Cao Lihuan was a woman of considerable cunning and strategy, possessing both charm and allure, along with countless clever ways to please others. Han Yaozu instantly fell deeply in love with her, unable to bear being apart from her for even a moment, and promptly forgot about his own shrewish wife. From hairpins and necklaces to bracelets, seasonal clothing, and even delicacies like chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as various tonics, Cao Lihuan never hesitated to ask for them. Han Yaozu, utterly infatuated with her, naturally granted her every wish. To further ingratiate herself, Cao Lihuan even presented her personal maid, Huier, to Han Yaozu for his pleasure. With both mistress and maid attending to him in turns, it wasn’t long before Ren Yu was promoted from a prison warden to a ninth-rank tax inspector, publicly bestowed with an official position despite having been a commoner.
However, as the saying goes, “Walls have ears.” Before long, someone spotted Cao Lihuan emerging from Han Yaozu’s study with her jacket loosely fastened, nearly exposing half her chest, and the news spread quietly. When it reached Ren Yu’s mother, the old madam was so enraged she nearly fainted and demanded that Ren Yu divorce his wife. Cao Lihuan sneered coldly, “If it weren’t for me, how could your son have gotten a ninth-rank official position out of nowhere? It’s bad enough that your own son is too incompetent to pass the imperial exams, but to sacrifice his wife for it—do you think that brings you honor? How dare you glare at me and criticize me!” Upon hearing this and seeing Ren Yu’s submissive demeanor, Ren’s mother vomited two mouthfuls of blood and passed away within a month. From then on, no one dared to control Cao Lihuan. She would be sweet and affectionate in front of Han Yaozu, but upon returning home, she would order her husband around like a servant, scolding and beating him, only to occasionally coax him with tender words. Ren Yu both feared and loved her, so he could only feign ignorance and endure the humiliation in silence.
One day, Cao Lihuan noticed Xia Yun at the door and secretly took an interest. She thought to herself that Xia Yun was well-put-together—though not as handsome as Ren Yu, he carried an air of refined elegance and pride. Though he lacked Han Yaozu’s official authority, his youthful vigor was far superior to that of an old man like Han. Gnashing her teeth in silent resentment, she thought, “How hateful! It’s just my luck to be married to a good-for-nothing and never have encountered such a desirable man! Xia Yun is different from the others—he passed the provincial exam at a young age and is bound to rise high in the future. Han Yaozu is old, and his official career could end at any time. Though he treats me well, it’s not a long-term solution. I should find a way to form a connection with young Master Xia—it might give me something to rely on in the yamen in the future… Perhaps I can even depend on him later!” The more she pondered, the more her heart burned like a flame.
From then on, she sought opportunities to chat with Xia Yun, frequently inquiring after his well-being. She also whispered in Han Yaozu’s ear, urging him to value Xia Yun even more. Han subsequently assigned Xia Yun several prominent tasks and rewarded him generously with silver. Cao Lihuan then went to Xia Yun to claim credit, saying, “I admire your talent, Master Xia—your excellent calligraphy and profound learning. It’s a waste for you to remain in the county yamen. Fortunately, I can put in a good word for you with the magistrate, so I praised your virtues. See? A talented person like you shines immediately, doesn’t he?”
Xia Yun immediately felt that Cao Lihuan was a perceptive patron who genuinely had his best interests at heart. Though he had initially kept his distance from her, he gradually grew closer to her.
As they became more familiar, Cao Lihuan began to flirt with him through meaningful glances and occasional teasing remarks, saying, “Young Master Xia, you haven’t married yet, have you? Who do you think about when you lie alone at night, unable to sleep?”
Xia Yun replied, “I simply close my door and read at night.”Cao Lihuan smiled and said, "Oh, just studying all day won't do. You need to relax sometimes, don't you?" As she spoke, she leaned gracefully against the doorframe, one foot resting on the threshold while holding up her skirt with one hand, revealing just a glimpse of her pink embroidered shoes.
Xia Yun immediately understood her implication. Though he inwardly scorned Cao Lihuan's character, he didn't want to offend her either. He kept his head down, pretending not to notice. Yet he couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased with himself, fancying himself as dashing and handsome as Pan An, attracting admirers everywhere.
Since they were in the government office, Cao Lihuan didn't dare linger too long with Xia Yun. Seeing that he paid her no attention, she made some casual conversation before taking her leave. Secretly she thought: "There's plenty of time ahead. Even mice love oil cakes - I'm not afraid I can't win over this young fledgling."
Leaving aside Cao Lihuan's schemes of seduction, let us turn to Lin Jinlou, who after maneuvering in the capital for over half a year, finally returned to Jinling. The news of Lin Changzheng's promotion to Shanxi Governor-General was confirmed, bringing joy to the entire Lin household. Officials large and small in Jinling quickly caught wind of this - Lin Changzheng had completed his mourning period and returned to office, immediately being promoted to a first-rank official with substantial regional authority. This signaled the Lin family's resurgence. Thus, a steady stream of visitors came bearing name cards, congratulatory gifts, and seeking connections. Particularly since vague rumors circulated that Lin Jinlou had separated from Zhao Shi, those contemplating marriage alliances formed a queue stretching down the street.
After returning home, Lin Jinlou first spent several days inspecting military affairs, then handled miscellaneous matters for two more days before finally stealing half a day's leisure. He slept lazily in bed, waking up feeling parched, so he got up and called for tea.
The bed curtain was drawn aside, and a heavily made-up woman handed him a bowl of tea. After taking a sip, Lin Jinlou looked up and saw it was Huamei serving the tea, causing him to frown slightly. This was the master bedroom of Hall of Knowing Spring - as a concubine, Huamei shouldn't be entering and leaving freely.
Being clever, Huamei immediately understood Lin Jinlou's displeasure. She quickly explained, "Madam asked me to wait here, saying the Eldest Master has been as busy as a spinning top these past few days, and no one knew when you'd wake up. You shouldn't wake up without anyone to attend to you..." She glanced at Lin Jinlou and lowered her voice, "Originally those serving in this room... were mostly people brought from that one's maiden home, so..."
"I understand," Lin Jinlou said immediately, throwing off the thin quilt to get out of bed.
Huamei hurriedly bent down to help him with his shoes, then fetched his clothes from the nearby clothes warmer and helped him dress. After he was fully dressed, she asked, "Would the Eldest Master like something to eat? The small kitchen has just prepared some delicate pastries that you usually enjoy. Would you like some?" Seeing Lin Jinlou nod slightly, she immediately ordered someone to bring them.
Lin Jinlou rotated his neck. A clever maid promptly brought over a bowl of clear soup. As he drank it, he heard faint sounds of cymbals and string instruments from the front courtyard. "What's happening up front? It's so lively," he asked.
Huamei replied, "Several of the master's students and subordinates came to offer congratulations, so the master kept them for dinner."
Lin Jinlou looked out the window and saw that dusk had already fallen. After finishing his soup, he picked up chopsticks to take some pastries when he suddenly paused and called out to the maid who had just brought the soup: "You there, stop!"The maid was Yindie. Because Lin Jinlou was home today, she had deliberately dressed up, changing into a brand-new lotus-root-colored outfit. The accessories she wore were all her prized possessions kept at the bottom of her chest—she had three pairs of bracelets on each wrist, and the powder on her face was secretly taken from Huamei’s dressing table, a high-quality cosmetic. She was already quite pretty, and with this careful adornment, her charm was further enhanced.
Now that Lin Jinlou had called out to her, Yindie trembled with delight. She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and was about to flash him a radiant smile when she saw Lin Jinlou step forward with a dark expression, snatching the gold-inlaid horse-shaped waist ornament with tassels and yingluo from her sash. He demanded, "Where did you get this?"
Yindie shuddered all over.
Back when Xianglan was driven out by Zhao Yuechan, she had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t had time to pack her belongings. Yindie had secretly taken Xianglan’s trunk and carried it away. She had taken all the fine clothes and jewelry inside and, at the bottom of the trunk, found a red silk pouch. Opening it, she discovered this small golden horse adorned with yingluo and tassels—truly exquisite and peerless. Yindie’s eyes widened in awe, and she quickly tucked the golden horse into her pocket. She had never worn it since taking it, and today was the first time she had fastened it to her sash. Yet, Lin Jinlou had spotted it immediately and questioned her directly.
Now, this golden horse waist ornament had a backstory. It was originally a rare item brought back from an overseas ship, fitted with bright yingluo silk cords and various precious gemstones, and given to Lin Jinlou. Lin Jinlou had also found this little golden horse, made of pure gold and yellow jade, exquisite, and after admiring it for a while, he fastened it to his own waist. On one occasion, when Xianglan was serving him, he had taken a liking to the girl and bestowed the little golden horse upon her. Now, this very item was worn by an unrelated maid, and Lin Jinlou’s face darkened.
Yindie, being clever, immediately sensed that there was something significant about the golden horse. Combined with her guilty conscience and fear of Lin Jinlou’s authority, her eyes darted around nervously as she stammered, "This is... this is..."
Lin Jinlou kicked her in the stomach and said, "This what? I asked you where this golden horse came from!"
Yindie let out a cry and fell to the ground, then quickly scrambled to her knees. Her face pale with pain, she thought, "This is bad. If I say I stole it from Xianglan, I’m surely doomed. Since Zhao Yuechan is gone anyway, I might as well pin the blame entirely on her." So she immediately said, "Eldest Master, please understand, this item was originally given to me by Da Nǎinai..."
Lin Jinlou laughed coldly and harshly. "She gave it to you? She’s as stingy as they come. She must have treated you, this lowly servant, exceptionally well. Why didn’t she take you with her when she was kicked out of the Lin family?"
This seemingly casual remark sent chills down Yindie’s spine. She kowtowed repeatedly and said, "This servant was wrong! Please spare me, Eldest Master!"
Lin Jinlou didn’t even glance at her and simply ordered, "First thing tomorrow morning, summon the human trafficker and have her taken away."
Huamei hurriedly responded, "Yes."
Yindie was horrified, tears streaming down her face as she kowtowed desperately, thumping her head on the ground. "Spare me, Eldest Master! Spare me! That waist ornament wasn’t given to me by Da Nǎinai. After Xianglan left, I found it in her trunk. I was blind with greed! I’ll never dare again, never again..."
Lin Jinlou roared, "Get her out of my sight now!"
Immediately, two older women came forward, gagged Yindie, and dragged her away.Huamei's lips twitched slightly as she thought to herself, "Yindie is truly an idiot. She'd rather claim this thing was stolen than admit it was a reward from Zhao Yuechan. Does she not know which person our master detests the most?" Yet her face remained calm and composed, refusing to utter an extra word as she carefully attended to Lin Jinlou's meal.
Lin Jinlou fiddled with the golden horse waist pendant, his thoughts drifting to Xianglan. Though he had been away for over half a year, he remained well-informed. He knew Song Ke had passed the imperial examination and become a jinshi, engaged to the daughter of Duke Xian, while Xianglan was left behind as he took his entire family to the capital.
OpenNovel