was going to say next and couldn't help but laugh.

You've cuddled a young man in his early twenties, so you're not at a loss in terms of morality or reason. Why are you angry with me?

She smiled back at Granny Fang, then lowered her eyes again.

Although Madam Fu interrupted the old lady, the old lady did not call her to get up, presumably to vent her anger on behalf of Granny Fang.

Granny Fang withdrew her gaze and continued, "Secondly, last night the Second Young Master, after drinking, barged into General Chu's tent, forcing General Chu to spend the night on the carriage. Moreover... Miss Qin also knows about this matter. If the Grand Tutor's Mansion severs its marriage ties with this mansion because of this, it would be the third offense."

Fang Mama's words, which merely changed the order of events, were extremely misleading.

At first glance, it seems that Lin Zuo'an offended Chu Yunci, which forced Chu Yunci to abandon the tent and leave.

Furthermore, this offense could directly lead Qin Miaoyun to abandon the marriage.

The deeper meaning is self-evident.

Xu Qianhui secretly admired the old lady's wisdom.

While dealing with the Fu family, they didn't forget to take a jab at the second wife's family.

When the news spreads, everyone will say that the second young master is gay and that marrying Miss Qin is just a cover-up.

Lin Zuo'an not only had to explain why he hugged Granny Fang late at night, but also had to deal with Qin Miaoyun's suspicions about whether he was gay.

Looking up at the old lady who was resting with her eyes closed, Xu Qianhui decided that she couldn't let them handle this matter so comfortably.

Before Madam Fu could explain, she whispered, "Granny, this matter is already a scandal in the mansion. If we punish my aunt because of this, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the Duke's mansion."

Madam Fu was surprised that Xu Qianhui would speak up for her, and she had no idea what Xu Qianhui was up to.

Due to the circumstances, she agreed to this statement.

"Hui'er is right! The second branch is only born out of wedlock. If their affairs affect the Duke's mansion, wouldn't it be a loss? It doesn't matter if my daughter-in-law is punished, but I don't want the mansion to lose face. Please, Mother, understand."

Xu Qianhui sighed.

This aunt had lived a smooth and successful life in the Duke's mansion for over twenty years and had been the mistress of the house for more than ten years, yet no secrets were ever discovered.

It's truly pathetic.

If she knew that her husband was an adopted child, wouldn't she go crazy?

After hearing what Madam Fu said, the old lady slowly opened her eyes. In her cloudy eyes, there was nothing but disgust and hatred.

She spoke slowly: "Zuo An returned to the capital with four servants, and you arbitrarily dismissed three of them, is that right or wrong? If he had enough manpower, couldn't four people have restrained a drunkard?"

"The daughter-in-law just felt that her mother disliked the second wife's family and thought that a son born out of wedlock shouldn't have such a grand display, so..."

At this point, Madam Fu paused, glanced at the old lady's face, and continued, "If Zuo An hadn't been so despicable, even if you stripped General Chu naked and threw him on his bed, he wouldn't have given it a second glance."

In the end, it was still Lin Zuo'an's fault.

Furthermore, they insisted that he had homosexual tendencies.

"You know what you're really thinking. Don't use me as an excuse." The old lady scoffed. "Even if I dislike the second branch of the family, I haven't cut off their path or taken their lives."

As she spoke, she put down her prayer beads and leaned forward, coldly saying, "You are vicious and wicked, attempting to harm your husband's own brother. You can't distinguish right from wrong; you don't even know why your son fell from his horse. Tell me, what face do you have to manage the household?"

The old lady's words were practically a sentence handed down to Madam Fu.

To Fu, it was tantamount to being divorced.

She immediately screamed.

"I refuse to accept this! Mother, you are my husband's biological mother! How can you deny his lawfully wedded wife because of such a fabricated charge!"

"You personally came to propose marriage back then, promising to treat me like your own daughter. Have you forgotten all those words?!"

"Did I burn down the Duke's mansion or commit the heinous crime of patricide? Why are you forcing me to die!"

If Fu Shi, who has been in power her whole life, were to be stripped of her management rights, it would be no different from killing her.

But her last words really hurt the old lady.

In the old lady's eyes, she did not burn down the Duke's mansion.

But killing one's own parents...

But that was the crime that confirmed her guilt.

She wanted the old lady to die quietly.

But the old lady wouldn't let her die so easily.

The atmosphere in the hall had become extremely tense, and even Granny Fang had stepped aside.

Xu Qianhui kowtowed to the old lady again and slowly spoke.

"Madam, since Aunt feels wronged, why not ask the young master to make a judgment?"