Nowadays, who in the entire capital doesn’t know that Lin Jinlou has a favored one in his chambers? Even Lao Yuan praised him for his good fortune. Although Xianglan had thrown a tantrum earlier, she hadn’t embarrassed him in front of Song Ke. So, being magnanimous, he decided not to stoop to a woman’s level and would coax her with a few words later.
Xianglan lay with her eyes closed for a long while, but hearing no movement around her, she wondered if that tyrant had already left. She quietly opened her eyes and turned her head to look, only to find Lin Jinlou still sitting by the bedside.
Seeing Xianglan sneak a glance at him, Lin Jinlou leaned close to her ear and said, "Still angry, huh? You didn’t lose out, you know. Look at my face—this is the first time since I was a child. Ah, let me tell you, if Madam were here, she’d definitely scold you for this."
Xianglan kept her eyes tightly shut and said nothing.
Lin Jinlou thought for a moment, moved the kang table aside, and lay down sideways, reaching out to pull Xianglan closer. Inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair, he 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 and take you out to relax in a few days." With that, he propped himself up on his elbow, lowered his head, 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 further into the corner.
Lin Jinlou looked at her rosy lips and her delicate, jade-like face, her demeanor so charming and lovely that his heart swelled with delight. He pulled her back into his embrace and chuckled softly, "Don’t move, or I might not be able to control myself and ruin all our efforts. The imperial physician said we must abstain 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 is unwell, so we’ll likely have to stay longer. As the weather warms up, if you didn’t bring summer clothes from Jinling, we’ll buy some fabric and have a few nice outfits made. Also, Xiao San’s wedding was originally planned for the end of the year, but the Li family’s grandmother has suddenly fallen ill. They say she won’t last long, and if she passes, the wedding will be delayed another year. Old Master wants to expedite the matter. In a few days, Second Aunt and Third Brother will arrive in the capital. Second Aunt is quite tolerant. If she encounters any difficulties in arranging Third Brother’s wedding, lend her a hand. I recall you helped organize 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, it’s 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 meddle in such matters."
Lin Jinlou paid no mind, stroking her hair as if teasing a kitten. "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 don't bother with others, but Third Brother is different. He grew up following me around since he was little. When I practiced martial arts before, he'd tag along to learn, but he's just a pampered young master who can't endure hardship. After casually mimicking a few moves and learning some flashy techniques, he'd run off. Second Aunt only has this one precious son and couldn't bear to see him suffer, so she eventually had him focus on studying instead. That kid often used my name to pick fights outside, and I usually turned a blind eye. But when he was around thirteen or fourteen, he became such a little tyrant that he even harassed a commoner 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 afterward, he'd tremble just hearing my voice. But to his credit, even after being beaten so badly, he insisted he'd gotten the injuries from fighting with others. It wasn't serious—just flesh wounds—but that kid howled like a dying animal when applying medicine."
Xianglan thought to herself, "So Lin Jinting had also been beaten by Lin Jinlou. No wonder he's so terrified of his older brother, acting like a bootlicker in front of Lin Jinlou."
Lin Jinlou clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk, why did I beat him? It was because I was afraid he'd ruin the Lin family's reputation by bullying men and harassing women, giving people grounds to criticize us later."
Hearing this, Xianglan widened her eyes in disbelief. He lectured Lin Jinting about bullying men and harassing women? Then what was she? Wasn't she someone he had forcibly taken?
Seeing Xianglan staring at him with wide eyes, Lin Jinlou couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out to pinch her small chin and stroked her lips, saying, "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 behavior? What do you think, little Xianglan?"
Xianglan swatted his hand away, thinking to herself how shameless this man was.
Lin Jinlou chuckled softly again and patted Xianglan's shoulder. "Actually, I'm quite curious. It's understandable that you learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from the nuns at the temple—your master, Dingyi Shitai, was originally from an official's family, a well-bred young lady, so it's not surprising she knew these things. But who taught you how to manage accounts, handle household affairs, and organize banquets? Hmm? Ordinary girls don't learn these skills. Back then, even my elder sister had to swallow her pride and plead with my mother to teach her these things."
Xianglan's heart tightened. Lin Jinlou was extremely sharp and not easily fooled. After thinking for a long while, she finally whispered, "Who says I know how to do those things? I only know the basics. Our neighbors all work for the Lin family, and there are a few retired old nannies from the estate. Whatever they casually mentioned was enough for me to learn from."
"Oh, and today when you were wrestling with me, you said something about 'having lived two lives.' What did that mean?"
"N-nothing, I had too much to drink and was talking nonsense... Did I really 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. "Even if you've lived two lifetimes, or were a fox spirit who specializes in draining men's vitality, I wouldn't be afraid." He stared intently at Xianglan's face for a moment, then pinched her chin and said, "Now that I look closely, with your delicate features, you really do resemble a fox spirit." His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he continued softly, "As for you, better rein in that restless heart of yours. Don't think about playing any tricks with me. You're too soft-hearted - even if you lived several more lifetimes, you'd never be my match. Serve me well, take your medicine obediently, and safely bear me an heir. Then your parents will have someone to rely on in their old age, for illnesses and funeral 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 worm 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 leaned down to kiss her lips. As lantern-lighting time approached, he ordered everyone to withdraw and escorted Xianglan back to the inner residence.
Dishes had been served in the room according to Lin Jinlou's instructions. Xianglan only picked at her food before losing her appetite. Ling Su, knowing she was unwell, had specially ordered the small kitchen to prepare rice porridge, urging Xianglan to have two extra bowls. After the meal, Lin Jinlou embraced Xianglan as they sat on the Arhat Bed, commanding Shu Ran to fetch the Clothing Ledger and read aloud the clothes Xianglan had brought.
Shu Ran returned shortly with the ledger, reporting, "Madam brought one hundred sixty-nine newly tailored garments from Jinling these past two months."
Lin Jinlou grunted in acknowledgment. "Find the page with jackets and read it."
Shu Ran flipped through the pages and read from the jacket section: "Pearl red embroidered with plum, orchid, and 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 embroidered with endless blessings; salmon red embroidered with magpies on plum branches; bright red plain satin; azalea red plain satin..."
After Shu Ran read several entries without even finishing the red jackets alone, Xianglan grew impatient and asked, "Why are you having this read out?" Lin Jinlou never usually concerned himself with trivial matters like clothing in the inner residence, merely spending lavishly to have clothes made.
Playing with Xianglan's fingers lazily, Lin Jinlou said, "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 ask me personally. I told him to have a maid ask you for it, but he hemmed and hawed that the fabric was probably hard to find and the pattern too difficult. Before he even finished speaking, his face turned red."Xianglan immediately understood: if Madam Tan truly wanted to compare the dress to have one made, she could simply send a maid to borrow it. By having Lin Jinxuan ask Lin Jinlou for it, she was clearly scheming to have them give her the dress outright. This line of thinking wasn’t surprising—when Lin Jinlou had clothes tailored for Xianglan, he always used the finest and most expensive fabrics, with embroiderers renowned throughout Jinling. Some of these garments couldn’t be bought even if one had the silver. Madam Tan, being 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 said, "I don’t quite remember—something about magnolia flowers, I think."
Shu Ran 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. Madam has only worn the apricot yellow one, likely the one she wore out socializing today, which Second Madam must have seen."
Xianglan said, "I was drunk today and soiled that dress with vomit..."
Lin Jinlou sneered, "How perfect." He turned to Shu Ran and said, "Tell Second Master that the dress is soiled, and your Concubine no longer favors it, so 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 Shu Ran back and added, "Go to the storeroom and pick two bolts of cloth in floral gray and sky blue to send over to Second Master." Then, to Xianglan, he said, "A soiled dress isn’t worth much—give it to the maids. We’ll have better ones made for you later."
Shu Ran 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 simply laughed and given it to her. But he detested underhanded schemes; he’d rather bestow the garment on a maid than yield to such tactics. To avoid embarrassing Second Master, he ordered two bolts of cloth sent over as consolation.
OpenNovel