Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

"You don't know this, do you? My neighbor's aunt's daughter's granddaughter works in the Ji family. I heard that Madam Ji used to be very unhappy that Lord Ji took her own cousin as a concubine, and she liked to make fun of that concubine and her daughter when she had nothing to do."

Aunt Qiu's daughter was often starved as a child, and when she was sick, she could only endure it; if she couldn't, it was simply fate.

When the child was eight years old, he developed a high fever. Aunt Qiu went to Madam Ji to ask her to fetch a doctor for the child, but Madam Ji stopped her from doing so. The child stayed up all night and then passed away.

[I didn't expect the Yu family to act so quickly.]

Ji Yueru stood in front of Chunhua, watching the middle-aged man talking in the crowd. According to An'an, he was sent by the Yu family. He had arrived at just the right time.

"What a tragedy! If Madam Ji had been more tolerant of her illegitimate daughter, her daughter might still be alive and well now."

She probably never imagined that her own daughter would die at her own hands.

"That's right. We also have relatives in the Ji family who work there. I heard that the illegitimate daughter of the Ji family doesn't even have a ranking in the Ji family. She only has the nickname Xiaocao."

They were so thin, skin and bones, from not having enough to eat every day. You didn't see it; they looked worse than refugees fleeing war. It was heartbreaking to see.

Chen looked up at Ji Xian and realized that Ji Xian must have helped switch the two children back then.

Without his help, how could that bitch Qiuyi have possibly accomplished this?

Chen struggled to her feet, and Ji Xian went to help her up, still trying to argue.

"Madam, don't listen to their nonsense, Jiaojiao really is your biological daughter."

Chen stretched out her long fingernails and scratched Ji Xian's face. Chen was really going all out, and Ji Xian, caught off guard, felt a sharp pain on his face.

He raised his hand and touched it, finding it covered in blood, and screamed in fright.

"Ah! My face!"

At this moment, Chen's appearance was chilling, her gloomy eyes fixed on Ji Xian.

Ji Chunjiao huddled close to Qingque, trying to minimize her presence, for fear that Chen would target her.

After succeeding with her first move, Chen went up to scratch him again, but Ji Xian was on guard the second time and didn't let her scratch him.

He grabbed both her hands and kicked her in the stomach.

"A madwoman! She's absolutely insane!"

Ji Xian's eyes were filled with disgust. He had only married this crazy woman for her dowry. Otherwise, why would he have married her instead of his cousin?

Does she really think she can compare to her delicate and frail cousin?

Over the years, due to his instigation, this madwoman's relationship with her family has become no different from that of a severing ties, and her dowry has now become the property of the Ji family.

If it weren't for concerns about the official reputation, they would have killed her long ago; why would they have allowed her to act arrogantly and domineeringly?

"You, surnamed Ji, give me back my daughter!"

Ignoring the pain in her stomach, Chen got up and continued to scratch Ji Xian. She didn't care that Ji Xian hit her, risking injury to herself.

How dare he do that to the daughter he gave birth to?

The two were locked in a fierce fight, and seeing this, Lord Zhang had no choice but to order his constables to separate them.

"My lord, they were indeed fighting amongst themselves at the Ji residence, but it has nothing to do with me. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

She didn't care about what would happen afterward; she just wanted to take Chunhua away as soon as possible so that a doctor could examine Chunhua's injuries.

Chunhua must have been seriously injured by that kick.

"Lord Zhang, the injuries on our bodies were inflicted by her maids, not from a mutual fight. You can't let her get away with this."

Once today is over, the news that she is not the legitimate eldest daughter of the Ji family but an illegitimate daughter will surely spread throughout the capital. She herself is already in such a miserable state, so why should that bitch Ji Yueru be able to leave unscathed?

No, she wouldn't allow it.

"I only mentioned that my father and mother were fighting each other, and it doesn't have much to do with you, sister."

"Or perhaps I could talk to Lord Zhang about who my sister was fighting with. There weren't just the four of us in the house at the time; I imagine the people from the Qingyang Marquis's residence would be happy to know."

With just one sentence, Ji Chunjiao was like a duck with its throat pinched, unable to speak, her mind racing.

Could it be that she knows something? No, she couldn't possibly know.

But thinking about it, it's not impossible. She was able to find out about the time she was switched with someone else, so it seems not impossible that she could find out about her affair with Marquis Anshun.

The matter was too big for her to gamble on. If things really turned out as she imagined, Princess Qingyang would be the first to not let her off the hook.

The mouse teases the cat, always playing with it until it's had enough before finally swatting it to death.

She's just playing with fire now; killing someone outright would be so boring, and it would take away a lot of fun from the future.

Granny Fan looked at Ji Chunjiao with some suspicion, noticing her constantly changing expression. She couldn't help but wonder what the late princess consort was hiding from the princess.

Ji Chunjiao stopped insisting that she was beaten by Ji Yueru. At this moment, Ji Xian and Chen Shi didn't care about anything else; they wished the other were dead.

With the victim gone, the case was naturally closed, and Magistrate Zhang slammed his gavel.

"Court adjourned."

The onlookers no longer cared about their original intentions when they came to watch the trial. Parents being beaten by their daughter was nothing compared to the scandal of the Ji family's illegitimate daughter replacing the legitimate daughter, and the legitimate daughter being abused to death by her own mother.

If we head to the Ji residence now, we might still be able to catch another lively performance.

Two constables stepped forward to help Chunhua to the carriage outside the yamen. Ji Yueru didn't dare to delay for a moment and rushed Chunhua to the nearest clinic.

"Chunhua, just bear with it, we'll be at the clinic soon."

At this moment, large drops of sweat were streaming down Chunhua's forehead, her hair was soaked with sweat, and her face was pale.

She not only had two ribs broken in her back, but her internal organs were also injured.

I'm holding back from fainting because I don't want my wife to worry, and even more so because I'm afraid she might be in danger.

"Don't worry, Madam, I'm fine."

"Don't say anything yet, we'll be there soon."

[Mother, don't worry. Although Chunhua's injuries are quite serious, she's not in any life-threatening danger. She will definitely be alright.]

With her daughter, Ji Yueru felt much more at ease.

When the two arrived at the clinic, the doctor set Chunhua's broken ribs and prescribed her medicine.

"It's best not to move her since she has a rib injury."

"I'd appreciate it if the doctor could have someone look after him. I'll go back home and have someone bring the board so we can carry him back."

After instructing the doctor Ji Yueru, he returned to the Marquis of Anshun's residence and arranged for someone to carry Chunhua back.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted at the Ji residence. After returning home, Madam Chen, disregarding her injuries, led her people straight to the east courtyard where Aunt Qiu was currently residing.

When they arrived at the East Courtyard, Chen felt a sharp pain in her eyes as she looked at the scenery.

She hadn't been to the East Courtyard for over ten years. The courtyard was nothing like it had been when she visited more than a decade ago. Back then, the East Courtyard was desolate and dilapidated, with broken windows and doors.

The east courtyard is now even more beautiful than the main courtyard where she, the matriarch, lives.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, Aunt Qiu came out of the house with a round fan in her hand and a little maid behind her.