At this moment, I saw that Lu's mother had lost her composure.

She immediately shrieked, "It's her bad luck that ruined Grandma! You poisonous woman!"

Shen Qingtang's eyes flashed with anger, and she raised her hand to slap Jiao Jiao's mouth again. With a "smack", her lips swelled up and she could no longer make a sound.

"You brat! What are you saying, barking like a dog!" Shen Qingtang's voice was icy, each word like a knife. "I'm your mother, and this is how you talk to your mother? You're disrespectful to your elders and dare to slander your own mother. I've wasted my time raising you!"

Jiaojiao was stunned by the beating.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I felt both angry and suspicious.

In the past, Shen Qingtang was very obedient to her. He would never hit her or even say anything harsh to her.

Why is she acting like a completely different person today? She's clearly her parents' child, so why is her mother suddenly treating her like this?

Seeing Jiaojiao being hit, Lin Peirou instinctively moved forward protectively, choking back tears as she said, "Sister-in-law, Jiaojiao is still young, please don't hold it against her..."

"I'm disciplining my own daughter, what right do you have to interfere?"

Shen Qingtang glanced at her coldly, her words laced with sarcasm, "You care so much about her, could it be... that she's your child?"

Lin Peirou trembled with fright, her face turning deathly pale. She instinctively shrank back, shaking her head hastily, "Sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about! I... I just feel sorry for the child..."

"Oh? Is that so?" Shen Qingtang drawled, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over her lower abdomen.

Finally, his hand landed on her buttocks, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I almost forgot, Miss Lin is still a virgin, so naturally she wouldn't do such a shameful thing, right?"

These words pierced Lin Peirou's heart like a needle.

She was both ashamed and angry, her nails digging deep into her palms until they bled, but she didn't even notice.

The hatred in her eyes was almost overflowing. This Shen Qingtang was clearly deliberately humiliating her!

She suddenly looked at Shen Qingtang's wrist. Where was that white jade bracelet? It was definitely on her wrist a moment ago!

Shen Qingtang caught her gaze and sneered inwardly.

She had long ago stored the bracelet in her spatial storage, and it had even merged with her aura, becoming a part of her body.

Even if Lin Peirou stood right in front of him, he wouldn't be able to touch her again, let alone steal her.

The group was dragged forward, and Lu's mother was still cursing under her breath because of the itching.

Jiaojiao covered her mouth and sobbed.

Lin Peirou stared intently at Shen Qingtang's back, her nails digging even deeper.

She had only one thought in her mind: she had to get that bracelet back.

The exiled procession escorted Lu Jin and his entourage onto the main street, where the people gathered around, pointing and gossiping.

"Aren't these people from the Marquis of Yongning's residence? How did they end up in such a state?"

"I heard their house was robbed, someone was killed, and even the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was implicated!"

"Serves them right! They always acted arrogantly because of their title, now they're getting their comeuppance!"

As Lu Jin listened to these discussions, his head was almost bowed to the ground.

His hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He had never been so disheveled.

Shen Qingtang stood with her back straight and her head held high, completely ignoring the pointing and whispering around her, as if she were walking in her own garden.

He was seething with hatred, but he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

Just then, Shen Qingtang's gaze fell on the prison cart on the other side of the procession.

Inside lay a man, and even though he was wearing prison clothes and his face was as pale as paper, his breathtakingly handsome features were still undeniable.

He was breathing weakly, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.

He was clearly seriously injured.

It was Pei Wuwang, the former General Who Guards the Nation, who had been stripped of his title.

A little boy of about three years old was curled up beside him, his features strikingly similar to Pei Wuwang's. Yet, he possessed a cold, British air that belied his age, protecting him with his small body, calling out "Daddy" softly but with unwavering determination.

Not far away, Pei Wuwang's family members were also being escorted, weeping and wailing.

His father was ashen-faced, while his stepmother, Lady Qin, was wailing and beating her chest, "It's all this wretched child's fault! He angered the Emperor and implicated our whole family! We have nothing to do with him!"