"Yes! Impossible, impossible!" the surrounding people shouted. "We don't believe that Marquis Yun is a traitor who colludes with the enemy!"

"Marquis Yun would never collude with the enemy or betray his country!"

"That's right! Marquis Yun would never betray his country and collude with the enemy!"

Madam Yun's expression gradually darkened, and she shouted sternly, "Everyone, please make way! We, the elderly, women, and children, still need to go to the east of the city to settle down!"

Zhou shouted, "Make way! Make way! Don't push!"

When Madam Guo heard that they were still leaving, she panicked, "Mother! That man said there was a carriage!"

Old Madam Yun turned her head and glared at her, "Shut up! You short-sighted fool, what time is it!"

Second Madam Li quickly pulled Guo Shi aside, "Don't say anything more."

Guo was getting anxious. "We usually only walk from the backyard to the frontyard. Now we have to walk from the south of the city to the east. Isn't that a hardship? There are carriages available..."

Li raised her voice slightly and glared at her, "Stop talking! Listen to your mother and sister-in-law!"

Following at the back, Yu consciously brought up the rear. She had to coax the sixth child she was holding, hold the fifth child's hand, and keep her eyes fixed on the five girls and one boy in front of her. She couldn't spare any energy to listen to what was being said in front of her.

Guo was even more embarrassed after being scolded by her third sister-in-law, and glared angrily at Old Madam Yun and Zhou in front of her.

To everyone's surprise, Zhou's shout did not make the people move aside; instead, the crowd grew even larger.

The person who had first suggested providing a carriage for them then joined in the commotion, "Yes, we all believe that Marquis Yun could not possibly have colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country! We must investigate this thoroughly! We must investigate this thoroughly!"

Upon hearing these four words, Madam Yun immediately felt a surge of heat rush to the top of her head.

But some ordinary people echoed their sentiments, shouting, "Investigate thoroughly! Investigate thoroughly!"

Zhou's hands and feet were ice cold.

Oh my god!

Is Heaven determined to destroy Yun Mansion?!

Without hesitation, after hearing the resounding words "Investigate thoroughly to the end," Old Madam Yun rolled her eyes and fell backward.

Zhou was so frightened that she quickly applied more force to her hands.

Li, who was behind her, let go of her daughter's hand and immediately stepped forward to grab Old Madam Yun from the other side.

"Mother, Mother!"

The onlookers were quiet for a moment, then immediately erupted into noise again, asking, "What's wrong with the old lady?"

Zhou cried out in despair, "Make way, everyone!"

Just then, a voice came from the front, "Make way! Make way!"

Zhou felt the voice was familiar, and when she looked up, she saw the crowd part to make way for a person driving a carriage.

To be precise, a horse pulled a large oxcart over.

The coachman stopped the horse with a "whoosh," and a man jumped down nimbly. "Second sister, I'll take you there."

Zhou's eyes welled up with tears; it was her eldest brother, Zhou Xiuqi.

Zhou Xiuqi was shocked to see Old Madam Yun lying half-reclined in the arms of Madam Zhou and Madam Li with her eyes closed. "What's wrong with Old Madam? Quick! Get her in the carriage!"

Seeing the strange look his second sister gave the oxcart, he had no choice but to explain, "There are too many of you for the horse-drawn carriage, but the oxcart can hold more people. Don't be so picky, let the old lady rest and call the doctor to come and take a look!"

Zhou was still hesitating, "Elder brother...is this Father's intention?"

Zhou Xiuqi nodded, "We'll talk about this later. Although you've been demoted to commoners, you still have in-laws. What's wrong with lending a hand? Isn't that just human nature?"

Zhou and Li exchanged a glance, then Zhou gently helped Old Madam Yun onto the oxcart, where she and Li sat down on each other before calling for the others to board. Four boys under ten years old and five girls boarded first, squeezing into the middle, followed by Guo and Yu.

The four maids and two old women, including the only concubine of the third branch, Aunt Shen, could only walk.

Considering that Madam Yun was ill and could not wait, Zhou Xiuqi had the coachman get out of the carriage and lead the group of people on foot to their destination, while he himself rode the horse straight to the east of the city.

The horse-drawn oxcart, though bumpy, was fast, and in no time the whole group arrived at the villa in the east of the city.

Zhou Xiuqi got out of the carriage first, called for the door to be opened, and a servant opened the door from inside.

Then Guo and Yu got out of the carriage first, carrying the girls and boys out of the carriage. Finally, Yu picked up Old Madam Yun horizontally and strode into the courtyard gate.

Zhou and Li, still in the car, stared in disbelief, their arms numb.

Madam Li sighed, "After so many years of living a life of luxury, I've completely forgotten that my fourth sister-in-law has martial arts training."

Zhou: ...

Before he could say anything, he got out of the car and led a group of girls and boys straight into the courtyard.

After closing the courtyard gate, Zhou Xiuqi pointed to the two old women and two maids, "You can use these people for now. There aren't enough people, but the courtyard and side rooms aren't enough either. If you're short-handed, you'll just have to bear with it."

After saying that, he instructed an old woman, "Quickly go and fetch the physician from the Zhou family."

"Yes," the old woman replied and left.

Knowing that the Zhou siblings must have something to say, Li took the initiative to bring the remaining old women and maids inside to familiarize themselves with the place and settle them in.

Zhou looked at her elder brother gratefully and said, "Brother, thank you."

Zhou Xiuqi said, "The incident at the Yun residence caught both my father and me completely off guard. We certainly don't believe that Marquis Yun could do such a thing. But what just happened? Someone actually dared to shout in the street that they would thoroughly investigate this matter?!"

Zhou nodded in agreement. "The fact that we were able to escape unscathed without shedding a drop of blood, despite being labeled as traitors, must be thanks to that person in the palace. If those four words were to reach the palace, wouldn't that put us and that person in a very difficult position?"

“My heart jumped when someone mentioned respecting Marquis Yun. That person must have been instructed to cause trouble. First, he said that the old and young were having a hard time walking, in order to arouse the sympathy of the people; then he said that he respected Marquis Yun and sang his praises; finally, he incited the people to say that they should investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Every step was meticulously planned.

Zhou Xiuqi's expression darkened slightly. "I will have someone investigate this matter. The case of Marquis Yun is quite suspicious. We were completely unaware of it beforehand, and the outcome was already decided when the imperial edict was issued."

He looked worried. "Father has already gone to the palace. The Imperial Concubine... sent a message saying not to interfere for now..."

Madam Zhou was startled. "Brother, the Imperial Concubine must have pleaded for us before the Emperor, otherwise our family would be in a much worse situation. If there is a chance, please kneel down and thank the Imperial Concubine on our behalf. Since she said not to interfere, please Father and Brother should not act rashly."

Zhou Xiuqi nodded, "My father and I know what's going on in this matter, so you don't need to worry about it. The most important thing is to settle this family first."

Zhou curtsied again, saying, "Thank you, elder brother."

Zhou Xiuqi turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back to ask, "Can commoners be registered as farmers, artisans, or merchants? Have you thought it through?"

Madam Zhou nodded, "My mother and I have already discussed this matter. We will register them as farmers to avoid hindering our descendants' careers."