Nowadays, who in the entire capital doesn’t know that Lin Jinlou has a favored one in his chambers? Even Old Yuan praised him for his good fortune. Although Xianglan had thrown a fit earlier, she hadn’t embarrassed him in front of Song Ke in the end. So, he decided to be magnanimous and not stoop to a woman’s level. He’d just coax her with a few words later and let it go.
Xianglan lay with her eyes closed for a long while, but hearing no movement around her, she wondered if that Overlord had already left. She cautiously opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder, only to find Lin Jinlou still sitting by the bedside.
Seeing Xianglan sneak a look at him, Lin Jinlou leaned close to her ear and said, “Still angry, huh? You didn’t exactly lose out, you know. Look at my face—this is the first time since I was a child something like this has happened. Ah, let me tell you, if Taitai were here, she’d definitely scold you for it.”
Xianglan kept her eyes tightly shut and said nothing.
Lin Jinlou thought for a moment, moved the small table off the Heated Brick Bed, and lay down on his side. He reached out to pull Xianglan closer, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair, and whispered, “Alright, don’t be angry. It’s just a hand injury—it’ll heal in a couple of days. I’ll make it up to you. In a few days, I’ll take you out to relax.” With that, he propped himself up on his elbow, leaned down, and kissed her.
Xianglan was in no mood for such antics and struggled instinctively. Lin Jinlou pressed his entire body against her, leaving her breathless. Only her small feet kicked frantically beneath him. Finally managing to push him away, she shrank even further into the corner.
Lin Jinlou looked at her flushed lips and her delicate, jade-like face, her demeanor tender and adorable, and his heart swelled with affection. He pulled her back into his embrace and chuckled softly, “Don’t move, or I might not be able to hold back and ruin all our progress. The imperial physician said we can’t be intimate for a few days while you’re on medication.”
Xianglan’s face flushed crimson instantly. She spat in disdain but had no choice but to let him hold her.
Lin Jinlou smoothed her hair and said, “The situation in the capital has changed. The emperor’s Imperial Body is ailing, so we’ll likely have to stay longer. It’s getting warmer, so if you didn’t bring summer clothes from Jinling, we’ll buy some fabric and have a few nice outfits made. Secondly, Xiao San'er’s wedding was originally planned for the end of the year, but the grandmother of the Li family’s young lady has suddenly fallen ill. They say she won’t last long, and if she passes, the wedding will be delayed another year. The Old Master wants to hurry things along, so Second Aunt and Third Brother will arrive in the capital in a few days. Second Aunt is quite easygoing. If she runs into any difficulties organizing Third Brother’s wedding, lend her a hand. I remember you helped manage a Poetry club before, didn’t you?”
Xianglan initially had no intention of responding, but hearing this, she felt it was inappropriate and couldn’t help saying, “Hasn’t Second Brother already taken a wife? By rights, she should be the one to help. If I do it well, fine, but if I don’t, people will only criticize me more. Besides, I’m used to a quiet life and don’t care to get involved in such matters.”
Lin Jinlou paid no mind, stroking her hair as if teasing a kitten, and said, “Hey, what are you afraid of? I’ve got your back. If anyone dares to gossip without a shred of sense, I’ll deal with them.”Xianglan curled her lips and snorted inwardly. Then she heard Lin Jinlou say, "I might not bother with others, but Xiao San'er is different. He grew up following me around since he was little. When I practiced martial arts, he tagged along to learn too. But being a pampered young master, he couldn't endure hardship—he just mimicked a few moves, learned some flashy techniques, and ran off. Second Aunt only has this one precious son and couldn't bear to see him suffer, so she sent him to study instead. That kid often used my name to pick fights outside, and I turned a blind eye. But when he was thirteen or fourteen, he became such a little tyrant that he even harassed a common girl on the street. I dragged him to a secluded spot and gave him a thorough beating, leaving not a single patch of unbruised skin on his body. For three months, he'd tremble just hearing my voice. Yet he was loyal—even after such a beating, he insisted he got injured in a fight with others. Actually, it was just flesh wounds, no broken bones, but he howled like a ghost when applying medicine."
Xianglan thought, "So Lin Jinting was beaten by Lin Jinlou too, no wonder he's so terrified of his brother, acting like a lackey in front of him."
Lin Jinlou clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk, why did I beat him? It was to prevent him from bullying men and women in the future and tarnishing the Lin Family's reputation, giving people grounds to criticize."
Xianglan widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing this. He lectured Lin Jinting about bullying men and women? Then what was she? Wasn't she someone he had forcibly taken?
Seeing Xianglan staring at him with wide eyes, Lin Jinlou chuckled softly. He reached out to pinch her small chin, stroking her lips as he said, "Because I saved your father, you repaid me by giving yourself to me. I've always been a refined gentleman—how could I possibly engage in such despicable acts? What do you say, little Xianglan?"
Xianglan swatted his hand away, thinking, "This man is utterly shameless."
Lin Jinlou chuckled again, patting her shoulder as he said, "What I find truly puzzling is this: learning poetry, music, and painting from the nuns at the temple is understandable—your master, Dingyi Shitai, was originally from an official's family, a well-bred lady, so it's no surprise she knew these things. But who taught you accounting, household management, and banquet hosting skills? Hmm? Ordinary girls don't learn these. Back then, even my elder sister had to humble herself and plead with my mother to teach her."
Xianglan's heart tightened. Lin Jinlou was sharp-witted and not easily fooled. After thinking for a long time, she finally whispered, "Who says I know these things? I only have a superficial understanding. Our neighbors all work for the Lin Family, and there are retired old nannies from the estate. Just listening to their casual talk was enough for me to pick up some knowledge."
"Oh, and today when you were wrestling with me, you said something about 'having lived two lives.' What did that mean?"
"N-nothing, I was drunk and talking nonsense... Did I say that? I've forgotten..."
Lin Jinlou was still smiling as he gently stroked Xianglan's shoulder. "Little Xianglan, did you know you have a habit? Whenever you lie, you can't look people in the eye."
"No, I'm not lying...""Tsk, silly girl." Lin Jinlou couldn't help laughing again. "Never mind that you've lived two lifetimes, even if you were a fox spirit specializing in draining men's vitality, I wouldn't fear you." After speaking, he stared intently at Xianglan's face for a moment, pinched her chin and said: "Now that I look, with your delicate features you really do resemble a fox spirit." His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he continued softly: "As for you, rein in that restless heart of yours. Don't think about playing any more tricks with me. You're too soft-hearted - even if you lived several more lifetimes, you'd still be no match for me. Serve me well, take your medicine obediently, safely give me an heir, and your parents will have support for their remaining years, from minor illnesses to their final arrangements. Otherwise... you can figure out the consequences yourself. Understood?"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Xianglan's forehead. Though Lin Jinlou spoke little, he seemed to read her thoughts as clearly as if he were a tapeworm in her gut. This time, she didn't dare slap away the hand pinching her chin.
Having delivered his threat and seeing Xianglan's pale face, Lin Jinlou felt satisfied. He lowered his head to kiss her lips. By now it was time to light the lamps, so Lin Jinlou ordered everyone to withdraw and escorted Xianglan back to the Inner Chambers.
In accordance with Lin Jinlou's instructions, dinner had already been served in the room. Xianglan took a few bites but lost her appetite. Ling Su, knowing she was unwell, had specially asked the small kitchen to prepare rice porridge and urged Xianglan to have two extra bowls. After the meal, Lin Jinlou embraced Xianglan as they sat on the Luohan bed, ordering Shuran to fetch the Clothing Ledger and read aloud the clothes Xianglan had brought.
Shuran went and returned shortly holding the ledger: "Madam brought one hundred sixty-nine newly tailored garments from Jinling from the past two months."
Lin Jinlou grunted in acknowledgment: "Find the page with jackets and read it."
Shuran flipped through the pages, found the jacket section and read: "Pearl red embroidered with Plum Orchid Chrysanthemum, foreign red embroidered with peonies, silver red embroidered with Abundant Wealth, foreign red embroidered with Eight Treasures, concubine red embroidered with Butterflies Among Flowers, Rouge red round embroidery with Continuous Blessings, salmon red embroidered with Magpie on Plum Branches, bright red plain satin, azalea red plain satin..."
After Shuran read several items without even finishing the red jackets alone, Xianglan grew too impatient to listen and couldn't help asking: "Why are you having this read out?" Lin Jinlou normally never concerned himself with trivial matters like clothing and appearance in the Inner Chambers, merely spending lavishly to have clothes made.
Lin Jinlou played with Xianglan's fingers lazily: "My second brother's wife saw one of your jackets somewhere and wanted to have one made like it. She mentioned it to Second Brother, who actually came to see me personally. I told him to have a maid ask you for it, but he hemmed and hawed that the fabric would probably be hard to find and the pattern difficult. Before he even finished speaking, his face turned red."Xianglan understood immediately. If Madam Tan genuinely wanted to replicate the dress, she could simply send a maid to borrow it. By having Lin Jinxuan ask Lin Jinlou for it, she was clearly angling to have the garment gifted to her. This line of thinking wasn’t surprising—when Lin Jinlou had clothes tailored for Xianglan, he always used the finest materials and employed embroiderers renowned throughout Jinling. Some of these dresses couldn’t be bought even if one had the silver. Madam Tan, young and fond of elegance, naturally coveted such striking attire. As a newlywed, she didn’t dare ask directly, so she sent Lin Jinxuan instead. Xianglan asked, "Which one does she want?"
Lin Jinlou replied, "I don’t recall clearly—something about magnolia flowers, I think."
Shuran checked the list and said, "There are three dresses fully embroidered with magnolias: one in apricot yellow, one in pale lavender, and one in jade green. The mistress has only worn the apricot yellow one, so it must be the one she wore out today, which Second Mistress noticed."
Xianglan said, "I was drunk today and soiled that dress with vomit..."
Lin Jinlou sneered, "How perfect." He turned to Shuran and said, "Tell Second Master that the dress is soiled, and your new concubine no longer favors it—she’s already given it to a maid. If they still want it, they can send someone to fetch it." After a moment’s thought, he called Shuran back and added, "Go to the storeroom and pick two bolts of cloth—one floral gray and one sky blue—to send to Second Master." To Xianglan, he said, "A soiled dress isn’t worth much. Give it to the maids. We’ll have better ones made later."
Shuran shook her head inwardly. Madam Tan clearly didn’t understand Lin Jinlou’s temperament. Had she openly asked for the dress, Lin Jinlou, ever generous, would have likely laughed and given it to her. But he detested underhanded tactics—he’d rather bestow it on a maid than yield to such maneuvering. To avoid embarrassing Second Master, he sent the cloth as a conciliatory gesture.
Thank you to Xuetao for two detailed reviews—insightful and precise analysis, much appreciated! ^ ^ Also, thanks to Hua Shan for the Peach Blossom Fan, Shuiyu Linglong, Muminkonghua, Pangwanghua001, Tuoba Wan’er, and FF殿下 for the sachets; Rongyu8163 for three Peace Talismans; Shuiyu Linglong, Xiao Yuanyuan, and Shuhailuren for the Peace Talismans; and everyone for the pink votes. If I missed anyone in the acknowledgments, my apologies. ^ ^
OpenNovel