Upon hearing this, Madam Yan nearly fainted.

Her husband's unreliability wasn't something that happened overnight. She could turn a blind eye before because he was the kind of person she was, after all, she wouldn't have gotten to her current position if he wasn't like this.

She has a very clear understanding of herself.

I just didn't expect it to be this outrageous. Not only did they bring someone back from such a filthy place, but they also beat the person to death.

"Quickly send someone to handle this, shut those people up, and prevent them from spreading this matter. Also, take some money to appease the deceased's family and prevent them from taking this to the authorities!"

Having been the housekeeper for over ten years, Yan had some experience. At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about his own emotions; he had to deal with the matter first.

This matter isn't a big deal, after all, the Duke of Mu's status is what it is. Even though his family has fallen on hard times, a fallen camel is still bigger than a horse, and not just anyone can be offended.

It's not a small matter, after all, someone died. If things blow up and those people in the court find out, they certainly won't let go of this good opportunity to kick someone when they're down. Then their Duke's mansion will be in big trouble.

The maid shook her head: "It's too late, Madam. The officials already know. Our Duke has been detained... Waaah..."

Towards the end, the little girl couldn't hold back her tears.

Zhuo Wei is the pillar of the family. Although he is not as successful as his ancestors, he holds the highest official position in the family. Usually, Zhuo Wei has to step in to solve any problems that happen to the younger generation. But this time, Zhuo Wei himself got into trouble. Who else in the family can help him?

Upon hearing this, Madam Yan immediately stumbled back two steps, unable to support herself. Had it not been for the maidservant supporting her, she would have fallen to the ground long ago.

One bad thing after another happened this morning, and she didn't even have a chance to calm down.

She couldn't give up; she had to find a way to rescue that unreliable man.

In fact, Lu Baichuan was also involved in making the government officials aware of Zhuo Wei's affair.

After his wife fell asleep last night, he sent someone to keep an eye on things at the Duke's mansion. However, the person he sent went to a brothel with Zhuo Wei and returned before dawn. He told Lu Baichuan about it, and after some deliberation, Lu Baichuan sent someone to inform the yamen and have them arrest the person.

At first, Lu Baichuan was also conflicted about whether or not to do it. After all, Zhuo Wei was very likely his father-in-law, and Zhuo Wei's behavior at the palace banquet that night was completely out of the loop. He probably didn't know his wife's identity, and it was very likely that everything was planned by Yan Shi herself.

Maybe Zhuo Wei is a good person.

But then he heard from his men that the man had forcibly taken the girl and even beaten her lover to death. There was no way a good person could do such a thing, so he hardened his heart and reported it to the authorities.

This is a good opportunity to investigate Zhuo Wei's character and see just how powerful the Duke's mansion is.

He Jiuniang knew nothing of these things; she was currently at Zhou Yanlan's parents' home, receiving Zhou Yanlan's profuse thanks.

In just a few days, after taking three doses of medicine, Zhou Yanlan's sister-in-law, Zhao, felt much better. She wasn't exactly able to jump around anymore, but she had a very clear understanding of her surroundings and knew that she had returned from the brink of death.

When her younger sister brought He Jiuniang here, she didn't have much hope. After all, she knew her own body better than anyone else, and knew that she was going to die, so there was no need to go to such great lengths.

But after He Jiuniang gave her a set of acupuncture needles and she broke out in a sweat, she felt much more relaxed. After taking medicine for a few more days, she was able to get out of bed and walk around. Her complexion was also much better than before. She knew that she had met a benefactor.

Knowing that He Jiuniang would be setting off back to Jingzhou tonight, Zhao had a lot of things prepared, including a generous consultation fee and some local specialties from the capital, such as gold, silver and jade.

This was the first time He Jiuniang had met someone so straightforward, so she still had to be polite and said, "Just give me the consultation fee, there's no need for all this."

"Yes, yes! Dr. He, you are my savior, my second parents. If I weren't so incapable, I would feel these are too little! Don't worry, this is all my dowry, I can make the decision, please accept it!"

Zhao stared at He Jiuniang with her big, bright eyes. He Jiuniang felt that, judging from the situation, if she didn't accept the money, Zhao might burst into tears in front of her.

"Alright, I'll accept it then."

He Jiuniang coughed twice and said seriously, "You can keep drinking this medicine. I will change it for you when I come back after the New Year. Your body is too damaged. It can't be replenished in a day or two. It will take at least a year and a half to recover."

"Uh-huh!"

Zhao now treats He Jiuniang's words as imperial edicts, and listens to everything He Jiuniang says.

He Jiuniang continued, "Also, try to avoid sexual intercourse during treatment, as this will cause greater damage to the body."

Although both of them were married, Zhao and Zhou Yanlan couldn't help but blush when this topic came up.

Zhao was naturally indifferent. During the years she was ill, she personally selected several pretty maids for her husband and promoted them to concubines. If it weren't for He Jiuniang curing her illness, she would have already started looking for a new wife for her husband.

Women in this era are so subservient; they're barely alive themselves, yet they still have to worry about how the men in their families will solve their problems.

He Jiuniang saw it all and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. When will women be able to truly be themselves and stop being appendages of men?

Fortunately, after spending time with Zhao, I found that her husband was not bad. Even though he had concubines in the backyard, he would still spend most of his time with Zhao in the main courtyard. Perhaps he felt sorry for her because she didn't have much time left. The relationship between the couple was still quite good.

These were not matters for He Jiuniang to concern herself with, so she didn't say much, simply explaining her situation before heading back.

As Zhao watched her retreating figure, she couldn't help but shed tears. If she had met Doctor He a few years earlier, her poor child wouldn't have died at such a young age.

Seeing her sister-in-law like this, Zhou Yanlan couldn't help but feel sad, but she still advised, "Sister-in-law, you're not fully recovered yet. Go back and lie down. Once you've recovered, everything will be fine."

"Yes, Third Sister, I owe my success today to you. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, just come to your sister-in-law, and I will definitely support you!"

The relationship between sisters-in-law has always been difficult, and the fact that the two can get along so peacefully is inseparable from their family traditions.

“You and your brother-in-law are still young, so don’t rush to have children. Let’s listen to Dr. He and have them a few years later. You must not end up like me and ruin your health.”

Zhao patted Zhou Yanlan's hand. Now, she didn't seem like a sister-in-law, but more like an old mother.

Zhou Yanlan nodded: "I know, there's no rush now, let's take it slow."

As soon as He Jiuniang returned home, someone came to deliver a message saying that they had hunted a lot of good stuff and were specially inviting her over for a roast meat meal.

Upon hearing this, He Jiuniang thought, "How can you eat barbecue without some barbecue seasoning?"

He turned and went into the room, then came out carrying a small suitcase: "Let's go!"