Before Qin Wan could figure out a solution, Lin's mother's scolding voice came from outside.

The maidservant said angrily, "You're making veiled accusations again."

Qin Wan was about to ignore it, but the noise outside the house got even louder, so she had no choice but to go out and lift the curtain. She saw Lin's mother standing with her hands on her hips, scolding the fire maid. Her lips were drooping and her eyebrows and eyes were full of fierceness.

"What's wrong now?" Qin Wan asked impatiently.

"My life is so hard. I raised my son with great difficulty, but I don't even have enough to eat. What's the point of living?"

When Lin's mother saw her come out, she stopped scolding and started crying and making a scene.

Qin Wan let out a long breath.

Normally, she would have been willing to coax her, but today she was in a bad mood, so she lost her temper and said angrily, "Why is this happening, Mother-in-law? My parents asked me to go back to my parents' home because of my husband's matter. They gave you the money for the food, and there are servants to serve you in the house. Is there anything you want to eat?"

Lin's mother cried even harder: "I know you are the daughter of a high-ranking official and look down on an old woman like me. You don't respect me. When Ziqi comes back, he will take care of me."

Qin Wan: "..."

The standoff between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was manageable, but when Lin Ziqi was involved, Qin Wan had no choice but to back down.

Lin Ziqi said he would never betray her in this life, but asked her to be more considerate and tolerant of Lin's mother for his sake.

"What does your mother-in-law want to eat? Tell me, and I will order someone to make it."

Lin's mother spat and said, "Which daughter-in-law doesn't personally wash her hands and cook for her mother-in-law? You're not some marquis's wife, just a scholar's wife. Why do you keep so many idle people and put on airs? Even if my son becomes a Jinshi, he won't have much money for you to squander. I advise you to change your ways. A daughter-in-law should follow her husband wherever he goes. That's the duty of a daughter-in-law."

Qin Wan was so angry she couldn't speak.

The maidservant beside her couldn't help but say, "Miss's dowry is enough to support servants for several generations. Since she married into the family, she hasn't spent a single ten taels of silver from Lin Juren. All the food, clothing and daily necessities of this household come from Miss's dowry."

Lin's mother cried, "How dare the maidservant next to my daughter-in-law say such things? Does she want me to live? I'm so ashamed every day. What's the point of living? I'd rather die than get in your way."

After saying that, he pretended to pull out a white silk ribbon from the inner room and threw it onto the beam, making a scene about hanging himself.

With so many people watching, how could they let her hang herself? Qin Wan was furious, but she had no choice but to soften her tone and coax her.

The room was in complete chaos, and no one knew that Lin Ziqi was standing outside the window with a book between his legs, his face ashen, listening to everything.

With a gloomy face, he stormed into the house, slapped Qin Wan across the face, and said angrily, "So this is how you treat my mother at home? No wonder she's always crying when I come back."

Qin Wan was stunned by the beating.

Lin's mother stopped making a fuss and just lay on the ground crying.

She lamented her miserable fate, her husband's early death, and her lack of money, which made her daughter-in-law look down on her.

"You should send me back to my hometown, so I won't get in your way here."

Lin Ziqi immediately knelt down and said, "Mother, how could you say such a thing? If others hear this, how can I stand in this world? Let alone serve as an official in the court and bring honor to our ancestors."

"My poor child, it is your mother who has ruined you," Lin's mother cried out.

Lin Ziqi also cried.

The mother and son embraced and wept bitterly. Qin Wan covered half her face and knelt beside them, sobbing softly.

After the crying finally stopped, Lin Ziqi helped his mother up, glanced at Qin Wan who was crying sadly, and said, "Hurry up and help your mother to wash and groom herself again."

Lin's mother said, "No need, I can't accept that. But my son came back in such a hurry, has he had a meal?"

Lin Ziqi was overwhelmed with emotions, but his mother was the one who cared about him the most.

Qin Wan had no choice but to hold back her tears and ordered her servants to buy groceries and cook a meal to add to her husband's diet.

Lin Ziqi asked coldly, "Why are you only cooking now?"

Qin Wan said, "The poetry collection engraved by Master Gu was delivered to our home. My father liked it and asked someone to invite me over. It happened to be mealtime, so I stayed for a while. I also told my mother-in-law before I left."

Lin Ziqi's face suddenly darkened. Just as he was about to reprimand Lin Ziqi, he suddenly felt a splitting headache, clutched his head, and collapsed to the ground, his clothes soaked with sweat.

"My son, my son, what's wrong? It's all your fault, you troublemaker, you shameless little whore, all you ever think about is seducing my son, look what you've done to him."

“My son studies so hard, and he's already frail. How can he withstand your..."

Lin's mother threw herself on her son, tears and snot streaming down her face, and hurled truly vile insults.

Qin Wan had never heard such words before in her life. Her face flushed red, her ears were ringing, and she wished she could bang her head against the wall to prove her point.

The maidservant hurriedly said, "Shouldn't we call a doctor right away?"

Lin's mother scolded again: "Why aren't you hurrying to fetch a doctor? What are you doing standing here? Do you think my son is dead? You'd better find a man to live with and never see us again."

If she keeps cursing, she might even curse the adulterer himself.

Qin Wan was helped to sit down in a daze by her maid. The maid ran out to fetch a doctor. Inside the room, all that could be heard was the sound of Lin's mother cursing and crying. Lin Ziqi had already fainted from the pain.

No matter how angry or resentful she was, she could only suppress it.

Fortunately, the doctor arrived quickly, gave Lin Ziqi a few acupuncture treatments, prescribed some medicine, and said, "You've been worrying too much, causing liver qi stagnation. You need to take good care of yourself. If it recurs, you may develop headaches."

Lin's mother hurriedly asked, "Does this illness cost a lot of money?"

The doctor said, "This illness will probably require long-term care, as Scholar Lin is physically weak."

Maintaining it long-term will naturally require a lot of resources.

Lin's mother then looked at Qin Wan, who instructed her maid to pay for the medicine and then asked, "Will this affect my husband's studies for the imperial examination?"

The doctor hesitated and said, "As long as it doesn't flare up, there's nothing to worry about. My medical skills are limited, and I'm afraid I can't cure it completely. It would be better to find a better doctor to treat the patient after he wakes up."

Qin Wan was extremely annoyed.

Who can predict when Lin Ziqi will fall ill? If he suddenly has an attack during the palace examination and alarms the emperor, he may not fare well.

She frowned in deep thought, for she had never heard of Prime Minister Lin having this disease in her previous life.

Could it be that they found a good doctor and were cured in the future?

Lin Ziqi was dirt poor. In her previous life, this mother and daughter probably lived off Qin Yuan's dowry. If Qin Yuan could afford to spend money, she could certainly afford to spend it too.

Qin Wan thought to herself that perhaps Qin Yuan had spent her dowry money to treat Lin Ziqi's illness in her past life, which is how she won Lin Ziqi's heart. In the future, he would always put Qin Yuan first, and the couple would be loving and affectionate.

Since that's the case, she'll just use the opportunity of finding a good doctor to do him a favor in this lifetime, and then she won't have to put up with this old hag's temper anymore.

Seeing her frowning one moment and smiling the next, Lin's mother couldn't help but curse her inwardly for not caring about her husband's safety at all. But she didn't show it on her face. She just took her hand and cried, "Good daughter-in-law, I'm afraid Ziqi's illness will have to rely on you. We've only been in the capital for a few years. Where can we find a good doctor?"