On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

The wealthy merchant knew that Lady Mi was preparing to make an exorbitant demand.

He had already made preparations.

"That's right, that's right. I understand your difficulties, Madam, so in addition to the gift list, I also brought some local specialties." After saying that, he stood up and picked up a wine jar next to him. "Madam, you see, this is a fine wine from Handan, which is most suitable for you."

Lady Mi smiled faintly, had her maid take the wine jar, then lifted the seal and looked inside, her smile widening.

"Hehehe... I remember His Majesty used to say that it is the greatest virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. I am just a woman and I do not understand these things, but since you were introduced by Prefect Sun and you sincerely repent, I will accept this on behalf of my husband."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy merchant was so moved he almost jumped out of his chair. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you so much, Madam! I will never forget your kindness!"

"Alright, get up." Lady Mi couldn't stand the merchants' ugly behavior and waved her hand impatiently. "Don't worry, go back. Your son won't die. The news will reach Handan in a few days. Then you can go through the motions at the yamen and bring him back."

"Yes! Yes! I will follow your instructions, madam!" The wealthy merchant thanked her profusely.

You should know that although Guo Ao is the second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice, he is in charge of the entire criminal prison of the Great Zhou. If he wants to tamper with the case files and change a death sentence to a life sentence, it is just a matter of saying a word.

Coming to the capital this time was definitely the right decision. Not only did I save my son, but I also made a connection with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice!

Things look promising from now on!

Lady Mi picked up her teacup and gave him the order to leave: "Now that we've finished talking, you should go back. Remember, this matter must not be made public, lest it give others cause for gossip and bring trouble to my husband."

"I understand! I will keep my mouth shut!" The wealthy merchant nodded repeatedly and turned to leave.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

A sudden commotion erupted outside the reception room, followed by the shouts and screams of the servants and guards.

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass into the Vice Minister's residence!"

"Ah! My leg!"

"Help! Someone come quick!"

"Go and inform the madam immediately!"

With a loud "bang!", the mahogany door to the reception room was kicked open.

Lady Mi and the wealthy merchant were both taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

"How dare you! Who is so bold as to do this!" Lady Mi suddenly stood up, her eyebrows raised, and shouted angrily.

As the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice, she was a prominent figure in the capital. Everyone treated her with utmost respect. They had never seen such an arrogant display before.

Outside the door, a young man dressed in a sleazy manner, with a lewd smile on his face, barged in with a large group of fierce-looking retainers.

The visitor was none other than Lu Dehao, son of the Duke of Lu and a rising star in the court of Regent Lin Yi.

The retainers behind him were all dressed in black, with swords at their waists and cold eyes. They were clearly not ordinary guards, but ruthless characters who had seen blood.

Lu Dehao completely ignored her scolding, his small eyes darting around the reception room before finally settling on the trembling businessman.

"Wow, this is quite lively." Lu Dehao grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Is Auntie entertaining guests? Or...doing some shady business?"

The wealthy merchant had never seen anything like it before. He was immediately terrified, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud: "I...I don't know anything...I just came to pay my respects to Madam..."

Lady Mi recognized Lu Dehao and immediately turned ashen with anger.

"Lu Dehao, how dare you! This is the residence of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, not a place for you to run wild! You've brought so many people in here, are you trying to rebel?!"

"Rebellion? Hahahaha." Lu Dehao laughed exaggeratedly. "Auntie, you're really putting a big accusation on me. But you're actually half right."

As he spoke, he took two steps forward, moved closer to Lady Mi, and stared at her face, saying, "Today, I really am here on orders to confiscate your property!"

"Confiscate our property?" Lady Mi was taken aback upon hearing these words, then scoffed, "Heh heh heh, Lu Dehao, don't even mention you, even your father Lu Buting wouldn't dare to act so presumptuously in my mansion! If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now and kneel at the door waiting for my master to return, otherwise I'll persuade him to arrest you for trespassing!"

Facing Lu Dehao at a distance that was almost humiliating, Lady Mi did not back down an inch.

Because she wasn't afraid at all.

To avoid political infighting, the Duke of Lu had long since retreated to the sidelines; now, his words carried less weight than those of a low-ranking sixth-grade official. She, the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice, wasn't even afraid of her own father, so why would she be afraid of Lu Dehao?

Looking at her sharp and sarcastic manner, Lu Dehao knew that neither of the couple was very bright.

Guo Ao dared to defy public opinion and cause trouble at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

His wife, instead of being afraid of the fierce and ruthless retainers of the royal court, even verbally threatened them.

Sigh, when will these people finally see the situation clearly?

"Auntie, have you been cooped up in your mansion for too long? Has your brain turned to block? Don't you know who's the loudest person in the capital right now?" Lu Dehao pointed in the direction of the Regent's Mansion. "Today, I'm on the Prince's orders to search the residence of the Vice Minister of Justice. So I advise you to stay put and not cause yourself any trouble."

Lady Mi's expression changed upon hearing this.

Regent Lin Yi!

Others might not know, but how could she, as the wife of an official, not know about the tremendous changes that had taken place in the capital these past few days? That madman Lin Yi dared to tear up the emperor's edict and even forced the prime minister to kneel. What else wouldn't he dare to do?

The gambling ban, in particular, directly cut off the Guo family's biggest source of income. As a result, the patriarch has broken more antique vases at home in the past few days than he did in the entire previous year!

Could it be... that Lin Yi is really going to take action against the Guo family?

That's impossible... Our Guo family and the Lin family have never had any dealings, let alone any deep-seated hatred between us.

Why is Lin Yi targeting us for no reason?

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Lady Mi shouted, her voice trembling with fear. "Our Guo family has no grudge against the Regent's Palace. Why would the Prince confiscate our property? You're falsely conveying the Prince's orders to settle personal scores!"

"No grudge?" Lu Dehao laughed even harder. "Hahaha, perhaps Auntie doesn't know yet? Just now, Lord Guo and his servants were cursing the Regent at the gate of the Prince's mansion and even insulting the late Prince. Hehehe, as the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice, Auntie, this crime... I don't need to tell you, do I?"

"What?!" Lady Mi staggered, taking a step back, before being supported by her maid. "Impossible! How could Master do something so brainless!"

She asked the maid beside her, "Didn't he say he was going to see the Prime Minister? Why did he go to the Prince's residence instead?"

"This servant doesn't know either..."

That's it, that's it.

Although the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice is a fourth-rank official, he does not hold a noble title! Lin Yi, on the other hand, is a hereditary regent. You insulted him in the street and even cursed his ancestors. Aren't you courting death?

Lady Mi's face turned pale and then red. Lu Dehao chuckled coldly, "Hehehe, Aunt, there's no need to panic. My elder brother said he never bothers good people. As the Vice Minister of Justice, how many corrupt and lawless things has Lord Guo done over the years? You should know. So, confiscating your property is the right thing to do; even His Majesty won't say anything."

"You're slandering me! My master is an honest and upright official, diligent in his duties and loves the people..."

"Whether it's slander or not, a search will tell." Lu Dehao interrupted her, then waved his hand and shouted to his retainers, "What are you all standing there for? Seize everything! Take everything of value, gold, silver, bronze, jade, anything that can be repaid! Anyone who dares to resist, break their legs on the spot!"

"yes!"

The group of fierce retainers responded immediately and were about to rush in.

"stop!!"