The concubine, a former cannon fodder, becomes pregnant, and the childless prince spoils her rotten.

Such threats did not frighten Lin Zhizhi. Her expression was arrogant and provocative, as if she wanted to provoke Cheng Huilan.

"What do you want to say? Do you think I'll let you provoke me into untying you? If you're feeling bad, just bear it. You deserve this." Cheng Huilan felt stifled and upset whenever she thought about what she had been through recently.

They certainly won't let Lin Zhizhi off easily now.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Shangya's second aunt asked suspiciously, "You two knew each other before? Could it be that you hired her to get revenge on me?"

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Why would someone as beautiful as her be the one to buy her instead of selling her to the powerful and wealthy?

When her mentally challenged son saw that his mother disagreed, he sat on the ground crying and even hugged Lin Zhizhi's leg, saying, "I don't want her, Mother, I want her to be my wife."

Erniu asked, puzzled, "Aunt Li took in Changya and the others, and they are grateful to her. Why would they want to take revenge on you?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Huilan revealed a mocking smile.

This cousin knows she hasn't been treated well by their family, which is why she's being so suspicious.

The scene was somewhat chaotic, and Lin Zhizhi almost fell, struggling to regain her balance.

Just as she was about to pull his leg out, she discovered that he was incredibly strong and she couldn't budge him an inch.

As she resisted, she increased the force, and Lin Zhizhi cried out in pain again.

"Child, relax! If you break someone's leg again, our family will be extorted again!" Her second aunt quickly stepped forward to stop her.

Before she could even buy it, her son broke her leg, and Erniu insisted on forcing her to buy it.

It's inappropriate to have to pay for medicine when the person is already in trouble.

Lin Zhizhi was extremely anxious. Didn't this family know to untie her first?

She was originally a slave, and there was no way to sell her without her master's permission.

My aunt's family had known all along, and now they were really going to any lengths to swindle money from me.

Before she could make a move, Cheng Huilan whispered in her ear, "There's no benefit to you telling anyone about this. Save your energy and I'll still give you food once we get the money. Otherwise..."

The crying and wailing of the mentally challenged woman drowned out her aunt's threatening words, and the unusual situation between them went unnoticed by Lin Shangya's second aunt.

She was patiently coaxing her son, "Don't cry, don't cry. It's just a wife, right? How about letting Changya be your wife? She's the best at taking care of you, isn't she? If you let this pretty girl be your wife, she'll hit you and scold you. Think it through."

Upon hearing that he would be scolded and beaten, the mentally challenged man choked up and forgot to cry.

She glanced at Lin Zhizhi again, as if she had seen some fierce demon, and shrank back behind her mother in fright. It seemed that her intelligence was no more than that of a child of a few years old.

She cried out in fear and timidity, "No, I don't want to be beaten or scolded. Mother, save me, I don't want to..."

Lin Shangya suppressed the disgust in her eyes, her face now filled with disbelief, tears welling up as she looked at her second aunt. "Second aunt, you're my own second aunt, how could you have such thoughts?"

Her second aunt snorted coldly, "Your mother and I are distant relatives, and you're another layer removed. Do you think it's beneath you to marry my son? Don't you know that a girl your age already has a three or four-year-old child? What does your mother think you are? How long does she plan to keep you? If you can't get married in the end, you'll have nowhere to cry. I'm only doing this for your own good."

Cheng Huilan finally realized what her cousin was up to, and her face flushed red and then turned pale. "How dare you take my daughter's money? Let me tell you, I ask for a thousand taels of silver to marry off my daughter. With your stupid son, you actually think you can marry my daughter? My son is going to be the top scholar in the imperial examination, and my daughter will marry one of those gentlemen in the city!"

Erniu originally wanted to say that he didn't mind that Lin Shangya was an old maid, but when he heard about the thousand taels of silver, he was so frightened that he stammered and didn't dare to say a word.

Lin Zhizhi took in everyone's reactions and found the farce quite amusing.

It turns out that Lin Shangya insisted on bringing her back because she wanted her to marry this fool in her place.

These little schemes couldn't be kept from others. Her second aunt also realized what was going on, "Oh, so you don't want to marry my son, so you just randomly picked a woman from outside to bring back."

The woman's small eyes gleamed as she looked Erniu up and down, then scanned Lin Shangya back and forth.

"I see. You and Erniu have been in cahoots all along. Erniu kidnapped a woman from the city to marry you, didn't he? Come on, let's report this to the authorities. Are we really going to let them bully us?"

Lin Zhizhi secretly cheered; after all this back and forth, the coachman should be heading back to the palace.

If this woman is truly willing to take her to report to the authorities, she can then escape.

Just as Lin Zhizhi's face lit up with hope, Cheng Huilan grabbed Lin Shangya's second aunt and said, "Do you think going to the authorities and making a scene will do you any good?"

"What am I afraid of? I didn't just kidnap anyone to sell. Besides, judging from this woman's appearance, she's not from an ordinary family. She might be a concubine kept by some wealthy family. Do you think you'll get away with this by bringing her here?"

She was the least afraid of being threatened, and she knew exactly what Cheng Huilan was capable of; she was just afraid that Cheng Huilan would report her to the authorities.

As long as Cheng Huilan agrees to let Lin Shangya marry her son and gives her a few taels of silver as dowry, she will not pursue the matter any further.

Lin Shangya was on the verge of tears. She was afraid that her second aunt was making things up and would really say that she had an affair with Erniu when she was selling tofu. So she started crying and sobbing.

"How could I, innocent as I am, be falsely accused like this? Mother, I am an unfilial son. Since my second aunt is making such a fuss about me, she is leaving me no way out. I suppose I have been bothering her too much lately, which has made her impatient. I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he slammed straight into the wall.

There was no one quick enough to grab her. Before her second aunt could react, there was a crisp sound, and Lin Shangya was knocked unconscious.

It took her a while to understand what Lin Shangya had just said. At that moment, she saw that Lin Shangya's forehead was just red, not even swollen, let alone bleeding.

How could he possibly be preparing to commit suicide? It was just an act for the neighbors to see.

But her second aunt wasn't having any of it. "Do you think I'm some shy, unmarried girl who cares about what others say about me just because you said something I don't even understand?"

Her second aunt already had a bad reputation and questionable character, so what could people around her do if they were dissatisfied with her?

She wasn't bothered by the stigma of mistreating her niece, and her words were even more cutting: "You've been eating and living in my house for free and refusing to leave, and you expect me to be unhappy? Do I owe you money or your life? Let the neighbors be the judge, do you have such shameless relatives?"