“Mother, you absolutely cannot go to the Zong government at a time like this.”

"Although I dislike Lingqin's mother, we still feel guilty towards the Zong government."

"Zongzheng Shao died of illness, I..."

"You know best what is right and wrong, cause and effect."

General Xie lowered his head and remained silent.

"Alright, don't say anything. Let them prepare. I'll go to the Zong government office in a bit."

"Grandmother, please wait a moment." Xie Lingqin walked in at this moment, first greeting General Xie, and then kneeling sincerely to the old lady. "Grandmother, I have heard about what happened at my maternal grandparents' home. At this time, it is only a half-day's journey. How can I trouble you? If you and Father are at ease, why don't you let me go? That is my maternal grandparents' home, and no one else can say anything about it."

Xie Lingqin spoke each word calmly and clearly.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. If someone must go, Xie Lingqin is more suitable than her mother, as it would not harm the reputation and status of the General's Mansion.

If forced to, even if it means sacrificing Xie Lingqin...

Xie Lingqin knew exactly what General Xie was thinking, but instead of delving deeper, she gently raised her eyebrows and added fuel to the fire, "Father, if you disagree, then I will obey your will in everything."

"Hmm..." General Xie responded softly, waving his hand naturally, "What you said makes sense." He then looked at his mother, "Mother, why don't we let Lingqin go?"

The old lady looked intently at her son.

After a long while, he finally looked away.

How could she not know what her own son was thinking?

"My son," the old lady suddenly sighed.

"My son is here."

"Xie Lingqin is the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion, your eldest daughter." The old lady only said this one sentence, then gave General Xie a mysterious look before letting others help her back to her room.

General Xie stood there, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. After a long while, when he looked at Xie Lingqin again, he had calmed down.

"When you go to the Zong government later, take some things with you. We haven't seen each other in a long time."

Xie Lingqin showed no joy and replied softly, "Thank you, Father."

"Go."

"yes."

Xie Lingqin turned around, and as soon as she left the old lady's courtyard, her lowered eyebrows lifted instantly, revealing a cold and indifferent look in her eyes.

"Miss, the old lady is more thoughtful than the general," Zihe whispered a reminder.

Xie Lingqin glanced at her and said, "Zihe, you should investigate the relationship between my father and grandmother."

"Well... I have heard before that the old lady had a lot of complaints about General Xie, but I don't think I've heard anything about it since."

Xie Lingqin's brows furrowed, a thin ray of light instantly making her clean, fair face appear as if it were enveloped in an ethereal glow.

"General Xie was once young and impetuous," Xie Lingqin said. "The old lady's most beloved youngest son died young because of General Xie's misjudgment, so she no longer mentions him."

"I think I've heard about this before, but isn't it said that General Xie's younger brother led his troops to break out of the encirclement on his own initiative, which led to his ambush and death?"

Xie Lingqin stared straight ahead, her voice soft yet cold, "Regardless of the truth, it's clear that the old lady doesn't believe it. So, she's not really concerned about me, but rather feels guilty and can't let go of me."

"This servant understands. Miss understands this point, which is why she was so certain that the old lady would agree."

Xie Lingqin didn't speak, but she had already given Zihe her answer.

Zihe followed behind Xie Lingqin, her brows furrowed tightly.

What the young lady didn't say was that in General Xie's eyes, she had become a pawn to be discarded. After all, now that the second concubine's family had produced a second-place scholar, the young lady's future was uncertain...

Looking at the young lady again, despite her predicament, she remained calm and composed. Having grown up in the palace, she was accustomed to the intrigue and power struggles, and her master's methods were varied. However, she could still discern some of the truths about these things.

But she couldn't see or understand anything about the young lady.

It seemed as if she could see very far away, yet also very close.

...

General Xie was indeed quick; in about half an hour, the gifts and greetings were ready.

Xie Lingqin glanced at it at first glance, and indeed, she didn't seem to be just going through the motions.

"Everything was prepared according to the general's wishes, so don't worry," Aunt Wan whispered to Xie Lingqin, trying to comfort her.

Xie Lingqin naturally understood Aunt Wan's meaning.

She meant that she had supervised all of these things, so there wouldn't be any problems and she could rest assured.

At this point, Aunt Wan didn't treat her like a stranger, which was a gesture of goodwill. Earlier, when they came out together, the way the maids and servants looked at her had changed.

"Your younger brother is going back to the academy to get some things, and the route is the same as yours. Why don't you give him a ride?" General Xie said after giving him a few instructions.

Xie Lingqin's expression remained unchanged, but she was extremely impatient inside.

Should she travel with Xie Danling?

At this moment, Xie Danling strode out of the mansion.

As the eldest son of the General's Mansion, although he was young and a bit spoiled and arrogant, his neat and efficient demeanor was different from that of ordinary people.

He glanced at Xie Lingqin from a short distance before looking away.

Clearly, he wasn't too keen either.

"It's good that you two siblings are together, at least you have each other's company." General Xie patted Xie Danling's shoulder, seemingly unaware of the awkwardness between the two siblings.

---Aside---

Sorry for the late update. There was a power outage at home, and Xinzhi had a lot of trouble finding electricity~ Waaah~

This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!