The main gate was so well-fitted that when closed, it blocked out every sliver of light from the courtyard.

Though it had been in use for many years, the Zhao Family took great care of it. They never handled it roughly and even performed regular maintenance on it each year, so it still looked as good as new.

The bolt slid out from the inside without a sound. That was why the person eavesdropping on the other side jumped in shock when the gate was suddenly pulled open.

She staggered and pitched forward violently. If she hadn’t grabbed the beast-head bronze knocker on the gate to steady herself, she would have fallen right on top of Zhao Jing.

But she reacted quickly. The moment she found her footing, she turned and bolted.

But she hadn’t taken two steps before someone grabbed her by the back of the collar.

"It’s me! Zhao Jing, it’s me! You’ve grabbed my hair! Let go! You’re going to rip my scalp off! It hurts! It hurts so much..."

Mrs. Zhao approached, holding a candlestick. She had just coordinated the maneuver with her son. While she appeared outwardly calm, her heart was in her throat.

The moment her son pulled the gate open and someone actually stumbled in from outside, Mrs. Zhao nearly jumped out of her skin.

’Good heavens! The people of the Zhao Village are so simple and honest. How could there be such a villain with evil intentions here?’

’What on earth is this person doing at our gate in the dead of night?’

’Are they here to steal...? Yes, they must be here to steal something!’

’Qing’er brought such a large dowry; it must have attracted some greedy eyes. These people are definitely trying to steal her fortune for themselves!’

’How despicable!’

But Mrs. Zhao quickly recognized the intruder’s voice. It sounded like... Wanyue?

’I just warned her last night not to come to our home again. Why is she back?’

’What is she really after?’

Before Zhao Jing could speak, Mrs. Zhao burst out indignantly, "Wanyue, you’ve gone too far! Coming to our house in the dead of night... tell me, what are you scheming? You must be here to steal something! Jing, don’t go easy on her. Let’s report her to the authorities!"

Mrs. Zhao didn’t actually intend to report her to the authorities; she was just trying to scare Chen Wanyue.

In her heart, Mrs. Zhao didn’t believe a young woman like Chen Wanyue was capable of anything truly wicked.

She had come to their home time and again, surely out of bitterness. She couldn’t accept that Jing was living a good life after leaving her, so she repeatedly came looking for trouble.

Mrs. Zhao just wanted to frighten Chen Wanyue enough that she wouldn’t dare do something so foolish again.

But Mrs. Zhao never expected that her words would align perfectly with Zhao Jing’s own intentions.

Zhao Jing’s face was cold, his expression full of disgust. "Just handing her over to the authorities is too simple. I’m afraid she wouldn’t learn her lesson. She is my father-in-law’s niece, after all; he’d never allow her to serve jail time. Mother, in my opinion, we should summon the clansmen from both the Chen family and the Zhao family. Let’s confront her directly and ask her, right here and now, what exactly she’s trying to do by showing up at our door again and again."

Chen Wanyue jumped when she heard the threat of reporting her to the authorities, but she wasn’t truly terrified. She hadn’t actually done anything. Even if the county magistrate himself were to hear the case, she would be the one who was wronged.

But Zhao Jing had an even more venomous plan. ’He wants to make it impossible for me to continue living in the Zhao Village!’

’If it really comes to that,’ she thought, ’will there be any way for me to survive? A girl who "covets" her former fiancé like a rat in the gutter?’

’There would only be one path left for me: death.’

Chen Wanyue was truly terrified now. In her extreme fear, her mind raced, and she blurted out, "I—I had a dream! I dreamt that Auntie had fallen ill from exhaustion and couldn’t get out of bed. You were all sound asleep, and no one could hear her crying out in pain. Auntie was always so good to me in the past, how could I just ignore it? I ran over to warn you! But then I worried it might have just been a nightmare and that Auntie was perfectly fine, so I didn’t dare to just bang on the gate. I could only lean against it and listen for any noise inside."

Chen Wanyue nodded as she spoke, as if to convince them. "That was my reasoning, yes. When it comes down to it, I was just trying to do what’s best for Auntie."

Mrs. Zhao was taken aback. "Is that really true?"

Zhao Jing sneered. "We, her own children, don’t have dreams about our mother getting sick, yet you, who are no relation to us, dream about her? Wouldn’t you say that’s a bit strange? Do you really think I’m going to believe such a ridiculous lie?"

"What’s so hard to believe? I already told you, Auntie was always kind to me, which is why I dreamed about her. In any case, I came all this way for her sake. If you don’t believe me, fine! Just assume my good intentions went completely to waste. But to hand me over to the authorities, or have the clansmen of the Chen and Zhao families put me on trial... that’s going too far! You’re being cruel and ungrateful!"