Every day, Fan Jihuai led his men to patrol the city walls to prevent too many vagrants from gathering—there were always troublemakers causing disturbances.

Today, before even getting close, he noticed a crowd gathering in excitement.

He grabbed someone nearby and asked, “What’s going on?”

The man was eager to watch the commotion and was annoyed at being stopped, but seeing Fan Jihuai’s official robes, he immediately answered respectfully, “Officer, you may not know, but the young master of the Rong family has been beaten up—it’s happening just ahead!”

Fan Jihuai’s heart skipped a beat.

Seeing more and more people rushing toward the scene, he quickly ran forward and called to his colleagues, “Go check it out! Something’s happening over there!”

His colleague scoffed, “Something happens here every day!”

Meanwhile, Rong Guang—who had been arrogant and domineering for years—was experiencing firsthand what it felt like to have no way out.

This fierce woman in front of them wasn’t intimidated by threats or bribery.

She tossed them around like monkeys, leaving no one able to escape.

They were completely trapped—so much so that they couldn’t even send someone to call for help!

Even when Rong Guang flaunted his prestigious family name, the woman acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Move aside! The government is handling this!” Fan Jihuai flashed his badge, dispersing the crowd after a long effort.

He had expected to find a brutal scene of violence, but what he saw instead was… someone playing with a group of “monkeys.”

Just as he was about to take a closer look, a familiar voice called out.

“Fan Jihuai! It’s me! Help me!”

Fan Jihuai stopped in his tracks.

When he looked up and recognized the person calling him, he exclaimed in shock, “Auntie?! Why is it you?!”

Qiao Xin stiffened and immediately flung something away, sending it flying two meters with a loud thud.

Fan Jihuai hurriedly brushed away the mess and finally saw the miserable figure in front of him. “Rong Guang?! How is it you?!”

Gone was Rong Guang’s usual arrogant demeanor.

His face was covered in snot and tears, looking utterly disheveled.

Seeing a familiar face— even if it was usually a rival—he clung onto Fan Jihuai for dear life.

“Fan Jihuai! Arrest this troublemaking female bandit!”

“Oh? Weren’t you just calling her ‘Ancestor’? Now she’s a female bandit?”

Rong Guang shrank back, burying his head against Fan Jihuai’s back, refusing to speak.

How could he have forgotten about this terrifying woman?!

Qiao Xin smiled cheerfully and greeted Fan Jihuai. “Well, what a coincidence, Officer Fan! I was just about to look for you to seek justice.

I was peacefully posting a hiring notice to find some workers for my fields. These men came out of nowhere, smashed my stall, demanded a ridiculous stall fee—ten taels of silver!—and even threatened to break my legs.”

Fan Jihuai turned to Rong Guang in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind? Of all the people to mess with, you chose Qiao Xin?!”

Rong Guang felt doomed.

Fan Jihuai clearly knew this demon woman.

He realized that today, he wouldn’t be able to get justice for himself.

Qiao Xin clapped her hands, looked down at the men sprawled on the ground, and shook her head. “Am I right?”

The gang of thugs, seeing the situation, hurriedly crawled behind Rong Guang and knelt down, begging for mercy.

“Yes, yes! Please forgive us, Lady Qiao! We were blind and offended you—we won’t dare do it again!”

Qiao Xin spread her hands and turned to Fan Jihuai. “You heard them. I wasn’t lying. You have to stand up for me!”

Fan Jihuai: ???

Rong Guang felt like his world was collapsing.

Who exactly should he stand up for? Weren’t they the ones being bullied?!

Just as he was about to protest, he met Qiao Xin’s playful yet chilling gaze and immediately shrank back again.

Fan Jihuai sighed, tired of dealing with him. If it weren’t for their families’ long-standing ties, he wouldn’t even bother.

He turned to Qiao Xin and asked, “Auntie, how do you want to handle this?”

“You two seem to know each other. Since we have some history, I won’t make things difficult for you. He just needs to compensate double for everything his people destroyed.”

Fan Jihuai nodded. “That’s only fair.”

Qiao Xin continued, “And he should tell us who sent him and what orders he received.”

Fan Jihuai’s heart sank.

He quickly turned to Rong Guang. “Tell me the truth—what’s going on?”

Rong Guang stubbornly replied, “There’s no mastermind! It was just my idea. Don’t try to frame anyone! Do you think the Qiao family is some big deal?”

Qiao Xin chuckled. “Did I ever say my last name was Qiao? Officer Fan never addressed me by name. You said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so how did you know I was from the Qiao family?”

Rong Guang shuddered.

He suddenly realized—he had just exposed himself!

Fan Jihuai’s expression darkened. “I sincerely tried to help you, but you take me for a fool! That’s it—I’m done. Auntie, take him to the government office. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—attacking the family of a sixth-rank military officer is a serious crime.”

Rong Guang panicked. “You’re bluffing! She’s just a peasant woman! How could she be the wife of a fifth-rank officer?!”

Fan Jihuai sneered. “Oh? Seems like the person who manipulated you didn’t tell you everything. Qiao Xin’s two sons are both captains in the Wei Prefecture Army and are currently fighting on the front lines.

Her second son already has a scholar’s title and will soon take the imperial exam—my own father praises his talent. And yet, you—a mere merchant’s son—dared to cause trouble for their family? If we weren’t distant relatives, I wouldn’t even be wasting my time on you.”

Rong Guang was now terrified, his face drained of color. “That’s impossible! He told me she was just a commoner. That as long as I didn’t kill her, just gave her a small lesson, nothing would happen!”

Qiao Xin smirked. “Oh? Then why didn’t he tell you I know martial arts? If I had hit a little harder, you’d already be drinking tea with the King of Hell.

Seems like he was playing us against each other, hoping we’d both get hurt. I’m curious—what did he promise you?”

Rong Guang finally gave up resisting and spilled everything.

“I don’t even know his full name. He said his surname was Hua and lived in the alley behind Rongji Restaurant. We met through some drinking buddies, and I’ve only known him for about half a month. He was really generous with money.

I used to complain about my father scolding me, and he said he could help me find a patron in the capital. My father always looks down on me, so I thought if I succeeded in this task, he would finally take me seriously…”