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

Wenwen carried Song Miaoyan and swam towards the shore. Lin Qingwei leisurely picked up a long branch from the ground and hit Wenwen's arm. Wenwen let go in pain, and Song Miaoyan slid back down.

She screamed, "What are you doing?!"

"I told you to pick up my things, otherwise the county princess doesn't need to come up here." Lin Qingwei wasn't afraid at all, and stood on the shore hitting the ground with a tree branch.

Song Miaoyan was so angry she looked like Guan Yu (a legendary Chinese general known for his fierce anger). Her face was flushed red and looked ridiculous. Her carefully combed hairstyle was completely messed up, with strands sticking to her face. There were also some seaweed-like things stuck to her hair, making her look incredibly disheveled.

The stares from the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were unbearable for her; she didn't even dare to lift her face. She secretly vowed that she would make Lin Qingwei suffer a hundred times more pain than this humiliation in the future!

Whenever Wenwen got close to her, Lin Qingwei would lash her mercilessly, making her too afraid to approach again.

Lin Xiuyao was already used to it. After all, Lin Qingwei was a woman who dared to refuse even Pei Zhaoan. What else couldn't she do? She silently felt a little worried for Song Miaoyan.

Song Miaoyan cursed angrily, but Lin Qingwei remained unmoved. People from Yongning Palace came again to urge everyone to go and pack their belongings. Helpless, she could only grit her teeth and swim to the middle with tears in her eyes, holding the bag of things that were already soaked in water in her arms.

Lin Qingwei then retracted the long branch in her hand and let Wenwen pull the person up.

As soon as they got ashore, Song Miaoyan raised her hand angrily again, but Lin Qingwei glared at her and she withdrew her hand in fear. Lin Shuhui immediately put a coat on Song Miaoyan and whispered to comfort her.

She threw the still-dripping bundle at Lin Qingwei's feet, pushed Lin Shuhui aside, covered her face, and ran away.

Lin Qingwei's clothes were soaked through. Peizhi picked up the bundle and hugged it to her chest, feeling extremely guilty. She said, "It was my carelessness that gave them the opportunity to take advantage of us. What are we going to do now?"

“Only kind people constantly reflect on themselves. It’s not you who made the mistake, it’s them.” Lin Qingwei patted Peizhi on the shoulder.

Lin Xiuyao dared not delay any longer, fearing she might encounter some people on this road. With great determination, she picked up her things herself and said, "Let's go, I'm ready!"

If we don't leave now, she'll lose her grip!

"Ah."

Lin Shuhui followed behind them with her head down and eyes downcast, but in reality, she was observing the surroundings all the way and secretly memorizing every palace they passed.

Lin Qingwei was very familiar with the roads here, so much so that her fingers would start to ache faintly as soon as she saw certain corners. The physical fear and nausea made her face look rather pale.

Lin Xiuyao thought someone had provoked her again, so she immediately took a few steps to the side, afraid of being implicated.

As a result, she lost her grip on what she was holding and spilled everything on the ground. This was a nightmare for Lin Xiuyao! The thing she had been worried about all the way here still happened!

Blushing, she quickly began picking up the things on the ground, thankfully they weren't her underwear.

Just then, a pair of beautiful shoes suddenly appeared in her line of sight, and then a slender hand reached out and simultaneously grabbed the handkerchief that had fallen to the ground.

She looked up and met a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

Prince Duan smiled and said, "Do you need any help?"

Lin Xiuyao blushed instantly, her usually eloquent mouth unable to utter a single word, as if she were drowning in the somewhat wicked smile of Prince Duan.

The two of them held both ends of the handkerchief at the same time, and an ambiguous atmosphere was flowing between them.

Prince Duan looked Lin Xiuyao up and down and found the girl's slightly flushed cheeks quite appealing. So he deliberately pulled hard on her handkerchief, trying to make her fall into his arms.

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Duan!" Lin Shuhui suddenly spoke up, kneeling on the ground and bowing to Prince Duan.

He stopped what he was doing, looked at Lin Shuhui, and asked with some confusion, "And who is this?"

Lin Xiuyao glanced at Lin Shuhui with extreme displeasure and said, "My half-sister."

Lin Shuhui raised her head and glanced at Prince Duan shyly. Her face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head again. Although it was only a brief glance, it was enough for Prince Duan to see her face clearly.

It must be said that the three young ladies of the Lin family are indeed all quite remarkable.

The eldest daughter, Lin Qingwei, possesses an outstanding temperament; the second daughter, Lin Xiuyao, is charming and lovely; and even this illegitimate third daughter has a unique allure.

Prince Duan nodded and said with a smile, "She's quite a lovely girl."

Lin Xiuyao couldn't smile. She pulled the handkerchief from Prince Duan's hand and said, "You flatter me."

For some reason, when a man compliments a woman she doesn't like, she suddenly feels that the man has very poor taste...

It would be better to praise Lin Qingwei.

Huh? Where's Lin Qingwei? Where is she?

Lin Qingwei, who had already arrived at Yongning Palace, chose a quiet room and, while the sun was still shining, took out her soaked clothes to dry with Peizhi.

The all-too-familiar scene made her momentarily lost in thought, as if she were still that palace maid in the laundry department whose face had been slashed and whose voice had been poisoned. She inexplicably recalled that snowy winter day.

In his previous life, what exactly caused Pei Zhao'an to die?

He couldn't possibly be plotting a rebellion; he wasn't Emperor Xuande's illegitimate son at all, and he knew that himself...

Forget it, why think about him? There's nothing between them anymore! How he died doesn't matter.

Lin Qingwei hung up the clothes, while Peizhi was still on the other side. Just as she was about to speak, someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a corner. Peizhi heard the noise and went over, but saw nothing. She thought Lin Qingwei was tired and had gone back to her room to rest.

"What is Scholar Xu doing?" Lin Qingwei looked at Xu Hanzhang coldly.

With tears welling in her eyes, Xu Hanzhang pulled her into a tight embrace: "It's you, I couldn't possibly mistake you! It's you! Awan, you're not dead! You're really not dead! That's wonderful! You don't know how I..."

"Who is Awan? Scholar Xu has mistaken me for someone else again? I am Lin Qingwei, the eldest daughter of the Lin family."

She remained motionless, her face displaying utter indifference and mockery.

Xu Hanzhang shook his head frantically: "I couldn't possibly be mistaken. We grew up together and are the closest family in the world. I could mistake anyone but you. Awan, are you angry with me?"

"I said, let me go."

"No! I won't let go! Ah Wan, it's me! We're a married couple who've gone through a wedding ceremony! I'm your husband!"

Lin Qingwei felt nauseous and was about to vomit. She then kicked her leg high, causing Xu Hanzhang to almost faint from the pain. His pale face was covered in sweat as he stared at Lin Qingwei in astonishment.

Why are you doing this to me?

Lin Qingwei almost burst out laughing when she heard his words.

"Scholar Xu, don't talk nonsense. When have I, a pure and innocent young lady, ever been married?"

She took several steps back, looking at Xu Hanzhang warily. Xu Hanzhang's heart was breaking, and he reached out to grab her.

"Ah Wan, I can explain, please listen to me."