Shen Haiyan didn't expect Shen Baozhu to figure out his intention. He looked at her in slight surprise. "Has Baozhu become smarter?"
"If she were a well - behaved and kind person, she wouldn't have harmed the child. So this assumption doesn't hold."
"Even if we step back a bit, when there's no better way, we can use our power. There's a prince, a marquis in the family, and our little princess Baozhu here, right?"
Yan Mingli suddenly understood. He rushed to do as told but then turned back. "Old man, do you have any acquaintances in the Ministry of Justice?"
Qingyun Zhenren: [Baozhu does.]
Dragon King: [The Minister of the Ministry of Justice?]
Lin Yu: [I also remembered. The emperor said Baozhu could go to him if she met villains.]
Shen Baozhu looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Justice blankly at first, but when she saw Lin Yu's subtitle, she remembered. That kind - hearted uncle!
She got down from Shen Haiyan's arms and said cheerfully, "I don't need Third Brother's help. I'll avenge myself!"
Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Shen Baozhu pulled Qiuqiu and the Fourth Prince and ran out. After running a few steps, she remembered that she didn't know the way, so she turned back and dragged Yan Mingli along.
Yan Mingli was dragged to the door in a daze. He asked cautiously, "Baozhu, how are you going to avenge yourself?"
"It's a secret! Brother Mingli, take me to find the kind - hearted uncle first." Shen Baozhu pushed Yan Mingli out.
The King of Rui who had followed them asked curiously, "Who is the kind - hearted uncle?"
Shen Baozhu looked at the King of Rui. "The kind - hearted uncle is just the kind - hearted uncle."
Dragon King: [Hahaha, he's asking about the kind - hearted uncle's official position.]
Dragon King: [It's the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.]
When Shen Baozhu said it was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the King of Rui was overjoyed. He could really ask the Minister of the Ministry of Justice for help, but after all, he wasn't the victim, so it wasn't convenient for him.
Yan Mingli and Chen Miaochun weren't married yet, and there was no movement from the palace for the time being. He couldn't act on his own and expose the identity of the Fourth Prince. If a five - year - old child like Shen Baozhu could help seek justice, it would be even better.
Surely a five - year - old child didn't know how to use power to oppress others.
...
At the inn.
When Jian Ruobing brought Jian Ruoshui to the inn, Du Yunqian was greatly surprised. He saw that Jian Ruoshui was sweating on her forehead, her cheeks were swollen, she staggered as she walked and could only lean on the wall. There was even a large bloodstain on her skirt. Du Yunqian instinctively wanted to help her, but when he saw Jian Ruobing sneering beside her, he stopped in his tracks.
Du Yunqian was just a small county magistrate. This time he came to the capital. He had spent 100,000 taels of silver to bribe the Ministry of Personnel and successfully managed to stay in the capital. And this 100,000 taels of silver was from Jian Ruobing.
Before he got the transfer document and the matter was settled, Du Yunqian was still counting on Jian Ruobing to give him more money to help him with further connections.
So Du Yunqian changed his steps and quickly looked at Jian Ruobing. "Ruobing, why did you come back so late? What's wrong with your sister?"
Jian Ruobing looked at Du Yunqian with an unfathomable expression. As Du Yunqian became more and more nervous, Jian Ruobing covered her face and cried. "Husband, I don't know how to tell you. Ruoshui is pregnant before marriage. Fortunately, the doctor is very skilled and immediately saw that Ruoshui was pregnant. I asked Ruoshui who the father was, but she refused to say. What will she do in the future!"
Hearing that Jian Ruoshui was pregnant, Du Yunqian widened his eyes. He had a weak constitution. He had seen many doctors, and they all said it would be very difficult for him to have an heir in his lifetime. He never expected such a pleasant surprise. Jian Ruoshui was actually pregnant.
Before Du Yunqian could be happy, Jian Ruobing continued. "Alas, Ruoshui's mother died early, and my father is not around. I, as her elder sister, have to make the decision to abort the child. Husband, I've already thought it through. Let Ruoshui recover here and then go home. Others will just think she's innocent..."
Du Yunqian was stunned. Looking at Jian Ruobing again, he felt dizzy and didn't even hear the rest of her words.
Jian Ruoshui said nothing and hung her head. Her mind was full of what Jian Ruobing had said on the way. The current mother wasn't her real mother. She was her aunt. And the missing elder aunt from her maternal grandfather's family was her real mother.
No wonder, although there were two daughters in the family, she only bought one set of clothes and jewelry. Only after her younger sister got tired of wearing them could she have them. No wonder her elder sister only protected her and bought her clothes and jewelry. Every time they went to their maternal grandfather's house, everyone gave in to her. It turned out that her real mother had died, and she had taken the enemy as her mother!
No, not only had she taken the enemy as her mother, but also her father. He had fallen in love with someone else and harmed her mother.
In a state of collapse, Jian Ruoshui had no energy to spare for Du Yunqian and ignored his inquiring looks.
Jian Ruobing covered the smile on her lips with a handkerchief and looked at the two of them sarcastically.
If she hadn't thought that Jian Ruoshui was in the same miserable situation as herself, or even more pitiful, having taken the enemy as her mother, she wouldn't have been kind to Jian Ruoshui. But she never expected that the kindness of birth was no match for the kindness of upbringing. Jian Ruoshui was just like her aunt and had taken a fancy to her husband.
Seeing that Jian Ruoshui didn't respond, Du Yunqian gritted his teeth and asked regardless of being in the inn lobby. "Ruobing, are you lying to me? Is the child really gone?"
Jian Ruobing looked innocent. "What's wrong? A bastard whose father is unknown. It's normal for it to be gone. Husband, why are you in such a hurry?"
That's my child!
Du Yunqian swallowed this sentence forcefully.
But Jian Ruobing didn't plan to let him off. "Yunqian, you know that my sister lost her mother when she was young. My stepmother always favors her own daughter. Alas, if there's another child with an unknown father, life will be impossible. That child is also pitiful. It's better to abort it."
Logically, it made sense, but that child was his, his only hope! Du Yunqian almost shouted it out. Thinking of Jian Ruobing's money, he endured it again and again.
"You knew my mother was dead and that woman was my stepmother?" Jian Ruoshui suddenly looked up and stared at Du Yunqian fiercely. She emphasized every word. "You knew my mother died early and that woman was my stepmother?"
"Why didn't you tell me!"
"Why!"
Jian Ruoshui rushed up and grabbed Du Yunqian's neck with both hands.
Watching the two lovers turn against each other, Jian Ruobing was in a great mood. She covered her face with a handkerchief to prevent herself from showing too much schadenfreude and letting Du Yunqian notice.
On the way, Jian Ruobing had casually asked a few questions and guessed that it was the stepmother who had sown discord.
Although she wasn't favored at home, she was good at business. With the money she earned, the Jian family lived a very good life. That's why her father didn't want her to get married. She was already in her twenties and still at home.
This marriage with Du Yunqian was originally intended for her stepmother's daughter.
Although her stepmother's daughter and Du Yunqian had a ten - year age gap, Du Yunqian was a county magistrate, unmarried, and good - looking. He was a good husband.
Regarding her own daughter's marriage, the stepmother had specially investigated and accidentally found out that Du Yunqian had difficulty having an heir.
No matter how good a husband was, without an heir, what kind of good husband was he? But the stepmother's investigation of Du Yunqian was misunderstood by Du Yunqian.
Du Yunqian thought the stepmother was investigating him for Jian Ruobing's marriage. He found an excuse to meet Jian Ruobing a few times and then came to propose marriage.
With a county magistrate proposing marriage, Jian's father couldn't find a reason to refuse, so he let Jian Ruobing get married successfully.
Presumably, the stepmother knew that Du Yunqian was promoted and would stay in the capital. She was reluctant to let her own daughter marry here and didn't want Jian Ruobing to live too well, so she instigated Jian Ruoshui to seduce Du Yunqian.
Jian Ruobing sighed softly. She had been wrong. She had regarded Du Yunqian as her salvation.