Not long after, Wang Yu returned. He respectfully bowed and said,

“Master, I have found out. The neighbors are from the Lin family of the Minister’s residence—the second young master, Lin Shaoyang, and his younger sister.”

“Hmm.”

Li Xiaochen responded coldly, his expression unreadable.

He then waved his hand, signaling Wang Yu to leave.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxin was unaware that she had already aroused suspicion.

At this moment, she was engrossed in gossip, while her second brother, Lin Shaoyang, was breaking into a cold sweat from hearing her inner thoughts.

Little sister! No matter how you know so many secrets, if these words get out, you will be hunted down!

Luckily, she only muttered them in her heart and didn’t say them out loud.

Discussing princes and consorts… That’s punishable by death!

Lin Yuxin spotted someone interesting and immediately turned to her brother, asking,

“Second Brother, who is that man in the dark green outfit?”

She pointed at a man seated on the far left, surrounded by women, looking every bit like a scoundrel.

“Him? His name is Lin Jun. I get along with him fairly well.”

Lin Shaoyang recognized the person and answered his sister.

[Lin Jun?? That’s the illegitimate son of that scumbag father?! Damn, I need to warn Second Brother. Lin Jun is not a good person! He has been using Second Brother all along. With that scumbag father’s schemes, Mother’s dowry was either to marry that green tea girl into the Sixth Prince’s residence or to be left for him. And this guy? He’s the kind of person who would use you as a scapegoat when assassins strike!]

Lin Shaoyang, hearing his sister’s thoughts, froze.

A chill ran down his spine. Such a ruthless heart…

Although what she was saying sounded absurd—almost as if she knew too much—his instincts told him she was telling the truth.

He never realized how meticulously their strict father had been plotting to eliminate his own children.

“Second Brother, you should keep your distance from Lin Jun. He doesn’t seem like a good person,” Lin Yuxin said seriously, tilting her head.

[Since I can’t tell Second Brother the whole truth, I’ll have to drop hints. Hopefully, he takes it to heart. If necessary, I need to find a way to get rid of Lin Jun!]

“Alright, I understand.”

Lin Shaoyang felt warmth in his heart. His sister truly cared about him.

The poetry gathering below was nearly over, and Lin Yuxin had had her fill of entertainment. She got up and turned to her brother.

“Second Brother, let’s go home. It’s getting late.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

The siblings stood up and left the private room.

Coincidentally, the door to the neighboring room opened at the same time, revealing a tall figure.

The first thing she noticed was a man in a moon-white robe—his stature noble and elegant, his face breathtakingly handsome, like a refined gentleman who seemed almost otherworldly.

However, his face was cold and devoid of emotion, though that didn’t stop Lin Yuxin from admiring his looks.

[Wow! A handsome man!]

The man abruptly halted upon hearing the voice. That voice again?

“Ah Chen, why did you stop?”

Fu Beiyin, noticing Li Xiaochen standing still at the door, curiously asked. He then peeked outside and spotted the two people standing there.

“Greetings, Regent Prince, Master Fu!”

Lin Shaoyang immediately recognized the figures, his face paling slightly as he quickly bowed.

At the same time, he tugged at his sister, who was still swooning over the handsome man.

[The Regent Prince?! The one who wielded immense power, only to be framed and meet a tragic end? But he’s so good-looking! What a waste for him to die!]

Lin Shaoyang’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Little sister, could you not say such things? Second Brother’s heart can’t take it!

He hurriedly pulled on her sleeve and whispered urgently,

“Sister, hurry and bow to the Regent Prince!”

“Oh! Uh—hello, Regent Prince!”

Lin Yuxin finally snapped back to reality and awkwardly performed a makeshift bow.

Li Xiaochen, however, said nothing. He simply stared at her. Was it her voice I heard earlier? But I didn’t see her mouth move… Could it be that the voice in my head was hers? Did she also say those things earlier? Just how much does this woman know?

She said I would die? Impossible!!

After a long silence, Li Xiaochen finally spoke.

“Lin family?”

“Yes, I am Lin Shaoyang, the second son of the Minister’s residence. This is my younger sister, Lin Yuxin.”

“Lin Yuxin? I recall the Minister’s daughter is named Lin Qianqian?”

Fu Beiyin, intrigued, asked curiously.

“Master Fu, my sister was mistakenly swapped at birth and raised in the countryside. We only recently discovered the truth and brought her back.”

“So, this Lin Yuxin is the real daughter of the Lin family?”

Fu Beiyin’s interest grew.

“Yes.”

Lin Shaoyang answered respectfully.

“Let’s go.”

At that moment, Li Xiaochen abruptly turned and left.

“Hey! Ah Chen, wait for me!”

Fu Beiyin quickly snapped out of his curiosity and hurried to catch up.

He had noticed how Li Xiaochen had been staring at Lin Yuxin and had asked those questions on purpose—yet now he was leaving without another word.

“Little sister, you must be careful in the capital. If there’s one person you must never provoke, it’s Li Xiaochen. If you ever see him again, avoid him! Not even ten Lin residences would be enough to save you!”

Lin Shaoyang let out a sigh of relief after the two powerful men had left.

He spoke earnestly to his sister.

Although his sister was only venting her thoughts in her heart, she was saying truly scandalous things. If she ever accidentally said them out loud, they would be doomed.

Honestly, now that he could hear her inner thoughts, he was beginning to feel tormented. He was the only one suffering!

“Second Brother, why? Is he really that terrifying?”

Lin Yuxin asked, her face full of curiosity.

“The Regent Prince is infamous for being cold-blooded and ruthless. If he hadn’t secretly helped back then, who knows who would be emperor today? Now, he is second only to the emperor. He is the emperor’s sharpest blade—whoever he is ordered to kill, he kills.”

Lin Shaoyang whispered in her ear.

“That powerful? What about the other man?”

Lin Yuxin’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

[Everywhere seems to have an untouchable figure like this!]

“The other man is Lord Fu, the Minister of Justice. His father is the Prince of Huaiyang, making him the emperor’s uncle.”

Lin Shaoyang explained carefully.

“That impressive?!”

Lin Yuxin’s eyes gleamed in awe. These were major figures!

“Remember, if you ever see these big shots again, avoid them. Alright, let’s go home!”

Lin Shaoyang sighed helplessly.

“Okay!”

..

When the siblings returned home, they immediately noticed the strange atmosphere among the servants. They exchanged glances and quickly made their way to their mother’s courtyard.

“Mother!”

“Mother!”

Upon entering, they saw Zhao Hanya examining an account book. Her expression remained unchanged, and they sighed in relief—it seemed nothing major had happened.

“You’re back. Yuxin, did you have fun?”

Zhao Hanya smiled warmly upon seeing her children.

“Mother, Second Brother took me to a poetry gathering today. It was so much fun!”

Lin Yuxin grinned sweetly.

“As long as you’re happy.”

Zhao Hanya gently patted her daughter’s head.

“Mother, did something happen at home? The atmosphere feels strange.”

Lin Yuxin tilted her head in curiosity.

“Nothing much, I just dealt with a few servants.”

Zhao Hanya replied casually. I had no idea this Minister’s residence was completely infiltrated by Lin Xiongan’s people. They almost emptied out my dowry! Unbelievable!