“I gave them five taels of silver, yet I couldn’t even get a single serving of stewed beef brisket!” Du Juan was furious.
All these ingredients were part of the Gege’s stipend.
She had given them five taels of silver just to have them prepare it, yet they still refused.
If only they had a small kitchen—she could have made it herself.
Over the past month, the Princess Consort and Concubine Song remained completely unaffected.
Because the main courtyard had its own small kitchen, the two of them usually ate from there.
As for Concubine Li, who was now basking in favor, even if she wanted dragon liver or phoenix marrow, the kitchen staff—those who fawned on the powerful and trampled on the weak—would find a way to get it for her.
In the entire rear courtyard, only Lin Mingyan and the yet-to-receive-favor Lady Zhang endured endless cold shoulders.
She even began to wonder if the kitchen staff had something wrong with their minds.
Just because the master hadn’t visited her for a month, were they so certain she would never rise again?!
Were they blind?!
Lin Mingyan didn’t see this as a problem. She hadn’t made any mistakes herself, and Fourth Master still liked her.
It was just that the Princess Consort had made a mistake, and she was being cold-shouldered along with her.
Once his anger subsided and he remembered her, he would feel even more guilty.
Even Lady Zhang, who hadn’t served him intimately in the three months since entering the mansion, would eventually see the clouds part and the moon shine through.
“Let’s just eat this. Bring me the rice, I’ll have a few bites,” Lin Mingyan sat down and instructed.
When Du Juan brought the rice, she grew even angrier.
“This rice is still half-cooked!” Du Juan’s voice trembled with tears. “They’re deliberately bullying the Gege!”
Before she could finish her complaint, a cold voice came from behind: “Who is bullying your Gege?!”
Lin Mingyan and the others looked up and saw that Fourth Master had entered the main hall at some point without anyone noticing.
Since all four of them were inside the room and no one had announced his arrival, no one had been aware.
Du Juan was so frightened she nearly had a heart attack, pulling Ling Lan and the others down to kneel and press their foreheads to the floor without moving.
She had even begun drafting her will in her mind.
Seeing Fourth Master arrive, Lin Mingyan acted contrary to her usual self.
She neither stood up to greet him nor uttered a word, even turning her back to him and lowering her head.
Fourth Master had indeed come on a whim today. Upon entering, he felt a bit embarrassed about inexplicably neglecting Lin Mingyan for so long.
Seeing her ignore him now, he was taken aback.
He was not one to tolerate being slighted. Since she didn’t want to acknowledge him, he turned to leave.
But then he caught sight of Lin Mingyan’s thin, bony shoulders and the faint glimpse of her pale, sharp chin.
He paused, and his eyes fell on the dishes on the table.
Even Su Peisheng’s apprentice ate better than this, let alone Fourth Master!
Fourth Master’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Had he been away for such a short time, and already the servants were treating her so poorly?!
Du Juan and the others trembled like sieves, terrified. They truly hadn’t expected their Gege, who seemed indifferent, to dare to defy Fourth Master.
He was an Imperial Prince, a descendant of heaven’s nobility.
A Gege, and not even the most favored one, defying him.
Wasn’t that courting death?!
The three of them were scared out of their wits, nearly fainting, their hearts filled with worry for Lin Mingyan.
Su Peisheng watched the scene quietly, a little dance of glee playing in his mind.
Serves you right~
Finally, it’s your turn, Lin Shi, to face misfortune.
Their master was not the type to coax his wives and concubines. Madam Li had thrown tantrums before and hadn’t seen him for two months straight.
Who knew how long Lin Shi would be neglected this time~
Before he could finish his gloating, Fourth Master kicked him.
Su Peisheng reflexively knelt down.
Utterly bewildered: What’s going on? Did I actually voice my schadenfreude out loud?!
Fourth Master stepped forward and embraced Lin Mingyan: “Cha Cha, what’s this…”
Lin Mingyan had long anticipated this moment. She wasn’t some pushover who would happily fawn over Fourth Master after being wronged.
She didn’t speak, only blinked her tear-filled eyes lightly.
Two large teardrops rolled down her cheeks, as if they had rolled straight into Fourth Master’s heart.
For the first time, Fourth Master’s heart experienced a sour, swollen ache.
He didn’t know this was called heartache.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s Ye’s fault,” Fourth Master coaxed.
Somehow, watching her cry silently, words he had never spoken before all came tumbling out.
Though Du Juan and the other two were still kneeling, their hearts were completely at ease.
Only Su Peisheng remained, utterly incredulous.
Watching Fourth Master lower himself to coax someone, saying everything he could, while Lin Mingyan remained silent, his eyes went wide.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again—the scene remained unchanged.
Looking again at the inedible food on the table, his heart sank to the depths.
Lin Mingyan wasn’t entirely pretending; she truly felt wronged.
Thinking back on the hardships she had endured at home, the tears flowed freely without any forcing.
Because she had suffered grievances since childhood, her crying wasn’t loud wailing but a habit of soft sobbing.
Now, burying her face in Fourth Master’s chest and crying, she seemed like a pitiful little kitten.
Fourth Master was utterly at a loss. In the rear courtyard, the only one who had ever cried in front of him before was Madam Li.
Madam Li liked to fake cry while acting coy, subtly slandering the Princess Consort and Concubine Song.
He found it tiresome; usually, after a few sobs, he would glare, and Madam Li would stop on her own.
But Lin Mingyan was different. She cried silently, yet it tugged at his heart more than any loud accusation.
“It’s all Ye’s fault, Cha Cha, don’t cry,” Fourth Master patted and soothed her. “Good girl, don’t cry…”
After coaxing her for a while, Lin Mingyan finally stopped crying.
But she still didn’t speak, only leaned against Fourth Master’s chest, one hand lightly clutching his lapel.
Seeing her somewhat calmer, Fourth Master finally had time to turn his anger on Su Peisheng.
“Wretched slave, while Ye was busy, didn’t you know to look after your Mistress Lin?” Fourth Master’s gaze darkened, making Su Peisheng tremble.
He immediately prostrated himself: “It was all this slave’s negligence. Please punish me, Ye.”
“Get out and receive your punishment,” Fourth Master glanced at him, then sent someone to the kitchen to order food.
When a table of dishes was brought in, Su Peisheng, limping on one leg, rushed over to serve diligently.
Lin Mingyan had eaten very little during this period—partly because the food was truly unpalatable, partly intentionally—and her stomach had shrunk from hunger.
Fourth Master coaxed her into taking a few bites, but she shook her head and refused to eat more.
“Why are you eating so little?” Fourth Master asked.
If Madam Li or Madam Song ate so little, he wouldn’t have asked.
But Lin Shi had always given him the impression of someone who enjoyed eating and could eat a lot. These few bites wouldn’t have even filled her stomach before.
Now, why was she eating so little?
Lin Mingyan touched her slightly uncomfortable stomach and whispered, “I can’t eat anymore.”
The memory of hunger from her youth and the discomfort in her stomach left her feeling deeply dejected.
It was as if, having journeyed halfway through life, or even having already died once, she remained shackled by that impoverished childhood.
Fourth Master watched with even greater heartache, ordering many rewards to be brought over, and he visited Linfeng Residence for several consecutive days.