“No rush, everything will be fine. By the way, what did my mother say?”

Lin Yuxin thought of her mother and asked.

“Madam was very angry and has already taken people to the main gate.”

Xiao Die quickly replied.

“Let’s go see who dares to cause trouble at our Lin residence.”

After speaking, Lin Yuxin stood up and headed toward the gate.

Inside the house, Qiu Tinghao had overheard the conversation.

Although he was small, as he watched Lin Yuxin’s departing figure, a hint of emotion gradually surfaced in his eyes.

…. Meanwhile

“Your Highness, bad news! Our people reported that Miss Lin is in trouble again.”

Wang Yu rushed into Li Xiaocheng’s study to report.

“What kind of trouble?”

Li Xiaocheng asked calmly, as if it were an insignificant matter. With that girl’s skills, could she really be bullied?

“A man showed up at the Lin residence’s gate, claiming that Miss Lin had promised to marry him. He brought a token of their supposed engagement and demanded that Master Lin approve the marriage!”

Wang Yu reported seriously.

A cold glint flashed in Li Xiaocheng’s usually expressionless eyes.

He suddenly stood up and strode out.

By the time Wang Yu caught up, the prince was already gone.

“It seems like Miss Lin is different to our prince… Could we be getting a princess soon?”

Wang Yu was stunned by his realization and took a long time to recover.

“No, I must go talk to Mu Qiu about this!”

Saying this, he went straight to a room in the back courtyard.

…

A lively scene was unfolding at the entrance of the Lin residence. A crowd of commoners had gathered, and at the center, a plain-looking man in simple clothing was making a scene.

“The young lady of the Lin family and I know each other. She has already promised herself to me. Today, I’ve come to formally ask for her hand in marriage!”

The man stood at the gate, speaking to Butler Chen.

“You scoundrel, stop talking nonsense! How could our young lady be someone you could dream of marrying? If you keep spouting lies, I’ll have you sent to the authorities!”

Butler Chen scolded the man.

He had already sent for the Master and Madam, hoping they would arrive soon.

Otherwise, with so many people present, the young lady’s reputation would be ruined.

“I’m lying? Then bring out your young lady and let her confront me! She said she would marry no one but me. I even have a token of our love. Today, I am here to propose! Does the Lin family really intend to break up a loving couple?”

The man spoke confidently, waving a pouch in the air.

“Yeah! The Lin family shouldn’t separate true lovers!”

“That’s right! You can’t just reject him because he’s poor!”

“Let the young lady come out and explain!”

“Exactly! If she gave him the pouch, does that mean she’s dishonorable?”

The surrounding commoners started speaking up in support of the man.

As the murmurs grew louder, Butler Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This situation was getting out of control.

“The Lin family would never do such a thing. If what you say is true, I will approve the marriage. But tell me, which young lady of our family are you talking about? To be honest, we have two daughters.”

At this moment, Lin Xiongan walked out, perfectly timing his entrance. With a fake smile on his face, he looked at the man and asked in a friendly manner.

His calm response slightly quieted the murmurs.

“Who else? Of course, it’s Lin Yuxin!”

The man lifted his head proudly.

A dark glint flashed in Lin Xiongan’s eyes before he solemnly said:

“If you and my second daughter have a mutual love and a secret engagement, then this marriage, I—”

“Lin Xiongan!!”

Zhao Hanya’s voice interrupted him from behind the gate.

She quickly stepped outside, throwing Lin Xiongan a cold glance before turning to face the man. Her voice was icy as she asked:

“You claim my daughter is engaged to you? Are you sure? When did this happen?”

“Just last month. I met Lin Yuxin by chance, and we fell in love at first sight.”

The man replied without hesitation.

Zhao Hanya’s aura grew colder, and a killing intent radiated from her.

“Do you know the consequences of slandering the daughter of a high-ranking official?”

She asked sharply.

Meanwhile, Li Xiaocheng, who was hidden in the crowd, was also exuding an increasingly chilling presence.

“Whoa, why does it suddenly feel so cold?”

“Yeah, I feel it too!”

Two young men in the crowd whispered.

Just as Li Xiaocheng was debating whether to step in, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his mind.

[“Wow, what a spectacle! If I had known, I would have come out earlier to watch. I must have missed some exciting parts. Eh? So that’s the so-called ‘scandalous lover’ they found for me? He’s way too ugly.”]

[“Seriously? I might not even recognize him if I saw him again. Li Xiaocheng is definitely much more handsome. Next time I see him, I should look at him a little more to cleanse my eyes.”]

Hearing her thoughts, Li Xiaocheng’s eyes flashed with a smile that even he didn’t notice.

Zhao Hanya, on the other hand, was speechless.

Daughter, do you know that Li Xiaocheng is not someone you can casually admire?

But she had no time to lecture her daughter right now—there was still a mess to deal with.

“I’ll ask you one last time—are you certain you are engaged to my daughter?”

Zhao Hanya looked across the street and saw her son returning. She turned back to the man and asked one last time.

“Yes! I admire the second young lady of the Lin family and ask for Madam’s approval of this marriage!”

The man knelt down and pleaded sincerely.

“Madam, this young man seems sincere. You should just agree and not ruin a beautiful relationship!”

“Yes, let them be together—it seems like fate!”

The surrounding people continued to support the man.

Zhao Hanya ignored them and instead looked at the man before saying:

“I gave you a chance, and you refused it. A’yang! Bring her forward!”

She called to Lin Shaoyang, who had been waiting at the side.

“Mother, I brought her.”

Lin Shaoyang signaled the servants to bring a woman in front of the man.

“Do you recognize her?”

Lin Shaoyang asked.

The man stiffened for a moment before shaking his head.

“I don’t know her. Why did you bring her here?”

“How dare you, Liu Chen! You say you don’t know me? So the rumors are true—you want to abandon me and our child?! How can you be so heartless?!”

The woman’s face was filled with tears as she confronted the man.

“Nonsense! I don’t even know you. Stop trying to ruin my reputation!”

Liu Chen’s expression darkened. This woman was ruining his plan!

“I am carrying your child! Liu Chen, you are a monster!”

The woman, determined, turned to the crowd and tearfully declared:

“My name is Fang Dahua. I’m from Jizhou’s Fangjia Village. This man, Liu Chen, and I grew up together. My father took pity on him and accepted him as a student.”

“Five years ago, he left for the capital to take the imperial exam. The night before he left, we got married. But after he left, I never heard from him again.”