Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

In the study in the front courtyard of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, Fu Chong sat in the main seat, his face ashen, and the veins on his forehead throbbing faintly.

"Father! This matter must not be reported to the authorities!" Fu Wenzhao's voice was filled with suppressed anger and urgency. "Once the government gets involved and launches a thorough investigation, no matter the outcome, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion will be half-convinced of driving someone to suicide! Moreover, this concerns Se Se's reputation. If this matter blows up, the rumors that were previously quelled will resurface and become a huge uproar again."

Fu Chong glared at him: "You think you can suppress this matter by not reporting it to the authorities?"

"You can't cover this up!"

Fu Wenzhao said anxiously, "Father, the government needs time to investigate. The rumors circulating during this time are enough to drive Sese to despair! Think about those nursery rhymes! Think about how they've made up stories about Sese. Even if we report it to the authorities and find out the truth, people outside will say that the government is protecting our family!"

Fu Wenzhao looked at Fu Chong, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

I'm not sure whether I should mention Xie Yihua.

But if it were revealed that Xie Jue's own sister did it, given his father's personality, he would definitely pin the blame on Xie Jue, and then Sese and Xie Jue...

Fu Chong: "Foolish! Are we just going to sit here and wait to die, letting this slander continue? If we don't report it to the authorities, how will we silence the public? How will we quell public anger? Will anyone believe us if we just offer empty words?"

The father and son each held their own version of events, arguing endlessly, the air thick with tension, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

Reporting it to the authorities might not be helpful and could even make things worse.

If we don't report it, we're helpless.

This seems like an unsolvable dead end.

Just then, a maid came in to announce that the young lady had arrived. Fu Chong and Fu Wenzhao exchanged a glance, and Fu Wenzhao quickly said, "Please invite the young lady in."

Fu Chong sat down with a grim expression.

He didn't think Jiang Sese was any kind of jinx; he was just worried that she would come crying and wailing if she heard that someone had died.

Fu Chong had seen his share of storms, and although he was angry, he didn't think this matter could really harm his Fu family. But Sese was different; she was just a young girl, and hearing that someone had died would definitely frighten her.

But Fu Chong wasn't in the mood to comfort Jiang Sese right now.

Therefore, Fu Chong remained silent with a sullen face.

When Jiang Sese entered, her face showed little panic; instead, she exuded an unusual calmness, and a deep gravity was hidden in the depths of her clear eyes.

Fu Chong glanced at her and was taken aback.

Fu Wenzhao asked with concern, "Sese, what brings you here?"

Fu Chong glanced at Fu Wenzhao subconsciously. "Seriously, didn't she always call me 'little sister'? When did the two of them become so close?"

Jiang Sese said, "Brother, I know everything that happened. Godfather, brother, could you please let me say a word?"

Looking at Jiang Sese's calm expression, Fu Chong felt both gratified and heartbroken.

When his daughter was about Jiang Sese's age, she was also very sensible.

Fu Chong's eyes softened: "Go ahead and speak."

Jiang Sese: "Godfather, brother, right now the other side is using human lives as a sacrifice to drag us into the quagmire of bullying the innocent and forcing them to their deaths. If we report it to the authorities, it will play right into their hands. If we don't report it, it will make us look guilty and solidify our smear, and the public resentment will boil over and be difficult to quell."

Fu Chong and Fu Wenzhao listened intently, their brows furrowed.

What Jiang Sese said was precisely the focus of their argument.

Jiang Sese changed the subject, calmly saying, "Therefore, Sese believes that we not only need to break the deadlock, but also turn the tables. We not only need to clear our names, but also turn this bucket of dirty water into a timely rain that washes away the filth and reveals justice!"

Fu Chong and Fu Wenzhao looked at Jiang Sese at the same time, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

What comeback?

What turns dirty water into timely rain?

What a boastful tone, yet you make it sound so easy.

Facing their suspicious gazes, Jiang Sese slowly revealed her idea.

As Jiang Sese revealed her plan, Fu Chong's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Fu Wenzhao was completely stunned on the spot!

Is this really a solution that a sheltered, delicate woman could come up with?!

Jiang Sese: "Brother knows about this matter. By chance, I restored and improved a lost ancient prescription. This medicine can treat carbuncles and boils caused by heat toxins. It is called penicillin in ancient books. I have asked you to help me find doctors to verify this medicine many times. It is indeed very effective. However, this medicine is extremely risky. I dare not use it lightly unless absolutely necessary."

"But now is the time to use it!"

"However, this medicine is only for critically ill patients who have no other treatment options, whose families have already prepared for their funerals, and who are certain to die. Furthermore, the patient's family members must sign a waiver stating that this medicine is an experimental drug, that life and death are preordained, and that no further action will be taken."

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Fu Chong slapped his thigh. "This is a case of turning a desperate situation into a life-or-death one, and an act of immense kindness!"

With such a life-saving act, who would believe that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, which could provide such a life-saving medicine for free, would force a local ruffian to his death?

Who would believe that a woman who has devoted herself to researching such a miraculous cure for the world could be some kind of wicked fox demon who brings disaster?

"A comeback... What a comeback!" Fu Chongji looked at Jiang Sese, his eyes filled with unprecedented admiration and pride.

Fu Wenzhao also felt an indescribable surge of emotion.

"Do as Sese says!" Fu Wenzhao said decisively without the slightest hesitation, "Father, I will send someone to do it immediately."

……

At the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, Wang Dajia's wife, along with several children dressed in mourning clothes, knelt on the ground.

"Give me back my manhood—"

"The Duke of Dingguo's mansion is driving people to their deaths—"

The wailing was no longer the piercing, mournful sound it once was; it had become hoarse, intermittent, and carried a sense of exhaustion, as if its strength had been exhausted.

The gates of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion remained tightly closed from beginning to end, and no one came out to drive them away. The gate tower stood tall with its eaves soaring, seemingly unmoved.

The onlookers who initially gathered in layers around the perimeter gradually lost patience after their initial anger and curiosity were largely worn down by the stagnant silence.

"Sigh, just howling like this isn't going to work. Not a single person from the Duke's mansion is even breathing."

"Exactly, you can shout yourself hoarse and no one will listen to you. What's the point of wasting your time?"

"I bet he's hiding something and doesn't dare to come out and confront us!"

"Come on, what kind of family is that Duke's mansion? If they really forced her to her death, would she need to hide? This woman is probably just here to extort money..."

"Come on, everyone, there's still soup simmering on the stove at home!"

"Yes, I still need to go to the West Market to buy rice, which has already taken up half a day."

The discussion gradually grew noisy, and the topic shifted from the initial indignation to speculation about Wang Po Niang's motives, recollections of Wang Da Ping's past misdeeds, and even discussions about what to have for dinner.

The crowd dispersed in waves, like the receding tide.

Some shook their heads and sighed, some felt disappointed, and a few insisted on staying to watch the excitement.

Li Shi clearly sensed this change as well. Between sobs, she stole glances at the increasingly sparse crowd, a hint of panic and anxiety flashing in her eyes.

Li pinched her son, who was crying and hiccuping, hard without making it obvious. The child cried out in pain.

As the sun gradually dipped westward, the long, solitary kneeling figures of the family stretched out before them.

The few idlers who remained also felt bored, yawned, and called to each other to go find a tavern.

"Mother... I'm hungry..." The youngest child finally couldn't hold back anymore, tugging at Li's mourning clothes and sobbing softly.

"Cry! All you do is cry! Your father's revenge hasn't been achieved yet!" Li cursed irritably.

She was exhausted and hungry, her knees aching from kneeling. Looking at the two doors that remained unmoved, a deep sense of powerlessness and fear gripped her.

The nobleman only instructed her to make a scene, but he didn't say that the Duke's mansion would act like this... She's as hard as a rock, completely unyielding!

How should this play continue?

The distant sound of the night watchman's clapper signaled that curfew was approaching.

"Thump—thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Dry weather, be careful with fire, curfew begins, all idlers go home—"

The few remaining loiterers who had been peering out heard the sound and immediately shrank back, disappearing into the gradually darkening alleyway.

Li felt a jolt run through her body.

No matter how unwilling she was, she could only struggle to get up from the ground, spit a mouthful of phlegm at the still tightly closed gate of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and curse with a mumbled swear word.

Helpless, Li pulled at the children, angrily saying, "Let's go home first, we'll come back tomorrow!"