Chapter 62: Would You Be Willing to Return to the Estate with Me?

Leader Hua looked back at Jiang Lihua.

"Don't worry, I keep my word. Follow me out now," Jiang Lihua promised once again.

As the sound of her voice faded, Ni Wenyu's voice echoed through the space: "Lihua, are you in there?"

"I'm here, Cousin, don't worry. These people haven't harmed me; I'll be right out," Jiang Lihua hastily replied.

Hearing Jiang Lihua say this, Leader Hua finally set his mind at ease and led her out.

Although the dilapidated temple looked ruined on the outside, its interior was constructed like a maze. After winding through numerous turns for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Jiang Lihua finally emerged with them.

The moment Ni Wenyu caught sight of her, he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Feeling a slight tremor in his body, Jiang Lihua hugged him back and said softly, "I'm fine."

Leader Hua and his men had already been subdued by the guards.

Leader Hua shouted at Jiang Lihua, "You said you wouldn't hold us accountable!"

"Ahem," Prime Minister Zhao Tonghe coughed twice.

Ni Wenyu released Jiang Lihua, his face flushing slightly as he said flusteredly, "Lihua, as long as you're safe... We owe all this to the Prime Minister."

Jiang Lihua cast a puzzled look at Zhao Tonghe.

His daughter had spent money to hire people to harm her, yet he was the one who came to rescue her—what on earth were these family members playing at?

Regardless of the motive, however, he had indeed come to save her.

Business was business, and she still needed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Prime Minister. But why did you come to rescue me?"

"Let's deal with these people first; we can talk about the rest later," Zhao Tonghe replied, ignoring Jiang Lihua's question as he turned his gaze to the men who had captured her.

"They didn't harm me. I've already promised not to hold them accountable, and I hope the Prime Minister can give them a chance to turn over a new leaf," Jiang Lihua said.

She then looked at Leader Hua: "You don't seem like an unpardonable villain. I gave you some money earlier, and I hope you can use it to make an honest living."

Tears seemed to well up in Leader Hua's eyes. After staring blankly at Jiang Lihua for a moment, he lowered his head and said nothing more.

Since Jiang Lihua had stated her position, Zhao Tonghe dropped the matter and began lecturing Leader Hua and his companions.

He warned them never to engage in such acts again, chattering away like a chanting Buddhist monk.

By the time Zhao Tonghe finally finished, Jiang Lihua and the others felt as though their heads were about to explode from the sheer volume of words.

He certainly could talk! Jiang Lihua sighed inwardly.

At last, Leader Hua and the others watched as Jiang Lihua and her party departed.

At that moment, the look in Leader Hua's eyes had completely changed, filled with hope and determination rather than the listless haze of before.

Along the way, Jiang Lihua learned the full story: Prime Minister's wife Lin Yunxia had discovered that Zhao Siming wanted to have Jiang Lihua killed, so she informed Prime Minister Zhao Tonghe, who then interrogated Zhao Siming.

Upon learning the location, he immediately brought men to rescue her. On the way, he ran into Ni Wenyu, who was searching for her as well, and the two men proceeded together.

Hesitating for a moment, Jiang Lihua asked, "May I ask what my relationship with the Prime Minister is? Why would Miss Zhao want to harm me?"

"You look very much like my late wife. She passed away from dystocia during childbirth. When I first saw you, you reminded me of her, and for a moment..." Zhao Tonghe faltered, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Tentatively, Jiang Lihua ventured, "Could it be that when the late Madam gave birth, she was at Great Stream Village? And Zhao Siming is the child she gave birth to during that difficult labor?"

"Precisely," Zhao Tonghe said, looking at her with pleasant surprise. "At the time, I was only a low-ranking official. While traveling with my wife to my official post, she went into labor suddenly, and we had to find temporary shelter at a farming family's home."

Hearing this, Jiang Lihua understood everything.

The farming family must have swapped the two babies, and that family was undoubtedly the Jiang family.

Zhao Tonghe continued, "As Siming grew older, she looked less and less like her mother. Coupled with the lingering feeling in my heart that she was the cause of her mother's death, I never paid much attention to her.

"This time, she somehow heard rumors that she wasn't my biological daughter, but that you were, which drove her to want you dead."

With that, Zhao Tonghe let out a heavy sigh.

"Has the Prime Minister verified this?" Jiang Lihua asked.

"The men I sent to investigate haven't returned yet, so... But I believe I am already certain," Zhao Tonghe replied.

Then, looking rather sheepish, he ventured, "Li... Lihua, would you be willing to come back to the estate with me? I know I haven't been a competent father, but I want to make it up to you from now on."

Ni Wenyu listened from the side in utter shock.

"Let me think about it."

To be honest, Jiang Lihua's heart was conflicted.

Having never met her biological parents, she had always believed she was entirely on her own. Now that her biological father had suddenly appeared, she didn't know whether she should return.

Zhao Tonghe did not force her. Regardless of whether Jiang Lihua chose to return or not, he was determined to compensate her.

"However, I would like to meet Miss Zhao," Jiang Lihua said. "I am no saint; since she tried to harm me in this way, I will not let her off lightly."

If not for her own quick wits, coupled with the fact that those men were not thoroughly evil at heart, she would not have survived today.

Without teaching Zhao Siming a lesson, her resentment would not be settled.

Hearing her mention this, Zhao Tonghe's expression darkened as well. An upright man his entire life, he never expected to have raised a daughter with such a vicious mind.

Even without Jiang Lihua prompting him, he intended to punish Zhao Siming severely.

"Lihua, don't worry. I will avenge you," Zhao Tonghe said.

"Thank you."

Hearing Jiang Lihua express her thanks so formally made Zhao Tonghe's heart ache slightly.

Remembering what Jiang Lihua had previously mentioned about being sold off as a child bride, guilt flooded his heart once more. His own daughter had been reduced to a country girl and sold into servitude.

A tangled web of complex emotions made Zhao Tonghe's expression grim.

"The Prime Minister needn't feel too guilty; after all, you knew nothing of what happened back then," Jiang Lihua comforted him.

Whether she acknowledged him or not, this man was ultimately her father. As a parent, who wouldn't want their children to live well?

It was simply a pity for the original owner of this body, whose identity was swapped and who was literally tortured to death by the Yang family mother and son. Had the identities not been switched, born as a young lady of the Prime Minister's estate, her life would surely have been comfortable.

Ah, Jiang Lihua sighed inwardly—perhaps this was what they called fate!

Upon arriving at the Prime Minister's estate, Lin Yunxia was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing them return, she hurried forward. "My lord, you're finally back."

"Mmm."

Zhao Tonghe nodded, his attitude toward Lin Yunxia softening somewhat because she had promptly discovered Zhao Siming's plot and alerted him.

Naturally, Lin Yunxia sensed the change in Zhao Tonghe.

She knew this shift was due to her role in saving Jiang Lihua today, which left a bitter taste in her mouth. Despite all her years of meticulous devotion, she still could not surpass the late wife's position in his heart.

"Where is Zhao Siming?" Zhao Tonghe demanded.

"My lord, this concubine has locked her in the woodshed. After committing such an act, she deserves a harsh lesson to prevent her from harming others in the future," Lin Yunxia said with indignation.

She knew saying this would surely please Zhao Tonghe.

As expected, hearing her words, Zhao Tonghe looked at her with mild surprise. "I thought you wouldn't bear to do it."

"What are you saying, My lord? A child who makes a mistake must be disciplined. No matter how much it pains me, I understand this principle," Lin Yunxia said righteously. "It is for her own good."

"If Madam thinks so, that is for the best," Zhao Tonghe replied indifferently.

That single sentence left Lin Yunxia frozen in place, tears welling in her eyes. After all these years, this was the first time Zhao Tonghe had addressed her as "Madam."

"Madam, don't grieve, the master has gone inside," her maid reminded her softly.

"I'm not grieving, I'm happy. Let's go," Lin Yunxia explained with rare good humor.

The maid was utterly baffled, having assumed Lin Yunxia was mourning for the young mistress.

Inside the woodshed, Zhao Siming huddled alone in a corner, hugging her knees.

Damp, cold, and infested with cockroaches and rats, the woodshed was a place Zhao Siming, accustomed to life as the eldest young lady of the Prime Minister's estate, had never set foot in.

Upon being locked inside, she had screamed and shouted, but no one responded. Now her throat was hoarse; cold and hungry, her mental state was rapidly deteriorating.

Suddenly, the woodshed door creaked open, a beam of light cutting through the darkness. She scrambled up and rushed toward the entrance.

Only upon running out did she see the people standing outside.

Her father, her mother, Big Brother Ni, and that cheap wretch Jiang Lihua—why wasn't Jiang Lihua dead?

"Do you know your crime?" Zhao Tonghe's majestic voice thundered.

"I've done nothing wrong!" Zhao Siming screamed.

Then, as if remembering something, she threw herself at Zhao Tonghe's feet. "Father, I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong, I'll never do it again! I was just terrified and temporarily blinded by panic!"

She knew pleading with Lin Yunxia would be useless; her only hope was Zhao Tonghe. As long as he agreed to let her off, this matter would be over, and she could resume her comfortable life.

"And do you know that your temporary panic almost ruined my life?" Jiang Lihua challenged.

Zhao Siming retorted, "Aren't you perfectly fine right now? You have so many people protecting you, but what about me? I've been locked in that freezing, starving woodshed!"

Turning back to Zhao Tonghe, she wailed, "Father, please forgive me, I know I was wrong."

"If you truly knew you were wrong, you wouldn't have said those words to Lihua just now," Zhao Tonghe shook his head.

"What did I say? I spoke the truth! She wasn't harmed at all, isn't she standing here safe and sound?" Zhao Siming argued.

Recalling the late wife's portrait she had accidentally glimpsed in Zhao Tonghe's study after her conversation with Lin Yunxia that day, realization dawned on her.

"I get it! You're all in this together, aren't you? Did I take her place, and do you all want her back, so you conspired to frame me?"

Pointedly turning to Ni Wenyu, she shrieked, "And you! Big Brother Ni, I fell in love with you the moment we met, and we even shared intimacy! Why won't you give me an explanation and instead run off with this cheap wretch?"

Shared intimacy? Zhao Tonghe cast a sharp gaze at Ni Wenyu.

Ni Wenyu's face flushed crimson with humiliation as he pointed at Zhao Siming. "Miss Zhao, stop spouting nonsense! You know very well what happened that day."

Ni Wenyu recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.

With every word, Zhao Tonghe's face grew darker.

In her heart, Lin Yunxia cursed Zhao Siming for a fool. Had Zhao Siming heeded her advice and avoided stirring up trouble outside, she might have kept her around.

Truly, she had the blood of those peasants—shallow-sighted and incapable of amounting to anything no matter how she was raised.