The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Jin reached out and wiped away the tears on her face, saying softly, "Alright. Mother, Jin'er will help you. He will repay you in kind."

Chu Wanqing tidied her disheveled hair and asked Yun Jin calmly, "Jin'er, who is that man?"

Yun Jin shook her head: "Manager Chang said he didn't know. That night he only saw Liu Zhixue bring a masked man into the courtyard through the back window, but he didn't see his face."

Chu Wanqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Jin'er, Mother wants to see Steward Chang. There are some things I need to ask him personally."

Yun Jin looked at her pale face, which was full of determination and stubbornness, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Alright. Whenever Mother wishes to go, Jin'er will take you."

Chu Wanqing looked at her and said seriously, "Now."

Yun Jin knew she couldn't stop them, so she stood up, walked to the door, and instructed Dong Xue outside, "Go tell Aunt Qing He that my mother and I are going to check on the shop and will be back later. No one needs to follow us."

The winter snow departed as promised.

Chu Wanqing changed into her outdoor clothes, draped a cloak over her shoulders, and covered her face with a veil. Then she took a deep breath, turned around, and nodded to Yun Jin: "Let's go."

The mother and daughter, along with Dongxue, left the Yun residence and boarded a carriage.

Chu Wanqing remained silent throughout the journey, and Yun Jin did not disturb her, but simply sat quietly beside her.

Upon arriving at the residence in the west of the city, Yun Jin presented the token given to her by Xiao Jingyan and successfully met Eagle Claw. Yun Jin whispered to him, "I want to see the man surnamed Chang."

She didn't explain Chu Wanqing's identity to Eagle Claw, and Eagle Claw didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded, turned around, and led the two of them toward the dungeon.

The two followed Eagle Claw down to the dungeon and met the dungeon's head steward.

He was huddled in the corner just as Yun Jin had seen him yesterday, with chains still on his wrists and ankles and a rag stuffed in his mouth.

Hearing footsteps, he suddenly looked up and saw Yun Jin, his lips trembling as he called out, his eyes full of pleading.

Chu Wanqing looked at him quietly for a while, then turned to Yun Jin and said, "I want to ask him a few questions alone."

Yun Jin looked at her, her eyes full of worry, but she still nodded and said softly, "Okay, I'll wait for you outside."

Eagle Claw said nothing and followed Yun Jin out of the dungeon, returning to the surface along the stone steps.

Upon reaching the outside of the dungeon, Eagle Claw hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Princess, should we wait in the warm pavilion next door?"

"No need." Yun Jin shook her head; she only felt at ease waiting here.

About half an hour later, Chu Wanqing came out of the dungeon.

She walked up to Yun Jin and said calmly, "I killed him."

Yun Jin froze for a moment, then turned to Eagle Claw and said, "Please dispose of his body. If the Prince asks, tell him to come and ask me."

Eagle Claw remained unfazed, merely bowing to Yun Jin before turning and descending into the dungeon.

Yun Jin helped Chu Wanqing out of the courtyard and into the carriage.

The carriage curtain fell, and after the carriage had traveled some distance, Chu Wanqing suddenly spoke up: "Jin'er, don't you understand why your mother did this?"

Yun Jin nodded and asked directly, "Yes."

She truly didn't understand why, if keeping the steward alive would have made him a good witness, he had to be killed. But she believed Chu Wanqing must have her own reasons.

Chu Wanqing looked at her with an almost cold clarity in her eyes: "Jin'er, let's not talk about Lang Ge'er for now, just talk about you. You are about to marry into the Yu Prince's Mansion. If your background is exposed, others will point fingers at you and say that your mother was defiled, your brother is a bastard, and you are also an illegitimate child of unknown origin."

If that were the case, how would you live in the Prince's mansion? Jin'er, your mother doesn't want anyone to use this matter to hurt you. Therefore, your mother killed him.

You are my daughter, the direct granddaughter of the Chu family. You must never have any stain on your reputation, not before, and never will.

Yun Jin's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She nodded vigorously and said, "Mother, Jin'er understands. Thank you."

Chu Wanqing, still uneasy, asked again, "Who else knows about this?"

Yun Jin answered truthfully: "Only Ayan and I know. Yesterday, he personally interrogated Steward Chang. He felt that Yun Heting's attitude towards me and Lang Ge'er was wrong, so he casually asked a question. Who knew that Steward Chang would let it slip."

Ayan immediately had him placed under separate guard, and then came looking for me.

Chu Wanqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Will he look down on you?"

Yun Jin shook her head: "Mother, don't worry. If he dislikes it, we can get a divorce in the future. I've told you before, I won't wrong myself for anyone."

After a moment of silence, Chu Wanqing nodded gently: "I hope you will be happier than your mother."

Yun Jin held her hand and said, "Mother, I've spoken to my maternal grandmother and grandfather about this. My maternal grandmother said I should persuade you to divorce Yun Heting and return to the General's Mansion. Mother, what are your thoughts?"

Chu Wanqing lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time before speaking, her tone laced with ruthlessness: "I've thought it over. He's humiliated me so much, divorce would be too easy for him. I want him to be utterly disgraced, to have gained nothing, and to suffer a terrible death."

"It's a miracle that you and Langge'er aren't his biological children. He doesn't deserve to be your father. From now on, you are simply my children."

Yun Jin squeezed her hand tightly and said, "Okay. Mother, Jin'er will help you."

She did not mention that she had fed Yun Heting a slow-acting poison; she did not want Chu Wanqing to handle this matter.

She paused for a moment and then asked, "Mother, I went to Yunheting's study yesterday and found a secret room there. Did you know that?"

Chu Wanqing was taken aback, then shook her head and said, "I don't know. I never imagined that I, the matriarch of the household, would have so many things I don't know."

Yun Jin didn't comfort her, but instead said, "I suspect that Yun Heting and Liu Zhixue's courtyards were connected by a secret room to facilitate their meetings. But yesterday, my daughter didn't find the secret passage in his study."

Mother, think back, in those years, was there ever any construction work done on his or Liu Zhixue's courtyard?

Chu Wanqing recalled carefully and said, "About three years ago, Yun Heting said his study was a bit old and he wanted to renovate it. He found craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to help with the renovation himself."

Yun Jin nodded: "It seems this is the time."

She decided to ask Xiao Jingyan for help to find out which craftsman from the Ministry of Works was involved. Although it might not be useful, she thought she might be able to find out.

She hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject, "Mother, think carefully, back then, was there anyone in the manor... who made you feel something was amiss?"