"Eat slowly, don’t choke."

In a lamb bun shop, Long Yue looked at the mother and son devouring their food and gently shook her head.

How many times has it been? In a previous life perhaps, when she was down and out, she ate buns like this.

And almost choked herself to death.

The memories are distant now, yet the feeling remains vivid, so she advised them.

"Ah, thank you Madam, thank you Madam!"

The woman realized her eating manners were unsightly, embarrassed, and quickly stopped.

She looked at Long Yue, hesitating to speak.

"What’s wrong? If you have something to say, just go ahead and say it."

Long Yue smiled. This woman, about the same age as her, yet so humble, made her feel sad.

"Madam, are you... do you want a child?"

"Hmm?"

Long Yue was startled, a child? What does she mean? They aren’t thinking of having a child, are they?

Then, the woman said eagerly, "Madam, if your household lacks a child, then... then take my Bao’er away!"

Long Yue understood now. She wants them to take in this child named Bao’er?

But, with two little ones at home, she and her husband are already overwhelmed, and besides, this is someone else’s child.

Surely one’s own child is closer, right?

Long Yue shook her head. How can she trust them with her child?

"Madam, I know this request is abrupt, but... I’ve come to the end of the road... Our house and land have been confiscated, and we’ve ended up on the street. I don’t mind myself, but my Bao’er... sob sob sob..."

It’s said that all parents have merciful hearts, Long Yue realized she wants her child to have a place to belong.

"Madam, I don’t ask you to treat Bao’er as a child, just to treat him as a family servant, something like being an Attendant Student to your children. Really, that would be enough!"

Being an Attendant Student to a wealthy family is much more comfortable than being a poor person’s child.

This woman knows this and, seeing Long Yue and her husband as good people, wishes to entrust her child to them.

Long Yue asked, "What trouble exactly have you encountered? Please tell me in detail."

The woman choked, not knowing how to proceed.

"Just speak without too much concern, after all, we need to know exactly what happened to be able to help you."

"But they know people from the Zhou Government side, and also..."

"You don’t need to worry about that."

What does Zhou Government count for anyway? By her side is a great Buddha indeed, the Regent King’s identity is enough to silence anyone daring.

Moreover, Li Qingmu as the Regent King is not an ordinary Regent King, his martial arts are superb. If anyone dares to question him as a fake and even tries to kill him, it’s utterly impossible!

In the history of Dazhou, there once was a Prince, traveling incognito, who upon seeing local government officials oppress the people, revealed his identity to bring justice. As a result, those Zhou Government officials were brazen enough to try to kill this Prince to cover it up.

The Prince himself was weak in martial arts, was quickly subdued, and locked in a water prison, barely surviving thanks to secret protection and eventually being rescued.

However, because he was in the water prison for too long, his health deteriorated and his life was damaged by it.

Eventually, this incident got back to Shengjing City, the Emperor—who is the Prince’s elder brother—flew into a rage, immediately arrested those officials, executed the main perpetrator along with his accomplices, exterminating nine clans, and exiled the minor offenders to the Outer Border, never to return!

As for those collateral victims, male ones were banished outside the border to join the army, and female ones to the Music Bureau to do the most derogatory tasks, enduring hellish torment.

In short, that incident was truly earth-shattering, during that time, all over Dazhou, everyone was terrified.

Nevertheless, such a thing would never happen to this couple.

Ever since two years ago, when Li Qingmu had his soul injured by You Su, then treated by Long Yue, his martial arts seemed to progress even faster—previously some Imperial Army members came for sparring, and he single-handedly defeated thousands.

It was terrifying, Long Yue was astonished too. When did her husband’s combat power become so high?

So... in the future at night, can she still be on top?

During that period, Long Yue sighed often.

Anyway, back to the point, Long Yue focused earnestly on the woman in front of her, prompting her to clearly state her ordeal.

The woman hesitated for a while, then bit the bullet and laid everything bare.

"Madam, you might not know, but these past two years feel like we’ve been taken care of by a plague god. Our family used to be a solid household, owning a fifty-acre farm, my parents-in-law treated me well, my husband and I were loving, and we had a son—our life was blissful.

However, starting two years ago, my father-in-law went up the mountain and somehow fell off the cliff and died tragically, my mother-in-law couldn’t take it at once and fell ill. We hadn’t even recovered from the grief of losing father and grandfather before running around for medical help for my mother-in-law who inexplicably remained ill. Money was spent like water.

But that wasn’t the end. One day, while seeking medical help, my husband heard of a remarkably skilled doctor specializing in treating difficult diseases, so he sought him out. This doctor was indeed excellent, capable of almost miraculous cures, and my husband wanted to enlist his help.

However, the doctor stated his consultation fee was exorbitant, at least one thousand taels! Our family... could not afford such a sum. The family savings were used up for funeral expenses and medical treatment for my mother-in-law.

With no other option, my husband borrowed high-interest loans at ten percent interest, thinking that once my mother-in-law recovered, we’d sell the land and property at a good price to repay some of it. But who would have thought..."

Saying this, the woman choked again, even broke down crying.

Long Yue had felt something was amiss earlier and now, seeing the woman’s breakdown, blurted out, "Did that person run off?"

"Yes, he took the money and ran... sob sob sob... When my husband knew we were swindled, he reported it to the authorities, but the government completely ignored him, saying he brought it on himself, telling him to think of a way. Later... later..."

The woman’s eyes were swollen from crying, yet despite this, hatred appeared within.

"Later, my husband accidentally spotted that fraudulent doctor and upon following him, discovered he went to the Wu Family! And this Wu Family is exactly who loaned us the money!"

This reveals the truth entirely!

"This was a scam!"

Long Yue said coldly, "The doctor and Wu Family together orchestrated this scam to defraud your land, right?"

The woman covered her face, "Not only did they deceive us of our land, they took our ancestral house too, and even... even..."

At this point, the woman’s emotions were too intense to speak.

Yet Long Yue knew that even her father-in-law’s death was their foul play!