She was buried alive at the start, but she's determined to smash her ex-husband's head in

Inside the main hall, Qi Yanzhi absentmindedly fiddled with the peace knot at his waist, completely ignoring what the others were saying.

Why didn't he ask the girl her name and where she lived last night?

I wonder what she's doing now?

"Yanzhi? Yanzhi!" The Duchess called him several times, but he didn't react.

Ah Xi couldn't help but tug at his arm, and he put down what he was holding, stood up, and respectfully bowed to Lin Zhengwen and Madam Ye.

"Lord Lin, Madam, I am truly sorry, but I am afraid that my engagement with your daughter will have to be called off. This matter is entirely my responsibility. After the engagement is called off, the Duke of Mu's mansion will declare to the world that I, Qi Yanzhi, am not worthy of Miss Lin, and we will never allow the reputation of the Lin family and Miss Lin to be damaged."

The Duchess also said, "Indeed, the Duke of Mu's mansion has wronged your Lin family in this matter. I have discussed it with the Duke, and we will recognize Miss Lin as our goddaughter and will never let her suffer the slightest grievance."

Madam Ye and Lin Zhengwen exchanged a glance. It seemed that the Duchess of Mu and her son had come prepared this time and were determined to break off the engagement with the Lin family.

We must try our best to help Yao'er; we can't let Lin Qingwei benefit from this all by herself!

Madam Ye generously said, "The marriage between Qingwei and the Crown Prince was arranged more than ten years ago, but the two children have had little contact over the years. It is indeed difficult for them to complete the marriage agreement all at once. We understand. Let's cancel the marriage between the Crown Prince and Qingwei!"

Qi Yanzhi glanced at his mother with great joy, gripping the peace knot in his hand even tighter. The Duchess also had a smile on her face, it seemed that this Madam Lin was a reasonable person.

"Madam must not have seen Qingwei for a long time. It's still early, so please come with me to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The lotus flowers there are in bloom, so you can enjoy them. I've asked the kitchen to make some pastries and have someone call Qingwei over so that Madam can talk to her and comfort her, so that the child won't feel sad."

The Duchess thought it was feasible, so she nodded and took Qi Yanzhi and Madam Ye to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

She hadn't seen Lin Qingwei for many years, and wondered how the child was doing...

The pastries at the Lin family's residence were indeed quite good. As soon as they were served, the Duchess smelled their sweet and delicious aroma. They were small and exquisite, making one want to eat a few pieces.

"Oh dear, you even made hibiscus cake today! Yao'er loves hibiscus cake the most..." Madam Ye said softly.

Because there are men present, unmarried women naturally cannot come out to meet people. If they come out without a reasonable excuse, they will be criticized if they are discovered.

Lin Qingwei had a pretext to break off the engagement, but Lin Xiuyao had no excuse to appear.

These words happened to fall into the ears of the Duchess. She was simple-minded and did not think much of it, so she said, "In that case, let the Second Miss try it too."

Ye's eyes were full of smiles. She glanced gratefully at the Duchess and immediately sent someone to fetch Lin Xiuyao.

She didn't believe it. Compared to Lin Qingwei, that uncouth and barbaric person who didn't know any rules, the young master still looked down on her precious Yao'er!

Over here, Lin Xiuyao was still instructing Lin Qingwei to kneel down and kowtow as soon as she saw the Duchess. Lin Qingwei, immersed in the fear of being rejected, kept nodding and held tightly to Lin Xiuyao, as if the other party was her last lifeline.

The messenger arrived at Qinghui Hall and found Lin Qingwei and Lin Xiuyao together. She spoke to them together, and Lin Xiuyao immediately blushed. She then shook off Lin Qingwei's hand and began to tidy her clothes and jewelry.

The prince has arrived! Her prince has arrived!

Lin Qingwei was still sobbing beside her, asking helplessly, "Sister, is your method really feasible?"

When Lin Xiuyao turned around, she saw a face with tears streaming down her face, incredibly delicate and innocent, with an innocence that Lin Xiuyao could never imitate. A surge of jealous anger welled up in her heart.

He reached out and pulled the gold hairpin from Lin Qingwei's hair, and removed her expensive earrings.

She said in a tone that seemed to be doing her a favor, "Of course it's possible, but you should change into something simpler, sister. It'll be more heartbreaking to see you like this."

Lin Qingwei had no suspicions and immediately asked Chunqi to help her change her clothes.

Lin Xiuyao didn't wait for her at all. She turned around and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake. With such a gem in front of her, who would still give the extremely poor Lin Qingwei a second glance?

The summer sun was shining brightly, casting a slanting light on the boy. Every strand of his hair seemed to glow, and his sharply defined features were perfectly shaped. The sight of him standing there was like a beautiful painting.

As they got closer and closer, Lin Xiuyao's heart was pounding in her chest!

He looked this way! Was he looking at me? He must be! Otherwise, why would his eyes be filled with such tenderness?!

She was just sleepy, so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. Qi Yanzhi rubbed his eyes and asked, "Why aren't you leaving yet? I'm almost asleep sitting here."

Suddenly, the light in front of him was blocked, which annoyed Qi Yanzhi. He looked up and saw a delicate girl who could barely stand up straight, as if she would fall over with a gust of wind. He moved back a little, afraid that she might lose her balance and fall into his arms.

As soon as he moved, the man lost his balance and almost stumbled, but luckily he dodged quickly!

"Yao'er!" Madam Ye rushed forward with heartache and helped her up.

Lin Xiuyao was somewhat annoyed that her mother had arrived so quickly, otherwise she could have taken the opportunity to fall into the prince's arms!

"Greetings, Mother; greetings, Duchess," she said with a slight bow, her eyes sparkling with spring as she looked at Qi Yan, "Greetings, Prince."

Qi Yanzhi got goosebumps all over, immediately hugged his arms and rubbed them, gave a perfunctory smile and continued to stare blankly into the distance, dozing off.

Being ignored by Qi Yanzhi made Lin Xiuyao a little sad, but she quickly cheered up and made excuses for Qi Yanzhi, thinking that Qi Yanzhi must have disliked Lin Qingwei so much that he was taking his anger out on her for a moment.

Otherwise, no man would not be attracted to her!

She turned to chat with the Duchess: "Please don't be offended, Madam. My sister was too upset when she heard the news. She didn't mean to be late."

Before the Duchess could say anything, Madam Ye frowned and began to scold Lin Qingwei: "That eldest maid is really something, she doesn't know any manners at all. Even if she is resentful, she shouldn't be so impolite."

"It's alright. It's all because of my rascal's troubles. I understand that Qingwei is upset."

The Duchess was simple-minded, not naive. She had heard a little about the relationship between Lin Qingwei and the Lin family. This child had really suffered a lot. Taking her in as her goddaughter was a way of repaying the kindness she had shown her back then.

"Is Your Highness tired? Have a cup of tea to refresh yourself."

Lin Xiuyao rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and delicate arms, and presented the teacup to Qi Yanzhi with both hands. A gentle breeze blew, and the fragrance of her rouge wafted out.