Zhang Lan went to the Marquis's residence, informed Gu Boyu, and then went to find Gu Shaoyu.

At Qingpu Courtyard, Bei Chen blocked the door.

"I am Zhang Lan from the Xie family. Please inform Grand Secretary Gu and his wife that the young master is secretly keeping a mistress and deceiving my second young lady."

“If you report the fraud to the authorities, the Grand Secretary should avoid suspicion.”

"This...should we report to the Grand Secretary's wife? She is the eldest daughter of the Xie family; she can't just ignore the second young lady's affairs, can she?"

Bei Chen said without any politeness, "Your second young lady has framed my lady multiple times, and you didn't even know?"

Zhang Lan's mouth dropped open: "Framed? How could that be? You're talking nonsense, they're sisters."

"If it weren't for my wife's consideration that we are sisters, I would have chopped the young master's wife into pieces and fed her to the dogs long ago!"

Zhang Lan's initial enthusiasm for catching the adulterer suddenly cooled down.

However, Madam Xu told him that he must invite Gu Shaoyu to the event, otherwise he would be punished if he did not do his job well.

"Please inform the Grand Secretary and his wife that if they say they will not take action, I will leave immediately."

Bei Chen said, "Then you wait."

Xie Zhaozhao and Gu Shaoyu haven't gone to bed yet today. Gu Shaoyu is talking about the bizarre cases that have recently occurred at the Dali Temple, which makes Xie Zhaozhao laugh so hard that she chases after him with a pillow!

"My lord, Zhang Lan from the Xie family requests an audience. The young master was caught in bed with another woman by Madam Xie and the young master's wife."

Gu Shaoyu looked at Xie Zhaozhao: "Does Madam intend to intervene?"

Xie Zhaozhao put down the pillow in her hand and asked Bei Chen, "Shouldn't he go to see the Marquis and his wife? At the very least, there's the Old Madam!"

"Madam Xie does not trust Madam Hou."

"Since it's Mother who invited us, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse. Let's go and see."

Look at Dong Chin's handiwork.

Zhang Lan was still standing at the door when she saw Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao. She immediately knelt down to greet them, saying, "Greetings, son-in-law and young lady."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "Let's go see. How can the elder sister stand idly by when her younger sister is being bullied?"

Evenings in the capital city during the first month of the lunar calendar are still very cold, with biting winds shaking the tree branches and making a whooshing sound.

The two of them came out of Qingpu Courtyard with Yuanyuan and Nanxing. In the front yard, they met the old lady and Madam Tu, who were cursing at each other.

When Tu saw that Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao were also going, she was terrified.

Gu Shaoyu is better off not going!

If Gu Shaoyu is not present, then it is merely a matter of the inner quarters, a matter of a man's self-cultivation.

If we ask Gu Shaoyu to go, then it will be a criminal case!

What if your mistress is a fugitive?

And his surname is Guan.

It was Gu Shaoyu who personally decided to exile the entire clan!

Madam Tu hurriedly said, "Third brother, there's no need to go. Mother and I can handle these matters within the inner quarters."

"My mother-in-law sent someone to invite me!" Gu Shaoyu said only one sentence, and Tu Shi shut up.

Xu was Xie Zhaozhao's stepmother, that is, her mother-in-law in name. Since her mother-in-law came to invite her, she had no choice but to go.

Tu had no choice but to say, "I heard that the woman was bound and naked, and I'm afraid it would offend my third brother's eyes."

Gu Shaoyu said, "I will stay with the lady and will not come closer."

Tu was extremely flustered.

In an instant, she made a decision: she would agree to whatever conditions Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang proposed, as long as they didn't make a scene and seek justice from Gu Shaoyu.

Xie Zhaozhao silently raised the corners of her lips slightly.

Scared? I'll make you live in constant fear, losing everything you have one by one!

Guan Yingying, in this life, you are about to break your vow!

Gu Chengyan, aren't you the one who loves her the most? Let's see what you're capable of doing for her!

My dear stepmother, you specifically requested that the Grand Secretary and I be present? Sure, I'll definitely cooperate!

The carriage headed east towards the city, and Xie Zhaozhao remained silent the entire way.

Gu Shaoyu held her hand. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he felt that her silence was definitely not because of the Crown Prince's wife.

The Crown Prince's wife provoked her many times, and although she punished her, she always held back. He couldn't understand her actions.

Is her silence now because she hates Gu Chengyan?

Why do I hate him?

When they entered the eastern part of the city, it was already curfew time. The street patrol officers did not stop Grand Secretary Gu's carriage when they saw it.

On the quiet street, the carriages of the Marquis's residence stood out conspicuously yet remained unusually silent.

Upon arriving in Dongcheng, Xie Zhaozhao alighted from the carriage and paused for a moment at the courtyard gate.

This is a two-courtyard house. In the expensive Dongcheng district of Beijing, where land is extremely valuable, a two-courtyard house is not cheap. In addition, the belongings inside the courtyard would require a lot of money.

Was this purchased with Xie Xiangxiang's dowry money?

In her past life, with the money from her dowry, she built a courtyard that was even bigger than this, right?

Guan Yingying, you have always touted yourself as an independent woman and as a man's true love. On what basis do you feel justified in spending the wife's money?

Zhang Lan went in and told Madam Xu and Xie Xiangxiang, "The eldest young lady and her husband have arrived."

Madam Xu was always proud and strong-willed, and she didn't want Xie Zhaozhao to know about Xie Xiangxiang's predicament unless absolutely necessary.

Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao walked side by side and saw two maids and two servants tied up in the courtyard under the eaves, all of whom looked terrified.

Xie Zhaozhao buried her face in her fluffy fox fur bib as she entered the main room with Gu Shaoyu, greeted Madam Xu, and paid her respects.

"Mother, what happened?"

Xu was heartbroken and, without any formalities, weakly pointed to the inner room.

Xie Zhaozhao strolled over.

Standing at the bedroom door, looking at the two people bound on the floor.

Naked, with bruised and swollen skin, bound tightly, and trembling all over.

Utterly pathetic!

The two men had cloth stuffed in their mouths and protested with muffled noises.

Gu Chengyan's face was ashen, and his eyes were unfocused, but he still tried his best to prevent Guan Yingying from being seen by outsiders.

Guan Yingying was trembling all over. Her face had been beaten into a pig's head, her hair was disheveled and she was bald in several places. Black hair was scattered on the ground, which should have been cut by Xie Xiangxiang and pulled out by Granny Wei.

Because of the scorching sun during her trip to the Nanzhao Kingdom, she became dark and thin. Her already unattractive features now looked even less beautiful than Xie Xiangxiang's.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Guan Yingying has no charm whatsoever; she has no looks, no money, no family background, and no manners or etiquette.

But this woman, who even defeated Xie Zhaozhao in her past life, would probably still be thriving in this life if it weren't for her relentless pursuit.

A soul from a thousand years in the future, truly remarkable.

But Xie Zhaozhao didn't understand. If you love each other, why do you have to deceive an innocent woman for the rest of her life?

Even if a lady from a respectable family never leaves her home, does that mean she deserves to die?

Even if people a thousand years from now are more free-spirited, will they still disregard propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame?

As for Gu Chengyan, she had never seen him naked in her previous life.

Whether or not certain parts are present doesn't need to be checked. How could he be impotent after fathering two children?

"Stop looking, it's dirty!"

Gu Shaoyu walked to her side, covered her eyes with his hands, put his arm around her shoulder, and went back to the living room.