Su Mei suddenly went mad and attacked, leaving everyone stunned.
She used all her strength to kick Lin Hengli twice in a row. After that she was so exhausted that she swayed unsteadily, then simply sat down hard on the ground and gasped for breath.
Lin Hengli was in such pain that he sucked in a sharp breath and held his forehead as he turned around.
The ancestral hall was deep, spacious, and dim. Su Mei sat in the backlit area. Her long hair was jet black, making her already pale face look even more bloodless. With reddened eyes she glared at him. At a glance she truly resembled a vengeful female ghost coming to claim a life.
Lin Hengli’s teeth knocked together. Being stared at with such hatred made him feel a chill down his spine.
“Miss, the ground is cold. Get up quickly.”
Zikui finally snapped out of her shock at seeing Su Mei suddenly attack. She rushed forward and struggled to pull her up.
Su Mei had no strength left. She slid down twice before finally steadying herself.
“What madness are you acting out again!”
As people gradually gathered around, Lin Hengli came back to his senses, rubbed his forehead, and stood up as well.
Su Mei spat fiercely at him, making his temples throb violently with anger.
“Meimei.”
Lin Yi’an rushed over and immediately saw her, calling her name with concern.
The little girl who had looked fierce just moments ago changed her expression faster than flipping a book. She pitifully called out “husband” and staggered toward Lin Yi’an, who was seated on the sedan chair.
She threw herself onto him just like when she met him yesterday. Her slender arms wrapped directly around his neck, her whole body hanging onto him.
That familiar scene played out once again before Lin Hengli’s eyes. To him it was an unbearable humiliation.
Su Mei’s loud crying rang out at that moment.
Lin Yi’an, who had wanted to comfort her, froze when she cried. Nestled in his arms, the little girl cried as she accused them. “How can they treat you like this? You are the Third Master, yet even servants get meat buns while they only give you thin soup and watery food. You are still sick. Are their hearts black just because you were born of a concubine, you deserve to be bullied by them”
As she spoke she burst into another bout of sobbing, crying loudly as large tears fell one by one, soaking Lin Yi’an’s spring robe. She looked even more wronged than the person actually involved.
Lin Yi’an was stunned again upon hearing this. Shock, confusion, and disbelief passed one after another across his gentle face. In the end his heart trembled and all the surging emotions turned into deep gratitude.
The little girl was standing up for him. It was just an ordinary breakfast, yet she had taken it so deeply to heart.
Moved by emotion, the corners of his lips slowly curved into an extremely gentle smile.
“It is all right.” He raised his hand and softly tucked the strands of hair stuck to her cheek behind her ear. “It was only one breakfast, and I truly had no appetite…”
“No.” She cried until she hiccupped, lifting her tear stained face. “Even if you had no appetite, breakfast should not have been prepared so simply. You are a master of the household. If a master has no appetite, they should not prepare even more dishes to choose from. They deliberately deducted and made things difficult. This is not just about one meal.”
Lin Yi’an laughed helplessly. She was not foolish at all. There was no way to fool her.
She warmed his heart, and there was even more indulgent affection in his smile. “Your face is all messy from crying. There are so many people watching. Stop crying for now. Whatever it is, we can talk slowly later.”
She treated him well, so he had to be mindful of her body.
No matter what emotion made her overly agitated, it would not be good for her injury.
The little girl was still shedding golden tears. Lin Yi’an sighed and searched his sleeve for a handkerchief. Every tear she shed, he wiped away one.
In front of so many eyes, they should not have shown such intimacy. But seeing her eyes swollen from crying for him, how could he remain unmoved.
Lin Hengli had a patch of scraped skin on his forehead. A servant was holding a handkerchief and helping him clean the wound. He coldly watched the two people clinging together in front of him, filled with towering anger yet unable to vent it.
For some reason, a wave of sour bitterness surged in his heart, constantly questioning how he had let things end up like this.
His future wife did not acknowledge him as her husband, giving all her tenderness to someone unrelated.
He admitted his fault, yet she never gave him a chance to apologize. Instead she used a scheme to get rid of him.
Lin Hengli, whether in background or talent, stood out among noble families. Countless people wanted to curry favor and become the young madam of the Lin family. Yet when it came to her, she discarded him like worn shoes.
The successive blows and humiliation dealt a heavy blow to Lin Hengli, who had always believed himself to be heaven’s favored son. Under the pressure of all these emotions, his gaze toward Lin Yi’an gradually filled with resentment and malice.
That man was nothing more than a low born bastard. It was only because his grandmother and father were broad minded that he was allowed to stay in the household. Now he seemed to have truly forgotten his own status.
Perhaps Lin Yi’an also harbored ill intentions. Su Mei’s appearance just happened to serve his ambition.
Given the current position of the Zhongyi Marquisate in court, who would not be tempted even his grandmother was eager to curry favor. Lin Yi’an must also be trying to climb higher through Su Mei.
“Get away.”
With a filthy heart of his own, Lin Hengli assumed others were just as filthy. He shoved the servant aside and strode up to his concubine born uncle, shouting sharply, “Lin Yi’an, Su Mei does not know better and acts foolishly, but you, as an elder, do you not know shame or human ethics”
Lin Hengli charged aggressively, throwing out a huge accusation the moment he opened his mouth. The faces of the Su family members present all changed, and they all turned to look at the young gentleman on the sedan chair.
Lin Yi’an’s hand wiping Su Mei’s tears paused slightly, then he suddenly laughed softly. “Young Grandson has read so many books. You should have heard the saying that the innocent remain innocent while the filthy remain filthy. There is also the saying that when one wants to accuse, there is never a lack of words.”
After speaking, he continued gently pressing the handkerchief to the little girl’s reddened eye corners, softly coaxing her to stop crying.
Su Mei was clutching his clothes at this moment and muttered something under her breath.
Lin Hengli’s face alternated between red and pale.
This was clearly mocking him for lacking propriety and shame.
“I think you, Lin Yi’an, are the one who read all your books for nothing.”
Lin Hengli flew into a rage from humiliation. He reached out and snatched away the handkerchief soaked with tears, throwing it hard onto the ground. Then he reached out again, trying to pull Su Mei off him.
But the second time his hand stretched out, it was caught tightly in midair.
“Insolent.”
Lin Yi’an’s five fingers were like iron clamps. His angry voice carried frost and snow, sharper than the tip of winter icicles.
Lin Hengli had never heard this concubine born Third Uncle raise his voice before. His heart jolted violently. The next instant, with a cracking sound, the tightly gripped wrist sent searing pain through him, and he immediately let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
Lin Yi’an finally released him and did not even look at him again. He protected the little girl in his arms, who was gasping weakly, and urgently ordered, “Quickly go back and call the physician.”
Just now she had been complaining of a severe headache.
Lin Hengli clutched his wrist, sweating from pain. In an instant, the ancestral hall that had been full of people became empty. Only the sound of wind passing through the hall echoed in his ears, as if it had been deliberately left behind to witness his miserable and ridiculous state.
At this moment, he finally understood what true humiliation felt like.
“Is he rebelling”
Princess Jiaxi hurled the teacup in her hand far away.
A servant came to report that Su Mei’s injuries had flared up again, and Lin Hengli had come over holding his hand. Upon hearing that his wrist had actually been dislocated by Lin Yi’an, and then learning the whole story, she was so angry that fire shot from her eyes.
“We should never have kept that Su family girl in the residence.”
Lin Yizong sighed as he patted the armrest of the chair beside her.
“Then according to you, should we cancel the engagement and make enemies with the Su family without caring at all”
Princess Jiaxi shut her eldest son up with a single sentence. He kept a grim face for a long time before saying, “Has Mother informed Father”
The Duke of Wei had become obsessed with Daoist practices in recent years. Whenever there was no morning court, he would run to a Daoist temple, sometimes staying there for several days.
When this was said, Princess Jiaxi fell silent instead. It was clear that the Duke of Wei still knew nothing about this mess at home.
Lin Yizong sighed again. “Your son will invite Father back. You saw Young Master Wu’s attitude just now. He has no intention of accommodating us at all. Let us see what Father says. Perhaps Father can invite Old Lord Wu.”
Princess Jiaxi still said nothing. Lin Yizong took it as her agreement and ordered the carriage to be prepared as he left the residence.
Su Mei’s condition was not good. After returning to her quarters, she no longer had the strength even to cry out in pain. She lay weakly on the bed, making faint whimpering sounds like a kitten.
Lin Yi’an stayed by her side. After Physician Xue, who had been on standby in the residence, finished administering acupuncture and saw that Su Mei was drifting into sleep, he finally had himself carried back to his own room.
Just as he was placed onto the bed, the strength he had been forcing himself to hold collapsed. Supporting himself on the bed, he coughed violently, to the point of darkness before his eyes. In the end, he even coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.
Shitou cried out in alarm. Wu Zisen, who had come from outside wanting to learn more about the situation, happened to see this scene and was slightly shocked.
“What is wrong with your master Why is he coughing up blood”
Although Wu Zisen was quite dissatisfied with Lin Yi’an, he still raised his voice in the emergency and ordered someone to call Physician Xue over.
Physician Xue ran back and forth, busy and sweating. After taking his pulse, he said, “Did Third Master not take his medicine today Why does it look more dangerous? He already suffered internal injuries, and now his pulse is extremely chaotic, as if something has forced his qi and blood to reverse.”
Lin Yi’an leaned against the head of the bed without saying anything. Wu Zisen, however, immediately thought of how Lin Yi’an had switched bowls with Su Mei that morning. Could it be that the changed medicine did not suit his injury and caused this condition?
Wu Zisen looked at him with an extremely complicated gaze.
Physician Xue took Shitou away to help prepare and boil medicine. The room was left with only Wu Zisen, who deliberately stayed behind, and Lin Yi’an.
The sun in the courtyard rose higher, casting a layer of golden light through the window. Lin Yi’an lowered his eyes halfway, staring at the golden patch on the ground, and slowly spoke, “If you have any trustworthy physicians, now would be the right time to invite them in.”
Even now, he was still worrying and making arrangements for Su Mei.
Wu Zisen’s expression turned serious as he asked, “Lin Third, what exactly are you after”
Ignoring his own body to protect an outsider, he did not believe anyone could truly be that selfless.
Lin Yi’an smiled faintly. His gaze moved away from the patch of light. Using both hands, he slowly propped himself up and then gradually lay back down on the bed, closing his eyes.
“Young Master Wu,” he said softly, “you are not the same as me. I know you cannot understand someone like me…”
With that, Lin Yi’an fell into an exhausted sleep.
Wu Zisen remained standing in place, unable to discern the meaning of his words.
What did not the same mean? And what kind of person was a man? Could there really be such different thoughts
Tsk. Mysterious and overly sentimental.
Wu Zisen flicked his sleeve and left, thinking that he must keep a close watch on his cousin and absolutely not let that so-called Third Master Lin take advantage of her.
As a result, when Su Mei finally woke up, the moment Wu Zisen mentioned that Lin Yi’an had ignored his own injuries to change medicine, worsening his condition, Su Mei jumped out of bed and ran outside.
“How is my husband”
Wu Zisen was dumbfounded and hurried after her, anxiously saying, “Cousin, listen to me first. He might have done it to gain your sympathy.”
Su Mei shot him to look as if he were ill. “My husband and I are one body. Why would he need to gain my sympathy” After that, her gaze toward him gradually became guarded. “Cousin, are you trying to sow discord”
So her cousin really had designs on her husband.
Wu Zisen was speechless. Damn it. He seemed completely unable to explain himself.