Peony

Lost in thought, Dou Yanxun assumed it was because she hadn't had such authentic pastries in a long time, and for a moment just watched her as the corners of her lips curled up:

Is it really that delicious?

Lin Xu nodded gently. She was indeed really hungry.

Dou Yanxun seemed to enjoy watching her eat. He felt that Lin Xu was too thin on weekdays, and even seemed to be getting thinner, which he didn't like.

He raised his hand and gently pinched her cheek. It was exceptionally soft, and the wind had brought out a faint blush on it. It was still a little cool to the touch.

He watched her eat a piece of chilled rice cake, a piece of chestnut cake, and two skewers of golden-brown, fragrant roasted chicken before instructing the guards to put away the rest of their belongings. It was getting late; they had secretly run away all day, and it was time to go back.

"...Was it inappropriate to neglect those guests today?"

Now that he is a man of status, Lin Xu, as his wife, naturally represents Dou Yanxun in her actions. Today is her birthday, and everyone has come to celebrate with her, yet she is not at home all day. What if someone with ulterior motives secretly plots against her?

After she had eaten and drunk her fill, she couldn't help but start to worry.

The carriage slowly began to move again, heading towards the mansion into the night. Dou Yanxun's smile was faint, yet he remained remarkably calm and composed.

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything."

After Lin Xu got home, she understood why Dou Yanxun had said that.

When Zhu Ling saw her return, she immediately came to greet her. She had left quietly during the day, and Zhu Ling was initially very worried, but she was relieved after learning that the lady had gone out with Dou Yanxun.

"...You wouldn't believe it, but after you left today, the county magistrate's wife really stole the show. She has a wide network of connections in Laining. At first, the guests were a bit chaotic, but then Madam Sun called out for a game of cards, and all the ladies gathered around. You wouldn't believe it, but Madam Sun is actually a famous card player in Laining... Today, for some reason, Madam Sun's luck was terrible; she lost several rounds, which was unprecedented for her. When the ladies saw this, they all clamored to play against Madam Sun and wouldn't let her leave the table..."

As Lin Xu listened to Zhu Ling's vivid account, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Madam Sun's wallet. It seemed she still owed Madam Sun a considerable favor today, which she could only repay properly another day.

Dou Yanxun went home, changed into civilian clothes, and after having a simple cup of tea, went to the front yard to deal with the backlog of documents. Lin Xu knew that he had spent the whole day with him and must have neglected a lot of official business, so he instructed the kitchen to simmer a pot of sesame oil duck soup over a low flame and sent it to him.

After washing and bathing, she began to embroider a cloak by the candlelight on the kang table.

She specially chose dark brocade as the base, twisted gold and silver threads to weave a dark pattern, and then embroidered scroll patterns on the edge, feeling that such a calm color was worthy of Dou Yanxun's current appearance.

However, she had never sewn a cloak by hand before, and needlework was not her forte, so it was inevitably more difficult for her. She had started making this cloak before coming to Laining, and now it was gradually taking shape.

Rongwei came up and poured a cup of tea, and then kindly brought over an extra candle for Lin Xu.

"Madam, please be careful with your eyes. If you are really tired, I will help you."

Lin Xu raised her head and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "You're very kind, but these are things I don't know how to do, and I'll have to learn them slowly."

Moreover, this was something she had thought of after much deliberation, as she had promised to give him a gift. If it wasn't hand-embroidered, it would be rather insincere.

The climate in Laining is slightly colder than in Mujing. Dou Yanxun is currently very busy with official duties and often gets up before dawn. She wanted to give him a gift that she had made herself, stitch by stitch.

.

After several torrential rains in the height of summer, Lin Xu's cloak was finally almost finished. That day, she had tea in the courtyard, played with Xue Tuan for a while, and fed the two parrots. Just as she was about to return to the warm pavilion to finish the remaining stitching on the cuffs, she heard hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the hanging flower gate.

Lin Xu glanced at the sky. Today was a rare sunny day, and it was just past noon. Why was the person in such a hurry? He wondered what business the person had.

Just as she was wondering, she saw a servant rushing over outside the window. No one else was allowed to enter the inner courtyard. The servant was a errand boy assigned to Lin Xu in the mansion. He was also responsible for receiving and sending letters. He stopped and respectfully handed the letter in his hand to Granny Qin.

Lin Xu nodded in acknowledgment. Granny Qin took the letter, gave the servant a string of cash as a reward, and then lifted the curtain and came in.

"...It is said to be a letter from the Dou family, written to you by the Third Miss."

Dou Zhen… Now, whenever the Dou family is mentioned, Lin Xu always feels a sense of unease for no apparent reason. Perhaps it's still because the incident of Feng Daizhu's failed suicide attempt had such a profound impact on her.

Those around him tactfully withdrew. Lin Xu calmed his breathing and slowly opened the letter.

She read it quickly. Dou Zhen and she hadn't seen each other for almost a month, and the letter had been delayed for a long time due to several heavy rainstorms in recent days.

In her letter, Dou Zhen mentioned Lin Xu's recent birthday and expressed her regret at not being able to attend, so she wrote to wish her a happy birthday. She also mentioned that she had sent her a birthday gift, which might arrive a little later.

Now that Princess Kunrou has officially gone south with the army, Dou Zhen, as the princess's companion, naturally no longer needs to stay at Zhiqiong Hall. Besides, her coming-of-age ceremony is fast approaching, and she spends her days in the mansion watching Bai Shi prepare everything.

The Bai family had always had high expectations for their eldest daughter, and spared no expense in hiring several tutors specializing in training young ladies from prominent families to supervise Dou Zhen's every move. It seemed that they were determined to make Dou Zhen's coming-of-age ceremony a grand affair.

Dou Zhen was deeply distressed by this.

She grumbled a few words, naturally mentioning her elder sister-in-law, Feng Daizhu. The matter was sudden, and although Bai Shi had tried her best to suppress it, Dou Zhen was shocked and deeply saddened to see such a once vibrant person now lying listlessly in bed.

The Dou family even invited several doctors, but after examining the pulse, they all just shook their heads in disappointment.

Feng Daizhu is now severely weakened, her mobility will be limited, and her lifespan may even be shortened. Furthermore, Dou Zhen said that her elder brother, Dou Yanzhou, is very angry about this and often speaks rudely to Feng Daizhu. Bai Shi has even assigned one of her maids to serve Dou Yanzhou, and it's rumored that she will soon be taken as a concubine…

Lin Xu sighed, already finding it hard to bear reading any further.

Now that Feng Daizhu is bedridden, Bai Shi has turned her back on her so blatantly, caring only for her own son's comfort and completely disregarding the dignity of this eldest daughter-in-law who has "disgraced the Dou family." And Feng Daizhu has even given birth to two children…

Dou Zhen also subtly reminded her that Bai Shi had mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that the second wife had been married for almost a year but still hadn't conceived, and it was time to take a concubine. Dou Zhen said that Bai Shi might already be looking for someone.

Lin Xu couldn't help but sneer.

She had naturally heard that before coming to Laining, Madam Bai had tried to give Dou Yanxun a maid named An Chan to him as a concubine. She heard that Dou Yanxun didn't even glance at An Chan and refused Madam Bai with a nonchalant expression.

Unexpectedly, the Bai family had not yet put this matter aside.

Thinking about it carefully, Madam Bai has always liked to have everything under her control, so how could she be willing to let the second branch, which has always been weak and powerless, rise to power and escape her control? Even if they are far away in Laining now, Madam Bai will probably find a way to stir up some more trouble.

Fu Lian, who married into Laining, is a living example.

At the end of the letter, Dou Zhen's wording became somewhat restrained. She seemed to have very mixed feelings as she mentioned the jealousy and rivalry between Song Xiyan and Yao Suran over the Fifth Prince since the Third Prince's wedding banquet.

Lin Xu was watching with a leisurely air, wondering to herself whether Song Xiyan or Yao Suran would gain the upper hand in the end. She pursed her lips leisurely, but after seeing Dou Zhen's delicate handwriting on the letter, she frowned in disbelief.

"...Yao Suran drowned in Jiuqiao Lake. She was discovered by tourists who were shocked to find that she was a young woman whose body was swollen and unrecognizable... Her condition was too gruesome to describe."

Lin Xu stared blankly at the line of words, and after a long while, he still couldn't believe his eyes.

Yao Suran... she's dead?

Her fingertips, holding the letter, trembled slightly involuntarily.

How could this be... How could Yao Suran, who had fought with her for two lifetimes, suddenly die?

She remembered Yao Suran from her previous life. Although she did not marry the Third Prince as she wished, the Yao family remained strong in her previous life, and Consort Yao Ziyuan was never demoted. At least until the Lin family lost power, Yao Suran was always the most noble lady in the capital and was used to a life of luxury.

Moreover, based on her understanding of Yao Suran, she knew that Yao Suran was a strong-willed and stubborn person who would not be defeated by any trivial matter.

Just as the Yao family gradually declined in the past, Yao Suran became a rat that everyone wanted to kill when she crossed the street. But whenever she went out and showed her face in public, she would still dress up carefully, unwilling to show any signs of decline, and unwilling to be looked down upon by anyone.

She was born that proud. Even in death, she refused to be ridiculed.

Although all the humiliation and resentment in his past life were due to Yao Suran, and even being expelled from school in this life and almost being approached by Yao Sha... all of this was inextricably linked to Yao Suran's methods.

Lin Xu naturally hated her.

But for some reason, memories of Yao Suran coming to the Dou family for tea and a short rest several months ago gradually surfaced in my mind.

In front of her elders, Yao Suran was respectful and obedient, but when she was with Lin Xu, a rich laurel fragrance emanated from her amidst the clusters of flowers—a scent she always preferred. Standing beside Lin Xu, her expression was cold, yet her beautiful eyes held an undisguised ambition.

She invited her in a soft but firm voice—

He invited himself to have another good fight with her.

I haven't even used my most ruthless move yet... how could Yao Suran be dead...?

In the future, perhaps there will never again be such an ambitious yet radiant beauty in this world. And no one will care about winning or losing anymore.

Lin Xu suddenly felt his vision becoming blurry.

A deep sense of melancholy welled up from within, and that feeling quickly swept over her entire body, making her feel involuntarily cold.

It's only the height of summer!

The peonies have all fallen, leaving a desolate scene; when the red peonies bloom, let us get drunk. (1)

Such a beautiful face will never be found again in this world.

Lin Xu carefully put the letter away, her fingertips trembling. She paced back and forth in the warm pavilion, unsure of what to do next.

So all that intense hatred and entanglement amounted to was nothing more than this. She's still alive, but her former adversary is gone forever... Isn't that a kind of cruelty in itself?

Lin Xu gently closed her eyes, trying to force back the faint but lingering tears in them.