Chapter 66 You are the best Lin Daiyu in the world "Remember, your belly..."

"Hello, you are wonderful, you are the best in the world—"

Lin Daiyu, who was behind, didn't hear it. She was so embarrassed that she rushed into the study. How could she have asked such a question?

How dare Third Brother do this in public—especially in the study where there are even more people!

Lin Daiyu stopped abruptly as soon as she entered. She felt that she didn't know what was wrong with her all day. The study should have been the most crowded room, so why didn't she think of that?

Mu Chuan followed at a leisurely pace, and as soon as he entered the study, he saw his Daiyu staring at a group of white-bearded old men.

It's actually quite funny.

The laughter was, of course, in his heart; Mu Chuan immediately stood in front of Lin Daiyu.

None of the people in the study knew Lin Daiyu, but everyone knew Mu Chuan.

Some called him "Lord Zhongyong," others "Lord Mu," and after exchanging greetings, everyone dispersed, except for one person who stayed.

He hesitated for a moment, then came over and asked, "Are you Miss Lin? I am a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination) from the same year as Lord Lin."

To be honest, it was a bit impolite of him to approach the girl and ask her questions. He was also a little nervous, especially when he thought about the legendary Ministry of Revenue gate.

Mu Chuan turned and glanced at Lin Daiyu, his face grim as he asked, "And who are you, sir?"

The man said, “My name is Ran Xirong. When Brother Ruhai was the Salt Commissioner, I was the Prefect of Jiangnan and I visited your residence. I am now the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Ningshan and have just returned to the capital to report on my duties.”

He's always been out in the public eye; no wonder I've never seen him.

Mu Chuan moved aside slightly.

Lin Daiyu gave a half-bow and asked, "Are you the Hermit of Late Autumn?"

Ran Xirong's face was full of surprised smiles: "You actually remember me, young lady? Ah, when I heard you were coming to the capital, I went to the Rongguo Mansion to deliver a letter, but both times you said you were ill. Later, I was transferred to a post outside the capital, so..."

Lin Daiyu then politely replied, "When I first came to the capital, I was not used to the climate and was often sick. Thank you for your concern, Uncle."

"Now that I see you are doing well, I am relieved." Ran Xirong looked at Mu Chuan again before taking her leave.

"Wait a moment," Mu Chuan said to Lin Daiyu. He took two steps out of the room, then two steps to catch up with Ran Xirong, and asked, "When did Lord Ran go to the Rongguo Mansion to deliver the visiting card?"

Ran Xirong was the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Ningshan, the head of a province. Although he was not in the same faction as Li Taijiu, he was still familiar with the situation in the court.

Besides, there's nothing to hide.

"Seven years ago, my term as prefect ended, and I returned to the capital to be selected as an official. I never expected that Brother Ruhai would pass away the following year," Ran Xirong sighed again.

What does this tell us?

This shows that the Rongguo Mansion never intended for Lin Daiyu to meet anyone in the first place. What was their purpose? Most likely, it was for the sake of their Baoyu.

But after Lin Ruhai died and Jia Yuanchun was made a concubine, the Rongguo Mansion no longer looked down on her.

Mu Chuan cupped his hands in farewell to Ran Xirong, then returned to his study and said, "When I first wanted to see you, the Rongguo Mansion said you were ill. Later, they even sent a fake letter and asked Jia Baoyu to attend the ceremony on my behalf."

"I knew you were going to say that." Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at him. "Actually, my maternal grandmother treated you quite well. Didn't you hear what Lord Ran said? He was directly rejected by the Rongguo Mansion. You at least have a fake letter in your hand."

"Then I... thank the Rongguo Mansion?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I don't care about your thanks." As she spoke, she took two steps forward. "Here's a piece of calligraphy by Zhu Yunming. Why don't you buy it and take a good look at it?"

"Who is this? Aren't the two Wangs the best in the calligraphy world? If you're going to practice calligraphy, shouldn't you be aiming for them?"

Lin Daiyu was both amused and exasperated. Her grand goal—to take Wang Xizhi as her role model and teach her third brother to be like Wang Xianzhi—had never actually been told to anyone. Today, her third brother's sudden mention of it left her with mixed feelings.

Zhu Yunming is popularly known as one of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan.

"You mean Zhu Zhishan? I know him."

Lin Daiyu chuckled twice: "His cursive script is quite good. Although you can't use it now, once you've mastered the basics, you should practice writing the calligraphy of these masters. Firstly, to see which one you like, and secondly, to see if it suits you."

Mu Chuan thought about his own handwriting and the calligraphy practice plan that Lin Daiyu had mentioned before. He hadn't even mastered the radicals and components yet, and felt that talking about it now might be a bit like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

But who cares? Mu Chuan put up another sign, and the servants in the corner quickly took it away and replaced it with a new one.

Of course, the newly added ones are not as good as the original ones.

However, the best items probably won't be exhibited; they'll likely be sent to the homes of top-ranking nobles, like Prince Zhongshun, so that they can choose first.

The two came out of the study. Lin Daiyu felt that it was better to be in a spacious place. Staying in the room with her third brother made her feel uneasy.

Since she was so restless, she was bound to try to make amends. Besides, she had just mentioned Wang Xizhi. Lin Daiyu laughed and said, "Third Brother, you certainly know how to pick your targets. Compared to Wang Xizhi, you're probably still three Yan Zhenqings short."

"What about Wang Xianzhi?" Mu Chuan asked. "Isn't he one of the 'Two Wangs' along with Wang Xizhi?"

“That’s because he’s benefited from his father and son’s fame.” Lin Daiyu looked at Mu Chuan and smiled. “If you compare Third Brother to Yan Zhenqing, he’s probably three Wang Xianzhis away.”

Mu Chuan was about to respond when he suddenly frowned: "This isn't right, there are three of them? So I... I've only served as an ink stick?"

Lin Daiyu had been waiting for this. She took two steps forward, hid behind the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, and showed half of her face to him, laughing: "Third Brother, you still have a lot to practice."

"Come here."

"I'm not coming."

"I can't hit you."

"Then I won't come over."

"Let's go to the Wuyue Guild Hall for lunch."

"I'm not hungry, I ate a lot this morning."

Mu Chuan straightened his face, stretched out his hand, and called to the servants hiding in the corner of the courtyard: "I want this tree. Dig it up now."

Lin Daiyu was taken aback. Seeing that the servants were about to go find someone, she quickly came out from behind the tree: "It's a perfectly good tree, Third Brother, please stop digging it up. I'm going to have dinner with you now."

Mu Chuan gave a serious "hmm" and then instructed his servants, "Then let's not dig for now. We'll talk about it again once I've cleared out a place on my side."

The servant responded and went back to stand in the inconspicuous corner.

Mu Chuan took out his pocket watch again and looked at Lin Daiyu suspiciously: "I'm not kidding, it's only been an hour since you had breakfast, can you really eat that much?"

This was clearly intentional. Lin Daiyu ignored him and instead said, "Why is Third Brother's pocket watch so big? The one he gave me is so small, I can't even see it clearly."

Mu Chuan said seriously, "That can't be right, let me see it?"

Lin Daiyu hummed in agreement, and without realizing it, handed the pocket watch to Mu Chuan.

Mu Chuan took it and sighed, "It really is a bit small. How about this, we'll swap them. You can have the big one."

As he spoke, he put the small, exquisite pocket watch that he had originally given to Lin Daiyu into his purse.

"Third Brother."

Mu Chuan's heart trembled. He felt that the way he was called "Third Brother" had changed the tone more than a dozen times, making his heart half soft and half hard.

The softer side: I'll agree to whatever Daiyu says!

The tougher side: Bully her, make her call you Third Brother again!

"A bigger one is easier to see and can even hit people," Mu Chuan advised.

What kind of strange reasons are these?

"Who could I possibly use it to smash?" Lin Daiyu retorted, putting away Mu Chuan's larger pocket watch. "Even if you want it back, you can't."

After saying this, Lin Daiyu felt so guilty that she didn't even dare to look at her third brother out of the corner of her eye: "Shall we go check the side room again? I'll give you—"

Lin Daiyu suddenly paused. How should she address her third brother's sister?

This younger sister is already married and has a child, who is four years old. She must be older than her.

but……

Third Brother was already suspicious, and Lin Daiyu, in a moment of inspiration, said, "Since Third Brother has given me so many things, I should also give something to Third Brother's sister. What does Third Brother's sister like?"

To be honest, Mu Chuan didn't know either.

As I said before, we haven't spent enough time together, and I've suffered before, so I've never had the chance to cultivate my hobbies. Right now, everything is still new and exciting to me.

However, what he cared about most was not that, but Lin Daiyu's hesitant and stammering "Third Brother's sister".

This title is indeed difficult to use.

Mu Chuan chuckled contentedly, "I remember there was a plate of peaches on the table when I went over earlier, I don't know what kind of carving it was. How about we give that to her? Her name is Chun Tao, it would be fitting."

Lin Daiyu shook her head: "Giving a gift like this is a bit perfunctory. I need to go and take a closer look."

The room was filled with trinkets and decorations, quite a lot of them. Lin Daiyu looked at them one by one, glancing at her third brother out of the corner of her eye. She didn't see any impatience on his face, which made her quite happy.

He could even offer some suggestions: "When we were little, our family had some savings, but we were still farmers. I remember when I was little, I would go to work in the fields with my dad and second uncle. Chun Tao wasn't idle either; she worked at home, feeding the chickens, collecting eggs, and helping my mom cook. She's never seen toys before, so I thought, how about we give her some?"

"Tangram? Nine-linked rings? These two are the most common. There's also a music box, or a Luban lock would be fine too." Lin Daiyu picked out four items. "That should be enough. Let's take it one step at a time. If we get tired of these, we can play with the others."

Mu Chuan really wanted to say, "Your tone is very much like an elder sister-in-law," but saying it out loud would have made him incredibly tactless.

So he changed his approach, and casually guided the conversation: "Chuntao will definitely like it."

Unfortunately, Lin Daiyu had spoken recklessly several times today, and now she was putting up a fight. She glanced at Mu Chuan and said, "If Third Brother says he likes it, then Third Brother's sister will definitely like it too."

Mu Chuan was a little disappointed, then said, "Shall we go to the main hall in front and browse around? I'd like to pick out some decorations for my home."

Lin Daiyu didn't believe his nonsense. She had been to the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion before. It was grand and spacious, with precious items and very elegant and proper furnishings. What was missing?

Moreover, the things in this room are still somewhat inferior to those in the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion.

He just wanted to—

She also wanted to—

"Sigh, I can't think about this," Lin Daiyu nodded, "Alright."

The front hall was decorated in a very traditional style. There was a narrow table on the wall opposite the door, with some offerings on it, and two long scrolls of calligraphy and paintings on the wall.

Lin Daiyu glanced at Mu Chuan subconsciously. Luckily, she had asked Qingwen beforehand and asked for a larger size, otherwise, this ordinary size would be a bit small compared to her third brother.

"What are you thinking about now?" Mu Chuan asked. "You're smiling like that—" Beautiful. Sigh... He couldn't think of any other adjective besides "beautiful."

Lin Daiyu felt a little guilty, but she wanted to keep the embroidery a secret until the very last moment, so she could give him a big surprise. She quickly took two steps forward: "How about this? This incense burner is quite nice."

Mu Chuan shook his head: "Copper is no good. It has a lid on top, and it gets very hot when heated. The maid who changes the spices will burn her hands."

"That's true," Lin Daiyu added. "There's also a vase on the table, which I think is quite nice."

Mu Chuan then shook his head: "Why don't we break off the flower branch and let it grow properly on the tree?"

That made sense, but after being rejected twice, Lin Daiyu's competitive spirit flared up: "How about this one? This wild goose is quite nice too. It seems to be made of rosewood. The way it flies and the feathers are carved so realistically, and—"

Well, Lin Daiyu blushed again.

Wild geese.

Essential items for marriage.

Where did her brain go?

How could she persuade her third brother to buy a pair of geese?

Mu Chuan originally wanted to say that the color was too dark and not nice, but when he saw Lin Daiyu suddenly fall silent, blushing and not daring to look at him, he understood what was going on.

Despite his secret delight, Mu Chuan quickly said, "To me, this looks more like a wild duck."

Lin Daiyu visibly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "It also looks like a wild duck. Then—"

Wait a minute, they just said geese were hard to buy, but now it's wild ducks, so we definitely have to buy them.

A mix of guilt and a desire to cover up the truth, Lin Daiyu, with a fearless and resolute attitude, said, "This wild duck is quite nice, what do you think, Third Brother?"

Mu Chuan nodded: "I think it's good too, let's go with this one."

Mu Chuan put the sign up again.

This situation left both of them with mixed feelings.

Lin Daiyu was even less inclined to stay there any longer. Without even looking at her third brother, she said, "Shall we go? We've seen enough."

Mu Chuan nodded: "Go outside and wait for me. I'll go ask how to pay the bill."

Lin Daiyu said "Oh" and went to the front yard with her head down.

Mu Chuan certainly didn't go to ask how to pay the bill; in such high-class occasions, the bill was always sent to his residence afterwards.

Mu Chuan had previously told the steward, "I want this house." Houses within the Second Ring Road are scarce resources, and besides, he now has a large and successful family, and there are still some people in Pingnan Town who haven't returned.

Besides, he had also recently adopted a nephew, and Dou Changzong's status as an imperial merchant had been finalized, so the Dou family, as imperial merchants, needed to live in better conditions.

After giving these instructions, Mu Chuan went to find Lin Daiyu.

They didn't bring any big items, just six things in total, which the servants carried directly onto the carriage.

"We've almost finished eating," Mu Chuan said. "Shall we go to the Wu-Yue Guild Hall again?"

Lin Daiyu nodded. She was a little tired and didn't want to talk.

The carriage headed towards the Wu-Yue Guild Hall, and at that moment, several uninvited guests arrived at the Rongguo Mansion.

The officials, accompanied by two matrons, said, "We want to question the second sister of the You family."

The Rongguo Mansion had experienced this several times before, and the servants had learned from their experience. The steward invited the officials to tea in the front courtyard, and several errand runners quickly ran back to report.

Second Master Lian is not here. Although Second Master is at home, he is a nobody and has never been involved in any affairs. He has also been sick recently and has not been seen. It is close to noon, so Second Madam Lian should be in the old lady's room.

The errand boy quickly thought it over and, upon reaching the second gate, told the old woman, "Hurry to the old lady's room, run there!"

In the midst of a pleasant conversation in Grandmother Jia's room, the old woman came in panting heavily. Grandmother Jia's heart sank: "What has happened now!"

The old woman didn't dare to raise her head: "The officials have arrived and want to see Madam You."

"Huh?" Wang Xifeng stood up abruptly. "Didn't you say why?"

The old woman shook her head: "She only said she had two questions to ask."

Why could that be? What case could Sister You be involved in?

Wang Xifeng and Grandmother Jia exchanged a glance. Grandmother Jia suppressed her anger and asked, "Did Zhang Hua see us—" She didn't finish the sentence, "He's here again asking for money! I remember you said you had already dealt with it."

Of course she handled it well. She instructed Wang'er to deal with Zhang Hua. He's gone, so what's the point of him suing?

"I'll go back and take a look," Wang Xifeng said. "Second Sister is not worldly-wise, so I'll give her a few instructions to prevent her from saying anything inappropriate."

Wang Xifeng felt embarrassed and even more upset. Last year, they were a family that "wouldn't be afraid of being accused of treason," but this year they've become like this.

Grandmother Jia nodded with a stern face: "Go and come back quickly! With officials coming to our door every day, how are we supposed to eat!"

The girls in the room were so frightened that they all stood up, holding their breath. Wang Xifeng didn't dare to offer any comfort at this moment. She just gave Yuanyang a wink and then hurriedly left.

Wang Xifeng kept thinking that the officials were waiting outside, probably because You Erjie was a woman and her father was an official, so they were treating her with some courtesy. But Wang Xifeng didn't dare to delay. She didn't even go into her own room when she got back, and went straight to You Erjie's room.

She kicked the door with a loud bang, startling You Erjie inside. She jumped up in fright and looked up to see Wang Xifeng.

"Second, Second Grandma."

Wang Xifeng ignored her and stared intently at her stomach: "You're pregnant! At least—"

She felt dizzy and almost fell over. If Ping'er hadn't heard the commotion and come out to support her, she probably would have fallen to the ground and suffered a head injury.

Wang Xifeng's heart was pounding, and waves of heat surged up her head. Although her head was throbbing and her face was flushed, her mind had never been so sharp.

She remembered how she had manipulated Sister You back then.

She instigated Zhang Hua to report Jia Lian to the Censorate: "During the period of national and family mourning, he divorced his wife and remarried, forcibly marrying a married woman."

As for the Censorate, the case was handled by Zhang Junling. Last time I went back to the Wang family, my uncle told me that Zhang Junling had been dismissed from his post.

This must be his revenge!

Wang Xifeng gasped, her eyes filled with determination. She stepped forward and gripped You Erjie's hand tightly, her nails digging into her flesh.

Yu Erjie was confused and her hands hurt. She was also scared. She said, "Second Madam, this is Second Master's child. Please forgive me. I will kowtow to you. The child will call you Madam after he is born! Whether it is a boy or a girl, he will be raised under your care. I will not say a word."

"This child isn't Second Master's!" Wang Xifeng grabbed her hand and pulled her forcefully. "The officials are here to see you; it must be because something has happened with Zhang Hua. He's taking a second wife during a time of national and family mourning. Do you want to kill Second Master? You won't be able to keep your child then either!"

Sister You cried with tears streaming down her face, but unfortunately, Wang Xifeng had no compassion for her whatsoever.

"This child belongs to Second Master. Second Madam, please spare me. This child really is Second Master's."

Wang Xifeng slapped her across the face: "Wake up! This child is Zhang Hua's, he raped you! You're weak, you'd die if you had an abortion, that's why we kept the child! You're Granny You's sister from the Ning Mansion, your mother and sister are both dead, and you're an orphan living in our house, do you hear me!"

"Second Madam, this is Second Master's child! I want to see Second Master! The child is kicking me, Second Madam, please feel it, the child can move, this is Second Master's child!"

Wang Xifeng was so angry that she was furious. She simply pulled out the gold hairpin from her hair, rolled up You Erjie's sleeve, and stabbed her arm hard until it bled.

"This child belongs to Zhang Hua! If you dare mention even a single word about Second Master, I'll scatter the bones of your mother and sister!"

Yu Erjie was stunned, and Wang Xifeng slapped her again: "Whose child is it?"

“Lian—Zhang Hua’s!” Sister You said painfully, tears streaming down her face.

"Ping'er." Wang Xifeng let out a long sigh and said slowly, "Tell two old women to take her to the front yard." She also said something specifically for You Erjie to hear, "Keep a close eye on her, and report back to me word for word what she says."

Ping'er agreed and helped You Erjie out. She wanted to say a few words of comfort, but looking at You Erjie's pregnant belly that could kill the Second Master, she couldn't say a word.

"Why...why did you hide this from me?"

Sister You silently shed tears, then quickly looked up at her and said, "Miss Ping, you have always been kind-hearted. Could you help me find Master Er? This child really is Master Er's. Thank you in advance."

Ping'er didn't know what to say. She just called a maid to bring her a wet towel to wipe her face, and then asked the old woman to take her to the front yard.

Inside the room, Wang Xifeng leaned on the table and slowly moved to a chair to sit down. She had barely caught her breath when Shan Jie rushed in: "Second Madam."

"Kneel down!" Wang Xifeng roared. Shan Jie, unaware of what was going on, knelt down in front of Wang Xifeng without warning.

Wang Xifeng kicked her in the face. Shanjie hesitated for a moment and was a little slow to dodge. She was kicked in half of her face, blood flowed out, and tears streamed down her face.

"I told you to keep an eye on her, and this is how you looked at her! She's at least seven months pregnant, seven months! That's how you saw it!"

Wang Xifeng was so angry that her chest felt tight. Shan Jie could only sob. Because her mouth had been kicked, her speech was somewhat slurred. She could only repeat two sentences over and over: "Second Mistress, have mercy." and "Second Master didn't find out either."

Wang Xifeng truly wanted her dead, but Grandmother Jia was still waiting for a reply. She forced herself to stand up, pointed at Shan Jie, and said, "You kneel down properly. Even if you break your legs, you're not allowed to get up until I give you a word!"

As Wang Xifeng spoke, she called out loudly, "Hey, whoever's breathing outside, come in!"

When the maidservant came in, Wang Xifeng pointed at Shan Jie and said, "Watch her and tell her to kneel down properly!"

Ping'er helped Wang Xifeng, and the two hurriedly returned to Grandmother Jia's room.

As soon as Wang Xifeng entered, she said, "You all go out first."

Grandmother Jia was not pleased. How could a granddaughter-in-law come to her room to give orders and be so impolite? But given the current situation, she could only nod with a sullen face, which was considered her agreement.

After everyone in the room had left, Wang Xifeng knelt down and said, "Second Sister You is pregnant, she looks... seven or eight months along."

"Ah!" Grandmother Jia exclaimed, pointing at Wang Xifeng and scolding, "I told you to wait until the mourning period is over before consummating your marriage, and you've completely ignored me?"

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia rose unsteadily, staggered over to Wang Xifeng, and slapped her across the face: "You're going to kill Lian'er!"

Wang Xifeng was both ashamed and angry. She covered her face and tears fell down her cheeks.

That thing is on Second Master's body, and even Second Master can't control himself, so why should she control him?

Besides, back then, when Second Master got involved with Bao Er's wife, he almost killed her. What did the old matriarch say? "What's the big deal?" "You greedy cat." "That's how it is."

Wang Xifeng knelt down and scurried to Jia Mu's side, hugging her leg as she said, "I have repeatedly told You Erjie to say that the child is Zhang Hua's, but You Erjie is the younger sister of You Saozi from the East Mansion next door, so I'm afraid she won't agree."

Grandmother Jia angrily said, "What could she possibly be unwilling about! They're half-sisters! What good reputation could she possibly gain from killing Lian Er? Go and do it now!"

Wang Xifeng struggled to her feet, and as soon as she left Grandmother Jia's room, she instructed Ping'er, "Get the carriage ready, let's go to Ning Mansion."

Ping'er looked worried: "Don't go, I'll go and talk to her instead. Second Madam, this is going to offend someone badly."

Wang Xifeng sneered and said through gritted teeth, "I want them all to be unable to hold their heads up high! I want everyone to know that the Rongguo Mansion cannot do without me!"

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Author's note: From now on, updates will be at 09:09:09, since the male lead can no longer be considered a bachelor.