Hua Mei sneered, "Why not? Your current downfall is half Lin Jinlou's doing. Don't you resent him? Surrounded by lovers all day with his charming concubines and beautiful maids—what kind of life are you living here? Has he ever shown the slightest regard for past affection by visiting you even once?" She sighed again, "Ah, we women are truly like duckweed in the water, as the operas sing—gathering and scattering with the wind, utterly at the mercy of fate. Sister, you once gave him your whole heart, determined to be with him and secure a lifelong refuge, but what came of it in the end? If not for him, with your talent and beauty, how could you have fallen to such a state? I heard he only values Chen Xianglan, cradling her in his hands as if she were a treasure. If he had treated you with even half that consideration—" As she spoke, she watched Su Meiru's expression, noticing her slowly clenching the quilt, her knuckles turning white, her face growing increasingly ashen, and a venomous resentment gradually welling up in her eyes.
Hua Mei curled her lips slightly, leaned in closer, and lowered her voice: "The Lin Family Army is a private army. If he dies without an heir, his brothers are useless, and his father is a civil official—won't it all fall to Second Master in the end? If this succeeds, I'll help you dispose of his wife, and you can become the rightful mistress. Wouldn't it be perfect to live a life of luxury with gold and silver servants?"
Su Meiru shuddered and looked over. Hua Mei reached out, gently tucking the stray hairs at Su Meiru's temple behind her ear, her expression tender and her voice soft: "My foolish sister, think it over carefully, hmm?"
Su Meiru felt her mouth go dry. She licked her lips and asked, "How... how do you plan to do it?"
Hua Mei smiled faintly, picked up a bowl of hot soup, and fed Su Meiru a sip: "Just persuade Second Master. Leave the rest to me—I'll take care of it."
After Hua Mei left, Su Meiru leaned against the bed, staring blankly into space. She had thought she had long forgotten—yes, back then, she had loved Lin Jinlou with all her heart, traveling all the way from Yangzhou to seek refuge, content just to be with him. Who would have thought he could be so heartless, cutting off all contact? She dried her tears, thinking crying was useless—she had to survive, so she chose another path. Yet she still harbored deep hatred for Lin Jinlou, though powerless and insignificant, she had no means of revenge and had to set it aside. But today, Hua Mei's words had stirred up the pain in her heart again.
She picked up the hand mirror, looked at her haggard face in it, shed a tear, and gritted her teeth: "Granny Meng, go invite Second Master over."
A moment later, Lin Changmin arrived. Pushing the door open, he saw Su Meiru sitting by the bed, her face powdered to improve her complexion, though her eyes were swollen and she still looked sickly—a delicate, pitiable beauty like the ailing Xi Shi, even more captivating than usual. Lin Changmin, who already adored her, was utterly smitten. He sat by the bed, took her hand, and called her "darling."
Su Meiru trembled, her lips quivering: "How cruel, Master, not even coming to see me. Do you think I'm dead? Or that I'm worthless now that I've lost the child?"
Lin Changmin quickly drew her into his arms: "How could I not come to see you? I visited twice, but you were asleep. Didn't Granny Meng tell you? I'll scold her later."Su Meiru wiped her tears and said, "What does Granny Meng have to do with this? If not for her, I wouldn't even have anyone to attend to me. I'm left with leftover meals, not even a mouthful of hot soup to drink. Even if I've been unworthy a thousand days, surely there was one day I was good. How did it come to this? How can I face living like this from now on?" As she spoke, she began weeping again.
Lin Changmin hurriedly wiped her tears and said, "Damn it, those thunder-struck bastards! I'll have the cook kneel before you later!" Then softening his tone, "Aren't you wrenching my heart saying such things? Even if you had no faults, I've said a thousand times—you're ten thousand times better than that woman sitting by my bedside." Lin Changmin spoke these words with complete sincerity. Lin Zhaoxiang's discipline was extremely strict. Although Lin Changmin came from a wealthy, prominent family, he had little ability and empty pockets, unable to go out carousing. Moreover, being extremely stingy, how could he bear to spend lavishly on women? Thus, his concubines were all maids from the household, who died within a few years. Now encountering Su Meiru—with her peerless beauty, exceptional skill in coaxing others, countless clever tricks, and indescribable delights in the bedchamber, plus her schemes that helped him amass large sums of silver—Lin Changmin found himself unable to be apart from her even for a moment, willing to lift her to the highest honors.
Su Meiru shed tears and said, "Then will Master just watch me suffer here?"
Lin Changmin clicked his tongue and said, "There's no other way. My brother is watching this matter closely. When he speaks, I can't argue. Just endure it for now. Once you've recovered your health, I'll take you to Jinling."
Su Meiru spat, "Pah! All you know is to turtle up when trouble comes, leaving me to life or death! Are you really content to live like this?"
Lin Changmin's face darkened as he suppressed his anger. "For your sake, I even drove out my own sister. Isn't that enough? Why harp on this now? Do you want me to kneel before you? You know full well how things stand at home. I'm stifled too—what else can I do?"
Su Meiru sneered, "There's a way out of this stifling situation, but I wonder if you have the courage for it."
Lin Changmin couldn't help asking, "What way?"
Su Meiru leaned close and whispered a few words in his ear. Lin Changmin was shocked and exclaimed, "Nonsense!"
Su Meiru said coldly, "Nonsense? I'm afraid when he returns, he'll settle all accounts with you."
Lin Changmin frowned. "No, although he's ruthless, he also protects his own. He discussed this matter with me and seems unlikely to investigate deeply."
Su Meiru said, "So you're happy as long as he doesn't investigate deeply? You're content to return to your previous impoverished life where everyone looks down on you?"
Lin Changmin fell silent again, his brows deeply furrowed, his face as dark as a pot bottom. Su Meiru whispered a few more words in his ear. Lin Changmin seemed tempted and murmured, "Tsk, my brother did ask me to handle something for him, but this—no, tsk, no—" As he spoke, he made to stand up.
Angry at his lack of resolve, Su Meiru pulled him back down and whispered a few more words. Lin Changmin merely kept frowning, his heart both itching and fearful, his expression shifting between light and shadow. Let us leave this for now.
Two days later, at Chun Tang Hall, Lin Jinlou practiced two sets of martial arts in the courtyard. Wiping his sweat with a towel, he entered the room to find Xianglan sitting there in a daze. He sat down beside her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Xianglan said, "Nothing."Lin Jinlou glanced at her and said, "This is how you look when something's weighing on your mind. Such a small person, yet your thoughts seem to make up half your body weight. If you keep overthinking like this, you'll turn into a little old lady from worry one day—you've been restless these past couple of days. Are you still dwelling on what my father said?"
"No." Xianglan looked at Lin Jinlou but couldn't help adding, "I just feel it's improper. If you and your father become estranged over this matter, I truly can't rest easy. Actually, I understand why the Master thinks this way—"
Lin Jinlou squeezed Xianglan's hand to stop her from continuing. His mind drifted back to when he was practicing martial arts earlier, and Lin Jinyuan had scurried over with a shifty look, saying, "Brother, don't blame me for not giving you a heads-up earlier. Father has somehow already settled on the Wei family's daughter and plans to report it to the Old Master. I overheard this in the study and risked my life to bring you this news—you better remember how loyal I am!"
Lin Jinlou had long anticipated that his father would make a move, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. The feeling of being forced into a corner, like pushing a bull's head down to drink, made his temper flare. Yet, in this situation, akin to two armies facing off, even if the fire were singeing his eyebrows, he couldn't afford to lose composure. Instead, he needed to remain calm and collected. He looked at Xianglan—this girl was still foolishly worrying about him and his father becoming estranged. How could she be so naive? She'd get upset and sad when bullied, then forget about it moments later, feeling guilty and unable to sleep peacefully. He grumbled inwardly, but his expression unconsciously softened as he held Xianglan's hand and said, "Just set your mind at ease. Didn't I tell you not to overthink? I'll handle everything."
Xianglan forced a smile. Just then, someone announced at the door that Lin Changzheng had summoned Lin Jinlou to the front. Lin Jinlou sneered, "The Master is busy. No time."
A moment later, Yuan Shaoren's laughter sounded from the courtyard, "Master Lin, your airs are grand—you insist on having someone come personally to invite you."
Hearing this, Lin Jinlou hurried out and said with a laugh, "What brings you here?"
Yuan Shaoren grinned, "My father-in-law's appointment to the Grand Secretariat is finalized. He's hosting a family banquet today for a few close friends and asked me to come along. Didn't you know?"
Lin Jinlou scratched his head, "Don't even mention it. I've been at odds with the old man these past couple of days."
"Ah?"
"Tch, it's nothing."
"Go on ahead. Several dignitaries up front want to see you. It's only proper to attend to guests—not going would be impolite. Just make an appearance."
Lin Jinlou had no choice but to return, change into formal attire, and before leaving, he said to Xianglan, "Don't worry about anything. Wait for me to come back, and I'll have a proper talk with you."
Xianglan reached out to straighten his lapel and murmured softly, "Alright."
After seeing Lin Jinlou off, Xianglan sat down to read but found herself distracted. Soon, a maid from the second branch came and said, "Our Third Mistress invites you to come over. She's overseeing the family banquet today, and since it's her first time, there might be shortcomings. She'd like your help in making some decisions."Xianglan put down her book upon hearing this and followed the maid. Just as they reached a secluded spot, someone suddenly leaped out and covered her mouth. Startled, Xianglan struggled immediately, but someone grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back, causing excruciating pain. As she tried to cry for help, a cloth was stuffed into her mouth, and someone tied her up tightly before stuffing her into a sack and carrying her away. Terrified and panicked, she kept writhing and struggling when suddenly she heard Guiyuan's voice nearby asking, "Xingge, where are you going?" Overjoyed, she struggled with all her might but was thrown into the air. With a sharp pain, she landed heavily in a carriage. Someone said, "Nothing much. There's a troublesome maid, and the mistress ordered her tied up and sold off." Guiyuan laughed and said, "I see. Was she originally with Concubine Su?" The one called Xingge answered vaguely, saying only, "I have to go now. If I'm late and delay things, Taitai will scold me." Then he raised his voice and called, "Bao'er, where have you been? Hurry up and come drive the carriage!"
OpenNovel