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

The Ministry of Revenue's residence was located in a prominent area in the east of the city.

The night was already deep.

The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and the two imposing stone lions looked cold in the night.

The coachman immediately jumped off the carriage and went forward to knock hard on the door knocker.

Not long after.

The side door was opened a crack.

The gatekeeper peeked out with a lantern, his face showing annoyance at being disturbed from his sleep.

When he saw that the person who came was the Marquis of Yongning, he immediately suppressed his displeasure.

"My lord! What brings you here at this hour?" The servant hurriedly opened the side door wide, bowing so low his back almost touched his knees. "Please come in!"

The servant knew very well how much his master valued this son-in-law of the Marquis of Yongning.

Those of them who were servants naturally had to be respectful.

The Marquis's late-night visit must mean he has something extremely urgent to discuss with the Master, and he dares not turn him away.

Seeing that the servant was sensible, Marquis Yongning felt slightly better.

He urged sternly, "Quickly inform my father-in-law that I have urgent business to attend to, concerning my wife, and it is of utmost importance!"

When the servant heard that it was related to his aunt, he knew it must be a big deal, and sure enough, he guessed right.

He quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go and report to you, sir!"

The main courtyard of the inner residence.

Minister Zhao had just finished bathing, shedding his fatigue, and was preparing to go to bed for the night.

He had just lain down when the butler's urgent voice came from outside.

"Master, the Marquis of Yongning has arrived and is waiting in the front hall. He says it's extremely urgent."

Minister Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, rolled out of bed, his gray eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he was somewhat puzzled.

The Yongning Marquis's Mansion is now a highly sought-after new force in the capital, not only because Zhong Tingyu inherited the title, but also because of the ruthless Old Madam Zhong.

The fact that the son-in-law came to the door so late shows that he had encountered a thorny problem that even the old lady couldn't handle.

Ordinary powerful and influential people are too busy trying to befriend the Marquis of Yongning to offend them.

So, what extraordinary event happened in the Yongning Marquis's residence during this period?

The more Minister Zhao thought about it, the more he felt that things were definitely not simple.

"Hurry up and help me change my clothes."

Minister Zhao lifted the brocade quilt and gave a deep, instructing speech to his wife beside him.

He quickly changed into a dark blue casual outfit and hurried to the front hall.

The front hall was brightly lit with candles at this moment.

Chung Ting-yu was pacing anxiously back and forth in the hall.

Upon seeing Minister Zhao step across the threshold, he quickly went forward to greet him and bowed deeply.

"Father-in-law, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night; I had no other choice!"

Minister Zhao waved his hand, his gaze lingering on Zhong Tingyu's face, which still bore the obvious handprint, for a few moments, his doubts growing even stronger.

Without any formalities, he walked directly to the head seat and sat down before speaking in a calm and composed manner.

"Alright, we're all family, no need for formalities."

"It's so late, why aren't you at home? Why have you come here looking like this? Has something urgent happened?"

Zhong Tingyu looked ashamed and sighed before explaining.

"Father-in-law, something has happened to Lihua! She's been arrested by the Jingzhao Prefecture officials and is now imprisoned!"

"What?!"

Minister Zhao slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"What on earth is going on?! Explain this to me right now!"

Zhong Tingyu dared not delay and explained sincerely.

"Father-in-law, you are wise. Today, I was attending the birthday banquet of the old master of the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion, so I returned home a little late."

"Who would have thought that as soon as I entered the mansion, I heard that the yamen runners from the Jingzhao Prefecture had taken Lihua away."

"If I had been in the manor at that time, I would have risked my life to prevent those officials from harming even a hair on Lihua's head!"

"Upon hearing this news, my son-in-law didn't even bother to change his clothes before immediately leading his men to the Jingzhao Prefecture to demand the release of the person."

"But the Prefect of the Capital refused to see me, only sending a clerk to dismiss me, saying that the evidence in this case was conclusive and the person had already been detained, so it was inconvenient to visit today! They wouldn't even give their son-in-law a chance to meet, clearly showing that they don't take our Yongning Marquis's Mansion seriously!"

Chung Ting-yu became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes filled with urgency.

"I am desperate. In this capital, the only one who can control the Prefect of the Capital is you, my father-in-law!"

"Father-in-law, please, for the sake of Lihua being your own flesh and blood, intervene and rescue her before this matter gets out. Otherwise, if this news spreads tomorrow, not only will the Marquis's mansion lose face, but the Minister's mansion's reputation will also be damaged!"

Upon hearing these words, Minister Zhao's face turned ashen.

He knew his daughter too well. Although she was a bit spoiled, she was always careful and never left any loose ends. How could she have suddenly gotten into trouble with the Jingzhao Prefecture?

"I even spotted Lihua from afar at the birthday banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence this afternoon! She was dressed in a magnificent brocade gown, looking radiant, and she was chatting and laughing with a group of noble ladies."

"Only a few hours have passed, and how did a perfectly healthy person suddenly end up in jail!"

Minister Zhao slammed his hand on the table, causing water to splash from the teacup, and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

"My son, what exactly happened?! Tell me everything clearly, down to the last word, without omitting a single detail!"

When Zhong Tingyu returned to the Marquis's residence, the steward had already explained the whole story.

Faced with his father-in-law's fury, he gritted his teeth and could only force an explanation.

"Father-in-law, please calm down... This matter is utterly absurd!"

Zhong Tingyu took a deep breath and embellished the events that had occurred in the mansion, downplaying the seriousness of the situation.

The more he spoke, the more self-righteous he became, his words revealing his dissatisfaction with Madam Zhong.

"Such a trivial matter in the inner quarters, why should it bother the authorities?"

"But today, Mother seemed to be possessed. Not only did she thoroughly humiliate Lihua, but she even resorted to some unpredictable and sinister methods, forcing the constables of the Capital Prefecture to take Lihua away!"

"In my humble opinion, it must be that my elder brother and sister-in-law used some dirty tricks to instigate and bewitch Mother, which is why Mother is making things difficult for Lihua!"

Upon hearing this, Minister Zhao gasped, his white beard trembling slightly.

It was actually Madam Zhong herself who sent her daughter to the authorities to be imprisoned!

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"Madam Zhong usually seems quite dignified and proper, how come she's become so senile!"

"Today, for such a trivial matter concerning the inner quarters, she's sending me, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and a county princess personally appointed by the Emperor, to jail? Is she trying to throw both our families' reputations into the mud and trample them underfoot!"

Zhong Tingyu did not find anything wrong with Minister Zhao's words; in fact, he found them quite agreeable.

"Father-in-law is right to scold me. I also think that Mother must have been bewitched to do such a foolish thing."

"Alright! What's the point of saying all this now!"

Minister Zhao suddenly flicked his sleeve, his face so gloomy it could drip water.