"County Master, are we leaving here?" Ashui thinks the Cheng Family must be leaving; who wants to stay here anyway?

If it weren’t for the County Master stopping him, he really would want to violently solve this matter and drag out Minister Cheng for a beating.

He suspects this Minister Cheng’s integrity is compromised, just like Shie Hengzhang, the former Scholar; they’re both pedantic people who feel that the County Master’s actions are disgraceful.

In the face of national justice, what is disgraceful about this?

If Minister Cheng treats the County Master like this, and outsiders find out, they can’t imagine how it would be perceived. If things go wrong, she could be labeled a traitor; even if she washes clean of it, it would not be the same.

Qiann Yan refused: "No, the matter isn’t finished yet; we can’t leave temporarily."

Seeing Qiann Yan’s demeanor, Ashui senses that she might have some plan. But this is the Chen Family’s place, what plan could she have here?

This plan deliberately targets the Chen Family?

Qiann Yan didn’t return to the courtyard; she found a place with steps and sat down to practice.

Ashui feels deeply impressed. Such a woman as the County Master is rare in the world, and no wonder she could earn his complete loyalty, remaining by her side just as a kitchen boy.

In this life, he only wants to make the best food, solely for her to eat.

As for other matters, he doesn’t dare to desire more. The County Master clearly isn’t someone immersed in romantic indulgence, nor has she shown any need for emotions.

Remaining a kitchen boy is more reliable; at least he gets to see her three times a day.

While practicing, Qiann Yan is calculating in her mind; once these trivial matters are dealt with, she’s supposed to wander elsewhere and appreciate the landscapes.

Speaking of, the original owner spent her entire life spinning around the Capital City and never went out, constantly maneuvering with these men, devoid of any freedom, really pitiful.

On the other side, Mrs. Cheng found Cheng Jiren: "Husband, Yan’er is my only daughter; the pigsty is truly unfit for living—so filthy and noisy. She’s been pampered since childhood; staying there will make her ill."

"You came to me just to talk about this?" Cheng Jiren raised his head, "You have no idea how much her reporting Prince Ling affects the Cheng Family? She indeed gained benefits; now the daughters of the entire Cheng clan are affected, and several engagements have been canceled. With things like this, can you still harbor her?"

"Allowing her to live is already for your sake; otherwise, she would have been gone long ago."

Mrs. Cheng’s face turns pale: "You’re not punishing her because of the Cheng clan daughters being affected."

Mrs. Cheng grips her handkerchief tightly; Cheng Jiren’s indifference makes her somewhat terrified. Some old matters inevitably surface in her mind, her face shows a fleeting regret. If... she could start over, she certainly wouldn’t choose this.

All these years, she’s lived in unease.

Until her daughter married Prince Ling, she thought her daughter would at least have a good home. But unexpectedly, it’s like this. Is this karma?

And now karma befalls her daughter?

Cheng Jiren’s cold gaze falls on Mrs. Cheng’s face, suddenly standing up and walking to her, grabbing her chin, leaning close to her ear: "Is this... regret? Seems you knew long before."

"Why didn’t you reveal it sooner?"

"If you spoke out early, I wouldn’t have escaped."

Cheng Jiren’s low tone made Mrs. Cheng extremely frightened; for a moment, she couldn’t say a word. Why didn’t she speak out?

Back then, she was blinded by demons, thinking this was better than before; why couldn’t she feign ignorance?