Her hair was cloud-like and beautiful! She opened her eyes and found herself back in the third year

Chapter 126 Now that I have money, I can support the princess.

Madam Zhou was immediately caught in a dilemma, as if she were on a hot plate, unable to move forward or backward.

She promised to give him the money, but now Lin Yuansheng can't give it to her. If he doesn't give her anything at all, it's practically the same as going back on his word.

Madam Zhou had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, "As for the money, I will contribute 30,000. The banknotes will be sent to the Marquis of Pingxi's residence later. As for the remaining 20,000, I will have Yuansheng write an IOU and pay it off within three years. How about that?"

Upon hearing this, Song Pingping smiled and said, "Since Madam Zhou has said so, I naturally have to give Madam Zhou face."

After saying that, she ordered someone to bring some paper so that she could write an IOU with Lin Yuansheng. She believed that Madam Zhou would not renege on her promise because she cared about her reputation, but Lin Yuansheng might not be so. Even if they signed a contract, he might still find a way to get away with it.

Lin Yuansheng's face turned green as he stared at the words on the IOU, hesitating to sign and press his fingerprint on it.

"Fellow villagers, fellow villagers, please look—" Song Pingping cupped her hands in front of her mouth and loudly called out to the people around her to come and see the excitement.

"Today, Lin Tanhua and I are here. Please bear witness that Lin Tanhua and I were once engaged, and I supported his studies for ten years. After he passed the imperial examination, he married another woman and wronged me. Today, I will pay him 20,000 taels of silver as compensation to settle our debt of gratitude."

"Madam Zhou is kind-hearted and feels guilty towards me, so she wants to compensate me with 30,000 taels of silver. I accepted Madam Zhou's compensation and will never blame the Zhou family or Miss Zhou again."

Having accepted Madam Zhou's money, Song Pingping did say a few good words for the Zhou family and Zhou Ning. As for Lin Yuansheng, well, she let it go; she was being polite by not kicking him while he was down.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Yuansheng had no choice but to pick up a pen, sign his name, and press his fingerprint.

Granny Jin took the contract, glanced at it, and said, "It wouldn't be right not to give us a single penny of the twenty thousand taels. Just now, Scholar Lin said he had a thousand taels. Let's send that thousand taels over later."

Lin Yuansheng gritted his teeth: "Okay."

"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave." Having achieved her goal, Song Pingping was unwilling to linger with Lin Yuansheng any longer and had her maid help her walk towards the carriage.

Once she was in the carriage, as it was heading back, she took the contract from Granny Jin and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Lin Yuansheng, even if you win this time, I'll still skin you alive and make you feel the pain."

Granny Jin frowned: "He probably won't give you this money easily..."

"It's alright." Song Pingping narrowed her eyes, a cold glint in them.

“If he grits his teeth and admits it, and obediently pays the money, then I will keep my promise and settle things with him. If he refuses to pay the money and comes up with some other scheme to rob and kill, then I will be waiting for him. This time, there will be no second Lin Fu to take the blame for him.”

So that's what they were planning.

Granny Jin felt a little relieved: "Then you should be careful. I think this Lin Tanhua is definitely not a kind person."

Song Pingping paused, then asked Granny Jin, "Does Granny Jin believe me?"

Many people in this world believe Lin Yuansheng's story, thinking that it was Lin Fu who was behind it all, causing Song Pingping to almost lose her life. They believe that Lin Yuansheng is an innocent person who has mistakenly trusted the evil servant.

Granny Jin looked up at the carriage curtains ahead, which swayed slightly as the carriage moved forward.

"He seems too perfect, respectful and humble. Even when you framed him, he remained calm and modest, as if he had no temper at all. He is too perfect to be true. I have been in the palace for many years and have seen more than one or two people like him."

Lin Yuansheng thought his disguise was flawless, but there were already people who had developed a keen eye and saw through his pretense.

“Aunt Song, you want to get involved, but you must be careful, or you will lose everything.”

Song Pingping smiled: "Don't worry, Granny Jin, I will. This time I will be more careful and will never let him have his way."

......

Upon learning the final outcome of the lawsuit at Wanshi Tower, Qin Yizhen could no longer sit still. She returned to the Pingxi Marquis's residence with her entourage and then went directly to Qingshui Courtyard, where Song Pingping lived.

At this moment, Song Pingping was lying on a chair under the eaves, with a maid making tea for her. She seemed relaxed and carefree, enjoying the peaceful life.

"Your Highness, I am unable to move freely, so I will not be able to offer you my proper greetings." Song Pingping lay there, seemingly somewhat dejected.

"What happened?" Qin Yizhen remembered that Song Pingping was full of confidence this morning, thinking that she could bring down Lin Yuansheng and avenge this old grudge. But she didn't expect that the other party would get away.

"What else can they do? They've planned ahead and prepared a scapegoat long ago." Song Pingping still felt a bit annoyed when she talked about it. "Lin Fu isn't a good person either. He's definitely going to die this time."

He was flogged thirty times and exiled to a desolate island.

Twenty strokes of the cane can leave a person half-dead, and thirty strokes is considered lucky to survive. If they were to drag their ailing bodies to the desolate continent, they would not get far before they died.

"As for Lin Yuansheng, exchanging 50,000 taels of silver for his life seems like a good deal, and I think it's acceptable." Thinking about the 50,000 taels of silver, Song Pingping was a little more open-minded.

“Princess, once the Zhou family sends the silver over, I will have the money.”

"Should I congratulate you then?"

"Congratulations are unnecessary." Song Pingping looked at her face, her eyes narrowed as she smiled like a fox. "Now that I have money, I can support the princess. Whatever the princess wants, just tell me when the time comes."

"Huh?" Qin Yizhen was stunned for a moment, then quickly refused, "That's not necessary. This is compensation you received after almost losing your life. How can you give it to me? Keep it for yourself. Even if you do nothing for the rest of your life, you won't have to worry about food and clothing."

"You don't know, just now at Wanshi Tower, when I heard people talking about how you got 50,000 taels of silver, Miss Zhao was so envious that her eyes almost turned green."

Upon hearing this, Song Pingping laughed heartily: "That greedy girl of hers will probably be here soon."

As soon as Song Pingping finished speaking, Zhao Rufang's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Aunt Song, I've come to visit you—"

Song Pingping and Qin Yizhen exchanged a glance, and the maids beside them also laughed.

Qin Yizhen said, "Since she's here, please invite her in."

Zhao Rufang walked in carrying a box, and was not surprised to see Qin Yizhen there as well.

After bowing, she said to Song Pingping, "Aunt Song, I went to Wanshi Tower with the princess today and learned that there is a shop nearby that makes particularly good stewed soup, so I bought a portion for you to try. It was a little cold just now, so I took it to the kitchen to heat it up."

Song Pingping blinked: "You only bought one?"

Zhao Rufang nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Song Pingping was immediately displeased and shook her head, saying, "I don't like soup, Miss Zhao, you should drink it yourself."