Moreover, the truth would be revealed anyway, just like no matter how gently Shangguan Qing had treated her in front of others; Lin Mnegya wouldn’t believe that woman’s nonsense even when she was clouded in mind.
For so many years, even if her father and elder brother had not been around, their worry and love of her had been genuine. The secret between the two for many years had finally come to a quite good ending.
Although Lin Nansheng felt guilty about his sister, more importantly, he was thinking about how to compensate his sister for so many years of a hard life.
Of course, Lin Mengya wouldn’t allow herself to suffer in vain. Shangguan Qing was just a tool and the person behind her was the culprit of everything. “Brother, you’ve lived in the mansion these days. Have you found anything wrong with them?” Lin Mengya asked thoughtfully.
After all, Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu were not good people. She had greatly disgraced the mother and daughter before.
If Shangguan Qing and her daughter could put up with it, Lin Mengya would have to wonder if they had been replaced by her aunt. “They don’t dare. Our father and I replaced all the servants in the yard. Her confidants were all sent to the outer yard to do rough work. It is just that – Madam Qing has not felt very well these days, and Lin Mengwu asked a doctor to see her. This doctor is also a frequent visitor to our mansion. He is innocent and there will be no problem.”
Lin Nansheng held the tea cup, recalling all the things about Shangguan Qing and her daughter in the past few days.
He had sent his men to guard them day and night, so basically, it would not easy for the two to collude with outsiders. “A frequent visitor to our mansion, there is naturally no problem. However, we can’t be too careful in this matter. I offended the empress again, and she probably hates my guts now. Anyway, Shangguan Qing is our stepmother, and I think the empress will use Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu to make a fuss.”
This time, she had successfully exchanged Jingyue for Concubine De because of Long Tianyu’s through plan.
Soon, the empress would know that the bargaining chip she had been using to pin down the emperor and imprison Concubine De had a little problem.
Despite the forbearance of the empress, she would probably lose her temper. She and Long Tianyu would be the first to bear the brunt of the empress’ anger.
But she was looking forward to the day of confrontation with the empress.
“No matter what she will do, you and Prince Yu must be careful. By the way, there is one more thing I need to give you a little warning.”
Lin Nansheng spoke very seriously, and there was something that he wasn’t supposed to tell Long Tianyu. Fortunately, his sister was a courageous and strategic woman.
“Don’t rush to take over the position of the crown prince, at least not yet. A few days ago, a few highly respected seniors in the court even jointly signed a letter, hoping to oust the crown prince. But I heard our father mention that these seniors were former subordinates of Shangguan Lei. Even though it was fifty years ago, it should not be underestimated. You should remember who Shangguan Lei is.”
Shangguan Lei? She was automatically searching for information about the man in her mind.
Part of the reason for the difficulty of the emperor’s leadership in this dynasty was that his father, the late emperor, had distributed the most important military power to several clans.
This was not a bad thing. At least the deconcentration of military power would reduce the chance of being rebelled and driven out of the palace for the emperor.
However, in a country, it was a real power to control the military power.
Therefore, at that time, all the military power of the country was in the hands of a few people.
Among them, there was the senior general Shangguan Lei. Shangguan Lei was awe-inspiring. Lin Mengya knew that he must have appealed to the emperor himself, so he had managed to marry his daughter Shangguan Qing to her father soon after her mother’s death.
The emperor had certainly agreed to his request to win him over, but it was also a compromise to the meritorious statesman. “Didn’t he go to the temple to meditate? Why, is he coming back now and taking charge of the Shangguan family again?”
Lin Mengya certainly hoped that Shangguan Lei would not come back.
But her brother’s face was solemn. It seemed that there was something beyond her expectation. “That’s not the case. It’s just that he went back to the Shangguan family to celebrate the New Year a few days ago. However, in March of the previous years, Shangguan Lei would go back to the temple. But this time, he is still staying at home now. Although he is said to be unwell and stay at home for a few days to rest. But you have to know that, though the Shangguan family is now managed by Madam Qing’s father, it is the old man who gives orders. A few days ago, he sent someone to bring me a letter. It said that he wanted to invite his granddaughter and great-granddaughter over to have a chat. I declined his invitation because Madam Qing was unwell. However, with his personality, I’m afraid that he won’t give up so easily.”
The solemnity on Lin Nansheng’s face made Lin Mengya have to pay attention to the news. The current reputation of the crown prince was mixed. It could be said that their efforts over the past year had shaken the crown prince’s good reputation that he had accumulated in the past two decades.
She had even secretly instructed the people of Sanjue Hall to use various entertainment methods to spread the news of the crown prince’s immorality. However, the people of Sanjue Hall had done it very covertly, so naturally, no one had noticed it.
Unexpectedly, the Shangguan family had invited Shangguan Lei back to take charge of everything.
As soon as he came back, it had just made them a little bit at a loss.
They were trying to acclaim Long Tianyu as the crown prince? It was clearly putting Long Tianyu on the spot!
“I understand what you mean. The prince and I will keep a low profile for a while. Besides, Concubine De has just been awarded the title of Imperial Noble Consort Dehui, and has become more important. Even the old man of the Shangguan family has to think twice about it. Brother, thank you for telling me this news. I’m sorry you have to live with those two ill-intentioned women.”
Home should be the warmest harbor for a man. For example, the Liuxin Courtyard was now the place where she felt warm and safe.
Besides, there were people and animals she cared much about here. Therefore, every time she came back here from the outside, she would feel the comfort of being at home.
But now, her brother’s home had become a battlefield. He had to fight the enemies, and couldn’t relax for even a moment.
No wonder, she felt that her brother had lost a lot of weight. No one could get relaxed under such circumstances. “Silly girl, what are you talking about? Don’t worry about me. I will take care of myself.”
Lin Nansheng stood up and subconsciously touched the top of his sister’s head, just like when they were children, so gentle and pampering. “Brother, I am not a kid anymore!”
Lin Mengya pursed her lips, stretched out her hand, and gently knocked off his brother’s hand. At this time Hongyu came over with a tray with various fancy pastries that had been specially brought by Lin Nansheng to Lin Mengya.
Lin Mengya was a little bit emotional while watching Hongyu put the cakes in order.
These things had used to be the delicacy that Sister Yue Ting had brought her every month.
Since the memorial tablet of Yue Ting was placed in the ancestral hall, she hadn’t often paid visits there. “Brother, do you still think about Sister Yue Ting? Anyway, I have been thinking of her a lot recently. But now, apart from the hatred I’ve felt for those who had destroyed her, I feel more than ever that she must be a fairy from heaven. She is not suitable for such a filthy world, so God was so cruel to her and asked her to leave to us so early.”
From her last life to the present, Lin Mengya had seen too many people.
As a doctor, she must have a cold heart, because the patients would appear in various kinds of pain. If she were too emotional, it would probably affect her judgment and treatment because of a momentary mood swing.
Moreover, she had experienced too much of the dark side of human nature.
However, only Yue Ting had been always so gentle and shy, but she could stand in front of her in a critical moment desperately.
She had the cleanest and purest soul in the world. “I… will miss her too.”
Lin Nansheng lowered his head and took a sip of tea, which made her unable to see the expression on his face.
But there was one thing Lin Mengya could hear from his forced calm tone. She shook her head. Why were all the members of their Lin family so committed?
Their father had fought against the world for their mother. Now it seemed she and her brother were as determined as their father, and they would fight against the world for their beloved ones. It was just that, compared with her father’s past and her present, her brother’s future would be really painful.
“We were born in this family in this country. We had no choice. I used to think that I was special and I could ignore these deep-rooted rules. But I found that I was wrong. Brother, our father loved our mother so deeply, but in the end, he still had to marry Shangguan Qing and have a daughter with her. Do you think we will do whatever we want in the future?”
After saying this, Lin Mengya only felt anguished. She was trying to persuade both her bother and herself.
Her brother was an outstanding man, and his only fiancée had passed away.
He would certainly become the target of those who wanted to win him over.
He might as well find a woman who couldn’t get his love but could respect him for a lifetime rather than marring a secret agent wife because of the emperor’s compromise.
At least that way, her brother would have a breathing space in this world. “I understand, and you don’t need to say more. It’s just I have to wait for another year. Ting’er had waited for me for so many years, but it has just been one year since she was gone. I’ll leave it to you. But what I can offer is nothing more than a stable life for my future wife for one lifetime.”
The bitterness in Lin Nansheng’s tone made Lin Mengya very sad.
It was not that she was cruel, but that there was something that couldn’t be delayed.
