Jiang Xinzhi had just returned to the capital victorious with Guan Lianghan, only to earn such great merit again.

Though Guan Lianghan’s unauthorized troop deployment violated regulations, the lives of common people were more important than heaven. With matters having priorities of urgency and importance, the court had yet to issue any decree of punishment. The Emperor’s meaning was already very clear—merit outweighed fault.

Guan Lianghan was battle-tested and known as the Great Jin Dynasty’s God of War, so this wasn’t particularly important to him. But the suddenly emerging Jiang Xinzhi was different. Having already been promoted to deputy general at such a young age, this affair was like adding flowers to brocade. Those with insight speculated that Jiang Xinzhi’s career would surely soar in the future. Who would have thought that though the Jiang family had been civil officials for generations, they had produced a military general in Jiang Xinzhi’s generation?

Thus these past days, the Jiang manor’s entrance was bustling with traffic—all coming to curry favor with Jiang Quan.

Jiang Quan secretly wiped away sweat. The entire Prime Minister’s manor had been imprisoned, and this affair looked grim. Even if they were fortunately released in the end, it would be difficult for the Li family to restore their former unlimited glory. With the Eighth Prince’s power damaged, everyone in court from top to bottom dared not act rashly—even the Xia family had gone quiet.

The Jiang manor relied on the Xia family, the Xia family depended on Xuan Li. If Xuan Li had problems, the Jiang manor would naturally lose its prospects. Jiang Quan had been worried sick about this matter, but who knew that Jiang Xinzhi would emerge halfway through, forcing the Jiang manor, which had already shown signs of collapse, to present a scene of flourishing prosperity again.

While he entertained colleagues who came to curry favor, his heart was very complex. If it were Jiang Chao bringing glory to the Jiang family, that would be one thing, but it happened to be Jiang Xinzhi. Though Jiang Xinzhi indeed seemed to bring many benefits to the Jiang manor now, he had been arrogant from the moment he returned. If he truly gained the Emperor’s special regard, wouldn’t he turn the Jiang manor upside down in the future? This legitimate eldest son had never taken him seriously before, and now his capabilities grew daily. If the Jiang manor’s entire estate fell into his hands in the future, where would there be room for Jiang Chao and Jiang Susu? Thinking of this, a trace of gloom flashed in Jiang Quan’s eyes.

While Jiang Quan’s mood was complex, someone else’s mood was even worse than his. In the days following the Bochang Reservoir incident, the number of broken cups and dishes in Yanhua Courtyard and Suxin Courtyard rapidly increased. Xia Yan happened to catch a cold and was bedridden, so the manor servants quietly spread rumors that Xia Yan had been made ill by anger over Jiang Xinzhi’s renewed success.

As rumors multiplied, they somehow spread throughout the capital’s streets and alleys. People discussed how the once capital-famous talented woman Xia Yan had inevitably become a petty, jealous woman after entering the manor. Her usual dignified, magnanimous, tolerant, and forbearing attitude was all just an act. Otherwise, why would she fall ill from anger the moment the eldest young master Jiang achieved merit?

These words spread back and forth, finally returning to the Jiang manor itself. Almost the next day, Xia Yan’s illness was cured.

Once Xia Yan recovered, Jiang Chao fell ill instead, shutting himself in his courtyard and refusing to come out.

Even the main house had become like this, so when other concubines and daughters in the Jiang manor encountered Jiang Ruan, they showed some wariness.

Regardless of others’ attitudes in the manor, the Jiang siblings remained content and at ease. If there was one other person in the manor who was happy, it was Old Madam Jiang.

Old Madam Jiang had been bedridden with illness. Being sixty years old, when illness came like a landslide, recovery was like drawing silk. She had already been very pleased to hear that Jiang Xinzhi had been promoted to deputy general upon his return. But after Jiang Xinzhi returned to the capital, military affairs kept him busy, and Old Madam Jiang’s health hadn’t fully recovered. When she could finally get up and walk around this day, she impatiently summoned the Jiang siblings.

In Guilan Courtyard, Old Madam Jiang looked with satisfaction at the imposing young man before her. She was old now. Previously, her favorite had been Jiang Chao, whom she had raised by her side since childhood. But recently, Jiang Chao had repeatedly disappointed her, while this Jiang Xinzhi had suddenly returned victorious from battle, making her view him with new respect.

Compared to Old Madam Jiang’s enthusiasm, Jiang Xinzhi appeared polite but distant—courteous in excess, intimate in deficiency. After some back and forth, Old Madam Jiang also discerned Jiang Xinzhi’s attitude, and her expression gradually became less amiable than before.

Jiang Xinzhi, having been tempered in the military, was unmoved by Old Madam Jiang’s deliberate silence. Jiang Ruan said even less, only smiling without speaking. Old Madam Jiang hinted both openly and subtly that Jiang Xinzhi should support the Jiang family more, and if possible, help Jiang Chao as well. After all, Jiang Chao would inherit the Jiang manor in the future, and he was his younger brother nonetheless.

But Jiang Xinzhi calmly deflected her words, playing taiji, ultimately agreeing to nothing.

Old Madam Jiang, having been extremely shrewd all her life, naturally felt somewhat displeased encountering the Jiang siblings’ imperviousness to both soft and hard approaches. After a few more polite exchanges, her attitude gradually cooled. She waved her hand, saying only that she was tired.

After Jiang Ruan left, she said to Cai Que beside her: “I thought it was a treasure, but it’s someone who doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

“The eldest young master bears resentment toward Madam. Once this resentment passes, things will naturally improve. After all, we’re still one family,” Cai Que consoled.

“Where’s the resentment? It’s clearly hatred.” Old Madam Jiang sighed deeply: “Let them make their fuss. Xia Yan should also suffer some hardship.” Though she doted on Jiang Chao, she wasn’t irreplaceably attached to him. Jiang Quan wasn’t her biological son after all—she only needed to protect the Jiang manor’s prosperity. Whether the future head of the family was Jiang Chao or Jiang Xinzhi made little difference to her.

Walking out of Guilan Courtyard with Jiang Xinzhi, Jiang Ruan said: “Grandmother seems angry with you.”

“I don’t care about the Jiang manor’s position,” Jiang Xinzhi’s voice was low: “Much less about helping them.”

“It’s best not to,” Jiang Ruan smiled.

Because the Jiang manor would eventually collapse anyway. For those dying, why bother with the flourishing prosperity before death?

Just as they were speaking, they noticed a corner of clothing visible from the garden. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly and suddenly raised her voice: “Since grandmother wants to acknowledge elder brother as the head of the family, that’s naturally grandmother’s intention. Elder brother must think it over carefully.”

Jiang Xinzhi was slightly surprised, but seeing Jiang Ruan’s expression seemed to understand something, and smiled along: “Exactly so.”

The clothing corner in the flower bushes quickly flashed away. Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xinzhi exchanged glances and both smiled.

While the Jiang siblings were leisurely and carefree, naturally there were others who weren’t so at ease—such as those in the sealed Prime Minister’s manor and the Li family members imprisoned in jail.

Everyone in the Prime Minister’s manor had been arrested by officials and thrown into prison, but they had missed Li An alone. The second young master Li had fled to avoid punishment, and despite the entire capital conducting a massive search, they hadn’t found a trace of him. This was a major event in the capital, so there were constables searching for him in the city daily.

The second young master of the Li manor had been extremely intelligent since childhood, but no one knew where he was hiding. Given his caution, he probably wouldn’t be easily caught.

In a poor residential alley of the capital, a filthy inn swayed precariously. Days of rain had already torn off half the inn’s roof. In the wind and rain, it seemed the inn might collapse at any moment.

A gray-clothed man walked in. The innkeeper was dozing at his table and hadn’t expected anyone to come at this hour. He hurriedly greeted the guest courteously: “Sir, are you staying the night or dining?”

“One middle room.” The gray-clothed man pulled out a small piece of broken silver: “Have the food sent to the room.” After speaking, he headed upstairs. The inn was old and dilapidated, located in a dark alley of the slums. Rich people disdained staying in such a place, while poor people couldn’t afford it. So the inn had very few guests.

The innkeeper smiled and agreed, going upstairs to find a room for this gray-clothed man.

After finding the room, the innkeeper went back downstairs. The gray-clothed man closed the door and slowly removed his dusty outer garment. Beneath the dirty clothing was a handsome face, though his expression was somewhat ferociously gloomy.

This person was Li An.

The always supremely intelligent and arrogantly conceited Li An now could only hide like a homeless dog, evading official pursuit. From childhood, everyone had praised him, calling him the hope of the Prime Minister’s manor. He disdained Li Yang’s dissolute ways with women and looked down on Li Dong, who only knew pleasure and enjoyment all day.

He wanted to be above others, to enjoy others’ admiring gazes. In fact, he had indeed achieved this, so he had never imagined that one day he would suffer such a crushing defeat—especially at the hands of an eleven-year-old girl!

These past days, he had carefully thought through the entire sequence of events and finally confirmed that this affair was indeed Jiang Ruan’s doing. He couldn’t hide his shock. From the moment Jiang Ruan castrated Li Yang, she seemed to have been systematically targeting the Li family step by step. Whatever her ultimate purpose, such naked provocation that caused the Prime Minister’s manor such enormous losses—how could Li An accept this!

Especially since recent marketplace rumors claimed that when the Emperor saw the countless treasures in the Prime Minister’s manor—even more abundant than the national treasury—he flew into a rage and was already murderous, planning to execute the entire Prime Minister’s manor within days.

Though these were marketplace rumors, their source was the palace. They were told so convincingly that people couldn’t distinguish truth from falsehood. Li An himself understood that even just to enrich the national treasury, the Emperor might very well take the Prime Minister’s manor’s lives.

But this way, the Prime Minister’s manor would never have a chance to recover!

No, he had to do something. He couldn’t sit waiting for death. He couldn’t watch the Prime Minister’s manor collapse because of one small reservoir incident.

He had already gathered information that with the continued rain in the capital, wealthy families often went to the capital’s most famous temple—Baoguang Temple—to pray for blessings.

Jiang Ruan would go there the day after tomorrow with other young ladies of the Jiang family, incidentally donating incense money.

Baoguang Temple was located on Xueyi Cliff, far from the city center. The mountains were high and valleys deep, the journey long and arduous. Precisely because of this, the incense offerings flourished, as people believed this showed sincerity.

All the young ladies of the Jiang manor going to Baoguang Temple was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.

He had to turn things around before the Emperor made a decision about the Prime Minister’s manor. This matter required starting with Jiang Ruan, but now he couldn’t appear openly, much less approach Jiang Ruan.

The only option was to kidnap her first, then… make her personally admit that everything was a conspiracy.

Li An, who had always harmed others through schemes, had never made such a direct decision. But this was the only way.

This was also his first time taking action personally. He believed Jiang Ruan couldn’t escape even with wings.

Slowly, he pulled out something like a bronze plaque from his chest. The object was palm-sized and exquisitely crafted. Li An gripped the bronze plaque tightly, then slowly began to smile.