Although Li Jingchun held the title of Grand Academician of the Imperial Library Pavilion, his family did not originally come from an official background. The Li family was one of the wealthiest merchant clans in Jiangnan Circuit. When the chaotic state of the previous dynasty finally gave way to the unification of the Great Zhou Empire, the Li family poured an enormous sum of money into securing an opportunity for Li Jingchun, paving his path into the imperial court. That move laid the foundation for the Li family to remain influential in Jiangnan to this day.
Since his family was one of merchants, Li Jingchun had long been betrothed to a daughter of another wealthy merchant family—the Jia family. His wife was none other than Jia Xifeng, the daughter of the Jia family of Jiangnan Circuit.
Standing before the gates of the Li residence, Lin Ce looked at the well-dressed woman holding a snow mink and a faint smile curled at his lips. This was his aunt by marriage.
“Greetings, Aunt.”
Jia Xifeng put on a smile, but her words were sharp and laced with sarcasm. “Lin Ce, what brings you here? Aren’t you in Yuzhou with the old man? What wind blew you all the way here?”
She then glanced at the middle-aged man beside her and pretended to scold him sternly. “Fu’er, can’t you see clearly? This is Prime Minister Lin’s eldest grandson. How dare you mistake him for a beggar? Who in the world doesn’t know Prime Minister Lin once wielded power over the realm? Apologize to Lin Ce right now.”
Though Prime Minister Lin had fallen, the Old Grain Transport Case was common knowledge. Mentioning him now only served to tear open Lin Ce’s wounds.
Li’er was furious. This was the young master’s aunt, and yet she was speaking this way? They were family—shouldn’t she at least show some goodwill? But instead, she was stabbing at him with her words. The Li residence was clearly not a place they could stay.
Yet Lin Ce’s expression remained calm. He simply listened, unmoved.
Fu’er was a servant Jia Xifeng brought with her when she married in. He now served as the steward of the Li household. Quickly, he slapped himself across the face and said with a regretful look, “My mouth has gotten ahead of me. I failed to see clearly. Young Master Lin, please don’t take offense.”
To an outsider, it might look like Jia Xifeng was a capable housekeeper.
But after all this talk, Jia Xifeng still didn’t invite Lin Ce inside. As the wife of a high-ranking official living in Bianjing, she was undoubtedly well-informed. The whole city already knew Lin Ce had solved the Star River Dream. How could she not know?
Yet here she was, pretending not to know anything—just brushing him off with idle words and even letting Fu’er put on an act to test Lin Ce.
Even Xu Rong could see the intention behind all this: they had no plans to take Lin Ce in!
“Hmph, a merchant’s daughter really is coarse and vulgar. Young Master Lin, let’s go. If the Li residence won’t host you, the Duke of the Empire’s residence surely will. His Grace would be thrilled to have you stay,” Xu Rong huffed coldly.
As steward of the Duke of the Empire’s household, Xu Rong’s status far exceeded that of Fu’er. He could even show his displeasure directly to Jia Xifeng. That confidence came from the Duke himself. This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.
“You know the Duke of the Empire? That’s wonderful! I’ve been meaning to visit him myself. You go ahead and stay there, and I’ll come by later,” Jia Xifeng suddenly looked overjoyed, then turned and quickly retreated inside.
Fu’er, ever the attentive servant, moved to shut the door.
They obviously knew about Lin Ce’s connection to the Duke of the Empire—but so what? The Lin family carried the weight of the Old Grain Transport Case. The Emperor had been furious and executed many members of the Lin family. If it worsened, it could’ve turned into a crime that implicated nine generations. Jia Xifeng’s priority was simple: distance herself from Lin Ce as quickly as possible. Who knew why he had come to the capital?
Sometimes, being family was more of a burden.
“How can you treat us like this?!” Li’er’s cheeks flushed red with anger. Just as she was about to scold them, Lin Ce stopped her.
He stepped forward with a faint smile. “Aunt, I came to pay respects to my uncle.”
Having lived through a past life, Lin Ce already knew Jia Xifeng’s personality well. She came from a merchant background and naturally carried some of that calculating attitude. But to judge her solely by this would be a mistake.
As far as Lin Ce knew, his second uncle Li Jingchun was a man of strict integrity. Although he was Grand Academician of the Imperial Library Pavilion and deeply trusted by the Emperor, he was always urging the Emperor to be a wise and just ruler, constantly restraining imperial behavior. It often made the Emperor fly into a rage—there were even rumors of the Emperor threatening to have him executed.
Anyone else would’ve compromised, but not Li Jingchun. He continued doing things his own way and, strangely enough, only gained more imperial favor for it.
With such grace bestowed upon him, even if he didn’t amass wealth, his family should at least live comfortably. Plus, the Li family in Jiangnan Circuit still had his back. But Li Jingchun had refused all support from his own family and lived solely off his modest official salary.
And that salary certainly couldn’t support Jia Xifeng.
Jia Xifeng knew this, yet still married him willingly and endured years of hardship without a single complaint. Just that alone proved she wasn’t as heartless as she appeared—more likely a sharp tongue with a soft heart.
Still, she had picked up some unsavory habits. She dressed herself in luxurious furs and jewelry, but on closer inspection, it was all cheap imitations. She definitely had vanity—but not because she couldn’t afford better. Rather, she had rejected help from the Jia family and lived only off Li Jingchun’s meager salary. Even if the court were to investigate corruption, they wouldn’t find a single problem in the Li household. This chapter is updated first at novelping dot com.
She hadn’t dragged Li Jingchun down.
“What unfortunate timing. Your uncle isn’t home today. Why don’t you come another day?” Jia Xifeng smiled politely, but the rejection in her tone was crystal clear.
Both Li’er and Xu Rong were fuming.
Was this really Lin Ce’s aunt?
“Mother, who’s at the door?” A pleasant voice came from inside the courtyard. Soon, a young woman stepped out wearing a green robe embroidered with bamboo and a piece of white jade at her waist. She was dressed like a man.
Her youthful, fair face was radiant. She wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but had a natural charm that made her increasingly pleasant to look at. Her expression was cool and distant, like an icy mountain that kept people at arm’s length.
“Jiayin, it’s been a while,” Lin Ce said with a warm smile.
This girl was Li Jiayin—Li Jingchun’s daughter and Lin Ce’s cousin. She was a renowned talent in Bianjing, famous for her poetry and literature, though few had actually seen her in person.
“Cous… cousin?” Li Jiayin was briefly stunned, then quickly returned to her aloof expression.
“Young Master, why is even your cousin giving us the cold shoulder?” Li’er whispered, confused. This was the coldest family reunion she’d ever seen. From top to bottom, not a single one welcomed them.
It was as if Lin Ce were some harbinger of doom.
And now, perhaps, the Lin family truly was a curse no one wanted to be associated with.
Li’er puffed up her cheeks. If her young master hadn’t taught her to keep a calm heart, she could’ve scolded the Li residence from the doorstep for an entire day.
“Since you’ve seen your cousin, it’s the same as seeing your uncle. You should head back now. We haven’t cooked today, so we won’t be keeping you,” Jia Xifeng said as she moved to close the door.
Her attitude was beyond heartless.