Perhaps in Concubine Lin's eyes, Prince Qin will always be a child who has not grown up.
The child was given whatever he wanted, which made the King of Qin grow more and more arrogant and do whatever he wanted.
Concubine Lin had always been reluctant to let her son get involved in power struggles. When she first married into the royal family, she expected the emperor to treat her well, but she found that the emperor treated her no differently than other concubines, so she gave up her desire to compete for favors.
The Empress lost three children in the more than ten years she reigned, completely ruining her health. Consort De and Consort Shu, who had previously been her superiors, were both killed in palace infighting over favors. Even their children were not spared.
The emperor now has relatively few adult sons compared to the previous emperor, so the only ones left in the fight for the throne are the King of Qin, the King of Zhuang, the King of Zhao and the King of Chu.
Her son was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and his mind was too immature to ascend the throne. Concubine Lin wanted to leave more of her own money to her son, and when the throne was decided, she and her son would go to the fiefdom and live a peaceful life.
Who would have thought that his own son would be bullied by a stinky girl from his mother's family? It was truly unbearable.
Her son had everything he wanted. He was worthy of being a daughter of an aristocratic family, not to mention a dragon or a phoenix among men. Lin Wanru, such a fool, actually dared to despise her son. She must be tired of living.
Lin Wanru stayed in a side hall of Kunning Palace for the night, unable to sleep for half the night. When she finally fell asleep, she saw Caihe lying on the ground in her dream, her body in a bloody mess.
Caihe opened her eyes wide, and her unwillingness to close them completely frightened Lin Wanru awake.
Only then did she realize that she was in a place that consumed human blood. If she took even the slightest wrong step, she would be crushed to pieces.
The Queen was using Caihe to give herself a warning. If she didn't learn her lesson, she would be the next one to suffer.
She doesn't want to die, she has to live.
"Second Miss Lin, Aunt Fengchun from Noble Concubine Lin's side came to see you and asked you and First Miss Lin to go to Yongning Palace for dinner."
Isn't Concubine Lin the mother of the King of Qin? She's not looking for me to call me to task, is she?
Lin Qingru walked into the inner room and became angry when she saw Lin Wanru. "Quickly pack up and follow me to see my aunt."
"Sister, can I not go?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Aunt is the imperial concubine, your elder. We should have gone to pay our respects to her yesterday. How come you don't know any etiquette at all?"
"But……"
"No buts." Lin Qingru glared at her and said, "You must go."
"Big sister, yesterday you and I had a falling out with the King of Qin. If Concubine Lin had Fengchun invite us today, wouldn't that mean she's going to hold us accountable?"
"Do you have a way to escape?" Lin Qingru sneered, "She's the Imperial Concubine, and also our Aunt. It's only right and proper for you to go. And I don't believe Aunt would punish you or me without distinguishing right from wrong. If you don't go, and you end up in a bad light, then not only will your father, but even the Lin family might not tolerate you. Are you sure you want to turn against Aunt now?"
Lin Wanru bit her lip, only releasing it when she felt the pain. She truly had no means of self-preservation now. Without the Lin family's protection, she was nothing.
When you live under someone's roof, how can you not bow your head?
Even if she didn't want to see the disgusting face of King Qin, she had to go.
"Big sister, I'll go with you."
"That's more reasonable." Lin Qingru said, "You know what to say and what not to say later, right?"
Lin Wanru nodded. "I'll listen to you, big sister."
The two went to Yongning Palace with Fengchun.
Mrs. Li was already sitting in the hall drinking tea. Seeing her two daughters, she put down her teacup. After a careful look, she confirmed that her daughters had no injuries and then breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are you looking at, sister-in-law? I haven't treated my two nieces badly."
Li smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind to me. It is a blessing for our Lin family that Qing'er and Wan'er can stay in the harem to accompany you."
"But some people don't know how to appreciate their blessings." Concubine Lin smiled and winked at Fengchun. Fengchun said, "Yesterday, the second lady's maid Caihe slandered the King of Qin for having an affair with the eldest lady. Your Majesty asked the second lady if she knew about this."
"How could a humble servant know this?" Mrs. Lin Er finally understood why Concubine Lin had summoned her. The King of Qin had suffered a wrong at the hands of her two daughters, and he had come to her to seek justice. "Is there a misunderstanding?"
Concubine Lin pointed at Li's nose and cursed, "What misunderstanding could there be? Lin Wanru despises Qi'er and has been unable to find a way to break off the engagement with him. The trap she set up at the Qianqiu Banquet yesterday almost ruined my son's reputation. You are so cruel that you actually gave away a daughter who can't tell right from wrong. You have truly brought disgrace upon the Lin family. You..."
"Mother, calm down." Xu Jing, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up to stop Concubine Lin from continuing. "I believe Auntie didn't mean it."
"Yes, I didn't know about this!" Li was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed, repeatedly apologizing. "It is all because of my poor parenting that the Empress was furious. I deserve death."
Seeing this, the sisters Lin Qingru and Lin Wanru also knelt on the ground and kowtowed to apologize.
"Ms. Li, I would like to ask you if the Lin family is too high and unworthy of my son?"
"Absolutely not."
Concubine Lin raised an eyebrow and continued, "Is it because my son is ugly and unworthy of your beautiful daughter?"
Li's back was almost soaked with fear. "No, Your Majesty, you are too kind."
"If that's the case, why did Lin Wanru instruct her maid Caihe to frame my son? Does she really think the royal family has no one left?"
The majesty of the royal family should not be underestimated. Concubine Lin had held a high position for a long time and was naturally awe-inspiring. These words frightened Li so much that she trembled like a sieve and even forgot to kowtow in her incoherent speech.
Li cursed Lin Wanru in her heart. If it weren't for her, how could she have suffered this misfortune? She was truly a jinx sent by heaven to bring disaster to the Lin family. Nothing good ever happened to her.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I will definitely give you an explanation on this matter when I return."
"Explain?" Concubine Lin sneered, "I'm afraid you're deliberately trying to fool me, aren't you?"
Li gritted her teeth and had no choice but to let the two go. "This wicked girl has offended His Highness the Prince of Qin and truly deserves death. I am willing to hand this wicked girl over to Your Majesty for disposal."
"Mother." Lin Qingru and Lin Wanru shouted in unison and looked at each other.
I didn't expect that Li would actually hand them over just to appease Concubine Lin's anger! If they fell into Concubine Lin's hands, how could they have a good ending?
Lin Wanru cried, "Your Majesty, this matter was caused by my poor judgment of people. I allowed my humble servant Caihe to take advantage of this opportunity and slander the King of Qin. Caihe is dead, and I cannot escape the blame. I hope Your Majesty will show mercy and spare me and my elder sister."
"To spare you would be to put my son at a disadvantage. How dare you! Someone, come here."
As soon as Concubine Lin said this, several strong and sturdy maids came in.
Concubine Lin said expressionlessly, "Drag Lin Qingru and Lin Wanru away and beat them to death."
"Your Majesty, please spare my life." Li never expected that Concubine Lin would take two lives with just one move.
Although Lin Qingru and Lin Wanru were not her children, they were still daughters of the Lin family. If they died in the palace, how would she explain it to the master?
"Please, Madam, show mercy and spare these two!"
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