The Patriarch''s residence was an ancient-style castle, which was covered in mottled marks from ancient times. Old Madam Jing was wearing a long dress with dark blue and golden thread embroidery as she stood on the dome of the tallest building in the castle and looked at the distant capital.


    On the asphalt road from the capital to the Jing family, luxury cars lined up one after another as they drove towards the Divine Worship Mountain. These were all the family representatives and top experts who would attend her birthday banquet tonight.


    Only at a high vantage point could one experience the thrill of holding power in one''s hands.


    The figure of her husband, who had died a long time ago, appeared in Old Madam Jing''s mind. She couldn''t help but sneer. "I said before that indecisive people aren''t suitable to be in charge. In the Starlight Empire, who dares to say no to me?!"


    Immediately after, another charming face shed across Old Madam Jing''s mind. She instantly thought of some past events that made her unhappy and the smile on Old Madam Jing''s lips instantly faded. She suddenly felt angry and scolded, "Extremely stupid!"


    At this moment, a ck figure appeared in the square outside the castle.


    The woman stood in the middle of the square and knelt on one knee. After she crossed her hands and ced them on her forehead, she greeted Old Madam Jing loudly, "I wish you longevity and good health!"


    Old Madam Jing stared coldly at the woman kneeling on one knee in the middle of the square and didn''t speak for a long time.


    If she didn''t speak, Jing Jiaren couldn''t get up.


    As if Old Madam Jing didn''t hear Jing Jiaren''s blessing or see her, she suddenly disappeared from the castle dome.


    At that moment, the guests arrived one after another and had already gathered in the banquet building at the foot of the mountain. Jing Ruge and his wife moved through the banquet hall in their luxurious clothes while entertaining all the guests. However, no one knew that in the square at the top of the mountain, Jing Jiaren was still kneeling under the scorching sun.


    Under the setting sun, Jing Jiaren knelt from four in the afternoon to six-thirty in the evening.


    After Jing Jiaren, who had yet to fully recover, knelt for four to six hours, her body could no longer take it, but she didn''t cry or leave. She continued to kneel calmly. If it wasn''t for her face turning paler and theyer of sweat on her forehead, no one would know that she had reached her limit.


    It was only when the clock turned to seven that the tightly shut door of the castle opened. The Patriarch''s residence''s butler, Qingxi Momo, walked out of the house.


    She came to Jing Jiaren''s side and said gently, "Miss Jiaren, the olddy asked me to pass a message to you. She epted your blessing."


    "Thank you for making this trip." Not only was Qingxi Momo the Lord of the Patriarch''s Mansion, but she was also Old Madam Jing''s most trusted subordinate. She was already more than 200 years old this year and had been raised by Old Madam Jing since she was young, so she was very loyal to her.


    After saying that, Qingxi Momo stood at the side. She had no intention of reaching out to help Jing Jiaren stand up.


    Qingxi Momo''s attitude represented the olddy''s attitude.


    Clearly, she wanted Jing Jiaren to stand up herself.


    If Jing Jiaren couldn''t even stand up, she wouldn''t be able to continue holding the position of the Jing family''s young master.


    At this moment, Jing Jiaren''s limbs and bones, which had been cleansed by the ice, hurt again. It was as if there were countless ants gnawing at her bone marrow and injecting cold liquid into the middle of her bones. Jing Jiaren almost lost her mobility, but she still gritted her teeth and stood up slowly while trembling.


    Seeing that Jing Jiaren had sessfully stood up, Qingxi Momo added calmly, "Old Madam has something to say to Miss Jiaren. Please follow me into the room."


    Jing Jiaren nodded and followed behind Qingxi Momo. Every step was like stepping on a sharp iron nail, but Jing Jiaren''s every step was steady. Even though the bones in her body were extremely ufortable, her beautiful face looked calm andposed without any signs of pain.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    When they arrived at the study, Jing Jiaren greeted Old Madam Jing again before she finally received a look from Old Madam Jing.


    Old Madam Jing nced at Jing Jiaren coldly and asked aloofly, "Have you recovered?" She didn''t seem to see how pale Jing Jiaren''s face was and how sweaty her forehead was. She didn''t sound sincerely concerned at all.


    Jing Jiaren nodded slightly. "Thank you for your concern. I''m fine."


    Nodding, Old Madam Jing said, "Do you know your mistake now?"


    This time, Jing Jiaren fell silent.


    Old Madam Jing sneered. "How stubborn!"


    Jing Jiaren remained silent.


    Old Madam Jing suddenly grabbed the inkstone on the table and threw it at Jing Jiaren''s chest.


    Girls'' breasts were sensitive to begin with, so when the hard inkstone hit Jing Jiaren''s chest, it immediately hurt so much that she groaned. Old Madam Jing, who sat on the soft office chair, scolded meanly, "Bastard! Don''t you know that I hate people who disobey me the most?! Have you forgotten what happened to your aunt back then?!"


    "It''s a good thing to have a backbone, but your bones are too hard and out of control. You can only shatter them and rbine them." Old Madam Jing''s sharp gaze swept from Jing Jiaren''s feet to her head as she asked coldly, "How does it feel to have your limbs and bones cleansed by ice? Do you remember the feeling of your bones being washed?"


    Jing Jiaren clenched her fists and suddenly asked Old Madam Jing, "Then, Grandma, did my aunt listen to you after you broke her bones?"


    Old Madam Jing''s expression instantly darkened. "Jing Jiaren, do you know what you''re saying?"


    All these years, Jing Jiaren was the only person who dared to mention Jing Rujiu in front of her.


    It had to be said that she was very simr to Jing Rujiu. "Could it be that you also want to be removed from the Jing family''s genealogy by me?"


    "I don''t want to." As Jing Jiaren looked straight at Old Madam Jing''s face, she suddenly smiled and said, "Grandma, you know what I want, don''t you?"


    Old Madam Jing frowned at Jing Jiaren thoughtfully without saying anything.


    Jing Jiaren''s lips curled into a mocking smile as she said, "I will always wear the crown of the sessor. I will be the next ruler of the Jing family. I will wait for you to reach your twilight years and the day you die. On that day, I will bury you with the grandest funeral. I will definitely bury you beside Grandpa and let you continue to love each other in theherworld."


    Old Madam Jing was stunned. Then, she revealed an eerie smile. "Little bastard, are you provoking me?"


    Old Madam Jing asked thoughtfully, "Could it be that you''re resenting me? You resent me for exhausting your aunt''s divination power back then? You resent me for removing her from the n genealogy? You resent me for not loving her at all?"


    The more she asked, the colder Madam Jing''s smile became.


    Her eyes looked even more sinister than usual.


    Old Madam Jing was really as cold-hearted as a snake.