Honestly, Lin He hadn't originally intended to turn these people over to the authorities. After all, she had stated initially that, out of respect for her uncle, she wouldn't do that. Secondly, it wouldn't necessarily be easy to explain the situation clearly to the officials, and simply punishing these few individuals without exposing the mastermind behind them was pointless, as her ointment workshop would remain in danger in the future.

Given Yu'er and Madam He’s restrained attitudes today, Lin He considered the best solution: to have Yu'er and Madam He confess the entire matter. If Yu'er truly had extenuating circumstances, she would definitely have to dismiss her from the ointment workshop. Madam He could be left to her uncle to deal with. As for Dongyu, if her attitude remained agreeable, she would also let the uncle’s family handle her affairs, severing all future ties with the uncle's household and absolutely preventing any further professional interactions. All in all, this incident hadn't escalated to the worst possible outcome; after all, Dongyu had spoken some truth—if things were blown too large, her own family would have reason to worry.

However, Dongyu’s current attitude infuriated Lin He. She glanced at Dongyu and spoke coolly, "Dongyu, you keep talking about 'your Lin family.' Do you truly believe you are still a part of the Lin family? Have you forgotten your actual standing? Moreover, I have now decided not to press charges against Yu'er and the elder lady, but I will hold you accountable to the end. You don't want me to report this to the officials? Fine, I won't. How about I sell you instead?"

"Sell me? On what grounds can you sell me?" Dongyu immediately retorted.

Lin He winked at Dongyu, propping her chin with a finger as she smiled, and spoke, "Dongyu, don't forget, it was my father who paid to have you brought in to serve my grandparents. You shamelessly seduced Brother Qingshan, and only then were you accepted into the household as a concubine. But from beginning to end, you were merely a girl who sold herself, and conveniently, the contract of sale is still in my house. Tell me, do I not have the right to sell you?"

Lin He's words startled Dongyu, causing her to take a step back. Since marrying into Qingshan’s family, Qingshan’s family had treated her reasonably well. She had genuinely forgotten her status as a sold servant girl. These past few years, even though she had been driven out of the Lin family home, Madam He and Qingshan occasionally visited her and gave her some money monthly. Living alone in that little house, while life was harder, it was at least free, and she had forgotten how she entered the marriage in the first place.

Upon hearing Lin He’s words, Dongyu’s reaction was swift. Her previous arrogance immediately evaporated. She bent her knees and knelt before Lin He, crying out in a tone full of remorse, "He'er, I was wrong, I was wrong. I beg you not to sell me. Besides, I didn't do this myself; it was Yu'er and her mother who instigated me. I was simply forced to meet them. I was unwilling initially, but Yu'er’s mother coerced me, saying that if I didn't come, she would kick me out of the house. You know that as a woman, I have nothing, and my husband ignores me. My only recourse was to appease my mother-in-law, which is why I came today. I beg you to spare me; if there's an issue, go after them."

As soon as Dongyu finished speaking, Yu'er, standing nearby, looked at Dongyu in disbelief, while Madam He was so enraged she could barely catch her breath. After catching her breath, she narrowed her eyes, stared at Dongyu for a moment, then walked over and slapped Dongyu twice, gritting her teeth, saying, "You wretched thing! How dare you claim we forced you? Do you think we are dead people, that whatever you say is the truth? If you hadn't gotten involved with some unsavory people, would Yu'er have done this? Must I, at my age, be locked up like a criminal? Now that something has happened, and we haven't said a word, you dare to play the victim first! Are you saying this because you want He'er to send us to the officials, or do you want Dajiang to find out about all this and divorce me? I thought you were just mad for money, but I never expected you to be so vicious."

Dongyu had been pitiful before Lin He, but in front of Madam He, she transformed entirely. She sprang up and lunged at Madam He, and the two became entangled, shouting, "What do you mean, playing the victim? This mess is entirely your mother and daughter's doing!" After shouting this, she used the advantage of their tangled embrace to whisper into Madam He's ear, "If you want your son-in-law to return safely, you two must admit this was your doing, and then get my contract of sale back for me."

Ziyu watched the two women fighting and quietly asked, "Mistress, should I send someone to pull them apart?"

Lin He shook her head. Let them fight amongst themselves; the more they clashed, the better. Lin He had noticed the subtle gesture where Dongyu whispered to Madam He, and clearly, Madam He's posture visibly slumped after hearing those words. The hand that had been gripping Dongyu's hair loosened, allowing Dongyu to strike her face repeatedly.

Lin He didn't intervene until the fight ended, simply watching the spectacle. Dongyu, seeing that her whispered words seemed to have taken effect, knelt before Lin He again after the scuffle: "He'er, I truly don't know what happened. I didn't steal anything. It’s just that during Yu'er’s previous holidays home, she mentioned how the people in your ointment workshop worked non-stop every day. And I heard those women say that these scented unguents sell for high prices, so it must be very profitable. The two of them plotted to steal your soap-making and ointment-making workshops and sell them to other rouge shops; they were sure to make a fortune."

"At the time, they were afraid to discuss it at home for fear that Father and the others would overhear and ruin things, so they went to the open ground near my room to talk, and I happened to overhear. I tried to persuade them then, telling them not to do this, as He'er is our relative, and she has always treated our family very well. Doing such a thing would truly be a disservice to your entire family. But my mother and Yu'er scolded me severely. To prevent me from revealing it, they threatened to force me to participate, saying that if I didn't work with them, they would drive me from the house. You know, I can't be driven from my home, which is why I followed Mother today."

"And He'er, you know I'm illiterate and have never been to this town before. What use would those scented ointment workshops be to me? If you asked me to sell them, I wouldn't even know whom to sell them to." By the end of her speech, Dongyu was practically weeping with drama, sounding both wronged and meticulously logical. If Lin He didn't know her true character, she would have believed every word.

But precisely because she knew her, and because the excuse she offered was too perfectly constructed, Lin He knew Dongyu was not the type of person to act this way. If Dongyu had known the ointment workshops could fetch a fortune, she might have tried to steal them herself rather than try to stop Madam He and Yu'er. Dongyu was overestimating herself and underestimating others.

However, Lin He knew that the more Dongyu spoke this way, the deeper her involvement in the matter must be. And from the words she had whispered to Madam He just now—which was clearly a threat—and Madam He’s immediate submission to it, it was evident that Dongyu was an absolute linchpin in this entire affair.