Night fell, and the autumn wind was chilly.
Inside the ancestral hall, although the old nanny guarding the hall brought Xie Danling a thin cotton blanket, after kneeling for so long, Xie Danling still couldn't keep her kneeling any longer, and her entire back was about to bend.
When Xie Lingqin led Zihe into the main gate of the ancestral hall, she saw this scene.
"This old servant greets the young lady."
An old nanny hurriedly came out and curtsied.
Xie Lingqin glanced at her, smiled and nodded, then went inside.
"What...what are you doing here?"
Xie Dan turned around upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing Xie Lingqin, his back straightened up again, his face showing a complex and conflicted expression. It seemed that he did not know what expression or tone to use when facing Xie Lingqin.
“I didn’t do anything. I heard you knelt in the ancestral hall, so I came to see you. Look…” Xie Lingqin nodded to Zihe.
Zihe immediately brought up the food box and took the pastries out of it.
Xie Lingqin's starry eyes brightened slightly, "See, I'm good to you, I even brought you some snacks."
Xie Danling looked at it and raised an eyebrow, "There was no poison, was there?"
"Don't worry, with your physique and intelligence, even if I poisoned you, you wouldn't be able to detect it."
"you……"
"Alright, eat if you're hungry. If you're not hungry, who knows how long you'll have to kneel through the long night. Save it and eat it when you're hungry."
As Xie Lingqin spoke casually, her gaze followed the memorial tablet directly in front of Xie Danling.
"The memorial tablet of Xie's principal wife, Zong Zhengshao".
Xie Lingqin murmured these words, a cold smile suddenly curling at the corner of her lips, "Unfortunately, when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. No matter how many rumors or great achievements there are, in the end, it's all just an empty dream."
"What did you say?" Xie Danling was unconvinced and made a move to stand up, but Xie Lingqin only gave him a look, and he obediently knelt back down.
"Let me tell you, don't think that just because you have the Crown Prince backing you up, I'll be afraid of you." Xie Danling said this with a gloomy expression and no confidence.
Xie Lingqin's eyes narrowed. "What does this have to do with the Crown Prince?"
"I know everything..." Xie Danling lowered her voice, her tone filled with resentment, "You sleep in the Crown Prince's residence and are on good terms with the Crown Prince, humph."
Xie Lingqin was even more puzzled, then looked at Xie Danling, a smile returning to her eyes, and parted her lips slightly, "Did the Crown Prince come to tell you this himself?"
"certainly."
Xie Danling nodded, thinking that Xie Lingqin had hit a nerve, and her confidence began to rise from her mouth to her eyebrows.
Xie Lingqin was slightly taken aback.
Unsurprisingly, she knew it. When she arrived, she had asked her servants and learned that after she left the Dong family mansion, Xie Danling had the coachman drive the carriage all over the city looking for some kind of peach cake.
She felt that although Xie Danling was young and had been spoiled by his second aunt in the past, he had experienced so many things recently, so he was not a fool. After thinking about it, she felt that he was looking for her, but then he suddenly stopped looking for her.
Unexpectedly, Yuwen Yao was in such a hurry to reveal their relationship to his brother-in-law, and even to establish his authority in front of him.
"Come here." Xie Lingqin suddenly beckoned to Xie Danling with her finger.
With just this one movement, Xie Danling's confidence, which had been building up, vanished instantly. Frowning, she didn't come forward but instead retreated, asking, "What... do you want to do?"
Xie Lingqin pursed her lips and smiled gently; the smile was beautiful, yet somewhat eerie.
But Xie Danling realized that she just couldn't refuse this older sister he didn't like. He swallowed hard and turned his head to the side, "You, say it."
"The Crown Prince likes me very much, and you, as his future brother-in-law, can act a bit like one. Of course, that depends on your abilities."
"Does the Crown Prince really like you?" Xie Danling couldn't believe it.
Although, some of the facts are right in front of us.
"His taste is so poor." Xie Danling looked somewhat sorry for the Crown Prince.
Xie Lingqin's eyes sharpened. "What did you just say?"
"No, I didn't say anything."
Xie Danling turned his head to face the memorial tablet and continued to act devoutly.
"Hmm, not bad. I was thinking of telling you not to kneel, since I still have that much power. But seeing how devout you are, then let you continue kneeling. After all, you're my only son, and I'll always feel sorry for you."
After Xie Lingqin finished speaking, she raised her hand at Zihe and swaggered away.
However, when passing by the old woman, she still nodded politely and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"You, you, you..."
Xie Danling was so angry that she was trembling. Her handsome face twitched, and a small fire burned in her bright eyes. "You bad sister."
Xie Lingqin heard it, of course, and waved her hand without turning her head, "Hmm, I like this nickname."
Xie Danling was utterly defeated.
The old nanny had witnessed Xie Lingqin and Xie Danling's interaction from beginning to end, and watched Xie Lingqin's figure disappear by the black ancestral hall gate before turning her gaze away.
There was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
After leaving the ancestral hall, Xie Lingqin did not return to Qingshui Pavilion, but instead went to find Xie Yushu.
"Yes, the courtyards of the Second Miss and the Second Madam have already been cleaned up, and I had their things packed away long ago. However, Eldest Miss, if you really want to see them, they're probably covered in dust."
Upon understanding Xie Lingqin's purpose, Xie Yushu quickly offered his advice.
Xie Lingqin waved her hand, "You're joking with me. I'm not afraid of death, why would I be afraid of dust?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yushu's handsome face turned somber, leaving no room for argument.
Although he grew up in Yecheng and learned the ways of business and family management, he was not unaware of the complex relationships and undercurrents in the capital.
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