Su Mei stood firmly between them, and Wu Zisen was baffled by her fierce attitude, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Behind her, Lin Yian was also taken aback. In the next moment, however, the corner of his lips lifted slightly in silence. The faint sense of loss he had felt earlier vanished completely because of her stepping forward to protect him, leaving behind a trace of self mockery.
He had long grown used to people coming and going around him, and even more used to others showing dislike toward him. Yet when the person leaving might be Su Mei, he had unexpectedly felt a hint of reluctance.
Perhaps it was because she had given him a kindness and gentleness he had never received before. That emotion she placed upon him was pure and intense. Even though it had only lasted a single day, it was already difficult to resist.
But like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, these things were never meant to be his. They could disappear without a trace at any time. His unease stemmed from being relied upon and protected due to his own incompleteness, which was unnecessary.
While she still needed him, he would do his best to take good care of her. That would be a fair return for the feelings she had mistakenly given him.
Lin Third Master, who had long been accustomed to humility, held himself to strict principles. He never coveted what did not belong to him. Moreover, Su Mei was separated from him by generation. Facing a sick junior, no matter how lacking in warmth he was, he would never cross any boundaries. To do so would be no different from a beast.
Lin Yian was skilled at self adjustment. In just a short moment, his heart cleared, and he faced Wu Zisen with even greater openness and composure.
Princess Jiaxi interrupted the unfinished reunion with displeasure. Supporting her grandson’s arm, she stepped forward and said that this must be the heir of the Ningyuan Marquis. She asked after the old marquis’s health and remarked that it had been five years since they last met.
Wu Zisen ignored her attempt at familiarity and pointed directly at Lin Henglǐ, asking if he was the one who pushed his cousin.
Princess Jiaxi had held a position of honor for many years and had never been ignored like this. Anger stirred in her heart as she prepared to assert her authority.
Before she could speak, the long sword in Wu Zisen’s hand flashed and pressed instantly against Lin Henglǐ’s neck. His voice was cold as he demanded whether he should stab him to repay the injury to his cousin, or whether the Wei Duke’s Household would give a fair explanation.
He had come today to seek justice for his cousin. This old woman’s endless talking irritated him beyond patience.
Princess Jiaxi’s hand trembled in fright. Lady Li and Lin Yizong cried out and hurried forward.
Lin Yizong urgently said that he could not be unreasonable.
Wu Zisen replied that Lin Henglǐ had not been reasonable when he pushed his cousin, and he pressed the blade even closer.
The sword felt like a cold snake against his skin. Even though Lin Henglǐ practiced martial arts, he could not suppress his fear. A sharp pain spread as the skin on his neck was lightly cut.
Uncontrollable terror surged through his limbs. Cold sweat drenched his body, and he did not dare move.
Princess Jiaxi was a clever woman. She knew the Wu family could not be fooled and had likely investigated before coming. She cherished her eldest grandson deeply. Even if the Ningyuan Marquisate no longer stood before the emperor, she did not dare gamble with her grandson’s safety.
She conceded calmly, saying that Lin Henglǐ had only wanted to stay and care for Third Miss out of concern for her injuries. Still, wrongdoing deserved punishment. Since he had failed in his care, he would be confined to the ancestral hall and made to kneel for a full day.
She gave the Wu family sufficient face. Whether he truly knelt or not was something outsiders would never know.
Lin Henglǐ’s face turned pale blue with humiliation, yet for the future plans of the Wei Duke’s Household, he dared not voice a single complaint.
Wu Zisen seemed satisfied and withdrew his sword. Only then did he turn to properly look at the cousin who did not recognize him at all.
Su Mei still stood in front of Lin Yian, hands on her hips, unchanged. When she noticed his gaze, she lifted her chin and puffed out her chest, looking every bit like someone guarding her own.
Wu Zisen frowned again. Zikui stepped forward, curtsied, and quietly explained Su Mei’s condition to him.
After listening, he felt both heartache and sorrow. His cousin truly did not recognize anyone and wholeheartedly regarded Lin Third Master as her husband.
The Ningyuan Marquisate received two pieces of news about Su Mei yesterday. One was a letter from Lin Yian. The other came from someone they had placed in the marquis residence.
At first, they doubted Lin Yian. Now that Zikui’s account matched his letter, their hostility toward him eased somewhat.
Wu Zisen tried speaking to Su Mei, reminding her that he was her cousin and recalling childhood memories of picking persimmons together.
Su Mei only stared at him warily.
In her mind, being a cousin did not grant permission to covet her husband.
Seeing this, Zikui sighed and suggested speaking to Su Mei first, hoping her memory might return.
Lin Yizong, who had been watching for a long time, stepped in and invited Wu Zisen to move elsewhere to rest and drink tea so they could discuss Third Miss properly.
Wu Zisen glanced at him without much interest.
At that moment, a timid voice announced that Lin Third Master’s medicine was ready.
Stone stood at the doorway holding a food box, not daring to step inside after seeing the scene.
Lin Yian told him to bring it in and also asked him to check on Third Miss’s medicine so it could be served while hot.
Stone responded and placed the food box by the door before leaving.
Su Mei turned her head and muttered softly that she did not want to drink it.
Lin Yian smiled gently and patted the bed, asking if she had forgotten what she promised him yesterday.
As he spoke, he raised his eyes to look at her steadily. His phoenix eyes held a tender warmth when not sharp, soft and deeply affectionate.
Su Mei’s heart skipped a beat.
She had never seen him smile like this before. Her face flushed, and she hurried over to sit by the bed, lowering her head and covering her face with both hands.
Why was her heart beating so fast? They were husband and wife. He had only smiled at her. What was there to be shy about.
Still, her husband really was handsome when he smiled.
She secretly smiled to herself, though she did not know why.
She thought she had hidden her girlish feelings well, but to others, they were painfully obvious.
Lin Yizong finally understood the interaction between his future daughter in law and his concubine born brother. His hand trembled as he clutched his chest. This was absurd. No wonder his son had lost control.
Lady Li and Princess Jiaxi looked equally displeased. Wu Zisen clenched his teeth in silence. Lin Yian’s words about a promise were simply too irritating.
They had an agreement, a shared secret, an intimacy that felt excessive.
Whether Lin Yian was a true gentleman or not still required observation.
Amid the strange atmosphere, Stone quickly returned with a servant woman carrying another food box.
The woman greeted Princess Jiaxi diligently, clearly someone she had arranged.
Wu Zisen felt displeased again. Why was it the Lin family arranging his cousin’s medicine?
He paid close attention as the medicine was served. Two bowls were placed on the low table between the beds. The woman stepped back, guarding them as she had the night before.
Wu Zisen raised his hand to inspect the medicine, but Lin Yian moved faster.
He leaned forward slightly, picked up the bowl in front of Su Mei, and blew on it to test the temperature.
Wu Zisen paused, his gaze turning complicated.
Only he, being closest, saw clearly what happened.
Using his wide sleeve as cover, Lin Yian swiftly switched the positions of the two identical bowls.
Su Mei blinked at the bowl now before her and remembered the promise Lin Yian had mentioned. She had forgotten it earlier in excitement. She was supposed to help her husband catch demons and monsters, and he had even switched the medicine for her.
She smiled sweetly and called for her husband to feed her.
Lin Yian coughed lightly in embarrassment and looked at Zikui. Understanding at once, Zikui took the bowl and gently coaxed Su Mei, saying it was inappropriate with so many people present.
Su Mei glanced around and saw everyone watching. Her shyness resurfaced, and she obediently drank the medicine with Zikui’s help.
On the other side, Lin Yian calmly lifted the bowl meant for her and drank it all in one go.
Princess Jiaxi watched from afar and felt inexplicably relieved. She invited Wu Zisen again, and he finally left, carrying complex feelings toward Lin Yian.
People gradually dispersed. The Su family guards returned to their posts, and servants came to clean the room.
After finishing her medicine, Su Mei grimaced at the bitterness and hurried to suck on a preserved date. Then she suddenly remembered she had come to eat breakfast with her husband.
She looked at the low table and frowned at Lin Yian’s half bowl of thin porridge and two plain steamed buns.
Why was her husband’s breakfast so simple? She had even heard servants say they would get a meat bun today. Did that mean her husband was treated worse than servants.
Lin Yian smiled apologetically, saying he had forgotten she had not eaten. He reassured her that drinking medicine on an empty stomach was fine and suggested she rest briefly before breakfast.
Zikui blamed herself and went to summon breakfast.
When she returned, Su Mei was still lost in thought. Zikui gently nudged her and explained matters about the Wu family.
This was the first time Su Mei heard about her background. She learned she was a legitimate daughter of the Zhongyi Marquis, her mother had passed early, and she had an elder brother.
The Wu family was her maternal family. Her grandfather had been implicated in a political case ten years ago and left court, distancing himself to avoid dragging the Su family down.
Zikui had never thought to seek help from the Wu family until Wu Zisen appeared.
Su Mei murmured in disbelief that her cousin had come to seek justice for her.
Lin Yian confirmed Zikui’s words but stopped himself from revealing everything, fearing it would upset her.
Breakfast was soon delivered. The spread was lavish, far more than enough for three people.
The image of Lin Yian drinking plain porridge flashed through Su Mei’s mind, and the difference in treatment became unbearable.
Without warning, she swept everything off the table.
The crash echoed loudly, leaving the floor in chaos again.
She stood up angrily and demanded to know who was in charge of the household.
The frightened maid answered that it was the Wei Family Heir’s wife.
Before anyone could stop her, Su Mei stormed out.
Lin Yian tried to follow in panic, forgetting his injured leg and nearly falling.
Zikui ran after her. Su Mei dashed out of the courtyard, unimpeded by the guards.
She ran straight to the ancestral hall, where Lin Henglǐ was kneeling in pretense. Before he could turn around, he was kicked hard in the back.
His forehead slammed into the ground, stars bursting in his vision.
Su Mei shouted furiously behind him that if she dared bully her husband, then she would beat her son and teach her what pain meant.
Lin Henglǐ was kicked again.