Lin Changzheng sat in a daze for a long while, only snapping out of it when a young servant came to summon him to the front. Shortly after, Qin Shi returned with medicine, her heart aching with suppressed grievances. She personally took a towel to clean Lin Jinlou’s wound and applied the medicine. Old Madam Lin stood by, holding Lin Jinlou’s hand and stroking it repeatedly, then gently smoothing his hair. With tears in her eyes, she said, "You stubborn child, why must you be so headstrong? Couldn’t you have just softened your words and played along with your father for a while? We are here to handle everything. Your grandmother is always on your side—how could I ever let you suffer? Your body, hair, and skin are gifts from your parents—how could you treat them so carelessly? With all this turmoil, how many years of my life do you think you’ve shaved off?"
Lin Jinlou replied hoarsely, "How could Father do this? Xianglan has done so much for our family. If anything were to happen to her, I’d have no face left to live."
Qin Shi quickly interjected, "We’ve already sent someone to fetch her."
Lin Jinlou said, "Mother, you know better than anyone what kind of person Xianglan is. It’s just that her background is humble. As the old saying goes, 'Do not judge a hero by their origins.' My father is so... What’s more important—face or substance? Isn’t life about living comfortably for oneself? Must we live for others to see?" Growing more agitated as he spoke, he tried to stand up again. "No, I must go see for myself."
Old Madam Lin quickly soothed him, "Yes, yes, don’t fret. Be good and listen. Let’s tend to your wound first. If you want to marry her, your grandmother will handle it. I’ll take care of it." Old Madam Lin had initially intended to stay out of it, as Lin Zhaoxiang had advised, but today’s events had shaken her deeply. The conflict between father and son had escalated to such a degree—there had been bloodshed, talk of shaving his head to become a monk, and even the revelation of a shocking secret. She knew her eldest grandson was both bold and ruthless; if pushed too far, he might truly shave his head. So, while inwardly blaming Lin Changzheng, she tried to placate Lin Jinlou, silently forming a plan of her own.
Once the medicine was applied, Lin Jinlou could no longer sit still indoors and insisted on going out to search personally. Old Madam Lin and Qin Shi desperately tried to hold him back, so he ordered his men to wait at each station for news. Soon, a young servant entered and reported, "Eldest Master, Fourth Son-in-Law says they haven’t found Miss Xianglan. She wasn’t sent to the estate. They’ve sent people to inquire along the way, but there’s been no trace..."
"What? You’re saying she hasn’t been found?"
"Yes, she hasn’t been found..." The young servant knelt on the ground, daring only a furtive glance upward, not moving an inch. "Fourth Son-in-Law has stationed people at the estate and sent others to search along the route..."
Lin Jinlou slammed his palm on the tea table, causing the teacup to fall and shatter into pieces with a loud crash. How could he have been sitting here idly, fussing over a minor injury, while Xianglan had gone missing again? Could it be that the old man had deceived him? Furious, Lin Jinlou ignored the calls of his grandmother and mother and strode toward the front. Bursting into the main hall, he found the elders and dignitaries seated inside staring at him in stunned silence. Spotting Lin Changmin among them, he strode over, grabbed his uncle by the collar, and dragged him outside.
Lin Changmin was terrified, his chopsticks clattering to the floor as he struggled desperately. But he was no match for Lin Jinlou’s strength. Frustrated and flustered, he cried out, "How dare you! What are you doing? I’m your elder! Your uncle!"
Lin Jinlou had already hauled him outside and threw a punch, growling, "Stay put and behave!"Lin Changmin grunted in pain, unable to speak. Lin Jinlou grabbed him by the collar again, slamming him against the wall and snarling through clenched teeth, "Where's Xianglan? Where did you send her?"
Lin Changmin froze, his face turning pale.
Lin Jinlou roared, "Speak! Where did you take Xianglan?"
It was the first time Lin Changmin had seen Lin Jinlou so ferocious. His legs went weak, and he nearly confessed, stammering, "Wh-where could I have taken her? It was your father who told me to send her—"
"She's not at the estate! Where exactly did you send her?"
"I... I... how should I know? I... I had someone else deliver her..."
Lin Changzheng rushed over, grabbing Lin Jinlou's arm, trembling with rage. "You unfilial son! Must you utterly disgrace our family? Let go!"
Lin Jinlou rasped, "Father, where exactly have you taken Xianglan?"
Lin Changzheng glared. "How dare you! Do you suspect I’m lying to you? Outrageous!"
At these words, Lin Jinlou shoved Lin Changmin aside and dashed outside. He sprinted to the stables, where the groom was adding feed to the troughs. Before the servant could even bow or greet him, Lin Jinlou had leaped onto a horse, shouted "Hyah!" and charged out.
The gatekeeper on duty outside the second gate saw Lin Jinlou riding out and hurriedly opened the gate. A squad of guards stationed there immediately seized their weapons and mounted their horses to follow. Ever since Lin Jinlou’s last injury, the Lin Family Army had strengthened his security detail. Whenever he went out, twelve riders now followed closely behind. Dust clouds billowed through the streets as Lin Jinlou shot past on his horse, trailed by a throng of riders, startling countless street vendors and pedestrians. A scholar murmured, "I wonder which noble family’s young master is so arrogant and domineering." "Hush! Didn’t you see the official uniforms behind him? Probably some military officer on duty."
Lin Jinlou raced straight to Duke Zhenguo’s estate in the outskirts of the capital, his heart burning with anxiety. How could a perfectly fine person just vanish? Xianglan never ventured beyond the inner courtyards, and this was her first time in the capital. The only time she’d left was when he took her shopping and later to the Shen family ancestral graves outside the city—and even then, she’d been in a carriage, utterly unfamiliar with the streets and alleys. If she were lost, she wouldn’t even know how to find her way back. When she was taken, she likely had no money on her. She was a simple person who wore little jewelry daily, so in an emergency, she’d have no means to bribe or pay her way. And she was so delicate—if she encountered ruffians, she’d be utterly helpless. Lin Jinlou didn’t dare think further, urging his horse onward toward Duke Zhenguo’s estate.
He rode at breakneck speed, the wind whistling past his ears. With each jolt, the wound on his head from the earlier blow throbbed painfully, making his temples pulse. Then he felt a warm wetness at the corner of his eye—wiping it, he found the wound had reopened and blood was streaming down. Lin Jinlou paid it no mind, simply wiping it with his hand and smearing the blood on his brand-new fine robes.
When he arrived at the estate, he saw Tao Hongxun and several other clansmen feasting at a table set up under a tree. Spotting Lin Jinlou from afar, Tao Hongxun quickly set down his chopsticks and stepped forward, clasping his hands with a smile. "I heard the thunder of hooves earlier—so it’s my brother-in-law!" But then he noticed the blood on Lin Jinlou’s head and exclaimed in shock, "Good heavens, brother-in-law! What... what happened to you?"Lin Jinlou waved his hand, took a deep breath, and asked, "Has anyone been sent to the estate today? Where is Lao Yuan?"
Tao Hongxun replied, "Brother-in-law came earlier but left soon after. He also asked if anyone had been sent and left someone here to wait. Indeed, no one has been sent to the estate today. Should I summon the estate manager to inquire? Or we could search the entire estate thoroughly—there’s truly no one hidden here."
Lin Jinlou swayed weakly, looking disheartened. As Tao Hongxun ordered someone to fetch medicine, he saw Lin Jinlou had already mounted his horse, turned it around, and ridden off.
Back at the Lin residence, after Lin Jinlou’s departure, Lin Changzheng and Lin Changmin were left in awkward silence when a servant reported that the Old Master had summoned Lin Changzheng. Lin Changzheng hurriedly followed. Entering the Hall of Veracity, he saw Lin Zhaoxiang and Old Madam Lin seated on an inlaid mother-of-pearl bamboo and rattan daybed in the shade under a tree, spread with a fine green Dragon Whisker Mat. Old Madam Lin was wiping tears as she spoke to Lin Zhaoxiang. Upon seeing Lin Changzheng enter, she snorted, stood up, and left.
Lin Changzheng approached, eyes downcast and posture humble, bowing as he said, "Honorable Father."
Lin Zhaoxiang set his water pipe aside and said, "You’re here? I’ve heard from your mother about the incident in the study earlier."
Lin Changzheng quickly responded, "It is my unfilialness that angered Mother. But that rebellious son—without discipline, he will never amount to anything."
Lin Zhaoxiang said, "Does beating him make him amount to anything? Since he was young, when has your hitting ever worked or made him obey you?"
"..."
"Let’s not speak of that." Lin Zhaoxiang waved his hand. "What about the matter of Xianglan?"
Lin Changzheng hesitated. Previously, he had strongly opposed it, but now his eldest son would rather die than yield and had even mentioned the Jianzhang Crown Prince affair. He still felt a lingering dizziness and apprehension, unsure how to proceed, yet he still held reservations. The Lin family was currently at its peak; if it were said that the eldest grandson married a maid, wouldn’t it become a laughingstock?
Seeing his silence, Lin Zhaoxiang tapped the ground with his cane and said, "You don’t know yet, do you? In his struggle against you, Lou Ge'er has taken this matter to the nobles in the palace. I’ve heard that these days, the Empress Dowager often watches the opera The Story of Hermit Lanxiang."
Lin Changzheng was shocked and gritted his teeth. "That unfilial son! How could he act so recklessly!"
"What else could he do? Suppression won’t work—you know how bold he is. I wanted to see how determined and capable he really is in this matter, and he has certainly stirred things up."
"Father, he’s indulging his whims and acting foolishly. He..."
"Enough. The fact is, he has already done it. That girl clearly has great merit toward the Lin family. What do you intend to do?"
"..."
"Changzheng, how has the Lin family reached this point step by step? What do you think we rely on?"
Lin Changzheng collected himself and replied respectfully, "We rely on the teachings of our ancestors, establishing ourselves through diligence, loyalty, integrity, and sincerity. That is the foundation of our current prosperity."
Lin Zhaoxiang stood up and said meaningfully, "Correct. Diligence, loyalty, integrity, and sincerity—ultimately, it boils down to one word: ‘virtue.’ A family that passes down virtue lasts more than ten generations; one that passes down farming and scholarship comes next, followed by one that passes down literature and learning. A family that relies solely on wealth and status lasts no more than three generations. As the saying goes, when taking a wife, choose virtue. Otherwise, even if you marry into a noble family and bring home a lady of high birth, if her virtue does not match her position, and she spends her days scheming and fighting, full of cunning calculations, how can that be a sign of a family’s revival? Moreover, the Lin family has reached a point where we no longer need to rely on anyone."
Lin Changzheng was startled and looked up sharply at Lin Zhaoxiang. "Father, you mean...""If Lou Ge'er wishes to marry, let him. It would make for a fine story. I've personally seen the girl—she's truly exceptional, far surpassing ordinary women. A good wife influences ten generations of descendants. Don't limit your perspective here; look at the long term instead."
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