shelter

The night was deep, and the moonlight, as white as frost, shone on the depths of the alleyway with its blue bricks and gray tiles.

A soft creak broke the silence.

Luo Shilan was startled when she suddenly froze, her hand still catching her breath before she could even hold the lantern steady. Despite being prepared, she was still taken aback when she saw who it was.

The woman standing at the door was covered in dust, her long black hair disheveled and untied. Her once beautiful features now looked as if they had been frozen and cracked by the blizzard, filled with brokenness and panic.

"Madam Zhao'en..."

Luo Shilan dared not delay any longer and quickly put down the lantern in her hand, inviting Lin Xu, who was standing at the door, inside. The spring chill was still in the air, and the night wind was as cold as winter. Lin Xu was dressed in plain clothes, and there was no trace of his former pampered and extremely noble demeanor.

From the moment she received the news that Lin Xu would be hiding here until now, only half an incense stick's time has passed. Naturally, she was full of questions, but seeing Lin Xu's broken state, Luo Shilan couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

"Madam... how can you be so disregard for your own safety..."

The room was already warm with incense burning, and Lin Xu finally felt her heart gradually calm down. However, she still felt as if her internal organs were out of place, making her extremely uncomfortable.

After finishing the divorce letter, she no longer had the courage to stay there, even as she heard the approaching sound of horses' hooves. She fled in panic, hiding in the crowd, and almost got recognized by him.

Only by hiding in a dark and narrow alley and covering her mouth could she barely suppress her sobs.

This will be the last time I pass him by; we'll probably never see each other again...

Seeing Lin Xu's pale face, Luo Shilan quickly handed him a cup of warm flower tea and carefully comforted him, "It's quite chilly tonight, so have some hot tea first. I'll make you some hot water for a bath, and then you can get a good night's sleep after you're all ready."

Lin Xu nodded in agreement. In truth, her emotions had reached their peak, and she was no longer aware of anything she was doing. She simply washed up in a daze, and Luo Shilan treated her with exceptional care, which temporarily allowed her to cast aside all the worries of the past few days.

After she changed into a clean nightgown, she saw the door move again, and four bright little eyes could be vaguely seen through the crack in the door.

"But Haiping?" Luo Shilan realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward to shield Lin Xu. Lin Xu waved his hand, "He's just a child, it's alright."

After saying this, the door was slowly pushed open a moment later, and sure enough, Haiping and Yumei stood respectfully in front of the door. In the months since they last met, Haiping had grown taller, now towering over Yumei by more than half her height. Dressed in clean dark blue linen, he was beginning to resemble a young man. Yumei, on the other hand, still had a childlike face, but her eyes were much more resolute than before.

Compared to how they looked when I last saw them at the Dou family's house, it's clear now that Luo Shilan has taken great care in raising them.

Lin Xu sat in front of the bed, the bed curtains trailing on the ground, casting a hazy glow. Even so, one could vaguely see that her body was full of exhaustion, as if sitting there had used up all her strength.

Haiping only caught a fleeting glance, but he was already alarmed. He quickly looked away and bowed respectfully, saying, "I heard that Lady Zhao'en has just arrived. I was grateful for your kindness in the past, so I wanted to bring my sister to pay my respects to you."

Saving them was nothing more than a small favor, but Haiping's gratitude warmed her heart.

"It is I who have come to bother you so late at night, but I'm afraid you will have to see me every day for the next few days."

She tried to cover her cough and forced a few jokes. Yu Mei blinked and shook her head, saying, "I'm not upset. Lady Zhao'en was very happy when she came."

Upon hearing this, Luo Shilan couldn't help but smile. She had only adopted the two children a few months ago, but she had already developed a deep affection for them. Seeing that Yu Mei still had some food crumbs on her face, she couldn't help but lovingly pick up a handkerchief and wipe her mouth clean.

Upon hearing this, Haiping looked at Lin Xu with concern, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Are you... feeling unwell?"

Lin Xu was speechless. What did a child know? How could she explain her recent running around? But when he looked at her with such concern, she felt very fortunate that she hadn't involved the grudges of the previous generation with the two innocent children.

"It's nothing, it's just that the little one in my belly is always moving around."

Yu Mei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. Hai Ping, however, remained silent, his gaze deep. After such a simple greeting, it was time to rest. Lin Xu was truly exhausted. After Luo Shilan saw the two off, Lin Xu quickly fell into a deep sleep. Luo Shilan then specially set up a makeshift bed next to the bed, giving the bed to her, while she stayed by Lin Xu's side.

And so, the night passed peacefully.

Two more days passed, and Lin Xu gradually became familiar with life at Luo Shilan's place.

Every day before dawn, Luo Shilan would get up and tidy up, first preparing the two little ones' food and then getting ready for the bookstore's opening. Fortunately, Haiping was already quite grown up and took good care of his younger sister, helping her with reading and writing, all in a very organized manner.

While Luo Shilan was busy with the bookstore's business during the day, Haiping would curl up in a corner to read. Although his foundation in reading was not solid and he had even stopped for a while, he was naturally intelligent. Whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask Lin Xu for help, and thus he made rapid progress. Sometimes, when Luo Shilan was too busy, he could even help with the accounts, find books for customers, and print books. He didn't act like a child at all when he was working; instead, he was quite adept at it.

Seeing Lin Xu staring blankly at Hai Ping, who was introducing the books to several guests, Luo Shilan came over and handed her a cup of hot tea.

"Hai Ping is such a clever boy. He learns many things after I teach him only once. Boys are strong, and he doesn't even want me to do chores like moving books... Yu Mei is so innocent and lovely. With them around, life is much better than before. All of this is a gift from Madam... How can I not be grateful?"

Lin Xu let the aroma of tea waft into his nose and said with a faint smile, "That's because you're so intelligent that I took a liking to you at first sight. These shops were originally just abandoned and empty family property. Now that you're managing them here, isn't that a blessing for me? The children like you because you're so caring and considerate."

Luo Shilan was flattered by the praise but felt a little embarrassed. The two chatted for a while, and suddenly a number of scholars-looking customers began to enter the shop.

The imperial examinations were fast approaching, and the number of candidates gathering in Mujing was gradually increasing. Many people needed to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, or books, and even all the bookstores in Mujing were overwhelmed. Seeing that Haiping was about to be overwhelmed, Lin Xu smiled at Luo Shilan and said, "You go ahead, I'll just practice my calligraphy quietly here."

Although she was granted an imperial title and was the adopted daughter of the eldest princess, only a few people in Mujing had ever seen her true face. Lin Xu did not want to be ostentatious, so whenever there were many people around, she would hide in a side hall partitioned off in the bookstore to practice calligraphy and pass the time.

Those who took the test simply assumed that Luo Shilan had a distant relative with outstanding looks visiting. Although they wanted to catch a glimpse of Lin Xu's true appearance through the screen, Hai Ping dismissed them with a few words.

After finishing writing the last word of the day, the front hall still seemed bustling with noise and activity. Lin Xu put down his brush and was about to take a sip of tea when suddenly an extremely intense abdominal pain swept over him.

In an instant, she felt an overwhelming surge of energy within her, and within moments, she was covered in sweat. Lin Xu closed her eyes and then used all her strength to stand up.

She's about to give birth!

Having no experience in this matter, she was immediately covered in cold sweat, but was too pained to utter a single word.

As silence was about to fall around her, she felt her vision blur and she could barely stand. She had to grit her teeth and move slowly towards the hall, holding onto the corner of the table.

There was a screen and two antique shelves filled with books. She used all her strength, and with a loud crash, a basket of dried licorice on the shelf fell down and scattered at her feet.

Before she could even gasp in surprise, Hai Ping arrived in front of her with lightning speed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Xu felt a wave of panic wash over her, and with her last ounce of strength, she said to Hai Ping, "Quick, quick, go get a doctor..."

.

The spring breeze was gentle, and after several days of sunshine, two spring rains followed. But within the imperial court, the situation was far more turbulent than the prolonged rain.

After months of investigation, the case of Yu Shi’s corruption has finally been solved with conclusive evidence. Emperor Su was furious and ordered the death penalty for the main culprit, Yu Shi. Meanwhile, a number of accomplices involved in the case were punished one after another, either exiled or dismissed from their posts, causing turmoil in the court and the country.

Dou Yanzhou, who had once followed Yu Shi, was also demoted and sent to Wuzhou to serve as a registrar, in charge of documents and legal cases, but it was ultimately just a sinecure.

However, despite his glamorous appearance, Dou Yanzhou had offended many colleagues. Therefore, his downfall not only drew numerous memorials saying that Dou Yanzhou's punishment was too lenient, but also caused trouble for Dou Huaisheng and Dou Yanxun.

Dou Huaisheng had served as Minister of Personnel for over a year, but now, due to his eldest son's loss of power, he was attacked by the public for "using his position to protect his son's offspring," and thus quickly returned to the position of Vice Minister of Personnel. Even if it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone could see that Dou Huaisheng's political career had been greatly affected, and his future promotion was hopeless.

However, at the same time, voices of dissatisfaction with Dou Yanxun also emerged in the court.

First, people made a big fuss about his failure to participate in the imperial examinations. Then, they implicated him for privately borrowing troops from the Prefect of Jingzhao in the capital some time ago for his own selfish purposes. As an imperial censor, he should have impeached all officials, but instead, he was subjected to numerous impeachments for this. This aroused the dissatisfaction of a group of gray-bearded old men in the Censorate, who all complained to Jiang Heng.