The legitimate daughter returns, and everyone in the Marquis's mansion regrets and begs for for

When she walked into the courtyard, she saw Lin Chengzhi, who was wearing a blue dress and whose face was completely bloodless.

Qing Shu asked with concern, "Uncle, why did you come here? Please sit down and have a cup of hot tea."

Lin Chengzhi waved his hand and said, "Your mother is very ill, and your father has passed away. Qingshu, let me tell you, your mother is counting on you now."

Qing Shu paused for a moment, then lowered her head and remained silent.

Lin Chengzhi said earnestly, "Your brother is ignorant and doesn't know how to cherish Muya. We won't let him ruin Muya. Your sister-in-law doesn't agree, and your mother has fallen ill from anxiety. This marriage can only be decided by you."

Qing Shu looked up at Lin Chengzhi and asked coldly, "If I don't agree to annul the engagement, what do you plan to do with me, Uncle?"

Lin Chengzhi hesitated for a moment and said, "If you're unwilling, we'll report this to the Prefect of the Capital."

Qing Shu snorted coldly and said, "Would reporting it to the police be of any use? Uncle, the gap between our two families is not small. Do you think the government would go against Lin Jinghe for the sake of a young girl like me? Besides, even if the government intervenes and investigates, they can't do anything to Lin Jinghe even if the evidence is conclusive. Our Su family has a shallow foundation and can't compete with the Lin family. Uncle, if we really take it to the government, the Su family will be implicated."

Her mother was strong-willed and unwilling to compromise, and the Lin family must have the same intention.

"But Mu Ya likes Lin Jinghe! She'll go crazy if she doesn't marry Lin Jinghe."

Qing Shu said, "If she can survive by not marrying Lin Jinghe, I won't stop her."

The Su family is blinded by greed, insisting that Su Muya marry Lin Jinghe. If that were the case, the Lin family would be one thing, but instead, it's a dead man.

Su Muya was unwilling to accept this, and she wanted to break off her engagement with Su Dalang, but Su Dalang disagreed.

Enraged, Su Muya took a knife and cut off his arm.

After hearing Qing Shu's account, Lin Chengzhi was terrified and muttered to himself, "How did this child become so vicious?"

“She never loved Lin Jinghe, and lately she has come to hate the Lin family even more, so it’s not surprising that she did this.”

After saying that, she looked at Lin Chengzhi and said, "If you insist on marrying her to Lin Jinghe, there's nothing I can do. However, the Lin family must compensate the Su family for their losses. In addition, I will leave all of my mother's dowry to my sister, and I will entrust her to you from now on."

Lin Chengzhi was stunned. The Su family hadn't divided their assets, and he wasn't short of money, but he wanted Qing Shu to continue her studies. If he left all the dowry to Su Mulan, wouldn't Su Mulan have no money for her education?

Seeing his dilemma, Lin Qingshu said, "Uncle, I will not only leave my dowry to Mulan, but I will also give her a dowry of two thousand taels of silver when she gets married."

Lin Muyu was an illegitimate daughter, and besides her dowry, she wouldn't even have enough for a thousand taels of silver, let alone two thousand. But Su Mulan was the legitimate daughter and the only daughter, so Madam Lin would definitely not mistreat her.

Lin Chengzhi shook his head and said, "Qingshu, you shouldn't get involved in our family matters. Let me discuss it with your aunt before making a decision!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Hong Gu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Madam, why did you agree to give the dowry to the Su family? Those things are worth a lot of money; it's too cheap to give them away like this."

This time, she truly felt it was unfair. Su Mulan and Su Daya were both legitimate daughters, so why were they the only ones receiving special treatment? Moreover, Lin Chengzhi was their biological father, yet he treated Lin Mulan like an enemy, which was truly heartbreaking.

Qing Shu smiled and said, "How else can we explain Su Mulan's actions? Otherwise, it will only incite the Lin family's rebellious spirit."

"What if they turn on me like a dog and don't appreciate my kindness?"

Qing Shu said, "You know Lin Chengzhi better than I do. Since he insists, let him be!"

She didn't intend to pursue the matter further, but this was something she couldn't tolerate. If Lin Mulan wasn't the murderer of Lin You, she would let it go, but she knew Lin You was innocent, yet she didn't uphold justice—she couldn't do such a thing.

After Lin Chengzhi returned, he called Lin Chengyu into the room and asked, "How did your talk with Mu Wan go?"

Lin Chengyu looked exhausted and shook his head, saying, "There's still no news. She doesn't want to get married."

Lin Chengzhi sighed upon hearing this and said, "If she were as obedient and filial as Qing Shu, your mother wouldn't have fallen ill from anger."

He had wanted to bring Qing Shu back earlier, but Lin Jinghe disagreed. Now that the Su family had encountered trouble, Lin Chengyu was afraid of angering Lin Jinghe, so he cancelled the marriage proposal.

Lin Chengyu nodded and said, "Qingshu is indeed a thoughtful child."

After saying that, he left, his mind filled with thoughts of Mu Chen's background. Even if he kept the fact that Lin You was his eldest son a secret from Lin You, it would still affect his future imperial examinations.

In the evening, Fu Jingxi and Qing Shu went home.

As soon as he entered the house, Fu Jingxi said, "My mother-in-law fainted. Luckily, she was brought in in time, otherwise it would have been dangerous."

Qing Shu frowned slightly and asked, "Is my mother alright?"

"Don't worry! There's a doctor watching over us, everything will be fine."

She couldn't, and couldn't, interfere in the Lin family's affairs. However, if the Lin family dared to bully her, she would make them pay the price.

Fu Jingxi said, "My mother-in-law is fine, she was just traumatized."

"How could she have been traumatized?"

Fu Jingxi briefly explained the situation, and finally said, "I think the Lin family should always choose wives or concubines who are of equal social standing. Otherwise, even if Mu Ya marries into the family, she won't be at peace."

Qing Shu chuckled and said, "This is a matter within the Lin family's inner quarters; we won't interfere."

Since Lin Jinghe is infertile, his criteria for marriage are very strict, unless the woman is the daughter of a high-ranking official or a powerful figure. But both of these families are noble families, so it's not up to Lin Jinghe to choose.

Qing Shu paused for a moment and then said, "I'd like to ask my aunt to come over and ask her what we should do about this?"

If they didn't tell Sister-in-law Su, Lin Muya would have to marry a disabled man with a limp. The Su family wouldn't want a family like that.

Lin Chengzhi was afraid that Lin Chengzhi would make a mistake, so he took him to the county town to seek help from the Zhou family.

Upon hearing about the Su family's situation, Madam Zhou angrily cursed, "The Su family is too greedy; they dare to ask for such an exorbitant amount!"

"mother……"

Zhou looked at Qing Shu and said coldly, "Qing Shu, your mother is old and can't handle any more shocks. This matter needs to be discussed more carefully."

Qing Shu hesitated for a moment and said, "Mother, how about this? If Lin Jinghe doesn't come to propose marriage by the eighth day of the third month, I'll write to you and Father to discuss this matter."

Seeing that she didn't refuse directly, Lin Chengzhi hurriedly said, "Qingshu, look, we've already separated our households. Your mother and your sister have both moved to the estate. If you write to her about this, she'll definitely be heartbroken."

Lin Qingshu shook her head and said, "Father, Mother is my birth mother, and I hope she can be happy. If Lin Jinghe is not a good match, then don't delay Mulan, lest you ruin her life."

In fact, if it weren't for Lin You's case, the Su family would have already confirmed their divorce from Lin Chengen based on this one incident alone. Therefore, the Lin family and Lin Jinghe were destined to be irreconcilable enemies, and she had no intention of befriending the Lin family.