Just as Lin Jiaojiao was secretly gloating, Qin Mo’an spoke to the Shadow Guard at the door, “From now on, follow Lin Tangtang’s instructions. Do not allow Lin Jiaojiao to approach the main hall again.”
He had seen plenty of women like her.
Upon returning to Qianyue Pavilion, Granny Li hurried forward upon seeing Lin Tangtang’s drenched clothes.
“Miss Lin, how did your sleeves get wet? The imperial physician specifically warned this morning that you must not let water touch them…” Granny Li chattered incessantly, her tone filled with concern.
Lin Tangtang looked at Granny Li, her eyes slightly moist.
Never did she expect that in this second chance at life, the only warmth she would feel would come from a Mama she had known for only a few days.
“Did I hurt you, Miss?” Granny Li paused while helping her remove the clothing when Lin Tangtang remained silent.
“Don’t worry, Mama. It’s fine.” Lin Tangtang snapped back to attention and deftly removed her clothes herself.
Two pieces of lightweight brown soft armor were wrapped around her arms.
As she removed the soft armor, the bandage underneath remained completely dry.
“This is…” Granny Li exclaimed in surprise.
“These are soft armor gauntlets my mother made for me long ago. They’re waterproof and windproof.”
Lin Tangtang lowered her voice, “I used to be mischievous and often got my clothes wet even in winter. My mother specially made these gauntlets to keep me from catching cold. I wore them today to prevent my arms from accidentally getting wet.”
“Well, thank goodness for these gauntlets, or you would have suffered,” Granny Li sighed in relief.
“I know. Thank you for your concern, Mama,” Lin Tangtang said softly. “Mama, from now on, let’s speak more quietly. Walls have ears.”
“Yes.” They exchanged a glance, and Granny Li nodded.
After talking a while longer, Lin Tangtang gradually fell asleep.
“Clip-clop, clip-clop…”
At dawn the next day, following the sound of urgent hoofbeats, a faint cry was heard.
Lin Tangtang, a light sleeper, woke immediately. She rose and walked into the courtyard, where she spotted a gray pigeon perched beneath the wall.
Its wings drooped, head hanging low, feathers stained with blood, looking utterly listless.
“How did a pigeon get here?”
As Lin Tangtang carried it indoors, a small bamboo tube fell from the pigeon’s body, and a note dropped out.
She bent to pick it up and inadvertently caught sight of the name Yang Chen.
Lin Tangtang’s internal alarms rang loudly.
The paper was stained red with the pigeon’s blood, most of the writing blurred. Only the signature at the beginning—Yang Chen—was faintly recognizable.
Someone was sending a message to Yang Chen.
Had the carrier pigeon not been injured, this letter would likely have reached Yang Chen’s hands.
The handwriting was bold and powerful, unlike any she had seen before.
Who wrote this letter?
Lin Jiaojiao had been skilled in calligraphy since childhood. Did she forge someone else’s handwriting, or was it someone else entirely?
After bandaging the pigeon, she went to the main hall, only to be told that the Crown Prince had left for the palace in the early morning.
When she returned to Qianyue Pavilion, a carriage stood at the entrance, its red paint chipped in several places, revealing the brown wood grain beneath.
Noisy voices came from inside.
“Miss Lin, Jingbei Hou Mansion has sent someone to fetch you,” a young palace maid informed her.
“So soon?” Lin Tangtang froze.
At the mere thought of the Hou Mansion, Lin Tangtang’s eyes filled with nothing but hatred and coldness.
She hadn’t gone looking for them yet, and here they were, delivering themselves to her doorstep.
“Miss Lin, I am here under the orders of the Jingbei Hou Heir, specially sent to escort you to the Hou Mansion.”
The old woman’s voice, even in early summer, sent chills down her spine.
It was Wang Momo, the old woman who had monitored her in the hou mansion in her previous life, the one who had humiliated her as she lay dying in the snow.
Wang Momo, followed by several young servants, stepped forward with an air of self-important authority.
“Miss Lin! The carriage is ready. Come with us quickly—don’t keep the heir waiting.” Seeing Lin Tangtang remain silent, Wang Momo hurried closer to her.
“If he wants to wait, let him. What does that have to do with me?” Lin Tangtang snorted coldly.
Wang Momo was puzzled. What was wrong with Lin Tangtang? In previous years, when Lin Tangtang returned to the capital to visit relatives, the heir always sent her to fetch her. Why was she so cold today?
“Miss Lin, I don’t like hearing that. The heir is a man of great status—how can we keep him waiting?” Wang Momo thought Lin Tangtang was throwing a tantrum.
“How dare you speak to me like that? A mere servant, and you presume to lecture me?” Lin Tangtang’s face hardened.
Wang Momo’s face flushed bright red.
She was the most favored steward Mama by the heir’s side—even the hou madam had never spoken harshly to her. How dare this little girl publicly shame her!
Since she didn’t know what was good for her, Wang Momo wouldn’t hold back.
She stepped forward, intending to forcibly drag Lin Tangtang back.
“How dare you! This is the Crown Prince’s residence!” Lin Tangtang rebuked, kicking Wang Momo behind the knee and sending her kneeling to the ground.
“What are you all standing around for? The heir said she must be brought back to the mansion today—have you forgotten?” Unable to overpower Lin Tangtang, Wang Momo hastily called the servants to step in.
“I am the legitimate daughter of Beiwei General Manor, the future wife of the heir. Who among you dares show disrespect to me?” Lin Tangtang showed no fear, stepping firmly on Wang Momo’s right hand.
Wang Momo gritted her teeth in agony.
Lin Tangtang felt a surge of satisfaction. In her past life, Wang Momo had tormented her; in this life, she would torment Wang Momo.
Seeing Lin Tangtang’s ferocity, the servants hesitated, unwilling to advance.
“I serve the heir, Miss Lin. Aren’t you afraid he will hold this against you?” Wang Momo spat bitterly.
“You’re nothing but Yang Chen’s lackey. Failing to pay respects to me is already an offense, and now you dare resort to violence in the Crown Prince’s residence? Even if I killed you, it would be justifiable self-defense.”
Lin Tangtang stomped on Wang Momo’s left hand, severing the tendons. Drenched in sweat, Wang Momo was rendered speechless by the pain.
“Go tell Yang Chen that if he has something to say, he should speak to me face to face—not send this disgraceful old hag to insult me.”
She glanced at the cowering servants and released Wang Momo.
The servants hurriedly dragged the pale-faced Mama away and scurried off.
Lin Tangtang let out a sigh of relief.
From the Crown Prince’s residence to the hou mansion wasn’t far. Yang Chen would soon hear the news.
Now, as the representative of the General’s Mansion and the one most familiar with the northern border affairs, holding the strategic maps, Yang Chen—driven by ambition and self-interest—would surely come in person to invite her.
And at Jingbei Hou Mansion, there were things she needed to reclaim.
She would go to the hou mansion.
Openly and honorably.
Not in a shabby carriage, nor to suffer torment as she had in her past life.
In Great Feng Country, it was permissible for a fiancée to temporarily reside in her future husband’s home if her own family faced difficulties, as long as she did not overstep boundaries.
Lin Tangtang pondered carefully, writing down on a piece of paper all the individuals connected to her past life and the northern border affairs.
Leaning by the window, she watched two birds fighting in a tree, her mind already made up.
Before Yang Chen arrived, she would prepare a surprise for him.
She changed into a man’s long gown, drove a carriage, and arrived at the corner of Xijing Water Pavilion Lane based on the clues provided by the Crown Prince.
It was a large four-courtyard residence where Luo Chi’s mistress, Song Ru Er, lived.
At the entrance stood a pair of stone lions, and the area was filled with flowers and plants—clear signs that Luo Chi cared deeply for this mistress.
Lin Tangtang knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” A Mama opened the door a crack, scrutinizing the unfamiliar man before her.
“Mama, General Luo sent me to deliver a message. Lady Luo has grown suspicious and dispatched guards to seize Miss Song and the young master,” Lin Tangtang said with a tone of urgency.
“Ah! What should we do?” The Mama panicked instantly.
Luo Chi’s wife, spoiled and lawless since childhood by Wu Xiong, was exceptionally fierce. If Miss Song and the young master fell into her hands, they would surely meet their end!
“General Luo specifically ordered me to escort you to a safe place. Mama, please pack your belongings quickly,” Lin Tangtang reassured her, stepping inside with her into the inner hall.
Half an hour later, the carriage departed from Water Pavilion Lane.
Before leaving, a jade pendant on Lin Tangtang’s person accidentally fell in the flower hall.
At this moment, Yang Chen had no idea that a great calamity would soon descend upon him because of this jade pendant.
Lin Tangtang drew the carriage curtain, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her lips. This would mark the beginning of the Marquis estate’s downfall.