Finding a Scapegoat

The Second Master suddenly fell silent, his gaze sweeping over me.

"Third Brother is a devout Buddhist and rarely appears in the capital. Not many people know him," the Second Master lowered his voice. "We can find someone to take Third Brother's place, allowing him to remain at home to arrange our appeals. At least that way, there is still some hope."

"This is the crime of deceiving the Emperor!" the Old Matriarch gasped in horror.

"Mother!" The Second Master gritted his teeth. "Whether we do this or not, our family can hardly be preserved. Finding a replacement for Third Brother is merely a way to seek a path of survival from His Majesty."

"Otherwise, I fear not even the children in the household will survive."

Kneeling on the ground, my gaze casually swept over my father, and then I bowed my head again.

Sure enough, the Second Master's attention was drawn to my movement, and his gaze followed. He clapped his hands. "That's right! Guan Qing, your build is similar to Third Brother's, and you rarely work outside. You shall take Third Brother's place."

I lowered my head, almost bursting into laughter.

My father's face turned incredibly unsightly.

The First Madam cried out, "No!"

The Second Master showed impatience. "What do you mean 'no'?"

The First Madam was left speechless, but I knew the reason well.

In my past life, after my father became a general, my mother went to his door to beg him to redeem my freedom, only to be beaten and driven away by the new madam's people.

My mother was severely injured that day and passed away. I later inquired about this new madam and learned she had a red mole at the end of her eyebrow.

I looked up at the First Madam. Her anxiety was plain on her face, and at the end of her eyebrow, a red mole stung my eyes.

When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact? The Su family had fallen into this state, yet the First Madam and Su Yueying had both escaped. If Su Yueying hadn't been so ostentatious, attending every poetry gathering related to the fraud case, she might have faked her death and vanished without a trace, just like the First Madam.

I guessed that the great disaster of the Su family was highly likely related to my father.

He wanted to take the First Madam and Su Yueying away, so how could he fall into this deadly trap?

My father hastily knelt down. "This humble servant is clumsy. If I were to impersonate the Third Master, I fear I would be discovered in an instant!"

The First Madam didn't even have time to wipe the tears from her face, hurriedly saying, "Guan Qing is not a servant born in this house, how could he do? I will find someone born and raised in the manor to replace him."