Lin Ze jumped angrily from his chair, took two quick steps, and kicked Lin Yuan in the shoulder.
Lin Yuan was kicked to the ground, her face filled with disbelief. Her father had never hit her like this before.
Before anyone could react, a shrill wail erupted. Madam Xu, clutching Lin Ze's leg, cried and wailed.
"Master, master, spare her life! Please let Yuan'er go. She was framed, she fell into that little scoundrel Lin Yanxi's trap."
Lin Yanxi sat up straight, remaining silent. Her innocent almond eyes slightly drooped at the corners, and the hint of a smile played on her lips, too subtle for others to discern any joy.
This Madam Xu was truly foolish. Even at this point, she dared to shift the blame, which would only further enrage Lin Ze.
Lin Ze slapped Madam Xu across the face, roaring, "You still dare to slander others? Little scoundrel? Lin Yanxi is the legitimate daughter of my Grand Tutor's mansion. What are you, a mere concubine, to insult my Grand Tutor's legitimate daughter? I shall send you back to your maiden family immediately!"
Madam Xu stood stunned. Sent back to her maiden family? Where did she even have a maiden family anymore?
She had served Lin Ze for over ten years. Her maiden family was merely a declining rich merchant household. To curry favor with Lin Ze, who was not yet the Grand Tutor then, they had sent her to his side as a bed warmer. Only after giving birth to Lin Yuan did she become a concubine.
Her status as a bed warmer was the pain of her entire life. Now, not only was Lin Ze ruthlessly tearing away that fig leaf, but he was also talking about sending her away?
Sending her away meant divorce. He wanted to divorce her simply because she had called Lin Yanxi a little scoundrel?
Lin Yuan crawled on her knees to Madam Xu's side, pleading for her mother, "Father, no, don't send Concubine away. I beg you."
Lin Ze's cold eyes fixed on her. "You say Zhaozhao harmed you. I ask you, what did she harm you with? Did she harm you into selling yourself for honor? Did she harm you by seducing your future brother-in-law, or did she harm you by shamelessly meeting him in a wine house?"
"My Grand Tutor's mansion has no such illegitimate daughter like you. If you are unwilling to part with your birth mother, then so be it. You shall be sent back to your old home with her."
Lin Yuan's greatest skill was controlling her tears. When faced with trouble, her tears would fall, making her appear like a delicate pear blossom in the rain, always evoking sympathy and making people reluctant to blame her further.
But today, she was truly terrified. Tears and snot mixed together as she knelt on the ground in disarray. "No, no, Father, you can't send me away. I am your daughter! The Crown Prince will come to marry me. He promised me, Father, he really promised me."
Lin Ze looked at her with disappointment, as if she were a failure. "Bring out the family law! I will beat this foolishness out of you today! You are still dreaming of becoming a phoenix soaring onto a branch?"
Lin Yuan hated her father's favoritism. If she wanted to marry the Crown Prince and become a phoenix, what about Lin Yanxi? Would Lin Yanxi marrying the Crown Prince be considered natural? Would it not be considered climbing the social ladder?
With tear-filled eyes, she asked with resentment, "Why? Why can Lin Yanxi, who clearly doesn't like the Crown Prince, have a betrothal with him, but I cannot? The Crown Prince and I are truly in love... Ah!"
Jade Aunt brought the iron chain and whip. Lin Ze could not bear it any longer and whipped Lin Yuan's arm, leaving a gaping bloody wound.
"Truly in love? If he cherished you, how could he have engaged in debauchery with you? Meeting in a wine house? This proves that in his eyes, you are not even as good as a prostitute! Even a prostitute has a price, but you? For a few unsubstantial promises, you have betrayed the Grand Tutor's mansion and engaged in all sorts of indecency?"
Lin Ze raised the whip again and struck. Lin Yuan screamed and dodged, but the blow landed solidly on her, tearing her clothes and revealing a bloody wound. Lin Ze's gaze softened upon seeing it, his hand gripping the whip trembling.
Lin Yuan cried uncontrollably, her delicate skin bearing crisscrossing bloody wounds that made her heart ache with them.
"Beat me to death, then! Beat me to death, and there will be no more concubine-born in this mansion. Anyway, Father has always been partial to his legitimate daughter, hasn't he?"
Lin Ze's face turned red with anger, his eyes filled with coldness and disappointment. He threw down the iron chain and laughed twice in extreme anger. "You think I have favored you in this mansion?"
"The Crown Prince and Zhaozhao had a verbal betrothal from His Majesty. I have never agreed to it and have tried every way to refuse. It is because the Crown Prince is cunning and difficult to control. But if it truly came to His Majesty's decree of marriage, Zhaozhao, as the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's mansion and with her grandfather from the Jiang clan of talisman masters, would command respect from the Crown Prince due to her status and position."
"And you? You eagerly went to the Crown Prince's mansion. What do you have? An illegitimate daughter with no backing. The Crown Prince has countless beauties by his side. Do you really think he is genuinely fond of you? If he liked you, he would have refused the marriage and sought to marry you. When things went wrong today, he wouldn't have abandoned you and left first. He is just using you. Don't you understand?"
How could Lin Yuan not know what was called using and what was called being fond of? But what could she do? What she wanted was the supreme position of Empress. What was wrong with using others? She would not hesitate to betray the Grand Tutor's mansion!
Isn't this how everyone is? As long as the goal is achieved, it doesn't matter what is sacrificed, whether it's true feelings or fake ones.
Jiang Wan sighed, shook her head, and gently supported her forehead. As she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of a fleeting, bloodthirsty pleasure in Lin Yanxi's eyes.
Her heart tightened, her expression complex and gloomy. She turned her head away.
Madam Xu shielded Lin Yuan, her face filled with sorrow. "I have served Master for over ten years and am already a person of this Grand Tutor's mansion. If you want to hit someone, hit me. I will not go anywhere but here. You might as well kill me here."
"Shut up! I will settle accounts with you later."
Lin Ze put down the whip and turned away, no longer looking at them. The atmosphere in the hall fell silent, leaving only the intermittent sobs of Madam Xu and Lin Yuan.
His lips trembled, unable to speak. After a long moment of calm, he gradually regained his composure and continued, "Since things have come to this, I will find a steady and honest man from my descendants in our old home who is not involved in court politics to marry Lin Yuan. Then, you two will pack up and return to our old home."
Lin Yuan collapsed on the ground, disregarding the pain of her wounds. She pounded her head against the floor, repeatedly begging, "Father, I beg you, don't marry me off to a common ruffian. Yuan'er knows she was wrong! Yuan'er knows! I will never dare again. Please, Father."
He remained silent for a long time. Jiang Wan glanced at Jade Aunt, who went to help Lin Yuan up. "Eldest Young Lady, do not push Master any further."
Lin Yuan shoved Jade Aunt away. She stood up unsteadily, pointing at Lin Yanxi and Jiang Wan, her voice filled with resentment. "It was you, wasn't it? You planned this day long ago. You couldn't wait for me to marry a commoner and live an ordinary life forever."
"What's wrong with an ordinary life?" Lin Ze's eyes flashed with uncontrollable anger. He continued, "Even a commoner needs a pure woman to marry. Marrying you is already an insult to them."
"You provoked the Crown Prince. How can a family involved in officialdom marry you? Will your husband be looked down upon and ostracized by the Crown Prince in the court? That is when you will truly have no good days. I am willing to add double the dowry and find an ordinary family. For the sake of wealth, they will overlook your past. This is already your best outcome."
Madam Xu protected Lin Yuan behind her. She no longer cried or made a fuss, but pleaded, "Master, I beg you. Yuan'er has a proud nature. Forcing her to marry a farmer or a merchant is like taking her life. I still have some savings, the money I've accumulated over the years. I beg you to speak with the Crown Prince properly and have Lin Yuan taken into his household, even as a concubine."
She seemed to have aged decades, losing her former arrogance. She lowered her eyes, tears silently falling. "I, I am willing. I am willing to return to my maiden family and never appear before Master in the capital again. I only beg Master to give Yuan'er a way out."
Lin Ze, who was decisive in court, always indulged in the matters of the inner chambers. Ultimately, his indulgence had led to this great mistake.
Lin Yuan cried, "Mother, no, don't go. Mother is the only one who has ever treated me well in this mansion. Don't leave. If you leave, they will all bully me. You have always protected me. I don't..."
I won't marry...
Madam Xu wiped away Lin Yuan's tears. Her wrinkled hands gently touched Lin Yuan's lips, stifling her unspoken words. "Don't say any more. No matter where Mother is, even if we can never meet again, as long as I know my Yuan'er can live safely and smoothly, I will be at peace."
Lin Yuan was held in Madam Xu's arms, her eyes filled with venom, staring intently at Lin Yanxi.
No, her mother wouldn't leave. Once she helped the Crown Prince achieve his goals, she would be the Crown Prince's Consort, a co-equal wife with Lin Yanxi. At that time, she would naturally find a way to bring her mother back.
Madam Xu and Lin Yuan were taken back to their rooms and placed under house arrest for reflection.
Only Lin Yanxi, Lin Ze, Jiang Wan, and Jade Aunt remained in the hall.
Lin Ze sat in the main seat of the hall, his face full of worry. The silver strands in his temples seemed to have increased overnight.
Jiang Wan's complexion was also not good. Lin Yanxi cautiously stood up, intending to slip away from behind the chair.
"Where are you going!" Jiang Wan slammed her palm on the armrest of the wooden chair.
Lin Yanxi's feet immediately stopped. She lowered her small head and walked in front of Jiang Wan, not daring to look at her mother.
Jiang Wan said, "Kneel."
Lin Yanxi's legs went weak, and she immediately knelt on the ground.
Lin Ze sighed and asked, "Madam, why is this?"
Jiang Wan's face was stern, her eyebrows furrowed. "How much of today's events did you orchestrate?"
Lin Yanxi, her small body kneeling on the ground, mumbled indignantly, "Mother, why must you always try to find fault with me whenever something happens? Should I just let myself be bullied without fighting back?"
Jiang Wan stood up, furious at her questioning. "Fight back? You are sisters. For her mistakes, you only need to tell Father and Mother, and we will protect you and get you justice. Why must you use such despicable methods to retaliate? She is not your enemy. She is your elder half-sister. Even if she made mistakes, if not for sisterly affection, you should at least consider your father and the reputation of the Grand Tutor's mansion."
Lin Ze tugged at Jiang Wan and gave her a look. "Alright, Zhaozhao was wronged in this matter. But next time, you can trust your father. No matter what happens, even if it defies the imperial decree, Father will choose to believe you and support you unconditionally. With your father here, you have your greatest backing."
Jiang Wan rolled her eyes at Lin Ze. "I am teaching her to be benevolent and upright, to use fewer tricks. What are you doing acting like a good person here?"
Lin Ze, who could debate scholars in the imperial court and make decisive decisions, could only coax when Jiang Wan glared at him.
Lin Ze tried to appease her and asked her not to be angry with Lin Yanxi, but Jiang Wan was not buying it. She remained stern and asked, "Do you know you were wrong?"
Lin Yanxi's stubbornness was most like Jiang Wan's. She knelt there, her almond eyes meeting Jiang Wan's. "I am just such a vindictive person. No one protected me before. From now on, I will not expect to live under the protection of others."
Jiang Wan was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves and said, "Jade Aunt, bring the ruler! I will beat her until she knows her mistake today!"