"Those so-called parents use them to throw away their unwanted children. Almost all of them are baby girls, newborn babies. They have their skins eaten by snakes, insects, rats, and ants, crying their hearts out until they die. This is their first stage of death."

The expression on King Qin's face was unpredictable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking, but Lin Chunhuan had no intention of stopping. "Although some girls survived, they may have been truly loved."

"But there are also some who, before they can even speak clearly, are forced to learn housework and farm work, helping the family support an 'older brother' or 'younger brother' who is pampered just because he has an extra couple of pounds of meat."

"When they reach marriageable age, they're used to exchange for their brother's bride price, married off to men old enough to be their fathers or grandfathers, given to high-ranking officials as concubines, or even sold to brothels for two taels of silver..."

With an indifferent expression, Lin Chunhuan said something that made people's backs shiver, and suddenly laughed, "Those people squeezed every last drop of blood out of my daughter, and in the end they gave these girls a label of losing money."

"So, what do you want to say?"

The King of Qin's face flushed a little.

He was not unaware of the plight of women in this world. In fact, it was not only the common people's families, but even the ladies of the aristocratic families had secret struggles in the harem.

There are many people who use marriage as a bargaining chip.

But he is a man, and these things have nothing to do with him. As a vested interest, he doesn't want to refute anything, but he also doesn't want to change the status quo.

In other words, from beginning to end, the King of Qin did not think of himself as a good person.

Lin Chunhuan could guess about what the King of Qin was thinking, and the smile on his face became a little colder. "Among all the women, my eldest sister is lucky. She was born into a noble family, and her parents really love her."

"But even she couldn't escape her so-called fate and was about to marry a man she didn't want to marry at all."

"My elder sister helped me a lot, and she said she wanted to marry you." Lin Chunhuan paused for a moment, then let out a long breath before speaking again. "I don't have such a good life as her, but I also used to fantasize about being the eldest daughter of this marquisate. I think many people in Kyoto have had the same fantasy as me."

"It's a fantasy, but also an expectation. My eldest sister carries the hopes of so many people. As a woman, she should accomplish what she wants. She doesn't want to marry the East Palace, she wants to marry you, and I want her to get her wish."

"Even so, she's not a good person."

Seeing the concubine and the old doctor from Ji'an Hall walking out, Lin Chunhuan stood up straight, "There must be a woman in this world who is reckless and gets what she wants. There must be one, even if it's only Lin Yimiao."

Of course, helping Lin Yimiao is not just for this reason.

After more than 20 years of suffering indifference and wasted time in the Eastern Palace, Lin Yimiao grew up slowly and matured. She saw the injustice of the world towards women and felt the helplessness of being born a woman.

As long as the Crown Prince is unwilling and the Marquis does not give in, she will not be able to end that suffocating marriage.

Even though the prince was extremely afraid of women, for the sake of his own reputation and to prevent the world from seeing his embarrassment, he sent concubines to the Eastern Palace in addition to the crown princess.

Those women might have had impure intentions when entering the Eastern Palace, but every one of them was like Lin Yimiao, who was thrown into a remote courtyard after entering the Eastern Palace.

She cannot live a normal life of taking care of her husband and children, and she will never be able to realize her ambitions. Her hands and feet are like being locked in chains, and she can never see the sky outside.

And all this is just because a man wants to maintain his face and self-esteem.

It is not the prince's fault that he is afraid of women, but how innocent are those women whom he married or took into the Eastern Palace?

Lin Yimiao used her identity as the Crown Princess and found various excuses to send those people out of the palace one by one. She wanted to give those people freedom, just like giving herself freedom. She had the ability to do so because she was the Crown Princess.

He let go of so many people, but he couldn't let go of himself, because... she was the Crown Princess.

The King of Qin obviously couldn't understand what Lin Chunhuan said. "Is there any difference?"

"Even if Lin Yimiao became the Princess of Qin, I would not love her..."

"Because she is willing!" Lin Chunhuan looked at the King of Qin in front of him with a burning gaze. "Your love is nothing. As long as she is willing, as long as the path she chooses is her own."

The King of Qin wanted to retort, but the Concubine Dowager was already very close, so he could not say anything more. He took a deep breath, glanced at Lin Chunhuan, and walked forward. "Mother, how is Miss Lin?"

"Much better."

The concubine patted her chest with lingering fear. "Luckily, my son acted quickly. The doctor said that Miss Lin fell into the water not long ago and got sick. If she had stayed in the water for a while longer, I'm afraid she might not have survived."

"Thank goodness, God has eyes!"

The concubine clasped her hands together and bowed to the outside. Lin Chunhuan resumed his cautious demeanor and walked forward silently, gesturing with his hands, "I'll go in and see my sister."

Although the concubine didn't understand sign language, she probably understood what she meant and nodded quickly, "You are sisters. When the eldest girl wakes up and sees you by her side, she will feel more at ease."

"Go ahead, Huanhuan. I'll have someone come to call you when someone from the Marquis' Mansion arrives."

Lin Chunhuan nodded and didn't even bother to look at King Qin when he walked into the house.

Although this room is just a guest room in the palace and is not particularly luxurious, it has everything it needs. The dry clothes that Lin Yimiao was given were made of top-quality materials, and she was not treated unfairly at all.

The little face was pale and curled up in the quilt, which made people feel distressed.

Hearing the voices of the Prince of Qin and the Concubine Dowager getting farther and farther away, Lin Chunhuan sat down on the bed and pushed her, "They've gone far away, get up."

The next moment, Lin Yimiao's long eyelashes moved slightly, and she actually opened her eyes. Her expression was so clear that she didn't look like she was unconscious at all.

"How do you know I'm pretending?"

Although he knew that no one was guarding the place, Lin Yimiao still lowered his voice deliberately.

"That doctor is the King of Qin's man. The Concubine looked so worried just now, so I guess it was because the doctor made your condition sound serious. But I've met that old doctor before, and his worry was all on his face. His eyes were calm, and he could tell at a glance that you were fine."

Although Lin Yimiao felt uncomfortable all over, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips when he heard this, "You are quite smart."

"But how did you fake this high fever? It looks just like the real thing."

Before he could even finish his compliment, Lin Yimiao rolled his eyes in annoyance, "The high fever is real!"