As soon as Lin Zhaoxiang left, the room fell abruptly silent. Lin Old Madam’s face was pale, full of weariness. She let out a long sigh and slumped onto her pillow. Qin Shi, fearing something might go wrong, hurried forward to attend to her. Wang Shi had already led the female relatives out to rest in the side chamber. A moment later, when Qin Shi returned, Wang Shi immediately went up to her and asked in a low voice, "How is she?"
Qin Shi took her hand and led her to a secluded spot before saying, "The Old Madam was so frightened her face turned white, sighing and fretting, not knowing what to do. I was afraid something might happen to her—that would spoil the birthday banquet. I offered some comforting words, and now Xue Zhan and Liubei are attending to her. I’m sending someone to look for the bracelet. You keep watch here."
Wang Shi agreed readily, and after further discussion, Qin Shi departed.
Meanwhile, in the side chamber, everyone had settled down and began murmuring in small groups. Xue Ning came in again to serve tea. Lin Dongxiu sat on the edge of the heated brick bed, holding a tea bowl and blowing on the steam. With a faint, mocking smile, she said, "Did you hear? The bracelet was lost in the inner room of the Flower Hall. I haven’t even touched the doorframe of that room. Those who went in today should know it in their hearts, shouldn’t they?"
At her words, the room fell silent. Lin Dongxiu was no longer who she used to be; her presence had grown more imposing, even surpassing that of Lin Dongqi and Li Miaozhi, and her tone was sharp.
While others remained silent, Lin Dongwan’s face darkened instantly. "What are you saying, Fourth Sister? Are you implying we are thieves?" She had always disliked Lin Dongxiu. Among the married daughters, Lin Dongqi, born of Taitai, had climbed to a higher branch—that was tolerable. But what was Lin Dongxiu? She used to be a little minx trailing behind others like a fawning dog. Now, married to Marquis Yongchang, she had transformed and put on airs. Today, she had been insinuating things and even dared to show her displeasure! If she didn’t say something to suppress her arrogance, that little minx might not know her place!
Lin Dongxiu, suppressing her own anger, wore a false smile and retorted, "I didn’t see it with my own eyes, so I wouldn’t dare call anyone a thief. But I do know who’s the type to scheme against their own family for petty gains. Eldest Sister, do you know who that is?"
Lin Dongqi, startled, tugged at Lin Dongxiu’s sleeve. "Have you drunk too much? What nonsense are you saying?"
Lin Dongwan, guilty at heart, felt the remark strike a nerve. Her face flushed, and she sprang to her feet, taking two steps forward and pointing angrily. "Make yourself clear today! If you’re accusing me of theft, I’m standing right here—search my clothes! If I stole that bracelet, I’ll willingly kneel and kowtow to you!"
Li Miaozhi and Lin Dongqi hurried over to mediate. "Enough, enough. It’s such a joyous occasion today. We’re all sisters—why make a scene? Calm down." "Fourth Sister has always been blunt and thoughtless. Why take her words to heart?"
Lin Dongwan had intended to use the "evidence" remark to brush things aside, but Lin Dongxiu refused to let it go. She chuckled and said, "Eldest Sister, you’re quite skilled. I never said you were the thief. I was talking about those who love to scheme for petty gains against their own family—Tsk, who’s to say they wouldn’t even target the Old Madam and steal her bracelet?"At this, Lin Dongwan’s face flushed with humiliation again. She stepped forward and pointed, saying, “You keep talking about greed and scheming against family—clearly you’re aiming at someone! Why don’t you just say it outright today instead of letting your heart fester? Yes, I drank too much and lay down in the inner room for a while, but I was asleep the whole time. Second Sister, Sister-in-law, and Miss Xi were all in the room watching!”
Su Meiru sat smiling on an embroidered stool, cracking melon seeds. Jiang Xiyun remained silent in the corner. Li Miaozhi hurriedly tried to calm Lin Dongwan, while Lin Dongqi anxiously whispered a few words of comfort before moving to Lin Dongxiu’s side and murmuring, “My dear lady, say less. Do you really want to start a fight? If the Old Lady finds out, won’t that just add to her troubles?”
Lin Dongxiu sneered, “I’m not afraid of the Old Lady knowing. What if it blows up? It’ll be a chance for the elders to judge who’s right—she’s the one who’s gone mad!”
Xianglan approached and said softly, “If this really escalates, it’ll tear apart the sisters’ relationship. The Eldest Young Lady may not care—the Lu family is already an empty shell, hollow inside—but you represent the Marquis Yongchang’s reputation. If word gets out that sisters quarreled at the Old Lady’s birthday banquet, regardless of who’s right or wrong, it’s you, Fourth Young Lady, who’ll lose the most face. That’s hardly worth it.”
These words made Lin Dongxiu fall silent. She didn’t reply, only gave a faint sneer, picked up her tea to drink, and gazed out the window. Xianglan breathed a sigh of relief. Reasoning with someone like Lin Dongxiu about sisterly affection or noble principles was mostly futile—it was better to appeal to practical interests.
Meanwhile, Li Miaozhi had persuaded Lin Dongwan to step back. Guilty at heart, Lin Dongwan didn’t dare make a real scene and was only putting on a show. She sat down fuming, her face flushed crimson, tears welling up as she choked out, “Just listen to what Fourth Sister is saying—every word aimed at me. Now that you’ve climbed high and married into a wealthy family, you look down on your elder sister? Have you forgotten the days when you begged me to comb your hair as a child?”
Xianglan thought to herself that Lin Dongwan, being a few years older, had skillfully made Lin Dongxiu appear in the wrong with that remark.
Sure enough, Lin Dongxiu grew furious, her willow-leaf eyebrows shooting up as she prepared to retort. Xianglan quickly tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Just let her save face. Everyone here knows each other’s secrets—why spell everything out?”
But how could Lin Dongxiu bear to lose? She gave a slight, cold smile and said, “Indeed, dear sister, so you still remember our childhood bond. In that case, dry your tears—it looks as though I’ve bullied you.”
Hearing this, Lin Dongwan cried even harder. Li Miaozhi and Lin Dongqi rushed to console her, while Lin Dongxiu sneered without a word. Su Meiru wore the expression of someone watching a play, and Jiang Xiyun naturally kept her distance.
Xianglan frowned slightly. Family squabbles were never a good thing, and it was best to stop them if possible. She went to Lin Dongwan’s side and said gently, “Eldest Young Lady, what’s the most urgent matter at hand right now?”
Lin Dongwan ignored her, shoulders trembling as she covered her face with a handkerchief.
Having spent recent days coaxing Lin Jinlou like a child, Xianglan had honed immense patience. She thought that even if Lin Dongwan threw a tantrum, it couldn’t compare to the unreasonable Lin Bawang. Aloud, she said, “The most pressing issue now is to recover the crown prince’s bestowed items. The Old Master and Old Lady are both anxious about this. If they find out you’ve been crying here and inquire further, it’ll only add to their worries—that wouldn’t be good at all.”The phrase "further questioning" made Lin Dongwan's heart sink. She immediately stopped crying, wiping her tears with a handkerchief while clutching Xianglan's hand, sobbing, "Everyone should know perfectly well what kind of person I am—how could I possibly steal the Old Lady's things? When I entered the room, Liubei was already inside. Later, when I left, Miss Xi was still having her meal in the room."
Before she could finish, Su Meiru interjected with measured cadence, "So Miss Jiang was the last to leave? No wonder, no wonder—"
The crowd froze. Lin Dongwan instantly understood that Su Meiru was harboring resentment against Jiang Xiyun for causing her trouble earlier. Jiang Xiyun's heart sank—she was the only outsider in the room and had past conflicts with the Lin Family. If she were implicated, it would be disastrous. Startled, she stood up, took a step forward, and glared coldly at Su Meiru, demanding, "Concubine Su, what do you mean by that? Explain yourself clearly! What exactly is 'no wonder, no wonder'?"
Su Meiru hadn't expected Jiang Xiyun to confront her directly. She paused in surprise, then patted her chest and smiled sweetly, "Oh my, Miss Jiang was as gentle as a flower in front of the Old Lady earlier—I never expected you to be so fierce. You've quite frightened me. My 'no wonder, no wonder' doesn't mean anything else. I just recalled some vague rumors I heard when I first arrived in the capital—something about fearing future rivalry and giving someone a sterilization potion, and now this bracelet is missing. Considering past character, I couldn't help but have my doubts."
Xianglan was stunned, thinking that Concubine Su and Jiang Xiyun had never met before—what grudge could they possibly have? These words were ten times more venomous than Lin Dongxiu's earlier insinuations, striking directly at the vital point.
Jiang Xiyun's face immediately turned purple with rage. Trembling all over, her chest heaving, she was accustomed to being the one who silenced others with sharp remarks. Never had she imagined that a concubine of the Lin Family would use such words to humiliate her.
Seeing the situation turning sour, Li Miaozhi hurried forward to mediate, "What is all this talk? I must be foolish—I can't understand a word of it. Concubine Su, you've been out for half a day and must be tired. You should go back and rest."
"Thank you for your concern, Third Mistress, but I'm not tired at all." Su Meiru looked at Jiang Xiyun with contempt, then lowered her head to gently stroke her belly, murmuring softly, "My dear, don't be afraid. Stop kicking me now." She raised her head and smiled charmingly at Jiang Xiyun, "I was just joking, Miss Xi. Please don't take it to heart."
Jiang Xiyun sneered inwardly. Slowly lifting her head, her expression calm and relaxed, she smiled faintly, a dimple appearing at the corner of her lips, and slowly sat back down. Raising her voice, she declared, "Concubine Su was just telling me about capital rumors—why would I take it to heart? Speaking of rumors, I heard a few stories recently too. They say the former Minister of War, Lord Jia, failed to maintain proper household discipline, allowing his sons and grandsons to create a scandal of fathers and sons sharing concubines, with a son taking his father's concubine. The Bureau of Personnel Oversight submitted a severe impeachment memorial. Lord Jia was so enraged he nearly fainted, never realizing he had such disgraceful descendants. He personally administered family discipline, and that very night, the concubine was dragged away and sold—no one knows where she ended up. Ah—poor Lord Jia, at his age, still had to write a confession for the Emperor's review, completely losing face."
The room fell into silence. Everyone present was clever enough to understand that Jiang Xiyun's words were a veiled mockery of Su Meiru's alleged improper relationship with her uncle-nephew.Jiang Xiyun turned her head to look at Su Meiru and said with a gentle smile, "I was just telling an amusing anecdote about someone else. In my opinion, it's the men of the Lin Family who are fortunate to have gained a new concubine like Concubine Su, who is both pleasing and sharp-tongued." This mention of "the men of the Lin Family" was another slap in the face to Su Meiru.
Su Meiru's expression changed momentarily before she smiled again like a spring breeze, though her hand clenched the handkerchief tightly in her sleeve. She said, "It is I who am fortunate to have encountered a merciful Main House wife, who did not give me medicine to prevent me from having children." As she spoke, she glanced at Xianglan.
In truth, ever since the two of them began their confrontation, Xianglan had felt extremely uncomfortable. Each sentence was laden with hidden meanings, sharp as swords, piercing to the heart—all just to gain the upper hand and vent their frustrations. What's more, she had been dragged into it, like a stick stirring up the bitterness and resentment that had long settled within her. She took a slow breath, met Su Meiru's gaze for a moment, and was about to speak when Lin Dongxiu stood up and pulled Xianglan outside. In a low voice, she said, "You want to mediate again, don't you? Are you foolish? One is Su Meiru, the other is Jiang Xiyun—neither of them is any good. It's perfect that they're at each other's throats; we can just sit back and enjoy the show! Earlier, I counted on my fingers: no matter who in this room took the old lady's bracelet, if word got out, it would be a disgrace. Only Jiang Xiyun is an outsider. In my opinion, it's most likely that little wretch who has sticky fingers. Let them fight—don't rush to mediate. If you don't handle it well, you'll end up stained."
Just as she finished speaking, Wang Shi entered, supported by her maids Ying Luo and Hupo.
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