Chapter 5 Entanglement

Upon hearing this, Xie Linyuan crushed the teacup. "Your daughter died of amniotic fluid embolism. Your mother erected a memorial stele for her at Fohua Temple, and the longevity lock you stole is buried beneath it."

Back then, Xie's mother and Wang Mama, who were both pregnant at the same time, went to Fohua Temple to pray for blessings at the invitation of the Imperial Concubine.

Unexpectedly, they were robbed by villains on the way, and the frightened couple both had their water break, so they had to hide in a dilapidated temple to give birth.

Xie's mother gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, but Wang's mother, due to breech presentation, was unable to deliver the baby and drowned after choking on amniotic fluid in the womb.

Afterwards, Xie's mother felt guilty because she had delayed Wang Mama's delivery due to her own childbirth. She ordered people to build a memorial tablet for the unjustly deceased baby in the temple and burned incense every day, praying that the baby girl would be reborn into a good family in the next life.

But in Wang Mama's eyes, she was unconscious for two days. When she woke up, she found that the villain was gone and she was lying safely in bed, but her child was gone.

Even though the Xie family explained the whole story to her, Granny Wang stubbornly believed that the Xie family had used her newborn child to lure the thieves away.

Her poor child was just thrown into a mass grave. She didn't believe in anything about drowning in amniotic fluid or a tombstone!

But if Granny Wang hadn't fainted at the time, according to the customs of her hometown, there were taboos against burying infants who died young in the ancestral grave. She would have simply wrapped the dead baby haphazardly in a straw mat and thrown it into the mass grave.

For so many years, she stubbornly clung to her own ideas, and even when she went to the temple, she never once looked at the memorial tablet.

Xie Linyuan's cold eyes looked at the dazed person on the ground. "Back then, there were witnesses and physical evidence. It's laughable that you're so stubborn."

"You're so heartless as to lay a hand on your little sister."

Granny Wang suddenly deflated and collapsed to the ground.

She was dazed for a moment, then choked out, "It was them who kidnapped Xiaobao. They only agreed to release us after they were done. I was just trying to save my own life..."

"I'm afraid it's all for wealth and glory," Xie Huaijin said sarcastically, the secret letter stating that a hundred taels of gold would be sent afterward.

"Foolish! You think you can protect your family by denying everything to the death?"

“The pawns of the Lin family have only two fates—to be silenced, or, like Zhang the blacksmith of West Street, to have his only daughter sold into a brothel after his sudden death.”

Granny Wang was now utterly devastated. Trembling, she reached for the peace charm embroidered by Xie Mianmian: "This old servant begs, sir, for a swift end."

Seeing that Granny Wang had revealed most of the truth, Xie Mianmian sat back down with peace of mind, but soon quietly walked over to Wei Wu's side.

Her watery eyes darted around, "Are you interested in becoming Xie Mianmian's third bodyguard?" The kind where you protect the Xie family together.

System: Ha, it's not the only soldier anymore.

"Fourth Miss is too kind. If there is anything you need from Wei Wu, please feel free to ask." Wei Wu immediately knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Xie Mianmian patted his shoulder happily and handed him a piece of cheese with a smile.

The burly, strong man didn't refuse; he cupped his hands in greeting and then quietly swallowed the cheese in one gulp.

The entire process was seamless and perfectly coordinated, as if they had reached some strange consensus behind the scenes.

After hearing Wang Mama's testimony, Xie Huaijin slammed his fist on the table. "Does the Lin family think the Xie family is easy to bully?!"

Xie's father silently took a sip of tea, plotting his revenge in the imperial court.

Xie Linyuan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Leave the puppet here with me. I will definitely send a big gift to the Lin family in a while."

After the matter was settled, the Xie family members returned to their courtyards to rest.

Before leaving, Xie Mingyi looked under the chair, intending to pick up the cheese that the child had just placed there to prevent it from getting infested with insects.

But she found the space under the chair completely empty, without a single crumb. Xie Mingyi seemed to be deep in thought, and unconsciously twirled her sleeve with her fingertips.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xie Mingyi saw Xie Mianmian yawn widely, so she picked up the child and went back.

With a weight lifted from her heart, Xie Mianmian slept soundly and drifted into a sweet dream.

On the other side, in the Lin family study.

Looking at the note sent by carrier pigeon, Lin's father's face turned grim. "The matter has been exposed, and the person has been caught."

Lin Ruoxue sat silently in the chair. Their meticulous planning over such a long period of time had failed.

The Xie family's security was very tight, and they couldn't send their own people in. They finally managed to find Granny Wang, who had worked for the Xie family for many years, to do things for them.

Damn it, they were so close! They'd been plotting for so long, just waiting for the Imperial Observatory's prophecy to come out tomorrow so the Xie family could fall.

The plot was exposed on the eve of victory, and they died before dawn!

Lin Ruoxue gritted her teeth, "Is this what a woman of destiny looks like?" So lucky that she can easily avoid trouble.

Her maternal grandfather's family, the Pei family, had ancestors who were the founding imperial advisors, and the Pei family was extremely prosperous for a time. However, by her mother's generation, the family members' talents in divination were all mediocre, and this lineage was on the verge of decline.

Lin Ruoxue, the child of a woman who married out of the country, unexpectedly inherited the talent of the Imperial Preceptor.

Lin Ruoxue did not disappoint them; her divination was extremely accurate. Now, she has been exceptionally admitted to the Imperial Observatory and become a female official.

A year ago, Lin Ruoxue cast a divination late at night, and the result was extremely ominous. She quickly cast several more divinations, and the results showed that the woman destined for greatness was in the Xie family, and the fortunes of the Xie and Lin families would rise and fall in turn.

As long as the Xie family is alive, their fortune will always be superior to the Lin family's, and the Lin family will never have a chance to rise again.

"The Xie family's fortune is still too strong to be wiped out in one fell swoop, so let's take them down one by one."

Lin's father's ugly face was filled with regret. He had already figured out how to persuade the emperor to transfer the grain transport to his Ministry of Revenue.

"No rush, the Northern Rong delegation will be arriving in the capital soon. We'll take our time then," Lin Ruoxue said fiercely.

She thought of someone from the Xie family, and a smirk appeared on her face, her eyes filled with malice and resentment.

————

The next day, Xie Mianmian didn't get up until late morning. While she was still groggy, Xie Mingyi brought her some bad news.

She wrung out a handkerchief and wiped the sleepy child's face. "The palace is selecting study companions for the princes and princesses, and Xie Mianmian will be going too."

“But my little sister is only five years old. What can she do?” Xie Huaijin leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.

Xie Mianmian sobered up considerably after being covered with a warm handkerchief. She glared angrily at her third brother. She might have done something good, right? If there were a competition to catch bad guys, she would be number one!

"Just like a little frog by the pond." The boy stretched out his finger, pinched the little boy's cheek in the middle, and the child was forced to pout. Poof, the frog deflated.

"I heard it was that person's idea." Xie Mingyi looked up at the sky.

She didn't want her younger sister to enter the palace either. If she were bullied by the imperial relatives, they wouldn't be able to help her, and adults often couldn't intervene in children's fights.

"Mianmian, listen to your second sister, she should smile, not cause trouble, eat more pastries, and talk less, understand?" Who would want a stupid and greedy girl as a study companion?

"If someone bullies you, run to find an adult. If you can't outrun them, cry." Xie Mingyi held the child's hand and talked on and on.

"Did you understand?"

Xie Mianmian nodded, "She runs to eat cakes, cries when she can't argue with others, and causes trouble when she's bullied."

Xie Mingyi smiled, rubbing her forehead. Oh well, everything is fate.

After lunch, the three of them walked out of the mansion.

A beautiful woman in a dark green cross-collar ruqun walked gracefully down the corridor. She had arched willow-leaf eyebrows, a pair of almond-shaped eyes that smiled gently, and her hands were folded together, exuding elegance and poise.