Chapter 21: The Coldness of Society

Lin Jingzhu’s mind was struck like a thunderclap. She gazed in disbelief at her grandmother, who had always shown her affection.

With tear-filled eyes, she asked Old Madam Wang, “Grandmother, do you really want to force me to die as well?”

Old Madam Wang opened her mouth to speak, wanting to explain, but upon seeing so many eyes on her, including those of the main family, she swallowed her words.

If she were to tell Jingzhu that it was not true, it would be like slapping her own face. As the matriarch of the Lin family, how could she still command any authority over the younger generation?

With a cold expression, she uttered, “That’s right!”

The last glimmer of hope in Lin Jingzhu’s eyes vanished. She closed her eyes and said, “Fine, then I’ll die.”

Without another word, Lin Jingzhu charged toward a pillar in the pavilion.

Madam Zou shouted, “Jingzhu!”

“Ouch~ that hurts so much,” Lin Jingzhu cried out.

Lin Zhiyi, standing beside the pillar, had not yet realized what was happening when Lin Jingzhu collided with her and sent her sprawling.

“Cousin, if you want to die, go to the side and die. Why crash into me?”

But Lin Jingzhu had used too much force, and Lin Zhiyi felt her entire body ache from the impact.

Lin Jingzhu fell to the ground as well.

Madam Zou quickly rushed over, casting a fierce glare at Lin Zhiyi. This was all her doing, and she would settle the score with her later.

Lin Zhiyi shot a glare back at her.

In a way, she had indirectly saved Lin Jingzhu, but the second branch was not only ungrateful; they were now glaring at her.

Today, she was simply unlucky!

Next time, if something like this happened again, she would definitely be quicker to react and step aside to let them crash into the pillar.

Lin Jingzhu sat on the ground, covering her face, and began crying.

Lin Zhiyi was pulled aside by Madam Song, who checked her over, asking if she was hurt from the collision.

“I’m fine, Mother,” she replied.

Her second brother, Lin Xiuyan, also admonished her, “Silly girl, if something like this happens again, remember to stay out of the way, understand? Don’t become someone’s cushion. If anyone wants to die, let them die quickly.”

“Got it, second brother.”

Not far away, Chai Ya, supporting Lin Fu, also approached.

“Alright, let’s leave Zhiyi and Jingzhu here.”

Old Madam Wang looked at Lin Fu.

In her heart, she was indeed resentful of Lin Fu. If it weren’t for him speaking up in the court for the deposed Crown Prince, the Lin family would never have reached this point. They would still be enjoying a comfortable life in the imperial city.

It was indeed Lin Fu, her Eldest son, who had dragged the Lin family into this mess.

“Since the Lin family is in this predicament because of you, you are responsible for ensuring everyone’s food, clothing, and needs along the way.”

Before Lin Fu could speak, Lin Xiuran interrupted, “Grandmother, for these years, Father has been supporting the entire Lin family. Now that the Lin family is in trouble, everyone who has enjoyed the Lin family’s fortune should also share in its hardships.”

“Shouldn’t Second Uncle and Third Uncle also bear the hardships, not just enjoy the Lin family’s good fortune?”

In front of so many people, Lin Second Uncle and Lin Third Uncle had no way to refute him. “Of course, of course.”

At that moment, someone whispered, “Look, the deposed Crown Prince is here.”

Not far off, a palace servant, dressed in eunuch attire, was pulling a cart, escorted by soldiers.

Everyone focused their attention, and it was indeed the deposed Crown Prince’s attendant, Zhu Sheng.

Following the cart, two young women were walking. At a glance, it was clear they were the Crown Prince’s concubines.

They were all gathered at this Ten-Mile Pavilion to wait for the deposed Crown Prince, Li Wenqing. Otherwise, they would have already set off.

Li Wenqing was not being held with the traitors, only receiving a few dozen lashes from the Emperor and was placed in solitary confinement in the Crown Prince’s palace.

The crowd sighed inwardly. Even as the Emperor’s own son, he had been sentenced to exile. He was pulled in a cart and not allowed to ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

Behind him, there was not a single person to send him off. Truly, the world was cold and indifferent.

As they approached, Lin Zhiyi saw Li Wenqing lying on the cart, his face down, completely still.

It was unclear whether he couldn’t bear the blow of falling from the heavens to hell, too ashamed to face anyone, or if he had been severely injured and feared that moving would worsen his wounds.

The last time Lin Zhiyi had seen someone in such a state was on television, which made her unable to look away from him.

She noticed that his tall figure still wore luxurious clothing, unlike her father and the others, who had donned the rough, ochre-colored robes. Clearly, as the Emperor’s son, his treatment was still different.

In the books, it was described that Li Wenqing had a complexion as white as the moon. Lin Zhiyi couldn’t help but want to approach and turn his face to see what he truly looked like.

As she took a step forward, her second brother, Lin Xiuyan, grabbed her sleeve, “Little sister.”

Lin Zhiyi immediately realized that even though the Crown Prince had fallen, they could not be too audacious.

The Emperor’s son could only be humiliated by him, and if someone else did it, the Emperor would surely protect him.

Li Wenqing had been accused of being the mastermind behind the witchcraft incident, and the person he had allegedly targeted was the Emperor himself.

The Emperor had asked him, “Are you this impatient? You couldn’t even wait a few more years? Are you hoping day and night for your father’s early death so you can take the throne sooner?”

Li Wenqing had retorted angrily, “Hasn’t Father already made his decision? Why ask your son about it?”

Li Wenqing knew well that even if he explained himself, it would be in vain.

So he chose not to explain at all.

It was this very remark that enraged the Emperor, leading him to receive dozens of lashes. With the instigation of the Crown Prince Qi’s mother, the noble Consort Wen, Li Wenqing was eventually sentenced to exile.

The Emperor was still furious, and now, Li Wenqing had become his sore spot. Anyone who pleaded on his behalf would face the same fate as the Lin family, the Mu family, and the Cui family, all of whom had been wiped out.

Even Prince Kang, a close blood relative, had been demoted when he pleaded for the deposed Crown Prince. Who would dare to provoke such misfortune?

The deposed Crown Prince was now like a deserted island, and everyone avoided him at all costs.

That was why no one had come to send him off.

Lin Zhiyi recalled the events from the book.

Li Wenqing had grown up in the palace, skilled in political maneuvering, but he despised hypocrisy. On the surface, he appeared disheveled and numb, but in reality, he was highly perceptive.

But in the end, he was no match for Consort Wen, the mother of Prince Qi.

Even his own mother, the Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty, had died in a fire when he was young.

Without the protection of his mother, it was clear how difficult his journey had been.

Her own situation was not much different. She, too, had to survive under the care of a stepmother.

When the news of his position as Crown Prince being revoked broke, his fiancée—Changsun Yi—had already sent a letter to the palace canceling their engagement. This was even faster than the Emperor’s decree.

During his exile, it was the reborn Mu Yunzhao who stayed by his side. She knew that five years later, he would return to the capital as the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty. Eventually, she won his heart and became the Empress.

However, Li Wenqing only reigned for a few years before falling gravely ill and dying. Mu Yunzhao then helped her son ascend to the throne and took charge of the court.

It was she who later used the original owner to frame the Lin family for treason, leading to the annihilation of the entire clan.

As Lin Zhiyi thought about this, a sharp pain rose in her chest. She had only one thought: during the journey into exile, she would do everything in her power to stop the heroine from getting close to the hero. If she couldn’t become the Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty, then the Lin family wouldn’t be wiped out, and her brothers wouldn’t die such tragic deaths.

Who cared about the heroine? Since Lin Zhiyi had crossed over, she would be the heroine herself.

“Little sister, it’s time to go.”

Lin Xiuyan patted Lin Zhiyi, snapping her out of her thoughts. The main group was about to depart.