Song family

I remember it was clearly that time when the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, filling the air with their sweet fragrance...

In her past life, Lin Xu was always alone and not accepted by the noble ladies' circle. She also had no interest in studying, so she gradually became more and more eccentric. At that time, it was not long after she had been tricked by Qi Shi and lost face in the Duke's mansion by wearing a tampered jacket.

Lin Xu realized for the first time that the usually kind and gentle Qi was actually vicious, and being bullied by the Yao sisters made her feel extremely wronged. She stayed at home for over a month, feeling depressed, but then inexplicably received another invitation.

It was early autumn, a time of clear skies and crisp air. Miss Song the Second hosted a private banquet at the Red Railing Winding Pavilion.

At the top of Guixiu Mountain, south of Mujing, a waterfall cascades down, and a clear stream flows halfway up the mountain. A winding pavilion has been built along the stream, offering views of the mountain and the water. Throughout history, many literati have composed poems and painted here, and at sunset, one can also enjoy the magnificent view of clouds returning to the mountain peaks.

Lin Xu loved excitement in her previous life and had never been to that place before, so she was immediately captivated. However, after experiencing the schemes of the Yao sisters, she couldn't help but be wary this time, realizing that some young ladies from noble families were not as friendly as they appeared.

She secretly sent someone to inquire, and only heard that Miss Song's father was highly learned, so his upbringing must be much better than that of the Yao family, and he should be able to handle people with ease. Lin Xu thought about it for a moment, and then happily took Qingwu to the banquet.

Little did she expect that the lotus viewing and osmanthus appreciation banquet would be the real trap that caused her to lose face and suffer humiliation.

Miss Song, being clever and cunning, opted for a light feast instead of a heavy banquet. The table was filled with light tea and fruit, and incense was gently burning. The elegant ladies, dressed in fine clothes, created a scene of leisurely and refined pleasure.

At first, Lin Xu calmly ate the fruits, but after a while, she became restless.

Although the young women present all seemed kind, their speech was so pedantic that it made her uncomfortable. This was especially true of Miss Song the Second and the two close noble ladies beside her. After slowly finishing her osmanthus-infused plum wine, Miss Song the Second suddenly suggested that everyone recite a line of poetry to liven things up.

Lin Xu immediately tensed up. Back then, she was ignorant and incompetent, having never even turned a few pages of a book, so how could she possibly compose poetry? Miss Song also required that the poem must contain the words "osmanthus" and "lotus," with the winner receiving a finely crafted amber hairpin inlaid with gold osmanthus tassels as a reward.

Lin Xu had no interest in the hairpin. But seeing everyone else reciting poems with great enthusiasm while she felt extremely awkward in front of everyone else, she felt completely out of place.

Lin Xu blushed, and after saying "osmanthus" for a long time, he still stammered and couldn't answer for a long time.

Everyone around noticed her embarrassment, and some people whispered and covered their mouths, laughing quietly. Though the sounds were low, they still reached everyone's ears. "...How could Lin Youcheng's daughter be so foolish..."

Miss Song remained calm and composed, merely offering her assistance:

"It's my fault. This plum wine is really intoxicating. Miss Lin may have just drunk a bit too much and is a little tipsy. It's alright. There's a warm pavilion nearby. Miss Lin can go there to rest for a while and sober up." After saying that, she gestured for her maid to take Lin Xu to the warm pavilion.

The warm pavilion, located behind the waterside pavilion, was filled with the gentle fragrance of burning sandalwood and served as a resting place for the noble ladies during banquets. Several cups of warm tea were already laid out on the table. Lin Xu was grateful for Miss Song's thoughtfulness, but still felt awkward, so she only chatted with Qingwu by the window for a while before returning home.

But little did she know, this was a carefully laid trap, layer upon layer. All that was needed was for her to fall into it, and then Miss Song could calmly and easily reel her in.

Not long after she returned to the banquet, the poetry contest had already concluded, and the winner was a noble lady of elegant appearance and attire, yet with a hint of coldness in her eyes. Lin Xu then realized that she was the fourth young lady of the Prince Gong's mansion.

Just as the osmanthus hairpin was about to be awarded, Miss Song's maid rushed in, saying that for some reason, the hairpin, which had been prepared in the warm pavilion, had suddenly disappeared!

The banquet was packed with guests, but Lin Xu was the only one who left to rest at one point, so everyone's eyes naturally fell on her. At that time, Lin Xu did not understand what had suddenly happened and denied it, while Qing Wu, who was next to her, shook her head like a rattle drum.

Miss Song the Second exuded coldness in her eyes, while the Fourth Miss of the Prince's Mansion, who had won first place, stood to the side, sizing up Lin Xu with disdain in her eyes. She coldly uttered a few words to her guards:

"...In broad daylight, how dare she steal! Since this young lady refuses to admit it, it seems we'll have no choice but to search her!"

Lin Xu was never one to be easily manipulated, so she naturally protested loudly and refused to comply to the death. After all, those present at the banquet were all prominent figures in the capital, and seeing Lin Xu so agitated, they all whispered among themselves and dared not make any rash moves.

As the situation remained tense, several people slowly emerged from behind the waterside pavilion. It was Yao Suran, who had arrived late. A smile played on her lips as she helped a noblewoman dressed in luxurious clothes with a solemn expression. That was the principal wife of Prince Gong.

Yao Suran swaggered in, her voice carrying a chilling, deadly edge:

"Miss Song, you have no idea how much trouble Miss Lin is. She's always attracting attention. Last time I hosted a banquet at my house, she caused quite a scene. How come you still dare to invite her today?"

Seeing her mother come to her aid, the fourth young lady of the Prince's mansion felt even more confident. She immediately gave a signal to the old woman beside her. The old woman was burly and stepped forward, grabbing Qingwu and reaching for her clothes, while saying in a rough voice:

"Master and servant have always been of one mind; perhaps this girl is hiding that hairpin!"

To strip naked in public, especially a young girl like her—no one could bear such a humiliation! And it was Qingwu, who had grown up with him since childhood!

Lin Xu could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward and swung his arm, slapping the old woman hard across the face. But while this impulsive act was satisfying, it also gave the woman an even stronger excuse to be unreasonable and domineering.

Lin Xu only remembered that Yao Suran and the second and fourth young ladies of Song exchanged glances. Before she could react, the fourth young lady quickly stepped forward, reached out her hand, and wanted to slap Lin Xu back.

At the critical moment, the Princess Consort of Gong, who had just stood still, spoke up and rebuked the Fourth Miss. "How dare you! You are the legitimate daughter of the Prince's mansion, how dare you resort to violence?"

After speaking, the Princess Consort turned around and looked at Lin Xu coldly.

"This young lady was invited to the banquet, but not only did she behave improperly, she also injured someone in public. Where is the slightest bit of decorum befitting a young lady from a noble family? It is clear that the Lin family has not raised her properly, allowing her to be so arrogant!"

Lin Xu's face flushed red and then paled. Seeing this, she naturally understood and no longer wanted to stay there. She immediately lifted her skirt and took Qingwu to leave. But having offended the people of the Prince's Mansion and the Song family who were hosting, going back would not be such an easy matter.

The waterside pavilion was built halfway up the mountain, where the scenery was most beautiful. Without the Song family's approval, there was naturally no sedan chair to pick them up. The Lin family's carriage was still parked at the foot of the mountain. They had been brought up by sedan chair when they arrived, and if they were to walk back, it would probably take them a whole day and night!

Lin Xu had no choice but to swallow her anger and apologize. She absolutely could not go back to plead with the Song family. So she could only grit her teeth and walk down the plank road with Qingwu.

She only remembered that the mountain path was steep. Although she was usually mischievous, she was still a girl after all. She lost her footing and slid down the edge of the plank road, which made Qingwu exclaim in surprise.

After Lin Xu finally managed to step onto a rock and regain her footing, her legs were already cut and bleeding from the branches. Her knees were particularly badly lacerated, bleeding profusely and covered in pebbles. Qing Wu, in her efforts to rescue her, was also covered in cuts and scratches from branches and thorns, leaving her almost entirely wounded.

They walked for nearly three hours, taking a shortcut, before finally reaching the foot of the mountain. Later, when Zhou Weikan learned of her injury, she rushed over without a second thought. But that's another story.

......

The memories of her past life were so distant that recalling them no longer brought the same pain. Her only regret was for her own foolishness in her past life and the debt she owed Qingwu. That little girl had suffered so much following her, and she could never repay that debt...

Lin Xu opened her tightly closed eyes and slowly pulled herself out of that fading memory.

She looked at the group of people who were gradually approaching.

The group of people, who had been chatting and laughing while fiddling with each other, were stunned to find a person standing in the dark corner of the corridor.

In this life, Miss Song had never formally met Lin Xu, but she had heard of his name. After hearing her sister whisper that this was the daughter of Lin Youcheng, who had married into the Dou family, she couldn't help but take a closer look at Lin Xu.

She had naturally heard some stories about Lin Xu before. It was said that this woman, who was always ignorant and incompetent, actually had the audacity to kneel before the Empress and beg for an imperial decree before she could marry her current husband.

Such behavior would naturally be utterly despised by a young lady like Song Er, who had been well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics and the precepts and teachings for women since childhood.

Where is there any woman who would personally go to ask for a marriage decree, especially from such a notorious libertine! It's simply...shameless!

However, this was just a few whispered complaints in his heart. Lin Xu's current husband's family was currently enjoying great influence, and Song Er had always learned about court affairs from his father, so he naturally had to show respect on the surface.

Miss Song wore a light, misty pink jacket and an apricot-yellow pleated skirt. Her lips were like roses, and she possessed a gentle and kind appearance. She gave a slight curtsy and smiled sweetly:

"I have always heard that Madam Dou is exceptionally beautiful. Seeing her today, I can confirm that she is truly a beauty that is one in a hundred."

Lin Xu also recognized the several noble ladies standing next to Song Er. These women were naturally present at the banquet in her previous life; they had simply been Song Er's loyal followers in both lifetimes.

Recalling their whispers just now, in her past life, Miss Song the Second had a very high opinion of herself, but she was always overshadowed by Yao Suran, who had a better family background and appearance, and could only be second to her. Unexpectedly, in this life, Miss Song the Second's relationship with the Yao sisters has deteriorated even further.

Lin Xu nodded slightly and smiled in response:

"Thank you for your praise, Miss Song. Miss Song is indeed a pearl of beauty and refinement renowned throughout the capital. I never expected to have the opportunity to meet you. Madam Song came to our residence earlier to have tea and reminisce with my mother. At that time, I felt that Madam Song had an extraordinary demeanor. Indeed, mother and daughter are alike, both dignified and elegant."

She had been pretending and enduring for so long in her life that she could now even smile at those she used to hate with a vengeance.

Song Er was speaking to Lin Xu for the first time, and was initially somewhat suspicious and indifferent. However, seeing that Lin Xu was very polite and seemed to like her a lot, praising her incessantly, Song Er thought for a moment, and then noticed that her best friend beside her was secretly giving her a wink. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

This... isn't this Miss Lin? The one who studied in the palace with Yao Suran, and even had a public argument with her, and was dragged out by the supervisor to stand as punishment?

She originally had a spot at Zhiqiong Hall, but the domineering Yao sisters snatched it away. She even hid at home and cried for a long time!

Even later, when she could only hire a tutor at home to teach her, she did not forget the hatred in her heart. She would often send people to secretly inquire about Yao Suran's actions and knew everything about the Yao sisters' behavior in the palace.

Based on her understanding of Yao Suran, she was certain that Yao Suran herself had used underhanded tactics to frame someone else for cheating. When she heard that Yao Suran had been punished, she felt a surge of satisfaction!

Miss Song narrowed her eyes.

...So, does that mean Lin Xu is also Yao Suran's enemy?