By the time they returned to the camp, the sun was already setting in the west, its warm rays spreading across the land.
After bidding farewell to The Eldest Princess and the others, Lin Pianran headed toward the side room where she was staying.
Lin Chuyan followed closely behind her, not uttering a single word.
It seemed she was scheming something again.
One could almost feel the malice brewing inside her.
The occasional glances she cast toward Lin Pianran were filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Lin Pianran paid no attention to it.
She lowered her head and went straight back to her room.
Outside the side room, her two personal maids, Huanxue and Tianzhu, were pacing anxiously, their faces etched with deep concern.
When they saw Lin Pianran, their eyes welled up with tears of emotion. They rushed over and carefully inspected her from head to toe. Only after confirming that she had not suffered any serious injuries did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Huanxue then asked with great concern, “Miss, did Third Young Master and the others give you a hard time? I was so worried they might have ganged up to bully you again. If you hadn’t returned soon, we would have been worried sick. We were just discussing whether to go out and search for you…”
“Miss, this servant just saw Fourth Young Master Lin Chuqi and Eldest Miss Lin Chuyao return. They’ve all gone to Madam Zhao’s side room now.”
Lin Chuqi was the legitimate son of the second branch, while Lin Chuyao was the legitimate daughter of the main branch. Today, four people had gone hunting with Lin Pianran, but only these two had returned.
This time, they got off easy.
There would be more opportunities to deal with them later.
It was only a matter of time.
Lin Pianran was not the least bit anxious.
Looking at the two lively young maids before her, Lin Pianran couldn’t hold back her tears.
Tianzhu and Huanxue had been by her side since childhood and were extremely loyal.
In her previous life, after Lin Pianran married into the Jing Wang Manor, they had remained by her side, serving and protecting her closely.
To protect her, Tianzhu had been violated and killed by the Sixth Young Master of the Jing Wang Mansion. When she died, her body was covered in bruises and wounds, with almost no patch of unblemished skin. It was only after her body was retrieved from the mass burial ground that she could be properly laid to rest in a serene and beautiful place.
Although Lin Pianran had later used a cunning scheme to kill the Sixth Young Master and avenge Tianzhu, she had still lost Tianzhu forever. Whenever she thought of it, her heart ached unbearably.
As for Huanxue, after Lin Chuyan stole her Identity Jade Pendant and sent assassins after her, she fought desperately against the killers but was slashed multiple times and died on the spot.
Now, both young maids were standing safely before her.
How wonderful!
Thinking of the tragedies of her past life, Lin Pianran’s tear-filled eyes grew resolute and sharp.
In this life, she would protect these two young maids and never let them suffer the same fate as before.
After patiently comforting them, Lin Pianran noticed the slap mark on Tianzhu’s face and asked coldly, “Who hit you? What happened?”
Tianzhu immediately covered her cheek, trying to hide the bruise.
Lin Pianran turned to Huanxue and asked softly, “What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!”
Huanxue hesitated for a moment but eventually confessed truthfully, “It was Eldest Miss. As soon as she returned, she started looking for you everywhere. When Tianzhu told her you hadn’t returned yet, she didn’t believe it. She accused Tianzhu of lying and ordered someone to slap Tianzhu twice harshly.”
“Then, she searched our courtyard inside and out. When she couldn’t find you, she left in a huff with her maids and matrons.”
Lin Pianran let out a soft sigh.
In the past, she, as the mistress, had endured humiliation with a meek and weak disposition, often bullied, and her maids had likewise suffered oppression alongside her, frequently subjected to beatings and scoldings.
From now on, she intended to reverse this situation and retaliate fiercely.
She would no longer tolerate even the slightest injustice.
The young masters of Lin Fu had undergone rigorous martial arts training since childhood, so each possessed considerable martial prowess, standing out as exceptional among their peers.
Some maids and guards had also learned basic combat skills, with Huanxue and Tianzhu being the most outstanding among them, their skills naturally surpassing those of ordinary maids.
Unless they refrained from fighting back, ordinary maids and guards were truly no match for them.
Surely, as before, they dared not retaliate and meekly endured the mistreatment.
Lin Pianran softly instructed, “From now on, if anyone dares to bully you again, fight back fiercely. Show no mercy.”
Though surprised by Lin Pianran’s change in attitude, the two maids obediently nodded in agreement.
After returning to her chamber, Lin Pianran first bathed, freshened up, and changed into a simple, elegant dress.
She suspected that trouble might soon come knocking, and a tough battle lay ahead.
As if on cue, no sooner said than done.
Soon, Zhao Yurou, the equal wife of the eldest branch, and Wang Yanwan, the wife of the second branch, arrived with several young ladies in tow.
Zhao Yurou was now the true ruling matriarch of the Lin family.
Su Qingfeng, the original wife of Lin Aodong and also Lin Pianran’s adoptive mother.
After losing her ability to bear children, under Old Madam Lin’s coercion and persuasion, she was forced to agree to her cousin Zhao Yurou entering the mansion as an equal wife.
The two sisters had once been close, and their marriage to the same man was even praised as a beautiful story for a time.
Zhao Yurou appeared gentle and delicate, even somewhat frail, with dignified and polite manners, exuding the grace of a noble lady.
But if you truly thought so, you would be gravely mistaken.
Not only was she highly fertile, giving birth to two sons and three daughters in quick succession after entering the mansion, but she also firmly grasped control of the entire Lin Fu.
No matter how many women Lin Aodong later brought into the mansion, none could shake her position in the slightest. Moreover, she ensured that those concubines, no matter how favored, remained childless, with only two or three aunts managing to protect their pregnancies carefully, allowing their children to survive as rare exceptions.
This demonstrated her ruthless and merciless methods.
She made the women in the inner courtyard dare not act out of line in her presence.
Though Zhao Yurou appeared gentle and spoke as softly as a breeze, she was a woman with a Buddha’s mouth and a snake’s heart, knowing exactly where to strike to cause the most pain.
Outwardly one way, inwardly another—she was extremely sinister and selfish.
From the moment she entered Lin Fu, she suppressed Su Qingfeng, leaving her with no means to resist.
Of course, this was also largely due to Su Qingfeng’s indifferent nature, avoiding conflict and contention.
The kind are bullied, the tame are ridden.
Those who do not fight end up with a tragic fate of dying young with grievances.
No one remembered her goodness or her sacrifices, and Lin Aodong had long cast her from his mind.
The second branch, Lin Aosong’s family, also followed Zhao Yurou’s lead, showing her great respect.
But if Zhao Yurou were to learn that she had lost a son and a daughter today, how would she react?
She would probably cry until she was breathless!
Would she still be able to smile so radiantly?
Lin Pianran respectfully stepped forward and bowed, “Greetings, Madam! Greetings, Aunt!”
Zhao Yurou deliberately feigned affection as she stepped forward to help Lin Pianran up, but the question she intended to ask took a different turn, “Why are you dressed so plainly? You don’t even have a decent hair ornament on your head. If outsiders see you like this, they’ll gossip again—how improper! They might think our Lin Fu is mistreating you!”