innocent

By the time she came to her senses, Qing Shuang had already stepped in front of her.

The commotion inside the house attracted attention, and the arrows outside the window stopped. She looked at Qing Shuang and used all her strength to call for a doctor.

He then collapsed from exhaustion.

When she woke up again, she saw her mother leaning against the headboard of her bed, and her father sitting far away at the table, his head drooping.

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting a dim, warm glow that brought a long-lost sense of peace.

"Miss, you're awake?"

Bai Zhi asked softly, and she nodded slightly. Just as she was about to ask about Qing Shuang's condition, Bai Zhi spoke up.

"Dr. Li has examined Qing Shuang, and she's fine now. Miss, you should rest well. Qing Shuang has always been healthy since she was little, and she'll be better in a few days."

She glanced at Bai Zhi again, who chuckled softly, "Qingdai is taking care of her, Miss, you don't need to worry."

Seeing Bai Zhi's smiling face, she finally felt relieved.

"Ah Yun, you're awake?"

Ruan Qingshang's hazy eyes cleared up instantly, and her voice woke Jiang Jinhong, who was sitting in the chair.

She felt that the two of them seemed to have aged a lot, and their eyes were always filled with a deep weariness.

"Poor Ayun, who were those damned people who took your life? It's so hard to even live a normal life..."

Ruan Qingshang's tears fell like pearls from a broken string.

Jiang Jinhong's eyes were also red, and his lips moved, but he ultimately did not say anything.

She persuaded the two of them to go to sleep.

Her mother's words reminded her that the Third Prince had no idea who she was.

It is the Marquis.

She used public opinion to force the Marquis to sign the divorce papers and even took back his family's wealth. The Marquis must be holding a grudge.

"Miss, please rest first. Your health is the most important thing."

Bai Zhi gently comforted her and lit some calming incense for her.

She sighed softly and secretly resolved to replace all the Jiang family's guards with a group of people with even higher martial arts skills.

When you are powerless to retaliate, you must at least be able to defend yourself.

I fell asleep while thinking about it.

After waking up early in the morning, Bai Zhi began to recite it in my ear.

"Miss, someone knocked on the door early this morning, saying that the Third Prince sent compensation money to those who were frightened that night. Since you were seriously injured, the Third Prince gave you more than other families, and there was also a lot of good medicine."

The Third Prince?

Is this how they start to win over the people?

They're really in a hurry.

She followed Bai Zhi's gaze and saw a table full of things, many of which looked like expensive medicines.

"Miss, I heard they're going to Prefect Xu's house to thank the Third Prince!"

"The master and mistress are also discussing going there. What do you think we should do...?"

She was indeed feeling unwell, but she really didn't want to meet the Third Prince.

She didn't even want her parents to come, but it would be too obvious if they didn't go, especially since they were the richest merchants in Jiangnan.

Showing such disrespect to Mo Yanzhou might embolden this petty person to seek revenge even more fiercely in the future.

"I won't go, it's fine for Father and Mother to go." He paused, looking into Bai Zhi's eyes, "The royal family is unfathomable, the Jiang family is just a merchant family, we should just do our own thing."

Bai Zhi nodded and then left.

——

Mo Yanzhou and the Second Prince Mo Tingyu were sitting in the Xu residence at the moment, while the area outside the Xu residence was surrounded by a crowd.

Everyone knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty's grace is boundless! The Third Prince is the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva, saving them from dire straits!"

Prefect Xu kept his head down and remained silent. Mo Yanzhou's eyes were dark, but when he looked at Mo Tingyu, he smiled and said, "Brother, these people only know one side of the story. How could they know that you are wholeheartedly devoted to the people?"

Then, with a cold look in his eyes, he glanced at Prefect Xu and said, "Why haven't you sent them away yet?"

"How can there be such a commotion at the county government office? Is this how Prefect Xu governs Jiangnan?"

"Your Majesty, I will go immediately!"

Prefect Xu had beads of sweat on his forehead, and he wiped them away as he turned around.

"Let them in."

Standing on the brocade bench to the left, Mo Tingyu spoke calmly: "Third brother, if it weren't for you, this matter would have caused far more serious harm."

He looked at Mo Yanzhou, a weary smile on his face: "Let them in."

Mo Yanzhou could only smile. Prefect Xu stood there for a long time without moving, and only left when Mo Yanzhou spoke again.

The person outside was led in by the servant. He saw the two people above him, and looking down, the one standing on the left looked radiant and compassionate, with a concerned expression.

The person on the right had a cold face, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, making people afraid to look at him for long.

Comparing the two situations and considering recent events, they began to make their own decisions.

They all knelt at Mo Tingyu's feet.

"You are truly a Bodhisattva reincarnated, with such a compassionate heart!"

"This is truly our good fortune!"

"You even brought us medicine, we really don't know what to do!"

The group chatted amongst themselves, completely unaware of the darkening look in Mo Yanzhou's eyes.

That's always been the case!

Mo Tingyu's mother was exceptionally beautiful, which captivated his father, the Emperor. Disregarding the greater good, the Emperor sidelined the Empress's legitimate son and bestowed upon Mo Tingyu the title of Crown Prince!

Because Mo Tingyu's mother died early, he raised him with his own hands.

From a young age, Mo Tingyu enjoyed the emperor's exclusive favor.

He's good for nothing except his face.

Mo Yanzhou forcefully suppressed the jealousy in his heart, his eyes lowered, but his father could only see him!

"Third brother, I'm returning to the manor now."

When Mo Tingyu said this, everyone was stunned and stared blankly at the cold-faced person beside them.

The Third Prince smiled and nodded. Prefect Xu stood up to see him off, his back covered in a light sweat.

Someone in the crowd shouted, and the awkward atmosphere disappeared. They then expressed their gratitude to the Third Prince again.

Jiang Jinhong originally came along, but some things came up unexpectedly, so he had to deal with those matters first before coming over.

On their way there, they encountered Mo Tingyu, who was about to leave.

Before he could bow in greeting, Mo Tingyu had already left.

He was stunned for a moment, and the servant beside him whispered in his ear, "That's the Second Prince. The people inside just now mistook the Third Prince for him."

"Master Jiang, please come with me quickly."

Jiang Jinhong didn't ask any more questions and followed the servant inside.

When Mo Yanzhou looked at him, he narrowed his eyes and asked directly, "Is your daughter feeling any better?"

For some reason, Jiang Jinhong recalled Jiang Yunshu's instructions to Bai Zhi.

He replied in a low voice, "I am fine now, thanks to the medicine given to me by the Third Prince."

Mo Yanzhou nodded slightly, tapping his fingertips on the table.

"It's good that nothing's wrong. I only recently learned that Miss Jiang was once betrothed to the Shen family. If it weren't for later..."

He stopped there and didn't finish his sentence, but Jiang Jinhong immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

At the time, the rumor seemed to be detrimental to the Shen family, but in reality, it put the Jiang family in the eye of the storm.

He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "The Jiang family are just merchants, and my wife and I are barely literate. We have no idea how such rumors came about..."

"rumor?"

Mo Yanzhou's cold voice carried a heavy sense of oppression, making Jiang Jinhong afraid to breathe and unable to straighten his back.

"Does Master Jiang mean that the Emperor believed the rumors spread by treacherous officials, harmed you loyal ministers, and forced Miss Jiang to divorce?"

Jiang Jinhong was so frightened that he almost banged his head against the wall, insisting that he was talking nonsense and had a hysterical fit.

Just moments before, everyone in the hall was relieved that the Third Prince wasn't such a petty person, but now they all shrank back, not daring to speak, and kept their heads down.

Only when Jiang Jinhong's forehead was broken and blood dripped down his nose to the ground did Mo Yanzhou smile amicably.

He stood up and helped Jiang Jinhong up: "Master Jiang, I have long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed wise."

"What I said just now was a joke, Mr. Jiang, there's no need to be so alarmed."

Looking into Mo Yanzhou's ambitious eyes, Jiang Jinhong felt a chill run down his spine.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault."

Mo Yanzhou chuckled softly, then smiled and said, "If it weren't for Miss Jiang, I don't know if my brother and I would be standing here today."

"I have been very busy these past few days. My brother and I will personally visit you to express our gratitude in a few days."

Jiang Jinhong's face paled, but he still smiled and agreed.

Afterwards, Prefect Xu asked everyone to leave, and Mo Yanzhou also returned to his residence.

Everyone looked at Jiang Jinhong with different expressions. The Third Prince had indeed overturned the trial policy, but for some reason, they felt that this man looked more terrifying.

They all thought the Third Prince was going to kill Master Jiang...

After returning to the Jiang family, Jiang Jinhong remained depressed until Ruan Qingshang asked him about it. Only then did he sigh and recount his experiences during the day.

What does this mean?

“The royal family is unfathomable, and I cannot allow Ayun to bear such risks again.”

Ruan Qingshang spoke with absolute certainty that Ayun's repeated injuries and assassination attempts were all because of the royal family, and she would never let Ayun get involved in this mess again.

Jiang Jinhong could only sigh; the Third Prince didn't seem like someone who could be easily fooled.

The news quickly reached Jiang Yunshu's ears.

Her heart sank; it turned out that Mo Yanzhou had been eyeing the Jiang family for a long time.

While she was racking her brains for a solution, Mo Yanzhou was casually twirling a folding fan in his mansion.

He glanced up at Baili Chuan, who was sitting to his right: "You mean, the Jiang family's daughter already knows about our plan?"

Baili Chuan's head sank: "That day at the Jiang Family Restaurant, it was indeed Jiang Yunshu and Ling Jingchu who were there."

"I thought Jiang Yunzheng would handle this matter well, but he actually let the two of them go back."

At this point, Baili Chuan frowned.

"If that's the case, then we can't keep them here."

Mo Yanzhou glanced coldly at Baili Chuan, placed his folding fan on the table, and picked up a teacup to take a sip.

“Our men went to assassinate her twice, but the maidservant beside her seemed to be quite skilled in martial arts.”

Mo Yanzhou stared into Baili Chuan's eyes and suddenly laughed: "Achuan, are you saying your men can't beat a maid?"

His expression immediately hardened, as if he had seen into Baili Chuan's heart through his eyes.

"Or have you fallen in love with this woman?"

Baili Chuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

Mo Yanzhou's voice was deep: "On the day we first met, you were fighting with wild dogs for food, and your eyes were filled with nothing but intense hatred and a desire to survive."

“You once said that if you could get out of these high-rise buildings, you would make those who harmed you pay with their lives.”

Mo Yanzhou's eyes were cold: "Achuan, have you forgotten?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but you've forgotten that your brother won't treat your mother any better because of this. The other day, a message came from the Li Kingdom that your mother had been executed by slow slicing by the new emperor, and her body was hung above the city gate. She was also accused of defiling the harem."

"These……"

Mo Yanzhou looked at him coldly: "How can you forget?"

Baili Chuan bit his lower lip, his brow furrowed: "But they are innocent people too."

What have we done wrong?

“Born into the imperial family, you could only be sent to an enemy country as a hostage. My mother and I suffered endless humiliation simply because of our lowly status. How innocent we were!”

“Achuan, compassion shouldn’t be born in people like us. You should know what awaits us if we take one wrong step.”