A crowd gathered at the entrance of the Minister of War’s residence

A small tree nearby swayed precariously, burdened by the weight of too many people.

“These loudmouths! Usually, they act all weak and scholarly, but when it comes to watching drama, they run faster than donkeys!”

Jiang Fengyuan scoffed.

As a military officer, he was outrun by these rascals.

“Move, move! Make some space for me!”

Even high-ranking officials who strutted about in court were now fighting over a mere tree branch.

..

Hong Bokai had just returned home. Without hesitation, he yanked open the collars of his two sons and his infant grandson.

“Father, what are you doing?” his two sons asked in confusion.

With a grim expression, Hong Bokai turned to his two daughters. “Do either of you have a birthmark on your shoulder?”

The two daughters nodded lightly.

Hong Bokai’s heart sank into despair.

Not a single one. None of them carried his bloodline.

Every last one of them was not his own.

Just then, his concubine, hearing the commotion, stepped out.

“Master, what are you doing?” she asked anxiously.

Hong Bokai’s eyes burned red. “You shameless woman! You—how dare you cheat on me!”

The concubine’s heart pounded with unease.

“Master, what nonsense are you spouting! I have stayed outside all these years, bearing you children, and now that I have returned for just a few days, you are already treating me like this?” She covered her face with her sleeve, pretending to sob.

Hong Bokai was livid. “You were secretly involved with my student! These children are all his! And yet you still dare act innocent in front of me!”

“Guards! Beat this treacherous woman to death!”

“Father!”

Hong Bokai’s two sons and two daughters knelt before him.

“Father, Mother was just momentarily confused. Please, have mercy on her!”

Tears welled up in Hong Bokai’s eyes as he looked at his four children.

“You all… did you know all along?”

Silence.

The four of them remained kneeling, saying nothing.

Hong Bokai coughed up a mouthful of blood.

So he had been the biggest fool all along—deceived entirely, left utterly broken.

For these children, he had given everything.

When his eldest son married, he had painstakingly chosen a bride from a clean and respectable family.

Now, his youngest son was still an infant, wailing in his swaddling clothes—how could he bear to take action?

..

【That old man… he won’t actually go soft now, will he?】

Jiang Fengyuan didn’t even need to look up.

His daughter sat on the Crown Prince’s shoulders, watching everything unfold from the beams above.

Jiang Fengyuan was filled with pride.

Look at that! Making the Crown Prince her personal mount—his daughter was truly impressive.

The Crown Prince sighed from the rooftop.

“Minister Hong is too soft-hearted. Seeing that infant, he likely won’t have the heart to take action.”

Soft-hearted?

Jiang Yuanxi didn’t buy it.

【Soft-hearted? Yet he forced his legal wife and real son to flee back to her family’s home.】

The Crown Prince struggled to explain.

“This man may be foolish when it comes to handling family matters, but he is a good official,” he admitted.

【That’s a separate issue. He loves the people, and they respect him. But towards his wife and son, he has failed them. These things should not be confused.】

Just because he was a good official, should his abandonment of his wife and son be erased?

Where was the fairness for Lady Hong and her child?

The Crown Prince was surprised by the small figure in his arms.

Such clarity at such a young age.

In the future, she would surely become famous in the capital.

But what the Crown Prince didn’t anticipate was that, in time, it wasn’t just Jiang Yuanxi who became famous—he did too.

..

Hong Bokai ordered his children to be driven out.

“Father! For so many years, you’ve been the only father we’ve ever known!”

“Father, are you truly so heartless?” his second son cried.

His two daughters also pleaded, “We only found out the truth later! Why must you be so unforgiving?”

【Wow. There really are people this shameless in the world.】

The Crown Prince silently agreed.

They had enjoyed his wealth, lived under his name, and now they were blaming Hong Bokai instead.

Hong Bokai was enraged.

“Guards! Drive them all out!”

His two fake sons exchanged glances.

Just as Hong Bokai let his guard down, they grabbed a nearby stick.

“They’re going to attack!” Jiang Fengyuan leaped down into the courtyard.

At the same time, the small tree he had been standing on snapped with a crack.

The people perched on its branches tumbled down like dumplings into soup.

Jiang Fengyuan kicked away the stick just before it struck the back of Hong Bokai’s head.

Hong Bokai turned around in disbelief.

His two sons glared at him with resentment.

“You—!” He was speechless.

They had actually tried to kill him to seize power.

Even after raising them for so many years, they still remained nothing more than ungrateful wolves.

“Guards!” Hong Bokai gripped a stone bench for support, panting heavily.

“Take them away! Beat them to death!”

Servants rushed forward, gagging the four as they dragged them away.

“Thank you, Lord Jiang, for your timely intervention!” Hong Bokai said with gratitude.

“Please, do not let word of this get out,” he pleaded.

After all, they were both officials of the court—he had his reputation to consider.

Jiang Fengyuan raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid it’s too late.”

He strode to the door and flung it open.

Outside, a crowd of eavesdroppers tumbled in, falling into a heap.

“Hey! Which bastard is crushing me?!”

“Get off me!”

Chaos erupted as the officials erupted into arguments.

Hong Bokai pointed at them, hands trembling with rage.

Realizing they had been caught, the officials scrambled to make excuses.

“My wife is calling me home for dinner!” The Minister of War, Yue Tu, bolted.

“My wife asked me to buy soy sauce. Gotta go!”

One by one, they made their escape.

Jiang Fengyuan found an excuse to slip away as well.

Hong Bokai was left alone, kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly.

..

Li Wenbo scowled, cursing Duke An in his heart.

While everyone else was out watching the drama, he was stuck at the Ministry of Justice, working.

With all the evidence laid before him, there wasn’t even a need for a trial—the verdict was obvious.

The Emperor had likely noticed as well, and was just having him go through the motions for formality’s sake, to appease the court.

After finishing his report, Li Wenbo hurried to the Minister of War’s residence.

But by the time he arrived, the only thing left was a few broken sticks.

The show was already over.

..

At Duke An’s residence, Jiang Ruowei had already chosen a location for her new business and was eagerly awaiting her grandfather’s approval.

But instead of her grandfather, an imperial decree arrived.

“Duke An has conspired against loyal officials, causing countless deaths and injuries. The Ministry of Justice is to arrest him, strip him of his title, and confiscate all assets. His family shall be demoted to commoners and exiled to Liangzhou.”

Jiang Ruowei’s heart sank as she read the decree.

In bold letters: “Demoted to commoners.”

She looked up, eyes hollow.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

In her past life, the Duke An household had risen to the pinnacle of power.

But now, everything had changed.