"One hundred taels of silver." Su Jinli murmured repeatedly, the edge of the jade pendant in her hand digging deeply into her palm, as if it would pierce her hand. She remembered that her mother loved Aunt Zhang very much when she was alive, and had personally donated an official position to her son. Her kindness to her was as great as a mountain. But she never expected that this mere one hundred taels of silver would make Aunt Zhang lose her conscience and exchange her benefactor's life. Seeing Su Jinli trembling with anger, Jiang Yan gently pressed her hand, his eyes full of heartache and anger. He turned to Constable Li and said in a deep voice: "Take all the servants of the Wang family back to the Dali Temple, don't let any of them go."
The carriage slowly drove away from the Wang family's house, the wheels rolling and making a "gurgling" sound, as if telling this heavy history. At this moment, Young Marquis Su suddenly grabbed Su Jinli's sleeve excitedly and shouted: "Sister! Look at the cellar!"
Hearing this, everyone turned around and looked. They saw officers and soldiers carrying out a black lacquer coffin from the cellar. The coffin was heavy and gloomy, as if it was hiding endless secrets. The lid of the coffin accidentally slipped off during the process of carrying it out, making a loud "clang" sound. Su Jinli took a closer look, and her pupils suddenly contracted - there was no corpse in the coffin, but it was full of account books with blue cloth covers. The sunlight seemed to be attracted by this sudden scene, penetrating the morning mist and sprinkling on the cover of the account book. The three words "Jishitang" were particularly eye-catching under the sunlight, but the word "Shi" was incomplete due to insect damage, and the horizontal line in the middle was broken, which looked very much like the winding bloodstain on the white scarf that her mother coughed up blood on before her death, which was shocking.
Captain Li stepped forward, bent down, and flipped open the topmost account book. As the pages turned, a yellowed prescription fluttered from between the pages. Su Jinli took a closer look and saw it was the prescription her mother had used to maintain her pregnancy. Her eyes quickly scanned the prescription, and when she saw Doctor Zhou's distinctive signature in the corner, she suddenly heard Jiang Yan whisper, "Madam, look at this 'Schisandra chinensis'. It's noted next to it, 'Can be taken with Intoxicating Flower.'"
The morning mist gradually dissipated under the sunlight, revealing the crumbling eaves of the Wang family compound. The former prosperity and glory had vanished like a passing cloud, lost in the long river of history. Su Jinli clutched the pieced jade pendant tightly, feeling the subtle gap between the two halves, as if she could palpate her mother's agony and helplessness. Suddenly, she remembered her mother's words: "Things in the world are like broken jade; seemingly perfect, yet scarred throughout." And now, these scars, buried deep over the years, finally began to reveal the truth beneath, hidden for over a decade.
As the carriage slowly turned the corner, bursts of cries and shouts could be heard from the receding Wang family's direction. It was someone desperately begging for mercy. Young Marquis Su's face flushed with rage. He slammed his gilded axe against the shaft of the carriage, causing the bronze bells to tinkle. He shouted, "Sister, when I grow up, I'm going to chop down all these bad guys!"
Jiang Yan frowned slightly, a flicker of worry in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He gently held Su Jinli's hand and wiped the blood from her palm. Behind his glasses, his gaze was gentle yet firm: "You don't need to grow up. I've already taken my revenge." He pointed in the direction of the Dali Temple in the distance. The solemn building shone in the sunlight, like a symbol of justice. "Doctor Zhou and Nanny Zhang will be executed within the hour."
Su Jinli quietly gazed at the intact mandarin duck jade pendant in her hand. Sunlight filtered through the lotus pattern and shone into her palm, making the dried blood stain transparent, as if telling a story of tragic history. The carriage slowly drove through Suzaku Street, the hustle and bustle of the street gradually reaching her ears. She saw a master artist at a streetside sugar painting stall intently painting a phoenix. His skilled technique and lifelike phoenix reminded her of Jiang Yan's words back then: "I'll take you in, and I'll protect you from trouble in the future."
Perhaps some misfortunes must be endured. Some vengeances must be avenged. And now, with the Wang family's sins rooted out, she can finally embrace her mother's injustice and embark on a life of true happiness and joy. She knows this journey of pain and suffering is over, and the days ahead will be filled with sunshine and hope. Together with her family, she will protect this hard-earned happiness and write a beautiful chapter for them.
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