After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 71: Punishment

Hearing this emotionless voice, Lin Rusi remained silent, but obediently knelt on the ground and greeted the old lady Lin.

"Sisi greets her grandmother and asks for her forgiveness for not being able to greet her immediately."

After all, she was an elderly woman, and in order to make her mother feel a little better, she had no choice but to try to please her in this way.

Seeing her master kneeling on the ground, Wanqi tried to approach, but was firmly grabbed by the more perceptive Wanxia.

“If you go now, you will only give those old women an opportunity, and in the end, it will be the master who suffers.”

"Then what can we do? We can't just watch our master be..."

As if remembering something, Wanqi looked at Lin Rusi again, but then turned and ran away.

Wanxia naturally knew what she was going to do, so she could only try to conceal her departure without leaving a trace.

Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on Lin Rusi, who was kneeling, and they didn't notice their little actions.

In order to convince Madam Lin that she was unwell, she could only cough occasionally to prove that she was unwell.

It was precisely because of this action that the old lady had no choice but to let the other person get up.

"If you are unwell, why don't you call a doctor? Do you think our Lin family would mistreat a young lady like you?"

"Sisi just thought that it was such a minor illness, not worth making a big fuss about, so she thought she could just tough it out and it would pass in a few days."

Lin Rusi forced a smile, then quickly lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see her rosy cheeks.

But who was Old Madam Lin? She could tell at a glance that she was faking illness, and her face turned even more unpleasant.

He snatched the cane from Lin Ruqin's hand and slammed it hard onto the flat floor of the room once again.

"You're really bold! Not only did you spout nonsense in front of me, but you also pretended to be sick to avoid punishment!"

"This is also because..."

"Why? Do you think I would falsely accuse you?"

Lin Rusi pursed her lips helplessly before turning her gaze to Lin Ruqin standing beside her, her meaning all too clear.

But at this moment, Madam Lin seemed not to understand what was going on. Her brows furrowed, and just as she was about to continue scolding her, she heard a sigh.

She, an old woman, didn't even sigh, yet this junior dared to overstep his bounds in front of her, which made her even angrier.

The sturdy cane in his hand struck the ground again, making a series of dull thuds.

The nannies and guards who had served her for many days naturally knew how angry Old Madam Lin was, and looked helplessly at Lin Rusi, who still refused to admit her mistake.

"This is all because Grandmother is biased."

"How do you know? It's obvious that you don't know the rules. You didn't even come to pay your respects when I came back."

Lin Rusi showed no guilt whatsoever. Instead, she looked at everyone in front of her with even greater calmness, her gaze finally settling on Lin Ruqin.

"Everyone knows that you prefer Lin Ruqin, the daughter of your first wife, and look down on me, your granddaughter, at all."

"Nonsense! I've always treated everyone equally; there's no favoritism whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rusi chuckled softly, pointed to herself, and then to Lin Ruqin beside her.

The crowd didn't understand what she meant, their brows furrowed, and they wanted to ask for clarification. Just then, they saw her walk straight forward and extend her hand to Lin Ruqin.

But before she could even touch him, her arm was struck by the thick cane, and she let out a soft cry.

"Look, if this isn't considered bias, then what would be?"

"This is also because you want to hurt Qinqin!"

Lin Rusi did not refute, but looked at the injury on Zhiji's wrist with a more indifferent expression. Seeing that it was red, swollen and itchy, she shook her hand and pointed at Lin Ruqin's slightly wrinkled clothes.

"I just wanted to tidy up my sister a little, but you're reacting so strongly. Aren't you treating me like a thief?"

"Nonsense! Qinqin is so particular about her appearance, how could her clothes have wrinkles?"

Madam Lin turned her head and realized that Lin Ruqin's collar was indeed slightly crooked, probably because they had been traveling. She frowned and tried to cover it up.

But Lin Rusi had no intention of hiding it. She let out a soft laugh and then called her maid to apply the medicine to her.

The immense force caused her fair skin to turn a terrifying bluish-purple.

Noticing this, Madam Lin's face turned even uglier, and she opened her mouth several times but couldn't utter a word.

Lin Rusi knew she had won this time, and in order to live a good life in the future, she did not intend to pursue the matter further. She lowered her eyes and looked at her arm wrapped in gauze.

But just because she doesn't care doesn't mean others won't.

"No matter what, it's you who didn't follow the rules, so I, as your grandmother, don't need to discipline you properly."

"Grandmother is right. Sisi is the one who didn't follow the rules. Please punish her."

At most, they would kneel in the ancestral hall, as long as it didn't involve the rain god.

But the more you think this way, the easier it is to implicate people you don't want to be implicated.

"I don't know who you take after. Your father never treated me like this, nor did his mother."

Lin Rusi remained silent, only looking at the other person with a calmer gaze, awaiting her punishment.

As her cane slammed against the ground, she looked up and saw those eyes blazing with anger.

"You're punished by being sent to the ancestral hall to recite scriptures. You can come out when you've finished copying them."

"Yes, Sisi, I'll go and receive my punishment right away."

Having already guessed this would be the case, Lin Rusi didn't refute it much. She responded calmly and then walked quickly toward the ancestral hall, clutching her arm.

Unexpectedly, before they could even leave the courtyard, another figure rushed over.

When Lin Rusi saw that familiar figure, she inwardly cried out in alarm and tried to stop the person, but she still alerted Lin Ruqin behind her.

"Grandma, she's here."

“No matter who comes, it’s no use. This is Lin Rusi’s fault. She must go to the ancestral hall to copy scriptures to cultivate her character.”

"Greetings, Madam."

Si Yu was met with a cold snort and increasingly closer knocking sounds.

Just as the cane fell in front of Si Yu, Lin Rusi almost reached out and pulled him to her side.

Fortunately, he managed to suppress his dissatisfaction in the end and did not take action, for fear of implicating his mother again.

Even so, Madam Lin still wasn't going to let her off the hook.

"Sisi's current state is largely due to you; your mind isn't on your daughter at all."

Who else could she possibly be thinking about? The meaning couldn't be clearer, and it only made people look at Si Yu with utter mockery.

Lin Rusi could tolerate anything, but when she saw the mocking looks in those people's eyes, her delicate brows furrowed and she wanted to seek justice for her mother.

But to her surprise, Si Yu actually reached out and grabbed it herself.