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

Zhong Tingyu stopped looking at him and stared intently at Guoguo, lowering his voice to remind her.

"Mother, in another six months, their eldest son's family will have completed their 'mission.' You wouldn't want our grand plan, which we've been working on for ten years, to fall apart at the last minute, would you?"

He thought that bringing up this secret matter would instantly bring his mother to her senses, making her obediently hand over the main house to him.

However, he miscalculated.

Guoguo was slightly startled upon hearing these words.

Ten years of planning?

mission?

She narrowed her eyes slightly, coldly scrutinizing the well-dressed marquis before her.

It seems that he not only knew about the heinous things his wicked grandmother did behind his back, but he also participated in them and became the biggest beneficiary!

What kind of wicked scheme did this mother and son set up against their parents?

Guoguo's anger flared, her eyes turning as cold as ice crystals in the dead of winter.

"Keep dreaming!"

"I was truly foolish and senile before! I was blind to have followed you, this beast, and committed so many wicked deeds!"

"Listen up, you old hag! From today onwards, with me here to keep things in check, your wicked schemes will not succeed in the slightest! No one from the eldest son's family will be allowed to touch us!"

Zhong Tingyu's feigned kindness completely crumbled.

He never expected that even after he had made his point so clear, his mother would still be so stubborn and even publicly threatened to ruin their grand plan that they had been planning for ten years!

"Great...very good!"

Zhong Tingyu sneered repeatedly, his eyes turning completely cold, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"It seems that Mother has truly lost her mind, even disregarding the century-old foundation of our Marquis's mansion. In that case, I dare not trouble Mother any further."

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, turned around, and strode out, coldly uttering a sentence before leaving the door.

"Your son will go and fetch a doctor for you right away! You should stay here at Songhetang and rest and recuperate!"

Seeing this, Zhong Shiyan forgot about crying and quickly followed his father out, tumbling and crawling with his chubby little legs.

The children from both families were overjoyed and disappeared in a flash.

In the main hall, even after all the members of the three families had left, the atmosphere did not become more relaxed.

A moment later, a terrifying commotion erupted outside the courtyard gate.

"By order of the Marquis! The Old Madam has suddenly fallen into a state of madness; no one is permitted to enter or leave Songhe Hall at will! Anyone who disobeys will be beaten to death!"

Immediately following were several muffled cries of pain.

"Ouch! What are you doing! Let me go..."

That was the voice of Wang Da, the gatekeeper, before something gagged him, leaving only muffled struggles.

"Clang!"

The two heavy, black lacquered courtyard doors were slammed shut from the outside, followed by the clattering of chains and the harsh sound of locks being put on.

"Quick! Surround this yard completely! Don't let even a fly out!"

The guards' leader's rough shouts came from outside, and a flurry of footsteps quickly spread outside the courtyard wall, surrounding Songhe Hall like an iron barrel.

Inside the main hall, everyone's expression changed.

There are more than twenty maids and servants serving inside and outside Songhe Hall, but there are only about ten capable servants and guards who know some martial arts.

Now that Wang Da and the others have been arrested, how can the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled be a match for those burly guards outside who are as fierce as wolves and tigers?

Before they could even react, Songhetang was completely under their control.

Zhong Tingyuan sat in his wheelchair, listening to the increasingly distant, chaotic footsteps outside, his face ashen.

The third brother actually dared to imprison their mother!

He originally thought that no matter how arrogant his third brother was, he would at most throw a tantrum in the courtyard if he cared about the word "filial piety".

But now, Songhetang is surrounded like an iron barrel, and not even a bird can escape.

"Mother..." Zhong Tingyuan's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, revealing a deep sense of helplessness. "Third brother... he's serious. This courtyard is sealed off, and we've been cut off from food and clothing. What are we going to do?"

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on his two numb, crippled legs, his eyes filled with bitterness and self-mockery.

He was a cripple who couldn't even stand up.

Let alone protecting his wife, children, and elderly parents, he doesn't even have the strength to break out of this predicament. He can only sit here and wait to die, like a burden.

Guoguo saw the despair and self-deprecation in her father's eyes, and her heart ached as if it had been pricked by needles.

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed intently on Zhong Tingyuan, revealing a stubborn expectation.

"Boss," Guoguo lowered her voice, asking each word carefully, "now that things have come to this, do you believe me? I genuinely want to protect your main branch of the family."

Zhong Tingyuan froze, abruptly raising his head to meet his mother's clear yet somewhat eerie eyes.

Do you believe it?

he does not know.

If everything Mother did tonight was to cooperate with her third brother in putting on a show to test him, then the price is far too high.

Not only did she send her third brother's wife to jail, she even went so far as to slap her third brother twice in public, completely severing all ties.

His acting was so flawless that he couldn't detect the slightest flaw.

But if it's true...

Zhong Tingyuan clenched his back teeth.

Over the past decade, his mother's oppression and torment of the eldest son's family have become ingrained in his very being.

How could those calamities, like a malignant tumor, and the countless wounds on his wife and children, be completely wiped away by a big commotion tonight?

The country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.

This sudden display of maternal tenderness was so unusual that he dared not reach out to take it, fearing it might be another abyss.

Zhong Tingyuan lowered his eyes, avoiding Guoguo's gaze.

His silence was like a dull knife, cutting deeply into Guoguo's heart.

The bright light in Guoguo's eyes visibly dimmed.

As expected, the harm done to the father and his family by the wicked grandmother could not be easily erased.

But it doesn't matter, there's plenty of time in the future, and one day she will pay back all the debts her wicked grandmother owed!

Guoguo sniffed, forcibly suppressing the bitterness in her heart, and when she raised her head again, her face was once again adorned with that nonchalant smile.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy." Guoguo waved her hand, her tone as relaxed as if she were just discussing what to have for breakfast tomorrow. "Let him surround us if he wants. Everyone should get a good night's rest tonight. I'll handle things tomorrow, so don't worry."

Having said that, she turned to Granny Zhou, who had been waiting beside her, and instructed, "It's late, and the master's health can't hold up. Granny, take him back to rest. Tell the people in the courtyard that I'll take care of things, so they can sleep peacefully!"

Granny Zhou quickly responded and pushed the wheelchair out.

Zhong Tingyuan glanced back at his mother, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing, letting the old woman push him into the night.