Here Lin Changmin was as restless as an ant on a hot pan. He never expected Lin Jinlou to find out so quickly. He wanted to send someone to inquire, and also thought of discussing with Su Meiru to devise a plan, yet he dared not act rashly for fear of leaking information. But doing nothing only made him more anxious. Finally, when Lin Changzheng returned, he hurried to greet him and asked nervously, "What did Father say?"
Lin Changzheng seemed somewhat dazed. After a long while, he shook his head, let out a sigh, and said, "Nothing much." Then he added to Lin Changmin, "What about Xianglan? Bring her back from the Manor. The Old Master has given his consent."
Lin Changmin was horrified: "Wh-wh-what? What consent?"
Lin Changzheng replied, "What else could it be? Well, after all, the Lin Family owes her—bring her back." With that, he shook his head, sighing deeply, and headed to the front hall.
Lin Changmin’s face turned ashen, his hands and feet icy cold, his insides twisted into knots. He paced back and forth, thinking it over, then summoned his trusted attendant Lai An and said, "Go and find out the news. Has the person been delivered?" Lai An left.
Lin Changmin had no heart to attend the banquet and sat listlessly on a daybed in the rear courtyard. Lin Changzheng assumed he was avoiding the gathering out of embarrassment from being exposed by Lin Jinlou and let him be. By the time the banquet ended and fruits and hot tea were served again, Lin Changmin still had no news. Just as he was growing frantic, he saw Lai An return, covered in dust. He hurried over and saw Lai An’s panicked expression as he said, "Master, it’s bad. I went to ask, and they said the person hasn’t been delivered—not even a trace of her."
Lin Changmin was shocked: "How could that be!" He glanced around, afraid of being seen, pulled Lai An into a corner, and whispered, "Why wasn’t she delivered? What about Lai Xing and Bao'er?"
Lai An said, "They said they haven’t seen any trace of those two either."
Hearing this, Lin Changmin broke into a cold sweat all over. His limbs turned icy, his face darkened, and he slumped weakly, muttering, "It’s over, it’s over. No wonder my right eyelid kept twitching today—this was waiting for me—"
Lai An quickly stepped forward to support him, saying, "Don’t worry, Master. I’ll go out again later to investigate."
Lin Changmin snapped, "How can I not worry! They’ve been gone so long—even two trips should have been enough! Tsk—I’m afraid something really has gone wrong—"
Lai An said, "That—surely not? Lai Xing is utterly loyal to you, and Bao'er is as silent as a clam. To say—"
Just then, Lin Jinlou walked in from outside, his face bloodied, his expression haggard, his clothes crumpled—a far cry from his usual spirited appearance. Beside him was Ji Xiang, holding a horsewhip. Guilty and nervous, Lin Changmin repeatedly tugged at Lai An’s clothes to stop him from speaking further. He forced an awkward smile at Lin Jinlou and said, "Nephew, you’re back."
Lin Jinlou remained expressionless, giving Lin Changmin a cold glance before heading inside. Lin Changmin, feeling uneasy, hurried after him and pressed, "Did you find her? Huh?"
Lin Jinlou stopped and looked at Lin Changmin, who licked his lips and said, "Why are you staring at me? I asked you a question—did you find her?"
Lin Jinlou curled his lip and said, "Oh, Second Uncle, why are you so eager to show concern about this all of a sudden?"
Lin Changmin’s heart skipped a beat, but he sneered, "You’ve been so frantic about this that you’ve been disrespectful and defiant. Of course I have to ask a few more questions, lest you falsely accuse me out of nowhere and then turn your back on me."Lin Jinlou let out a cold laugh and said, "I haven't found her, but this matter isn't over. I must see her alive or her corpse. If I find out who's behind this and made a living person vanish, I'll rip out their cowardly guts and crush them." With that, he turned and left.
Lin Changmin quickly waved Lai An over and instructed, "Go, ask Wu Biao what should be done now that the person is missing." Lai An acknowledged and departed.
Unbeknownst to them, Lin Jinlou entered the hallway, turned a corner, and whispered to Ji Xiang, "Go, send someone to keep an eye on Second Uncle and his usual confidants. See where they go." Ji Xiang nodded and withdrew.
Lin Jinlou returned to Chun Tang Hall and collapsed heavily onto the bed. His father, though somewhat opportunistic, still had some sense of reason, but his second uncle was unpredictable. Today's unusual behavior was suspicious—what kind of person was Lin Changmin? A petty ruffian with no real ability yet delusions of grandeur, greedy and insatiable. He was the one who had sent her away and made her disappear, and now he was eagerly asking if she'd been found, his eyes shifty—there had to be something hidden. No matter how anxious Lin Jinlou felt, he had to restrain himself now. Calmness would bring wisdom; he must not panic and alert the enemy. As he was steadying his breath, Qin Shi entered. She had been waiting anxiously in Chun Tang Hall, and seeing Lin Jinlou's expression, she knew the person hadn't been found. Noticing her son lying on the bed with his arm over his eyes in despair, her eyes reddened. She approached, sat by the bed, and said softly, "Send more people to search. Xianglan is an honest child—good fortune favors the virtuous."
Lin Jinlou muttered gloomily, "Could Father have had her killed on the way? I'm afraid we'll only find a corpse—"
Qin Shi gasped in shock, "What nonsense! Slap your mouth! How could your father do such a heinous deed!"
Lin Jinlou sneered, "I've been thinking he isn't that ruthless either."
Qin Shi softened her tone, "The priority is to find her quickly. Don't hold a grudge against your father—he... he only has your best interests at heart—"
Lin Jinlou pulled a brocade quilt over his head and fell silent.
Qin Shi understood he didn't want to hear it and sighed, choking up, "You two, father and son—both are my karma!" Thinking of Xianglan's current disappearance, tears streamed down her face. Afraid her sobbing would upset Lin Jinlou further, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and left, weeping.
Lin Jinlou threw off the quilt and let out a long sigh. The quilt was filled with the faint, delicate fragrance that always clung to Xianglan—a scent he had once loved to inhale, but now it felt like adding fuel to fire, stabbing his heart with pain. Furious, he sat up abruptly, grabbed something at random, and hurled it violently to vent his anger, but it landed lightly on the floor. He stared—it was a half-finished men's sock with a blue background and golden patterns, clearly made for him by Xianglan. Lin Jinlou gazed at it blankly for a long time, then slowly stood up, walked over, bent down gently, picked up the sock, examined it closely for a while, and clenched it tightly in his palm.Meanwhile, Lin Changmin, having sent Lai An away, grew increasingly restless. He paid a visit to Su Meiru, who remained calm and composed, reassuring him, "Master, you ought to display the demeanor of a general. How can you panic when faced with adversity? Just insist firmly that you were following the Old Master’s orders to send her to the Manor. Even if blame is assigned, it won’t fall on you. Quickly settle your heart—if you act flustered, won’t others notice? What’s urgent now is figuring out how to resolve the matter of her disappearance." Lowering her voice, she added, "Once Lin Jinlou is dead, who will investigate where Xianglan went?" After further consolation, Lin Changmin’s anxiety eased slightly. He discussed the matter again with Su Meiru and stayed for an hour before she coaxed him into leaving.
As soon as he departed, Su Meiru immediately ordered Granny Meng to discreetly bring her valuables from the side room and instructed her to retrieve a few pieces of clothing from a chest. She thought to herself, "Better safe than sorry. If anything goes wrong, I can’t stay here waiting for death." While making preparations, she also sent Granny Meng to gather information.
But let us skip the idle chatter. As Lin Changmin emerged from the small temple and hadn’t gone far, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Turning abruptly, he saw Lin Jinlou’s men, Ji Xiang and Shuangxi, gripping his arms on either side. Ji Xiang smiled and said, "Second Master, our Master requests your presence. Come with us." Lin Changmin was horrified. Just as he was about to cry out, Shuangxi gagged him, twisted his arms behind his back, bound him tightly, and dragged him away. They brought him to a room in a narrow alley. Upon entering, Lin Changmin saw the dimly lit interior and a person tied to a chair, face covered in blood—it was Lai An.
Lin Changmin felt half his soul flee in terror. Lin Jinlou sat nearby, holding a horsewhip. Seeing Lin Changmin, he gave a faint, sinister smile, his gaze as menacing as the King of Hell. With a crack of the whip, he struck Lai An and said, "Second Uncle is here. Quickly, repeat what you just told me to my dear Second Uncle."
Lai An let out a miserable cry and stammered, "Second Master and Wu Biao set a trap, planning to kidnap Miss Xianglan to lure Master away. But Master outsmarted us and found out early. Miss Xianglan really went missing. Wu Biao said delays breed trouble and brought a letter, instructing Second Master to claim that Miss Xianglan was kidnapped on the way to the Manor. Tonight, he wants Master to go alone to the Medicine King Temple in the outskirts to ransom her."
Upon hearing this, Lin Changmin was utterly terrified. Ji Xiang removed the gag from his mouth, and Lin Changmin immediately pleaded, "Dear nephew, this has nothing to do with me! This servant is spouting nonsense—don’t believe a word he says! You’re my own nephew, we’re family—how could I ever harm you?"
Lin Jinlou stood up and sneered, "My dear Second Uncle, of course I wouldn’t believe that servant." He stepped forward, grabbed Lin Changmin by the collar, and said through gritted teeth, "But I trust you even less. Come, let’s go see Grandfather together." With that, he made to leave.
Terrified, Lin Changmin’s knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, pleading, "Dear nephew, I—I’m truly innocent in this! I’ve been wronged all along. The Old Master hasn’t been well these past few days. If he finds out about this and something happens, wouldn’t it be our fault?"
Lin Jinlou paused, turned his head, and asked, "Then, Second Uncle, how do you propose to prove your innocence?"
Lin Changmin stammered, unable to utter a word.Lin Jinlou gave a faint, cold smile as he approached Lin Changmin, leaning down to say, "If you ask me, this matter is quite simple. You, Uncle, shall go alone to ransom the person in my stead. If you manage to capture those bandits, then you will truly prove yourself an upright and honorable man."
Lin Changmin was horrified and exclaimed, "Th-this won't do! I won't go!"
The smile on Lin Jinlou's face slowly faded as he stared fixedly at Lin Changmin, seemingly struggling to suppress his rage. His face gradually flushed red, his eyes filled with ferocity. Lin Changmin's heart pounded with fear. Lin Jinlou reached out, grabbed him by the collar, and said, "You damn well better understand—you have no say here. I could easily kill you right now!"
Panic-stricken, Lin Changmin was about to cry out when Lin Jinlou dislocated his jaw with a swift motion and shoved him to the ground. Turning to his attendants, he commanded, "Take him away."
First Watch
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