Huabao tugged at Zhao Lijia's trailing silk sash, glancing at her frequently with that childlike curiosity. On the way to the side chamber for the meal, she abandoned her mother and grandmother in favor of novelty, insisting on following Zhao Lijia instead.
Zhao Lijia had little experience dealing with children—she was a child herself, and in many ways no different from Huabao. So when Huabao told her there would be sliced raw fish on the table, she felt delighted too.
Huabao's little hand swung her sash back and forth as she said, "I love eating fish the most!"
Zhao Lijia's crescent-shaped eyes crinkled with a smile. "Me too."
She still remembered the golden minced fish soup from yesterday's lunch, its flavor lingering memorably.
In the side chamber, the men had just returned from their posts. They sat drinking tea and resting, discussing matters of the court—mainly Second Master, the eldest young master Lin Congji, and Lin Zeyan doing the talking, while Lin Suiyu sat with his eyes closed, not joining the conversation.
There had been no significant business at court that day. After a brief exchange, Second Master noticed Lin Zeyan stroking the fur of the lynx in his arms as he spoke, and remarked, "I heard the Crown Prince's lynx died—said to be from not adapting to the climate. Yet they came from the same mother and were raised in the same environment. How is yours so full of vigor?"
Lin Zeyan's lips curved upward. "Clearly, I take better care of mine."
At that moment, Lin Suiyu, who had kept his eyes shut, opened them with a smile on his face. "Father, Amber is Third Brother's pride and joy, so of course he dotes on him."
His words made both Second Master and Lin Congji laugh.
Lin Zeyan was unbothered by his second brother's teasing and continued amusing the Amber in his arms, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Second Madam walked in and saw this scene, responding with another combination of frown and sigh. "Third Son, we're about to eat. Why have you brought your lynx along?"
When she entered, all three young masters rose to their feet. Second Madam gestured for them to sit, and in the process shot Lin Zeyan a glare. He nodded in reluctant concession and handed Amber to a maidservant behind him.
That maidservant was only assigned to serve meals in the side chamber and dared not hold such a strange beast. Fear flickered in her eyes as she backed away repeatedly. Lin Zeyan had no choice but to spot Huabao and beckon to her with a crook of his finger. "Huabao, do you want to pet Amber?"
Huabao was bold, and in the past when her third uncle took her out to play, he always brought Amber along. She had interacted with it many times, so she wasn't afraid.
She let go of Zhao Lijia's sash and trotted over, taking Amber into her arms.
Zhao Lijia's gaze followed her, and at last she laid eyes on this third cousin who was like a divine dragon—showing its head but never its tail.
The orange lamplight swayed, casting its glow upon that face—so pale it was almost translucent, yet warmed by the light, it somehow took on a hint of allure, like fine jade reflecting the glow of sunset, radiant and resplendent.
At this moment, he was slightly bent at the waist, a smile at the corners of his lips as he watched Huabao and Amber. The orange candlelight flickered across his fair, jade-like face, rendering that faint smile warm and gentle.
She had never seen a man like this. Zhao Lijia was momentarily bewitched by his beauty, utterly unable to connect the person before her with the one who had wielded words like a blade at Jinxiao Tower earlier today.
Second Madam called Zhao Lijia several times, only to find her good niece staring fixedly at Third Son without moving. She thought to herself, another one captivated by Third Son's handsome face.
But unlike others who speculated that Lizhi and Third Son might have something between them, she instead secretly harbored a hope that Lizhi and her son might truly develop something. Yet she was also well aware that once Lizhi discovered Third Son's true nature, that hope would be dashed.
She sighed softly in her heart and called out to Zhao Lijia again, "Lizhi, come here."
Then she said to her son, who was playing with Huabao and teasing Amber over there, "Sanlang, come quickly and meet your cousin."
At this moment, aside from Lin Zeyan, Huabao, and Zhao Lijia, everyone else had already taken their seats and were chatting away. Now, seeing the Second Madam summon the two together, they all stopped.
Lin Zeyan straightened up and walked over. Under the Second Madam's signaling gaze, he bowed with a clasped-hand salute, "Greetings, cousin." Zhao Lijia's long lashes flickered slightly, and a faint blush quietly spread across her face. She crossed her hands over her chest, bent her knees, and returned the salute: "Lijia greets Third Cousin."
Lin Zeyan wore an indigo round-collar robe with a dark leather belt at his waist, his posture like a pine. Zhao Lijia was dressed in a spring-green ruqun with a crimson half-sleeve over it, her skirt trailing on the ground like spring waters just beginning to rise.
The two exchanged a bow and a curtsy, as if made for each other by heaven.
The scene was truly beautiful—if not for the fact that Lin Zeyan was staring rudely and intently at Zhao Lijia.
When Zhao Lijia slowly raised her eyes and saw the expression on the face before her, the soft shyness in her eyes vanished instantly.
What kind of look was that?
It was as if she were a criminal wanted by the Court of Judicial Review. His eyes almost pinned her motionless, and one after another, several expressions appeared in them—probing, vigilance, confusion—so that Zhao Lijia, standing with bent knees, dared not move either.
The two were locked in a standoff, and for a moment, silence fell over the entire room.
The Second Madam and Second Master exchanged glances, then looked at the others, who were also full of confusion. The dozen or so maidservants attending nearby also looked at one another, not daring to make a sound.
Just then, Huabao, struggling to carry a lynx almost as big as herself, dragged her steps over and stood between the two. She tilted her head, trying to free a hand to tug at her third uncle's hem. The Amber in her arms leaped up with a swoosh, its tail brushing past Lin Zeyan's face, and jumped onto Zhao Lijia's shoulder.
It urgently paced back and forth on Zhao Lijia's shoulder, sniffing around. Zhao Lijia was so frightened she dared not move, only her eyes darting left and right.
The Second Madam snapped out of it. "Quick, quick, take this lynx down, don't let it hurt Lizhi!"
As soon as she spoke, the side room seemed to come back to life. The people at the dining table stood up, and the dozen or so maidservants bustled about, but none dared to step forward to grab Amber, afraid that their movement would provoke the lynx into clawing the young miss instead.
The Second Madam, seeing this, grew frantic. She gave Lin Zeyan, who was still staring intently at Zhao Lijia, a heavy pat on the shoulder. "What are you standing there dazed for? Hurry and take your precious boy away. If Lizhi gets hurt, I'll throw this beast out tomorrow."
The Second Madam was speaking in a moment of anxiety; ordinarily, no matter how much she disliked the lynx, she would never dare call something personally bestowed by His Majesty such a name.
Lin Zeyan narrowed his eyes, but his gaze remained fixed on the flustered, pitiable person before him. He slowly approached and said, "Amber, come down."
In her panic, Zhao Lijia caught a familiar name and paused for a moment, but soon a soft, warm sensation poured into her neck.
This lynx called Amber had actually wrapped its body around Zhao Lijia's neck in a circle, pressed its furry face against her cheek, and finally licked her face once, then peacefully rested its head on her shoulder and closed its eyes.
Zhao Lijia squeezed her eyes shut. The rough tongue scraped against her face, leaving a stinging sensation, and she felt a weight settle on her shoulder. Slowly opening her eyes, she turned her head and cautiously peeked—only to discover that the lynx had fallen asleep on her shoulder!
Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists as she looked to Amber's owner for help, her voice coming out in broken fragments: "Wh-what do I do?"
Lin Zeyan was acting out of character, his eyes darting between Amber and Zhao Lijia's face, his lips pressed into a thin line as he remained silent.
Han Guang and Tieyi couldn't bear to watch any longer. How dare anything harm their young miss—whatever it was, they'd toss it aside without a second thought. "Miss, don't move. We'll grab this beast by the head and tail."
Seeing that Amber was still asleep, its warm breath blowing against her neck, its furry body radiating heat against her skin, Zhao Lijia gradually relaxed, and a wave of tenderness welled up in her heart.
She sensed no hostility from it—if anything, it seemed quite dependent on her.
"It's fine. It doesn't seem like it'll hurt me. Don't hurt it either."
Zhao Lijia had been keeping her knees bent this whole time, and now she tried to slowly rise. She straightened up, and the Amber around her neck didn't stir.
But she looked somewhat comical—Amber was wrapped around her neck like a thick fur collar, and it was quite heavy, making her neck ache.
Zhao Lijia once again appealed to her third cousin for help. "Third Cousin, can you help me get Amber off?"
Lin Zeyan noticed that Zhao Lijia's face had flushed a rosy red, even the tip of her nose tinged with pink. Her stray bangs were damp with fine beads of sweat, plastered against her smooth forehead, with a few strands of dark hair falling messily at her temples. Against her rosy cheeks, her eyes were glistening and wet, carrying a hint of grievance and a plea for help.
His hand, hanging at his side, clenched at the air before he slowly approached to touch Amber's head, stroking it gently. Seeing that Amber showed no signs of agitation, he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and pulled it off.
But Amber woke up halfway through being lifted. Its front paws were in Lin Zeyan's grip, while its hind legs spread its claws and hooked onto Zhao Lijia's sleeve, letting out an unhappy rumbling growl from its throat.
Lin Zeyan said with annoyance, "Amber, get down!"
Zhao Lijia started. "Don't be harsh with it!"
Her tone softened as she spoke, not daring to meet her third cousin's handsome eyes that blazed with anger. "Don't scold it—I'm afraid it might scratch me…"
Lin Zeyan let out a light breath, and in one swift motion, he grabbed Amber's hind legs and lifted them. Zhao Lijia finally escaped from the "demon's clutches."
Second Madam, who had been holding her breath the entire time, quickly embraced Zhao Lijia, murmuring "thank heavens" several times before immediately soothing her.
Zhao Lijia, her hair a complete mess, squeezed out a small smile and reassured Second Madam in turn: "I'm fine."
This only made Second Madam feel even more distressed. She turned to Lin Zeyan, who was still studying Zhao Lijia, and said, "From today on, this lynx stays in your courtyard only. If you dare bring it out again, I'll… I'll…"
Second Madam couldn't very well do anything to the lynx, and at that moment Second Master interjected urgently, "Third Son, from now on, keep your lynx under control."
Lin Zeyan nodded absently, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Lijia.
Everyone noticed his unusual behavior, and Zhao Lijia, in particular, felt a chill run down her spine under his stare. She slowly retreated into Second Madam's embrace.
Xu Lingyuan walked over to Zhao Lijia and said softly, "Lizhi, let me take you to change your clothes."
Second Madam finally reacted, but seeing how late it was, she said to Xu Lingyuan, "Lingyuan, we won't be able to have this meal today. Take Lizhi back to Chunxuan Xiaozhu and keep her company."
Xu Lingyuan nodded and led Zhao Lijia out. Halfway there, Zhao Lijia turned back, smiled at Second Madam, and said, "Auntie, I'm fine. Don't worry."
Second Madam liked Zhao Lijia even more, and correspondingly grew even angrier at her own son.
But Lin Zeyan looked completely out of sorts.