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

Minister Zhao never expected his daughter to be in such a disheveled state!

The legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official of the second rank was brought out in such disheveled state!

Along the way, we were watched by countless crude and vulgar officials!

His anger surged to the top of his head, making him feel dizzy and his vision blurred.

That old scoundrel Wei Changgeng, doesn't he even give his daughter time to do her makeup?

They spoke respectfully, but behind his back they didn't even prepare a set of clean clothes to cover their shame. They simply didn't take the Zhao family seriously!

He glared at Wei Changgeng with hostility, already devising several plans for revenge.

Lord Wei noticed the unfriendly look in Minister Zhao's eyes and felt somewhat embarrassed.

He didn't really notice this when he was arresting people last night. He was so shocked by Madam Zhong's methods that he didn't think things through.

No wonder Lord Zhao looked at me with such hatred, as if he wanted to devour me.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly explained humbly, "Please forgive me, sir. I truly did not notice the Lady Hou's attire tonight. I was indeed careless."

"Rest assured, my lord, I will make sure my subordinates keep quiet and absolutely prevent any rumors from spreading that could be detrimental to Lady Hou!"

Minister Zhao then snorted coldly and turned his head away, no longer looking at him.

"Father, Lord Marquis—"

As soon as Zhao Lihua entered the hall, she saw her grandfather and father.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and all her grievances and fears erupted at that moment. Regardless of everything, she rushed towards the two of them and burst into tears.

"You've finally come to save me... I don't want to stay here any longer! Please take me out of here, waaaaah..."

This loud cry sounded particularly jarring in the quiet government office.

Hearing the commotion, the guards standing watch in the courtyard all looked over.

Minister Zhao took a step back in disgust, avoiding his daughter's filthy hands, and scolded her in a low voice.

"Shut up!"

"Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?! We'll talk about it back at the manor!"

Zhao Lihua's crying stopped abruptly. She sensed her father's and the Marquis's disdain and felt angry.

They actually despise me so much. Did I willingly come here to be tainted by this filth?

However, he also realized how foolish his actions had been and wished he could disappear into the ground.

Despite feeling nauseous, Zhong Tingyu quickly took off his brocade cloak and strode forward to wrap Zhao Lihua up tightly.

He put his arm around Zhao Lihua's trembling shoulders and gently comforted her.

"My lady, it's alright now. My father-in-law and I have come to take you home. Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you for the humiliation you suffered today! Let's go back first, so we don't become a laughingstock here."

After saying that, he turned and gave Lord Wei a cold glare before protecting Zhao Lihua as they left through the back gate of the government office.

The carriage was parked in the shadows of the back office.

Zhao Lihua and the other two were crammed into the cramped carriage.

The stench permeated the cramped carriage, forcing Minister Zhao and Zhong Tingyu to lift the curtain for fresh air.

Zhao Lihua huddled in the corner, tightly wrapped in her cloak, unable to suppress the humiliation in her heart any longer.

She looked at Minister Zhao, her voice filled with a gnashing hatred, and said, "Father, you must do justice for your daughter! That old woman is completely insane! Not only did she publicly humiliate me, but she also used such despicable means to frame me, sending me to this filthy place like a prisoner!"

The more she talked, the more wronged she felt, and she blamed all the mistakes on her mother-in-law.

"Her treatment of our daughter is not only a slap in the face, but also a disregard for you and the Zhao family! If she dares to treat me like this today, who knows how she'll ride roughshod over the Zhao family tomorrow!"

Minister Zhao did not respond, but his expression remained grim throughout the night.

Seeing that his father-in-law remained silent, Zhong Tingyu quickly chimed in to help.

"Father-in-law, Lihua is right. Since Mother woke up yesterday, she has been behaving extremely strangely, even daring to slap me in public. She must have been bewitched by my elder brother and sister-in-law, trying to take this opportunity to suppress our third branch of the family in order to regain control of the Marquis's mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lihua's anger flared, and she grabbed Zhao Shangshu's sleeve and pleaded.

"Father, that old woman is going too far! If I go back in such a sorry state, how will I ever be able to hold my head high in the capital, in the Marquis's mansion? I beg you, Father, to do me justice and make that old woman give me an explanation!"

When Chung Ting-yu heard his wife being so disrespectful to his mother, he showed no reaction whatsoever, as if he didn't care at all that his mother had been humiliated in front of others.

He even went along with his wife's words and continued to fan the flames.

"Father-in-law, even someone as gentle as my mother and elder brother as Lian Lihua could be so cruel to her. I really don't know what to do."

"I implore my father-in-law to take some time tomorrow to visit the Yongning Marquis's residence and properly curb my mother's arrogant attitude! Otherwise, I fear Lihua will have no place in this mansion in the future!"

Minister Zhao did not immediately respond to his son-in-law's words.

His shrewd eyes sized up Zhong Tingyu.

This kid is quite good at hiding his true thoughts.

Unable to control his own mother, he thought of using his position as Minister of Revenue to give that old witch a hard time.

Minister Zhao's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.

In the past, that old sorceress relied on her knowledge of tricks and charlatans to thrive in the elite circles of the capital.

But when they saw the Zhao family, they always felt inferior and dared not say a harsh word to his daughter.

Today's unusual behavior, daring to send someone directly to jail, clearly indicates that this development has gone beyond the realm of common sense.

If we don't teach this arrogant mother-in-law a lesson, she'll really think she's some kind of god who can turn the world upside down!

but.

Why would a high-ranking official of the second rank personally visit an old woman from a peasant background to reason with her?

It's a big joke.

"Tingyu," Minister Zhao said slowly, his voice sounding particularly cold in the cramped carriage, "Since your mother can't tolerate my Zhao family's daughter, then I naturally cannot let Lihua go back to that man-eating den of wolves and tigers to suffer any more grievances."

Zhong Tingyu was taken aback, not yet realizing the deeper meaning behind his father-in-law's words.

Minister Zhao had already turned his head to look at Zhao Lihua, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"You will come back to the Minister's residence with me now. As for your mother-in-law..."

He glanced at Chung Ting-yu and tapped the door open in a deep voice.

"Go back and tell your mother that she will only truly realize her mistake when she personally visits the Zhao family mansion with generous gifts to apologize to Lihua! Then she will bring her back in a grand and honorable manner!"

"otherwise……"

Minister Zhao snorted coldly, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind letting Lihua divorce you! My Zhao family's daughter will never have trouble finding a good husband!"