Yun Si covered his nose and pointed to a secluded side room in the courtyard.

“There it is.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yinan turned around and strode towards the other room. As soon as he reached the door, he could clearly smell a strong odor that was even more foul than a dead rat.

She frowned, kicked the door open forcefully, and a stench assaulted her nostrils.

This is the smell of a rotting corpse!

Lin Yinan knew without even going inside that there was a corpse inside.

Seeing the door to the side room kicked open, Yu Qiutao rushed over like a madwoman, shouting, "What do you want to do? Juan'er is sleeping, don't disturb her!"

Lin Yinan reached out to stop her, looked at Yun Si with a look of authority and unyielding composure.

"Yun Si, send people to clean up the bodies inside."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

Yun Si turned around and went out to call for help.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qiutao stopped her madness and stared at Lin Yinan with venomous eyes.

"I'm doing just fine here, why are you coming to disrupt my life? Are you jealous that I'm living a good life?"

"You think following those ruthless barbarians is a good life? Have you forgotten who killed your father?"

Lin Yinan's eyes were as deep and cold as a pool, able to see through the secrets hidden in her heart at a glance.

Yu Qiutao's face turned deathly pale, then filled with resentment.

"I'm not as lucky as you. You got pregnant out of wedlock and still found such a good husband. My mother and brother sent me to the Yu family as a concubine in order to climb the social ladder. Who knew that my brother was a good-for-nothing who got addicted to gambling and ended up having both his legs broken."

My mother came repeatedly asking for money to treat his leg, and even pushed me down, causing me to give birth prematurely and almost die. The eldest son's wife has no children, and she actually wanted me to kill her during childbirth, but luckily I survived.

When the eldest son was alive, I naively thought he would be my support for life, but unfortunately, he died young. I eked out a living in the Yu family with my daughter, so lowly that I had to fawn over even the servants.

Watching Juan'er grow up little by little, I was willing to endure any hardship. But God never favors the pitiful; my Juan'er was taken away before she even grew up.

To curry favor with the Hu people, the Second Young Master Yu disregarded my wishes and offered me to He Xiong as a concubine. What's wrong with the Hu people? He treats me better than anyone else. Under his protection, these days have been the most comfortable and pleasant I've ever lived.

Now, my poor Juan'er is back!

As she finished speaking, a happy and sweet smile bloomed on Yu Qiutao's face, her eyes sparkling, and her hand gently caressed her swollen belly, every movement extremely tender.

Lin Yi'an and Lu Changqing exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes in exasperation.

As the saying goes, those with different goals cannot be friends.

People are born different, and everyone has the right to choose the life they want. Lin Yinan is destined not to be friends with Yu Qiutao.

Yu Qiutao was just one of countless women bound by family and oppressed by society under feudal ethics. They dared not break through the taboos of the ethics and had no courage to pursue their own happiness.

Lin Yinan looked away and prepared to turn and leave.

Just then, a little boy rushed out from the corner, and Lin Yinan quickly grabbed him by the collar.

"Let me go! You bad people, you're not allowed to bully my mother! When I grow up, I'll kill you all!"

He was being held in mid-air, kicking and thrashing about like an enraged lion, his eyes filled with hatred.

Seeing that he posed no threat to her, Lin Yinan put him down.

Zheng Ge'er landed and stood firm, then tried to headbutt Lin Yinan. He had clearly seen that their daughter was very respectful, and guessed that she must be an official.

Lu Changqing grabbed the little tuft of hair on his head and said, "If you move again, I'll kill you!"

Suddenly, Zheng Ge'er was grabbed by the hair, and tears welled up in his eyes from the pain, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Yu Qiutao came to her senses and stepped forward pitifully to plead for him.

“Zheng’er is still young and doesn’t understand anything. Please don’t hurt him.”

Seeing the undisguised hatred in Zheng Ge'er's eyes, Lin Yi'an said coldly, "The child is only three or four years old. You must have instilled a lot of hatred for us in him, right?"

"I didn't, don't frame me." Yu Qiutao lowered her head, hiding the panic in her eyes.

"You know in your heart whether he is truly your child or not. How much sincerity can you have towards a child who isn't your own? You might have treated him better in the Yu family for the sake of survival, but once you leave the Yu family, you only want to use him to deal with the Yu family one day. It's a pity that you've corrupted such a good child with your wicked intentions!"

Lin Yinan exposed Yu Qiutao without any mercy, and he was very clear about her true nature.

Her words seemed to drain all of Yu Qiutao's strength. She slumped to the ground, her hand trembling as she touched her swollen belly.

She glanced at the mother and son one last time, then turned and left without looking back, saying, "Find a place far away from Nanzhou Prefecture and settle them down."

Hearing that Lin Yinan would not punish them but instead send them away, Yu Qiutao breathed a sigh of relief and loosened her clenched fist under her sleeve.

Lu Changqing released his grip, and Zheng Ge'er hurriedly hid behind Yu Qiutao. The mother and son exchanged a casual glance, then lowered their heads to hide the hatred in their eyes.

After leaving the courtyard, Lu Changqing sent Lin Yi'an away and stood by the pond, gazing absently at the lotus flowers in full bloom.

A woman dressed in mourning clothes, with a haggard and aged face, walked towards them from a distance.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Lu Changqing pulled a bulging purse from his pocket and handed it to her. His face was calm, but his gaze was as cold as frost, making him intimidating.

"Make sure to eliminate all obstacles. If the matter is handled properly, all the money will be yours."

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