The gatekeeper woman and Sister Xi sat facing each other gossiping, positioned with their backs to the courtyard.

Sister Xi seemed still immersed in her reflections on men’s heartlessness. When she saw Yang Shi charging toward the courtyard gate, she didn’t react immediately.

It was the gatekeeper woman who heard the commotion and twisted her head around, jumping up suddenly: “Madam, you cannot go out—”

By this time, Yang Shi had already rushed to the courtyard gate and was forcefully pulling down the door bolt.

Seeing Yang Shi about to escape, the gatekeeper woman took off running wildly toward the gate, but was knocked off balance by a great force from behind.

Sister Xi rubbed her now-numb nose and pulled the gatekeeper woman up: “Oh my, are you alright?”

It turned out Sister Xi was the one who had crashed into her.

The gatekeeper woman had no time to concern herself with this matter. She shook off Sister Xi’s hand and chased outside: “Madam, Madam, please come back quickly—”

Seeing the gatekeeper woman chase out the door, a triumphant smile flashed quickly through Sister Xi’s eyes.

Letting Yang Shi run out was the most important task of her visit this time. As long as she completed it successfully, the rest of her life would be carefree and comfortable.

After breathing a slight sigh of relief, Sister Xi quickly chased out, shouting loudly: “Madam, you cannot run around recklessly. If the Marquis finds out, there will be serious trouble—”

Though the alley was long, with the gatekeeper woman’s delay, Yang Shi had already run onto the street.

It was the best time of day, and the street was bustling with people coming and going. A woman suddenly running out from the small alley immediately attracted countless gazes.

Behind her were the intermittent shouts of the gatekeeper woman and Sister Xi.

The footsteps grew more urgent, faster and faster.

That sense of urgency forced Yang Shi to use all her strength, running frantically toward the main gate of the Marquis of Changchun’s manor.

Though her rationality had nearly collapsed, Yang Shi understood she could not enter through the back gate. If she did that, she would be quietly dragged back before getting close, never to see daylight again, perhaps even losing her life.

She was unwilling to accept this!

Even if she died, she could not die so miserably.

Just thinking that she might die like Princess Huayang, while that heartless, cruel man remarried and continued living his carefree life, made her heart bleed with hatred.

Yang Shi had been trapped in that dilapidated, cold residence for too long. After running so far in one breath, her strength was gradually exhausted, and her legs went soft, nearly causing her to fall.

The people behind immediately closed the distance.

Yang Shi felt that in the next instant, that hand would grab her and drag her back to that lightless alley.

In this moment, the string called rationality finally snapped.

Yang Shi shouted at the top of her lungs: “Don’t come near me! I’m going to ask the Marquis of Changchun—wasn’t strangling Princess Huayang to death enough back then? Does he want to kill me now too?”

These words rang out like thunder on flat ground, exploding among the crowd that had stopped to watch the commotion.

The Marquis of Changchun?

Strangled Princess Huayang to death?

A young person asked the aunt beside him: “Auntie, who is this crazy woman?”

The aunt smiled mysteriously, unable to hide her smugness: “This is no crazy woman. This lady was originally the wife of the Marquis of Changchun. She was divorced last year for committing an offense…”

The youth, impatient with the aunt’s subsequent long-winded lecture, quickly asked about the key point: “Then who is Princess Huayang?”

The aunt became even more enthusiastic: “Princess Huayang was the original wife of the Marquis of Changchun!”

“So this lady is the second wife.” The youth looked at Yang Shi, who was continuously struggling after being caught by the gatekeeper woman, his face showing shock and doubt. “Why does she say the Marquis of Changchun strangled Princess Huayang to death—”

The aunt’s smugness from being well-informed turned to shock, her volume rising involuntarily: “Yes, what is this about? Back then, we clearly heard that Princess Huayang died of illness!”

Following Yang Shi’s shocking words, in a short time the onlookers had already sorted out the whole story. Looking again at the gatekeeper woman and Sister Xi desperately dragging Yang Shi into the alley, their expressions changed.

This was an attempt to silence her!

Originally, common people could not afford to offend the lofty marquis manor, but the Marquis of Changchun’s manor was a bit different.

Last year, they still remembered the scene of Miss Luo carrying the eldest son of the Marquis of Changchun’s manor to their door to cause a commotion.

Also last year, they remembered the scene of several hoodlums coming to the Marquis of Changchun’s manor to collect gambling debts.

Again last year, they remembered even more clearly when the Marquis of Changchun’s manor was impeached and punished by the Emperor.

Perhaps having watched wave after wave of excitement concerning the Marquis of Changchun’s manor, they didn’t seem so afraid of the lofty marquis manor anymore…

Common people also have a sense of justice and can produce heroes!

A man shouted: “Stop! In broad daylight, are you planning to commit violence in the street?”

The gatekeeper woman gripping Yang Shi’s arm froze, instinctively looking for the person who spoke.

Sister Xi, who was already putting in minimal effort, also looked over.

They couldn’t see anyone.

Fortunately, the people around the man very cooperatively stepped back one pace, revealing the man.

The man: “…” Why are these people like this!

Since he had been seen, there was no way to hide.

The man simply strode forward, mustering his courage: “Let her go. Whatever needs to be said can be said clearly at the magistrate’s office.”

Seeing more and more people watching, the gatekeeper woman dared not argue and immediately increased her effort to pull Yang Shi.

Sister Xi spat: “Where did this country bumpkin come from? Did you drink a few mouthfuls of slop and lose your sense of direction? You dare meddle in the marquis manor’s business!”

Under everyone’s gaze, the man’s pride was wounded and he immediately forgot his timidity, shouting: “When the road is uneven, someone levels it; when affairs are unjust, someone intervenes! Can the marquis manor kill and set fires in broad daylight?”

With the man’s shout, voices of agreement immediately came from the crowd.

Shouting cost nothing—after all, the tall tree catches the wind.

Yang Shi drew encouragement from these voices and shouted hoarsely: “Neighbors, save me! The Marquis of Changchun killed his original wife, Princess Huayang, and now he wants to kill me too—”

The gatekeeper woman hurriedly covered Yang Shi’s mouth, urgently urging: “Sister Xi, quickly help me drag her back!”

At this moment, a squad of officers arrived.

“What’s going on here?” The lead officer asked with a cold face.

The gatekeeper woman froze in place, thinking silently that this was the end.

The onlookers all spoke at once, explaining the whole story.

The ones who came were officers from the Western City Military Command, precisely the same squad that had arrested servants from the Marquis of Changchun’s manor on the street last year.

The lead officer was also quite helpless.

He didn’t want to constantly have problems with the Marquis of Changchun’s manor either, but Miss Luo wouldn’t agree to that!

Yang Shi, seeing the officers arrive, forcefully broke free from the gatekeeper woman and rushed over: “Officers, save me! The Marquis of Changchun has killed someone—”

The shrill shout broke through the clouds, carrying far into the distance.

In less than half a day, all of the capital knew: Princess Huayang, the Marquis of Changchun’s first wife, had not died of illness after all, but had been strangled to death by the Marquis of Changchun!

The reason?

What other reason could there be? It was because the Prince of Zhennan’s manor had fallen into trouble, and the Marquis of Changchun feared being implicated by his first wife.

Those who remembered the events of that year all sighed in unison.

That’s not how it was told back then. Supposedly, Princess Huayang had proposed an amicable separation, but the Marquis of Changchun’s manor refused, saying that since she had married into the family, she was a person of the marquis manor, and no matter what happened to her natal family, that would not change.

For this, they received quite a lot of praise.

Tsk tsk, truly black-hearted and rotten to the core.