Capital City.
The Duke Yong’s mansion.
It was already getting dark. Two thin young girls walked one after the other toward the Fushou Hall inside the mansion.
“Miss, what if the Duke refuses to see you?”
The little maid hurried forward and asked the young lady walking ahead of her.
She had wanted to ask this question the whole way and finally could not hold it back anymore.
“Don’t worry. He will see me.”
Lin Suisui looked at the courtyard not far away and answered with certainty.
The little maid was still very worried.
She had served the Fourth Miss for about five or six years.
The last time the young lady had seen the Duke was only from a distance during the New Year’s Eve family banquet, when everyone greeted the elders.
To be honest, if father and daughter met face to face now, the Duke might not even recognize his own daughter.
“And… what if the Old Madam doesn’t want to see you?”
The maid had a good reason to worry.
After all, grandmother and granddaughter only met once a year at the New Year’s Eve banquet. There was almost no family affection between them.
“They will see me.”
Lin Suisui did not say the rest.
Even if it was only because they were curious about why she dared to come, they would still meet her.
…
Fushou Hall was where the Old Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion lived.
The old Duke Yong passed away years ago. The current Duke, Lin Zhengbei, was Lin Suisui’s father.
It was now the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year.
The Old Madam’s three sons were all with her in Fushou Hall.
“Old Madam, the Fourth Miss is outside asking to see you.”
The one reporting was Hongxiu, the Old Madam’s senior maid.
“The Fourth Miss…”
The old madam looked confused for a moment.
She could not remember which granddaughter the Fourth Miss was.
“Old Madam, the Fourth Miss is the one who lives in Bamboo Garden.”
As the Old Madam’s trusted maid, Hongxiu knew her mistress had forgotten the girl, so she reminded her.
“Oh… that child.”
The Old Madam finally remembered.
“She is the eldest branch’s illegitimate daughter.”
Lin Zhengbei was stunned for a moment.
“Mother, why would she come at this hour? Could she have some hidden motive?”
Because he disliked the girl’s mother, he naturally believed the girl had come with bad intentions.
“Big Brother, it’s the New Year. Since the child has come, why not let her in?”
The Second Master, Lin Zhengnan, had a gentle personality and tried to smooth things over.
“That’s right, Big Brother. Let her come in. Now that I think about it, she’s already grown up, but I’ve never even seen what she looks like.”
The Third Master, Lin Zhengchen, was born to a concubine.
However, he had been raised by the Old Madam since childhood, so his opinion carried weight in the family.
“Let her in.”
Seeing that her eldest son stayed silent, the Old Madam made the decision herself.
…
“Granddaughter greets Grandmother, Father, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle.”
Lin Suisui entered the room and respectfully bowed to everyone.
The room fell silent.
In truth, this was the first time everyone had properly seen the girl.
She was small and thin.
Perhaps because she was so skinny, her face looked tiny, making her large black eyes stand out even more.
Although her clothes looked new, they were still too thin for the season.
There were no hair ornaments in her hair, only two blooming red plum blossoms.
Even dressed so poorly, she stood straight with perfect posture and carried herself with calm dignity.
“Fourth Girl, come here to Grandmother. Let me have a good look at you.”
The Old Madam waved her over and spoke first.
“Thank you, Grandmother.”
Lin Suisui bowed politely again before walking over.
“Nanny Qian, bring this child a small stool so she can sit beside me.”
The Old Madam instructed the old nanny standing behind her.
The three Lin brothers exchanged glances.
They all felt that this small, skinny girl had a presence that did not match her young age.
Her every movement was graceful.
Her manners and etiquette were flawless, no worse than those of the carefully raised noble daughters from the greatest aristocratic families.
How was that even possible?
…
“Fourth Girl, did you come to see Grandmother because something happened?”
Having lived for many years, the Old Madam understood more than anyone else in the room.
She kept her doubts to herself and asked kindly.
“Grandmother, Father, I came today because there is something very important that I need to tell you.”
Lin Suisui’s expression remained calm. She showed none of the timid, insecure behavior expected from the daughter of a concubine.
Even while sitting on the small stool, her back stayed straight, and she spoke clearly and confidently.
“Something important?”
The Duke snorted.
“At such a young age, you’ve already learned how to make shocking claims.”
“Father, I know what I’m about to say will sound unbelievable.”
Lin Suisui knew it would be difficult to make them believe her.
But the Duke’s Mansion was already facing a great disaster.
As a member of the family, she could not simply ignore it.
“Good child, just say whatever you want. Grandmother believes you.”
The Old Madam glared at her eldest son before gently patting Lin Suisui’s shoulder.
For some reason, this child gave her the feeling that she was steady and trustworthy.
“Grandmother, please have all the servants leave the room. Only Nanny Qian needs to stay outside and guard the door.”
The Old Madam did not ask why.
“You may all leave. Nanny Qian, stands outside the door. No one is allowed to come in.”
Soon, only the family members remained in the room.
Only then did Lin Suisui continue.
“Tomorrow is the third day of the Lunar New Year. It is also the day Eldest Sister will return to visit her family.”
She paused briefly and pressed her lips together.
“She will secretly place a letter inside Father’s study.”
Lin Zhengbei immediately sat up straight.
“The letter is written by Hu Meng, the Grand Marshal of the Jin Kingdom. In the letter, he addresses Father as his sworn brother.”
“It also says that the two of you have secretly planned to overthrow the Great Yong Dynasty.”
“How dare you!”
Lin Zhengbei roared.
He jumped to his feet and angrily pointed at his illegitimate daughter for speaking such outrageous lies.
If the Old Madam had not been there, he probably would have struck her.
This was a charge of treason—colluding with the enemy.
It was a crime that could lead to the entire family being executed.
How could she dare say something like that?
Lin Zhengnan and Lin Zhengchen were also shocked.
“Zhengbei, let her finish.”
Although the Old Madam was equally shocked, she remained calm enough to stop her furious son.
“I said that after Eldest Sister returns tomorrow, she will hide a letter inside Father’s study.”
Lin Suisui did not show even the slightest fear despite Lin Zhengbei’s anger.
“I know my words sound unbelievable. If Father does not believe me, you can arrange for a hidden guard to hide inside the study tomorrow.”
“H-How is that possible? Xiner would never…”
Second Master Lin Zhengnan’s face turned deathly pale as he muttered to himself.
“Grandmother, Father, whether you believe me or not, what is going to happen cannot be stopped.”
Lin Suisui spoke with special emphasis.
“Mother has always favored Eldest Sister. You must not let her know about this, or she may accidentally warn the enemy.”