“Those things were given to my mother by Winchester House and Wellington House. Father, you’ll definitely remarry in the future. Even if this gets to the capital, will grandmother and second uncle believe me or you?” Olivia Bolton said coldly, then gestured toward Henry Clark with her mouth and continued, “Besides, mother’s body is barely cold, and you’re already eyeing her most beloved goddaughter. If word gets out, what reputation will you have left? The silver and money mother left behind amount to at least forty or fifty thousand taels. I’ve already given all that up to you—I've been more than fair.”

Henry Clark never expected that with Mrs. Grant gone, Mrs. Smith would poison and kill Mrs. Carter, Charles Bolton would bare his fangs at her, and Olivia Bolton, her own legitimate daughter, would not only ignore the scene she had stumbled upon, but now was using Mrs. Grant’s dowry to bargain with her own father, even using her as a bargaining chip. In that instant, she felt that all of Mrs. Grant’s painstaking arrangements after death were nothing but a cruel joke—until, suddenly, someone else appeared from the side.

“Father, big sister…”

The suddenly appearing Emily Bolton was also dressed in mourning clothes. She hadn’t yet grown up, looking delicate and timid, her face somewhat resembling Olivia Bolton, but without that overbearing arrogance in her features. She spread her arms to block Henry Clark, and pleaded bitterly with Charles Bolton and Olivia Bolton: “Father, big sister, mother just passed away. She always loved Sister Henry. If she knew about this…”

“Father, listen to her—a concubine’s daughter, daring to use mother’s name to pressure us, even daring to criticize you, her father, and me, the legitimate young lady!” Olivia Bolton sneered, suddenly stepping forward and landing a heavy slap on the girl. Seeing her stagger and fall to the ground, she then shouted harshly, “What are you? Who gave you the right to speak here! You’re just the child of a lowly woman—do you really think you’re a The Bolton Family young lady?”

After saying this, she looked at Charles Bolton and said, “And one more thing to add to what I just said: all of mother’s property goes to me. I don’t care about anything else, including whoever you marry in the future. But there’s only one thing: right now, I’m the only young lady of the The Bolton Family. I don’t want to see this wretched girl again!”

She pointed at Emily Bolton, her face full of deep disgust: “Otherwise, don’t blame me for writing to grandmother and second uncle and telling them about this scandal. By then, don’t even think about ever returning to the capital in this life. Even dreaming of staying in Goodwill County as prefect would be impossible!”

“You… you…”

Charles Bolton had always known his eldest daughter was sharp-tongued and mean, but he’d always thought it was due to an illness from birth. But today, Olivia Bolton’s temper exploded all at once, leaving him both angry and frustrated, unable to say a word. Seeing Emily Bolton crying on the ground, clutching her face, even though he’d never thought much of this concubine’s daughter, Olivia Bolton’s threats stabbed at his heart like knives, finally overwhelming his reason. He strode forward in a rage and grabbed Olivia Bolton by the collar.

“Shut up! Don’t use your grandmother and uncle to threaten me! Write to them? Hmph, you never even send them a word during the holidays. Without my permission, you won’t send out a single letter!”

Olivia Bolton never expected her father to suddenly explode. With her collar gripped tightly, she felt she couldn’t breathe, and for the first time, panic showed on her face. When two burning slaps landed on her cheeks, she snapped back to her senses and struggled desperately. Suddenly, with a ripping sound, her collar tore open, exposing her fair shoulder. Taking advantage of the moment, she quickly retreated a few steps, her face burning with shame and anger.

“Fine, fine, you actually dare to hit me! Just wait and see if I can send out that letter—I want to see what happens to you!”

Seeing Olivia Bolton turn and run, Charles Bolton finally came to his senses and hurried after her. The two old servant women holding Henry Clark exchanged glances, realizing that the most urgent thing now was to stop the eldest young lady, and quickly let go of her to give chase. Seeing this, Henry Clark struggled to her feet and hurried to help the dazed Emily Bolton up from the ground. Before she could say anything, she heard two splashes. Looking up, she saw that in the scuffle between Charles Bolton and Olivia Bolton, both father and daughter had fallen into the lotus pond.

At that moment, an indescribable sense of anticipation surged in her heart. If those two heartless, ungrateful father and daughter were to die together, that would truly be justice from the heavens!

Chapter Four: Life and Death (Part One)

“Damn it, damn it!”

Pacing back and forth in the room, Charles Bolton felt his mind in utter chaos, unconsciously repeating those words. He had already smashed everything in the room that could be smashed, but even so, the fire in his heart only burned hotter.

He was a genuine double-ranked jinshi and third-place scholar, elegant and handsome—otherwise, he would never have attracted Mrs. Grant to marry him. But after the wedding, he only stayed peacefully in the Hanlin Academy for three years. Later, he entered the Ministry of Personnel, but within a year, he offended his superiors and was demoted to an outside post. Even with his wife’s powerful family, they didn’t do much for him—just got him a magistrate position, and later he was promoted to Governor of Goodwill.