"Yes," Chen Jiu admitted. "Your getting bitten was a serious matter. Of course I had to report it to the Princely Heir."

’He was prepared to be drawn and quartered; he would’ve accepted it. Who else was to blame for his failure to protect her?’

’Aunt Wang and her son dared to harm the Miss and the madam. The Princely Heir is furious.’

’Aunt Wang and her son are in for it now.’

Hearing this, Zhi Wan’s brow furrowed slightly. She felt Chen Jiu was being a little dramatic.

She never imagined Chen Jiu would actually report her injury to her cousin.

Her cousin was busy with official duties, yet Chen Jiu still bothered him with such trivial matters. It really showed a lack of judgment.

She was about to scold him, but then she remembered how her aunt had nearly been stabbed yesterday, and she held her tongue.

’Chen Jiu must have mentioned my injury in passing when he was reporting to my cousin about my aunt, right?’

Her aunt nearly being stabbed was indeed a very serious matter. It was only right that her cousin know about it. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

With this in mind, Zhi Wan asked in a low voice, "So everything that’s happened today... was it all arranged by my cousin?"

"Yes." Chen Jiu nodded and said quietly, "I’ll let you watch the show in a moment, Miss."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the man from before started shouting, "Wang Shuya, if you won’t admit it, then we’ll do a blood paternity test! Duke, I request a blood paternity test!"

Zhi Wan was surprised to hear this.

’Didn’t my cousin arrange for this man to be here?’

’Could it be that Lu Xuan really is his son? Otherwise, how would he dare demand a blood paternity test?’

She wasn’t the only one who was confused. Seeing how adamant the man was, the others also began to have doubts about Lu Xuan’s parentage.

Old Madam Lu’s vision went dark, and she nearly fainted. Only a single thought remained in her mind: ’It seems there’s more to Xuan’s parentage than meets the eye. Maybe... maybe he really isn’t a child of the Lu family!’

At this thought, Old Madam Lu’s expression turned grim. "Aunt Wang," she said, "confess. Is this child Zhenbei’s or not?"

Aunt Wang’s heart lurched with panic. She cried out, "Of course the child is the Duke’s! I don’t even know this man, so how could Xuan possibly be his son? He’s a fraud, plain and simple!"

Lady Lou had disliked Aunt Wang ever since she’d entered the mansion and won over Old Madam Lu. Now that Aunt Wang was in trouble, Lady Lou naturally had to kick her while she was down. She said with a sneer, "If you don’t know him, how does he know your given name, Shuya? If he’s a fraud, why come to the Duke Dingguo Mansion to run his scams? And if there’s nothing between you, why would you be afraid of a blood paternity test?"

Aunt Wang was so furious she nearly ground her teeth to dust. "How can the Second Madam say such a thing? Anyone with eyes can see this man was hired by someone malicious to frame me!" As she spoke, she deliberately shot a look at Lady Wei before kneeling before Lu Zhenbei. "I implore you, Duke, to see the truth and not be swayed by this villain’s provocations!"

It was self-evident who she meant by "someone malicious."

Everyone present couldn’t help but turn to look at Lady Wei.

Lady Wei suddenly let out a cold laugh. She looked down at Aunt Wang with contempt and said, "What are you that I should waste my energy on you? The bastard you spawned isn’t fit to carry my son’s shoes. I couldn’t care less whose son he is. Why would I go to so much trouble?"

The color drained from Aunt Wang’s face. Clenching her fists, she said angrily, "How could you say that about Xuan? His status may not be as noble as the Princely Heir’s, but he is still the Duke’s son! Duke, you must seek justice for us!"

"Do the blood paternity test," Lu Zhenbei, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said.

"What?" Aunt Wang flinched, staring at him in disbelief. "Duke, Xuan is your own son! How can you do this?"

"Someone, prepare the water," Lu Zhenbei ordered, ignoring her completely.

"The water’s here." Chen Jiu quickly brought over a bowl of clear water.

"Draw the blood," Lu Zhenbei said to his trusted aide.

"Yes, sir." Receiving the order, the trusted aide immediately drew a dagger and walked toward Lu Xuan.

"You... You’re not to touch my son!" Aunt Wang cried, pulling the boy into a fierce embrace.

The trusted aide frowned. "Aunt Wang, this is an order from the Duke. Please cooperate."

"Duke, Xuan is your son! Doing this will only humiliate him! How will he ever hold his head up in the Duke Mansion again?" Aunt Wang shrieked.

"If Xuan is indeed Eldest Brother’s son, why are you so nervous?" Lady Lou asked, feigning confusion. "One test and the truth will be revealed. Or... is it that you’re afraid because Xuan really *is* that other man’s son?"

Hearing this, Old Madam Lu grew even more desperate to know if Xuan was connected to that man. She quickly ordered the old matron beside her, "Go and help them!"

The matron obeyed at once, stepping forward to help restrain Aunt Wang.

With Aunt Wang out of the way, the trusted aide easily grabbed Lu Xuan’s hand and made a quick, clean cut on his finger.

Chen Jiu moved forward at the right moment, holding the bowl to catch the drops of blood. Then, he tossed the dagger to the other man.

"If it’s proven this child has nothing to do with you, you can expect to be handed over to the Government!" Chen Jiu threatened for show.

"He is my son! What do I have to be afraid of?" the man yelled, craning his neck. He then deftly cut his own finger and let the blood drip into Chen Jiu’s bowl.

Everyone rushed forward to see.

When they saw the two drops of blood rapidly merge, Old Madam Lu’s face contorted with fury. She pointed at Aunt Wang and shrieked, "You vile creature! How dare you deceive the Duke Dingguo Mansion! Guards! Throw this mother and son out of the mansion! No—drive them out of the Capital! I never want to see them again!"

Watching the blood merge in the bowl, Zhi Wan glanced thoughtfully at Chen Jiu. ’What did he do to the water?’ she wondered.

At this, the others began to condemn Aunt Wang.

"The audacity! To pass off a bastard you had with another man as the Duke’s son!"

"Truly shameless!"

"Hand her over to the Government!"

Aunt Wang’s face was as white as a sheet. She collapsed to the floor, her body limp, and murmured, "How can this be... This shouldn’t be happening..."

Gone was the fierce boy from yesterday; Lu Xuan cowered beside her and asked in terror, "Mother, am I really not the Duke’s son? Am I... his son?"

Her son’s question snapped Aunt Wang back to reality. She pulled him into a tight embrace, shaking her head frantically. "No, you are the Duke’s son. That man was definitely hired by someone to frame us."

Hearing this gave Lu Xuan a sliver of confidence. He ran to Lu Zhenbei and tugged on the hem of his robe. "Father, I really am your son! That man is a liar! Don’t believe him!"

"The proof is undeniable, and you still try to deny it?" Lady Lou cried out in disbelief. "How can we allow the Lu family bloodline to be tainted? If you ask me, after how this mother and son have deceived us, they should be beaten soundly and then handed over to the Government!"

In this generation of the Lu family, there had only been two boys, Lu Zhan and Lu Jun. But then, a while ago, Lu Xuan had appeared out of nowhere. He’d managed to charm Old Madam Lu, who had been so delighted that she showered him with gifts. Lady Lou had hated him for it ever since.

Now that there was finally a chance to get rid of him, Lady Lou was of course going to fan the flames and get the pair thrown out as quickly as possible.