Chapter 130 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Twenty-Two): Pursuing Pure Love...

The streets of the capital were bustling with activity, a cacophony of hawkers' cries and the sounds of carriages and horses. Lin Xitang, however, had no time to appreciate it; her mind was consumed by the contents of that letter. The handwriting was bold and unrestrained, yet each word struck like thunder; it was clear at a glance that it was written by a man.

"Tracing the footsteps beyond the cloud-covered mountains, I send my dreams to the moonlit window. When the spring breeze arrives, we will see the flowers of our hometown together."

This five-character poem, which has no beginning or end, happens to express his deepest anxieties and worries.

The day before Lin Xitang was separated from his younger sister, the violets outside their courtyard had just begun to sprout. Years ago, his still-young sister nestled in his arms, tilting her head up and softly asking, "Brother, when will the violets bloom?"

At that time, Lin Xitang was only ten years old. He stroked his sister's head and said gently, "Yue'er, when the spring breeze blows, the violets will all bloom!" Who could have imagined that the next day, the remnants of the Dai Kingdom's army passed through this place and forcibly conscripted him and took him away. From then on, he and his sister were forced to separate and live far apart.

When the Kingdom of Dai fell and he regained his freedom, he rushed home without stopping, bringing his sister the red hair ribbon she had longed for. However, when he arrived home, he found his house covered in a thick layer of dust, as if no one had lived there for a long time…

He stood in the courtyard with a look of panic on his face. Only when someone called him from behind did he turn around abruptly.

"Young Master Tang? It's you? You're still alive?" the newcomer asked with a look of surprise.

This person was none other than Sister-in-law Qian, who had always taken good care of him and his sister.

"Sister-in-law Qian, may I ask where my sister Yue'er is? Where did she go?" Lin Xitang asked anxiously.

Hearing this, Sister-in-law Qian sighed and said with sympathy, "Young Tang, after you left, your sister went to live with your second uncle's family. Three months ago, I heard from the neighbors that your aunt secretly sold your sister! She exchanged her for two bags of rice from a slave trader."

"What..." Lin Xitang clenched her fists and hurried towards her second uncle's house.

"Tang boy! Oh dear! Your second uncle and his family were so afraid you'd come back alive that they moved away after selling Yue'er!" Aunt Qian ran over and shouted.

"Then...where did they sell Yue'er?" Lin Xitang stopped in her tracks, her face filled with shock and pain.

Looking at Lin Xitang's pale face, Sister-in-law Qian sighed, "I don't know about that, but I heard from others that the slave trader seems to specialize in business in the capital. Now that there's war and chaos outside, I wonder if that slave trader is still alive... Sigh." After saying this, Sister-in-law Qian stuffed the coarse cakes from her basket into Lin Xitang's arms, shook her head, and left.

Thinking of this, Lin Xitang's eyes suddenly reddened.

Sensing his master's mood, the chestnut horse galloped swiftly along the official road. The two, travel-worn and weary, dared not stop for a moment. When hungry, he would hastily nibble on some dry rations; when tired, he would rest briefly by the roadside. Several days later, Lin Xitang finally caught sight of the majestic city walls of Qizhou in the distance.

The city gate was bustling with people, mostly families from the surrounding area. The guards carefully checked each passerby. Although Lin Xitang was anxious, she dismounted and joined the back of the line, slowly moving forward with the crowd.

The closer we get to this point, the less we should be impatient.

"Okay, you can go in now! Next—"

Lin Xitang handed over his identity and travel permit. The city guard opened it and glanced at it: "Lin Xitang, originally from Qinghe, 25 years old, orphaned, with a younger sister who is lost, came to Qizhou... to study?"

"Yes," Lin Xitang said in a low voice after a slight bow.

"Alright, go in!" The city guard handed Lin Xitang his identity and travel permit, then waved to the city.

Upon entering the city, Lin Xitang led his horse along the cobblestone path, the sounds of lively celebration drifting from the street in the distance. He vaguely heard the residents of Qizhou discussing, "This young master getting married today is quite someone important..."

He had no interest in listening to the commotion anymore; he just stared intently at every girl passing by on the roadside, hoping to suddenly catch a glimpse of his sister in the crowd.

As he passed a fabric shop, Lin Xitang touched the hairband in his sleeve pocket and couldn't help but stop for a moment. He peeked into the half-open shop door. The shop assistant, seeing his travel-worn appearance, didn't greet him much, but instead kept his head down arranging a newly arrived piece of brocade.

Just as Lin Xitang was about to turn and leave, she heard two women sitting in a corner chatting.

"I heard that the young master Song who got married today had a wife who used to be a maidservant to Madam Song! Madam Song came to our shop a few days ago and happened to see that maidservant. She was quite pretty!" the woman in the gray dress whispered.

Another woman exclaimed, "No wonder this girl is so lucky to have met such a generous family as the Song family."

“Last month, my husband was drinking with Mr. Sun, and he told me that Mr. Song bought this girl! He only used a few bags of coarse grains to buy her in the village, but sold her for eight taels of silver in the city!” said the woman in the gray skirt.

"Huh? I've heard that Sun Zhongren has always been dealing with the nobles in the capital. Why did he abandon that precious land in the capital and come back to Qizhou?"

"These days, it's not easy to do business with the nobles in the capital. Who knows which noble they offended and got sent back..." the woman in the gray dress sneered, covering her mouth.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xitang's heart tightened. The words "several bags of coarse rice," "nobles in the capital," and "trade" buzzed in his ears. He didn't care about anything else, mounted his horse, and galloped off in the direction from which the music was playing.

Jiqing Street was bustling with people, and bright red lanterns and silks hung in front of the houses not far away, creating a festive atmosphere. Lin Xitang tied his horse to a wooden stake at a nearby inn, straightened his clothes, and went inside.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, a servant dressed in festive attire came forward and greeted him with a smile, saying, "Honored guest, please come in."

Lin Xitang thought to himself that there must be quite a few visitors today, and the servants couldn't tell who was who. So he adopted the demeanor he had in the capital, nodded slightly, and strode inside.

With the rise in women's status in Qizhou City in recent years, wedding customs have become much more open-minded than they were a few years ago. Nowadays, on their wedding day, brides no longer need to cover their faces with a veil; instead, they can openly face the guests. Chen Shuang, being a traditional woman, chose to follow the old custom and still wear a veil when she married Song Shan.

Lin Xitang tiptoed into the main hall. Song Ce, who had been watching the whole thing closely, saw him and immediately grasped Liu Wanyao's hand tightly, smiling slightly.

"Husband, what's wrong?" Liu Wanyao asked softly.

"My lady, last year I overheard you mention that you have an older brother whom you lost contact with years ago?" Song Ce asked.

Liu Wanyao was taken aback upon hearing this, her eyes darkening slightly as she said, "That is indeed true, but... I don't quite remember what my brother looks like."

Song Ce's Adam's apple bobbed as his gaze locked onto Lin Xitang's approaching figure in the corner of the hall. He whispered, "My lady, look, I'm momentarily struck by how similar this white-robed gentleman's features are to yours."

Liu Wanyao's breath hitched, and she abruptly looked up in Lin Xitang's direction. The warm sunlight flickered on the man's sharply defined face, and this face... quietly overlapped with a vague shadow from the depths of her memory.

At this moment, Lin Xitang, standing in the corner of the hall, was completely unaware of what was happening. His gaze swept across the guests, his heart pounding like a drum, hoping to find his younger sister's shadow among the crowd.

Strands of red silk hung from the beams of the main hall, casting a crimson glow throughout. Lin Xitang's gaze was drawn to a woman dressed as a married woman in blue standing before him. Her back seemed strangely familiar. He held his breath, about to step forward, when the matchmaker beside him announced loudly, "The newlyweds have arrived!"

Lin Xitang stumbled as the crowd surged in, and she could only peer inside on tiptoe. She saw Song Shan, dressed in wedding attire, leading his bride, whose head was covered with a red veil, slowly into the hall.

He stared intently at the bride's slender figure, silently reciting his sister Yue'er's name, his expression revealing barely concealed excitement. As the bride walked past him, a gentle breeze lifted a corner of her veil, revealing a small patch of her fair neck.

There seemed to be an old scar on her neck. Lin Xitang vaguely remembered that her younger sister had bumped into this spot when she was young and had a similar scar!

Thinking of this, Lin Xitang's breath caught in his throat. Forgetting all formalities, he rushed forward. His eyes welled up, and he reached out to grab the bride's sleeve, softly calling out his sister's name: "Yue'er!"

Lin Xitang's offensive act left everyone in the hall stunned.

The groom, Song Shan, frowned, pulled Chen Shuang to his side, and shouted angrily, "Who are you? How dare you be so insolent on my wedding day?"

Lin Xitang ignored everything and stepped forward to lift the bride's veil. The red silk fluttered down, revealing a beautiful but completely unfamiliar face. Chen Shuang looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock and panic.

"Who...who are you?"

Lin Xitang stood there, stunned, his anticipation instantly turning into disappointment. He shook his head dejectedly, his steps unsteady as he turned to leave.

Song Shan gestured for his servants to hold Lin Xitang tightly, then coldly snorted, "Young master, what are your intentions in barging into my wedding hall today and ruining my auspicious wedding time? Are you deliberately here to cause trouble?"

Lin Xitang suddenly realized, as if waking from a dream, that he had been out of his mind and had rashly ruined someone's happy occasion. Seeing the strange looks he was receiving from the guests, his face flushed red, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a moment, Lin Xitang cupped his hands in apology and said with difficulty, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry... I... I mistook you for someone else."

"Admit a mistake?" Song Shan's tone was full of anger. "In this grand wedding hall, you just lifted my wife's veil and said you mistook her for someone else? Ask anyone here, who would believe that?"

Seeing this, the surrounding guests began to whisper among themselves. The young men who were on good terms with Song Shan naturally disapproved of Lin Xitang's offensive behavior and shouted, "Is that so? Who would believe that? If you can't give a reason, don't blame us for being impolite."

Lin Xitang was so anxious that cold sweat poured down his forehead. He tried his best to calm his emotions, bowed deeply to the newlyweds, and said shyly, "I am really sorry, young master. My younger sister was separated from me many years ago, and I have been searching for her for a long time. Just now, I saw that your wife looks quite like my sister, and I was so anxious that I... I hope you will not blame me, young master. I am willing to bear all the consequences."

He spoke sincerely, but his eyes were filled with helplessness.

Seeing Lin Xitang's distraught appearance, Song Shan's anger subsided slightly. Considering that today was his and Shuang'er's wedding day, and that Mr. Song and his wife were watching the ceremony from the front row... he hesitated for a moment, then finally signaled his servants to release Lin Xitang, and said coldly, "Fine, it's a joyous occasion today, so I'll let you off this time."

"Your magnanimity is truly rare in my life, young master." Lin Xitang bowed again, said a few polite words, and then quickly left.

At this moment, Liu Wanyao, who was sitting in the front row, tightly wrung out her handkerchief. Seeing Lin Xitang leave the hall, she suddenly stood up. Her sleeve swept across the low table beside her, causing the teacup to sway gently and make a soft clinking sound.

"My lady, let's go! I'll go with you." Song Ce reached out to support Liu Wanyao, nodded slightly to Song Shan, and then took Liu Wanyao's hand and left the main hall.