“Grandfather, although Father holds an official position, he has been sidelined by the Emperor and has not been summoned to court. He has no influence in front of the Emperor. Moreover, this matter was personally decided by the Emperor—no one can help.” Jiang Yuansheng explained.

Learning about what his grandfather and the second household had done to his parents and maternal grandfather, Jiang Yuansheng was shocked.

For so many years, his parents had been living under their deception.

Thinking about the fate of his younger siblings and the wolf-hair brush that once delighted him, Jiang Yuansheng felt nothing but hatred for Duke An.

Wu Cuirou suddenly remembered something.

She firmly said, “Yesterday! Yesterday, Jiang Yuanxi went to the palace with the Crown Prince. She must have been able to speak with the Emperor!” She was grasping at straws in desperation.

Madam Chen tightly shielded her daughter.

“Yuanxi is just a child who can barely speak properly. What could she possibly say?”

Jiang Fengyuan spoke with an indifferent expression, “Father, because of this matter, Duke Li’s family was confiscated, and the entire household was executed. Hui’er gave false testimony, but he repented in time, so the Emperor did not punish him severely. He will be released soon.”

Seeing the main household’s aloof attitude, Jiang Qisheng gritted his teeth in resentment.

“Big Brother, the Emperor sentenced Hui’er to six months, but the imperial exam is approaching! If he stays in prison, how will he study? Please, for the sake of your nephew, save him!”

“If you don’t agree, I will kneel before you!”

Jiang Qisheng spoke emotionally, making a show of kneeling.

[Go on, kneel then!] Jiang Yuanxi urged impatiently.

Jiang Fengyuan was about to stop him, but after hearing his daughter’s words, he remained still.

He wanted to see if the second household had the nerve to go through with it.

Jiang Qisheng awkwardly bent his knees but found that Jiang Fengyuan did not intervene.

He looked up and met Jiang Fengyuan’s mocking gaze.

Grinding his teeth, he finally knelt.

“Sheng’er!” The Old Madam gasped. How could her son kneel before that woman’s child?!

“Jiang Fengyuan! You ungrateful wretch! Are you trying to drive your brother to death?!”

Jiang Fengyuan abruptly stood up, looking down at the two.

“This is called ungratefulness?”

Years ago, their parents begged him to find a position for Jiang Qisheng.

At the time, he was only a fifth-rank official, yet for his brother’s sake, he humbled himself and knelt before every minister he could.

And in the end, his parents only said, ‘Sheng’er will certainly do better than the eldest son.’

After much difficulty, he secured a position for Jiang Qisheng, but within half a month, he resigned on a whim.

This kind of thing had happened too many times to count.

Toward the second household, Duke An, and the Old Madam, he had already done more than enough.

But these people were never satisfied!

Duke An roared, “He is your brother! This is your responsibility as an elder sibling!”

Jiang Fengyuan swept his gaze over the crowd.

If it weren’t for Yuanxi, he would have never realized the hypocrisy of this family.

He let out a cold laugh. “Then tell me, have you ever fulfilled your responsibility as a father?”

All his life, he had never known fatherly love.

All he could remember were his father’s cold stares.

The Old Madam stood frozen in shock.

Jiang Qisheng swallowed hard.

His elder brother had actually dared to question their father again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the main household remained silent, glaring at Duke An.

Their gazes seemed to be accusing him of the injustice they had suffered for years.

[Well said, Father!] Jiang Yuanxi almost clapped her hands in applause.

She wanted to give her father a big kiss.

[Hypocrites don’t deserve sympathy. The more you pity them, the more they take advantage of you.]

Hearing his daughter’s praise, Jiang Fengyuan straightened his back.

[Father, if you walk away now, Grandfather will be so furious that he faints! Hahaha!]

That sounded like a good idea!

His three sons all looked at him expectantly, as if urging him to leave.

Jiang Fengyuan agreed. He waved his sleeve and walked away.

Madam Chen followed suit.

At the doorway, Jiang Fengyuan suddenly turned back.

With a chilling gaze, he said, “Father, the only reason I have reached my current position is thanks to your favoritism. You should be pleased.”

“You! You!” Duke An pointed at him, unable to speak.

Overcome with rage, he collapsed.

“Master!”

“Father!”

Hearing the commotion inside, no one in the main household stopped.

Their footsteps were steady, as if they were retreating victoriously.

Jiang Yuansheng, Jiang Yuanwu, and Jiang Yuancheng followed behind their parents with high spirits.

Jiang Yuanxi was carried by Madam Chen, or else she would have strutted along as well.

That night, Duke An’s residence was quiet and peaceful. Lanterns illuminated the pathways, making the road home particularly bright.

Even the wind carried the scent of freedom.

..

During morning court, the Emperor frowned at the empty space before him.

Tossing the memorial in his hand onto the table, he asked, “Where is Duke An?”

A eunuch replied, “Your Majesty, the Duke did not request leave. It is said that he collapsed yesterday due to the affairs of Jiang Qisheng.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

Collapsed?!

How wonderful.

Without that old fox, no one would dare use past favors to demand rewards.

Maintaining a stern expression, the Emperor announced, “As a duke, failing to report his absence is a sign of disregard for me. Dock his salary for a year.”

Eunuch Cao initially wanted to remind the Emperor that the punishment might be too harsh.

But seeing the Emperor’s slight smirk, he wisely kept quiet.

..

The Old Madam had just finished serving Duke An his medicine.

She leaned on Nanny Wang’s hand as she stepped into the outer room.

“Nanny Wang,” she took the tea handed to her, “the physician said the Duke merely suffered from excessive anger. He will recover soon. There is no need to worry.”

She rested her head on her hand, sighing.

“If only he had chosen Sheng’er as the heir earlier, we wouldn’t be suffering like this now.”

What angered her most was that Sheng’er had actually knelt before that wretched woman’s son.

Just like how she had once been mocked by that woman.

Nanny Wang voiced her concern, “Old Madam, now that the main household has completely turned against the Duke’s residence, they will surely compete for the heir’s position.”

The Old Madam’s frown deepened.

“What is there to fear? That woman’s son is nothing more than a dismissed official.”

Nanny Wang reminded her, “Though imperial favor is fickle, with the main household’s talents, regaining the Emperor’s trust is only a matter of time. The Old Madam should plan ahead.”

“You mean…”

Nanny Wang nodded.

“Some time ago, I noticed the eldest madam replacing all of her sons’ daily items. She must have discovered something.”

A slow approach would not do.

The Old Madam tightened her grip on her teacup.

Nanny Wang continued, “The day after tomorrow, the main household will make their usual trip to Puguo Temple. If anything were to happen on the way, no one would suspect us.”

Puguo Temple was far from the capital, with forests along the way and no guards in the mountains. It was the perfect place to act.

The Old Madam’s eyes gleamed dangerously as she gazed into the dark night.

After a long silence, she spoke.

“Go. Take my private savings and find that person.”

“Yes, Old Madam. I will handle it immediately.”