The jailer laughed, "Get rich? The Yuan family has been raided. Most of their assets will be used to pay back taxes. There’s no money left."
Yuan Liang was shocked. "What? Was it that bitch Ming Ying who reported it?!"
The jailer couldn’t answer his question. He continued, "You claim to be the head of the Yuan family. Dalisi Procuratorate will soon co for you. Attempted poisoning of your daughter already ans years in prison. Now... you’ll probably get beheaded."
After all, the Yuan family had evaded a significant amount of taxes.
The jailer turned and left.
Yuan Liang pounded the ground in hatred. "Ming Ying! You bitch!"
His chest was filled with rage, and he gritted his teeth.
In the damp, dark, and foul-slling end of the cell block, only soone like Yuan Liang, who couldn’t afford bribes, would be imprisoned here.
The sound echoed.
At this mont, a hoarse, cold voice responded, "Want revenge?"
Yuan Liang was stunned.
He hurriedly looked around. There was no one else in the cell. Where was the voice coming from?
He quickly realized it wasn’t a person speaking but an object!
He took out the pendant hanging from his chest, opened the clasp, revealing a small bead emitting a faint glow.
A wisp of smoke circled the bead.
"Do you want revenge?"
It was indeed the bead speaking!
This was a bead given to him by Brother Chong Jiu, who said it would bring long-lasting fortune to his daughter.
With selfish intentions, Yuan Liang had the bead embedded in a pendant he wore himself.
Brother Chong Jiu was indeed a divine person, foreseeing his current predicant!
His chance had co!
"Yes!" Yuan Liang shouted, pleading, "Immortal! Are you an immortal?! I want revenge and to heal my injuries!"
The bead said, "Then repeat after : With my soul, my body, burn the golden core, and welco Yao Sheng’s soul return!"
This was Yuan Liang’s last hope.
Without hesitation, he imdiately repeated the words.
However, after repeating them, he sensed sothing was wrong.
Yao Sheng?
He had heard Nanli ntion this na before. It felt familiar. Now he rembered.
The deceased Grand Tutor was also nad Yao Sheng!
Before he could ask more, the bead burst into flas, burning rapidly, and soon turned to ash. The ash began to form a transparent human figure.
"You... you’re not an immortal! You’re Grand Tutor Yao Sheng! A ghost..."
Before Yuan Liang could finish, his soul was extracted, becoming nourishnt for Yao Sheng’s reconstituting spirit.
Because the cell was remote, no one heard Yuan Liang’s screams.
After an unknown period, Yao Sheng’s soul finally reford.
But his soul had been crushed by Qiu Hai. Now, he relied on the pseudo-golden core he had cultivated in his previous life to reassemble his soul, which was no longer as strong as before.
Luckily, the heavy resentnt and gloom in the prison aided his soul’s reconstruction.
Having planned for years, Yao Sheng had left a contingency.
When Qiu Hai crushed him, he had quickly adhered his fragnted soul to the golden core bead.
This pseudo-golden core had been painstakingly cultivated, intended for his rebirth. It would save him much ti upon rebirth.
But unexpectedly... he failed to possess a body!
He looked at Yuan Liang with disdain. This was the only body he could seize now, having no other choice.
His soul descended. With Yuan Liang’s soul already sacrificed, he easily took over Yuan Liang’s body.
Moving slightly, Yao Sheng cursed. This body was weak and severely injured, utterly useless.
Moreover, possessing an unsuitable body would cause it to decay over ti.
Although his soul power had significantly diminished, it was enough to support him in this thod of body-switching.
Infuriating!
He had waited over ten or twenty years for a suitable body!
Chu Nanli caused all this!
He would exact his revenge!
---
Within two days, news ca from Shuntian Office that Yuan Liang was dead.
Nanli heard Qingyang’s report without much concern and asked, "What about the female Taoist priest captured with him?"
Qiu Hai had severely injured her, and she hadn’t woken up even when carried away.
Qingyang replied, "Her internal organs are damaged. She won’t last more than a few days."
Nanli nodded. Since that was the case, she didn’t need to intervene.
However, Qingyang seed hesitant to leave, as if he had more to say.
Nanli, reading the laws, noticed and asked, "Is there sothing else?"
"Chen Xiang indeed went to the Royal Heir to plead guilty, but the Royal Heir didn’t dismiss or investigate him, only docked two years of salary," Qingyang reported.
Nanli raised an eyebrow. "Is there a familial connection?"
"Yes, his daughter recently beca the Royal Heir’s concubine."
It had happened two days ago. Nanli, not keen on the court’s complex relationships, hadn’t known.
Nanli sighed, "With the Prince away, I can’t say much to the Royal Heir."
Qingyang nodded, "The Royal Heir likely saw the Prince’s absence and didn’t want to lose Chen’s influence, so he let it slide."
"No wonder he asked for a chance to surrender," Nanli mused. "Cunning."
Qingyang remarked, "The Royal Heir is too young. Protecting officials like this won’t help in the long run and might cause trouble."
Serving Ye Siheng for years, he had seen such things often.
Sotis, cutting off ties was the better option.
Nanli finished reading the laws and went to find Chu Huan.
Chu Huan had just returned from duty, still in his official robes. Fortunately, it was autumn, and he hadn’t sweated. Not wanting to keep his sister waiting, he didn’t change.
"Sixth Sister, what’s the matter?" Chu Huan asked.
Now a court official, he was often busy, and Sixth Sister rarely disturbed him, so it must be important.
Nanli said, "Third Brother, I’ve studied Mu Nation’s divorce laws. I want to propose revisions to the emperor. Could you help draft them?"
Due to her limited writing skills, she needed help.
Thankfully, her brother, a top scholar, had excellent writing and calligraphy.
Chu Huan, slightly surprised, then smiled warmly, "Divorce laws? I’ve been researching this recently and noted so points. Would you like to see them?"
Nanli’s eyes widened. "Third Brother, you’ve been researching too? We really are siblings, thinking alike."
Chu Huan brought over the draft for Nanli to review.
He said, "Mu Nation won have a hard ti divorcing. As a scholar, I should seek justice."
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