“Stop joking around. Even burly men take detours—what old lady would come our way…” The guard glanced casually, then unconsciously straightened up, muttering: “She does seem to be coming this way, and she’s brought a bunch of maids and servants.”

“Could she be a family member of some official?”

“Doesn’t look like it. Have you ever seen any family’s old lady bring a group of maids and servants to stroll around the Jinlin Guards’ headquarters?”

“She is coming over!”

The two guards stopped muttering and stepped forward together, stretching out their hands to stop Old Madam Deng.

“Old lady, this is the Jinlin Guards’ headquarters, a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside!”

Old Madam Deng stopped and said gravely: “Please trouble you two officers to announce my presence. I wish to see your superior.”

“Which superior are you looking for?” Seeing that Old Madam Deng was indeed quite elderly, the two guards showed rare patience.

“Your highest superior—Grand Commander Jiang of the Jinlin Guards.” Old Madam Deng said without changing expression.

“Who?” The two guards were stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Old lady, please don’t joke around. This isn’t a place for your entertainment. You’d better leave quickly.”

One of them pointed at the sky: “Look, the sun is so strong. How comfortable would it be for you to stay at home? If you keep wandering around outside, what if you get heatstroke? Go back, go back.”

“I’m not here for entertainment, nor am I wandering. You two officers should know that Grand Commander Jiang has a daughter, right?”

The two guards sensed something was amiss and exchanged glances.

Old Madam Deng continued on her own: “Today, Grand Commander Jiang’s daughter, Miss Jiang, disfigured my third granddaughter. Originally, this matter should be taken up with the lady of the inner quarters, but I heard that Grand Commander Jiang never remarried, so I came here to seek an explanation from Grand Commander Jiang.”

Disfigured?

The two guards looked at each other, thinking: This was something Miss Jiang could do. But whether it was disfigurement or even murder, someone’s family dared to come seeking an explanation? Were they tired of living?

One of the guards, being more cautious, asked: “May I ask which family’s lady you are?”

Old Madam Deng said with a stern face: “My eldest son holds office in the Hanlin Academy!”

“Could you be Minister Su’s wife?” The two guards were shocked.

The current Minister of Rites, Su He, also served as Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy and had great hopes of joining the Cabinet.

Although their Grand Commander wasn’t afraid of any Cabinet members or ministers, if Miss Jiang had injured a young lady from such a family, they needed to report this to the Grand Commander.

“What Minister Su’s wife? Didn’t I just say my eldest son holds office in the Hanlin Academy!”

“Your eldest son is—”

“Oh, he’s a Hanlin Compiler!”

Hanlin Compiler?

The two guards almost thought they’d misheard. After a long pause, they waved their hands dismissively: “Old lady, you’d better go home early and stop making trouble here!”

“What? If I were Minister Su’s wife, I could see your Grand Commander, but as the mother of a Hanlin Compiler, I’m making trouble here?” Old Madam Deng’s expression turned completely dark, her eyes filled with anger and mockery.

The two guards felt embarrassed, their limited patience worn thin. They said fiercely, “Leave quickly! Our Grand Commander entered the palace today. No matter who you are, you can’t see him today!”

The two reached out to push her away. The maids and servants nearby shouted: “You officers, how can you hit people?”

Their voices were loud, and being a group of women, they immediately aroused the curiosity of distant passersby. Though these people didn’t dare approach the Jinlin Guards’ headquarters, watching the excitement was human nature, so they all stood at a distance to observe.

“If you don’t leave, we’ll have to get serious!”

Old Madam Deng raised her hand: “Let’s go!”

Seeing Old Madam Deng turn and leave, the two guards thought: This old lady is quite sensible after all!

Wait, what was this old lady trying to do?

The two craned their necks to look and saw several maids and servants quickly unloading tables, chairs, and parasols from a carriage parked by the roadside, setting them up in front of the Jinlin Guards’ headquarters.

The old lady sat down in the grand chair, took a teacup handed to her by a maid, and closed her eyes to rest, with two maids standing behind her fanning her.

The two guards were dumbfounded. After being stunned for a while, they finally reacted and strode over, saying coldly, “Old lady, this isn’t a place for you to drink tea and sleep. Please leave immediately!”

“This isn’t inside the Jinlin Guards’ headquarters. What, under the Son of Heaven’s feet, has the Jinlin Guards bought this place? Can’t people drink tea and sleep here anymore?”

“Old lady, you came here today to cause trouble, didn’t you?”

The gathering crowd of onlookers grew larger, all listening quietly with pricked ears.

Old Madam Deng drew energy from her core and suddenly raised her voice: “I didn’t come here for sightseeing today! My granddaughter was used as a target by your Grand Commander’s daughter for archery practice. Miss Jiang shot wide, and an arrow struck my granddaughter’s face perfectly! My poor granddaughter is only thirteen years old, and now she’s disfigured—her whole life is ruined! I came to seek justice for my poor granddaughter, but I can’t even see Grand Commander Jiang’s face. Is there still law and justice in this world?”

The watching crowd gasped in shock upon hearing this.

Using a thirteen-year-old girl as a target? What kind of person would do such a thing? That Miss Jiang was truly inhuman!

“What nonsense are you spouting, old lady? Get lost, get lost!” There were plenty of people who hated the Jinlin Guards, but the two guards had never encountered someone like Old Madam Deng before and were now somewhat flustered.

The old lady was so elderly—if she died from being pushed around in broad daylight, even the Jinlin Guards would have trouble explaining it.

Old Madam Deng was pushed and stumbled, tears streaming down her face: “I am still a titled lady, and my poor granddaughter is at least a young lady from an official family, yet she was toyed with like a cat or dog by Miss Jiang. What would happen if she were a common girl from an ordinary family? I came here today not to demand that Miss Jiang disfigure herself in compensation—not because of Miss Jiang’s status, but because I couldn’t bear to let another girl in her prime suffer the same fate as my poor little granddaughter. What I’m seeking today is your apology, what I’m asking for is justice, so that no more daughters raised as precious jewels by their parents and families will be treated like beasts!”

“Well said!” The watching crowd couldn’t help but cheer.

The two guards’ heads were spinning. Seeing the situation was getting out of control, one stayed to watch Old Madam Deng while the other hurried back to report.

“Someone is causing trouble outside the headquarters because Miss Jiang disfigured someone? The person who came is the victim’s grandmother?” Jiang Yuanchao heard his subordinate’s report and sighed softly in his heart, instructing a Jinlin Guard: “Go wait outside the palace. When the Grand Commander comes out, immediately report this matter to him.”

After giving his instructions, Jiang Yuanchao strode outside.