Madam Jiang and her entourage hurried back to the Chu family residence.

Overcome with worry for her daughter, she paid no mind to her disheveled state and went straight to the courtyard where the coffin of “Jiang Yanyi” was placed.

Jiang Yangu also made his way over, though his feet were still bandaged, and without a wheelchair, he had to be carried on a stretcher by the servants.

The two elderly members of the Chu family were also in the courtyard.

The Old Madam, now elderly, had been devastated by the loss of her granddaughter.

When Chu Changping returned home in the middle of the night with the coffin, she fainted from grief.

The Old Master, fearing she’d be further distressed, didn’t allow her to see what had become of her granddaughter’s remains.

He had intended to look himself, but Chu Changping stopped him, saying he would dress “Jiang Yanyi” in burial clothes and tidy her appearance first.

The words were vague, but the Old Master understood that his granddaughter had been sent to such a wretched place.

Now, hearing this, he realized she likely hadn’t even had proper clothing on when she passed, and he shed more tears.

Slamming his cane to the ground, he cursed, “Tyrant! Unrighteous tyrant!”

When Madam Jiang entered the courtyard in tears, her brother saw her disheveled state and understood the hardships she had endured in the Jiang family.

He began to weep as well.

“My daughter! I should never have agreed to let you marry that scoundrel from the Jiang family!”

“You were his first wife, bound to him for life—how could he treat you so? And little Yanyi, no matter her flaws, was still his flesh and blood! How can he be so heartless?”

Old Madam Chu held her daughter, weeping to the point of almost fainting.

If they had learned earlier that their granddaughter had been sent to the frontier to serve in such a despicable role, they could have spent money to hire some outlaws to intercept and save her on the way.

But Minister Jiang had locked down all information, and by the time the news reached them, it was too late.

Madam Jiang, holding her mother, wept uncontrollably. “Mother, I’ve suffered so much… and my poor little Yanyi…”

Thinking of her daughter, Madam Jiang wiped her tears haphazardly, stood up, and walked straight toward the room where the coffin was placed.

The person had been dead for over ten days, and with the cooling autumn weather, the smell of decay wasn’t too overwhelming.

Besides those who knew her well, no one could recognize whether the person in the coffin was truly Jiang Yanyi who had died under such tragic circumstances.

A few elderly servants were washing the body in the coffin, preparing it for burial with a set of fine burial robes laid out nearby.

Madam Jiang pushed past the servants, crying as she took one last look at her deceased daughter.

But when she saw the corpse’s face, covered with signs of decomposition, she froze.

It wasn’t that the deceased looked horrifying.

Rather… this wasn’t her daughter at all!

Madam Jiang’s sobbing stopped abruptly as she thought perhaps Chu Changping had mistaken someone else for her daughter.

The idea that her daughter’s bones might still lie abandoned in a distant, barren land filled her with a mix of grief and rage.

She cried out, “This isn’t my Yanyi!”

The servants assumed her grief was overwhelming and tried to console her, “Madam, please find peace and acceptance.”

Ignoring them, Madam Jiang stormed out of the room. “Brother, the person you brought back isn’t Yanyi!”

Chu Changping was taken aback. “That’s not Yanyi?”

Madam Jiang, red-eyed, replied, “I would recognize my own daughter, my flesh and blood.”

By this point, the servants in the room had finished dressing the body, and Chu Changping, exhausted from days of traveling without rest, felt a dull ache in his head as Madam Jiang’s words struck him.

He entered the room to look himself, followed by the two elders of the Chu family.

Jiang Yangu, wanting to follow, was held back by Madam Jiang. “Your legs are still weak. Don’t go in. The person inside isn’t your sister.”

While Madam Jiang’s heart broke, thinking her daughter might still lie unburied in some remote wilderness, a hint of hope flickered in Jiang Yangu’s hollow gaze.

If the person Uncle had brought back wasn’t his sister, did that mean there was a chance she was still alive?

Inside, the two elders of the Chu family looked at the body in the coffin, and Old Master Chu, upon recognizing the mistake, slapped his son twice.

“What kind of uncle are you, to not even recognize your own niece?”

Chu Changping, with stubble covering his haggard face from the lack of sleep, could only feel the throbbing ache in his head grow worse.

The Old Madam, feeling pity for her son, stopped the Old Master from hitting him further. “Stop it! Changping is grieving too.”

Chu Changping mumbled, “That’s impossible. I was told it was Yanyi who was buried there, and the Prince of Liaonan, upon hearing what happened, even gifted the coffin for her burial. This coffin here is the one he gifted…”

At this moment, a young servant approached from outside. “Master, there’s a letter for you!”

There were few servants in the household who knew Chu Changping had returned, and they were all loyal to the Chu family.

The young servant was, of course, addressing Old Master Chu.

Old Master Chu was in a state of turmoil and had no mind to read the letter.

He immediately said, “Put it in the study; I’ll read it later!”

However, the young servant outside took one look at the seal on the letter and replied, trembling, “Master, this letter is from the Prince of Liaonan’s mansion.”

The Prince of Liaonan?

Old Master Chu and Madam Chu exchanged worried glances.

Their family had no dealings with the Prince of Liaonan, a man notorious throughout the court and the land for his brutality.

Upon hearing the words “Prince of Liaonan’s mansion,” Chu Changping felt a chill.

He quickly stepped out of the room, snatched the letter from the servant’s hand, and opened it.

Inside the envelope, stamped with the Prince’s seal, was a piece of letter paper and another smaller envelope.

Chu Changping quickly read the letter, then exclaimed with barely restrained joy, “Ah Yi is still alive!”

Old Master Chu and Madam Chu hurriedly came out upon hearing this.

Madam Jiang snatched the letter from Chu Changping’s hand.

After reading it, she was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to feel sorrow or joy.

Joy, because their daughter was still alive.

But the Emperor was about to move against the Chu family, and this was a matter of life and death for them all.

As a woman confined to the inner quarters, she had never imagined such disaster would befall them.

She looked anxiously at her brother, her hands trembling. “Third Brother, His Majesty wants to arrest you on charges of abandoning your post and plotting rebellion. What are we to do?”

At that moment, a trusted friend who had returned to the estate with Chu Changping also came rushing in with news. “Third Master, a detachment of imperial guards has left the Xuanwu Gate and is headed for Duhua Avenue. It seems they are coming for us!”

Madam Chu had just received the joyful news that her granddaughter was alive, but before she could celebrate, she suddenly learned of this disaster that could destroy the entire family.

She fainted on the spot.

“Madam!”

“Mother!”

The courtyard was immediately thrown into chaos.

Chu Changping quickly pinched Madam Chu’s philtrum, bringing her back to consciousness.

With teary eyes, she looked at her son, her heart filled with sorrow. “My child…”

Madam Jiang, in despair, slapped herself twice. “It’s my fault, all my fault! If I had taught Ah Yi better and not spoiled her, she would never have dared to take such underhanded actions against Concubine Xi in the palace. This is all because of my past mistreatment of her. I’ll go to the palace gate, kneel, and beg her to spare the Chu family. She can take my life if she wants…”

Chu Changping handed her the smaller envelope. “This is no time for foolish talk. Even if Ah Yi made mistakes, she doesn’t deserve this! It’s the fault of this muddle-headed ruler! Kneeling before the palace gates won’t change his decree.

Jiang family may not take you back, but the Chu family will always provide for you and the children.

Jiang Jing’an may write you a letter of divorce soon to avoid trouble himself. This letter from Ah Yi is for you; keep it safe. I must leave immediately…”

He glanced at his elderly parents, then turned to Madam Jiang. “If I am not here, honor our parents on my behalf.”

These words left everyone with red eyes.

Jiang Yanguan, who was seated on a stretcher, tightly gripped the stretcher’s handles, hating his own crippled legs more than ever. “Uncle!”

Chu Changping patted his head. “You carry half the blood of the Chu family, so don’t give up. Someday, your mother and sister will rely on you. Stand strong so that they have someone to lean on.”

Yanguan, choking back tears, nodded. “I understand…”

Chu Changping then knelt before his parents, bowing deeply. “Father, Mother, forgive me for bringing such calamity upon our family.”

The old couple quickly lifted him up.

Old Master Chu had read the letter from the Prince of Liaonan and knew that the Prince would send someone to help Chu Changping escape.

As long as he got out of the city, the Emperor would be powerless against him. “Go quickly, before anything unexpected happens!”

If Chu Changping wasn’t in the residence, even if the imperial guards searched the place, they couldn’t charge the family without finding him.

With tears in her eyes, Madam Chu also urged him, “Go!”

With one last look at his parents, Chu Changping turned and left.

Old Master Chu then instructed the servants, “Remove the coffin. If the imperial guards come, say it was a relative of Steward He who met with an accident here. Once this is over, find a good place to bury this poor girl.”

—

As the imperial guards reached Duhua Avenue, they suddenly encountered an opulent carriage.

The guards were used to bullying their way through the streets, so one of them yelled, “Move aside, move aside! The imperial guards are conducting official business. Out of the way!”

From within the carriage, a delicate hand with bright red nails lifted the golden silk curtain, revealing a graceful woman with a slight sneer on her lips. “You imperial guards sure have some nerve, daring to block this Princess’s way!”

When the guards saw it was Princess Wenshu, they fell silent.

Princess Wenshu was the late Emperor’s most beloved daughter and the current Emperor’s aunt.

Her words carried more weight with the Emperor than those of the Empress Dowager herself.

The captain of the guards, noticing the commotion, approached and, upon hearing what had transpired, immediately reprimanded the guard who had spoken out of turn, whipping him across the face until it bled.

The guard didn’t dare utter a sound.

The captain bowed deeply to the Princess. “Your Highness, please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness. I apologize on his behalf.”

The Princess sneered, “I thought perhaps the Emperor had lost his affection for me, seeing as even the lowest soldiers dare to bark at me!”

The captain bent even lower. “I wouldn’t dare, Your Highness. But I am under imperial orders and must proceed. I hope you will allow me to make amends on another day.”

The Princess’s face grew cold.

With her youthful appearance, she looked more like a young girl than a woman in her thirties. “I don’t see a hint of sincerity in your apology, Captain. Do you plan to invoke imperial orders to silence me?”

She ordered her coachman to move the carriage forward, blocking the entire avenue, and turned back to the captain. “This Princess’s carriage will remain here. You may either take a detour or make a proper apology.”

The captain, well aware of her reputation for being difficult, found himself in an impossible situation.

A detour was out of the question, as the Chu residence lay halfway down Duhua Avenue.

If he arrived too late and allowed Chu Changping to escape, he would have to face the Emperor’s wrath.

“Your Highness, please don’t make things difficult for me.”

Had it not been for the Princess’s old grudge with the Chu family, he might have suspected her of deliberately obstructing them to help Chu Changping escape.