Tao Hongying was both amused and exasperated. She slapped her daughter's forehead and said, "You're such a big girl now, and you're not as sensible as Xingxing and Yueya!"

Despite her apparent disdain, she squatted down and said with a smile, "Come on, let me carry you a few steps and cheer you up so you won't be sad anymore."

Jiayin immediately jumped onto her mother's back, hugged her neck, and kicked her little feet happily, "My mother is the best!"

Tao Hongying lifted her daughter up a little, and sighed with a smile, "I really can't carry you anymore. I wish your father were home."

Jiayin looked down and saw that there were a few gray hairs in her mother's hair bun. She stopped laughing, and her nose couldn't help but feel sore.

Their little family consists of only four people. Her father is away fighting, her brother is missing, and she, the daughter, is always causing trouble. Her mother must be feeling very bad.

But she still works tirelessly every day, taking care of her elders, looking after her children, and managing the household affairs...

Jiayin quickly struggled to get off her mother's back, then turned to the front and carried her mother on her back with all her might.

"Mom, let me carry you for a bit too!"

Tao Hongying, unaware that her daughter was feeling sorry for her, laughed and half-lay on her daughter's back, saying, "Alright, Mom can enjoy some happiness too!"

In fact, Jiayin was only taller than her mother's shoulder, and Tao Hongying could only wrap her arms around her daughter's shoulders; she still had to walk on her own two legs.

The mother and daughter, laughing and joking, entered the yard like conjoined twins.

Grandma Li, Wenjuan, and Wan'er sat in the main room and couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Taking the opportunity, Grandma Li urged her two granddaughters-in-law, "You two have to work hard, you must give yourselves a daughter."

"Look how thoughtful our daughter is, spending so much time with her mother. If it were a naughty boy, he would have disappeared long ago!"

Wan'er and Wenjuan both nodded with blushes, feeling a mix of happiness and complicated emotions.

In other people's homes, elders who relentlessly urge their wives to have children, regardless of their health, are all hoping for a son.

Only the Li family, from the oldest to the youngest, so desperately longed for the birth of a daughter…

That night, when it was completely dark, Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen returned from the city together.

Afterwards, Li Zhensheng brought the three Jiaren brothers into the courtyard.

After everyone washed up and changed into clean clothes and shoes, they gathered in the main room to eat.

Madam Wen knew that something had happened during the day and was worried about it, so she asked Sister Qiong and Granny Tian to look after Yueya'er and came over to listen to a few words.

Grandma Li and the others had finished eating and were now sitting in the east room talking.

It wasn't until Li Zhensheng and the others finished their meal, the table was cleared, and tea, fruit, and snacks were served again, that everyone gathered together.

Cat Brother hugged the fruit plate and ate oranges with gusto.

Seeing that he looked a little unwell, Jiayin didn't stop him. Instead, she asked Shuiling to fetch a few pears from the backyard for him.

Old Mrs. Li had been holding back for half a day, and now she could finally ask a few questions. "Zhensheng, these children are afraid that I will worry, so they won't tell me anything in detail no matter how I ask them."

"Did someone attack Fu Niu'er again during the day? Have you brought the bad guy back?"

Li Zhensheng nodded, trying to make it sound as lighthearted as possible.

"Mother, don't worry, these children are very clever. Someone was pretending to be a woman selling glutinous rice balls and wanted to poison them, but the children discovered the trick early on and devised a plan to capture the Wu family's people."

"Moreover, it just so happened that Zheng Yi and Zheng San from the Zheng family, as well as Mu Xu, had just returned to Xindu from outside and lent a hand, making everything go very smoothly."

"Previously, the Wu family plotted against Fu Niu'er, but we didn't have enough evidence. Now we don't have to worry about that anymore. Tomorrow we can go to the Emperor to file a complaint."

Li Laotian breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "This is really great. These days, keeping Fu Niu'er cooped up at home has been stifling for the child, and I've been worried sick about her."

"Now that we have the evidence, the Wu family can't deny it anymore, and we don't need to be on guard all the time!"

After saying that, she frowned again and instructed, "Even if you go to the Emperor to complain, you should think it over carefully and be mindful of the consequences."

"As far as the Emperor is concerned, no matter how bad the Empress and the Wu family are, they are still his wife and father-in-law's family. If things get too big, it will damage the Emperor's reputation, and the Emperor will not be happy."

"But we don't want to make things difficult for the Emperor. We just need to get justice and make sure no one dares to bully Fu Niu'er again!"

Everyone could hear the concerns in Old Lady Li's words.

After all, the Li family came from a very low social standing. They had only heard of the Empress and the Wu family a few times before, let alone considered them as enemies.

But the Empress and the Wu family have gone too far. The Li family has no choice but to take the step of filing a complaint in order to protect their child and punish their enemies.

Li Lao Er quickly said, "Mother, don't worry, we know what we're doing."

"I just brought back two more witnesses, both of whom were servants of Madam Wu. I obtained a lot of important information from them."

"Not only will it solidify the Wu family's guilt, but it will also exonerate our family. The Emperor certainly won't hold a grudge against us; we might even receive a reward!"

"Really?" Old Mrs. Li was pleasantly surprised. "That's wonderful! Our family doesn't need any reward, we just want to live a peaceful life."

"Speaking of which, having the Wu family as a wife's clan is a real headache for the Emperor, as they can't help with anything and only cause trouble in various ways..."

Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, back then, that boy from the Wu family was unwilling to go and defend the country, so the Empress's grandfather risked his life to go to the palace to beg for a pardon."

"The Wu family, young and old, all hold nominal positions; they are truly incompetent in both literary and martial arts, a bunch of good-for-nothings."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, everyone made the old lady happy, and then had Wan'er and Wenjuan accompany her to the backyard to rest.

But Tao Hongying, Madam Wen, and Jiayin stayed behind.

Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er then laid out all the evidence they had, and the group brainstormed and discussed how to file a complaint the next day.

Just as the old lady said, the Li family's demand was to punish the Wu family, and ideally, to also expose the Wang family, the mastermind behind it all, to draw the emperor's wrath.

However, the Li family did not want to get involved with the "partner" in the inner palace who was cooperating with the Wang family.

They'd better even pretend they don't know...

With the Marquis not at home, the Li family's strength alone is still too weak.

Moreover, if the power struggles within the imperial court were to be inadvertently drawn in, the Li family would never have a peaceful day again…

Leaving aside the discussions within the Li family, back in the palace, after more than half a day, the Empress finally received news from her family.

She angrily ripped the handkerchief in her hand and cursed, "How come it took so long to send a message about something this big?"

The palace maid who served her closely felt bitter but dared not argue.

The Wu family is currently under investigation by the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, forced to reflect on their actions behind closed doors. They are nowhere to be seen as powerful as they once were.

Moreover, the Empress had not given birth to a prince, and there were rumors everywhere about establishing a crown prince. Everyone in the palace was currying favor with the Consort and her son, so how could they possibly take the Empress and the Wu family seriously?!

It's already quite good that the Wu family managed to send the message in; there's no reason to be picky about the speed...

Unfortunately, these words could not be said to the Empress, leaving only the servants to suffer.

Fortunately, the Empress was so terrified that the matter had been exposed that she disregarded everything else.

She walked around the room countless times before finally coming up with a "way" to save herself!

Here's the third update! My darlings, this book has reached 1.8 million words, and we've reached the most challenging part for my writing skills. Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, so I'm requesting double updates to arrange the outline and details for the future, which will make writing smoother. Please wait a little longer; three updates will resume as usual on Monday. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Love you all!