Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

Lin Wantang cursed angrily in her heart, and her face became even colder.

With a flick of her sleeve, she decisively declared, "Lead the way! I will definitely go and 'give her a good talking-to'!"

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Yong'an anxiously stopped Lin Wantang, saying, "Sister, you... you must be careful. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Lin Wantang, her mind in turmoil, was about to shake her head when she stopped, then gripped Yong'an's hand tightly and whispered, "There really is. I'd appreciate it if the Princess could send a trustworthy person to the Grand Tutor's residence immediately to inform my father of this matter."

Lin Rucong was shrewd and calculating, having thought things through for many years. He knew exactly how to handle this little storm.

Yong'an nodded and watched Lin Wantang leave with the little eunuch. She hurriedly called her personal maid and, while giving her instructions, also asked the maid to inform Wei Wujiu to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Before long, the sedan chair arrived at the East Palace.

Since Shen Huai'an was still under house arrest and did not need to receive guests, Lin Wantang skipped the pretense of paying her respects and went directly to the palace behind the side hall, led by a eunuch.

The rows of houses were arranged in a staggered manner, but they were all residences for palace servants.

One of the rooms had a musty, damp smell that hit you as soon as you opened the door.

"This shabby place is an injustice to Miss..." the young eunuch said, bowing, then turned around and immediately barked arrogantly, "You lowly servant, Lin! Hurry up and pay your respects to Miss Lin!"

"Haha..."

A maniacal laugh erupted first.

The young eunuch glared at her, then strode forward, dragged Lin Qinglian away, and forced her to kneel. "You ungrateful wretch! Who do you think you are?!"

Only then did Lin Wantang see Lin Qinglian clearly. Stripped of her fine clothes and golden crown, she had been worn down to the point of being neither human nor ghost in just a few days. She looked like a crazy, disheveled madwoman.

"You dog servant! Who do you think you are?" Lin Qinglian, defiant and fearless, struggled to her feet, not forgetting to slap the little eunuch across the face: "Open your dog eyes and see clearly! No matter how lowly I am, I am still His Highness the Crown Prince's concubine! A lady of the court!"

These words seemed to be said intentionally for Lin Wantang to hear.

Lin Qinglian was filled with boundless rage and hatred. Her bloodshot eyes blazed red as she snarled viciously, "You want to humiliate me? You dare!"

The young eunuch gritted his teeth and tried to raise his arm to hit someone, but Lin Wantang stopped him and told him to step back.

After the young eunuch bowed and retreated to the door, Lin Qinglian laughed even more wildly and fearlessly. Looking at Lin Wantang's embroidered robes and snow fox fur coat, and at her black hair and the hair ornaments and jewelry she wore, she laughed even more maniacally, her eyes filled with tears.

It wasn't about seeking sympathy, but rather an extreme anger stemming from jealousy.

"Are you happy now? Are you satisfied? Hahaha... Seeing me like this, aren't you very smug? But why? Lin Wantang, what right do you have?!"

"Just because we weren't born of the same mother, you're the eldest legitimate daughter, showered with love and care, while what about me? I'm a lowly illegitimate daughter! But we're clearly the same age! I also share the surname Lin!"

Lin Wantang said coldly, without any expression: "Don't you know? Your surname isn't Lin."

Lin Qinglian was taken aback, not expecting that Lin Wantang had known about the mystery of her background without her even noticing.

Looking at her frozen face, Lin Wantang pressed her advantage and said, "You are the illegitimate child born from your mother Chen Huaiyu's affair with a servant. You originally had no connection with the Lin family. It was my father's kindness and consideration for Chen Huaiyu's hardships that led him to reluctantly acknowledge you and give you the surname..."

"Shut up!" Lin Qinglian couldn't stand this kind of talk: "You're spouting nonsense!"

Lin Wantang saw through her and wouldn't let her have her way: "Your father generously allowed you to live a life of plenty for sixteen years, but what did you do? You repaid kindness with enmity, truly a bastard!"

The words were vicious and filled with hostility.

However, these few words pale in comparison to the way Lin Qinglian treated her in her previous life—his domineering attitude, his sarcastic remarks, his deliberate targeting and framing, and his endless humiliation and trampling.

"I told you to shut up!" Lin Qinglian frantically covered her ears with her hands, her face contorted in pain. "Lin Wantang, why did you say these things! You wicked whore..."

As she continued her angry outburst, Lin Qinglian tried to lunge forward to slap her, but Lin Wantang grabbed her wrist and delivered a heavy slap to her face!

"The truly ruthless, disgusting, and vicious person is you, Lin Qinglian."

Lin Wantang moved her wrists, feeling the pain in her palms, her fingertips as cold as ice. "You brought this upon yourself."

Lin Qinglian fell to the ground, ignoring the pain in her anger, and tried to struggle to get up, but Lin Wantang kicked her down and looked down at her condescendingly: "The Lin family does indeed have an imperial edict bestowed by the founding emperor, but you are not worthy to use it."

Not to mention that Lin Qinglian has committed numerous evils and is not even a member of the Lin family by blood, even if we take a step back and assume that Lin Qinglian's crimes are so minor, is it really necessary for Lin Rucong to bring out the imperial edict to exonerate her?

Making a mountain out of a molehill is counterproductive.

That iron certificate is the Lin family's life-saving and death-exempt token. It must never be used unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, what will happen when Lin Yasong's affair is exposed? What will happen when the crime is so heinous that it will lead to the extermination of nine generations of the family?

"You... what do you want to do?" Lin Qinglian struggled in vain, staring at Lin Wantang in a disheveled and ferocious manner, a sense of unease creeping into her heart: "Lin Wantang, get this straight! What have I ever done to you?"

"You were the one who publicly broke off the engagement and refused to become His Highness's concubine! If you're not going to be the Crown Princess, it's better to be me than someone else. We've been sisters for so many years, after all. In any other way, have I ever harmed you?"

This is what Lin Qinglian can't understand the most. She has long harbored resentment towards Lin Wantang and has wanted to surpass Lin Wantang in every way, but she has only been planning and has not yet put it into action.

"Yeah?"

Lin Wantang coldly retorted, "Have you forgotten that you tried to frame me for pushing you into the pond at the East Palace flower viewing banquet? Or have you forgotten that you tried to cause me to miscarry at the palace banquet?"

No need to go back to the previous life, just in this life alone, Lin Qinglian did have plans to harm Lin Wantang, but she managed to evade them by countering each move.

Lin Qinglian was speechless, her fierce exterior masking her underlying arrogance: "Get out! Get out of here! Whether or not to use the imperial edict is not up to you! Nor is it something Father can decide! It's up to us!"

She was certain that if she made an even bigger scene, the emperor, who was already seriously ill, would be extremely annoyed and would definitely want to find an opportunity to take away the Lin family's imperial edict. Rather than waiting until a serious crime was committed, the emperor would naturally prefer Lin Qinglian's current crime.

Lin Wantang gave a cool, curt smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You've got a good idea, but will I satisfy you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she made her move—