Here Lin Changmin was like 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 wished to discuss with Su Meiru to devise a plan, yet he dared not act rashly, fearing any leak of information. But doing nothing only made him more anxious. Finally, when Lin Changzheng returned, he hurried to meet 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 turned to Lin Changmin and added, "What about Xianglan? Bring her back from the estate. 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... Have her sent back." With that, he shook his head, sighing deeply as he headed toward the front hall.
Lin Changmin’s face turned ashen, his hands and feet icy cold, and his insides twisted into knots. Pacing back and forth, he thought it over and summoned his trusted attendant Lai'an. "Go and find out what’s happening. Has she been delivered?" Lai'an left at once.
Too distracted to attend the banquet, Lin Changmin sat idly on a daybed in the rear courtyard. Lin Changzheng assumed he was avoiding the gathering out of embarrassment after being publicly confronted by Lin Jinlou, so he let him be. By the time the banquet ended and fruits and hot tea were served again, Lin Changmin still hadn’t received any news. Just as he was growing frantic, he saw Lai'an return, covered in dust and looking harried. Rushing to meet him, Lin Changmin saw the panic on Lai'an’s face as he said, "Master, it’s bad news. I went to ask, and they said she hasn’t been delivered—there’s no trace of her at all."
Lin Changmin exclaimed in shock, "How could that be!" Glancing around nervously to avoid being noticed, he pulled Lai'an into a corner and whispered, "Why wasn’t she delivered? What about Laixing and Bao'er?"
Lai'an replied, "They say there’s no sign of those two either."
Hearing this, Lin Changmin broke out in a cold sweat. His limbs turned to ice, his face darkened, and he slumped weakly. "It’s over, it’s over. No wonder my right eyelid has been twitching all day—this disaster was waiting to happen..."
Lai'an quickly stepped forward to support him. "Don’t panic, Master. I’ll go out again to investigate later."
Lin Changmin snapped angrily, "How can I not panic? They’ve been gone so long—even two trips should’ve been completed by now! Tsk... I’m afraid something has really gone wrong..."
Lai'an said, "That... surely not? Laixing is utterly loyal to you, and Bao'er is as silent as a gourd with its mouth sawn off. If you ask me..."
Just then, Lin Jinlou walked in from outside, his face stained with blood, his expression haggard, and his clothes crumpled—a far cry from his usual spirited demeanor. Beside him was Jixiang, holding a horsewhip. Guilty and on edge, Lin Changmin tugged repeatedly at Lai'an’s sleeve to silence him. Forcing an awkward smile, he greeted Lin Jinlou, "Nephew, you’re back."
Lin Jinlou stared coldly at Lin Changmin without a word and started to head inside. Lin Changmin, his conscience uneasy, hurried after him and pressed, "Did you find her? Huh?"
Lin Jinlou stopped and turned to look at him. Lin Changmin 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, "Well, Uncle, since when have you been so eager to show concern about this?"
Lin Changmin’s heart skipped a beat, but he sneered, "You’ve been so frantic about this that you’ve even defied your elders. Of course I need to ask a few questions, lest you falsely accuse me and then turn your back without a second thought."Lin Jinlou let out a cold laugh and said, "I haven't found her yet, but this matter isn't over. I must see her alive or dead. 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 for Lai'an to come over and said, "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 passageway, turned a corner, and whispered to Jixiang, "Go, send someone to keep an eye on Second Uncle and his usual trusted aides. See where they go." Jixiang nodded and withdrew.
Lin Jinlou returned to the Hall of Flourishing Spring and collapsed heavily onto the bed. His father might be somewhat opportunistic, but at least he was reasonable. His second uncle, however, was unpredictable. Today's unusual behavior was suspicious—what kind of man was Lin Changmin? A petty rogue with no real talent yet delusions of grandeur, insatiably greedy and stingy. He was the one who had sent Xianglan away and made her disappear, and now he was eagerly asking if she'd been found, his eyes shifty—there had to be more to it. 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 walked in. She had been waiting anxiously in the Hall of Flourishing Spring, and seeing Lin Jinlou's demeanor, she knew Xianglan 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, "My father wouldn't have had her killed on the way, would he? I'm afraid we might only find a corpse…"
Qin Shi gasped in shock, "How can you say such nonsense! Slap your mouth! Your father would never do such a heinous deed!"
Lin Jinlou sneered, "I also doubt the old man is that ruthless."
Qin Shi softened her tone, "The priority is to find her quickly. Don't hold a grudge against your father anymore. 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, her voice choking, "You two… you're both my karma!" Thinking of Xianglan's current disappearance, tears streamed down her cheeks. Afraid that crying aloud would upset Lin Jinlou further, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and left sobbing.
Lin Jinlou threw off the quilt and let out a long sigh. The bedding was filled with Xianglan's faint, delicate scent, which he had always loved, but now it felt like adding fuel to the fire, stabbing at his heart with each breath. Furious, he sat up abruptly, grabbed something at random, and hurled it violently in frustration, but the object landed lightly on the floor. He stared—it was the half-finished men's socks with a green background and golden patterns that Xianglan had been making. The size was clearly for him. Lin Jinlou gazed at them blankly for a long time, then slowly stood up, walked over, bent down gradually, picked up the socks, examined them closely for a while, and clenched them tightly in his hand.Meanwhile, Lin Changmin, having sent Lai'an away, grew increasingly restless. He paid a visit to Su Meiru, who remained perfectly composed and reassured him, "You should display the demeanor of a general, sir. How can you panic when faced with adversity? Just stick to the story that you were following Eldest Master's orders to send her to the estate. If there's any blame, it won't fall on you. Calm down immediately—if you act flustered, others will notice. What matters now is how to resolve this disappearance." She lowered her voice, "Once Lin Jinlou is dead, who will investigate where Xianglan went?" After further consolation, Lin Changmin's anxiety eased slightly. He discussed the matter with Su Meiru for an hour before she gently urged him to leave.
The moment he departed, Su Meiru instructed Granny Meng to secretly retrieve her valuables from the side room and fetch a few changes of clothing from a chest. She thought to herself, "Better safe than sorry. If things go wrong, I can't stay here waiting for death." While making preparations, she also sent Granny Meng to gather information.
To cut the story short, Lin Changmin had just emerged from the small temple when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Whirling around, he found Lin Jinlou's men, Jixiang and Shuangxi, gripping his arms on either side. Jixiang grinned, "Second Master, our master requests your presence. Come with us." Lin Changmin, horrified, tried to shout but was gagged by Shuangxi. His arms were wrenched behind his back and bound tightly with rope before they dragged him away.
They took him to a room in a narrow alley. Entering the dimly lit space, Lin Changmin saw a bloodied figure tied to a chair—it was Lai'an. Lin Changmin felt half his soul flee in terror. Lin Jinlou sat nearby, holding a horsewhip. Seeing Lin Changmin, he smiled faintly, his gaze as sinister as the King of Hell's. With a crack of the whip across Lai'an's back, he said, "Second Uncle is here. Repeat what you just told me to my dear uncle."
Lai'an let out a pained cry and stammered, "Second Master conspired with Wu Biao to kidnap Miss Xianglan and lure Eldest Master into a trap. But Eldest Master outsmarted them and found out early. When Miss Xianglan truly went missing, Wu Biao said delays were risky and brought a letter instructing Second Master to claim she was kidnapped en route to the estate. He demanded Eldest Master go alone tonight to the Medicinal King Temple outside the capital to pay the ransom."
Lin Changmin listened, his spirit utterly shattered. When Jixiang removed the gag, he immediately cried, "Dear nephew, this has nothing to do with me! This scoundrel is spouting nonsense—don't believe a word! You're my own nephew, we're family—how could I harm you?"
Lin Jinlou stood up and sneered, "My dear Second Uncle, of course I don't trust that slave." He stepped forward, grabbing Lin Changmin's collar, and hissed through clenched teeth, "But I trust you even less. Come, let's go see Grandfather." He made to leave.
Terrified, Lin Changmin's knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor. "Dear nephew, I'm truly innocent! Old Master hasn't been well lately—if this causes an uproar, wouldn't we both be at fault?"
Lin Jinlou paused and turned back. "Then tell me, Second Uncle, how will you prove your innocence?"
Lin Changmin stammered, unable to form a response.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, can go in my stead to ransom the person alone. If you manage to capture those bandits, then you'll truly be 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 gradually faded as he stared fixedly at Lin Changmin, seemingly struggling to suppress his anger. His face slowly flushed red, his eyes filled with ferocity. Lin Changmin's heart raced 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 swiftly dislocated his jaw and shoved him to the ground. Turning to his attendants, he ordered, "Take him away."
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