Chapter 112: There's a glimmer of hope.

The events unfolded exactly as Lin Yuesha had anticipated. Since the magpie had brought her son to her door, she must have prepared a comprehensive plan.

However, those people didn't know that the thrush had been found by their own people, and at the crucial moment, it delivered a fatal blow to the magpie and the mastermind behind it all.

"Xiao Xi, this is a family matter of the Jiang family. Even if I have a good relationship with your young lady, I can't just come here like this."

Lin Yuesha was in a bind. Not only was it impolite of her to visit, but she would also incur Jiang Huai's wrath. The worst part was that it wouldn't change the outcome at all.

"Then...what should we do?!"

With her last hope dashed, Xiao Xi panicked even more. Now that her mistress was gone, she had no one to rely on; how was she going to survive?

"Please pass on a few words to your young lady for me. One thing is certain: you must keep these words strictly confidential. You cannot tell your parents either."

Lin Yuesha's expression turned cold. Xiao Xi was still young and not very reliable. If she accidentally let something slip, they would lose all their trump cards.

However, Lin Yuesha is currently unable to go to the Jiang residence herself and can only rely on Xiao Xi to relay messages.

Letters are easier to leave evidence of, while relying on words is much more convenient.

"Sister Lin, I promise I won't tell anyone!"

Xiao Xi stopped sobbing and raised one hand to swear.

Lin Yuesha was unwilling to force the little girl, but the ancients valued vows, so she treated it as a kind of ritual.

"Tell your young lady to report this to the authorities."

Lin Yuesha remained calm and went to report to the authorities. Whether it was a person or a ghost, she would go and have a look at Lord Zhang's place.

Furthermore, since that fat old man Xuan said that her contributions to the yamen were small, then she'll make a big contribution this time!

From now on, let's see if that fatso dares to cause trouble again, he won't dare to talk back to her!

"Report to the authorities?"

Xiao Xi shuddered, thinking she had misheard, and repeated herself, unsure.

"Hurry up, or your young lady will really leave."

Lin Yuesha pushed the person to the door and urged, "Tell her by the way, that matter from a few days ago is settled!"

Ziyuan didn't reveal who was behind it all, but Lin Yuesha planned to have Lord Zhang interrogate them and drag out the cockroach hiding in the shadows.

Xiao Xi hurriedly returned to the Jiang residence, where Jiang Baozhu had already packed her valuables.

"Miss, wait a minute!"

Xiao Xi called out to her mistress, pleading with Jiang Baozhu not to leave.

"Isn't this home? Why keep it here and make an eyesore?"

Jiang Baozhu felt heartbroken by her father's accusations against her mother. In truth, she had already forgiven her father in her heart, even though she really did have a younger brother.

But how could Father doubt Mother's good intentions towards him?

So many years have passed...

Jiang Baozhu felt her mother was unworthy. If her mother hadn't chosen to flee to the north with her father, she could have returned to her family home for refuge, but her mother didn't.

Now my mother is far away from her hometown and hasn't seen her relatives for more than ten years.

"Miss, please don't act rashly!"

Xiao Xi swallowed hard, then suddenly felt a bit confused. After a long pause, she said, "I just went to find Sister Lin."

"What's the use of looking for her? This is a matter for the Jiang family, and Yue Sha shouldn't be involved."

Jiang Baozhu felt guilty when Lin Yuesha was mentioned. A few days ago, she insisted on dragging Lin Yuesha to Zuifeng Tower. Fortunately, she didn't give herself away in the end. Fortunately...

What was truly terrifying was not being exposed, but rather that Lin Yuesha encountered the Prince of Zhenbei. Even after Jiang Baozhu returned, she remained fearful for several days, blaming herself for being too reckless.

"Sister Lin told you not to worry, but to go directly to the yamen to file a complaint."

Seeing that no one was around, Xiao Xi dared to repeat Lin Yuesha's words, but she disagreed, saying that taking the matter to the yamen was crazy.

"That's what Yue Sha said?"

Jiang Baozhu put down her bag and pondered.

She insisted on leaving, and the servants in the house were more than happy to see her go; no one even tried to stop her.

Jiang Baozhu understood the servants' thoughts; once she gained the upper hand, none of those neglectful servants would be spared.

On the contrary, she left with her mother, and once they were gone, the servants of the household pleaded with the magpie for her, hoping she could continue working there.

Of the entire Jiang family, only Xiao Xi and Aunt Wang truly cared for her.

Jiang Baozhu was in great distress. When she saw Aunt Wang's swollen face in the morning, she understood everything.

Without the support of the Jiang family, Jiang Baozhu hadn't decided where to go, but she really couldn't stay here any longer.

"That's what Sister Lin said, and she told you not to worry, saying that things were looking up a few days ago."

Xiao Xi continued to mechanically repeat Lin Yuesha's words.

"really?"

In short, Lin Yuesha helped Jiang Baozhu stop being so downcast. She meant that she had found a way to draw eyebrows!

Let her report it to the authorities, deliberately make a big fuss, and then peel off the skin of the magpie in front of the adults. That would be a good idea!

If they didn't report it to the authorities and quietly took the magpie and Pipi away, the blame would ultimately fall on her mother, Xu.

"Miss, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. If you go to the authorities, your reputation will be ruined..."

Xiao Xi advised her young mistress to think things through and not to argue with the master, lest she act impulsively and make a mistake.

That woman was just waiting to find fault, and now she's given herself a pretext to criticize her!

"Xiao Xi, just pretend you don't know anything."

Jiang Baozhu instructed Xiao Xi to slip her some silver before heading out.

Lin Yuesha's plan was absolutely brilliant. Was she afraid of losing face and ruining her reputation by reporting to the authorities? If she didn't report to the authorities, wouldn't she have to swallow her bitterness and have nowhere to seek justice?

Jiang Baozhu left through the back door and had just crossed the street when she met Zhang Jing.

"Miss Jiang."

Zhang Jing had been waiting all afternoon. He was very worried, fearing that Jiang Baozhu might do something rash, but to his surprise, she actually showed up.

He heard the rumors circulating in town, even at home, and felt anxious but helpless.

"Zhang Jing, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Baozhu addressed him by his full name, which slightly improved her impression of Zhang Jing, simply because Zhang Jing had offered timely help by inquiring about the magpie.

Without Zhang Jing's guidance, Jiang Baozhu would never have imagined that Xique was actually a courtesan at Zuifenglou.

"I...I..."

Zhang Jing lowered his head, his face slightly flushed.

"I'll tear this up."

Jiang Baozhu thought for a moment and immediately understood. She took out Zhang Fang's indenture from her sleeve, tore it to shreds, and the scraps of paper flew around in the wind.

“I didn’t file a report with the government, so I let him go.”

Jiang Baozhu smiled bitterly, realizing how naive her plan had been; she had even wanted Zhang Fang to be her younger brother.

Yes, her father only wanted his own flesh and blood; otherwise, the family would have adopted a son long ago.

Not by blood, no blood relation, it's still no good.

"That's not what I meant. I came to ask about your next steps."

Zhang Jing stammered an explanation, saying that he had heard from the gossipy old woman that Jiang Huai had a son, and Jiang Baozhu's treatment had plummeted, to the point that even a servant dared to step on her head.

"Even you've heard about it, this town is really small."

Jiang Baozhu didn't mention her lawsuit, but instead wanted to seize the opportunity to test Zhang Jing's character. "I plan to move out with my mother and have nothing to do with the Jiang family anymore."

The key point is the last sentence: Jiang Baozhu is no longer the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, so naturally she has no money.