However, Song Zhiyu had expected that Prince Li would kill to silence her. She was afraid that if Prince Li didn't take action, she wouldn't have the chance to frame him.

Pei Qingyan reacted indifferently, ordering his men to carry the body away. "The chief is dead. As for the others, take them back to the prison for interrogation."

The change was so swift that the ministers who had come with the imperial decree were somewhat bewildered. They hadn't even realized what had happened, and the bandit leader who had troubled the court for years was dead just like that.

"Lord Pei, is he really dead?" Several people pointed at the receding corpse, their cloudy eyes filled with a hint of confusion and a hidden joy.

"He's dead." Pei Qingyan's answer was exactly what they wanted.

This campaign to suppress bandits came quickly and ended just as quickly.

When Su Jinyang returned to the court with his army to report, the emperor and all the ministers had the same expression: disbelief.

Only His Highness the Crown Prince, who knew the truth, smiled faintly in his narrow phoenix eyes, and his heart, which had been pounding, slowly calmed down.

As for Li Wang, his face revealed no emotion; he simply stood quietly to one side, neither standing out nor making a fuss, his thoughts so profound that they were impossible to fathom.

*

In stark contrast to the calm in the imperial court, the Marquis of Chengen's residence was in complete chaos.

Shen Yanxi was carried into the mansion covered in blood, his hands twisted beyond recognition, especially his two bloody, mangled severed fingers. Just one glance was enough to make Shen's mother clutch her chest and nearly faint.

After regaining her composure, Chen's mother urgently grasped Liang Yue's hand, pleading with tearful eyes, "Miss Liang Yue, aren't you a miracle doctor? Please help me see what's wrong with Yan Xi?"

"Madam, please don't worry, I'll come and take a look at the Fourth Young Master right away." Liang Yue's hand was squeezed painfully by Madam Chen, and a paleness appeared on her beautiful face, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

Upon seeing this, Shen Mingyi immediately felt sorry for her and stepped forward to block his mother, his tone somewhat resentful, "Mother, you're hurting Yue'er. I know you're worried about Fourth Brother, but please calm down first."

“Mother, Third Brother is right. You should let Miss Liangyue examine Fourth Brother first.” Shen Jinshu hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. She was also somewhat surprised, not expecting that the people of Qingfeng Village would actually dare to be so ruthless.

But she did not regret her decision. These were turbulent times, and Prince Li was eager to sever ties with Qingfeng Village. If she were to so tactlessly run into them, it would only make His Highness more dissatisfied.

Fortunately, it was only two fingers that were broken, and his life was not in danger. It's better to be a cripple than to lose his life.

"Yes, yes, Miss Liangyue, you must save my Yanxi." Madam Shen nodded heavily. Although she felt uncomfortable, she was so worried about Shen Yanxi that she didn't care about anything else.

Liang Yue carefully examined Shen Yanxi and applied the medicine, but his hands were truly powerless to help.

She is skilled in medicine, but she is not the real Liangyue Divine Physician, so she naturally does not have the ability to bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded.

Shen Muxun looked up at her, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

He had heard that the divine physician Liangyue had cured a patient with crippled hands. The patient's condition seemed to be more serious than his fourth brother's, but the patient was of high status and many famous doctors dared not take on the case.

Only the divine physician Liangyue not only took on the case but also used an unconventional treatment method to heal the patient's hands.

Logically speaking, such a difficult illness should be curable, so why did she say that she couldn't cure her fourth brother?

Shen Muxun fell into deep thought. He thought he should find some time to ask Miss Liangyue.

On the other side, upon seeing Liang Yue shake her head, Chen's mother suddenly took two steps back, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly comical.

Yu Zhou's legs had finally seen a glimmer of hope, and everything was about to get better, but then Yan Xi had this accident. Why was her life so miserable?

“Mother, it’s all my fault. If I had been able to find a way to raise the money sooner, Fourth Brother wouldn’t have…” Shen Jinshu choked up twice, pushing all the blame onto herself.

Shen Mingyi sighed and gently patted Shen Jinshu to comfort her, "Shu'er, this is not your fault. Such a large sum of money, let alone you, even your father might not be able to raise it. Don't think too much about it, your mother won't blame you."

"It's enough that you have the heart. It's better than some ungrateful wretches who have money but refuse to help those in distress." As soon as Shen Mingyi said this, everyone present knew who he was referring to as an ungrateful wretch.

Shen Yuzhou frowned, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.

Shen's mother looked particularly unpleasant; Shen Mingyi had truly hit a nerve.

Seeing Shen Yanxi's miserable state, Shen's mother felt heartbroken and couldn't help but feel some resentment towards Song Zhiyu.

The princess's congratulatory gift to Song Zhiyu was priceless; if she were willing to give up just one item, Yan Xi could be saved, but she simply refused.

If she had known this would happen, why would she have bothered to bring Song Zhiyu back in the first place?

*

The Duke of Ling's Mansion.

"Well, did you find anything?" Old Madam Ling asked anxiously as the people she had sent out returned.

The man in black spoke cautiously, "Madam, we've found out. That Lady Hou was indeed adopted by the Qin couple."

The moment the man uttered his first words, Old Madam Ling's heart clenched painfully.

“However… the Qin couple adopted the Lady of the Marquis in the Jiangnan area.” After saying this, the man in black lowered his head. He could even imagine the disappointed look in Old Madam Ling’s eyes.

"Jiangnan." Old Madam Ling murmured a couple of times, then smiled self-deprecatingly. It seemed that this was not her daughter.

She didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed. Deep down, she didn't want her daughter to be such a clueless person, especially since she was involved with the Chengen Marquis's mansion.

If there was any sense of loss, it was not without. Since Shen's mother wasn't her daughter, Zhiyu naturally wasn't her biological granddaughter either.

"You can go now." Old Madam Ling waved her hand, wearily rubbing her temples. After so many disappointments, she had become somewhat used to it.

The man in black gave Old Madam Ling a deep look, stood up, and left the Duke's mansion silently.

But after leaving the courtyard, he did not leave directly, but instead walked in the opposite direction from the Duke's mansion.

"My lord, I have already reported the news to Madam Ling." The man in black knelt on one knee in front of a man in a long robe, his tone respectful and his face filled with deep awe.

"Did she believe it?" The man in the long robe seemed to have sand stuck in his throat, and his voice was low and hoarse.

"I think she believed it." The man in black tried his best to recall Madam Ling's expression and did not think he had any flaws.

The man in the long robe chuckled cryptically. "Don't contact me for now. If anything comes up, I'll get in touch with you."

The game he had been planning for over twenty years was almost ready to be played out.