Slender willows sway in the breeze

Why isn't he laughing in Chapter 21?

"If you don't believe me, fine. Anyway, I'm not the one in a hurry right now."

Enraged, Liu Shiyuan took two steps to Zhu Yingrong's side, grabbed her by the neck, and instantly his face turned purple and veins bulged on his forehead. But Zhu Yingrong still looked at him mockingly, not admitting defeat at all, as if to say, "If you have the guts, just strangle me to death."

With only a breath left, Liu Shiyuan released his grip.

Zhu Yingrong coughed and laughed at the same time.

Liu Shiyuan glared at her; at that moment, he really wanted to strangle her.

They actually threatened him.

Her former virtues and gentleness have vanished, leaving only meanness and scheming.

Once she recovered, Aunt Zhu, disregarding her image, plopped down on the prayer mat: "Don't think I don't know you came to the ancestral hall because the Third Miss knows Marquis Molin and wants to use his influence. Yuan Lang, I think you're too impatient. It's just an invitation; what does it prove?"

"You even know this?"

Not only Liu Shiyuan, but also Liu Sijun was puzzled.

This happened only half an hour ago, and she was in the ancestral hall the whole time. How could she have known about it?

Given Aunt Zhu's level of cultivation, it would be impossible for her to detect what was happening inside Ci'an Hall.

"Yuan Lang, you underestimate my abilities!"

At this point, she stood up from the prayer mat with a smug look on her face: "After Chu Shi becomes pregnant, you will hand over the power of managing the household to me. I have been working hard for more than ten years. It is no exaggeration to say that if I were to die, the Liu family would suffer a heavy loss."

"But we've been husband and wife for so many years, and I don't want things to get so ugly. Besides, my Qin'er also has the surname Liu. Is it too much to ask that you release Qin'er and let her cultivate in the clan's sacred ground like the other disciples, and then go to the Frozen Domain for training as usual after a month?"

"I can grant this request, but you must die."

Liu Shiyuan had said it several times, and Zhu Yingrong was getting numb to it!

Knowing full well what kind of person he is, I still harbored expectations.

"Father."

Liu Sijun suddenly appeared, startling Liu Shiyuan.

This daughter is becoming more and more strange. She is only at the third level of Qi Gathering, yet she can not only withstand 30% of his pressure, but also appear beside him without anyone noticing.

What are you doing here?

Liu Shiyuan actually wanted to ask when she arrived and what she had heard.

Thinking about what Zhu Yingrong had just said, Liu Sijun looked at him with a guilty look.

If that were the case, not only would killing Zhu Yingrong be out of the question, but the entire Liu family would also be resented. How could they possibly recommend him to Marquis Molin? The position of prefect would be out of the question.

“Father, I want to deal with Concubine Zhu, not by having you take private punishment, but by handing her over to the government office.”

If Aunt Zhu had died in the Liu family, it would most likely have been announced that she had died suddenly.

The stain left on the original owner could not be completely washed away. Others would only think that the Liu family was trying to maximize their profits, so they pinned the blame on a dead person.

This is not what Liu Sijun wanted.

Why must it be sent to the government office?

It's all dead anyway.

If we send it to the government office, and Aunt Zhu changes her mind, the Liu family's reputation will be completely ruined.

"Father, that's a human life."

Including the original owner, there were two lives lost. She couldn't let the original owner die and then be talked about.

To completely clear her name of the injustice of poisoning her elder sister, Aunt Zhu must be tried in court and the truth must be revealed to the world.

"Why can't we exchange one life for another?"

"It seems Father is not interested in the position of prefect. So be it!"

Aunt Zhu could threaten, and so could she.

It all depends on Liu Shiyuan's decision!
The dimly lit prison reeked of an indescribable stench. Further inside, several cells had golden talismans pasted on their doors to prevent prisoners with cultivation levels from escaping. Zhu Yingrong was in one of those cells.

I have been here for two days and have not been interrogated or beaten.

She wasn't sure if the Zhu family had sent someone to make arrangements, or if Liu Shiyuan had specifically instructed the yamen runners to prevent her from revealing the secret.

Now that there is no prefect in Laiyang County, she can live here peacefully.

What if Liu Shiyuan really did become the prefect of this prefecture...

As long as he holds Liu Shiyuan's weakness, he won't dare kill her. He'll have to obediently clear her name and let her walk away safely.

There was a sudden noise at the door.

The cell instantly erupted in chaos. The prisoners who had been sitting there rushed to the door, stretching out their dirty hands and shouting, "I'm innocent! Help me! Help me!"

After saying that, he tried to grab the person's clothes.

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he was met with a stick from a short, stout jailer: "What are you making a fuss about? Go back and sit down properly. Otherwise, you'll be in for a world of trouble."

His name is Mi Er, he is in his early thirties, and he has reached the fourth level of Qi Gathering cultivation.

Some might have been scared and immediately withdrew their hands.

Some still stubbornly stretched out, as if trying to grasp at the last straw.

Mi Er said, "Miss Liu, those locked up here are all vicious and wicked people, not worth pitying."

Liu Sijun looked up and saw a woman standing calmly in the cell on her left, without saying a word or making any exaggerated or distorted movements, her eyes staring straight at her.

As Liu Sijun walked past the cell door, he couldn't help but ask the short, stout jailer, "What crime did that woman in cell 'A' commit?"

"Her? It's better if Miss Liu doesn't know about her?"

Liu Sijun: "She has no cultivation."

Mi Er smiled and said, "She certainly has no cultivation, but the things she does are outrageous and heinous. Although she has no cultivation, several of us brothers went to capture her together, and we were all seriously injured by her. She is quite formidable!"

He had heard some things about Miss Liu.

He started cultivating at the age of five, and by the time he was punished to go to another courtyard at the age of twelve, he had only reached the third level of Qi Gathering. He made no progress at all during his four years in the other courtyard.

Miji thought he was truly a good-for-nothing.

However, she is the legitimate daughter of the Liu family. Although her cultivation is not high, her status is what it is, and he, a mere prison guard, has to show her respect.

We must not allow anything to happen to her in prison.

Liu Sijun smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and followed Mi Er further inside.

Turn right at the end, and the first cell on your right is where Zhu Yingrong is imprisoned. She had already heard the commotion and knew who had come.

So, I sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed and waited.

Liu Sijun gave Mi Er a high-quality crystal, and the man was very shrewd, turning around and leaving immediately.

Zhu Yingrong raised her eyelids and said sarcastically, "As expected, you can't sit still and have come to show off your power! But you are determined to send me to prison and put me to death, but there is no one in charge in this government office. Who knows when you will be able to convict me!"

"Your death is only a matter of time."

Zhu Yingrong's lips curled into a mocking smile, and her gaze towards Liu Sijun seemed to be laced with venom.

Liu Sijun spoke calmly as before: "Why aren't you smiling anymore? You were smiling quite well just now."

Zhu Yingrong clenched her fists and stared intently at Liu Sijun.

She was only sixteen years old, yet she was so calm and shrewd. Within a few days of returning to her residence, she had disrupted the situation she had built up over many years and even sent her to prison.

Compared to four years ago, it's a complete transformation.

"Are you really the Third Sister?"

(End of this chapter)