Lin Jinlou took a deep breath. Xianglan widened her eyes, feeling all the blood in her body freeze solid. Lin Jinlou’s sinister face swayed before her again and again. How long had it been since she last saw such an expression on his face? She had almost forgotten how vicious and cruel he could be. Outside, the knocking grew more frantic. Lin Jinlou slowly released his grip, rubbed his face vigorously, then turned and opened the door. There stood Hu Lai, his trusted guard whom he had specifically left behind at the estate to manage affairs before his departure. The moment Hu Lai saw his master’s livid face, he was instantly startled. Lin Jinlou pointed at him and roared, “I told you to stay put in the capital! What are you doing here? You dare disobey my orders now? Huh? Are all of you trying to rebel? None of you take me seriously anymore, is that it?”
The roar made Hu Lai’s knees go weak. In his mind, Lin Jinlou had always remained unflustered even when facing an army, able to talk and laugh calmly. Now, seeing his master’s trembling finger pointing at him in fury, Hu Lai shuddered all over and quickly dropped to one knee, even changing his form of address: “General, this subordinate has come on a matter of utmost urgency… Concubine Yin Yiniang of the estate has passed away! The Second Madam is also in critical condition, her fate unknown…”
Xianglan heard every word clearly and couldn’t help but gasp sharply. She saw Lin Jinlou grab Hu Lai by the collar with one hand, haul him into the room, and shut the door. His thick brows furrowed as he gritted his teeth and demanded, “What happened? Explain everything from the beginning!”
Hu Lai replied, “Early this morning, the maids couldn’t find Concubine Yin, and the Second Madam was also missing. We searched inside and outside the estate, and a night-watch matron reported that a side gate leading out from the rear courtyard of Kangshou Residence was unlocked. This subordinate led a team to search the area and happened upon commoners reporting a murder case in a nearby alley to the authorities. When I rushed over to investigate, I found Concubine Yin with a bloody hole in her chest, lying on the ground—she had already been dead for some time. The Second Madam was disheveled and slumped by the bed. I checked her pulse and discovered a faint trace of breath, so I quickly wrapped her in a quilt and brought her back to the estate. I also informed the authorities to suppress the matter and handed it over to Madam for handling. We thought that would be the end of it, but the Second Madam was clutching a pouch in her hand. When Madam opened it, she found it contained Second Master Chu Peng’s protective talisman, with his birth date written on it, completely accurate. Second Master happened to be present and immediately broke down in tears, convinced that Second Young Master Chu had murdered Concubine Yin and assaulted the Second Madam. Madam managed to calm him down and interrogated the Second Madam’s personal maid. Unexpectedly, upon hearing that the Second Madam was in critical condition, the maid secretly hanged herself. Madam originally intended to wait for Eldest Master to return tomorrow morning to take charge, but Second Master, without a word, had someone prepare a carriage and quietly left, rushing straight to the Chu residence to confront Second Young Master Chu. In the middle of the commotion, he fainted, frightening the Chu family, who feared he might not survive. They called for imperial physicians and sent messengers to deliver the news, causing utter chaos. Seeing that the situation had escalated beyond control, Madam dispatched this subordinate to change horses and rush here, begging Eldest Master to return and take charge.”
Lin Jinlou felt his temples throbbing, his face turning increasingly livid. What a fucking mess of nonsense! He rubbed his forehead and asked, “Where is Second Brother now?”
Hu Lai whispered, “Due to his severe illness, it wasn’t advisable to move him, so he’s temporarily staying at the Chu residence… Second Young Master Chu claims he has been studying through the nights recently and hasn’t left the estate even once…”Lin Jinlou remained silent, pacing back and forth in the room. This matter was definitely not done by Chu Xiao'er. Regardless of his childhood friendship with Chu Dapeng, just based on Chu Dapeng's first-rate character and righteous nature, he would never commit such a crime. If Lin Jinxuan had privately fallen out with Chu Dapeng, it wouldn't be a big deal, but Lin Jinxuan actually went to the Chu residence to make a scene! Chu Dapeng's father was the Minister of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries—how could he endure such baseless accusations and swallow this insult! With the Old Master and his own father not around, it fell upon him to return quickly and resolve this matter.
He would have to travel day and night, arriving dust-covered at the Chu residence early in the morning to offer a humble apology. Given such sincerity, the Chu family elder ought to save face and let it pass.
There was no time to lose.
Lin Jinlou urgently ordered preparations and horses. He glanced at Xianglan, still seething with anger, thinking, "Leaving her behind would only invite more trouble—who knows how she might scheme to inquire about that Song Ke fellow." Pointing at Xianglan, he said, "You, change your clothes. You're coming with me tonight."
Due to the hasty departure, Lin Jinlou left his personal maids and servants behind, instructing them to pack properly and return the next day. He selected over twenty people, spoke privately with Yuan Shaoren for a while, then shoved Xianglan into an extremely small carriage before setting off.
The carriage was just spacious enough for one person to stretch their legs, with only a coarse cloth spread inside. The walls were merely a single layer of soft curtains, letting drafts in from all sides. Xianglan felt the cold piercing to the bone and buried her face deep in her hood. Though her heavy fur cloak provided some warmth, her feet in deerskin boots soon grew numb from the cold, the pain unbearable. The carriage's jolting made her nauseous, adding to her misery. She clutched the brass warming pan in her arms—Xue Ning had secretly slipped it to her before departure, but it was gradually losing its warmth. Fighting back chattering teeth, she opened her eyes and lifted the carriage curtain, seeing a bright moon hanging in the sky, illuminating the wilderness.
By the moonlight, Lin Jinlou noticed Xianglan shivering and sneered repeatedly. He should have been carefully planning how to explain things to the Chu family, but his mind had turned to mush—his thoughts disjointed, with only Xianglan hovering before his eyes, tearfully asking him, "If I told you I wanted to repay Song Ke's kindness by sending him silver, would you agree?" He snorted coldly, spurred his horse, and galloped faster, thinking that speed might dispel his frustration and anger, only to find it made him feel worse. Resentfully, he wondered if he had been too lenient with Chen Xianglan lately, allowing her to overstep her bounds. Once back at the Lin residence, after settling his second brother's affair, he would teach her a proper lesson. Her current freezing state was entirely deserved. Yet, the image of her trembling irritated him—why was this woman so stubborn? Frozen stiff, yet still refusing to beg him. Grim-faced, he pulled a thin blanket from his saddlebag and tossed it into the carriage.
Xianglan jumped in surprise, peeking at Lin Jinlou from behind the curtain but only catching a glimpse of his chin.
Suddenly, Lin Jinlou reined in his horse, and the carriage hurriedly halted. Caught off guard, Xianglan nearly fell. Then, Lin Jinlou's deep voice sounded: "Go check carefully over there!""Personal soldiers then stepped forward with torches, revealing a forest ahead from which a faint scent of blood drifted. When illuminated, the snow-covered ground was splattered with blood, littered with corpses—some prone on the earth, others slumped against tree trunks or dangling from branches. They wore imperial guard uniforms and clutched various weapons, their bodies pierced by multiple arrows, their expressions varied yet uniformly gruesome and horrifying.
Xianglan was terrified. The thick smell of blood overwhelmed her; already nauseous from the journey’s jostling, she could bear it no longer. Struggling out of the carriage, her feet aching and nearly too weak to stand, she staggered behind a bush and vomited repeatedly. Her mind churned like turbulent waves—these imperial guards, clad in the uniforms of the palace vanguard, were clearly the emperor’s personal escort. Yet they had been slaughtered here. Could this be… rebellion? An assassination attempt on the emperor? A chill swept through her, and she trembled uncontrollably.
Lin Jinlou’s expression was grave as he raised a torch and advanced to inspect the scene. Noting that some bodies were still warm, indicating recent death, he pondered briefly before suddenly shouting, "Wen Rushi!"
Wen Rushi hurried forward, cupping his hands in salute. "At your command!"
Lin Jinlou gave him quiet instructions. Wen Rushi initially showed shock but steadied himself, kneeling on one knee to vow, "Even if I die without a burial site, I will fulfill the general’s orders." He then mounted his horse and departed with seven or eight men.
Lin Jinlou next summoned Hu Lai and another trusted aide, Zeng Yuan, issuing further commands. Hu Lai, his face stern, led seven or eight men away. Zeng Yuan took three others back along their original route.
Drawing a deep breath, Lin Jinlou felt the cold wind sting his throat. That morning, he and Yuan Shaoren had left for the suburban Five Armies Camp to visit an old friend, unexpectedly encountering the Crown Prince. The Prince, on the Emperor’s orders, had traveled incognito to the camp on official business. Noting the scant guards accompanying him and that most troops had finished drills and been dispatched to various commands in Fengyang, Lin Jinlou grew concerned for the Eastern Palace’s safety. The Crown Prince, however, waved it off with a laugh, "It’s fine. This trip is highly confidential, and the matter is already resolved. The Emperor will send the Imperial Guards, who are likely en route."
Seeing the Prince’s evasiveness, Lin Jinlou sensed underlying reasons and asked no more before taking his leave. Now, witnessing the Imperial Guards brutally slain in the woods, he realized the ferocity of the earlier battle and was deeply shaken. He promptly dispatched two teams of trusted men to warn the Crown Prince and sent Zeng Yuan back to the estate to inform Yuan Shaoren. Turning, he noticed Xianglan standing behind a tree, a sliver of moonlight illuminating her pale, frightened face, though she struggled to maintain composure.
Lin Jinlou approached and said softly, "There’s an estate very close ahead. I’ll take you there first—a family with old ties to the Lin family. You can take shelter there."
Noticing only three men remained with Lin Jinlou, Xianglan couldn’t help asking, "What about you?"
A flicker passed through Lin Jinlou’s eyes as he replied, "Don’t worry about that. I’ve mostly guessed which bastard is behind this. Having you around is a burden. Once you’re safely settled, I—"
Before he could finish, a "swish!" cut through the air—a sharp, whistling sound—as an arrow, swift as lightning, thudded into the chest of the Lin Family Army soldier holding a torch at the outermost post."Bang!" The torch in the man's hand fell to the ground. Clutching the arrow with both hands, his expression shifted from shock to excruciating agony. He staggered twice before four more arrows whistled through the air, piercing him clean through. Without uttering a sound, he slowly collapsed to the ground.
Xianglan stood frozen in shock. Lin Jinlou shoved her to the ground and hissed, "Hide behind the tree! Don't move!" To the remaining two men, he commanded, "Douse the torches! Get down!" He thrust his own torch into a snowbank, rolled across the ground, and vanished into the darkness.
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