On the day of the execution of the Left Prime Minister's family and the Marquis of Anyang's family, the entire Marquis of Lin'an's family came out, except for the married women.

The male members of the Marquis of Lin'an's household who were studying at the Bili Academy also rushed back, just to witness the villains' fate.

Those who committed crimes lined up in a long queue and were escorted to the execution ground by government officials and yamen runners.

The Left Prime Minister was covered in injuries and could barely walk; he had to be supported by two yamen runners.

Marquis Li Zhenxing of Anyang must be the most miserable. Two days ago, Marquis Lin'an entered the palace to meet the emperor and was granted permission by the emperor to enter the dark prison.

After the Marquis of Lin'an emerged from the dark prison, the bloodstains between Li Zhenxing's legs soaked his trousers.

Xing Zhi was forced to order a doctor to enter the dark prison to treat Li Zhenxing, ensuring that Li Zhenxing's life could be kept alive before being taken to the execution ground and beheaded as a warning to the public.

These days, Madam Jia has been terrified in the dark prison. Every day she has to deal with the mad Jia Zhenxian and suffer mental torture from the Shadow Guards.

Now, she not only walks unsteadily, but the faces standing on both sides of the street seem demonized, as if they have all come to take her life.

She wanted to shout, but her voice had long been hoarse from shouting in the dark prison, and the sounds she could make now were like the wind breaking through the air, extremely unpleasant.

Jia Zhenxian, who was walking behind Madam Jia, was not having an easy time either; Lu Qiqi had slashed her face.

And just as Lu Qiqi said, that scar had no chance of healing.

Having to look in the mirror every day under the Shadow Guard's pressure, it's hard not to go crazy.

But now, she can't make a sound at all.

The reason was simple: the person in charge of punishments in the dark prison disliked her endless howling day and night, so he ordered someone to remove something from her mouth.

Li Qiyuan walked behind his elders, his face ashen and his head hanging low. He had been captured by the Shadow Guards in the Jia family's hometown and was sent to the execution ground without even a chance to resist.

At this moment, he wished he were Li Minjun, at least he would still have a glimmer of hope to live.

After the onlookers figured out the whole story, some busybodies began to look for Jia Zhenxian, who had been manipulating people.

"Is this it? It looks like her!"

"Her face was covered in pus and rotten flesh; she was so ugly. How could the Marquis of Anyang commit such a heinous crime for a woman like that!"

Why do you always blame women when something goes wrong?

"If it weren't for these scoundrels who would stop at nothing to climb the ladder, none of this would have happened!"

"If you ask me, the most pitiful one is the Marquis of Lin'an. His own daughter was killed by the son of his old friend of many years. I wonder if he regrets saving that ungrateful wretch!"

"This matter cannot be blamed on Marquis Lin'an. If he had known that such a thing would happen, he would have let the old Marquis Anyang fend for himself back then."

After the three women finished sighing, they saw the criminal about to walk up to them.

So they looked at each other to see if there was anything in each other's baskets.

Did you bring rotten eggs?

"Who carries that thing?"

"I have rotten vegetable leaves here!"

Just as they were about to lift up the rotten vegetable leaves, the surrounding people threw eggs and vegetable leaves at them.

The scene was both orderly and extremely chaotic.

At Chen Xianming's command, the executioners raised their swords.

In an instant, watermelons rolled to the ground, leaving a pool of bright red stains.

The people of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion had their eyes reddened by the blood on the ground.

With Xuan Wenying's support, Madam Chen stood at the very front of Xingtai.

When she saw the familiar faces kneeling on the ground, their heads falling to the ground, her hands clenched tightly, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Serves them right!"

The criminal was beheaded, and the yamen runners were responsible for sweeping the execution platform. The onlookers dispersed one after another.

People from the Marquis of Lin'an's residence also rode in this carriage back to their home.

In the carriage, Chen Siqi saw that Ding Wanyue's face was pale, so she put her hand on Ding Wanyue's hand, only to find that her hand was very cold.

Chen Siqi thought Ding Wanyue was ill. "Mother, were you too frightened by the bloody scene? Why don't we go back to the manor and ask a doctor to come and examine you?"

It's no wonder she didn't notice that Ding Wanyue was acting strangely; after all, the scene just now made her feel very uncomfortable, and she even felt that she wouldn't dare to sleep alone tonight.

Ding Wanyue said, "Siqi, Mother is fine. She was just frightened by what happened just now. She'll be fine after she goes back and rests."

You don't need to tell your father about this. He's been busy these past few days; he doesn't need to worry about such a small matter.

Chen Siqi wanted to say something more, but her mother gripped her hand tightly, causing her pain.

She hissed coldly, "It hurts."

Upon hearing this, Ding Wanyue seemed to wake from a dream and quickly let go of Chen Siqi's hand.

Without offering a single word of comfort, she reached out and lifted the carriage curtain, turning her gaze to the bustling street below.

...

After being beheaded and her head displayed at the execution ground, Ding Wanyue fell seriously ill.

After three days of unsuccessful treatment with the medicine, Lu Qiqi went to visit him in person.

However, Ding Wanyue claimed that her condition had improved, but she didn't want Lu Qiqi to come into the house, claiming that she was afraid of passing on her illness to her.

Lu Qiqi recalled that when she first arrived at the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, Ding Wanyue had tricked her into revealing information.

After that, Ding Wanyue must have realized that she had made a lot of mistakes by saying too much, so she never set foot in the main house's courtyard again.

She recalled what Zeng had said back then, how Zeng and her mother had escaped under the protection of the government soldiers.

Afterwards, Zeng returned to the Lin'an Marquis's residence to seek help, but unexpectedly, not only did the gatekeeper not recognize Zeng, but the maid of the second branch also refused to let Zeng in.

All these events, when put together, show that regardless of Ding Wanyue's role in them, this matter is definitely closely related to her.

It's even quite possible that she was an important part of it.

Thinking of this, Lu Qiqi called Xuan Wenying and went to Old Madam Chen's courtyard.

Madam Chen has been feeling much better these past few days and is eating more than usual.

When Lu Qiqi and Xuan Wenying entered the room, Old Madam Chen and Chen Xianming were having lunch.

Upon seeing the younger generation, the two elderly people invited them to sit down without asking why, and asked the servants to bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Lu Qiqi thought that rather than letting the elderly eat poorly, it would be better to wait until they finished eating before making any decisions.

The meal was a pleasant and harmonious affair.

The servants cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and Lu Qiqi then had two bowls of warm water brought up.

The two elderly people looked at each other and seemed to understand something, their expressions remaining calm.

Seeing their reaction, Xuan Wenying didn't know how to start the conversation.

Lu Qiqi handed them two nitroglycerin pills, which the two elderly people swallowed with practiced ease.

The familiarity with it made even a junior like her feel a pang of heartache.

Chen Xianming spoke first, "Your maternal grandfather has lived most of his life and has seen all kinds of situations. Just say what you have to say."

Instead of keeping it a secret, you've really frightened your grandmother.

Old Madam Chen feigned anger, "What's there to be afraid of with these old bones!"

The two old people bickering, on ordinary days, can make the younger generation laugh.

However, Xuan Wenying and Lu Qiqi remained expressionless, and the two old people also understood the seriousness of the matter.

Lu Qiqi pursed her lips and said, "Grandfather, Grandmother, my mother's personal maid Zeng Huiniang is still alive."