181. She had no choice.

Lin Fuman said without hesitation, "I love Daddy! Daddy is great!"

After she finished speaking, she hesitated for a moment, not mentioning exactly how good the Duke of Anguo had been to her, but instead said, "I also like my mother and aunt very much, and I also like my sister very much. Everyone in the manor is very kind. I like our family the most!"

Lin Lingrong's eyes reddened again, and she quickly lowered her head to hide it: "Is that so..."

Lin Fuman said she loves everything about this place, and she truly cherishes it.

But Lin Lingrong is about to destroy everything she cherishes with her own hands.

She promised Xie Wenling that she would help him deal with Duke Anguo, and even for her mother's sake, she was not prepared to give up the mission.

At this moment, she wished Lin Fuman were the way she used to be.

If she had known in the past that her father was going to sacrifice her, she might have felt wronged, or even resented him, and secretly complained that her younger sister had stolen her father's affection.

But she could deal with Duke Anguo and Lin Fuman with a clear conscience.

But now, seeing her sister's trust and dependence, she only felt a pain in her heart.

She didn't know how to face Lin Fuman.

So she lowered her head and remained silent.

Lin Fuman felt that she was acting strangely today, but she didn't understand what had happened.

She just felt that a lot of people had become very strange during this period.

She lowered her head, kicked at the pebbles at her feet, remained silent for a moment, and finally looked up at her, asking the question that had been bothering her: "Sister, are you unhappy today? You've been acting strange since you got back. Did I do something to upset you?"

Lin Lingrong's heart clenched. She looked at her younger sister and said softly, "It's not your fault."

But she also had her doubts, so she said, "Actually, little sister, I always feel that you have changed from before, as if... you are not the same person anymore."

Lin Fuman's hand holding the box trembled slightly, and her heart suddenly raced.

Now, it was her turn to lower her head and hide her emotions.

She stood there, silent for a long time, so long that Lin Lingrong thought she wouldn't speak again, before she heard her ask softly, "Is it obvious? Then... which version of me do you like, sister? The one from before, or the one now?"

Lin Lingrong was stunned; she hadn't expected her to ask that question.

"Sister?" Lin Fuman noticed that something was wrong with her, but still looked up and gently tugged at her sleeve. "You still haven't said which version of me you like."

Lin Lingrong took a deep breath, looked at her, and said earnestly, "I like you as you are now."

Lin Fuman's eyes lit up again, and a smile returned to her face.

She stuffed the wooden box into Lin Lingrong's hands and said with a smile, "Then, sister, can you treat me as a brand new friend? In the future, when I make new little gadgets, I'll give them to you, and you have to talk to me more often!"

Lin Lingrong looked at the wooden box in her hand, and Lin Fuman's hand brushed against her, feeling warm.

Looking at her radiant smile, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt: "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Lin Fu tilted her head. "Why are you apologizing, sister? Is it because you didn't praise me enough just now? It's okay, it's enough that you praised me!"

Lin Lingrong opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Fortunately, the voices of Aunt Li Yuniang's maid came from afar: "Second Miss! Where have you run off to? Aunt is looking for you!"

"Ah—time to study again," Lin Fu said, but still waved to Lin Lingrong, "Sister, I'm leaving now! I'll come find you to play again tomorrow!"

Lin Lingrong stood there, watching her back, clutching the wooden box tightly in her hands.

She kept telling herself that she was not wrong.

Even if it was for her own protection, even if it was for her mother's sake, she had to do it.

She had no other choice.

-

Lin Lingrong immediately took action.

Taking advantage of the break when the servants were changing shifts, she quickly walked toward the Duke of Anguo's study.

As soon as I arrived outside the study, I saw a dim candlelight shining from inside.

Lin Lingrong's heart sank.

—The Duke of Anguo has returned.

She hid behind a tree by the courtyard wall, held her breath, and peeked into the house.

An Guo sat behind his desk, his brows furrowed, as if deep in thought.

Lin Lingrong was secretly anxious, but she also knew that it was not a good time to make a move while the Duke of Anguo was present.

She was about to back out and look for another opportunity when she accidentally kicked a pebble.

A soft sound.

But it sounded particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

"Who's outside?" Duke Anguo's voice suddenly rang out, sounding particularly alert.

Immediately afterwards, the study door was pushed open, and Duke Anguo walked out, his sharp gaze sweeping across the courtyard.

Lin Lingrong was so frightened that her whole body stiffened. Her mind raced, and in a moment of quick thinking, she stepped out from behind the tree, curtsied to Duke Anguo, and said in a voice with just the right amount of anxiety, "Father, it's me."

When Duke Anguo saw that it was her, he frowned and asked with some impatience, "What are you doing here so late?"

Lin Lingrong lowered her head, clenched her sleeves, and said softly, "I...I came to ask Father to help my sister. My sister was practicing calligraphy just now, and she was called away by Auntie as soon as she finished. Auntie said that the shop was too busy and needed her to help with the accounting and other chores. I thought that my sister is only five years old and it is too hard for her to work with Auntie every day, so I came to ask Father to plead for her."

As she spoke, she secretly observed the expression on Duke Anguo's face.

Recently, Duke Anguo has been busy with political affairs and has not been able to take care of Lin Fuman at all times.

So when he was busy, Li Yuniang took the initiative to take over the task of educating the children.

But Li Yuniang is actually very busy.

However, she felt that Lin Fuman was being spoiled by the Duke of Anguo and needed to be properly supervised and trained.

Therefore, Li Yuniang not only had servants watch over Lin Fuman's studies, but also made her work with her in accounting and other chores after she finished her homework.

This is certainly not to torment the child, but to nurture her well so that the shop can be handed over to her in the future.

Given Duke Anguo's personality, he would definitely think that Li Yuniang was too strict.

Sure enough, the Duke of Anguo's expression softened instantly at the mention of Lin Fuman, his eyes filled with heartache: "How could such a thing happen? Fufu is so young, how could we let her do these chores!"

As he spoke, he turned and walked out.

Watching the Duke of Anguo hurriedly leave, Lin Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief, her forehead already covered in a layer of cold sweat.

She didn't dare to delay, so she rushed into the study, closed the door behind her, and made sure to bolt it.

This is the only time she can buy; she must find evidence as soon as possible.

The study was large, with a row of bookshelves against the wall, filled with all kinds of books and memorials. Behind the desk was a locked bookcase, presumably where important things were hidden.

Lin Lingrong walked quickly to the bookshelf and carefully examined the lock.

It was an ordinary brass lock.

She thought for a moment, then pulled a small silver hairpin from her hair and carefully inserted it into the keyhole, her fingers trembling slightly as she probed little by little.

Lin Fuman read a lot of miscellaneous books, and she followed suit and read some of them. One of them recorded a method for picking locks.

For some reason, she remembered it.

So now, it has come in handy.

With a soft click, the lock opened.

Lin Lingrong was overjoyed and was about to open the bookcase door when she heard the footsteps of guards outside the courtyard, as if they were patrolling guards passing by.

Startled, she immediately stopped what she was doing, held her breath, pressed herself tightly against the bookshelf, and peered out through the crack in the door.

Only when the guards' footsteps faded into the distance did she dare to catch her breath and quickly open the bookcase door.

The bookshelf was neatly filled with stacks of files, which Lin Lingrong quickly flipped through.

Where exactly are the letters between the Duke of Anguo and the old prime minister, and the ledgers of their secret plots hidden?

Her gaze swept across the bottom shelf of the bookcase and she noticed an old wooden box covered in a thin layer of dust, looking as if it hadn't been touched in a long time.

Logically speaking, the alliance between the former prime minister and the Duke of Anguo was a recent event, so the information couldn't possibly be in this dusty old wooden box.

but……

Why is it that only this old wooden box has gathered dust?

It looks more like some kind of disguise.