"If you could send me back, young master, my elders at home would surely thank you profusely. Everyone says that no one can escape from Beauty Lake, but I'm sure you'll be able to get me out of here."
Not missing the glint of calculation in the girl's eyes, Lan Xi found it rather amusing and picked up on her words.
"Why are you so certain that I can get you out, Miss Lin?"
"Isn't it because you're the great fiend that everyone fears?"
Lan Xi twitched the corner of his mouth. The girl's bluntness left him at a loss for words for a moment.
After a while, he coughed twice and slowly said, "Miss Lin, could you repeat what you just said?"
This time, Lin Sun suddenly realized what she had just said. Her face turned pale, and she nervously averted the man's gaze.
"N-nothing. I just think you must have the ability. Besides, among those who can come here, you're the only one I can trust."
Hearing this, Lan Xi checked the time. He thought it was about time and said, "Then I'd like to thank you, miss, for your trust. I'm in a good mood today and don't want to let down your trust. I'll take you out."
With that, he channeled his inner energy and flew out of the window of the next room with Lin Sun in his arms.
Watching the attic getting farther and farther away, the girl finally felt relieved. She thanked the young man beside her, "Young master, if you're ever in trouble in the future, you can come to me. I, Lin Sun, will never be an ungrateful person."
"Humph, then I hope you'll remember your words."
His contemptuous smile was finally engraved in the girl's heart and stayed there for the rest of her life.
She remembered that it was Lan Xi who had finally managed to save her that day. But why did it turn out to be her grandma's scheme later?
As if seeing through her thoughts, Granny Lin showed a look of disdain at the corner of her mouth.
"It's because you were still useful to our Lin family at that time. The emperor was also gradually taking a fancy to you. Otherwise, do you think why you could stay in the Lin family safely while all the other illegitimate daughters of concubines in the Lin family disappeared?"
Hearing this, Lin Sun suddenly had a guess in her mind. Now she was just waiting for someone to confirm it.
"So, at that time, all my cousins were sent to Beauty Lake to be informants for the Lin family?"
"You don't need to be so surprised. Each generation of the family will only keep one daughter to take charge of the overall situation. The others are all just making wedding clothes for others. You should even thank the family for not abandoning you."
This seemed like a big joke. Lin Sun felt that her life had been a lie from the very beginning. Tears gradually welled up in her eyes.
"My cousin was just a half - grown child when she disappeared. Grandma, how could you bear to send them to such a place?"
"Which generation of children isn't like this? There's nothing to make a fuss about. Hurry up and come with me. After we revitalize the Lin family, we'll continue with the previous things."
As she said this, she was about to pull this heir away. But now that Lin Sun knew the truth, she would definitely not let her grandma manipulate her anymore.
She took a deep breath and shook off her grandma's hand.
"I'll never go back to that disgusting place. You could even do such a thing to a little child like my cousin. Who knows if one day you'll lose your humanity and do the same to me?"
What she said made sense, but Granny Lin was so reluctant to let go of the heir she had cultivated for so long. She didn't want them to go their separate ways.
"Are you sure you won't come with me, grandma? You'd better think about the consequences."
Granny Lin implied something and glanced at the people behind Lin Sun, obviously giving a warning.
Shi An was so angry that he wanted to tear this old woman to pieces, but he had to take his sister into consideration.
He gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his heart.
"How dare you say you're a good person? You're even so shameless as to shift the blame. You've lived in vain for so many years, you old hag."
Granny Lin didn't think she was wrong at all. Instead, she was a bit proud.
"I've done all this for the sake of these younger generations and for the Lin family. What do you, an outsider, know?"
"You!"
Shi An was used to killing on the battlefield, but he still had no way to deal with this old woman. After all, she still held his sister's life in her hands.
So the two sides could only be in a stalemate. Finally, Granny Lin couldn't bear it anymore. She was anxious to take her granddaughter back to report.
"I know you won't easily let go of this empress dowager. So if you're smart, just let us go."
After saying that, she took Shi Muwǎn and walked outside, while threatening her granddaughter beside her.
"If you don't want anything to happen to this empress dowager, just stay beside me. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't do something accidentally."
Since things had come to this point, what else didn't Lin Sun understand? After knowing that her grandma had been using her, she no longer wanted to have anything to do with the Lin family. But she also didn't want any innocent people to get hurt.
There was no other way. She could only follow her grandma's steps.
The three of them soon reached the prison gate. Seeing that they would be on the street if they took one more step, Lan Xi wanted to step forward, but was stopped by Cui Qizhou.
He was so angry that his beard twitched. He began to scold this man.
"She's the current empress dowager, the most noble woman in the Great Liang. If she dies, do you know what will happen in the court? And if she dies in this prison today, none of us can escape. Or are you tired of being the national teacher?"
Cui Qizhou rolled his eyes.
"That's why you can never beat me."
Having his sore spot brought up again, Lan Xi would have fought with him on the spot if he hadn't been concerned about the overall situation.
"If the people of the Lin family escape back to the Western Regions, it'll be impossible for us to catch them even if we want to. As long as they take one more step back, they'll be able to get away. But you still won't let me take action."
"They'll need some luck for that. It seems that Lord Lan doesn't know his admirer at all. Miss Lin won't let her grandma go so easily."
Before Lan Xi could understand what he meant, he saw Lin Sun suddenly strike. In Granny Lin's shocked eyes, the old woman's body went limp and she fell to the ground.
Shi An was also stunned by this sudden scene. Logically speaking, shouldn't Lin Sun help her grandma? Why did she suddenly strike?
He quickly stepped forward to bring his sister back. Only after confirming that she was safe did he finally feel relieved.