A grandmother and granddaughter swap souls, causing chaos throughout the entire court.

Zhao Lihua suddenly raised her head and stared at the old lady in disbelief.

In these grand mansions, every family keeps their dirty secrets tightly under wraps, afraid of letting even the slightest whisper out and becoming a laughingstock.

Has this old geezer lost his mind? Is he determined to strip the Marquis's mansion of its dignity and let everyone trample on it before he's satisfied?!

This is absolutely incomprehensible!

But now is definitely not the time to worry about saving face.

If the government officials really come to her door, and the charge of murdering her offspring is confirmed, will she still have the title of Princess An Yi?

When the Marquis returns, he will certainly not let her off!

Zhao Lihua bit her lower lip hard, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart.

She absolutely cannot confess!

Her once gentle almond-shaped eyes now resembled poisoned ice blades, coldly sweeping over Liu Mama, who was kneeling limply to the side.

At this moment, the yellow light of the mantra talisman pasted on the chests of Granny Liu and the five witnesses had completely dimmed, turning into ashes and dissipating in the night wind.

As soon as the spell's power wore off, Granny Liu trembled violently, and her mind instantly cleared.

The image of herself uncontrollably spilling the truth just moments before flashed clearly in her mind.

Those hurtful words, each one was enough to kill her ten times over!

Granny Liu collapsed onto the cold, hard brick surface, her clothes soaked with cold sweat, her heart pounding with fear as if a million ants were gnawing at it.

When Liu Mama met Zhao Lihua's sharp, knife-like gaze, her heart sank to the bottom.

She knew her mistress all too well; that look was a clear warning: if she couldn't salvage this predicament, the lives of her entire family would be in the hands of the mistress!

Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well take a gamble!

Granny Liu bit her tongue hard, and with the stinging, sweet taste of blood, she turned around abruptly, crawled on her knees to Zhao Lihua's feet, and banged her head against the ground repeatedly.

"Madam! This old servant is innocent!" Granny Liu wailed, her face streaked with tears and snot. "This old servant was just... just now, bewitched by some kind of sorcery from the old madam!"

"This old servant's mouth is completely out of control; all those treasonous words he uttered are lies! None of them are what this old servant truly believes!"

She scrambled towards Guoguo, her forehead slamming heavily against the bluestone slab, leaving a trail of blood.

"Madam, this old servant did not intentionally slander or frame the Fourth Young Master, nor was it at your behest! I beg you, Madam, to show mercy and stop using those evil methods to control this old servant. This old servant cannot bear it any longer..."

This tearful and shouting retraction left the servants in the courtyard looking at each other in bewilderment.

They had witnessed the old lady's skill in using flying talismans.

It would be plausible to say that Granny Liu was being controlled by sorcery and talking nonsense.

Seeing that Granny Liu was so understanding, Zhao Lihua finally felt a great weight lifted from her heart.

She instinctively covered her face, her shoulders trembling slightly. When she looked up again, her eyes were red and her face was filled with a pitiful look of grievance.

"Mother..." Zhao Lihua's voice choked with sobs, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, making her look utterly pitiful. "I have always been dutiful and dutiful to my parents-in-law, managing the household affairs, and I have never made a single mistake since I married into the Marquis's mansion. Why, Mother, are you going to such lengths to slander me today?"

She lay prostrate on the ground, sobbing pitifully, "If I have done anything wrong and displeased you, Mother, please reprimand me. I will definitely correct it!"

"But...how could you use such bizarre methods to force a servant to give false testimony and ruin your daughter-in-law's reputation? Please, Mother, spare your daughter-in-law's life..."

As Guoguo listened to the master and servant's excellent crying performance, she clenched her fists tightly and puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry pufferfish.

That wicked woman and that old scoundrel, how can their skin be thicker than a city wall!

How dare she turn around and accuse them of using manipulation to make them lie?

Guoguo cursed inwardly, thinking how quick-witted this old woman was to come up with such an excuse.

However, Guoguo wasn't flustered at all.

She wasn't afraid of the two men changing their testimonies and slandering her.

Anyway, the person who reported it to the authorities has already gone.

Even if we assume the officials are in cahoots with this third aunt and can't be trusted, she still has plenty of unreasonable methods to subdue these people.

Guoguo ignored them and didn't respond.

Because the officials have already arrived.

With a muffled thud as the official's sword struck its sheath, the official appeared in the front courtyard of the Marquis's residence.

"Official business is being conducted; bystanders must stand aside!"

A deep, resonant shout rang out at the courtyard gate.

Guoguo looked in the direction of the sound, thinking that the old woman could at most summon a few constables and yamen runners.

But the person who led the way in was a middle-aged man wearing a scarlet round-necked official robe with a patch on his chest embroidered with clouds and wild geese.

Behind the man followed two rows of burly officers with swords at their sides, who stormed into the front yard with imposing manner.

Guoguo blinked, feeling troubled.

She recognized the rank of the official robes, but had no idea what the man's name was.

She has no memory of her wicked grandmother in this body. If she calls her by the wrong name, wouldn't that arouse suspicion?

The middle-aged official strode forward, his gaze quickly sweeping over the servants kneeling in the courtyard, then over Zhao Lihua, who was dressed in thin clothes and slumped on the ground, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

But when his gaze fell on Guoguo, who was also disheveled, his expression immediately became extremely respectful.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to the ground: "This humble official, Wei Changgeng, Prefect of Jingzhao, greets the Old Madam."

Hearing the other person introduce themselves, Guoguo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She straightened her back, nodded slightly, and forced a reserved yet dignified smile onto her old face: "No need to be so polite. This old woman greets Lord Wei. I appreciate it if Lord Wei would make this trip so late at night."

"A truly disgraceful affair has occurred in this manor! These treacherous servants dared to frame me and plot against my young master!"

"Such audacious and heinous acts are beyond my ability to protect as an elder. Therefore, I have specially invited you, sir, to handle this case impartially and give my poor grandson justice."

Zhao Lihua, slumped on the ground, stared blankly at Wei Changgeng's dazzling scarlet official robes.

She had thought that the old lady's threat to report to the authorities was just a lot of noise but little action.

Who would have thought that this old madman would actually send someone to the Jingzhao Prefecture and even provoke the Jingzhao Prefect himself!

Zhao Lihua clenched her back teeth tightly, and tasted a hint of blood in her mouth.

Regardless of whether she can clear her name in the end, as soon as Lord Wei steps out of the Marquis's mansion, her infamy as Princess Anyi for indulging a wicked servant and plotting against the Marquis's eldest son will spread throughout the entire capital!

What on earth is wrong with this old hag?

Do they really want to completely humiliate the Yongning Marquis's mansion before they'll stop?

Upon hearing Guoguo's words, Lord Wei's expression immediately turned solemn. He cupped his hands and said, "Madam, you flatter me. As an official who receives the emperor's salary, it is my duty to uphold justice for the people, especially since someone dares to cause trouble in the Marquis's residence."

"I already heard the general reason from your esteemed household's matron when I arrived. Madam, rest assured, I will investigate thoroughly and will not let any evildoer escape justice!"

In Wei Changgeng's mind, the Lady of Yongning Marquis's Mansion was nothing special.