The village children bullied me, old and powerless!

The entire room was empty.

Apart from the larger pieces of furniture, everything had been stripped away-even the quilt on her bed!

Gu Yurou hurried into the room and searched for the ragged cloth bundle she had left in the corner.

She found nothing.

Nothing at all had been left in the room.

Countless possibilities flashed through her mind.

Had her identity been discovered?

But that did not make sense either.

If her identity really had been exposed, given how Emperor Mingze of Great Rui operated, someone should already have stormed into her room and tied her up.

But if she really had been robbed, her bundle had looked utterly shabby, and it no longer contained any of the things it once had. Besides...

What sort of thief would not even leave her a quilt?!

She turned and rushed out of the courtyard to look for clues, only to hear startled cries rising one after another throughout the Duke's Residence.

"Ah! My jewelry! All my jewelry is gone!"

"Even the cloud brocade I just paid a fortune for has disappeared!"

"What sort of thief won't even leave people a quilt?!"

"They actually dared to steal from the Duke's Residence! I'm reporting this to the authorities first thing tomorrow morning!"

Gu Yurou slowly let out a breath of relief.

At least there was one blessing amid the misfortune: the thieves had not come for her alone.

In the darkness, cold gleams flashed like stars in Gu Yurou's eyes.

It's all right.

She gave herself a pep talk.

That thing looks completely unremarkable. Even if it was stolen, it should find its way onto the market soon.

I just need to look around carefully.

Gu Yurou turned and went back to her room.

The night wind was chilly, and she walked in great haste, unaware that in every courtyard she passed, the occupants had their maids bring fresh quilts before settling down to sleep in comfort.

In the entire Duke's Residence, Gu Yurou was the only one who endured the cold all night.

In a little alley behind the Duke's Residence, a dozen or so burly men dressed in black stealth clothing stared at one another.

An awkward silence spread through the air.

Finally, someone gave a dry laugh and spoke. "Brother Zheng, what brings you here in person?"

The man addressed forced himself to offer a cupped-fist salute. "Brother Zhu, you're here too. What a coincidence."

After everyone had exchanged greetings, an eerie silence descended again.

"Uh..." Someone finally could not stand the atmosphere any longer and suggested, "Why don't we search our bundles and see whether there's anything that looks like a tiger tally?"

Someone immediately chimed in, "Yes, let's look!"

Everyone agreed to the suggestion. The dozen or so men in black took the bundles off their backs at the same time and brazenly began rummaging through them in the alley.

"I've got a bundle of clothes here. The tiger tally probably isn't with me..."

"I've got a box of jewelry. I'll have to take it to the little princess to look at in a couple of days..."

"Wait, why did you even take a quilt?!"

"Well, what if she sewed it into the quilt? I'm just being thorough!"

"..."

The dozen or so "bandits" who had happened to run into one another in Gu Yurou's room an hour earlier completed their "disposal of stolen goods" in this little alley with unprecedented harmony.

Early the next morning, Duke Wang was released without charge.

He returned to the gates of his Duke's Residence beaming with delight, but before he could enjoy even half an hour of happiness, the miserable sight before him made his eyes widen in fury.

Seeing his mood sour, his daughter-in-law, Bu Ning'an, hurriedly placed the baby in his arms. "Father, you're finally back. Xinrui has missed you."

The little girl adored her grandfather. The moment she landed in his arms, she obligingly burst into laughter.

Sure enough, Duke Wang calmed down.

Little Xinrui's round, fair face and adorable appearance instantly reminded him of the little princess he had met in prison.

And the little princess's strange inner voice.

Duke Wang's thoughts paused. Then, recalling all the guilty looks he had received along the way, he suddenly formed an entirely new theory about the scene before him!

"Prepare my court robes!" He placed his granddaughter back in his daughter-in-law's arms and turned to instruct the maid following him. "I'm going to the palace right now!"

That bastard Lu Yao must have had a hand in this!!

In Chongyun Hall, Jiang Yingcheng was nodding off.

After her bath yesterday, she had argued her case with her mother and stubbornly stalled for a long time before allowing sleepiness to drag her into dreamland.

When her mother hauled her out of bed before dawn today, she felt that her life was about to become as eternally dark and lightless as the pitch-black sky!

Yet for some reason, her handsome imperial father had not prepared a screen for her today. She was sitting face-to-face with all the civil and military officials and was too embarrassed to openly doze off.

Just as she was about to lose the battle, a eunuch hurried into the hall from outside. He leaned close to Eunuch Changshun, whispered a few words into his ear, and hurried away again.

After Eunuch Changshun relayed the message to Jiang Yanchuan, he received an almost imperceptible nod.

Eunuch Changshun straightened. "Summon Duke Wang into the hall-"

A moment later, an exceptionally sturdy old man with graying hair appeared at the entrance to the hall and strode briskly but steadily toward the front of the assembled officials.

Jiang Yingcheng finally perked up. [Ah! It's the grandpa with the big muscles!!]

Several officials below the dais choked on their own saliva and coughed at the same time. Duke Wang's steps faltered suspiciously for a moment before he continued forward as though nothing had happened.

Jiang Yingcheng's face was full of question marks.

[How strange. Has everyone caught a cold?]

But nobody was coughing before?!

The officials soon returned to normal, and Jiang Yingcheng paid them no further mind.

Duke Wang had captured all her attention.

[Wow, wow, wow! Grandpa Wang looks so much more energetic in his pretty clothes!]

A kindly smile appeared on Duke Wang's face.

The little girl's eyes were bright, and she had visibly cheered up the moment she saw him. Clearly, she was very fond of him!

[Just as I thought! Working out is the best cosmetic treatment for men!!]

The smile at the corners of Duke Wang's mouth stiffened.

He could more or less understand "working out," but what was this "cosmetic treatment" business?

Was he too old? Why couldn't he understand what the little princess was saying?!

Several barely suppressed snickers sounded below the dais.

Before the officials' strange reactions could make Jiang Yingcheng suspicious again, Jiang Yanchuan spoke first. "Duke, you have only just returned to the Mansion. Why not rest and recuperate for a few days?"

He had instructed Lu Yao not to release Duke Wang from prison until this morning for two reasons.

First, he had guessed that someone would certainly sneak into the Duke's Residence last night to search for that half of the tiger tally.

Second, he had also wanted Duke Wang to get a couple of days' proper rest.

Though Duke Wang was advanced in years, he could never sit still. Had he been released last night, he would undoubtedly have attended court this morning.

Yet even with that precaution, he had come anyway.

Duke Wang came to a stop before the assembled officials and bowed properly to Jiang Yanchuan before declaring in a ringing voice, "Your Majesty, poetic inspiration struck me today. I suddenly felt an urge to recite a poem to my fellow officials and could not bear to wait another moment, so I hurried here."

"Oh?"

Jiang Yanchuan rested his fist against his temple and adopted an attentive expression. "Minister Wang, please feel free."

Having received Jiang Yanchuan's permission, Duke Wang turned to face the officials, his gaze blazing-

"The village children bullied me, old and powerless, brazenly playing thieves before my very eyes!"