In the quiet alley behind Rongji Restaurant, a figure paced anxiously back and forth, feeling a vague sense of unease.

Something about this situation didn’t seem right—it wouldn’t go so smoothly.

Bang!

Half of the courtyard gate was violently kicked down.

A group of strangers barged in.

Before Housekeeper Hua could react, her hands were forcefully restrained.

“Who are you people? What do you want? Who let you in?” Housekeeper Hua struggled desperately.

However, she was outnumbered, and with her personal servant nowhere in sight, she could only watch helplessly as the intruders ransacked the house right in front of her.

It didn’t take long before they found a package.

Then, they brought in another person.

Housekeeper Hua’s pupils shrank in shock as she cried out, “Zhang Yun! Why are you here?”

Weren’t the iron-clad guards of the Marquis’ residence stationed at the border, protecting Huan Wen?

Why was he here?

Zhang Yun sneered, glancing at the items his subordinates had just uncovered.

“I should be asking you why you’re here. As for why I’m here…”

Housekeeper Hua struggled even harder. “I was just running an errand for the Madam! You have no right to treat me like this! I belong to the Madam’s household, not yours!”

Zhang Yun chuckled coldly. “Whether I have the right or not isn’t up to you or me. The rules of the Marquis’ residence decide that.”

“You’re using public power for personal revenge! The Madam won’t let you get away with this!” Fear gripped Housekeeper Hua’s heart as she continued struggling frantically.

Zhang Yun didn’t waste any more words.

He signaled his men, who immediately stuffed a rag into her mouth.

He even took the time to explain kindly, “Then we just won’t let the Madam find out. You should blame yourself for overstepping your bounds.”

“Mmmph! Mmm—!” Housekeeper Hua struggled in vain.

She had volunteered for this task, thinking it would be an easy job—just dealing with a lowly servant. Who would have thought this errand would become her grave?

Watching Housekeeper Hua being taken away, Zhang Yun finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he had arrived in time to catch her. Otherwise, he would have had no way to explain things to the Young Master.

This was already the third group of people they had dealt with recently.

He couldn’t understand—why had the Madam suddenly gone mad over the Qiao family?

She knew full well that they had saved the Young Master’s life, yet she was secretly trying to get rid of them.

Just then, a guard hurried over to report. “Captain, someone is coming!”

Zhang Yun hesitated only briefly before ordering, “We’re leaving. Deliver this evidence to the Young Master’s desk immediately. Wait for his instructions.”

“Yes, sir!”

..

Meanwhile, Qiao Xin and Fan Jihuai arrived at the small courtyard that they had been directed to, only to find the door wide open and the place completely deserted.

Fan Jihuai’s expression darkened. “We’re too late.”

Qiao Xin, however, remained unfazed. “You can run, but you can’t hide forever. We’ll meet again sooner or later.”

She never expected to catch the mastermind behind this in one go.

This kind of sneaky, underhanded attack—coming all the way from the capital?

Even a fool could guess who was behind it. It could only be the noble families of those young men.

But for now, she still had a small troublemaker to deal with.

Rong Guang shuddered as he listened to Qiao Xin’s words.

He deeply regretted ever provoking this fearsome woman.

Fan Jihuai nodded. “Don’t worry, Aunt. I’ll make sure this brat gives you a proper explanation.”

Qiao Xin turned to look at him, smiling. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Officer Fan. This old woman has been running around all day and is too tired to deal with this. I’ll be taking my leave.”

Fan Jihuai was relieved that she wasn’t pressing the issue further.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. “Take care, Aunt.”

Rong Guang, still in shock, watched as Qiao Xin walked away without looking back.

He pointed a trembling finger at her retreating figure. “S-She calls herself an old woman? Then what does that make us?!”

Fan Jihuai wasn’t amused.

He scowled. “Enough. Stop worrying about her and start worrying about yourself. You can’t hide this from your parents any longer.”

Rong Guang pulled a long face. “Do we have to tell my dad? He’ll kill me!”

Fan Jihuai was indifferent. “Better to be beaten than to have your whole family ruined. Besides, do you really think your father doesn’t know you’ve been throwing money around? Qiao Xin is willing to let this go, but do you think her son will be as forgiving? When you make a mistake, you own up to it. You’ve spent eighteen years being reckless—maybe it’s time to learn a lesson.”

Rong Guang’s premonition was right.

When Fan Jihuai told his family everything, his father was so furious that he yanked out several strands of his own beard.

Grabbing a bamboo stick, he chased Rong Guang all over the house.

Fan Jihuai, unfazed, calmly sipped his tea while watching the commotion.

His uncle occasionally cast meaningful glances at him, as if asking for help.

Fan Jihuai pretended not to notice. He had seen this scene many times growing up.

His uncle had never really punished his son harshly, which was exactly why Rong Guang had turned out this way.

And besides, the real trouble was yet to come.

When his uncle finally tired himself out, he shot a look at the butler.

The butler understood immediately and went to summon the real authority in the household.

“Rong Biao, you old fool! How dare you hit my son?!”

Ah, there she was. Every troublemaking child always had an overly indulgent parent.

Fan Jihuai stood up respectfully to greet his aunt.

Then, he stepped aside, watching as she joined the family brawl.

Now it was aunt beating uncle, uncle beating son—a chaotic scene of flying fists and shouting.

Only after the three of them were thoroughly exhausted did they remember that there was still an outsider in the room.

Looking at Fan Jihuai’s calm and composed face, his aunt awkwardly stepped forward. “Jihuai, dear nephew, look—your cousin has already been punished. We’ll pay extra compensation to make up for the damage, so there’s no need for us to go personally apologize, right?”

Fan Jihuai’s voice was cool. “If Aunt thinks an apology isn’t necessary, then don’t go. But whether they will accept that… is not up to me.”

His aunt hesitated.

She had lived a life of luxury, never once having to lower her head to anyone.

The idea of apologizing to some old village woman was unbearable.

“She’s not from some noble family! Their livelihood still depends on our Fan family! Why should I apologize? My son was the one who got beaten up!”

Fan Jihuai chuckled. “Who told you they rely on our family? They’ve never needed our support. They work under my eldest brother, but that doesn’t mean they depend on us. In fact, we owe them a great debt for saving his life. And trust me—their backers are not people we can afford to offend.”

His aunt frowned. “I just heard some rumors from the clan…”

“Then stop listening to rumors! Your son was lucky this time—Qiao Xin went easy on him. Do you have any idea who she is? The bandits of Lao Hu Town, the outlaws of Weizhou—every last one of them was subdued by her.”

“Prepare a proper gift, and you and Uncle will go personally to apologize. And you’d better start keeping an eye on my cousin. This time, we caught it in time. But if something like this happens again, do you really think he’ll be so lucky?”