Seeing that her little sister’s expression and eyes showed no change when mentioning these things, Lin Fengyu nodded with relief. “As long as you can see it that way, that is good. It is indeed difficult to maintain a Marquis title. Although I obtained the title of a Junwang [Prince of the Second Rank] thanks to Mother’s prestige, it would be difficult for your second brother to secure such a title.”
No matter how much Lin Fengyu doted on his little sister, he could not make unrealistic promises like granting her a title if she were to divorce.
Lin Yanran liked this older brother who did not speak empty words. “Eldest Brother, do not worry. I will live my life well.”
Looking at his suddenly sensible little sister, Lin Fengyu felt both gratified and, more so, heartbroken. If one could live innocently for a lifetime, who would want to grow up and become sensible?
Lin Fengyu turned to the Eldest Princess and said, “Mother, you should ask Emperor Uncle to make more use of my brother-in-law.”
Consort Lin looked at his eldest son with an expression that screamed, “Are you crazy?” “Your sister is already in this state, and you are still handing career opportunities to that bastard Chu Mochen?”
Under his father’s thunderous glare, Lin Fengyu calmly sat down and poured a cup of tea for himself, then casually poured cups for his mother and sister before slowly explaining:
“The title will belong to your grandson in the future, so of course, the more merits earned, the better. Let Emperor Uncle save them all for Xuan’er. After all, with just one word of ‘loyal subject’ from the Emperor, people are willing to give their lives. All those dangerous tasks that carry great merit can be handed over to the Wenxuan Marquis to handle.”
Lin Fengyu silently added in his heart, If he succeeds, it is Xuan’er’s merit; if Chu Mochen happens to perish, my nephew can directly inherit the title.
Once Lin Fengyu said this, the other three people present went silent.
Lin Yanran looked at her eldest brother with eyes full of pure admiration, devoid of any other emotion. Consort Lin, however, was shocked and swallowed hard, thinking to himself, Good heavens! My eldest son is even more terrifying than I thought.
Seeing Consort Lin’s reaction, the Eldest Princess coughed dryly. “Don’t worry, you mentioned it last time, and I have already spoken to your Emperor Uncle about it.”
Lin Yanran thanked them coquettishly, “Thank you, Eldest Brother and Mother!”
She then received a jealous cold snort from Consort Lin. Immersed in familial affection, Lin Yanran was happy to coax this somewhat proud and arrogant father: “And thank you for those treasures, Father!”
At this, Consort Lin was finally pleased.
The atmosphere in the room was harmonious. Just as Lin Yanran was about to ask, “What is Zhuo’er doing?”, her second brother, Lin Fengsong, returned.
(Zhuo’er is Lin Fengyu’s eldest daughter, already fourteen this year; Lin Fengyu has one daughter and two sons, all legitimate. Lin Fengyu also has concubines in his backyard, but none have been allowed to conceive.)
Before he even entered, his uniquely loud voice preceded him. “I heard Little Sister is back? Why didn’t anyone notify me?”
He was met with a teacup flying directly at his face—thrown by the Eldest Princess, of course, while the other three simply watched the show.
The Eldest Princess looked at her second son, who had nimbly dodged the cup, and questioned him angrily, “Where have you been running wild again?”
Lin Fengsong bowed properly. “Mother, please do not accuse your son. I only went to the Yuanxiang Pavilion for tea with some friends.”
Upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess threw another teacup in anger. “You scoundrel! Who are you trying to fool by saying you went to the Yuanxiang Pavilion just to drink tea?”
Lin Fengsong dodged the teacups thrown by his furious mother while loudly defending himself. “It’s true! I really only drank tea. I didn’t touch a single girl’s hand, nor did I drink alcohol. If you don’t believe me, Mother, smell me. See if there is any scent of alcohol on me.”
As he defended himself, he moved closer to the Eldest Princess and Consort Lin. In truth, Lin Fengsong had sipped a few cups, though he really hadn’t touched those girls. He just liked to drink a little and watch them dance. He didn’t dare touch women in such places; he was afraid of catching diseases.
Lin Fengsong thought that since he acted so magnanimous, his mother wouldn’t bother to check closely, and he would pass this test. However, to his surprise, the Eldest Princess not only sniffed him but did so very thoroughly.
Then, Lin Fengsong’s ear was instantly seized by the Eldest Princess. “Lin Fengsong, you dare lie to me?”
“Mother, have mercy! Your son really didn’t drink much; my friends were the ones drinking. I only got a little on my clothes. Mother, I am telling the truth, it is absolutely true…”
Lin Fengsong begged for mercy while glancing at the three people watching the show. He first looked at his father, Consort Lin, but remembering that his father never prevailed over his mother, he turned to his eldest brother, Lin Fengyu. After only one second, Lin Fengsong crossed this option off his list. If anyone in this house wanted to discipline him most, his eldest brother was definitely first. Begging him for mercy would be even less effective than begging his mother directly.
Finally, Lin Fengsong looked at Lin Yanran. His little sister had always been soft-hearted; every time he used a pitiful look on her, he could escape disaster. So, Lin Fengsong gave Lin Yanran his usual pitiful stare.
To his disappointment, his little sister was chatting and laughing with their eldest brother, showing no intention of pleading for him. At that moment, Lin Fengsong had only one thought: My life ends today.
Lin Fengsong’s method of self-preservation was to deny everything to the death. “Mother, I really didn’t drink today. Why don’t I swear an oath?”
The Eldest Princess released his ear. “Go ahead and swear! Say that if you drank today, you will have your legs broken the moment you step outside.”
Lin Fengsong swallowed hard in terror. “Mother, isn’t that a bit too harsh? Why don’t we just say I lose a few taels of silver?”
As soon as Lin Fengsong said this, Lin Fengyu and Lin Yanran laughed out loud with schadenfreude, while Consort Lin looked at his son with an expression beyond description. He didn’t even know who this younger son resembled; he was too stupid to look at.
The Eldest Princess looked at Lin Fengsong sternly. “Your monthly allowance for next month is gone, and you are not allowed to leave the residence for the rest of this month.”
Watching her youngest son, she thought about how it was because of this troublesome child that she felt she lacked leverage when facing her second daughter-in-law’s family. Whose family wouldn’t be troubled by such a man? She really wanted to beat him to death.
Lin Fengsong wanted to struggle a bit more and beg his mother not to ground him, but seeing the increasingly severe look in her eyes, his animal-like instinct told him that things were going very wrong. Lin Fengsong immediately stopped speaking and obediently sat down at the seat below his eldest brother.
Lin Yanran, having watched the drama, held a cup of hot tea and smiled like a little squirrel. Seeing her smile, Lin Fengsong acted pitifully. “I am in such a miserable state, and you can still laugh, Little Sister?”
Lin Yanran retorted with a laugh, “I am in an even more miserable state, yet Second Brother still had the mood to go out and carouse. Why shouldn’t I be able to laugh?”
Lin Fengsong looked aggrieved. “Mother and Eldest Brother both forbade me from putting a sack over the Wenxuan Marquis, so what else could I do? Besides, he is just a plaything; once she enters the residence, she will be yours to handle as you please.”