Ye Zhen had been betrayed by a man and didn't have the same confidence as Wan Xing.

She thought of another possibility: Xie Tingzhou had guessed her true identity.

His attitude towards her changed from the day Ye Wantang caused trouble.

True military generals all respect their mothers. Xie Tingzhou was an outstanding military general and also a junior, so he must have admired his mother as well.

Perhaps that's why he took care of her.

Ye Zhen wasn't one for internal strife; she only needed to ascertain whether Xie Tingzhou harbored any ill will towards her.

Now that she was certain that Xie Tingzhou had no intention of harming her, Ye Zhen stopped thinking about it.

She told Wanxing to rest inside, and said to Chaolu, "Let's go to the Buddhist hall to see Liu Shi."

When Liu was brought back, Chaolu was the most unhappy.

Wanxing understood that Ye Zhen was trying to anger Chaolu, so she didn't try to take credit and stayed in the room eating pastries.

Conversely, Xing Ze did not receive such good treatment.

He was punished by Xie Tingzhou by not being allowed to eat for a day. He muttered, "Master, I was just following your orders."

Xing Zeben felt he had performed exceptionally well that day and was eager to come back and claim credit.

As a result, Xie Tingzhou's face darkened immediately after hearing his words, and he made him stand at the door to reflect on his actions.

Xie Tingzhou tossed him a book on military strategy, saying, "Memorize it within three days, or get back to the border."

Xing Ze was terrified of reading, and he almost cried in front of Fu Guang.

Fu Guang had no choice but to explain to him, "The master asked you to help the young mistress, but the matter of Liu entering the Buddhist hall is different from Chen Qing's secret investigation of Xie Yunzhou. The young mistress will know without you revealing it."

Your unnecessary actions only raise suspicion. The young mistress isn't a typical woman confined to the inner quarters; Wanxing is trusted by her, so she's not incompetent. Why would she so easily entrust you with the task of finding someone?

Xing Ze then realized that Wan Xing had seen through him all along.

No, Wanxing went out to test him.

It was the young mistress who saw through him and even made Wanxing act with him.

Xing Ze covered his face with a book, "Women's hearts are truly unfathomable."

Fu Guang patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "The inner quarters are no easier than the battlefield. Think things through more carefully in the future."

He was already old and had seen a lot of the wickedness of people when he was at home. Later, when he was sent to the Crown Prince's side, he saw even more of the shady dealings in the inner quarters.

Xing Ze, on the other hand, was sent to train by his master from a young age and later went to the military camp, so he had never seen so many twists and turns.

But now that they've entered the Marquis's mansion, they can't afford to hold their master back.

Worried that Xing Ze might make another mistake, he simply stated, "The master cares about the young mistress, but doesn't want her to know he cares for the time being."

Xing Ze was even more confused. "Why? Isn't this so unfair to our master?"

It's certainly not good for the eldest brother-in-law and his sister-in-law to get out, but at least the young mistress needs to know so she can respond.

Although worried about their future, Xing Ze did not want it to be Xie Tingzhou's one-sided effort.

As for Ye Zhen looking down on Xie Tingzhou, he never even considered that idea.

On this point, he and Wanxing were surprisingly in agreement, both believing that their master was the best person in the world and that anyone they disliked was problematic.

Fu Guang glanced inside and saw that Xie Tingzhou was engrossed in his work and made no attempt to stop him.

He whispered, "The young mistress should be the girl the master is looking for."

Otherwise, the master wouldn't have withdrawn the people from the south.

"You know the situation back then better than I do. That girl saved her master, and since the assassins couldn't find him, they would definitely target that girl."

They are all ruthless and cruel people. I'm afraid the young mistress suffered a lot back then, and her master didn't appear in time to explain.

He recalled what he had heard at the magistrate's mansion: that the young mistress had a scar on her shoulder.

I don't know if it was left behind at that time.

Xing Ze remained silent.

After a long silence, he asked, "Is it too late for Master to explain now?"

Fu Guang shook his head. "Some things can't be erased with just a few words of explanation. Master has his own plans. We just need to avoid ruining things."

Xing Ze then thought of his master's experience and understood the meaning of Fu Guang's words.

If explanations were useful, how could our master have ended up in such a state?

Thinking about this, he became even more worried about their future, so he simply squatted down on the ground and said, "Fine, I'll just recite my lessons."

Be smart, maybe you can help your master.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhen led Chao Lu into the Buddhist hall.

She instructed, "My mother-in-law has been experiencing back pain lately and cannot sleep on a soft bed."

Chaolu understood and quickly led people to remove the bedding from Liu's bed.

Ye Zhen looked at Liu Shi again, "Father said that Mother entered the Buddhist hall to repent. Since it is to repent, it is not appropriate to dress too extravagantly, so as not to appear insincere."

Chaolu rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward again.

Madam Liu hurriedly said, "Ye Zhen, how dare you..."

Whether they dared or not, Chaolu had already taken action with two old women, and all of Liu's hairpins and fine clothes were taken away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chaolu pinched Liu Shi several times and then pricked her with a needle hidden in her sleeve, causing Liu Shi to scream in pain.

But the old women guarding the Buddhist hall dared not step forward to help. After a while, the old women saw Chaolu bring out the snacks from inside.

Those were just sent by Madam Liu, and Ye Zhen arrived before they could even be enjoyed.

She was so angry that she cursed loudly, "Ye Zhen, you disrespectful wretch, how dare you mistreat your mother-in-law? Aren't you afraid I'll sue you for being unfilial?"

In Da Yuan, filial impiety is a serious crime.

If children or grandchildren are unfilial, elders can take them to court, and once the evidence is proven, they will be severely punished according to the law.

Ye Zhen's expression was indifferent. "My mother's sins are grave; I'm afraid she won't be able to leave this Buddhist hall."

Life is long, and Mother is probably bored sitting here all day. Why not take this opportunity to pray for Father and Grandmother?

She had someone bring Xuan paper and inkstone into the room, saying, "This is Mother's chance to ask Father for forgiveness. Mother, please don't let your daughter-in-law's good intentions go to waste."

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