Princess Jiaxi woke from a brief faint, nearly enraged by what had happened in the guest quarters.
“You useless disaster!” She clutched her chest, cursed, and gasped for a moment before continuing, “Go! Go summon the Young Master back and bring the Duke as well!”
At this moment, she could not afford to pay attention to Lin Yian and Su Mei. The matter with Prince Yu was urgent as it concerned the Wei Duke’s Household.
Hui Momo hurried to instruct a young maid to run errands. Just as she returned, Princess Jiaxi, her face pale, asked, “What about the messenger? Did he say anything else?”
During the princess’s faint, Hui Momo had already inquired and shook her head, replying, “No, the person delivered only this letter and left.”
“Was anyone following him?”
“At that moment, for some reason, the gatekeepers and guards were not paying attention.”
That meant the person was already gone without a trace.
Princess Jiaxi helped herself up from the bed, and Hui Momo assisted her back to her seat. She returned to the Luohan bed in the main hall, repeatedly examining the letter, finding nothing else.
“The messenger must have had a request.” The paper in Princess Jiaxi’s hand was creased from her grip, but she managed to steady her heart.
Since there was a request, the contents might not even reach the emperor. It depended on what the other party wanted.
This was a serious matter. Hearing the young maid mention Prince Yu, the Duke promptly arrived upstairs without delay.
Upon entering, he saw his wife pale and seated, and his expression became serious.
After hearing the details and seeing the letter, the Duke drew the same conclusion as she had: “It seems the person holds leverage and wants something in return.”
“Gold and jewels are easy to provide, but what if they want something else… even an official post could be arranged.” Princess Jiaxi said anxiously.
The Duke scoffed, “You have quite the power, casually offering an official post! Someone unaware might think the one at the Golden Throne is not your nephew but…”
He stopped mid-sentence. The latter part, implying the heir belonged to her, was too outrageous to speak.
Princess Jiaxi understood the sarcasm and her chest heaved, her breath uneven. “At a time this critical, how can the Duke still mock me? If Prince Yu gets into trouble, does that make the Wei Duke’s Household safe?”
“What does Prince Yu’s trouble have to do with my household? His mother, Consort Ye in the palace, is your niece, not mine. You insist on meddling with the Prince’s affairs. If he suffers, the Wei Duke’s Household faces misfortune because of you.”
The Duke’s refusal to take responsibility chilled Princess Jiaxi.
Even worse, he continued, “Foolish woman, emotional and reckless, for the Wei Duke’s Household, today we must sever ties with Prince Yu’s household entirely.”
“Lin Genghai!” Princess Jiaxi’s voice shrilled, “When you were implicated back then, did Consort Ye and Prince Yu not cover for you? The eldest would still have suffered setbacks and a few years of exile. Why did you not mock me then?”
“That was because you, ignorant woman, caused the trouble!”
The couple began to quarrel. Hui Momo intervened to mediate. During this, another letter arrived.
The Duke took it immediately, and upon opening, his heart skipped a beat: “Once again, this trouble is caused by you! The other party also has leverage over the eldest!”
Princess Jiaxi, cold sweat on her brow, trembled as she took the letter: “What exactly do they want? How could the eldest and Prince Yu be involved in this! For such trivial gains, they are completely controlled!”
Events came one after another. The Duke asked if the messenger had stayed behind. The guards replied, “This time he did not dare leave immediately, and he seemed unwilling to go.”
“Bring him in immediately!” Princess Jiaxi called urgently. This was the moment to negotiate terms.
As long as negotiations were possible, it meant a chance of resolution.
Unfortunately, when Princess Jiaxi saw the messenger, a single sentence left her stunned.
“They want us to annul the engagement with the Zhongyi Marquisate?” She raised her voice in disbelief, “Your master wants our household to be dishonored!”
“The master’s personal matters are beyond my understanding. He only said, if the engagement is not annulled, he will present the item. My master also said, if I do not return the Third Miss’s engagement certificate by noon, he will not wait.”
Princess Jiaxi’s straight back slumped, dizziness overtaking her as she leaned against the pillow. Even the beams above seemed to spin.
Why annul the engagement? That would create enmity with the Su family.
Who could do this? Could it be the Wu family?
Princess Jiaxi first thought of Wu Zisen, and coincidentally, he appeared at that moment.
As when he first appeared, chaos ensued because he had Lin Henglǐ at swordpoint.
The Duke’s guards could not overpower him and could only watch as the young grandson was dragged by his collar straight into the main hall.
“Wu Zisen! What are you doing now!” Princess Jiaxi’s heart seemed to stop.
What was happening today? These people were all lawless.
“I said yesterday that a reply was needed by dawn. The princess did not provide one, so I acted my way. If the engagement is not annulled, I will end him with a single sword, then go to the Golden Throne to plead, exposing all your household’s corruption. My cousin’s reputation is damaged; you will not be safe. The emperor is wise. At most, he will only strip my young master of his position and send him to the military.”
Wu Zisen’s boldness exceeded even audacity itself.
Because of his words, the Duke and Princess realized the young messenger was not from the Wu family.
If not the Wu family, who else would want to annul the engagement between the Lin and Su families?
Could it be that the Su family girl had caught the attention of someone powerful?
Or perhaps someone wanted to win over the Zhongyi Marquisate.
The couple, thinking alike, reached the same conclusion simultaneously.
“Release my grandson first!” The Duke, though aware of the situation, could not blindly be led.
Wu Zisen sneered: “Not until my cousin’s engagement certificate is delivered and a document proving the two families are no longer related is written.”
The young servant also said, “Our master instructed that your household must sign to confirm.”
“You are outrageous!” Princess Jiaxi trembled, pointing at them, barely able to sit upright.
“Grandfather, grandmother, annul the engagement.” Lin Henglǐ, held by Wu Zisen, suddenly spoke.
Everyone looked at him. He repeated expressionlessly, “Annul the engagement.”
“Henglǐ!” Princess Jiaxi rose, feeling unprecedented helplessness.
The Duke observed him closely, thought for a moment, and concluded, “Since Wu Zisen insists, annul the engagement. But the engagement certificate exists only in one copy…” He looked at the young servant.
The servant smiled: “Wu Zisen is the Third Miss’s cousin, so naturally the certificate goes to him. But the household still needs one copy as proof.”
Wu Zisen, hearing this, was puzzled. Who was this, and why did they need the certificate?
Princess Jiaxi remained silent, sinking back on the bed, her nails digging into the cushion.
Her son must be safe, Prince Yu must be safe, and her grandson must be safe. Every lifeline was seized, leaving her powerless.
After much scheming, everything came to nothing. The sensation was like a sharp knife in her heart, painful and infuriating, yet helpless.
She closed her eyes, listening to her husband negotiate with the young servant, arranging the delivery of the account book and the certificate.
The young servant remained cheerful, unfazed: “Have the Duke find a trustworthy person to accompany me. To prevent any mistakes, Wu Zisen will come along. I will watch as you hand over the certificate to Wu Zisen, then exchange.”
Only then did Wu Zisen realize that someone behind the scenes was helping Su Mei annul the engagement.
Who could it be?
For some reason, the first face he imagined was Lin Yian’s gentle one.
Perhaps he was mistaken. Though Lin Yian had motive, he might not have the ability.
Under pressure from both sides, the engagement was annulled smoothly.
Wu Zisen returned to the guest quarters lightly, holding Su Mei’s certificate.
Lin Yian, having heard about the commotion, knew the matter was resolved and turned his head to glance at the young girl idly trimming the potted plants with silver scissors.
Today she wore a pale yellow ruqun. Her raised wrists revealed two jade bracelets. When she moved, they clinked melodiously. She hummed a tune, light and cheerful, infecting anyone nearby, just like her smile.
This was enough.
Lin Yian was glad for her. He reached for tea, lowered his gaze, and blew on it.
Next, he had to find a way to coax her back to the Marquisate.
It was time for her to go home.
He seemed entranced, holding the cup long without drinking, as if in meditation.