The two Lin brothers looked completely different from each other.
The younger brother, Lin Qingping, had a square face. Because he trained outdoors year-round, his skin was dark from the sun, and with his beard, he appeared rather rugged.
The elder brother, Lin Qingyun, worked at the Ministry of Personnel and spent most of his time indoors. His complexion was fair, and he was slender, making him look more than ten years younger than his younger brother. At first glance, he looked refined and respectable.
It was precisely because of his handsome appearance that the Yan Emperor had awarded him the title of Third-Ranked Scholar (Tanhua) back then.
He had once attracted the admiration of countless noble ladies in the capital.
Lin Qingping had come specifically to seek justice for Lin Qianqian.
“Brother, you’ve gone too far. How can you let Qianqian live beside the stables?”
Lin Qingyun replied dismissively,
“I’m doing it for her own good. Only by enduring hardship can one rise above others.”
“Then why don’t you make Baozhu and Baoyu suffer?”
Naturally, Lin Qingyun couldn’t bear to let his precious children suffer.
“She’s just a crude country girl. Being allowed to marry the Champion Marquis is already a tremendous blessing. Second Brother, stop making trouble.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked away.
Originally, Lin Qingyun had intended to return to his own courtyard, but his mood was poor. He decided instead to go out drinking and visiting courtesans with his colleagues to improve his spirits.
Lin Qingping, having spent many years in the Five-City Military and Police Command, had an especially straightforward personality. He shouted at his brother’s retreating back:
“A tremendous blessing, my foot! Qianqian doesn’t want that blessing. If you’ve got the guts, marry Baozhu to the Foolish Marquis yourself!”
After hearing that Lin Qingyun had returned, Lin Qianqian had deliberately waited beneath a nearby tree.
By chance, she overheard the entire conversation between the two brothers.
Watching Lin Qingyun’s departing figure, she clenched her fists tightly.
At last, she had finally met her unreliable biological father.
What kind of filthy environment could possibly produce a scoundrel like Lin Qingyun?
A man like him didn’t deserve to be called a father.
Night had already fallen.
The estate was dark and quiet—perfect for doing things that couldn’t be seen in daylight.
Meanwhile, Wang Shi had dispatched several strong servant women to the stable yard to seize the silver.
Truthfully, she didn’t care much about the money itself.
She simply wanted to vent her anger.
“Be bold,” Wang Shi instructed.
“Teach that girl a proper lesson. Whatever happens, I, the mistress of the household, will take responsibility.”
“Yes, Madam.”
What Wang Shi didn’t know was that Lin Qianqian had already brought Mother Sun under her control back at the estate.
As a result, Mother Sun had secretly informed her of the plan in advance.
Recently, Mother Sun had been living quite happily.
Ever since Miss Qianqian entered the Lin Residence, she often got to enjoy delicious dishes from Drunken Immortal Tower at Wu Granny’s place.
Life had never been better.
The six servant women sent by Wang Shi turned the stone house upside down.
They found absolutely nothing.
As for Lin Qianqian and Hongdou, they had worn no jewelry when they entered the residence, and that remained unchanged.
Granny Fang swaggered forward and said:
“Second Miss, Madam says that unmarried girls may not possess private property. The silver and gifts awarded by the government belong to the entire Lin Residence.
Hand them over voluntarily, and we won’t make things difficult for you.”
Lin Qianqian calmly replied:
“I already gave all the silver and gifts to my coachman, A’Da.”
Since A’Da lived in a rented house outside the residence, Wang Shi would never be able to seize the property.
When Wang Shi learned that the valuables had already been moved out of the residence, she felt as if the sky had collapsed.
This was the Lin Residence under her control.
Logically, nothing happening within the household should escape her notice.
Yet such a major transfer of wealth had occurred without anyone reporting it to her.
What did that mean?
It meant she was losing control over the Lin Residence.
That was a serious problem.
Wang Shi had already been preparing for bed.
After hearing the news, she dressed herself again and personally went to the stone house beside the stables.
She summoned the gatekeepers.
“I specifically ordered that neither the Second Miss nor her people be allowed to leave. How exactly are you guarding the gates?”
The gatekeeper looked aggrieved.
“That coachman is incredibly strong. Even four of us together couldn’t stop him.
We were afraid Madam would blame us, so we didn’t dare report it.”
Wang Shi thought to herself:
So that girl’s coachman is that capable. No wonder she managed to help capture a wanted criminal. It was probably all thanks to him.
She then turned to Lin Qianqian.
“Second Girl, hand A’Da’s contract of sale over to me. Since I manage the household, all servant contracts must be submitted to me for centralized management.”
Lin Qianqian had expected this.
“A’Da is a free man. He has never sold himself to me.”
Wang Shi nearly ground her teeth to pieces from anger.
Looking at the face that resembled Jiang Shi’s, her fury intensified even further.
“Then hand over the South Sea Pearl bracelet that Second Brother and his wife gave you.”
Several servant women immediately tried to seize it.
Only to discover that Lin Qianqian’s wrist was completely bare.
She casually avoided their hands.
She made sure not to come into physical contact with them.
Using her Mind-Reading Ability consumed tremendous mental energy.
Every use left her exhausted.
She had no intention of wasting it on a bunch of servant women.
After suffering a high fever and remaining unconscious for three days and three nights at the age of nine, she had awakened with the ability to read minds.
When her adoptive father learned about the power, he had repeatedly warned her never to reveal it to outsiders.
Currently, the stone house contained only ordinary daily necessities.
Anything valuable had long since been moved to the secure rented residence where A’Da lived.
Two reliable guards had also been hired to watch the property.
Once the Jiang Residence was repaired, everything would be transferred there.
Still, she wasn’t about to let Wang Shi bully her without consequence.
She still lacked 7,000 taels to purchase the Jiang Residence.
Since Wang Shi loved hoarding wealth so much, tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity to make her part with that money.
After wasting an entire evening and gaining absolutely nothing, Wang Shi was unwilling to give up.
She ordered:
“Take away all their bedding. Let’s see how they sleep tonight.”
Just then, Madam Liu arrived with two maids carrying daily necessities.
She had been worried about Lin Qianqian living beside the stables.
Unfortunately for Wang Shi, she arrived just in time to witness the scene.
Madam Liu couldn’t help but speak:
“Elder Sister-in-law, I advise you to calm down.
If word of this gets out, your standing among the noble ladies of the capital will be ruined.”
“Hmph!”
Wang Shi shot Madam Liu a glare and stormed away.
Recently she had heard rumors that Lin Qingping might soon receive another promotion.
Because of that, she had no choice but to show some restraint toward his wife.
On the way back to her courtyard, Wang Shi remembered hearing that Mother Sun had been spending a lot of time with Wu Granny.
She immediately questioned her.
“Mother Sun, I heard you’ve been getting quite close to Wu Granny and often drinking with her.
You aren’t trying to curry favor with the Second Girl, are you?”
Mother Sun hurriedly declared her loyalty.
She even slapped herself twice across the face.
“Madam, you’ve wronged me!
This old servant’s loyalty to you is clear as heaven and earth.
The reason I’ve been associating with Wu Granny is to gather information for Madam!”
The explanation sounded reasonable enough.
Wang Shi chose not to pursue the matter further.
Meanwhile, Mother Sun was drenched in cold sweat.
Although Miss Qianqian had consistently gained the upper hand in every confrontation so far, Mother Sun’s contract of sale was still in Wang Shi’s hands.
Caution was essential.
“Enough,” Wang Shi said.
“I was merely asking casually. I know where your loyalties lie.
You’re getting old, Mother Sun. Go back and rest early.”
Mother Sun felt as though she had been granted a royal pardon.
She hurried away immediately.
When Wang Shi finally returned to her room, she froze.
A letter was lying on top of her bright red embroidered quilt.
It was as though she had seen a ghost.
When she left earlier, there had been absolutely nothing on the bed.