Chapter 780: The Karmic Bond Between Gu Dashu and Lin Miss Has Ended

At Old Mrs. Su’s birthday banquet, Miss Lin occasionally overheard Su Chengji’s conversation with a servant and learned that Old Mrs. Su wanted to arrange for the Second Miss Lin to marry Su Chengmin.

Seizing the opportunity, she pretended to be unwell. Mrs. Lin, who always treated the concubine-born daughter as her own, let her biological daughter, the Second Miss Lin, accompany her sister.

In an empty room, Miss Lin dismissed her sister’s maid and, together with her own maid, colluded with the maid by Old Mrs. Su’s side to drug the Second Miss Lin’s tea.

Man Er, who was sneaking around Su Mansion behind the adults’ backs, discovered the unconscious Second Miss Lin in the pavilion and hurried back to call for help, running into Su Qing.

Su Qing, a former official’s daughter, immediately realized that the Second Miss Lin had been drugged when she saw her.

So she helped the Second Miss Lin out and instructed Man Er to find Mrs. Min.

Mrs. Min arranged for someone to place the Second Miss Lin in a safe place until she regained consciousness.

"...Manager Tong, I’ve pitied the Second Young Lady for growing up motherless, raising her on my knee. I have a clear conscience in my treatment of her. Whatever the Second Young Lady has, she also has, and sometimes I would even rather wrong the Second Young Lady than her. I really don’t know where I went wrong, for her to hate me and the Second Young Lady so much."

Mrs. Lin came to thank Tong Huaqiong at her home.

As Miss Lin’s plot against the Second Miss Lin was already known to Tong Huaqiong, there was no need to hide anything.

She still couldn’t understand why the concubine-born daughter she nurtured as her own hated her to such an extent.

Thinking of Miss Lin’s hatred towards her, her eyes nearly tearing her apart, made her chills and fear.

Raising a concubine-born daughter as her own for so many years, only to raise a venomous snake.

This venomous snake usually appeared gentle and innocent but lurked in the shadows, ready to strike at her and the Second Miss Lin.

"It was only after the incident that I realized how much she hated me. I wonder when she became fond of my nephew. My nephew got married this year, and she resented me for not seeing through her intentions and proposing to my sister-in-law for her. Regardless of my nephew only seeing her as a sister and the importance of mutual affection in marriage matters, is it wrong for my sister-in-law not to agree to marry her off?"

Mrs. Lin, heartbroken, confided in front of Tong Huaqiong without fearing to expose family shame.

As she spoke, her eyes became wet.

The marriage was just a trigger.

She was embarrassed to say that Miss Lin accused her of raising a concubine-born daughter for the sake of her reputation, using her as a showpiece.

Mrs. Lin originally planned to secure a marriage for Miss Lin, with the nephew of her maternal family’s second sister-in-law’s family.

Her second sister-in-law’s family were scholarly people, the family simple, and their tradition righteous, and Miss Lin would manage the household upon entering.

Even outsiders couldn’t find fault with the marriage, yet Miss Lin was dissatisfied, feeling it fell short compared to her maternal family’s Marquis Mansion.

She cried and questioned Mrs. Lin, if her second sister took a liking to her cousin, would she persuade her maternal family to marry her sister to her cousin to become the Madam of the Marquis Mansion?

Mrs. Lin was infuriated by this statement.

"I heard that back then, Prince Ning intended to choose our family’s daughter as the legitimate consort. Grandmother was inclined to choose me, yet you persuaded father to refuse her. Later, the second cousin became the legal consort. People say Prince Ning might become the emperor. You simply didn’t want me to become an empress and overshadow my second sister. Now, the Fifth Prince is selecting a consort, and I hear father intends to marry my second sister to him. Why can my sisters enjoy the glory and wealth of marrying into the royal family, yet I cannot?"

Miss Lin tearfully accused Mrs. Lin of favoritism.

At that moment, Mrs. Lin completely gave up on this concubine-born daughter.

All she saw was the glory and wealth of the royal family, unaware that the royal family would devour one whole.

The previous Crown Princess was a close friend Mrs. Lin watched grow up. Yet, her life ended in youth following the Crown Prince’s demise. If she had married into a well-off common family, she would probably be enjoying the familial joy of children around her knees now.

The late consort of Prince Ning, married less than three years before passing away, was said to have been chosen by Prince Ning to project an image of not vying for power.

Once the Crown Prince died, Prince Ning’s ambitions were exposed. To consolidate power, the without-background first consort had to make way.

Back then, when Prince Ning proposed to marry the Lin Family’s daughter, the old lady in the Lin Family did want to marry Miss Lin to Prince Ning, but Mrs. Lin vehemently opposed it.

Much like this time, fervently opposing the Second Miss Lin marrying the Fifth Prince.

The second cousin Miss Lin mentioned didn’t truly wish to marry Prince Ning, but her parents, eager for wealth, feared losing the chance and rushed to marry her into the Prince Ning Mansion as a successor.

Now the second cousin is the legal consort, seemingly enjoying glory and wealth, but life is not easy.

The mansion is full of concubines and maids, requiring domestic battles and struggles for favor, exhausting herself for her parents’ honor; fearing the day Prince Ning may fall from power like the late Crown Prince, losing everything.

Such a life, what’s so good about it?

Moreover, Miss Lin was not particularly clever, marrying into the royal family or prominent families couldn’t navigate smoothly, only waiting for mistreatment.

Mrs. Lin always thought for Miss Lin, only to find out all her efforts were in vain.

Miss Lin, hating her legitimate mother, sought to destroy her mother’s beloved daughter in revenge.

Since Miss Lin returned kindness with enmity, Mrs. Lin severed her mother-daughter bond with her.

Miss Lin’s malicious conduct, seeking to poison her sister and tarnish her reputation, is unacceptable in any family.

Mrs. Lin was not without her means.

Since Miss Lin dreamt of marrying into a better family, Mrs. Lin did the opposite, betrothing her to a low-ranking and mediocre official.

Next year, she would follow her husband, assigned elsewhere, far from Shengjing, to live in a desolate and backward small city in the northwest.

This move for Miss Lin couldn’t be more harsh.

Tong Huaqiong said, "There must be a predestined relationship between people. If Miss Lin treats you like this, it’s not your problem with how you raised her. Some people are born ingrates. They take your kindness for granted, and if you don’t meet their expectations, they hold grudges and forget all your goodness."

"As long as you have a clear conscience, that’s all that matters."

What’s worse is returning kindness with enmity like Miss Lin.

With Miss Lin’s engagement, Tong Huaqiong wanted to say ’Amitabha.’

In a previous life, Miss Lin married Gu Dashu, and their ill-fated relationship harmed many.

In this life, Miss Lin and Gu Dashu had no interaction.

In Tong Dajiao’s memory, she didn’t know how Miss Lin and Gu Dashu connected, but she recalled the Lin family sacrificing a concubine-born daughter to win over Gu Jingzhe, the new powerful figure.

Now, it might not be the case.

Could it be that in a previous life, after failing to scheme against the Second Miss Lin and being ostracized by the family, Miss Lin colluded with Gu Dashu?

Tong Huaqiong’s words comforted Mrs. Lin a lot.

"By the way, what about your little granddaughter and the maid from that day?"

Mrs. Lin inquired about Man Er and Su Qing.

Were it not for those two, the Second Miss Lin would have been ruined.

Tong Huaqiong had Man Er and Su Qing called to meet Mrs. Lin.

The Second Miss Lin, Lin Wan, who had been quietly sitting beside Mrs. Lin, smiled upon seeing Man Er and Su Qing.

Man Er dutifully saluted Mrs. Lin.

Mrs. Lin took Man Er’s hand, moved to the point of nearly shedding tears.