Ji Lingchuan’s entire body trembled, as if someone had taken an axe and forcibly split open his stubborn brain that had been set for fifty years.

Half was regret, half was agony.

“Did you brothers ever think about whether she had choices? Did she have a choice entering the Ji family? Giving you away—did she have a choice?”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes turned completely red.

“Who forced her to scheme for the position of household mistress? Who forced her to treat Lady Ning that way? Who forced her to act against your father’s concubines? And who…

turned her from a simple, artless fisherwoman into that kind of person?”

Each and every one of you—what right did you have?

Yan Sanhe’s fury roared in her heart!

A large hand fell on Yan Sanhe’s head.

She whirled around sharply.

Xie Zhifei hadn’t expected her to react so quickly. For an instant, the tenderness in his eyes couldn’t be hidden. He could only cough to cover it.

“Don’t get too agitated. Extreme anger harms the body.”

Having said this, he retreated to the doorway, leaning lazily, his face appearing calm and breezy though his heart pounded wildly.

Strange, why am I becoming addicted to patting her head?

Yan Sanhe went from shocked to calm in mere moments.

At this moment, Ji Lingchuan was already collapsed on the ground like a dead dog, silently shedding tears.

They say men don’t easily shed tears—only when truly heartbroken.

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “Ji Lingchuan, the true heartbreak hasn’t arrived yet. Save your tears!”

Ji Lingchuan shouted hoarsely, “Miss Yan, I beg you to finish me quickly. I, I…”

Can’t bear it already?

Yan Sanhe laughed coldly in her heart and crouched down, reaching out to press on Ji Lingchuan’s shoulder.

When Ji Lingchuan met her eyes, unspeakable terror rose in his heart.

“I told you before—the old matriarch’s childhood sweetheart was Wu Guanyue.

In the second year of Yonghe, Wu Guanyue and his son raised troops and declared kingship. In the third year of Yonghe, Great Qi sent troops. In the fourth year of Yonghe, Wu Guanyue and his son were defeated and fled.

These news items should have reached the old matriarch’s ears intermittently. That name sealed in her heart was blatantly laid on the table.

Night rain tapping the window, accompanying long dreams.

In dreams, the kapok flowers by the Beicang River bloomed. Warm wind blew, petals everywhere. She dimly saw that handsome, distinguished man standing beneath the kapok tree.

Calling her, Sanmei.

Awakening, each piece of news more alarming than the last.

I cannot imagine the old matriarch’s feelings upon hearing each piece of news.

But one thing is certain—not even Mama Chen, who stayed by her side day and night, detected half a hint. She hid it extremely deep, extremely well.”

Ji Lingchuan braced his hands on the ground, slowly raising his head, his voice extremely hoarse. “Until… until the perpetrator of the Zheng family case appeared, right?”

“Yes!”

Yan Sanhe said, “But do you know why?”

Ji Lingchuan shook his head woodenly.

“Because from childhood she knew Wu Guanyue’s life dream.”

Yan Sanhe paused. “Ji Lingchuan, do you know what Wu Guanyue’s life dream was? Rivers and earth, seas calm and rivers clear, ten thousand people living in peace!”

Ji Lingchuan’s breathing immediately became rapid, his eyes showing disbelief.

Yan Sanhe had anticipated this reaction.

“So when Wu Guanyue rebelled, killed the royal clan, and finally ended up fleeing in exile, the old matriarch would only grieve, not be surprised. This was Wu Guanyue’s destiny.

On the contrary, if he didn’t have such a destiny, the old matriarch would find it strange.

But when the perpetrator of the Zheng family case surfaced, a wall in the old matriarch’s heart that had been impregnable suddenly collapsed.

Regardless of everything, she ran to your courtyard asking whether that case had been wrongly judged.

She urgently wanted an answer from you. She couldn’t believe and didn’t dare believe that the massacre of an entire clan was done by Wu Guanyue.”

Ji Lingchuan’s turbid tears rolled down. “The Wu family had an ancestral rule against killing dogs. After she learned this from my wife, she understood in her heart this case wasn’t done by Wu Guanyue.”

Yan Sanhe closed her eyes wearily and answered, “Correct.”

“Then…”

Ji Lingchuan looked carefully at Yan Sanhe. “Her inner demon is still Wu Guanyue—how does it relate to me?”

“Ji Lingchuan!”

Yan Sanhe reached out and patted his shoulder, standing up with a disappointed expression. “You severely underestimate your birth mother.”

“Yan Sanhe.”

Pei Xiao absolutely couldn’t wait any longer. “Speak quickly—what happened to my maternal grandmother?”

Yan Sanhe looked at Pei Xiao, revealing a smile both sad and happy.

“The old matriarch understood in her heart this case wasn’t done by Wu Guanyue. Then would she think deeper—who actually did this case?

Why did four departments jointly investigate yet still produce a wrongful case?”

As the words fell, Xie Zhifei, who had been leaning lazily against the door, suddenly changed expression, his face cold as the moon.

Pei Xiao was even more thunderstruck. “You mean the old matriarch once thought about vindicating Wu Guanyue and his son?”

“I think she must have considered it. After all, this is the most critical point of the entire case. As long as she dared stand up and speak, Wu Guanyue and his son’s grievances could be cleared.”

Ji Lingchuan asked, “Then, then why didn’t she?”

Yan Sanhe laughed coldly. “Ji Lingchuan, even you didn’t believe her words. What about others? Would they believe?”

Ji Lingchuan was speechless.

“Secondly, what kind of person was Wu Guanyue? An inner-chamber woman becoming connected with Great Qi’s exiled monarch…”

“If not careful…” Pei Xiao’s face turned deathly pale. “That’s treason.”

“Most importantly.”

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “If she spoke out, would the Ji family be implicated? Would her son’s future be implicated?”

“If the court believed her, that would be fine. But the key is…”

Pei Xiao stamped his foot, shaking his head repeatedly.

“They wouldn’t believe—no one would believe. They’d definitely think the old matriarch had gone mad. If not careful, both my uncles would be implicated.”

Yan Sanhe lowered her head, looking into Ji Lingchuan’s eyes.

“So the old matriarch thought for a long time. She could only forcibly keep her mouth shut, put the truth in her belly, unable to speak even unto death.”

In the fifth month, Ji Lingchuan felt cold throughout his body—so cold his teeth chattered.

This case had joint trials by three departments plus the Jinyiwei. As long as the old matriarch uttered one word, it would push the Ji family into opposition against all four departments.

Not only that—the case was ultimately presented to the Emperor’s desk. The Emperor’s vermillion brush approved it before the arrest warrant for Wu Guanyue and his son could be issued.

To dare question the Emperor, to dare question the court…

For the Ji family, this was no different from utter catastrophe!

“When the old matriarch chose silence, she also chose to move to the bamboo courtyard.”

Yan Sanhe’s voice suddenly softened.

“She moved to the bamboo courtyard for two reasons: first, guilt toward Wu Guanyue; second, she didn’t want people to see she harbored a secret in her heart.”