Linfeng Residence.
Lin Mingyan knew how to entertain herself. After the sun set, she found a fishing rod and went fishing in the large lake not far from the rear courtyard.
Although this lake wasn’t part of her Linfeng Residence, it was quite secluded, with few people passing by.
It might as well have been hers.
With stone tables and benches nearby and no one around, fishing was the perfect way to pass the time.
Du Juan fanned her while trying to persuade her: “Gege, let’s go back. What if the master comes?”
If the master saw their Gege fishing, the scene…
Du Juan didn’t dare imagine it. She had never seen any noble lady do such a thing.
Lin Mingyan waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t fuss. If the master comes, I’ll invite him to eat fish.”
She was feeling relaxed these days—well-fed, carefree, and living a second life. If she didn’t enjoy herself, how could she live to 107?
Unable to persuade her further, Du Juan could only watch helplessly as she fished.
And… she actually caught one!
“Gege, Gege, you caught one! You caught one!” Ling Lan shouted even more excitedly than Lin Mingyan herself.
She tossed the fan aside and ran to fetch a bucket for the fish.
Once the fish was in the bucket, she trotted back to show it to Lin Mingyan and Du Juan. “Gege, this fish is so big!”
“I never expected there would actually be fish in this lake!”
Lin Mingyan glanced into the bucket. The fish was about the size of a palm and looked like a mandarin fish.
“Peach blossoms flow with water, mandarin fish grow plump.” Though the season was slightly past its prime, mandarin fish meat was still tender and delicious~
She had originally been fishing just to pass the time and enjoy the scenery from a different spot, but now she was genuinely interested.
This saved her the money to buy fish!
Du Juan, like a worried mother, watched the two mischievous girls happily fishing and felt a headache coming on.
When Su He came running to report that Fourth Master had gone to Madam Li’s place, her anxious heart finally settled.
Well, there was no need to tell the mistress now, lest she become upset.
Fishing was better than getting angry, anyway.
With Du Juan no longer trying to stop her, Lin Mingyan fished until dark, only then losing interest.
Back in her small courtyard, she washed up, changed clothes, and came to admire the fruits of her labor.
She wasn’t particularly skilled—it was just that the fish in the Prince’s Residence had never been fished before and were a bit naive.
By sheer luck, she managed to catch three.
None of the fish were large. The biggest was only about two palms long, while the two smaller ones were just one palm in size.
Watching the three fish swim around in the large bucket, Du Juan asked, “Gege, what should we do with these fish?”
Pan-fried, stir-fried, steamed, or deep-fried~
Lin Mingyan’s mouth watered, but seeing the dinner already laid out, she didn’t want to waste it.
“Let’s keep them for now. Tomorrow…” She glanced at Du Juan’s worried, motherly expression and said guiltily, “Tomorrow, we’ll take them to the kitchen to cook and invite Ye to taste them.”
Hmm.
This way.
Her fishing today wouldn’t be seen as mere amusement but as a productive effort, right?
Sure enough, Du Juan’s expression brightened instantly. “Good. Then this servant will take them to Su He to keep.”
After all, these were fish Gege had spent over an hour catching. They had to be presented to the master as an achievement.
Early the next morning, Lin Mingyan woke up thinking about the three fish.
But Su He brought bad news: “Concubine Song’s child almost didn’t make it. The master is furious!”
He had been socializing frequently lately, which was how he got the news so early.
Hearing this, Du Juan’s heart skipped a beat. Thankfully, they hadn’t cooked the fish and invited the master—otherwise, they would have stepped right into trouble.
What a pity to waste Gege’s thoughtful intentions.
Lin Mingyan blinked her eyes, sat up straight, and pondered for a moment. “Keep a close watch on Linfeng Residence. Don’t let any suspicious people in.”
“For the time being, the three of you should try not to go out unless necessary. Stay alert.”
All three acknowledged the order. Du Juan felt a bit sorry for the fish. “Gege, what should we do with these three fish?”
“Keep them for now. We’ll see when Fourth Master comes,” Lin Mingyan said casually.
She didn’t know if the fish would survive after biting the hook, so this was the only option.
Fourth Master had no children yet. The Princess Consort, Concubine Song, and Concubine Li had each miscarried once.
This was Concubine Song’s second pregnancy. If she couldn’t keep this one either, Fourth Master’s mood would likely remain sour for the rest of the year.
Those days would be tough.
She rubbed her temples and said, “Su He, keep investigating and report back~”
Su He cautiously made inquiries and finally pieced together the stormy events of the previous night.
It turned out that after finishing his studies in the afternoon, Fourth Master had gone to Madam Li’s quarters and drank a nourishing duck soup meant to clear heat and reduce internal fire.
Just as he was preparing to freshen up and sleep, Concubine Song’s maid rushed over, urgently reporting that something had happened to Concubine Song.
As the only pregnant concubine, Concubine Song was practically treated like an ancestor—or at the very least, a treasure.
Of course, Fourth Master had no mood to spend the night with another concubine while his own child was in danger.
He hurried all the way to the main courtyard and went to Concubine Song’s quarters on the west side.
In the end, the mansion physician arrived, Concubine Song’s condition stabilized, and Fourth Master had no choice but to stay overnight in the Princess Consort’s room in the main courtyard.
What the hell?
Don’t tell her this was the Princess Consort’s doing?
Could someone this foolish really become Empress in the end?
Lin Mingyan was utterly speechless. What did the Princess Consort gain from this move, aside from making Fourth Master resent her?
Leaving aside everything else, under last night’s circumstances, would Fourth Master really have been in the mood to be intimate with the Princess Consort?
Even without using her brain—just thinking with her toenails—she knew it was absolutely impossible.
Anyone with a bit of sense would realize, upon reflection during the day, that the Princess Consort had deliberately stirred up such a big fuss last night.
Taking it a step further with conspiracy theories, even Concubine Song’s discomfort might have been orchestrated by the Princess Consort.
Wasn’t that like losing the battle and the war?
Coincidentally, Fourth Master was an extremely… suspicious man.
Oh dear~
The Princess Consort is done for!
Lighting a candle for her.
Then, Lin Mingyan thought of herself—she was, on the surface, part of the Princess Consort’s faction!
It seemed that for the next while, she would have to endure the cold shoulder as well.
Sure enough, for the following month, Fourth Master either stayed in his study or visited Concubine Li.
Because in this rear courtyard, aside from Concubine Li, the remaining four women all belonged to the Princess Consort’s camp.
Fourth Master: So infuriating, isn’t it?!
Du Juan looked at the increasingly careless dishes from the kitchen and clenched her little fists in anger. “We even paid extra today, and the kitchen still dares to serve us this slop!”
“I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”
Lin Mingyan grabbed her arm. “Forget it. Let’s not stir up trouble. Consider it a diet.”
Over this month, she had lost five pounds, and her chin had grown noticeably sharper.
Du Juan felt sorry for her, thinking that even though Fourth Master wasn’t visiting, spending some silver could at least get her a decent meal.
But even after sending the money, the dishes remained the same.
Lin Mingyan looked at the eight dishes on the table and felt no appetite at all.
The leafy vegetables are steamed until they turn yellow, while the meat dishes are too greasy, looking unappetizing at first glance.
What’s more, there’s hardly any seasoning, making them taste unpleasantly fishy.
Not to mention the master chefs in the kitchen, even the cafeteria food from my previous life tasted better than this.
What a tragedy~
How am I supposed to live without favor?