Dusk spread across the sky. Of the red sun slanting down from high above, only a hazy patch of light remained.
Su Mei kept watch by Lin Yian’s bedside until that last trace of light was completely swallowed by darkness, yet he still had not woken.
“Husband, wake up and look at me. I am already all better,” she said softly, sitting on the embroidered stool and speaking to him every so often.
The young gentleman on the bed gave no response.
After she finished speaking and waited a moment, seeing that he still did not move, she let out a quiet sigh.
Physician Xu, whom Wu Zisen had invited, had repeatedly assured them that Lin Yian had exhausted himself mentally and physically, and his injuries had flared up twice in succession. Even sleeping for an entire day was perfectly normal.
“Miss, the physician said you also need to rest. You cannot keep forcing yourself like this,” Zikui advised gently when she saw Su Mei looking dejected, her eyes never leaving Lin Yian.
Su Mei dropped her face. “If my husband does not wake up, how can I be at ease?”
Wu Zisen sat in a round-backed chair not far away, one hand idly playing with the tassel of his sword. Hearing this, he looked at Lin Yian on the bed, then turned his head to look at the little girl full of worry.
Her brows were knitted, her rosy lips slightly pouted. Even when unhappy, she still carried a girlish sweetness.
Wu Zisen’s gaze darkened briefly. He lifted his eyes again to look at Lin Yian, whose breathing was even, then suddenly stood up.
“Cousin, come back with me to eat first. Didn’t Physician Xu say you still need acupuncture today. If Lin Third Master wakes up later and finds you did not follow the doctor’s instructions, he will worry about you again. That will not help his injuries at all. Physician Xu specifically instructed that he must not be allowed to expend any more mental energy.”
In just half a day, Wu Zisen had discovered that the amnesiac Su Mei was actually very easy to coax.
As long as Lin Yian was used as the reason, anything related to Lin Yian, she would listen.
Sure enough, the little girl sitting by the bed hesitated for a moment, then stood up on her own. “Cousin is right. I will have the kitchen simmer some nourishing soup. When my husband wakes up later, he can drink it.”
Zikui looked at Wu Zisen with some admiration, but Wu Zisen did not want that sort of admiration at all.
Using another man to coax his own cousin felt unbearably stifling.
As Wu Zisen left, he even snorted coldly in Lin Yian’s direction.
The door opened and closed again. Su Mei passed by the window, still discussing with Zikui what kind of tonic soup would be most suitable for him.
Only after the footsteps had completely faded did Lin Yian slowly open his eyes.
Stone returned after seeing them off. When he saw Lin Yian awake, he said happily, “Third Master is awake.” Then he added regretfully, “Third Miss waited for you all afternoon and just left.”
“It does not matter. Do not tell her that I woke up,” Lin Yian said hoarsely, coughing softly twice.
He had actually woken up long ago. It was only because Su Mei was there that he kept his eyes closed and pretended to sleep, waiting for Wu Zisen to coax her away.
Wu Zisen was trained in martial arts and could tell from breathing alone whether someone was truly asleep or merely pretending.
It was indeed inappropriate for Su Mei to always stay by his side. She relied on him wholeheartedly, and he could not allow her reputation to be damaged again and again.
Lin Yian hid away his gentle side. Su Mei knew nothing of this. After eating, she waited for Physician Xu to administer acupuncture. During the treatment, she could not help it and gradually fell asleep.
“Light the calming incense. Cousin should sleep well tonight,” Wu Zisen said after hearing from Physician Xu that she had fallen asleep, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
He only hoped that his cousin would not discover his little trick tomorrow. Otherwise, with her newly fiery temper, she might very well take his life on the spot.
The guest courtyard was exceptionally quiet that night, but the main quarters of the Lin household were still lively.
Lin Yizong went personally to invite his father back. The younger generation all came to pay their respects. The room was crowded and lively, and two banquet tables were set up as they sat together for a long overdue meal.
The Second Master of the Wei Duke’s Household was also born of Princess Jiaxi. He always wore a smile. Although a major incident had occurred in the household, with him present, laughter could still be heard during the meal.
Second, Madam Xu had heard earlier about what had happened to the main branch, but later all news had been suppressed by her mother in law. She could only pretend not to know. Now, seeing her sister in law Li forcing a smile at the table, she understood that the main branch had truly suffered this time, and she felt a faint trace of satisfaction in her heart.
Although the masters of the second branch and the main branch were both sons of Princess Jiaxi, seniority dictated that the second branch could not inherit the title and had to rank lower in all respects. Over time, although the Second Master and his wife did not show it on their faces, they inevitably felt that their legitimate mother was biased and harbored resentment toward the main branch. Naturally, they were willing to watch the main branch make a spectacle of itself.
The meal was quite pleasant. After everyone had tea in the main hall, Princess Jiaxi spoke up. “Eldest son, stay behind. It just so happens that you can talk with your father about the matter of Prince Yu.”
Hearing this, the Second Master immediately excused himself.
The couple left together with their children. Once outside the courtyard, Xu snorted softly with a laugh. “Who knows how this will end. Most likely, it will benefit the Third Master in the end.”
“What nonsense are you spouting,” the Second Master scolded lightly, though there was no anger on his face.
Xu smiled, her eyes curving. “My lord is right. I spoke out of turn.”
The siblings of the second branch did not understand the riddles their parents were speaking. They exchanged looks and obediently followed them back to their courtyard.
Inside the brightly lit main hall, the Wei Duke’s smile faded after his second son left. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest of his chair.
He did not speak, and Lin Yizong did not dare to speak either. Li and Lin Henglǐ had even less standing to do so. In the end, Princess Jiaxi broke the silence.
“The Duke should have heard what the Elder Son said. Tomorrow, have Wu Old Earl come over to reminisce a bit, and explain our intention not to withdraw from the engagement.”
“I do not have the ability to invite Wu Old Earl,” the Wei Duke replied flatly.
With one sentence, he openly rebuffed Princess Jiaxi.
Princess Jiaxi choked, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the anger rising within her. She stiffly pulled up a smile. “Duke, you are being too modest. As long as you come forward, Wu Old Earl will certainly come.”
The Wei Duke let out a mocking laugh, drew out an indistinct “oh,” then said, “And if Earl Ningyuan comes and insists on withdrawing the engagement on behalf of the Su family’s third girl, what should I say then?”
“Of course it cannot be withdrawn. You know the purpose of forming ties with the Su family. How could it be withdrawn.”
“Mm, it cannot be withdrawn. But what if he insists?”
The Wei Duke pressed again. For a moment, Princess Jiaxi did not know how to answer. Was this not exactly what she feared.
If the engagement were withdrawn, the two families would inevitably become enemies.
“Since you are asking me, I will give you a foolproof solution,” the Wei Duke said. “Withdraw Henglǐ’s engagement.”
“Duke,” Princess Jiaxi sprang up from her chair in fury after humbling herself for so long, only to receive such an irresponsible answer.
The Wei Duke also slapped the armrest and stood up, casting a slanted glance at his furious wife. “Withdraw Henglǐ’s engagement and have Third Master marry her. The Su family girl’s reputation has already been ruined by the Third Master, so he should take responsibility. Everyone wins. That way, the Su family is still connected to our Lin family by marriage, which does not go against your original intention. You also need not worry about gossip about an uncle marrying his nephew’s intended bride. I will have Daoist Qingqian step forward and say that Henglǐ’s fate clashes with the Su family girl, and among those of suitable age in the household, only Third Master fits. That will shut everyone up.”
“Absurd. Absurd,” Princess Jiaxi’s shrill voice echoed through the hall.
Lin Yizong and his wife both changed color. They had not expected their father to propose such a solution.
“Mm, only you are not absurd,” the Wei Duke sneered at Princess Jiaxi once more, flicked his sleeve, and left. “Since you refuse to listen to me, do not bother me again.”
He left behind his wife, who could no longer restrain her temper, letting her curse and rage.
The gathering in the main quarters ended in complete discord. By the time Princess Jiaxi finished venting her anger, she had no strength left. Leaning on Nanny Hui, her eyes red, she said, “He still thinks I killed that lowborn wretch. What kind of vicious person am I in his heart. Even now, the one he thinks of at every moment is still that bastard.”
Nanny Hui had heard these words countless times. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly.
When the couple were young, both were proud. Their princess had indeed done extreme things and caused the death of the Wei Duke’s beloved. With that first impression, the two of them could never again live together in harmony.
Princess Jiaxi feared that the Wu family would withdraw the engagement. Wu Zisen was indeed planning exactly that. He had come for the purpose of withdrawing the engagement and was already preparing to handle it the next day, then find a way to take his cousin away.
Lin Yian still did not know that his father had pushed him back onto the crest of the waves again. That night, after changing the dressing on his leg injury, he lay on the bed reading.
Having slept all day, he did not feel sleepy at all. Stone had already spread out bedding on the floor, covered his head, and was sleeping soundly, snoring loudly.
Listening to the snoring, Lin Yian turned his head to look a few times, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
The first time Su Mei met him, she slept on him and snored loudly like a little pig. He wondered if she would sleep well tonight and hoped she would not run out again in the middle of the night.
However, someone did come in the middle of the night. It was not Su Mei, but Liu Si, who had come once yesterday.
Liu Si entered silently. Seeing Stone snoring thunderously, he even walked over, lifted a corner of the quilt to examine him for a while, and laughed. “This kid still sleeps like the dead. Once he is asleep, even thunder will not wake him. One day I will carry him off and sell him.”
“Why do you always have designs on him? He cannot hear you, so you will not scare him,” Lin Yian said, turning a page of his book. “Why are you here again?”
“Because of your good brother. He ran to Prince Yu’s residence yesterday. His Highness asked me to pass on a message. If the Lin family keeps running around recklessly, he really will make a move to warn them.”
Lin Yian was thoroughly disgusted by the words “good brother.” He raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze stabbing into Liu Si. “If you do not know how to speak like a human, do not come again.” He added coldly that he understood and said no more.
Liu Si let out an exclamation. This man’s young master temper had surfaced again. In front of others, he was gentle and good tempered. In private, he was aloof to the extreme and often did not even spare him a smile.
Liu Si said, “I should have left you in the Hall of the King of Hell back then.” Then he pulled out a thick stack of letters from his robe and tossed them onto Lin Yian. “These are what came out of the interrogation. His Highness said it was your merit and specifically had me deliver a copy to you. And there is actually a bit in there related to you.”
After throwing them down, he left on his own accord without needing to be chased out.
The room became quiet again. Lin Yian leaned against the headboard and opened the letters one by one, reading until dawn.
Su Mei slept soundly through the night without even dreaming. When she woke in the morning, she reached back and touched the swelling on the back of her head.
She did not know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the bump had gone down quite a bit, and her mood improved with it.
After getting up, washing, and dressing, she still ran over to Lin Yian’s side, only to be told by Stone that he had only just fallen asleep at dawn.
Su Mei stayed in the room and quietly ate breakfast. Wu Zisen naturally followed closely behind her, already planning in his mind to confront the Lin family and withdraw the engagement.
While eating, Su Mei looked at the soup by her hand and suddenly remembered being drugged before. She said, “If Physician Xu were not your person, cousin, I would have thought I was drugged again yesterday and fell asleep without realizing it.”
Wu Zisen jolted. The fried spring roll he had just put into his mouth was swallowed whole without chewing. It stuck in his throat, and he almost suffocated.
He laughed awkwardly. “Cousin is overthinking it. How could I do such a thing.”
Su Mei had said it without any real thought. Once said, it passed. Wu Zisen, however, remained on edge for quite some time.
After breakfast, Su Mei went into the inner room to take a look and found that Lin Yian still had not woken. Outside, a rough servant woman was carrying fresh flowers past the window. White, yellow, pink. She did not know what varieties they were, but they looked rather nice to her. Her eyes lit up. She glanced at Lin Yian, still asleep, then pattered outside.
“Bring some into the room as well,” she leaned out and instructed. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Bring more. Put them right by my husband.”
When he woke up and saw flowers, his mood would probably be better.
The physician had said that no matter what injury or illness, one’s mood was the most important thing.
After her ruckus yesterday, Li had already instructed the servants of this courtyard to give her whatever she wanted. Give plenty, give generously, so that she would not go mad again and beat her son.
The servant women responded repeatedly. At this time, Physician Xu came over to say it was time for her acupuncture. Su Mei could only remind the servant women again before following Physician Xu back inside.
Stone, mindful of his master’s injuries, went to brew medicine according to the schedule. When he returned carrying the decoction, he saw two servant women walking out.
Their faces looked pale as vegetables. They shook their heads and sighed, as if discussing something.
Feeling puzzled, he went inside. The moment he stepped into the inner room, he was so startled by the ring of white and yellow flowers surrounding Lin Yian’s bed that his legs went weak. He let out a pig killing wail and threw himself forward. “Third Master.”
How could the Third Master be gone after he stepped out for just a moment.
Lin Yian was heavily pressed on and woke up, coughing once. Stone screamed again in fright. “A corpse has risen.”
“What are you yelling about,” Lin Yian said in confusion, his head aching from the noise.
He turned his head and saw a sea of pale colored flowers before his eyes. Who had placed so many flowers by his bed.
It was arranged like a mourning hall.
For some reason, he immediately thought of Su Mei.
Had her condition worsened and she now wanted to become a widow.