“Ah! There are letters too! Mother, we need to go back and search carefully. Sister’s lover has come looking for her—we have to help him! We absolutely cannot let Sister be heartbroken.”

Lin Yuxin exclaimed in surprise as she spoke to Zhao Hanya.

“Servants, go search the eldest miss’s courtyard!”

Zhao Hanya ordered the servants.

“Check Yuxin’s courtyard as well!”

Lin Xiongan insisted, unwilling to give up.

Hearing this, Zhao Hanya shot Lin Xiongan a sharp look filled with killing intent.

[You want to search my place? You could turn it upside down, and you still wouldn’t find anything. Back when Lin Qianqian stuffed it under her bed, I had already taken it and put it back into her wardrobe. It’s only right to return things to their original owner.]

Lin Yuxin pursed her lips, speechless.

This scumbag father just wouldn’t let her stay out of it!

Zhao Hanya subtly signaled her personal maid, Cuiliu, whispering a few words to her.

Cuiliu bowed slightly, then turned and walked back into the mansion.

“Is this a twist? So after all that, the man wants to marry the adopted daughter of the Lin family?”

“Who knows? Earlier, he said he wanted to marry the second miss, and now he’s saying it’s the eldest miss.”

“Well, it makes sense. If he really marries into the Lin family, he’ll rise to the top in no time.”

“Hey, do you think, since the second miss is already so beautiful, the eldest miss must be stunning too?”

“Eldest miss? Didn’t you hear what the second miss said? Lin Qianqian is actually the daughter of Lord Lin and another woman. She was just brought into the manor and wasn’t even given a proper title by the wife.”

“Really? These noble families sure have plenty of secrets.”

The commoners below had already begun to gossip. In less than a day, today’s events would likely spread across the entire capital.

But Lin Yuxin wasn’t worried about that—she actually hoped her scumbag father’s reputation would be ruined. That way, his life would become even more miserable.

On the other hand, Lin Xiongan was struggling to keep his composure.

His lifelong reputation had been nearly destroyed today.

How could he not be filled with hatred?

Originally, he had planned everything carefully. He wanted to use this incident to ruin Lin Yuxin’s reputation and force her into marriage. That way, he could make Zhao Hanya suffer and regret how she treated him yesterday.

Yet, everything had backfired.

His plan was completely ruined, and he had brought shame upon himself.

“Found it, Madam!”

At that moment, Cuiliu rushed out, holding something in her hands, and handed it to Zhao Hanya.

Zhao Hanya took it and looked through the letters one by one, her expression growing darker and darker.

Meanwhile, Lin Qianqian also rushed out.

She had been waiting inside for news, expecting to hear that Lin Yuxin was forced to marry some lowly farmer.

Instead, she saw a group of servants storm into her room and search everything, eventually finding a stack of letters.

She immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly followed them outside.

“Father, what’s going on? Why did the servants barge into my room and search my things?”

Lin Qianqian looked at her father in confusion, hoping he would give her an explanation. But she was destined to be disappointed.

“Lin Qianqian! Look at what you’ve done!”

Zhao Hanya said as she threw the letters at her feet.

Lin Qianqian froze for a moment before instinctively crouching down to pick one up. As she read, her face grew paler and paler.

Lin Xiongan, unwilling to believe it, picked up a letter and read it himself. When he saw the content and Qianqian’s name on it, there was no way he could deny the truth.

“No! This isn’t mine! Father, you have to believe me, this isn’t mine!”

Lin Qianqian was so terrified that she started crying, clutching Lin Xiongan’s sleeve and desperately denying it.

“Slap!”

“You’re still denying it? Your name is written all over these letters—how can I believe you?”

Lin Xiongan slapped Lin Qianqian across the face, glaring at her furiously.

“Lord Lin, now do you believe that your daughter and I truly love each other? I sincerely ask for your permission to marry her.”

Liu Chen was observant.

He immediately realized the letters clearly pointed to Lin Qianqian and seized the opportunity to propose marriage.

[This guy has good instincts. He’s ambitious—not bad, not bad! Now let’s see how Lin Qianqian gets out of this one! Looks like this marriage is happening no matter what!]

“Get lost! My daughter will not marry a lowly peasant like you!”

Lin Xiongan roared, making his final struggle.

Lin Qianqian was the daughter he truly cared for—how could he possibly let her marry a commoner?

But someone wasn’t about to let him have his way.

“Lord Lin, if you refuse, I’ll spread the word that your noble daughter, Lin Qianqian, has already given herself to me. Then, no one will ever want to marry her. Besides, after today’s events, her reputation is already ruined.”

Liu Chen took a few steps forward and whispered threateningly.

“You dare threaten me?”

Lin Xiongan was so furious that veins bulged on his forehead. But under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he could do nothing and had to suppress his anger.

[Wow, I like this Liu Chen! He’s got my scumbag father completely cornered—I’m seriously impressed!]

Zhao Hanya’s lips curled into a subtle smile as she struggled to hold back her laughter.

The situation was already settled, so she had no intention of interfering.

Lin Qianqian was as good as married.

Sure enough, after calming down, Lin Xiongan finally spoke, his voice cold as he looked at Liu Chen.

“Liu Chen, since you and Qianqian have mutual feelings, I’ll agree to this marriage. But my daughter must be your official wife. As for your first wife—you deal with that yourself.”

“Thank you, Father-in-law! I understand. I will handle everything properly and ensure that Qianqian is not wronged.”

Liu Chen was overjoyed and immediately promised.

“No! I won’t marry him! Father, I won’t marry him!”

Lin Qianqian, realizing she had been promised to this peasant, panicked and pleaded desperately.

“Slap! You will marry him whether you want to or not!”

Lin Xiongan, already furious, had no patience for her.

He slapped her again before turning on his heel and storming back into the manor.

“Father! Wuwuwu… Father!”

Lin Qianqian ignored the pain on her face and ran after him, crying.

Standing in the crowd, Li Xiaocheng glanced at Lin Yuxin before disappearing into the masses.

Today’s drama had been quite a spectacle—the Lin family was certainly interesting.

Zhao Hanya, now calm, turned to Liu Chen and spoke neutrally:

“Since my husband has agreed to this marriage, pick a good day to come formally propose.”

“Thank you, Madam! I will choose an auspicious date and return to propose. I take my leave now.”

Liu Chen thanked Zhao Hanya and left with Fang Dahua.

“Alright, everyone, please disperse. When the wedding day comes, you’re all welcome to celebrate with us!”

Zhao Hanya addressed the lingering onlookers.

“Madam, you’re too kind!”

With that, the commoners finally left.

This chaotic farce had finally come to an end.

“Mother, what will happen to that woman, Fang Dahua?”

Lin Yuxin thought about her and couldn’t help but ask softly.

“Don’t worry. That woman isn’t the type to suffer losses. She’ll be fine.”

Zhao Hanya patted Lin Yuxin’s hand reassuringly. If Fang Dahua had a weak personality, she wouldn’t have traveled alone from Jizhou to the capital.

Lin Qianqian’s future wouldn’t be easy—but that was no longer Zhao Hanya’s concern, as long as it didn’t involve her.