The voice was female, like the song of a nightingale, clear and melodious. Ji Xiaoxiao turned around and saw a woman around thirty years old, dressed in a flowing butterfly dress, ethereal and otherworldly. Her lips were bright red, her fingers slender and delicate, and a nine-phoenix pearl hairpin jingled. She possessed both the purity of a young girl and the allure of a woman, suggesting that this woman was of high status.

After a quick glance, memories surfaced: Fu Guanjie's aunt, Lan Shi, was still pretty but not very bright. Ji Xiaoxiao didn't care much, and dragged Fu Zhongyan along as she turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Fu Qipan, are you even worthy of being called the eldest daughter of the main family? You don't even greet your elders. Have you thrown all the etiquette and manners you learned to the dogs? Alas, the excellent reputation of our household has been ruined by someone as disrespectful and unfilial as you." Madam Lan stopped Ji Xiaoxiao and, without asking any questions, directly slapped the label of "unruly crane" on Ji Xiaoxiao's head.

Ji Xiaoxiao sneered, pointing at Lan Shi with trembling eyes, "Lan Shi, you're really getting cocky now that I'm saying you're fat. A servant should know her place, instead of thinking about all sorts of nonsense all day long. You're too ambitious, the higher you fly, the harder you'll fall. You're just a concubine, what kind of elder are you in front of me? I'm only calling you Auntie because I'm in a good mood, that's giving you plenty of face."

A dog that bites doesn't bark, and a dog that barks doesn't bite.

Lan suddenly fell silent, her chest heaving with anger, the nine-phoenix pearl hairpin in her hair swaying frequently, and her beautiful face contorted into a terrifying grimace.

"I'll settle the score with you after I've eaten my fill." Ji Xiaoxiao was a petty and vindictive person, and she secretly decided to take revenge and get her money back.

With a few words, Ji Xiaoxiao quelled the Lan family's clamor and successfully prevented the original owner's reputation from being maliciously damaged. She calmly planned for the future, casually loosened her grip on Fu Zhongyan's hand, and looked around the kitchen with a nonchalant expression.

"Hey you, get me a roast chicken." Ji Xiaoxiao found a clean seat, placed her feet on Fu Zhongyan, and waited for the delicious food to be served.

People these days have no control over their own lives, and there's always a tendency to step on the weak and fawn over the strong. The spoiled and arrogant Fu Zhongyan gets no credit whatsoever in Ji Xiaoxiao's hands. The uncles and aunties in the kitchen are having a lot of thoughts going on. They take a few deep breaths to clear their heads and prepare roast chicken for Ji Xiaoxiao with trepidation.

"Fu Qipan, I'm going to tell Father and have him kill you." Fu Zhongyan, with dirt in her mouth, was overjoyed to see her divine helper arrive. "Aunt Lan, you have to be my witness. It was Fu Qipan who bullied and beat my sister. It wasn't Zhongyan who made baseless accusations against Fu Qipan."

Unwilling to flee in defeat, Lan followed closely behind Ji Xiaoxiao. Hearing Fu Zhongyan's heartfelt request, she nodded firmly, her face contorted with a look of utter disappointment and fervent hope that her talents would be put to good use, which disgusted Ji Xiaoxiao. "Qipan, you are the master's legitimate daughter. Your actions have an impact on him. If you don't think about your own future, you should at least think about the master. The master raised you with great difficulty, not so that you would destroy the Fu family's legacy of generations."

"Who cares about him?" Ji Xiaoxiao pouted and kicked harder. Fu Zhongyan cried and screamed in pain, which annoyed Ji Xiaoxiao so much that she kicked Fu Zhongyan and Aunt Lan away.

"Strip them both naked and hang them in front of the gate." Ji Xiaoxiao paused. "I'll be checking them after I've eaten. Anyone who dares to deceive me should start preparing for their funeral!"

"Fu Qipan, you will die a horrible death." Young ladies from secluded families value their reputation above all else. Fu Zhongyan, who was in pain and fearless, was extremely terrified and furious at this.

"Wait, I'm the master's woman, who dares to touch me?" Aunt Lan pushed away Fu Zhongyan who was pressing down on her, puffed out her chest, and said arrogantly.

"Drag him away." Ji Xiaoxiao turned around abruptly, a cold glint in her eyes. "Don't make me say it a second time."

Having witnessed Ji Xiaoxiao's ruthless, brutal, and bloody methods, the servants who had followed her all the way stripped Aunt Lan and Fu Zhongyan naked without saying a word, and, defying their superiors, dragged the two of them to the gate of the Fu residence.

Without the unpleasantness of the previous meal, Ji Xiaoxiao finally enjoyed a delicious meal. An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Frost covered the ground, and a chill hung in the air. Ji Xiaoxiao burped contentedly, humming a little tune as she picked her teeth, and left the kitchen with a satisfied sigh. Finding a secluded courtyard, Ji Xiaoxiao casually went to bed. A short while later, she actually fell asleep.

As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared, Fu Guanjie, who had gone out to visit a friend, received shocking news and hurriedly took Xiao Qiu and their children home without stopping.

"Where's Fu Qipan? Where did that unfilial daughter go? She's disappeared? She must be hiding. Find her, find her right now, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!" A furious voice resounded throughout the land, and Ji Xiaoxiao, nestled in her blankets, twisted and turned restlessly.

“Father, the most important thing right now is not Fu Qipan, but Aunt Lan and my sister Zhong Yan. If His Majesty and the other officials find out about what happened, Father, our Fu family will have no face to stay in the capital.” Fu Shixian’s analysis was very logical.

"Yes, Xian'er understands the bigger picture. Men, kill all the wicked servants who dared to disobey you yesterday." At Fu Guanjie's command, people quickly got to work.

Fu Guanjie felt he had made a brilliant move and that things were almost settled. He breathed a sigh of relief, slowly sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

“Father, this is not enough. If you don’t cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring. I think everyone who knows about this should…” Fu Shixian made a throat-slitting gesture.

Fu Guanjie, the Minister of Justice in the imperial court and the top official of one of the six ministries, who climbed to the top by stepping on countless heads and blood, was no indecisive or soft-hearted person. Fu Shixian spoke eloquently and solemnly, every word reasonable, forcing Fu Guanjie to think carefully.

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