“Don’t be afraid, Xiang’er, it will happen in the twinkling of an eye. You and I will meet your mother and brother on the way to the underworld.”

Innocent as his child was, Zhu Qiyun could only sigh helplessly.

In his heart, he could not help but begin to waver.

“Since this is the case, let’s send Miss Zhu on her way.”

Zhu Qiyun had thought that perhaps Lin Mengya’s heart would soften given she was a woman.

Never would he expect her to be so hard-hearted. There was completely no hesitation on her part.

“Dad! Dad! Xiang’er is scared! Xiang’er is scared!”

As two strong-looking servants lifted the little girl who was around seven years old, Zhu Qiyun looked on and his heart broke.

Instantly, his face was covered with his tears.

“Please spare my daughter! Please spare her! Xiang’er, my Xiang’er!”

Zhu Qiyun was trying to break free from the few men restraining him. Unfortunately, his aged body was not strong enough for him to break free from these young men’s hold.

He looked on as one of the servants pried open Zhu Xiang’er’s mouth and was about to feed the red poisonous pill to his daughter without mercy.

The Zhu Qiyun at this moment finally yielded.

“Your Highness! I admit my mistake. I’m willing to serve Your Highness! Please spare my daughter!”

Zhu Qiyun finally gave in and submitted to Lin Mengya. With a wave of her hand, the servant immediately put the pill back on the plate.

“Lord Zhu, if you’ve known this would happen, why did you have to go through all that? Men, bring Miss Zhu away and see that she’s not slighted.”

Zhu Xiang’er, who had been scared out of her wits, did not know where she was going.

Struggling and screaming, she was eventually being led out of the storeroom for logs.

As Zhu Qiyun looked at his daughter’s tear-streaked face, he knew at this moment that the destiny of the Zhus was no longer in their own hands. Zhu Qiyun seemed to have aged a decade at that instant.

“Xiang’er, my Xiang’er… Your Highness, I’ve never yielded to anyone my entire life. My only hope is that you’ll keep to your promise and not make things difficult for my daughter!”

While Zhu Qiyun was willing to exchange his son for a brighter future, he could not bear to do the same with his daughter.

Lin Mengya could tell that there was something fishy in this.

Since now that he was under her control, it was up to her what she wanted him to do.

“Naturally I won’t make things difficult for your daughter. However, something puzzles me. If you couldn’t bear to lose your daughter, why then did you sacrificed your son in order to frame me?”

At Lin Mengya’s words, Zhu Qiyun dazed for a moment.

It appeared that he did not understand what she meant.

Unless…

“Were you not the one who beat my son to death? He didn’t manage to survive his injuries. Your Highness, why would you raise this again to torment me given that I’m already your captive?”

Zhu Qiyun appeared outraged and did not seem to be putting on an act.

“Lord Zhu, be it Prince Yu, Prince Shen, or myself, do you think any of us would behave in such an imprudent way? Although it was true that your son spoke rude words to me, why would I invite trouble when I just arrived at the old capital? At that time, your son appeared to be only suffering some external injuries. If he had taken half a year to rest and recuperate, he would fully recover. If not for your ruthless action, there would be an additional corpse among the Zhus.”

Lin Mengya’s words were extremely bitter to take in. Even Zhu Qiyun’s expression at this moment was downcast.

However, whether Zhu Qiyun’s son was truly killed by his own father was no longer important now.

“Come in.”

Before Lin Mengya finished speaking, some men came into the room carrying a few white porcelain urns.

“These urns contain the ashes of your family members. I’m limited in what I can do, Lord Zhu. The governor of the old capital had haphazardly cremated the bodies together in order to wrap up the case. This is all my men could salvage. Oh yes, all the furniture in your house had been confiscated. The three of you are all that’s left of the Zhu Family. Do look out for yourself, Lord Zhu.”

Lin Mengya was in no hurry to raise her intention to work together with Zhu Qiyun. Moreover, she still needed to take her time in reaching a decision concerning this matter.

Moreover, in the old capital, there were many pairs of eyes watching her at this moment.

If would be impossible to keep things hidden from their eyes if she were to take any action.

Even if Zhu Qiyun was willing to cooperate with her, this sharp weapon should only be used in the right place.

She turned to leave, leaving someone more suitable to settle their accommodation.

Given that she had taken Zhu Xiang’er, she supposed Zhu Qiyun and Zhu Jiajing would not take their own lives so easily.

These few days were going to be crucial for both Long Tianyu’s and her injuries. More importantly, Zuo Qiuyu would be participating in the medical competition at the Pavilion of Herbs for the chief elder’s selection.

These important matters weighed down on her and it would definitely drain her to some extent.

“Your Highness, the lass couldn’t stop crying. She’s making a big fuss about wanting to see her family members. How should we deal with her, Your Highness…”

The moment Lin Mengya returned to her courtyard, an old maid came up to her to make a report to her.

From the look, the old maid was being put in a difficult situation. Because of the little girl’s status, no one could beat her or scold her to make her yield.

After a moment of hesitation, Lin Mengya followed the old maid to the room where Zhu Xiang’er was detained.

Before they even entered the room, Lin Mengya could hear the lass’s heart-wrenching wails.

Lin Mengya furrowed her brows at the cries.

She was not used to dealing with children.

“Go away, all of you! I want to see my father! I want to see my mother! Go away, you’re all bad people, go away!”

For a child of seven to eight years old to go through such an ordeal, she must have suffered greatly.

After all, she was the daughter of the Zhus? Because of the selfish ambitions of the previous generation, she had been implicated.

Fortunately, Lin Mengya was not an evil and ferocious person, otherwise, the lass would not dare to throw a tantrum.

Lin Mengya stood by the door as she at the floor covered with pieces of broken porcelain and a cold look flashed across her eyes.

“Men, pick up the broken pieces. Make a proper count of them. For every broken piece, her father will receive a whip on his body.”

Lin Mengya’s calm voice put a stop to Zhu Xiang’er’s wailing immediately.

She gazed at Lin Mengya with her large watery eyes, now filled with fear. She was fearful that this terrifying woman would employ other means on her.

“You, you let my father and cousin go free! You’re a bad woman!”

Although the little girl of seven to eight years old was not big in her stature, she was not considered petite among her peers.

She charged towards Lin Mengya and lifted her small fist in an attempt to punch Lin Mengya’s body.

“If you dare lay a finger on me, I will repay it on your father ten-fold.”

How like Lin Mengya! She maintained her threatening mannerism even when facing a little child.

Zhu Xiang’er’s fist stopped in the air and she glared at Lin Mengya with hatred in her eyes. However, she finally calmed down when Lin Mengya looked at her with indifference in her eyes.

“Sit down.”

Circumventing the pieces of broken porcelain, Lin Mengya sat down gracefully by the table in the room.

Zhu Xiang’er glared at Lin Mengya with hatred, paused to think, and eventually followed behind Lin Mengya and sat down across from her.

“Do you hate me?”

Zhu Xiang’er nodded. Even the most detestable old maid back home was a hundred times better than the woman in front of her.

“Do you understand what hatred means? Zhu Xiang’er, do you know why I have saved only you out of all your sisters?”

Zhu Xiang’er was stunned by Lin Mengya’s question, but soon she get the answer to that question from Lin Mengya.

“It’s because you’re the smartest of all your sister. However, the smart one always meets with a tragic end. You may not understand what I’m saying now, but if the daughter Zhu Qiyun begot from a lowly maid could become his favorite, I suppose you must be somewhat exceptional.”

The information concerning Zhu Xiang’er was recorded clearly to the tiniest details within the Shen Nung System.

Although her stature was like a seven to eight-year-old child, she was in fact already ten years old.

Moreover, she was begotten through a lowly maid who lit the fire in the kitchen.

She was able to recite poems when she was five and by eight years old, she was already helping Lord Zhu with making some decisions and managing the household.

Subsequently, Zhu Qiyun treated her like the apple of his eye and would always bring her along on his trips.

Compared to any child who only knew to throw tantrums, Zhu Xiang’er would be of much more use.

“What are you, you planning to do?”

Lin Mengya had expected Zhu Xiang’er to be much more mature than her peers.

However, the fact that Zhu Xiang’er had calmed down so quickly, and was soon wearing a composed expression on her face, made Lin Mengya rather curious.

“What I plan to do is so simple that I’m sure your father would be able to help me achieve it. However, Zhu Xiang’er, you are no longer the daughter of some rich family given that the Zhu Family had been destroyed. Please bear in mind that the tears of an intelligent woman are the most formidable weapon. On the contrary, the tears of a foolish woman could speed up her own destruction. Remember your enmity with me. If you’re able to survive what is to come, I will wait for you to revenge on me.”

Lin Mengya left Zhu Xiang’er, who did not fully grasp what was going on.

Given she was an intelligent little girl, Lin Mengya believed she would not throw anymore tantrums with what happened as a deterrent.

By the time Lin Mengya returned to her little courtyard, the moon was already hanging in the sky.

“Finally you’re back, my sister. Long Tianyu would starve me to death if you’re still not back.”

The moment she stepped through the door of the room, Zuo Qiuyu turned to her and looked pathetic.

The table was covered with plates of mouth-watering dishes, but both Long Tianyu and Zuo Qiuyu straightened their clothes and sat up properly.

It was as if those dishes were a memorial to the throne. They looked rather funny.

“Have you not eaten?”

When she sat down by the table, someone quickly passed her a bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Immediately, Zuo Qiuyu nodded vigorously and his eyes lit up. Obviously, he was famished.

“Alright, let’s eat. Start eating, Long Tianyu.”

In response, Long Tianyu nodded slightly. In a natural way, he used his chopsticks to pick up some of Lin Mengya’s favorite dishes and put them into her bowl.

With Long Tianyu by her side, caring for her sweetly and Zuo Qiuyu nagging by her ear, it was as if she had extricated herself from the palace which was full of factions and deceit. It was as if they were a common family having their meal around the table.