The attackers who rushed forward hadn't even gotten close enough to Zhongyi Hou before he kicked them away.

The man was practically sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and screaming in pain.

"Lord Yu, Lord Yu, how are you?"

"Lord Zhongyi, how can you injure people so casually?" Several nearby civil officials immediately rushed over.

While they tried to help him up, they were also busy investigating the responsibility of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness.

"Ah, don't move, don't move! Everyone move away! Call the imperial physician!" Yu Jingxuan immediately screamed in fright, wishing he could push away everyone surrounding him as soon as possible, but he dared not move at all, because any movement would cause a sharp pain in his buttocks.

Even when he shouts, he feels his buttocks are being pulled, making the pain more intense. He feels as if the bones inside are broken.

Naturally, someone went to fetch the imperial physician. The other civil officials, seeing him in such pain, dared not touch him anymore. Instead, they stood up and launched an attack on the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness.

"Lord Zhongyi, you are a warrior who protects the country and its people. Haven't you always believed in fairness and justice and hated the strong bullying the weak?"

"Because I am a military general who has fought on the battlefield, I will not hold back against enemies who suddenly attack. You should be glad that no one in the palace except the Embroidered Uniform Guard is allowed to carry weapons, otherwise his head would have been cut off by my sword."

Marquis Zhongyi scoffed, completely unconstrained by these moral blackmails. On the contrary, he glanced at them with utter disdain, a contemptuous expression on his face.

"You still want to kill someone? We will definitely submit a memorial to the emperor later and ask him to make a decision." Several civil officials shouted.

Marquis Zhongyi immediately strode over, and the civil officials instantly panicked and retreated, not daring to utter a sound. They quickly ran away, completely ignoring Yu Jingxuan who was still lying on the ground.

Seeing their cowardly appearance, Marquis Zhongyi sneered again: "They're all a bunch of cowards. They haven't learned any of the integrity of scholars, but they've retained all their bad habits."

He walked directly to Yu Jingxuan's side and looked down at the disheveled man.

Yu Jingxuan has always paid attention to his appearance. Even though he is quite old, he always keeps himself clean and presentable. He only has some wrinkles on his face, but his demeanor is still gentle and refined.

But now this meticulous Minister of Rites is lying on the ground, his hair disheveled, looking completely old and frail.

"If you want to write a memorial to the Emperor to impeach me, go ahead. But in my opinion, it's all in vain. Lord Yu, after all these years, your methods haven't improved at all. You're still using these low-down tricks!" After saying these two sentences in a cold voice, he turned around and left without looking back.

Yu Jingxuan lay on the ground, his gaze still somewhat dazed.

The moment his mortal enemy looked down at him from above, his eyes were as cold as ice. Even though the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness hadn't done anything, it still made him feel terrified.

He knew that the murderous aura emanating from Jiang Yiping just now had frightened him.

***

At the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence, Xu Wanying got up early. She changed into her outdoor clothes and met up with the Jiang family women in front of the mansion gate with light steps.

"Mother, why have you been going out so much these past few days?" Li Chunlan had already arrived and couldn't help but ask.

Including today, they have been out for three consecutive days, and all they did was browse her dowry shops without doing anything important. Li Chunlan couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"It's nothing. I'm bored staying locked up in the back all day, so I thought I'd take you out for a stroll." Cen Ying waved her hand and led the way onto the carriage.

Li Chunlan lifted her skirt, wanting to chase after her to ask more questions, but Xu Wanying immediately stopped her.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Staying at home is so boring, of course you have to go out!"

“But Mother clearly has other plans. She couldn’t have just taken us to browse the shops. She must have something else in mind. I need to find out the details so that I don’t get caught up in this mess.” Li Chunlan had clearly noticed something was wrong.

My mother-in-law is such a shrewd and capable person, she couldn't possibly just take them out for a stroll, there must be another purpose.

“Since your mother-in-law has a plan, she must have a strategy in mind. Just follow her arrangements, and you’ll naturally know what she’s up to.”

Li Chunlan shook her head repeatedly, a hint of fear in her eyes, and said urgently, "No, this won't do. There have been a few times when my mother-in-law had ideas but didn't tell me, and as a result, I was implicated. It backfired."

Xu Wanying blinked, her face showing complete disbelief.

My sister-in-law is really something else; it seems she has a history of making things worse than helpful.

"It's alright. I'll go with you this time. You just do whatever I say." Xu Wanying naturally couldn't let her ask any more questions.

They don't go out for very long each day, and if they are delayed any longer, they probably can only stay for an hour before they have to come back, so she cherishes every minute and every second.

The group of four soon arrived at the bustling market street. Since it was all part of Li Chunlan's dowry, the shopkeepers were extremely humble and enthusiastic when they saw them enter, and they gave them very detailed introductions.

Cen Ying strolled around the shops with her daughter-in-law and daughter. Even though the items inside were exquisite and the shopkeepers were attentive, she couldn't pick out a single item, and she didn't even have the mood to take a second look. Clearly, she had something on her mind.

The group was in a jewelry store, and Xu Wanying didn't care what the other three thought; she was focused on trying on jewelry.

The shop is owned by the eldest sister-in-law, so she can try on all the clothes without being given the cold shoulder.

"Shopkeeper, can your craftsmen make this jade pendant that I drew on the paper?"

Just as Cen was about to take them away, a young and beautiful woman suddenly walked in from outside. Her clothes were not very nice, but they were clean and she had a graceful demeanor.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, Cen Ying instantly focused her attention.

She didn't know what Xing Xiaoya looked like, but every young woman who came in and out could be Xing Xiaoya, so Cen Ying was very sensitive.

The shopkeeper unfolded the blueprint, and Cen Ying stepped forward to examine it closely.

She immediately recognized the jade pendant in the picture; it was the one Jiang Chengli wore close to his body.

This jade pendant was specially commissioned by a master craftsman to carve since Jiang Chengli's childhood health condition. It was then taken to a Buddhist temple for consecration before being brought back for Jiang Chengli to wear.

Whether it was the jade pendant that worked or not, Jiang Chengli's health gradually improved afterward, and he always wore the jade pendant on his body.

But now this blueprint has appeared in a jewelry store, which is clearly not a coincidence.