This Duanqinshu had been prepared long ago—it had simply arrived a little late.
The Old Duke clutched his chest in fury, his finger trembling as he pointed and cursed, “You unfilial wretch! I am your father!”
Duan Feng hurled the Duanqinshu at them. “Father? Haven’t you always insisted I wasn’t your flesh and blood? Then let it be so—I am not your son, and you are not my father.”
He turned his gaze coldly toward First Master Duan Chong and Madam Zhou. “And the two of you are not my elder brother and sister-in-law either.”
Duan Chong’s brows knitted tightly as he glared at him venomously. “Fine, so you’ve been holding a grudge against us all these years! No wonder you knew the house was to be raided today, yet you didn’t bother to warn us in advance.”
Duan Feng sneered. “Rest assured, if the Emperor wants your household seized, knowing in advance wouldn’t have done you any good.”
“Duan Feng, don’t you get cocky!” Madam Zhou shouted furiously at them. “That jinx Lin Shutang married into your family—sooner or later she’ll bring death upon that sickly husband of yours! Just wait—your family line will end with him!”
The moment she finished speaking, Madam Jiang raised her hand and struck her across the face once more—this time even louder. “Zhou Xiangyu, who gave you permission to slander my daughter-in-law? Let me tell you! She is no jinx—she is Yanzhou’s wife, she is my daughter!”
“She is the bringer of fortune to our entire family! If you dare speak another word against her, I don’t care how many soldiers are standing around—I’ll tear your mouth apart with my own hands!”
Lin Shutang had just stepped down from the carriage and happened to hear these words. Her nose stung with emotion. Ignoring the wind and snow, she hurried over to Madam Jiang’s side. “Mother, it’s cold out here. Let’s get back on the carriage and go.”
Madam Jiang turned and took her arm. “Shutang, why did you come down?”
Lin Shutang replied, “Yanzhou and I saw that you and Father had been out here for a while, so we came to check on you.”
Afraid she might catch a chill, Madam Jiang called out to Duan Feng beside her, “Husband, since the ties have been severed, let us be on our way.”
Lin Shutang felt genuine admiration for her good mother-in-law. To sever this marriage before leaving—it truly was a way to eliminate future troubles forever.
Duan Feng jogged after them and helped Madam Jiang into the carriage.
As Lin Shutang assisted her, she quietly took her pulse. It was weak and floating—indeed, her constitution had been damaged at the root. “Mother, I’ll ride in the same carriage as you.”
Madam Jiang glanced at Duan Yanzhou beside them. “You two are newlyweds—it’s better that you share a carriage.”
Lin Shutang smiled sweetly. “Mother, I know a bit of medicine. Let me examine you.”
Madam Jiang patted the back of her hand. “My illness—the physicians have all said it’s beyond cure. Every extra day I live is a blessing.”
Lin Shutang shook her head with a smile. “Mother, rest assured. So far, there is no illness I cannot cure.”
Madam Jiang was startled, then seemed about to speak but smiled instead, and led her into the carriage.
Duan Yanzhou insisted on joining them, and so the whole family ended up squeezed into one carriage.
The carriage moved slowly through the white snow, leaving a long trail of wheel tracks behind.
The Old Duke clutched the Duanqinshu with trembling hands, watching their receding figures, gasping for breath and nearly fainting.
Just then, Lord Xu approached, cracking his whip with a stern expression. “Words have been spoken—now it’s time to be on your way. Kindly proceed to the dungeon!”
“Don’t worry—the road to Qinan is this very one. Before long, you’re bound to run into them again!”
“But if we meet again, it will be different. Though he is only a Xiancheng, he is still an official. If he renders meritorious service in Qinan, he might even be transferred back to Jingdu. But you lot will be slaves for the rest of your lives—if you want to turn things around, you’d better wait for your next life!”
Lord Xu’s words dripped with mockery as he ordered the soldiers to load them one by one onto the prison carts.
The pampered masters, young lords, and young ladies of the eldest branch could hardly endure the wind and snow. They no longer struggled as they had when first leaving the house, but obediently climbed onto the prison carts and huddled together.
At the same time, the servants of Grand Tutor Lin’s household had just woken from their slumber, only to find the house completely empty.
Meanwhile, Grand Tutor Lin and his beloved concubine Bai were still locked in passionate embrace. The drug Lin Shutang had administered was extremely potent—even in their state of utter exhaustion, the two could not separate.
The steward, Old Liu, knocked on the door incessantly. “Master, Master, something terrible has happened! Our residence has been robbed—everything in the house, from top to bottom, has been stolen clean!”
But the room remained silent, with no reply for a long time.
Steward Liu grew frantic and pounded on the door with greater force. “Master, please open the door! The storeroom has been robbed too—not a single tael of gold or silver remains!”
He called out several more times, but still there was no response from within.
Finally, the Third Young Master of the Lin family could wait no longer. “Move aside, move aside! Let this young master handle it.”
This Third Young Master was named Lin Tianhai—the son born of Concubine Bai and Grand Tutor Lin, and Lin Wanwan’s own younger brother. As the only son of the Lin Fu, he had been spoiled beyond measure.
He was a notorious wastrel in the capital.
He strode forward and kicked the door open with one blow, charging inside with the steward and the others. “Father, Mother, wake up quickly! The house has been robbed!”
But what met their eyes were the two of them stuck together.
The maidservants beside them covered their eyes and shrieked.
Such a commotion finally roused Grand Tutor Lin and Concubine Bai. The moment they opened their eyes and saw a crowd watching them, then looked down at themselves, they let out piercing screams.
“Get out, all of you—get out!”
Lin Tianhai was stunned, and it took him a long while to snap back to his senses before leading Steward Liu and the others out.
Not long after, Concubine Bai’s wailing voice rang out again, “My gold hairpin inlaid with gems and pearls! My sapphire hairpin adorned with kingfisher feathers and beads! My jade earrings! My Eastern Pearl necklace! How can they all be gone!”