Duke An was captured, and Yan Song personally went to meet his master.

Late at night, the largest brothel in Shengjing was brightly lit.

Yan Song evaded everyone and entered the backyard.

“Master.” Yan Song knelt to the ground.

Behind the black gauze curtain, a pair of eyes slowly opened.

Yan Song hesitated before speaking, “Master, Duke An has been captured. Should we…?” He made a throat-slitting gesture.

“No need. You won’t be able to get in there.”

The Ministry of Justice’s prison was heavily guarded, making it the hardest place to infiltrate.

“But he knows about your existence.”

A slender, bony hand reached out from behind the curtain.

“Leave.”

Yan Song didn’t understand why his master was acting this way, but he had no choice but to follow orders.

..

At the residence of Duke Han, Han Qianhua was preparing for bed when she suddenly felt a chill behind her.

She turned around and saw Yan Song standing there.

“Guards! Guards!” She ran toward the door, calling for help.

But no one came.

Fear flashed in Han Qianhua’s eyes. “What did you do to them?”

Yan Song stepped closer, one step at a time. “I just let them—and your dear husband—take a little nap.”

Han Qianhua clutched the sachet containing the talisman Yuanxi had given her.

“We are already divorced. What do you want from me?”

Yan Song’s gaze turned icy.

“You are my woman. Even if we are divorced, you cannot remarry!” His eyes burned red, filled with obsession and madness.

Han Qianhua found it laughable.

For years, she had cooked and cared for him, dedicating herself to their marriage.

Yet he had only been pretending to be a loving husband for over a decade.

And now, he was losing his mind.

What a pathetic man!

“Hua’er, if you just leave him, we can start over. Isn’t that good?”

Han Qianhua frowned, sensing something terribly wrong.

As Yan Song backed her into a corner, she struck.

A sharp slap landed across his face.

Yan Song’s head snapped to the side. His already bloodshot eyes darkened, the black of his pupils swallowed by a crimson glow.

“You ungrateful woman—you’re asking for death!”

He reached for her.

Han Qianhua closed her eyes, and the talisman inside her sachet suddenly glowed.

A blood-curdling scream filled the air.

When she opened her eyes again, Yan Song was gone.

Han Qianhua sat down shakily, looking at the sachet in her hands.

The talisman had turned to ash.

“Yuanxi, my dear daughter…” She clutched the sachet and wept for a long time.

Outside, the servants slowly woke up.

..

Yan Song staggered into a small courtyard in the city’s red-light district, his hands burning with pain.

That wretched woman—what kind of magic had she used?

He activated a teleportation array as he always did.

But when he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by bare stone walls and iron bars.

Jiang Yuansheng stepped out from the shadows.

“Lord Yan, long time no see.”

Yan Song’s pupils shrank beneath his black robes.

He instinctively reached inside his robes, fumbling for something.

“Don’t bother,” Jiang Yuansheng said coldly. “This prison was specially prepared just for you.”

The lowest level of the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon.

Li Wenbo stepped forward, stunned.

“How… how is he here?”

At first, he had refused Jiang Yuansheng’s request to use the dungeon—after all, its lowest level held things no ordinary person should see.

It had been built by the late emperor, but since the current emperor did not believe in the supernatural, it had been left abandoned.

Yet today, it was finally put to use.

Yan Song, knowing he couldn’t escape, pulled off his veil.

“Lord Yan!” Li Wenbo exclaimed.

The Minister of Personnel, Yan Song, was here?

Could it be…

A horrifying possibility struck him, and he took several steps back.

Pointing at Yan Song, he stammered, “You—are you even human?”

Jiang Yuansheng answered calmly, “Don’t worry, he is. He just dabbles in a few insignificant spells.”

Only then did Li Wenbo relax.

It turned out Yan Song was also one of the masterminds behind the Chen family case.

But now that he was in custody, the question was—what would they do with him?

..

At the Jiang family’s private residence, Madam Chen hadn’t seen her parents in years.

She was overwhelmed with emotion, but also filled with shame.

The main doors opened, and the Jiang family’s sons stepped forward to greet her.

Lady Chen’s mother, the old madam, teared up the moment she saw her daughter.

“Father, Mother, I finally get to see you again.” Tears streamed down Chen Xinwan’s face.

The old madam gripped her daughter’s hands tightly, overcome with emotion.

“Seeing you safe and well—now I can rest easy.”

They had always trusted their son-in-law, Jiang Fengyuan. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have… well, what was past was past.

Chen’s two sisters-in-law respectfully bowed to her.

Chen Xinwan quickly returned the gesture and helped them up.

“You are my elders—why are you bowing to me?”

Both women were filled with gratitude.

Eldest sister-in-law, Qiu, said, “Xinwan, if not for you and your family, we would never have returned so soon.”

Second sister-in-law, Tao, added, “Yes. When Father and Mother were wrongfully accused, we were powerless. You deserve our thanks.”

The old madam gently reassured her, “If you don’t accept it, they won’t sleep well tonight.”

Chen Xinwan glanced at her husband, Jiang Fengyuan.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Fengyuan suddenly knelt down.

“Our family has caused you and your parents so much suffering.”

“What are you doing?” Old Master Chen quickly pulled him up. “This wasn’t your fault. There’s no need to blame yourself.”

He blamed himself for trusting Duke An in the past, but this matter had nothing to do with Fengyuan.

The old madam smiled. “Enough, let’s not dwell on the past. Your sisters-in-law have prepared a feast—let’s go inside.”

As the families sat down for dinner, Chen Xinwan asked, “Where are my elder brothers?”

Old Master Chen replied, “They were summoned to the palace.”

Just then—

[Hmm? So these are my maternal grandparents?]

Everyone froze.

Who just spoke?

A tiny figure peeked out from behind Madam Chen.

A chubby little girl, bright-eyed and adorable.

At a single glance, the elderly couple took a liking to her.

Madam Chen smiled and pulled her forward.

“Father, Mother, this is Yuanxi.” The rest of the family had already met her, so no introductions were needed.

“Grandfather, Grandmother!” The little girl greeted them sweetly.

The elderly couple adored children, and Old Master Chen immediately scooped her up.

“So this is our little Yuanxi?”

No wonder Yuanwu wouldn’t stop talking about her.

He pulled a jade pendant from his robe and hung it around Jiang Yuanxi’s neck.

It was smooth, flawless, and clearly valuable.

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes sparkled.

[He’s definitely my real grandfather—way more generous than that old Duke An!]

[Before they were exiled, my grandparents knew Mother would suffer in Duke An’s household, so they left her all their assets. This jade pendant must be the most valuable thing left in the entire estate.]

She bit it experimentally.

[Hmm. Very hard.]

The sound of chopsticks clattering to the floor echoed through the room.

Tears streamed down Chen Xinwan’s face as Jiang Fengyuan whispered to comfort her.

Everyone at the table stared at Yuanxi.

Jiang Yuansheng coughed lightly and subtly shook his head.

After dinner, Chen Xinwan took her daughter aside.

“Xinwan, what happened just now? I heard…”

Her sisters-in-law struggled to find the words.

Yuanxi hadn’t opened her mouth—but they had all heard her voice.