This was the first face-to-face meeting between father and daughter.
Lin Qingyun had fair, slightly thin features. Although there were scratch marks on his face, they did not affect his appearance. He still looked refined and scholarly.
Even though he was already in his thirties, he appeared no older than someone in his twenties.
Lin Qianqian sighed inwardly: this scum father really did have a clean, handsome face—no wonder Madam Wang had once become his mistress.
Unfortunately, beneath that decent exterior was a heart darker than coal.
The moment Lin Qingyun saw Lin Qianqian, he felt as though he were seeing Jiang Shi.
Too similar.
Although he had never met the newly taken-in daughter, he was already certain this girl was Jiang Shi’s biological child.
“A girl should stay properly at home and learn needlework. What are you doing wandering around outside every day? How improper!”
Lin Qianqian thought: I almost died the moment I was born because of you. What right do you have to lecture me?
“Still, it’s better than you, Vice Minister Lin. The entire capital already knows about your fondness for men—you’ve completely disgraced the Lin family.”
Lin Qingyun was most sensitive about that rumor. In anger, he raised his hand to slap her.
But his hand was caught mid-air by Lin Qianqian.
She had deliberately waited at the gate for this moment, provoking him on purpose so she could activate her mind-reading ability upon physical contact.
In that brief moment, she obtained useful information.
Not about her birth mother Jiang Shi—but about Lin Qingyun’s corruption.
The magistrate of Peng County, Song He, had once sent Lin Qingyun a jar of wine. The jar was small and unremarkable, and the wine itself was nothing special.
But inside the wine jar was not wine—it was a 700-year-old ginseng, already partially formed.
A 100-year-old ginseng was already rare, let alone a 700-year-old one. Even with money, it was impossible to buy.
That ginseng was later sold by Lin Qingyun in another region for 10,000 taels of silver.
Since the Ministry of Personnel was responsible for official evaluations and promotions, Lin Qingyun had secretly helped Song He advance and secured him a post in the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue controlled the finances of the Great Yan Empire—an extremely lucrative position.
Lin Qianqian finally said what she had been holding back:
“Vice Minister Lin, I really hate you.”
Lin Qingyun did not like this daughter either.
“Ungrateful girl! I am your father—show some respect! Don’t speak such rebellious nonsense!”
Then he added coldly, “You should actually thank me. If I had been more ruthless, I would have strangled you myself at birth instead of letting Granny Wu throw you away.”
Lin Qianqian laughed in anger.
This scum father’s logic was truly unbelievable.
He tried to kill her at birth, and she was supposed to thank him?
Fine. Very well. She would “thank” him properly.
Since she had already obtained proof of Lin Qingyun’s corruption, she would use it.
Just like she had done with Madam Wang, she wrote an extortion letter.
Originally she only intended to demand 5,000 taels, but now that he had angered her, she doubled it—10,000 taels.
Of course, the handwriting was different from the previous letter to Madam Wang.
The letter demanded 10,000 taels, including funds for the luxurious renovation of the Jiang residence, with money left over.
It was written on rough toilet paper and left at the left side of the Ministry of Personnel gate, labeled: “For Vice Minister Lin’s personal attention.”
When Lin Qingyun saw the letter, cold sweat broke out all over him.
Fortunately, he was the one who picked it up. If someone else had seen it, he would be in serious trouble.
Just as he was relieved that no one was around, he bumped into a colleague.
Lord Qian greeted him, “Lord Lin, would you like to go to Wan Hua Tower for drinks today?”
Lin Qingyun quickly hid the letter behind his back. “Ah, sorry, I have matters to attend to today. I’ll pass.”
After Lord Qian left, Lin Qingyun took out the letter again and read it carefully.
It described his bribery case with Song He in alarming detail.
The wine jar had been taken back to the Lin residence, and he had secretly opened it alone in the basement—no one else knew.
Yet the letter writer knew not only what was inside, but even the age of the ginseng.
They even knew he sold it in Jinling City for 10,000 taels.
Who exactly was this person—so aware of such hidden corruption?
Song He was currently in a strong political position and would not dig his own grave. So perhaps it was someone close to Song He?
Someone who knew internal secrets and needed money badly enough to write an extortion letter demanding 10,000 taels?
The amount was carefully chosen—just enough that he could pay, but would still hurt.
The silver notes from selling the ginseng were still untouched, hidden in a secret compartment in his study.
If the demand had been 100,000 taels, it would have been impossible. He would have had no choice but to abandon everything.
That night, Lin Qingyun neither went to drink nor went to Madam Wang’s room. He stayed in his study all night without sleep.
At dawn, his eyes were dark and bloodshot.
After a night of thinking, he finally made a decision: he would pay.
Recently, Minister Zhang had been constantly making things difficult for him. If corruption suspicions arose again, life would only become harder.
Better to spend money to buy peace.
He decided to deliver the silver personally.
After morning court, he went to the abandoned Earth God Temple one street away from the Ministry of Personnel, as instructed.
He placed five 1,000-tael banknotes under a ritual offering bowl.
Then he hid and waited for half an hour—but no one came.
When he approached the broken bowl again, he was shocked to find the banknotes gone.
Gone without a trace.
Like a ghost.
Terrified, Lin Qingyun fled the temple in panic.
After he left, A-Da lifted the cloth under the offering table and climbed out, holding the banknotes.
“Miss truly sees everything. She told me to hide under the table and wait until Lin Qingyun left. It really worked exactly as expected.”
A-Da removed the black cloth covering his face.
The young lady had been very thorough—she even told him to hide his face. If Lin Qingyun discovered someone under the table, he was to knock him unconscious with a hand strike.
Soon, the banknotes were delivered to Lin Qianqian.
Hongdou smiled brightly. “Miss is amazing. She easily got money from Madam Wang and Vice Minister Lin.”
She added, “People like them deserve to bleed financially. Still, compared to their crimes, this punishment is too light. It’s letting them off easy.”
Lin Qianqian looked out at the golden ginkgo tree outside the window.
It was lush and ancient—said to be seven or eight hundred years old.
The Lin residence had little worth admiring, but this tree was truly beautiful.
“Don’t worry,” she said calmly. “This is only interest. One day, I will make them pay a thousand times, ten thousand times more.”
When her scum father faced her, he felt no guilt.
So when she dealt with him, she would feel none either.