Compared to the misery at the Zhu residence, the Duke of An’guo’s household seemed to have been hit by an unexpected blow.

Why should the Duke of An’guo be fined a year’s salary for the wrongdoings of Minister Zhu’s son? This was truly an undeserved calamity!

The Duke of An’guo managed to keep his composure, but his wife, Lady Wei, was furious. Unable to scold her son, she found an excuse to berate Qiaoniang instead.

Qiaoniang returned to her room and wept bitterly into her pillow.

Ji Chongyi heard faint crying as he approached the door.

He paused, his already dark face growing even more gloomy.

The ducal mansion had inexplicably been thrust into the spotlight again, once more becoming the subject of people’s gossip. How could he not feel upset?

Those longtime friends now acted strange around him, as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.

In reality, he had simply married the woman he loved, nothing more.

Compared to those friends who frequented brothels, took concubines, and kept mistresses, what wrong had he done?

That feeling of being subtly ostracized by friends left Ji Chongyi troubled and at a loss.

And just when the accusatory and reproachful glances in the ducal mansion had begun to subside, they were now everywhere again, making Ji Chongyi even more depressed.

In this mood, he walked towards his resting place, only to hear his wife crying.

A few months ago, hearing such crying would have immediately worried him. He would have rushed in to ask what was wrong and taken his wife in his arms to comfort her.

But now, Ji Chongyi felt only annoyance.

When scolded by his mother, his wife would cry; when given the cold shoulder by his sister, his wife would cry; when slighted by the servants, his wife would still cry…

But he could get irritated too, he could get tired too.

Didn’t he also have moments of pain, frustration, and wanting to cry? It was just that he was a man, and all this was the result of his own choices. He had no right to cry, nor the face to do so.

But things had indeed changed.

When he felt disheartened, he hoped to come home to a cup of hot tea and a gentle word, not a face full of grievances.

When had that girl who used to laugh heartily in his arms disappeared?

Ji Chongyi silently turned and walked towards his study.

The maid standing guard at the door wanted to speak but hesitated, finally shaking her head as she watched Ji Chongyi’s retreating figure.

It had only been a few months, yet the Third Young Master had grown so cold towards the Third Young Mistress. She recalled how she had once secretly envied the Third Young Mistress’s good fortune.

But then—the maid’s eyes gleamed, a smile tugging at her lips.

If the Third Young Master’s affection for the Third Young Mistress had cooled, wouldn’t that open up opportunities for others?

In the maids’ view, their lowly status couldn’t compare to that of noble ladies, but if a commoner girl could marry into the ducal family as a young mistress, surely becoming a concubine wasn’t an impossible dream for them.

The Emperor’s punishment of the Zhu family delighted Jiang Ancheng, but dealing with his eldest daughter’s divorce from Zhu Ziyu proved troublesome.

The Zhu family refused to sign the divorce papers, solely because they clearly stated that Jiang Yi and Zhu Ziyu’s daughter, Yan’yan, would reside with her mother.

Old Lady Feng, seeing the Emperor’s punishment of the Zhu family, was eager to distance herself from those who had lost imperial favor. Realizing the divorce was stuck on the issue of Yan’yan, she immediately said to Jiang Ancheng: “Yan’yan bears the Zhu surname and is rightfully a daughter of the Zhu family. Even if her father has erred, this fact remains unchanged. Where in this world is there a precedent for taking the husband’s child in a divorce? I think we should let this matter go.”

“Unacceptable!” Jiang Ancheng and Jiang Zhan exclaimed in unison.

Old Lady Feng shot Jiang Zhan a displeased glance. “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty today?”

“Grandson took leave. I can’t focus on my duties until Elder Sister’s matter is resolved.”

Old Lady Feng’s face darkened. “Nonsense. How can you help? Are you planning to snatch Yan’yan back from the Zhu family?”

“If snatching her back would work, then I’d go do it,” Jiang Zhan said regretfully.

Unfortunately, the law still constrained them. With the Zhu family currently under scrutiny, countless eyes were watching. If he were to take his niece by force, the Zhu family would immediately report it to the authorities.

Jiang Ancheng rubbed his brow. “Mother, there’s no need to rush. Divorce is no small matter; it can’t be settled so simply. There’s always a process of negotiation. The Zhu family’s influence is waning, and as time passes, their situation will only worsen. As long as we don’t give up on Yan’yan, they will eventually relent.”

“But this process takes too long,” Jiang Si said softly.

Though her voice was quiet, it immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Remembering what Jiang Si had said earlier, Jiang Zhan’s eyes blazed. “Fourth Sister, do you have a solution?”

Old Lady Feng frowned as she stared at her granddaughter.

Ever since that bet, whenever she saw her granddaughter’s strikingly beautiful face, she felt conflicted.

On one hand, the little girl’s outrageous claims irritated her. But on the other hand, she couldn’t help but wonder: what if this girl could do it?

The son of the Marquis of Yongchang next door—well, he should be called the Marquis of Yongchang now—had grown up as childhood friends with her fourth granddaughter. For her to speak so confidently, perhaps that boy had made some promise to her.

What did it matter if the new Marquis of Yongchang had to observe a three-year mourning period for his parents? In three years, her fourth granddaughter would be just eighteen, in the prime of her youth. She could marry him then, immediately start bearing children, and establish her position.

As for the one-year promise, Old Lady Feng scoffed at the idea.

Unless the Emperor planned to select many new consorts for his harem, how could her fourth granddaughter possibly ascend to heaven?

To Old Lady Feng, even if Jiang Si entered the palace as a consort, it wouldn’t be as good as becoming the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang.

The Emperor was getting on in years, and most importantly, he already had many sons. What use was there in entering the palace as a concubine? Moreover, with her fourth granddaughter’s face, she might even make enemies for the family if seen by other noble ladies.

Old Lady Feng hadn’t forgotten why Jiang Si’s mother couldn’t marry well and ended up in their family. With such a mother, it was unlikely that the Empress Dowager and Princess Rongyang would look kindly upon her fourth granddaughter.

“Tell us your idea,” Old Lady Feng said, then shook her head inwardly.

Since when had she started having the patience to listen to a little girl’s nonsense?

“Since the Zhu family is unwilling to divorce amicably, why don’t we ask the officials to judge for a complete severance of ties?”

“That’s impossible!” Old Lady Feng flatly rejected the idea. “A man having a woman outside barely warrants a divorce, let alone a complete severance of ties. How could the officials possibly make such a judgment?”

Jiang Si smiled. “What if Zhu Ziyu had attempted to harm his wife?”

Old Lady Feng was startled.

Jiang Ancheng spoke with a grim face: “That vicious beast Zhu Ziyu—this is precisely why I insist on Yi’er leaving that den of tigers and wolves. If only we had evidence!”

“Who says we don’t have evidence?” Seeing the gazes of her father and brothers turn to her, Jiang Si slightly raised her chin and softly uttered two words: “I do.”

Jiang Ancheng stood up abruptly, asking urgently: “Really?”

Jiang Si smiled charmingly: “How could I joke about such a matter? Father, take me to see Official Zhen. I will surely bring back the complete severance document.”

Kicking a man when he’s down—she enjoyed that the most.