16
The Disaster Brought Back
Leaning against the carriage, Lin Qingran’s mind was in turmoil. What she found most difficult to accept was still the marriage arrangement with Xiao Heng.
She hadn’t reacted so strongly before, but today Mu Feng’s words had made her increasingly uneasy. Being entangled with people from the palace was never a good thing, especially when it involved the path of competing for the throne.
Xiao Heng had two open enemies, with countless more in the shadows. Most of the princes were likely coveting the Crown Prince’s position as well.
When reading the book, Lin Qingran knew that in the early stages, the male lead Xiao Che and another prince both opposed Xiao Heng. Initially, the male lead’s power wasn’t substantial—it was only after the Liang Peng incident drew Emperor Kangyuan’s reproach, followed by Lin Qingran’s death and the loss of Grand Tutor Lin’s support, that Xiao Heng gradually declined.
The prince wasn’t particularly difficult to deal with; the real challenge was the male lead backed by Grand Tutor Lin.
The book was over two million words long, making it extremely difficult for Lin Qingran to think through every step clearly. Moreover, everything was presented from the perspectives of the male and female leads.
Now that she was inside the book herself, her perspective could only be her own. Even with her god’s-eye view, she couldn’t see everything clearly.
For instance, she had begun to suspect something else about the issues between Emperor Kangyuan and Empress Qi.
Suppose there were feelings between them, but misunderstandings arose because one party had some “white moonlight” in their heart, leading to a misunderstanding that lasted over a decade.
The book mentioned that Emperor Kangyuan didn’t dote on Xiao Heng, but from what Lin Qingran observed, he definitely cared about him—after all, Xiao Heng was his biological son with Empress Qi.
It was absolutely impossible for Emperor Kangyuan to lack affection for his son Xiao Heng; otherwise, he wouldn’t be the Crown Prince now.
The empress’s son wasn’t necessarily designated as Crown Prince, but Xiao Heng had been appointed Crown Prince from the day he was born, a decision Emperor Kangyuan insisted on despite opposition.
Therefore, his feelings for Empress Qi were naturally special.
As for the original host being chosen as the Crown Princess, that was also Emperor Kangyuan’s decision after careful consideration—undoubtedly out of respect for Grand Tutor Lin.
It wasn’t hard to understand upon reflection: Emperor Kangyuan was paving the way for Xiao Heng.
Anyway, Lin Qingran couldn’t comprehend the author’s bizarre plotline—why would such an outstanding Xiao Heng ultimately lose to Xiao Che?
Perhaps it was because Xiao Che was the male lead. A prince who meticulously planned his way to becoming Crown Prince and then Emperor, enduring numerous hardships along the way—that was probably the point.
Whatever, it didn’t matter who the male lead was. To her, they were all just fictional characters anyway. She only wished to be a couch potato here and live out her life like this.
Whether she could return to the modern world wasn’t important—there was nothing left for her there anyway.
Thinking about it this way, she’d actually come out ahead, experiencing an extra life compared to others.
The carriage soon stopped at Lin Manor. Just as Lin Qingran alighted, someone called out to her from across the way.
“Ranran.”
Lin Qingran looked up and saw a handsome man with exceptionally striking features, bearing about sixty percent resemblance to her. This was her eldest brother, Lin Yu.
Seeing him, Lin Qingran smiled and called out, “Eldest Brother.”
“I knew you just returned from the palace. Mother was worried about you and asked me to pick you up at the palace gates. But before I could leave, I saw you coming back, saving me the trip.” Lin Yu smiled.
Seeing Lin Yu’s smile, Lin Qingran recalled his tragic ending in the book—framed and executed by a prince after her own death, during a period of intense tension between Grand Tutor Lin and Xiao Heng.
It was merely a false accusation, but unfortunately, Lin Yu had no one to help him at that time, leading to his execution after the autumn assizes.
Though Xiao Heng wasn’t solely responsible for this outcome, he was somewhat implicated. The prince’s scheme aimed to irreparably sever ties between the Lin family and Xiao Heng, even initially framing Xiao Heng for the crime.
Lin Yu also deeply cherished Lin Qingran. Even though his younger sister often caused him trouble, he never uttered a single word of complaint.
How enviable. The original host was one of the rare fortunate ones, yet she fell for the major antagonist and dragged her entire family to ruin.
No matter what, she would never allow such a tragedy to occur. How wonderful it would be for the family to live happily together.
“Sorry to worry Mother and Eldest Brother. I’m fine—how could there be any danger under the Emperor’s watch?” Lin Qingran smiled as she walked over to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu chuckled wryly, “Yes, yes, it’s your elder brother overthinking things. What danger could our Ranran possibly face? But it’s getting late—hurry and freshen up. Let’s head to the dining hall for the meal Mother arranged as soon as she returned. Grandfather has also left his courtyard.”
“Understood, let’s go in quickly.”
As they walked, Lin Qingran suddenly halted. A thought crossed her mind—this was the hidden calamity lurking around Lin Yu.
Unfortunately, the author hadn’t written much about Lin Yu, so she didn’t know the specific person involved. But they must have returned together by now.
“What’s wrong, Ranran?” Lin Yu stopped as well and asked.
Perhaps because of the Crown Prince’s feigned death incident, Lin Yu sensed that this little girl before him seemed burdened with thoughts, no longer as carefree and expressive as before.
It seemed she had matured—just as Grandfather had said—yet it pained his heart.
Suppressing her turbulent emotions, Lin Qingran forced a smile back onto her face.
“Eldest Brother, did anything interesting happen during your trip back to the countryside with Father and Mother? Ah, if I’d known the capital would be so dull, I should’ve gone with you,” Lin Qingran probed.
“Nothing particularly interesting occurred. You know we returned for official matters, so we hardly went out.” Lin Yu paused, as if recalling something, and continued, “But on our way back a few days ago, we encountered a woman selling herself to bury her father. Mother took pity on her and brought her back, though without any formal indenture. Mother intends for her to work as a regular servant in the estate.”
Yes, yes—this was the person, the source of Lin Yu’s misfortune.
Likely due to her malicious intent, she deliberately fell into a lake when Lin Yu was drunk, waiting for him to rescue her. After being saved, she claimed her virtue was compromised and threatened suicide, forcing Lin Yu to marry her out of obligation.
The Lin family had a tradition: men took only one wife in their lifetime.
Xu Shi had been arranging a match with a respectable noble family for Lin Yu, but he had to abandon it and marry this troublemaker to fulfill his responsibility.
After that woman entered the Lin residence, she practically turned the entire household upside down—throwing her weight around and even damaging Grand Tutor Lin’s reputation.
Fortunately, she remembered—this matter had to be stopped.
“Elder brother, she’s a pitiable girl after all. Let’s not keep her in the manor as a long-term laborer. We should find her a decent livelihood instead,” Lin Qingran said with a smile.
Lin Yu thought it over and found the reasoning sound—keeping her in the residence did seem rather inappropriate.
“Very well, Ranran shall decide this matter.”