I'm a humble concubine. My acting skills are off the charts. You can check my performance.

In the study, wisps of misty white smoke slowly drifted out from the green-glazed Suan Ni Boshan incense burner. The burning incense candles nearby suddenly exploded from the wick with a puff, breaking the tranquility of the study.

"As long as this matter is kept secret, not only will father not lose a good chess piece, but the Zhao family will not be implicated in the slightest. It's just that Third Sister will be wronged. She will have to live in the manor for the rest of her life and cannot appear in public again."

"My father knows my third sister's personality better than I do. If she can't use him, she would rather destroy him than give him to anyone else. She doesn't care about my father or the Zhao family. She only cares about whether she can live comfortably. So even if it's something like poisoning, which would bring disaster to the entire Zhao family if it gets out, she did it without mercy."

As Zhao Fangyu spoke, his eyes fell on the ethereal fragrant mist.

Zhao Minshan was a man who wanted to show off his taste by using the Boshan incense burner, which was the favorite of literati and scholars. However, he was unwilling to fall into the cliché and insisted on putting a walnut-sized Suan Ni beast on the top of the Boshan incense burner, which had a simple and ancient style.

Unlike the currently popular animal-shaped incense burners, in Zhao Fangyu's opinion, this incense burner is like Zhao Minshan, who has to use a bunch of big principles to disguise and interpret his selfishness, and say that his personal desires are for the benefit of the country and the people, and for the benefit of his family and career.

When the scent reaches a certain height, it slowly disperses, and the air is filled with the scent of the soothing aroma.

Zhao Minshan gradually calmed down and sat back on the armchair to examine his precocious and almost enchanting fourth daughter.

To be fair, Zhao Fangyu's character and appearance are among the best in the whole of Shangjing. Among her age, there is no girl more outstanding than Zhao Fangyu.

I have never seen anyone prettier than her, and at most they are equally beautiful. But when you compare her character, academic performance, reputation, and manners one by one, Zhao Fangyu is indeed outstanding and eye-catching.

Just twelve years old.

It's already good enough. If she waits until she reaches adulthood, she will be worthy of being a prince.

I'm afraid it wasn't necessarily the prince who chose her, but she who chose the prince.

When I was young, who didn’t like good colors?

Zhao Minshan did not answer, and Zhao Fangyu was not embarrassed. He poured himself tea and water to kill time. Not long after, Zhao Sanhai came to report that the court doctor had gone to see the third young lady and that she was not in danger of death, but that she could not walk well and could not speak.

Zhao Minshan had long anticipated that Zhao Fangyu would not let Zhao Fanglan feel too easy, and that was the fact, and Zhao Fangyu did not intend to let Zhao Fanglan go.

If you say you will save one life, then there is only one life left.

The candlelight was dim and it was quiet outside the window. Not only was the study quiet, but the entire Zhao family's backyard was silent. Everything was done in the dark and silently.

The eldest lady sent Mama Cui to guard the door for Zhao Fangjin to prevent any unwary people from breaking in and causing trouble. Zhao Minshan couldn't help but sneer when he heard this.

His first wife probably could not have imagined that the fourth young lady, who seemed harmless and dependent on others in the past, would actually dare to use a knife to kill her own sister!

"You are half sisters from the same father, why did you have to make such a fuss?"

Zhao Fangyu looked at the tea and complained in his heart: If you hadn't indulged her, how could Zhao Fanglan dare to kill someone?

"Father, you may have forgotten that Third Sister's original intention was to poison me. But I was lucky enough to be brought back to Longxi by my mother. Third Sister couldn't find a chance to kill me, so she took her anger out on me and killed my biological mother."

"It's not the first time that the third sister has hurt me. It was just a minor quarrel before. We are sisters in the same family, and I have never cared about anything. But people are not saints, and I am even less a bodhisattva. The third sister killed my aunt and wanted to kill me, but I went up to her and was warm and friendly with her sister."

"This is not called blood ties, this is called disloyalty and unfilial piety, and it disregards human ethics."

Zhao Minshan looked at Zhao Fangyu for a long time and had to admit that Zhao Fangyu's temper was still not gentle enough.

"You are not as good as your mother."

After a long time, Zhao Minshan came to a conclusion.

Zhao Fangyu didn't care: "It's not a good thing to be like my aunt. My aunt was too kind and didn't know that people's hearts are treacherous. That's why she ended up being poisoned to death by anger."

Zhao Fangyu's eyes met Zhao Minshan's. At this moment, Zhao Minshan was no longer her father in her eyes, but an inferior opponent who was trying to brainwash her in the negotiation, making her weaken herself and voluntarily put herself in shackles.

"The eldest and second sisters are already engaged, and the third sister is now a cripple. Even if she wasn't a cripple, if there was any rumor that she poisoned her aunt and nephew, all the girls in the Zhao family would be delayed because of her."

"No matter what, Third Sister cannot leave the Zhao family. Even if I don't do anything, she will be useless. Father asked Mother to raise us concubines. Isn't it also a plan for marriage?"

Regardless of whether she was treated harshly or well, Zhao Minshan's plan to use his daughter as a chess piece never diminished.

"I am only helping father so that my third sister will never become a stumbling block on the Zhao family's road to progress. After all, my daughters have worked very hard to grow up to where they are today, and I don't want their efforts to go to waste."

Zhao Minshan snorted coldly and did not comment.

He called Zhao Sanhai and immediately ordered them to seal off the Cherry Pavilion and send the Third Girl to a farm in the country once her condition stabilized.

All the staff around the third girl were replaced by a new group of people to serve her.

"Derong Fugong, you should think about these carefully. During the mourning period, reflect on your mistakes."

"Since you want to enter the palace, I will help you."

Zhao Minshan was actually very indignant in his heart. Even though Zhao Fanglan had many faults, it was really disgraceful that Zhao Fangyu had bypassed him and injured Zhao Fanglan so badly.

Zhao Minshan is not a fool. He would not allow a daughter who might have resentment towards her family to enter the palace. Even if such a daughter enters the palace, she may not be able to use her for his own purposes.

He had to buy himself some insurance so that he could keep Zhao Fangyu under control.

He had underestimated the fourth girl in the past, but today, he would never let Zhao Fangyu get out of control again.

"Don't worry about entering the palace. The eldest lady and your elder sister are both taken care of by the mansion. There won't be any mistakes."

"I remember you have a maidservant who has been serving you since she was a child? Move her to the study. Since she can serve you with your writing, she must not be a fool."

"And the few remaining maids around you have all been replaced. I don't know how they served you and allowed your temper to become so twisted."

Zhao Minshan made the final decision. It was a pity that Aunt Qian did not give Zhao Fangyu a younger brother or sister, so he couldn't find a better rein to restrain Zhao Fangyu now.

Zhao Fangyu lowered his head in shame and said, "That's unfortunate. I gave Xiangyao to my elder sister and asked her to find a good marriage for her."

Zhao Minshan: ...

As soon as daybreak came, what Zhao Fangyu had done was known to the main court.

The eldest lady was combing her hair when she heard the news.

The old woman who came to deliver the message whispered in the eldest lady's ear: "The third lady's tendons in her hands and feet are all broken, and the fourth lady also gave her a mute potion. She is still alive, but... she is not well."