I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

Seeing that Lin Yuwei showed no sign of leniency, Lan Zhi gave Ling Jiawei a wink, signaling him to step back. Ling Jiawei, realizing he might be in trouble, decided to step forward and, patting his chest, said to Lan Zhi, "I'm afraid I'll cause trouble."

"I am the one who did it, and I am the one who hit her. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Seeing her elder brother's stubbornness flare up, Lan Zhi became a little angry.

"Brother, step back."

A hint of indifference flashed across Lin Yuwei's eyes. She placed one hand on her forehead, raised the other, and weakly rebuked:

"Guards, don't let him get away, catch him!"

Upon hearing this, several male servants beside her were about to step forward when Nie Yuan led several more men forward and blocked Ling Jiawei's path. The two sides adopted a posture as if they were about to fight.

Seeing this, Lin Yuwei's maid, Xiaoman, angrily raised her hand and questioned her.

"What...what are you trying to do? Do you want to fight?"

After glancing at Nie Yuan, Lan Zhi gave the order:

"All of you, step back! This is the Crown Prince's residence. I don't believe anyone would dare to cause trouble here."

Xiaoman snorted without fear.

"You people from the Crown Prince's residence are really going too far! Our young lady just arrived and has already been beaten like this, and you still say we're causing trouble? You bunch of country bumpkins are really unruly, ill-mannered, and have no manners."

Lan Zhi felt guilty about Ling Jiawei slapping Lin Yuwei. She thought she could say a few nice words, have her brother apologize to him, and then make a promise to Lord Lin when he arrived, assuring him that such a thing would not happen again. She had heard that Lord Lin was a righteous person, so the matter could be resolved peacefully.

However, the girl's words were so harsh that even though Lan Zhi wanted to endure it, the people around her did not.

The usually meek Xiangxiu, in a fit of anger, pointed at Xiaoman and demanded an explanation.

"Who are you calling ill-mannered? How much better are you than us? You're just a servant girl, aren't you? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth apart."

Xiaoman glared at Lan Zhi, then looked at Lin Yuwei.

"Miss, you see? Everyone in the Crown Prince's residence is like this—a barbaric tribe. When Master arrives later, he'll have to teach them a lesson."

"Lord Lin has arrived."

Suddenly someone shouted from outside, and the arguing stopped abruptly. Lan Zhi frowned slightly and looked towards the door in the direction of the sound. She saw Lin Xingliang striding hurriedly towards her. His face was covered with wrinkles from the hardships of life, and his eyes flashed with sharp light.

As soon as they arrived in front of him, Lin Yuwei, supported by her maid, stumbled and fell into his arms.

"Dad, my head hurts so much..."

"What happened? Yuwei, are you alright? I heard someone dared to hit you?"

"Dad, I have a headache..."

"Who dares to hit my daughter?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Xingliang's eyes. He then searched the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Lan Zhi.

"So you're the girl the Crown Prince brought back from the countryside?"

Although this Lord Lin speaks well in public, he is Lin Yuwei's father. Given Lin Yuwei's domineering personality, her father is probably no better!

Moreover, judging from his tone of voice, Lan Zhi felt that he might be different from what others had said.

She immediately replied calmly:

"Yes, Lord Lin, please give me your guidance."

"Humph!"

Lin Xingliang immediately shook his head.

"I wouldn't dare to instruct you. I've heard you're incredibly arrogant and look down on everyone, but my Lin family isn't to be trifled with either. Where is the person who hit my daughter?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Jiawei clenched his fists, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Although he worked as a steward in the Crown Prince's residence, he rarely had the opportunity to interact with officials, especially high-ranking officials like Lin Xingliang, who held the rank of second grade. Knowing he was in the wrong for hitting someone's daughter, he couldn't help but feel nervous and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Lan Zhi noticed that her elder brother seemed very afraid of Lin Xingliang, so she immediately offered a humble explanation.

"Lord Lin, please calm down. There's a misunderstanding here..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Xingliang rudely flung his hand away and roared:

"What misunderstanding? It's obvious that you just don't like me. You have a spacious courtyard but won't let me live there. Instead, you had your older brother give me the most dilapidated courtyard, and then you even had your older brother hit me."

At this point, Lin Yuwei looked at Lin Xingliang with tears in her eyes, then pointed at Ling Jiawei.

"Father, he is Lan Zhi's older brother. He's the one who hit me. Look how big his hand is! He hit me so hard that I'm dizzy and my face still hurts. My head hurts too. You and Mother have never hit me since I was a child. You have to stand up for your daughter!"

Lin Xingliang looked at Ling Jiawei in the direction Lin Yuwei was pointing, his eyes filled with fierce hatred.

Lin Xingliang was already furious when he received a report from a servant at home that his daughter had been beaten at the Crown Prince's residence. Now, he was even more enraged to learn that the person who beat her was a burly man.

Lin Yuwei was chosen by the Emperor as the Crown Princess. Lin Xingliang didn't take it seriously at first, thinking that the Lin family would definitely get the position if they wanted it.

But a few days ago, after Lin Yuwei returned home, she was sullen all day. Only after repeatedly asking her did he learn that this country woman had already taken over the Crown Prince's mansion.

He had been looking for an opportunity to avenge his daughter, and now that he had this chance, he was naturally not going to let it go easily.

His face immediately darkened, and he said in a deep voice:

"Men, seize this man."

Lan Zhi quickly stepped in front of Ling Jiawei.

"Lord Lin, you can't just come to the Crown Prince's residence to arrest people without distinguishing right from wrong."

"Don't I know the facts? This man hit my daughter, isn't that a fact? Don't try to protect him just because he's your older brother. If you push this far, I'll deal with you too."

Lin Xingliang's arrogant words displeased Lan Zhi. Her face darkened, and she replied:

"Please clarify the facts, Lord Lin. It was Miss Lin who hit my elder brother first and then verbally insulted me. My elder brother only resorted to violence in a moment of desperation."

"Hmph, no matter the reason, he shouldn't have hit a woman. For that alone, I can punish him."

“If slapping someone is a crime, then Miss Lin should be punished the same as my brother.”

"you……"

Lin Xingliang's face turned ashen with anger, and he waved his hand dismissively.

"No matter what, my daughter can't have taken that slap for nothing. Guards, take her down."

"You can't take it."

Lan Zhi remained protective of Ling Jiawei. Ling Jiawei was timid to begin with, and seeing Lin Xingliang's dark face and his order to take him down, he was terrified and trembled with fear.

However, he also understood that the fault lay with him, and now Lan Zhi's position in the Crown Prince's residence was in jeopardy. He couldn't let Lan Zhi share the blame with him.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, took a step forward to stand in front of Lan Zhi, and looked directly at Lin Xingliang.

"I'm the one who did it, and I'm the one who hit him. Do whatever you want with me."

Seeing that Ling Jiawei still dared to stand up, Lin Xingliang was taken aback at first, then snorted.

"You've got guts, not letting a woman shield you. Since you dared to stand up, I won't make things difficult for you. Now kneel down and kowtow three times to my daughter, then slap yourself ten times, and this matter will be settled. Otherwise, you'll come with me to Shuntian Prefecture for trial."

This……