Lin Zhaoxiang entered unhurriedly, holding a carved hundred bats offering longevity huanghuali staff in one hand while leading Lin Jinyuan with the other. Lin Jinyuan wore his hair in two topknots, dressed in a bright red bottom embroidered golden lotus pattern round flower sleeveless round collar robe. His round, fair face and large, jet-black eyes darted about with exceptional cleverness. Having always been particularly fond of Xianglan, he secretly made a funny face at her, winking and grimacing. Xianglan couldn’t help but laugh and quietly winked back at him.
The crowd rose in a dark mass to bow and offer greetings. Lin Zhaoxiang went straight to Lin Old Madam’s side and sat down. Only after he was seated did Lin Old Madam take her seat. Lin Zhaoxiang addressed the gathering, “Hearing how lively it was over here, I came to join in the fun. Enjoy yourselves—don’t feel restrained on my account.”
Everyone gradually resumed their seats. At this moment, Lin Dongwan stepped forward eagerly and asked, “Grandfather is here. May you enjoy boundless happiness and golden peace! How is your health? I heard you were unwell a few days ago and have been worried ever since, praying day and night to the gods and Buddhas for your health and longevity. Seeing you in such good spirits today, it seems you’ve recovered well, and I can finally set my heart at ease. Tomorrow, I must go to Guanyin Temple to fulfill my vow.”
Lin Zhaoxiang lifted his eyelids to glance at her and said indifferently, “Eldest granddaughter, you’ve managed to say everything there is to say for everyone in this room.”
Lin Dongwan’s face flushed crimson in an instant. Somewhat embarrassed, she retreated.
Qin Shi quickly stepped in to smooth things over, presenting a playbill with a smile. “Since the Old Ancestor has come, why not choose an opera? We’ve invited the renowned Qingyun Troupe from the capital today—their movements and singing are both excellent.”
Lin Zhaoxiang took the playbill and selected two operas. A maidservant immediately dashed out to relay the choices, and before long, the sound of singing drifted in from outside. Lin Zhaoxiang picked up a tea bowl and took a sip of tea. Noticing a strikingly beautiful young girl sitting on the small stool at Lin Old Madam’s feet, though he well knew who she was, he still asked, “This is—”
Lin Old Madam laughed. “Look at me, I forgot to tell you.” She took Jiang Xiyun’s hand and said, “This is Xiyun.”
Jiang Xiyun promptly gathered her skirts and bowed in greeting.
Lin Zhaoxiang looked her up and down, then nodded with a faint smile. “I can still see traces of the child you once were.” He gestured with his hand. “Back then, you were only this tall and often came to our house with your grandfather. Your mouth was as sweet as could be. And now, in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown into a young lady.” He thought for a moment and added with a chuckle, “You used to say the Lin Family’s cooks were excellent, especially at preparing fish. Whenever that dish was served, you’d eat with such relish that your cheeks would glow. But because ‘fish breeds fire and meat breeds phlegm,’ your nurse wouldn’t let you eat too much. Every time the fish was taken away, you’d look on with tears welling up in your eyes.”
Jiang Xiyun shrank behind Lin Old Madam, her face full of charming bashfulness. “That was all when I was little. I’ve long since outgrown my greediness. Old Ancestor, you do tease so—”
Everyone laughed. Qin Shi feigned a couple of laughs, dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief; Xianglan lowered her head without a word; Lin Dongqi kept her eyes fixed on the stage; Lin Dongxiu sneered repeatedly; Su Meiru cracked melon seeds, casually spitting the shells onto the floor.
After a moment, Jiang Xiyun instructed a maid to bring over some two-color needlework, which she presented earnestly. “This is some needlework I made to honor you, Old Ancestor. I hope you won’t mind its roughness.”Lin Zhaoxiang looked and saw a pair of shoes along with a cloak. Embroidered on the cloak was a swimming fish, so vivid and lifelike it seemed real. Lin Zhaoxiang laughed and said, "Back then, you ate quite a few of the Lin Family's fish. Now that you've embroidered just one, I'm afraid it won't make up for it, will you?"
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Jiang Xiyun's little face flushed red, and she said aggrievedly, "No matter how many Old Ancestor wants, I'm afraid the debt from my greedy mouth back then is too great. Even if I embroider this cloak full of fish, I still wouldn't be able to repay it!"
At these words, Lin Zhaoxiang couldn't help but laugh. Everyone else quickly joined in the laughter. Lin Zhaoxiang glanced sideways at Xianglan and saw her expression was unreadable, neither sad nor happy, with her eyes lowered.
Lin Dongxiu secretly exchanged looks with Lin Dongqi and whispered, "Does Grandfather not know what she's done?"
Lin Dongqi kicked her under the table and motioned toward Lin Zhaoxiang with her chin, lowering her voice to say, "Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."
Lin Dongxiu snorted coldly, "What's there to fear? I'm more worried Grandfather won't hear!"
Xianglan sat quietly, her face showing no emotion, yet her heart was filled with such sorrow, grievance, and resentment that it nearly choked her. The torment made her restless, and the peace she had just found was once again disturbed. She took several deep breaths, slowly clenching and unclenching her fists. When she looked up, she saw Qin Shi's concerned eyes fixed on her. Xianglan shook her head slightly.
Qin Shi's face showed pity as she slowly nodded. She genuinely felt sorry for this girl now, thinking to herself: "This child Xianglan saved me, saved Xiu, and saved Lou Ge'er too. For any one of these deeds, she shouldn't be humiliated like this today, suffering such treatment. Have the Old Master and Old Madam lost their senses? With the whole family watching, how must Xianglan be feeling? Poor child." She calculated that she would soon send Xianglan to fetch something for her, giving her an excuse to escape this awkward situation.
Then they heard Lin Old Madam say, "Since everyone is here, why not bring out the bracelet bestowed by the crown prince for everyone to see?"
Qin Shi said, "Oh, there's such a treasure? Then we must examine it carefully."
Lin Old Madam said, "This was given by the crown prince himself after the Hundred Elders Banquet - he took it off his own wrist to bestow it. It's an agarwood eighteen beads prayer beads, with an interspersed bead prayer bead head made of a pigeon egg sized ruby, and the back cloud pendant foot is a mutton fat jade carved auspicious beast."
Wang Shi chanted a Buddhist phrase and said, "Even without considering it was bestowed by the crown prince, this bracelet alone is a precious object!"
Lin Zhaoxiang said, "This was a beloved possession of the crown prince. Bestowing it upon the Lin Family is granting us immense honor. Since your Old Madam hasn't been well lately, I'll have her wear these prayer beads to share in the crown prince's virtue and blessings. So bring it out now."
These words made Lin Jinyuan instantly pale. He slipped down from his chair, quietly walked over to Xianglan and tugged at her clothes. Xianglan followed him out, and when they reached a secluded spot, Lin Jinyuan grabbed Xianglan's sleeve, his round, pink face full of panic and urgency, saying, "Sister Xianglan, save me quickly!"
Xianglan quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Jinyuan said with a sob in his voice, "That string of beads - I lost it."
Xianglan exclaimed in horror, "What?!"Lin Jinyuan wiped his tears and said, "This morning, I was having breakfast with the Old Madam in the inner room of the Flower Hall. I saw her wrap the bracelet in a handkerchief and tuck it under the mattress of the Heated Brick Bed. I took it out to play with, and just then Third Brother came to pay his morning respects. He took me out to buy some necessities, so I put the prayer beads in my sachet. After we returned from our round, I reached for my waist and realized it was gone—I had already asked Big Brother to find me an identical string outside. I planned to tell the Old Madam about losing the bracelet in the evening and have her cover for me temporarily. I never expected the Old Master would bring it up today—what should I do?" He stamped his feet anxiously, tears streaming down once more.
Xianglan also grew frantic and said, "How could you take such a thing out to play with casually? Any other bracelet might be overlooked, but this was personally bestowed by the Crown Prince's Palace—it's no trivial matter. Where could you find an exact match?"
Lin Jinyuan sobbed, "Then what should I do—I'm afraid—"
Xianglan held his small hand and said, "Good boy, come back with me now. Tell the Old Master and Old Madam the truth—accept the blame and take the punishment. Since you made the mistake, you must face the consequences."
Lin Jinyuan shook his head like a rattle-drum, his face full of terror, and said, "No, no! Grandfather's ruler will beat me to death!"
Xianglan said gently, "Even if Grandfather hits you, it will only be in a moment of anger. Besides, the Old Madam is there. Think about it—even if it hurts to be beaten, isn't it better than living in constant fear day after day?"
Lin Jinyuan wept mournfully, refusing adamantly to confess, and pleaded repeatedly, "Good sister, don't tell anyone, I beg you! I'll never dare do it again!" Xianglan wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Lin Jinyuan's pitiful, panicked expression, she couldn't help but recall her own early days in the Lin Family, serving under Cao Lihuan, when a single mistake would leave her trembling with dread, unsure what punishment or scolding she would face. Her heart softened. Just then, two maids approached. Afraid they might be seen, Xianglan drew Lin Jinyuan into her arms and said, "A true man must take responsibility—owning up to mistakes and accepting punishment is the right way. But since you haven't come to terms with it yet, I won't force you. I promise not to tell anyone else. Still, this is your mistake, and you should be the one to bear it."
Lin Jinyuan sniffled without speaking.
Xianglan sighed, wiped the tears from his face with her handkerchief, and led him back to the Flower Hall.
Before they even entered, they saw the hall was densely packed with people kneeling on the floor. They heard Lin Zhaoxiang's voice, resonant and full of rage, his complexion altered, his cane thumping heavily on the ground as he said, "—What audacity! To dare entertain such vile thoughts about something bestowed by the Crown Prince's Palace! Whoever took that bracelet, confess now. If I find out who it was, it won't be easily overlooked! Who entered the inner room today?"
Lin Jinyuan was terrified out of his wits. He broke free from Xianglan's hand, retreated repeatedly, and fled without looking back.
The crowd held their breath, the silence profound.
Liubei, the maid who attended closely to Lin Old Madam, said, "The inner room was prepared for the young ladies and Taitais to rest in. Since the Old Madam had breakfast there, no ordinary person has been allowed inside. Only the Eldest Young Mistress, Second Young Mistress, Second Mistress, and Miss Xi have been in, along with a few maids and old women who brought in dishes and served tea."Upon hearing this, Qin Shi's heart sank, and she thought to herself, "This is bad. They're all children of the family. If this gets out, what will become of our lives and reputations?" She quickly straightened up, moved forward on her knees a few steps, and said with tears in her eyes, "I beg the Old Master and Taitai to calm your anger. The item bestowed by the Crown Prince's Palace is missing, and I dare not argue whether it was taken by someone in the household or by some dishonest servant. But there are a few things I must ask the Old Master to consider: First, perhaps the item wasn't placed under the beddings at all, or maybe it was locked away in some box and forgotten. If we wrong someone because of this, it would only cause heartache. Second, for now, we should search for it discreetly and question people individually. In front of everyone, who would have the face to admit it? Third, if the item is found, all is well. But if it isn't, the Old Master and Taitai should still ease your minds and take good care of your health."
Wang Shi immediately nodded and said, "Sister-in-law speaks wisely. The Old Master and Taitai must take care."
Lin Zhaoxiang listened to these words, glanced at Qin Shi, then looked at Wang Shi, slowly swallowed his anger, and said in a deep voice, "I will wait in the inner room. Whoever took that bracelet and is willing to confess may come in to see me." With that, he stood up, refusing any assistance, and slowly walked into the inner room.
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