Lin Jinlou stepped out of the room to find the sky already heavily overcast, with scattered snowflakes drifting down. Shuran approached and whispered, "Will the Master be staying at Knowing Spring Pavilion or returning to the study?"
Lin Jinlou narrowed his eyes and looked up at the oppressive dark sky. Where to go? Having just paid respects to Qing Lan and the child, he truly had no mood to remain at Knowing Spring Pavilion, yet the study felt too desolate...
He said to Shuran, "Have the servant boy prepare the horses. I'm going out. If Taitai asks, tell her I have urgent military matters and will return tomorrow." Shuran promptly acknowledged the order. As Lin Jinlou reached the doorway, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "That maid named Xianglan—later, send some reliable people to inquire where she was sold. If she ended up in a brothel or some wretched place, use silver to redeem her and find her a proper way out. Consider it accumulating merit for Qing Lan and the child."
Lin Jinlou had never believed in karmic retribution, so his unexpected words somewhat surprised Shuran. However, she quickly concealed her astonishment, bowed her head and said, "Yes, this female servant will immediately seek out some human traffickers to make inquiries."
Lin Jinlou gave a slight nod and walked out, adding as he went, "I brought back a chest of specialties from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Later, distribute them among the various households and have them delivered."
Shuran followed behind, repeatedly acknowledging with "Yes," while thinking to herself: "The Master is rather pitiful too. These tasks should rightfully be handled by the mistress, but since they're estranged, the duties fall to me. After I leave the estate to marry, the Master won't have any competent people left by his side. My cousin Kerren was sent to the Master by the old madam. If she's clever, I'll have her take my place eventually." Though Lin Jinlou had a domineering temperament, he was generous and fair to his subordinates, with a strong sense of loyalty, hence those who had long served him were willing to give their all for him.
Lin Jinlou then took Ji Xiang and rode out on horseback. After passing through seven or eight alleys, they stopped before a small red door. Ji Xiang went to knock, and shortly after, an old man emerged. Recognizing the master and servant, he hurriedly welcomed them inside. Lin Jinlou strode directly into the house, where an exceptionally beautiful woman of enchanting charm came forward to greet him. Wearing a warm, ingratiating smile, she exclaimed repeatedly, "Master, why have you come out so soon after returning to the estate? Have you eaten yet?"
Without even glancing at her, Lin Jinlou entered the room, grabbed a pillow and lay down on the heated brick bed. Unfazed, the woman instructed others to boil water for tea and replenish the fruits. She personally wrung out a hot towel to wipe Lin Jinlou's face, then gently climbed onto the kang and began massaging his head and shoulders. She chuckled softly and said, "Where did you encounter displeasure, my lord? You came in with such a stern face—it's quite frightening." Seeing that Lin Jinlou remained silent, she shot a meaningful glance at the attending maid. After the maid withdrew, she unfastened her jacket, revealing a crimson waistcoat embroidered with colorful mandarin ducks. In a soothing voice, she cooed, "Oh my, let me see... Your expression is so gloomy. Who has upset you? Tell me, and later I'll make a little effigy to curse whoever troubles the Master, so they meet a wretched end... But it seems to me the Master isn't troubled by official matters—it appears more like some affair of the heart..."That little voice was thick and cloying, the words drawn out in an extremely seductive manner. Lin Jinlou's heart stirred as a soft, boneless little hand slipped into his lapel. A fragrant breath whispered by his ear, "My lord, you have the number one beauty of Jinling waiting at home, yet you came straight to me after returning? You must have missed me, isn't that right?" Pearly teeth gently nibbled his round, thick earlobe.
Lin Jinlou closed his eyes and caught the hand, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Don't fuss, let me rest for a while. I'm not in the mood."
The woman chuckled lightly, "My good man, what could possibly trouble you here..." Suddenly meeting Lin Jinlou's direct gaze as he opened his eyes, she was startled and dared not continue her flirtations, slowly sitting upright.
Lin Jinlou closed his eyes again and said, "Go have someone heat water for my bath. Change the tea to Longjing." The woman bit her lip and left reluctantly.
This woman was called Su Meiru. Originally a "skinny horse" from Yangzhou, human traffickers, seeing her beauty and cleverness, meticulously trained her until she mastered all four arts of the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. At fourteen, she was sold at a high price to Wu Dapeng, a salt merchant from Zhejiang, as his concubine. Wu Dapeng was already over fifty—obese and vulgar—whom Su Meiru utterly despised. But she was cunning and willing to endure hardship, serving him with twelvefold tenderness, thus winning extreme favor. Through coaxing, deception, tears, and tantrums, Su Meiru persuaded Wu Dapeng to remove her slave status and change it to commoner status. Coincidentally, that year, Wu Dapeng suffered a stroke and was bedridden, seemingly on the verge of death. Su Meiru attended to him day and night without changing clothes, playing the role of the virtuous concubine to perfection, while secretly stealing numerous gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and paintings, selling them off for silver behind everyone's back. When Old Wu finally kicked the bucket and the Wu family members were fighting tooth and nail over the inheritance, Su Meiru shed her mourning robes, took two chests of gold, silver, and antiques, and rode a carriage straight to the army to seek out Lin Jinlou.
Su Meiru personally brewed a pot of Longjing tea and carefully brought it over, calling out softly, "My lord, the tea is ready." Seeing Lin Jinlou sit up, she hurriedly handed him the tea. Under the candlelight, she gazed at his handsome features somewhat mesmerized. She first met Lin Jinlou when she was eighteen, when Wu Dapeng hosted a banquet for several distinguished guests and had her come out to play the pipa for entertainment. She was somewhat displeased but also curious—what kind of figure could make Wu Dapeng willing to present his beloved concubine, usually hidden away in the inner chambers, for the guests' amusement?
Holding her pipa, she stepped out and made a graceful bow. Lifting her head, her eyes immediately fell upon Lin Jinlou. He wore a dark green robe, appearing both martial and scholarly, noble and authoritative, with a careless smile on his face. Compared to him, the other young masters around seemed dull and faded into the background. Su Meiru's heart raced, and her face slowly flushed.
Later, Su Meiru managed to extract information from Wu Dapeng, learning that he was Lin Jinlou, the eldest grandson of the prestigious Lin Family in Jiangnan. She also learned of his clever and ruthless methods, his ability to command troops with a laugh, and that he maintained a Lin Family Army with considerable renown. She also discovered that he reveled in romantic affairs, always indulging his desires freely, and had married Zhao Yuechan, the number one beauty of Jinling. She couldn't forget Lin Jinlou. Perhaps Heaven took pity on her, for when Old Wu died, she found her liberation. Coincidentally, Lin Jinlou was fighting in Zhejiang at the time, so she asked an acquaintance to appeal to him on her behalf, afterward willingly becoming his concubine.Lin Jinlou did not refuse the beauty's affection. At first, he was tender and passionate, even neglecting the beautiful concubine who had followed him from home. He rented a residence outside and spent all his time with her, being generous with his spending. Yet he told Su Meiru, "I cannot give you a proper status. Whenever you wish to marry in the future, you may do so freely. Or if you have a specific type in mind, I can help you find someone and will add a dowry for you later."
Su Meiru felt a chill in her heart but shot Lin Jinlou a coquettish glare and said, "I, Su Meiru, am in the prime of my youth and beauty, with silver and land to my name. Those who wish to marry me could form a line stretching all the way to the south of the city. There’s no need for Master to trouble himself on my behalf. Besides, I’ve made up my mind to follow you for life. Surely you wouldn’t cast me aside, hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jinlou merely smiled, lowered his eyelashes, and sipped his tea. Afterward, however, he gradually grew distant toward her. Su Meiru grew anxious and frantic, yet she could neither grasp nor guess the man’s temperament and thoughts. Secretly, she sent a servant boy to deliver a lock of her hair to him. Unexpectedly, after that, although Lin Jinlou still ordered people to look after her, he never set foot in that residence again. Only then did Su Meiru realize she had done something foolish, and she became even more cautious, plagued by fear of loss. Later, when Lin Jinlou returned to Jinling, he told her that the residence in Zhejiang was now hers and that they would have no further ties. Su Meiru threatened suicide and wept bitterly, clinging to Lin Jinlou’s leg, stubbornly following him all the way from Zhejiang.
Now, having just returned to Jinling, Lin Jinlou spent his first night at her place. Su Meiru was both startled and overjoyed, exerting all her skills to be tender and attentive.
Soon, the water was heated. Su Meiru attended to Lin Jinlou’s bath, taking a brush to scrub his back. Seeing his robust and well-built upper body, her heart warmed, and she stole glances at him. Noticing Lin Jinlou lying with his eyes closed against the edge of the bathtub, she dared not be presumptuous and instead carefully wiped him with a cloth.
Lin Jinlou let out a long sigh and said, "Prepare a few light dishes. I’ll have dinner here tonight."
Su Meiru immediately beamed with joy, standing up delightedly. "I’ll have Auntie Zhang prepare them right away! And I’ll simmer a pot of congee carefully. I remember Master had two bowls of plum-scented congee last time and said it whetted the appetite."
Lin Jinlou said, "No need for such trouble. I have important matters tomorrow, so I’ll just eat a little and sleep."
Su Meiru instantly understood his meaning and could not help but feel greatly disappointed, her smile becoming strained. Hearing Lin Jinlou cough lightly, she leaned in and said, "Is Master thirsty? Would you like some tea?" Lin Jinlou slightly opened his eyes and saw Su Meiru’s ingratiating smile, her full lips lightly coated with rouge. Suddenly, he remembered that little maid named Xianglan, who also had such a lovely little mouth—naturally pink and vibrant without any rouge. He had originally intended to promote her upon returning from this campaign, but who would have thought Zhao Yuechan would sell her off? Among the women he had seen, Xianglan’s appearance and demeanor could easily rank within the top three. What a pity for such a delicate, willow-like girl...
Su Meiru noticed Lin Jinlou staring intently at her mouth and grew somewhat uneasy. She flashed a seductive smile and said, "What is Master looking at? Have I gotten something dirty on my lips?"During the bandit suppression campaigns, he spent his days living on the edge, and Su Meiru was his diversion in moments of leisure. Though she was a young widow who had lost her husband, her beauty and charm made her acceptable company. Yet, unexpectedly, Su Meiru began to harbor other intentions, constantly inquiring about the Lin Family—who its members were, their temperaments, and whether the Main House wife was tolerant. This made him frown. After all, external amusements were just that; he had never considered bringing her home or allowing someone like Su Meiru to bear his children. He had made his stance clear to her, but she still clung on, unwilling to leave. Well, it was the same with his former lover Xiao Cuixian—she had wept and refused to let her patron redeem her, stubbornly waiting for him to redeem her and take her into his household. After years of waiting, as her youth faded, she finally accepted reality and allowed him to spend three thousand taels of silver to redeem her and gift her to a friend. As for Su Meiru, he would stop visiting her soon enough; in a couple of years, she would come to her senses and marry someone else.
But he had forgotten the old saying: "If you always walk by the river, sooner or later your shoes will get wet." And so it was—sooner or later, he would have to pay for his romantic debts. Later, Su Meiru would stir up a public scandal for the Lin Family.
At this moment, Lin Jinlou closed his eyes and said calmly, "It's nothing."
Thank you Peach Demon 315 for three Peace Talismans, Damima for the Peace Talisman, and Babylaura for the long review ^_^ Please vote for me—I’ve been so diligent, sob sob~~
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