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

"For me, entering the palace is a great opportunity," Lin Shuhui said sincerely. "My mother and my aunt are very good to me, but I am, after all, an illegitimate daughter. If I don't climb up the social ladder myself, I might remain an illegitimate daughter that no one looks down on for the rest of my life."

When I reach a suitable age, I'll marry into a family that's neither too prestigious nor too humble. There's nothing I can do about it, unlike my eldest sister who's engaged to the prince, and unlike my second sister who's deeply loved by our mother.

Her face grew redder as she spoke: "My mother can't possibly choose a good husband for me like she did for my older sisters, so I'm very scared. If I could enter the palace and become a princess's companion, it would definitely be much easier to find a husband for me in the future..."

After Lin Shuhui finished speaking, she turned back to look at Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu nodded with satisfaction, smiled shyly, and looked at Lin Qingwei expectantly.

They were actually considering very practical issues. Lin Shuhui's concerns were not without reason. As a concubine's daughter with a very low profile, when she reached marriageable age, no one except her aunt would care about her marriage. At most, she would be matched with a scholar from a respectable family.

Clearly, Lin Shu-hui did not want this.

But Lin Qingwei didn't want to stand up for her. If there were really extra spots, Lin Xiuyao would definitely make a big fuss. Would she have to get entangled with Lin Xiuyao again for Lin Shuhui's sake?

Lin Qing smiled and patted Lin Shuhui's hand, saying, "It's good that you have such an ambitious idea, little sister. You can go directly to Father and tell him your concerns. I believe Father will consider it carefully."

Her face turned pale instantly, a dark glint flashed in her eyes, and she quickly lowered her head to hide it, then stammered, "Sister, does that mean... you can't help me anymore?"

"I can't help you with this. It would be more sincere for you to talk to Father about this in person."

Lin Qingwei let go of her hand and turned to walk out. Aunt Liu ran over with a worried look on her face. Lin Shuhui stood there as if her soul had left her body, staring blankly at the place where Lin Qingwei had left, her hands clenched tightly.

"what happened?"

Lin Shu-hui: "She doesn't want to help me."

Aunt Liu paced back and forth anxiously, wondering what to do. She had thought this was a great opportunity to replace Ye Qinxuan in the palace! Was this really how things were going to be for the two of them for the rest of their lives?

Upon returning to Qinghui Hall, after dismissing everyone, Peizhi immediately knelt before Lin Qingwei and kowtowed.

“Peizhi did something wrong, and I don’t ask for your forgiveness, Miss! I was blinded by greed and helped them frame you. You may punish me as you see fit!”

"There's something I'm very curious about: why did you change your mind at the last minute?" This was the question that puzzled Lin Qingwei the most.

Peizhi said, "Whether Miss believes it or not, I have never intended to hurt anyone! My closeness with Miss was only to find out about the young master's habits and preferences from her, which is why we've become closer lately."

Therefore, when Yaoqin gave me that packet of pollen to put in the young lady's courtyard, I didn't suspect anything until I heard the news that the young master had been poisoned, at which point I realized something was wrong.

Since Peizhi entered the manor as her maid, she has indeed been very concerned about Lin Jingxuan's affairs, and she is even more eager to see Lin Jingxuan than she is to herself.

Lin Qingwei: "You like Jingxuan, my little brother?"

Peizhi blushed slightly, but shook her head vigorously: "This servant wouldn't dare to have such thoughts, I only want to repay the young master for saving my life!"

She took the white jade hairpin from her hair and held it in her hands with great care.

That year, Pei-Chih's hometown was flooded, and the entire village was submerged. Very few people survived, including her and her younger brother.

But her younger brother fell seriously ill, and all the adults in the family perished in the flood. She had no choice but to carry her brother on her back and seek medical treatment all the way to the capital, begging for money while trying to cure her brother's illness.

But that winter, my younger brother still couldn't make it and froze to death in the heavy snow.

She knelt on the busiest street in the capital, begging some kind-hearted person to give her a few copper coins so she could buy a coffin to bury her brother. But no one was willing to give her a second glance. Some even thought she was too dirty and polluted the street, and wanted to drive her out of the city.

Just then, a young man about the same age as her younger brother walked up to her, staring at her with wide, round eyes.

She asked, "Sister, this is for you."

He handed her a fine white jade hairpin, telling her to pawn it to raise money for her brother's burial, and also helped her drive away those who wanted to bully her.

She kowtowed several times in gratitude, but before she could ask her benefactor's name, he disappeared.

"and after?"

"Later, on my way to exchange the hairpin for money, I was kidnapped by human traffickers. They sold me to a wealthy man's family. Fortunately, that family treated me well. After hearing my story, they helped me find my younger brother's body and gave him a proper burial."

Later, after learning that the person who had given the maid the hairpin was none other than the young master, she found a way to come to the Lin residence, wanting to repay the young master's kindness.

It turns out there was such a past event. Lin Qingwei asked Chunqi to help Peizhi up.

He said, "I don't blame you for what happened today, but you did make a mistake, and you can't escape punishment."

Pei Zhi stood there meekly, hating herself for not discovering Ye Qinxuan's plan sooner, causing the young master to suffer like this! Fortunately, the eldest young lady wasn't involved, otherwise she would have been guilty even if she died a thousand deaths!

"This servant is willing to accept the punishment!"

"Then you will be punished by having to take care of Jingxuan's daily life while he is bedridden. If there is any misconduct, not only me, but Madam will be the first to punish you!"

Pei-Chih stared wide-eyed at Lin Qing-Wei in disbelief, tears glistening in her eyes. She was about to kneel down and kowtow to her when Chun-Qi stopped her.

Lin Qingwei smiled slightly and looked at her: "Go quickly."

"Ok!"

Pei-Chi wiped away her tears and ran out, filled with boundless gratitude for Lin Qing-Wei. After this experience, she vowed to be loyal to Lin Qing-Wei for life and never betray her!

Chunqi was filled with emotion. This time, she really had to thank Peizhi, otherwise she would have really fallen into the trap!

"If Miss is willing to grant Peizhi's wish, why is she unwilling to help the Third Miss?" She didn't understand.

Lin Qingwei's smile turned cold: "She wants me to be the first to stick my neck out so she can reap the benefits. Being used once is bad enough, do you expect me to fall for it a second time?"

Lin Qingwei took off the sachet from her waist and threw it on the table, saying to Chunqi, "Go and find out what's inside."

"Does Miss suspect that your recent fatigue and lack of energy are due to the Third Miss's sachet?"

"Did you notice it too?"

Everything in Qinghui Hall had been rearranged at Ye's behest. At this time, Ye dared not make a move against Lin Qingwei, and Lin Xiuyao would only shout and attack head-on. The only foreign object was the sachet that Lin Shuhui had given her.

Lin Shu-hui is definitely not as simple as she appears on the surface; the occasions she appears in are always too coincidental...