Chapter 958: Selling Daughters to Pave the Way
ao."Sun Shanshan's eyes were sparkling, and she was still a little excited."Not bad! Our Shan Shan can go on field duty now, too.""The main purpose is to learn."Sun Shanshan said sheepishly."It's okay...When Madam Hou heard Lian Yi speak so directly, she was a little displeased and said:
"Ripple, how could you say such a thing I'm your mother, how could I possibly harm you You're so young, don't you want to live a fulfilling life"
"Alright, you make it sound so appealing, but aren't you just trying to sell me again"
The ripples impatiently interrupted the other, saying.
"Ripples, my father and I truly want you to come home. With Lin Yaozu just passed away, you still have a chance."
Mrs. Hou said, unwilling to give up.
It seems I haven't made myself clear. You won't give up, will you
Ripple was leaning casually against the chair, continuing to speak:
I don't understand. My sister and I are twins, we look exactly alike, why are you so sure I'm a disaster
If it weren't for that Taoist priest's divination, I probably wouldn't have lived past sixteen!
In order to protect your beloved little daughter from misfortune, I was able to grow up safely. However, your daughter is not fortunate enough to even manage a marriage into the Minister's household.
So at this time, it was only when you needed me that you remembered your eldest daughter, the one who could ward off misfortune. You sent for me from the farm, miles away, and arranged for Granny Sun, Hong Qi, Lü Cui, and even Ying Tao to keep me confined in the Hou Mansion.
That's not enough. Your plan is to have me marry into the Lin family, allowing your beloved daughter to take my position as the legitimate wife. Once your daughter recovers, you'll switch our identities.
For this, you even made me eat cold and harsh food, causing me to be unable to conceive for a short time. As long as there are no children, I, your daughter-in-law, will still be indispensable to the support of the Hou Mansion, so that you can continue to control me.
When I found out I was pregnant, you immediately called Grandma back and scolded her. You probably gave her new instructions to get me an abortion. Fortunately, I'm very careful, so she didn't have a chance to harm me.
When one plan failed, you then whispered to Mei Zhi, urging her to ascend to power quickly and control Lin Yaozu's heart. Unfortunately, Mei Zhi is not foolish. She knows that as long as your beloved youngest daughter returns, with the other party's vicious nature, she will only have a dead end. So she surrendered to me.
Your reach doesn't extend to the Ministry of Officials, so you went through the trouble of hosting a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, inviting me, a married woman, back. Then you repeated your tricks, using the bonsai in my room to give me a slow-acting poison. Not only did it cause me to miscarry, but you also aimed to render me infertile, completely turning me into your tool and a stepping stone for your youngest daughter.
Ripple paused here deliberately, savoring the ever-changing expression on Madam Hou's face before continuing.
"It's a shame! Your little daughter is the unlucky one, her face is getting uglier and uglier, I bet even you don't want to look at it anymore"
And I have completely escaped your control, how unwilling you must be in your heart!
Now that my husband has passed away, you've set your sights on me again, wanting to marry me off once more to benefit the Hou Mansion. After all, the title of Duke An Ding isn't hereditary, it's a reduced rank inherited through marriage.
After the ripples of sound fell, the house was eerily silent. Even the children in the next room and Grandma Zhen remained quiet.
Mrs. Hou was, after all, a seasoned veteran. At this point, she had regained her composure, but her gaze toward Lianyi was unreadable.
I've said what I had to say. In the future, please don't come knocking unless there's a real reason. I don't want to see that fake expression of kindness on your face. From now on, just treat me like any other distant relative.
What I said today, you can also tell Marquis An Ding. See if he blames you or me.
After Lian Yi finished speaking, he shouted:
"Mei Zhi, see off Madam Hou!"
Mei Zhi, who had been waiting at the doorway, immediately responded with a sound. She then lifted the curtain and performed a curtsy to Madam Hou, politely saying "Please" .
What else could Madam Hou say Everyone knows what her eldest daughter did, and others have even retaliated against her in a way that is both subtle and undetectable. With such skill, Madam Hou can only feel ashamed of herself.
The person is hiding in the backyard of the Minister's residence and won't come out. What can she do Can she forcefully take the person away She wanted to, but deep down, she knew the success rate was practically zero.
After Lady Haughty left, Lianyi touched Feng's head and said:
"What a big face you have! Must be from eating too much bitter food."
"Master, should I teach her a lesson"
"Sure, could you also send a letter for me"
One must be prepared for anything. If Madam Hou goes back and stirs up the Duke of An Ding to make things difficult for her, she will be very unhappy.
The next day, Mei Zhi told Lian Yi with suppressed joy that when Madam Hou returned home, the horse was startled and ran wildly. When it was stopped by the patrolling guards, Madam Hou's arm was broken by a maid in the carriage, and her ankle was also twisted. She was carried back to Hou Mansion.
At this moment, in the study of the Marquis Anning, lay an unsigned letter, detailing the unsavory things that the Marchioness had done to her eldest daughter.
The Marquis An Ding's nostrils smoked with anger. A great help, just like that, was pushed away by his own wife. How could he not be furious
Just as his wife was injured, he directly handed over the household affairs to his eldest daughter-in-law, allowing her to recuperate at home without worry. He instructed her not to visit their youngest daughter at the Ministry of Officials' residence afterward.
Ding Hou knew very well that he could now shirk all responsibility for what his wife had done. However, after reading the letter, he was unmoved. His youngest daughter would probably not even consider him a respectable family member anymore and would view the Ding residence as an enemy.
When ripples heard the message deliberately relayed back by Marquis An Ding, she was very satisfied and then peacefully took care of her children in the backyard while managing the affairs of Shangshu Mansion.
As long as Lin Shangshu held office, she could leverage her father-in-law's influence to accumulate wealth and live a life of comfort.
In a blink of an eye, five years have passed, and An'an is already twelve years old. This year, he is preparing to take the Tongsheng exam and has been studying hard recently.
An An's given name is Lin Ze An, and his courtesy name is Wen Shu. Both his name and courtesy name were given to him by Lin Shangshu.
As his children grew older, Lin Shangshu found that his youngest grandson became increasingly unattractive. He bore no resemblance to his son at all. This suspicion reached its peak when he saw the steward of his household, Lin Yong. The young grandson, Lin Ze Fu, looked more like the steward than his own son.
Lin Shangshu suppressed the doubts in his heart and asked Lianyi some questions sideways. Lianyi knew that Lin Ze Fu's appearance had aroused her father-in-law's suspicion, but she pretended not to know anything and answered her father-in-law's questions.
After returning to the backyard, Lianyi remained as concerned as ever about the three children's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. A month later, when Steward Lin went out to inspect the farm, he encountered a runaway criminal who had been murdered.
As for Lin Yong, despite having no merits but bearing hardships, Minister Lin arranged a funeral for him within the household and released his wife and children from their servitude. He bestowed upon them a small estate, allowing them to live independently outside the Lin household from then on.
When Lin Zean passed the Tong Sheng exam, Lin Ze Fu had a conflict with a fellow classmate in the school hall. During the struggle, he stumbled and fell, hitting his head on the corner of a table, instantly dying.
The grim news arrived, and Lian Ri knew instantly that it was Lao Shangshu who had acted. She fainted immediately, while Lin Zean and Lin Miao Miao wept as they kept vigil by their mother's side. when Qingmei came home from school, she took Lianyi's arm and said:"Mom, next month our school is having its anniversary celebration and we're going to have a performance. They invited family members...