“Siqin, I was just joking. Why are you so nervous? But speaking of which, you’ve been unmarried for so many years and have already become an old maid. If such a big daughter suddenly appeared, wouldn’t that be scandalous?”

Zhao Hanya watched Wang Siqin’s nervous expression and pretended not to notice, deliberately adding fuel to the fire.

“H-Hanya, what kind of nonsense are you saying? I just haven’t found the right person yet… I… I have something to do, so I’ll leave first! Hanya, I’ll visit you another time!”

Feeling guilty, Wang Siqin made some excuses in a panic and fled in haste.

“Mother, since you already know that Lin Qianqian is their daughter, why don’t you expose them?”

Lin Yuxin watched Wang Siqin’s fleeing figure and pouted, curiously asking.

“It’s not the right time yet. If I expose them now, they’ll just be more blatant about flaunting themselves in front of me to disgust me. Right now, it’s amusing to watch them jump around like clowns.”

“Besides, if Wang Siqin still cares about her reputation, as long as we don’t push her too hard, she will probably endure until I am cast aside so she can take my place.”

Zhao Hanya looked at her daughter and patiently explained.

Lin Yuxin nodded vigorously in understanding.

“Mother, you’re amazing!”

【The older, the wiser! Mother is formidable!】

“Your grandfather sent someone over today to check on you. I told him I’d take you to visit him tomorrow.”

Zhao Hanya smiled at Lin Yuxin, raising her hand to stroke her daughter’s head.

“Grandfather?”

Lin Yuxin looked at Zhao Hanya in surprise.

She had been back for over a month but hadn’t met the legendary Grand General of the Nation yet!

【That’s good. Before the imperial banquet, she should meet him. She had been planning to find a chance to visit her powerful grandfather anyway!】

“Yes. When he heard about what happened yesterday, he sent someone to check on you and asked me to bring you over to visit and get acquainted.”

Zhao Hanya nodded and smiled.

“Alright! But Mother, tomorrow is also the third-day deadline with that scumbag father of mine. If we leave the manor, what about him?”

Lin Yuxin nodded but then remembered something and asked.

“No need to wait until tomorrow. He will come this morning to stall for time.”

At the mention of Lin Xiongan, Zhao Hanya’s face instantly turned cold.

【Alright then! As long as Mother knows what she’s doing!】

“Mother, I’ll head back now. I need to prepare a gift for Grandfather.”

After speaking, Lin Yuxin ran off to her courtyard.

“That girl!”

Zhao Hanya shook her head with a smile.

Lin Yuxin returned to her courtyard and headed straight to the backyard.

She planned to gather some rare medicinal herbs for her grandfather since she had no money.

The only valuable things she could offer were the herbs from her personal stash.

Fortunately, since it was for family, she didn’t feel reluctant to part with them.

However, as soon as she entered the backyard, she saw Xiao Hao weeding her small medicinal field.

“Xiao Hao? What are you doing? Are you feeling better?”

Lin Yuxin called out.

Xiao Hao stiffened, cautiously raising his head to look at Lin Yuxin standing at the edge of the herb garden.

He carefully replied:

“I… I feel much better now. I have nothing to do every day, and I saw that this garden has medicinal herbs. Back at my adoptive father’s house, I used to do this kind of work, so I know how to do it.”

Seeing how cautious he was, Lin Yuxin sighed, walked up to him, and gently patted his head.

“That was my oversight. I’ve been too busy these days and neglected you. But you’re too young for this kind of work. If you feel bored, starting tomorrow, I’ll find a teacher to teach you reading and martial arts. How about that?”

【Right now, he should learn some self-defense skills. With his identity, he’ll need them to survive in that cruel world and eventually rise to power. Although he did succeed in the end, having more skills never hurts—at least it will save him from some suffering.】

“Alright!”

Xiao Hao didn’t fully understand what his sister meant, but he knew she wouldn’t harm him.

“Great! Now, help me dig up some medicinal herbs. I’m visiting my grandfather tomorrow and want to bring him some valuable herbs as a gift.”

Lin Yuxin smiled as she instructed him.

She didn’t treat Xiao Hao like a fragile porcelain doll because of his status. Instead, she began teaching him practical life skills.

“Okay!”

“Xiao Hao, let me teach you some herbal knowledge. It might come in handy in the future!”

Lin Yuxin pointed at a herb on the ground.

“This is Xiangru. It’s pungent and slightly warm, used to treat fevers, balance digestion, and reduce swelling.”

“This one is Zisu. It’s pungent and warm, good for dispelling cold, soothing digestion, calming pregnancy, and detoxifying seafood poisoning.”

“This is Jingjie. It’s pungent and slightly warm, used to dispel wind, relieve itching, and stop bleeding.”

Xiao Hao listened attentively. He was intelligent—he could remember most things after hearing them just once.

That afternoon, Lin Yuxin spent her time in the backyard teaching Xiao Hao about medicinal herbs.

After dinner, she handed him a medical textbook from her personal stash.

“You’ve almost memorized the backyard herbs. You’ll learn the rest by observing them over time. There are over a thousand types of Chinese medicine—I don’t expect you to master them all or even become a doctor. But you should at least understand the basics, recognize poisons, and know how to identify life-saving herbs.”

“Read this book first. Once you’ve memorized it, I’ll give you another. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train in martial arts with Uncle Xueying. Don’t slack off, understood?”

Lin Yuxin spoke firmly.

“Yes, Sister.”

Xiao Hao nodded seriously. He would work hard. Once he became capable, he could help and protect his sister.

“Alright, get some rest now. I’m heading back.”

Lin Yuxin returned to her room.

“Xueying!”

“Master!”

Xueying appeared, awaiting instructions.

“Go to my mother and have her find a good tutor.”

She instructed.

“Understood!”

After Xueying left, Lin Yuxin entered her secret space, grabbed a basket, and headed to the mountains.

The herbs in her backyard were just common medicinal plants.

She needed ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms that would be valuable gifts.

She dug up two hundred-year-old ginseng roots and a fifty-year-old lingzhi mushroom, wrapped them in cloth, and placed them with the other herbs for tomorrow’s visit.

After finishing, she was about to change into her nightwear when she sensed something unusual.

She didn’t know martial arts, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t detect abnormalities—someone was in her room!

“Who’s there?”

She halted her movements, quickly pulling out three silver needles from her sleeve and hurling them toward the folding screen.

A shadow behind the screen swiftly dodged them with a flash of movement.

Seeing that her attack failed, Lin Yuxin immediately grabbed her backup poison, ready to throw it.

The intruder reacted quickly, spinning toward her and seizing her wrist before she could release the poison. With a strong pull, she was dragged forward.

Now face-to-face with him, she finally saw his identity.

“The Regent Prince?!”

Lin Yuxin was dumbfounded. Where was she? Who was she?

“I didn’t expect Miss Lin to be so ruthless. I almost got turned into a porcupine.”

Li Xiaocheng smirked, holding onto her wrist without letting go, his face inches from hers.