The master and servant headed towards the gate of General Weiyuan's mansion.

The streets were bustling with activity when suddenly, a group of officers in armor and with swords at their waists escorted a man menacingly toward the direction of General Weiyuan's mansion.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the two constables from the Dali Temple were leading the way, with the disheveled Jiang Yuelan being dragged along on either side.

Upon seeing this, the people on the street stopped and gathered around to watch, whispering among themselves.

"This, isn't this Jiang Yuelan?"

"It's her! I heard she was arrested by the Dali Temple for murdering her own niece!"

"Yes, yes, isn't she Yao Shiyu's mother!"

"Alas, Miss Yao has superb medical skills and good character. How could she have such a vicious mother?"

"Like begets like. A son of a rat knows how to dig a hole." With a mother like that, how good can the daughter be?

Listening to the whispers of the people, Jiang Luoluo stood at the entrance of General Weiyuan's mansion, her eyes smiling and her expression calm, as if she had expected all of this.

A constable stepped forward, bowed, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Miss Jiang!"

Jiang Luoluo waved her hand, her expression dignified and composed, and said calmly, "Sir, what brings you here?"

Another constable raised the gleaming imperial edict in his hand, stepped forward, and announced loudly: "By imperial decree, Yao Shiyu, daughter of Deputy General Yao, and her mother Su Cuirong are hereby summoned to receive the decree."

Jiang Luoluo smiled slightly, gestured to Dingdang, and said softly, "Dingdang, quickly go to the front hall and invite the old lady and cousin to come and receive the imperial decree."

Dingdang understood and quickly ran towards the front hall.

In the courtyard, Jiang Yuelan heard Jiang Luoluo's clear voice and slowly raised her head.

Hatred welled up in her cloudy eyes as she stared intently at Jiang Luoluo's retreating figure.

"Madam, someone from the palace has come with an imperial decree, ordering you and Physician Yao to hurry and receive it!" Dingdang shouted as she ran.

Upon hearing this in the front hall, Yao Shiyu's eyes lit up with joy.

She raised her hand and gently smoothed her hair, a confident smile spreading across her lips. She never expected that the Empress Dowager would go to such lengths for her, actually managing to obtain an imperial edict from the Emperor!

Su Cuirong held the teacup in her hand, her hands trembling slightly.

Hearing Dingdang's words, her eyes were full of doubt. Why would the Emperor suddenly issue an edict at this time?

Seeing this, Yao Shiyu comforted her, "Grandmother, there's no need to worry. It's most likely an imperial decree bestowing the marriage upon you."

Upon hearing this, Su Cuirong suddenly realized what was happening, quickly swallowed the tea, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

Madam Gu and Gu Boyuan also stood up at the same time, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

Yao Shiyu had previously told them that she had met the Empress Dowager when she entered the palace, and that the Empress Dowager had shown great favor to her, the female physician.

If the Empress Dowager were to request the Emperor's decree to grant her the marriage, it would be a perfectly logical thing to do.

The group immediately perked up, straightened their backs, and strode towards the front yard, their expressions brimming with pride and confidence, as if they could already see the glory and splendor brought by the imperial edict.

As soon as the group turned the corner of the covered walkway, they saw a disheveled man kneeling on the ground in the front yard.

Yao Shiyu was startled, then her expression changed drastically. She rushed forward in a panic and cried out in a shrill voice, "Mother!"

Su Cuirong swayed, stumbled, and the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, scattering into pieces.

With the help of her old woman, Su Cuirong hurriedly arrived at Jiang Yuelan's side and staggered down to half-squat.

Her trembling hands touched Jiang Yuelan's dirty face, her voice shaking and choked with sobs, "Third brother, how did you end up like this..."

The head constable glanced at them coldly and said impatiently, "Everyone's here. Receive the decree."

Yao Shiyu forced back her tears, wiped the marks on her face, and knelt down with her head down. Su Cuirong also knelt down in a daze, her body trembling slightly.

The head constable unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict and read it aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Jiang Yuelan, wife of Deputy General Yao, is wicked and has persecuted the daughter of General Weiyuan, but fortunately, she has not been killed."

Considering the merits rendered by Vice General Yao before his death, Jiang Yuelan was spared the death penalty.

He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. He is hereby ordered to be sent to Yuanhua Temple immediately, to spend the rest of his life with only the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp, and never to leave the temple grounds again.

Her mother, Su Cuirong, was punished for failing to properly educate her daughter. She was fined 10,000 taels of silver and made to copy Buddhist scriptures 100 times.

His daughter, Yao Shiyu, was found negligent and disrespectful; she is hereby fined one thousand taels of silver and ordered to copy the *Rules for Women* and *Admonitions for Women* one hundred times each. So be it!

As soon as the words were spoken, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence, followed by a low gasp of surprise.

Madam Gu turned to look at Gu Boyuan in disbelief, her voice full of accusation, "Didn't you say that the Empress Dowager would stand up for Yao Shiyu? What has this result been?"

The thought that her son was marrying the daughter of a criminal made her feel a lump in her throat, and she could hardly breathe.

Gu Boyuan's face turned ashen, and he fell silent. This scene had come too suddenly, and he hadn't expected it.

On the other side, Yao Shiyu knelt on the ground, her body trembling slightly. Tears on her face were mixed with unconcealed resentment. She raised her head and stared intently at Jiang Luoluo standing to the side, her eyes filled with boundless hatred.

Jiang Luoluo crossed her arms, her eyes smiling with a hint of mockery.

She leaned slightly forward and spoke in a low voice, "Cousin, as the saying goes, don't be too proud of yourself too soon. Do you understand now?"

Yao Shiyu bit her lip so hard that her teeth almost dug into her flesh, but she could only lower her head and respectfully accept the imperial edict with hatred in her eyes.

The constable said coldly, "Madam Su, Miss Yao, the fine is 11,000 taels of silver. Please bring it here as soon as possible."

Su Cuirong then came to her senses, her lips trembling, and hurriedly instructed the old woman, "Quickly go to the storeroom and get the silver!"

Just as the old woman was about to get up, Jiang Luoluo stepped forward and blocked her way, her tone calm but with a hint of authority, "Grandmother, the fine is ordered by the Emperor and should be drawn from your private treasury."

Taking silver from the General's treasury would be a grave disrespect to the Emperor, punishable by law.

When the constable arrived, he had already received Xie Yizhi's instructions. He nodded in agreement, his tone stern, "Miss Jiang is absolutely right. Madam Su, we should hurry up and make preparations. We are in a hurry to return and report to the Emperor."

Su Cuirong's face turned ashen, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. She could only command in a trembling voice, "Go...go and fetch my private silver."

Before long, the old woman returned carrying a box.

Su Cuirong reluctantly handed over the box, saying, "Sir, please take a look."

The head constable took the box, counted the contents in front of everyone, and after a moment, said coldly, "No more, no less, it's exactly eleven thousand taels."

Su Cuirong's face was ashen, while Yao Shiyu clenched her sleeves tightly, her knuckles turning white, her eyes filled with an overwhelming despair.

The head constable glanced at the kneeling crowd and finally spoke coldly to Jiang Yuelan: "Madam Yao, pack your things and set off immediately."

Jiang Yuelan gritted her teeth and stood up from the ground, limping to Jiang Luoluo. Her filthy face was twisted with resentment.

She practically spat out through gritted teeth, "Jiang Luoluo, you'll die a horrible death!"