When Lin Yuxin and Xueying returned home, dinner had already ended.

Instead of going to her mother’s courtyard, she headed straight back to her own, changed into comfortable clothes, and glanced at the cloak beside her. Suddenly, she felt a bit uneasy.

“I should find an opportunity to return this to him.”

She murmured to herself.

“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!”

The sound of her stomach rumbling pulled her back to reality. She quickly called out,

“Xiaodie, hurry! Bring me some food—I’m starving!”

“Yes, miss!”

After eating to her heart’s content, Lin Yuxin went to check on Xiao Hao.

Seeing that he was already asleep, she didn’t disturb him and instead returned to her room to rest.

The next morning, she got up and headed straight to her mother’s courtyard.

Since she had come home late the night before, she hoped her mother wouldn’t notice.

As she stepped into Xuanlin Pavilion with a hopeful heart, she saw her mother sitting expressionlessly in the main seat, carefully trimming flower branches with a pair of scissors.

With every snip, Lin Yuxin felt her heart tremble—as if her mother was cutting away at her life!

“Mother…”

She greeted Zhao Hanya guiltily.

Zhao Hanya glanced at her coldly and asked sternly,

“You still remember to come home? Where were you last night?”

“Mother, I went to the temple outside the city to pray for blessings yesterday. That’s why I came back late. It won’t happen again!”

Lin Yuxin lied, feeling guilty inside.

[I can’t possibly tell Mother that I went to warn the Regent Prince about the envoys from Qi State. If she knew I secretly met with a man, she’d be even angrier! It’s better to keep it from her!]

Zhao Hanya sighed inwardly.

Her daughter had grown independent, keeping things from her.

Even if she wanted to help, she couldn’t be too obvious about it.

Besides, if this matter involved the foreign envoys, it concerned the diplomatic relations between two nations.

The Regent Prince was indeed the best person to handle it.

Suppressing her worries, Zhao Hanya softened her tone into a reminder.

“Alright. Just be careful when you go out and don’t come home too late, understand?”

“Got it, Mother!”

Seeing that her mother didn’t punish her, Lin Yuxin immediately brightened up.

She had dodged a bullet! Then, as if remembering something, she hesitated before asking in a low voice,

“By the way, your three-day agreement with Father… will he really divorce you as promised?”

“It doesn’t matter. I never expected the divorce to go through smoothly anyway. My dowry hasn’t been transferred yet. If he divorces me now, wouldn’t he be making a huge loss? He’ll definitely try to stall for time.”

Zhao Hanya knew Lin Xiongan all too well—she understood exactly what kind of person he was.

[Oh, Mother, that’s not all. Not only does he want your dowry, but he also wants Brother’s military power. He plans to offer it as a bargaining chip to the Sixth Prince. Unless Brother hands over his command, Father will never willingly divorce you!]

[But now that Lin Qianqian is being married off to someone else and didn’t get engaged to the Sixth Prince, I’m sure Father is desperate to secure that military power!]

Lin Yuxin secretly mocked her scummy father’s ruthlessness.

Zhao Hanya’s hands clenched tightly.

She had wondered why Lin Xiongan went to the Sixth Prince’s residence yesterday—she had even suspected the prince was behind this mess.

But now, it turned out Lin Xiongan himself was actively trying to ingratiate himself, using his own family’s blood to pave the way for his political ambitions!

“Mother, if the divorce doesn’t go through this time, I have a way to make him initiate it himself.”

Lin Yuxin thought for a moment. Letting things drag on wasn’t an option; it was best to cut ties with her scummy father as soon as possible.

“What way?”

Zhao Hanya turned to her daughter with curiosity.

“Hehe, Mother, the only reason he won’t divorce you is because you’re still useful to him. But what if you’re no longer useful?”

Lin Yuxin said mysteriously.

Zhao Hanya immediately understood.

She looked at her daughter with amusement and said,

“You really are a clever one. But this is something I’ll handle myself. It wouldn’t be proper for a daughter to interfere in her parents’ divorce—people would gossip.”

“Alright then! I understand.”

Lin Yuxin shrugged.

As long as her mother could successfully divorce that scumbag, she was fine staying behind the scenes.

Just then, a servant entered to report.

“Madam, Wang Siqin has come to the residence.”

“She’s probably here about Lin Qianqian’s marriage. Her daughter married a mere peasant—she must be furious! She’s definitely going to make a scene with Scumbag Father.”

Lin Yuxin immediately guessed the reason for her visit and spoke with glee.

“As long as she doesn’t cause us trouble, let them fight among themselves.”

Zhao Hanya was not surprised by Wang Siqin’s arrival. It would’ve been strange if she hadn’t come.

“Mother, I think she’s definitely going to cause a scene.”

Lin Yuxin said with certainty.

[That woman, Wang Siqin—after her daughter suffered such a huge loss, she’s not going to take it lying down! There’s no way they’d willingly agree to this marriage so easily. They must be plotting something!]

Lin Yuxin touched her chin, deep in thought.

Zhao Hanya also realized the situation and knew they had to strike harder if they wanted to completely crush their enemies.

Sure enough, just before lunch, Wang Siqin stormed into the courtyard in a fury.

“Zhao Hanya!!”

Her voice arrived before she did.

Lin Yuxin had just picked up her chopsticks to eat.

She had intentionally stayed in her mother’s courtyard for lunch to watch the drama unfold.

And sure enough, the actors had perfect timing—right at mealtime! Was she supposed to eat with all this chaos?

Rolling her eyes, Lin Yuxin watched as Wang Siqin barged in.

“SLAM!”

“Siqin, what do you think you’re doing? Do you think my Lin Residence is your home? Where are your manners? Where’s your dignity?”

Zhao Hanya slammed the table and scolded Wang Siqin the moment she entered.

Wang Siqin was momentarily stunned.

She had never seen Zhao Hanya so fierce before.

In the past, Zhao Hanya had always been gentle—even when angry, she merely stayed silent with a blank expression. But today, her aura was completely different.

Wang Siqin felt a flicker of hesitation, but remembering her daughter’s marriage, she swallowed her fear and glared at Zhao Hanya in rage.

“Hanya, Qianqian is also your daughter! How could you bear to let her marry that peasant?!”

Zhao Hanya scoffed and replied coldly,

“I only have one daughter—Xin Xin. Lin Qianqian is just a country girl. If it weren’t for the mix-up at birth, she would have lived a life of hardship from the start. She was lucky to enjoy my daughter’s blessings all these years. If not for that mistake, who knows how miserable her life would’ve been?”

“I didn’t send her back to the countryside—that’s already more than enough kindness. As for her marriage, isn’t this what she wanted?”

“Love letters, keepsakes, and even the man himself—she found them all on her own. She chose her own husband, and as her mother, I’m merely fulfilling her wish. Don’t you think so?”

[Mother, you’re amazing!]

Lin Yuxin was watching with great amusement, silently cheering for her mother.

“You… Zhao Hanya, how can you be so heartless? That man, Liu Chen, already has a wife! Is Qianqian supposed to marry as a concubine?”

Wang Siqin was so enraged she could barely speak.

“The master has already arranged it. That man will get rid of his first wife so that Qianqian can marry as his legal wife. But tell me, why are you so agitated about Qianqian’s marriage? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were her real mother.”

Zhao Hanya gave her a sidelong glance and spoke lazily.

“I… I watched her grow up! I’ve always treated her as my own daughter! Can’t I care about her?!”

Wang Siqin stammered, trying to cover up her true thoughts.