That person rushed out so urgently that Baozhu instinctively positioned herself in front of Lin Hao. Even faster than Baozhu were the guards accompanying the carriage.

“Let me go!” the intercepted young woman shouted.

Lin Hao clearly saw the young woman’s appearance and frowned slightly. “Chang Qing?”

The person blocking her path was none other than Chang Qing, the illegitimate daughter born to Wen Rugui and his cousin-turned-concubine Chang Shi. No wait—she should be called Wen Qing now.

The moment Wen Qing saw that Lin Hao had recognized her, light burst forth in her eyes. “Second Sister, I have something urgent to discuss with you—”

The guard restraining her couldn’t help but glance toward Lin Hao upon hearing these words.

The instant Lin Hao heard “Second Sister,” her eyes turned to ice. She waved her hand, signaling the guard to release her.

Wen Qing rushed before Lin Hao, tears streaming down her face. “Second Sister, I beg you to save Father!”

“I only have one older sister, no younger sister. If you continue addressing me incorrectly, I’ll have the guards throw you out.” Lin Hao’s warning was cold.

Wen Qing’s crying voice caught in her throat. She raised her sleeve to wipe her tears and asked timidly, “Then what should I call you?”

Her appearance had inherited the best features of both parents—delicate and elegant, bearing two or three parts resemblance to Lin Hao. When she asked so meekly and vulnerably, to outsiders it would easily make Lin Hao appear overbearing and aggressive.

Fortunately, this was in front of the General’s Mansion, right next to Prince Jing’s residence. People from both households favored Lin Hao, and Lin Hao herself cared nothing for others’ gazes.

“You’re not a small child. Do you need others to teach you how to address people properly?” Lin Hao raised an eyebrow and turned to leave.

In truth, she couldn’t be bothered to say a single word to Wen Qing, but since Wen Qing had come seeking her out, this wasn’t something she could dismiss by avoiding it. If she ignored her, Wen Qing would likely go pester her older sister instead.

Her older sister was thin-skinned and soft-hearted. Once entangled by that family of four, the troubles would never end.

Wen Qing panicked and quickly called out, “Heir’s Consort, I beg you to save Father! Father is gravely ill, and we truly cannot afford to hire a physician!”

Lin Hao’s steps halted. She turned around. “So you’ve come to ask for money?”

Wen Qing choked, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face.

She hadn’t expected that someone of such status would speak so directly.

But thinking of her brother who was about to participate in the autumn provincial examination this year, she cast aside whatever feminine pride she had.

Her father, who did nothing but drown himself in alcohol daily, had fallen ill—and at such a time, no less. Once Father died, her brother would miss this year’s provincial examination due to the mourning period. For her and Mother, that would be nothing short of a catastrophic disaster.

Wen Qing suppressed her embarrassment as tears welled up. “Heir’s Consort, conflicts between elders should be resolved by the elders themselves. Regardless of everything else, he is still your father. I beg you to save him.”

Her tearful pleading caused passersby and neighboring residents to stop in their tracks or crane their necks. More and more people gathered to watch the spectacle.

Lin Hao frowned. “I haven’t said anything yet, and you’re already crying endlessly. Are you trying to use public opinion to pressure me?”

Wen Qing bit her lip.

Lin Hao looked at her aggrieved appearance and revealed an expression that was half-smile, half-mockery. “Don’t forget—you’re surnamed Wen, I’m surnamed Lin. What you think might affect me means nothing to me at all.”

“But, but Father is at death’s door…” Wen Qing’s tears fell again.

“How much do you need?” Lin Hao impatiently interrupted the other’s whimpering.

Wen Qing never expected Lin Hao to ask so straightforwardly. Caught off guard, she nearly choked.

“One, one hundred taels…” She boldly stated a figure.

Once upon a time, she too had thought one hundred taels was nothing. Father had been a Vice Minister—they had luxurious mansions, servants in abundance. Just a few pieces of jewelry for her and Mother had been worth more than one hundred taels.

After Father was dismissed from office and began drinking daily while her brother still needed funds for his studies, eating through their savings, those pieces of jewelry were pawned off one by one. The residences they rented grew smaller and smaller. Only then did she realize what an enormous sum one hundred taels was for ordinary families.

With this one hundred taels, they could not only save Father’s life, but also cover the expenses for her brother’s participation in the provincial examination.

“One hundred taels, you say—” Lin Hao’s lips curved slightly. “Baozhu, give her one hundred taels in banknotes.”

Wen Qing was stunned.

She was this agreeable? In that instant, she couldn’t help but regret not asking for more.

If she had asked for two hundred taels, the household would have been even more comfortable—

But the words had already left her mouth. Regret came too late. Wen Qing looked down at the banknote Baozhu had pressed into her hand, quickly tucked it into her bosom, muttered a word of thanks, and hurriedly departed.

Lin Hao’s expression remained calm as she turned and walked toward the General’s Mansion. At the entrance, she encountered Lin Shi directly.

“Ah Hao, that bastard’s daughter came looking for you?” Lin Shi grasped Lin Hao’s hand and looked outside, seeing only the gradually dispersing crowd of spectators.

“Mother, let’s go inside before we talk.”

Lin Shi held back until they entered the room, then immediately asked, “What did she want from you?”

“She said her father is ill and begged me for some medical expenses.”

“That bastard—it would be better if he died from illness!” Lin Shi slammed the table, her face flushing red with anger. “How does that bastard have the face to ask you for money? Ah Hao, did you give it to her?”

“I gave her one hundred taels.” Lin Hao picked up her teacup and drank several sips.

The tea’s fragrance was pure and refreshing, smoothing away even the slight ripple in her heart from suddenly encountering Wen Qing.

The one she hated most was her father, followed by Chang Shi. As for Chang Shi’s pair of children, she couldn’t even speak of hatred—she simply had no desire for any entanglement with them whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shi’s teeth itched with anger. “You shouldn’t have given them a single coin—would have been better to feed it to dogs!”

Lin Hao smiled. “If I hadn’t given it, I’m afraid she would have gone to make trouble for Older Sister. Mother, don’t be angry. Just consider it feeding dogs.”

Lin Shi carefully scrutinized Lin Hao’s expression. Seeing that she truly showed no signs of sadness or dejection, the tension in her heart finally dissipated.

Times had changed. She no longer had even a trace of concern for Wen Rugui—only regret for her youthful foolishness and fury toward this man. She didn’t care about the money. What she feared was that Ah Hao couldn’t sever the father-daughter bond with Wen Rugui. If Ah Hao completely didn’t care about that father, then she could rest easy.

Ah Hao was right—they couldn’t let them find their way to Chan’er.

“I’m just afraid that having given once, they’ll come again next time.”

Lin Hao smiled unconcernedly. “Mother, don’t worry. Once or twice can be considered blocking the mouths of society. If they want to become like adhesive plaster, it won’t be that easy.”

Due to the natural blood ties between father and daughter, it truly wasn’t good to appear too heartless on the surface. But given the vast disparity between both sides, getting rid of that family’s entanglement wouldn’t be difficult.

Actually, in Lin Hao’s view, the fact that this family of four had endured this long before coming to seek her out was already beyond expectation.

Seeing her daughter so composed, Lin Shi also set this matter aside and asked about the progress on the headless female corpse. When she heard that the corpse’s identity had been discovered, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful. Finding the murderer sooner will put one of my worries to rest.”

Mother and daughter chatted for a while, then went to see the Old Madam. Afterward, Lin Hao returned to the Prince’s residence.

The sun quietly climbed from east to west, about to plunge downward. From a low, dilapidated civilian dwelling came the scolding voice of a woman.

“Not sick earlier, not sick later, but just when Hui’er is about to take his examination you fall ill! Are you unable to stand seeing the family do well?”

On the shabby bed frame, the sickly-looking man opened his eyes briefly, then closed them again, calling out hoarsely, “Water—”