"Elder sister... elder sister..., it's all a misunderstanding."

All of Lin Mengwu's rage had evaporated, especially when she saw the bruises on Hongyu's pretty face.

"Now are you aware that you've made a mistake?"

Lin Mengya's voice was loud and clear as if it were the voice of Yama, and it immediately plunged Jiang Ruin and Lin Mengya into shock and fear.

"Your Highness, the Princess, I'm done with the twenty strikes. Would you like me to continue?"

The maid meting out the punishment said with hesitation.

Hongyu had ridden on the fact that she was a gift from King Ming to Prince Yu and acted as if she were the master of the house in everything.

Even Princess Yu did not behave in this way, so the maid had no reservations in using all her strength.

"I think this is enough for today. I don't care whether it was she or the two of you. Whoever stirs up nonsense in the mansion will be dealt with without hesitation, regardless of whether you're one part of our family."

In the past, she was clearly aware of how these two ladies had created much chaos in the mansion.

She had tolerated with that until the opportunity arose today for her to teach them a lesson.

Now was the opportunity time.

Despite Jiang Ruqin and Lin Mengwu being unhappy about what had happened, they did not dare to defy Lin Mengya on the surface.

"From today onwards, I don't want to see the two of you getting into any discord and stirring up any trouble in the mansion."

Lin Mengya, being in command, looked down on Hongyu's pretty face to see that she was looking back at her with a pair of vicious eyes like a viper coiling around her.

Suddenly, Lin Mengya burst out laughing. She had never been bothered about this woman.

"I don't know your purpose of coming to Prince Yu's Mansion. However, if you mean any harm to the prince, I won't be so kind to you."

Lin Mengya seemed to be able to thoroughly see through her and read her mind.

She recoiled as fear overwhelmed her hatred towards Lin Mengya. Could she...?

No, that was impossible!

If Lin Mengya knew the plan, it would be too terrifying!

"That's it, you're all dismissed. There's nothing more to watch here."

She turned to go back to Liuxin Courtyard, followed by her maid, while the three ladies were left to themselves.

"Is she really my sister?"

At this moment, Lin Mengwu was feeling very perturbed.

Even her mother was not as ruthless as Lin Mengya when the maid in her house misbehaved.

This was terrifying! Very terrifying!

The three ladies looked into each other's eyes and they were all having the same thoughts.

This sister of hers was no longer the weak and gullible girl in her memory!

"Third Elder Brother, is it wise to let Third Sister-in-law behave like that?"

In Long Tianhao's study, Long Qinghan was talking to his Third Elder Brother and shaking his head after Steward Deng reported to them what just happened.

"What do you think is inappropriate?"

Long Tianhao was wearing an indifferent expression on his face as usual. He seemed totally unperturbed by the incident.

"You and I both know that King Ming had something up his sleeves when he gifted us with that beauty. We have accepted his gift quietly so we could uncover his ploy. Wouldn't Third Sister-in-law be inadvertently alerted the enemy in this way?"

Long Qinghan, who was rarely so serious, was looking severe on his face.

Although he and Hu Tianbei were good friends, he knew about King Ming's selfish intentions. They knew this in their hearts although they did not voice it out.

"Don't worry, that wouldn't happen. In fact, what she did today might as well drive them into desperate action."

Long Tianhao knew Lin Mengwu too well, given they have known each other for such a long time.

There was always a reason and purpose behind what she did. She would not have punished Hongyu out of a fit of anger for sure.

"I don't think so. No matter how intelligent a woman is, she will become very scary once she is jealous!"

Long Qinghan was back to his cheeky and playful self. He could definitely sense that his Third Elder Brother treated his Third Sister-in-law very differently from the other women.

Although he could not put a finger to what exactly it was, it did not simply appear to be just a romantic feeling between a man and a woman.

If this Third Elder Brother of his, who was as cold as ice were to give his heart to a woman---

God, this would be terrifying!

He shook his head in an attempt to shake off this ridiculous thought from his mind.

Long Qinghan tried to concentrate his attention on the thin piece of paper, which was a letter sitting on Long Tianhao's study table.

"Last year when the provisions for our troops was robbed by the enemies, father was so enraged but unable to find the culprit. We totally did not expect to stumble upon a lead after a year."

The letter contained the findings from the spy Long Tianhao had sent out earlier.

Those supplies for the troops were silver and gold supplied by the Ministry of Revenue. Although he had sent men to investigate all market transactions in the form of gold and silver, they were not able to find any trace of it.

Now a silversmith had come forward with this lead.

As Long Tianhao tried to digest this piece of information, a frown appeared on his forehead.

What happened was that the silversmith was casually chatting with a friend when he mentioned this secret place where they traded a huge amount of silver and gold.

However, the silver and gold had all been melted to be carried away, so he had no idea what the melted silver and gold would be molded into.

The interesting thing was that the words "Troop's provision" were engraved onto the silver and gold.

This silversmith was very fortunate to have an acquaintance in the government who let him off the hook, otherwise, he would be a heap of bones by now.

This huge amount of silver and gold was obvious the provisions for the troops which was lost, which was simply melted in this manner.

It was no wonder that he was unable to locate it at all.

"This silversmith is so lucky to not lose his life. Have you found him, Third Elder Brother?"

Long Tianhao shook his head and looked soberly, and he said,

"By the time my men found him, he was already breathing his last. Moreover, according to the spies, they were faced with obstruction by some mysterious people while they were following the silversmith, which was the reason they succeeded."

It would appear that they were not the only ones searching for the provisions for the troops.

He was certain that these people had also managed to discover this lead.

"In that case, this lead is lost then?"

Long Qinghan sighed. This lead was so hard to come by, and it was gone just like that. He supposed anyone would be greatly discouraged if this happened.

"Don't worry, if we continue to follow this lead, I believe we'll definitely find other leads."

Long Tianhao put the letter forcefully down onto the table and his handsome face turned severe.

The year before, Long Tianhao was in charge of sending food to the troops.

For this reason, he was rebuked by his father, the Emperor. He had to bear the consequences when he was being framed!

"You're right, Third Elder Brother. I'll go personally to check this out."

Long Tianhao, however, shook his head and said,

"There is no hurry to enter into the investigation at this moment. Don't forget that King Ming is still in the capital city. Last night, he, the Queen and the Crown Prince complemented each other. It's obvious that there has long been collusion between them."

Long Qinghan nodded. He could see that their pushing for marriage and convenience hinted at some kind of evil plot.

Moreover, this matter was intertwined with Third Sister-in-law. He supposed Third Elder Brother was going to be weighed down with this matter for a while.

He stole a glance at him and was secretly glad that he had not yet be married.

If every wife was as troublesome as Third Sister-in-law, he would rather stay single for his entire life.

Lin Mengya's approach was after all quite effective.

Since the day Hongyu was being punished, the three women had been on their best behavior.

As Lin Mengya enjoyed the peace and quiet in Liuxin Courtyard, she was back to her cooped-up life in the mansion.

However, Liuxin Courtyard was getting livelier.

"Sigh..."

Lin Mengya let out a sigh as she looked at Lin Zhongyu, Baizhia and Baiji fiddling with the flowers and plants in the garden.

"Why? Look at how you're brooding. Who had annoyed my lass? Tell me and I'll go get rid of whoever made you upset."

Lin Mengya rolled her eyes at this crazy lad who killed without blinking his eyes. She changed her posture but kept her eyes on the very lively Baizhi.

"Oh... I think I get it. You're worried about Baizhi, right?"

Qinghu came to a realization all of a sudden as he was handing a cup of warm milk to Lin Mengya.

He was maturing normally and steady after the poison in his body which stunted his growth was completely purged.

He was now a handsome twenty-five-year-old young man. The seductive look between his eyes had almost faded completely, although there was still a remnant that stayed with him in his nature.

After all, the life he had accumulated over the years was not something he could shake off completely.

"Alright, how about you getting rid of King Ming's Crown Prince?"

Lin Mengya said as she rolled her eyes at Qinghu, and this made Qinghu burst laughing.

His laugh was a little too strange. Why would he laugh so hard over something so trivial?

"So I had guessed correctly. It was no wonder that you haven't had a good night's sleep for three consecutive nights. It's not difficult to get rid of him. Just you wait, I shall bring you his head."

To Qinghu, this was not a difficult task, but Lin Mengya took of a sip of the warm milk and said calmly,

"Alright, you may go ahead. By then, the entire capital city would be after you. I'll hand you over to the courts in exchange for a reward."

She looked Qinghu up and down from the corner of her eyes.

It was as if he was an extra-large bill than a person.

Being sized up in this manner by Lin Mengya, he quickly put his hand to his chest and looked at Lin Mengya as if she was some ruffian.

"You... what are you thinking of doing to me?"

He sounded so coy that Lin Mengya nearly choked on her milk.

This guy had no clue what shameless meant or how it was written.

"Should I tell her? Base on Baizhi's character, I'm afraid she would freak out if I tell her."

King Ming had sent his men over to push for this a few times by now.

Lin Mengya was expected to give them an answer soon.

She was well aware that Hu Tianbei had asked for her maid's hand because he had not found anyone among the daughters from the noble families he fancied.

Moreover, the daughters of the nobles or royals would have their powerful backing behind them.

Although Hu Tianbei may not be as hungry as his father, he was by no means unambitious.

He would not be contented being subordinated to someone else.

Rubbing her temple with her slender fingers, Baizhi was not someone she would easily sacrifice.

This was getting very troublesome.

"I say, just marry her off. Being the Crown Prince's princess is such a cool title."