Nemesis
After Xu Yanqing left that day, Dou Yanxun stayed in the courtyard for most of the day before having to leave due to official business.
Now he is considered a formal member of the Crown Prince's faction, and before Wei Zhao was deposed, he had a close relationship with the Crown Prince. For a time, the Eastern Palace had to discuss countermeasures to protect themselves in the midst of the upheaval. On the other hand, with the elimination of the Zhenshan Prince and the Huo family's power, the Crown Prince, as the already designated heir apparent, naturally has an increased chance for the future.
Thus, everyone in the Eastern Palace became busy. Although Dou Yanxun was currently serving as the Junior Chamberlain, Song Xiyan's father had always been one of the most trusted advisors to the Crown Prince, so many matters were naturally handled by Song Zhihua, who was then serving as the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, rather than by Dou Yanxun.
Before leaving, Dou Yanxun sat by the bed for a long time, reluctant to part with the sleeping Mianxue, and remained silent for a while.
Mianxue... his daughter. He had already missed so many days with her, missed her birth and her full moon celebration, so naturally he couldn't miss any more days he could spend with her.
As the light and shadows shifted outside the window, the already handsome face was tinged with a chill by the falling shadows. Lin Xu, seeing this, couldn't bear it any longer and softly comforted him:
"...Mianxue is beautiful and has always been very well-behaved. She never cries or makes a fuss. Being with her makes the days fly by."
What she didn't say was that everyone says daughters resemble their fathers, and as Mianxue grew up, she looked more and more like him.
Dou Yanxun was finally happy. That was his daughter; how could she not be outstanding? He just needed to work harder and harder to give her and Mianxue a better life.
He naturally pulled her into his arms and kissed her soft cheek. Her eyes, so clear and innocent, were incredibly alluring, making it impossible to look away after just one glance.
Noticing that Dou Yanxun's eyes had gradually darkened, Lin Xu's cheeks suddenly flushed red again. She pushed against his chest while whispering, "Waiting for you to come back..."
He stood with his back to the half-open window, half of his face obscured, but the slowly rising joy in his eyes could not be hidden from her.
Dou Yanxun paused, looking at her very solemnly, and brushed the stray hairs from her temple behind her ear, as if making a promise.
"good."
He lingered for a long time, but finally had to leave. He gently kissed Mianxue's forehead one last time before hurrying away.
Lin Xu breathed a sigh of relief. She watched as the two guards locked the gate tightly, and then she felt a warm breeze at her feet.
Looking down, she saw Xuetuan sticking out her tongue, looking at her mischievously.
It's been a long time since I've seen her, and the little one has obviously gotten much fatter. It seems she hasn't really missed me all this time.
Lin Xu crouched down and stroked Xue Tuan's head, her heart softening. The two of them, the dog, a quiet little courtyard, and their beloved daughter—wasn't that a peaceful happiness in itself?
However, such a life is nothing but a pipe dream before the real big events have been settled.
After calming herself down, she instructed Zhuling to prepare some things and went to the woodshed in the backyard that had been closed for a long time.
This woodshed was almost abandoned and rarely used. Only a small vent had been cut into the roof beam, allowing a little air and light to get in. Nearly ten days had passed since Qin Mama was exposed and imprisoned here.
"Squeak—"
As the wooden gate was slowly pushed open, a cloud of dust rushed in, causing Zhu Ling to cough.
The room was dimly lit, with only a sliver of sunlight streaming down from above, barely touching the neatly stacked hay. In the coldest, darkest corner, huddled an elderly figure. It was none other than Granny Qin, who had been by his side for over ten years.
Beside her feet was an empty, dried-out bowl and half a hard, dry grain cake.
During this time, Zhu Ling and Rong Wei took care of the household, and even assigned two of their strongest guards to watch over her day and night. In addition, Li Niang from the kitchen made some dried cakes and water for her every day so that Granny Qin would not starve to death.
Perhaps because she hadn't seen anyone for a long time, or perhaps because the light from the wide-open door dazzled her eyes, Granny Qin hesitated for a long time before slowly lowering her arm that had been shielding her from the light.
He revealed a face full of wrinkles and graying silver hair.
After she squinted and recognized Lin Xu, a smile slowly crept out from her brows.
"Miss……"
For many years, Granny Qin had called her that, and even after Lin Xu got married, she never changed the way she was used to calling her. Sometimes Granny Qin would even feel a little dazed. She was just a little girl who was only half a person tall back then, and all she did was cause trouble and eat sweets. How did she suddenly grow into such a bright and dazzling woman?
In fact, the longer she stayed by Lin Xu's side, the more powerless she felt, and many times she could no longer keep it a secret.
Her mother... Although Liang Shuangyu passed away early, anyone who had even the slightest interaction with her would not easily forget this former beauty of Hecheng, forget her clear and bright eyes, and her captivating beauty that could easily steal half of a person's soul with every smile and frown.
Qin Mama was part of the Empress's dowry and one of her most trusted confidantes over the years. However, in order to conceal the incident from back then and to cover up the fact that she was forced to kill the innocent Liang Shuangyu, the Empress still had to use her as a pawn and plant her in the Lin family.
"You must watch Lin Fu and Liang's child grow up, and you must ensure that they never amount to anything. You must also ensure that... nothing about what happened back then is ever exposed."
For many years, Granny Qin had kept the Empress's instructions firmly in mind and dared not disobey them in the slightest. In fact, the Empress instructed her to find a reason to send a message to her every ten days to ensure that everything was in order.
She's just a little girl, how much of a threat could she possibly pose? At first, Granny Qin didn't take it seriously, thinking that the Empress had experienced too much intrigue and backstabbing in the palace, so she was just overthinking it.
At that time, Lin Fu suddenly lost his first wife, and he was so heartbroken that he neglected his political affairs and felt guilty for losing his mother, Lin Xu, and became even more lenient towards him.
With just a few nudges from Granny Qin, the childish Lin Xu would commit one mischief after another, completely disregarding his father's criticisms. Later, when Qi Shuang'er entered the household, her fear and resentment towards Lin Xu stemmed solely from Lin Xu's daily disrespectful attitude towards her, instigated by Granny Qin.
Originally, Granny Qin thought that this was how Lin Xu's life would be.
Despite her beauty, she was ignorant and incompetent, and her father's indulgence and pampering made her arrogant and domineering. At that time, being able to climb the social ladder to the prestigious Zhou family was Lin Xu's greatest ability.
But unexpectedly, she gradually realized that the girl she had watched grow up seemed to have become a completely different person.
Her once proud and arrogant eyes, clear and pure like a deer's, were now filled with a lingering sense of melancholy.
Like the swirling clouds and mist of a deep mountain, her heart remains elusive and unreadable.
Granny Qin never understood.
Until that day, Lin Xu confessed in front of everyone that she had long harbored feelings for a man she had admired for a long time. That man was, at the time, a notorious playboy in Mu Jing and even the entire Dayu. What respectable noblewoman would be willing to marry him? Therefore, Granny Qin quickly dispelled her concerns.
She wasn't the only one; she remembered the day she left the Lin family under the pretext of visiting relatives and went to the palace to report to the Empress, and the Empress's relieved expression.
The sapling, nurtured for years, had finally grown into the shape she desired. The Empress not only breathed a sigh of relief but also lamented:
"Is Lin Fu too busy with politics or has he neglected raising his children? As long as she can marry smoothly, you don't need to worry about her anymore. Just treat her as usual."
Qin Mama, who was lying on the ground, stiffened, naturally understanding that the Empress was now completely letting her guard down.
The peaceful days passed quickly, but one day a torrential rainstorm struck, and she received a secret message from the palace, which led to her being hastily summoned by the Empress.
That night, the usually dignified and solemn First Lady showed a rare hint of anxiety in her eyes, but her voice was as calm as ever, filled with an icy chill.
"...It's one thing for Minister Wen to be dead, but that old lady has been mentally unstable for half a year, how come she's suddenly become delirious again? Did Lin Xu really talk to her for a long time...?"
Since then, although the Dou family's political career has not soared as it had in previous years, the once inconspicuous illegitimate son has become increasingly powerful, even surpassing his handsome elder brother and showing promise in the court. At that time, not only the crown prince, but also Emperor Su, who had long relied on Chancellor Zhao, gradually began to take notice of that person.
The Empress could no longer easily take action against the Lin family or Lin Xu, but even so, she still couldn't sleep peacefully.
...In particular, as Lin Xu grew more and more stunning and poised, she gradually became very close to the Princess's family.
She was clearly intelligent and perceptive; in fact, over the years, Lin Xu had hidden it so well that even someone as close as herself had remained unaware.
Such ambition and beauty, combined with such intelligence and forbearance, clearly indicated a talent capable of astonishing the world and governing. At that moment, Granny Qin felt a vague sense of unease.
After all, no one understood better than Granny Qin how much regret, born from countless tears and lamentations, was hidden in the teacup the Empress smashed in a fit of anger that day.
"Back then, Yun'er tried to stop me from betrothing her to her, using such a lame excuse that even though I didn't want to believe it, I did. But now, he's the Crown Prince, so why can't he let go? I've done so much for him, and in the end, he treats me like this..."
"Qin Zheng... I should have let you kill her back then."
Qin Zheng is the name of Granny Qin. Now, only the Empress knows this, and only the Empress still calls her that.
Having followed the Empress for over twenty years, she was also troubled during that period. Perhaps because of this, she overlooked the fact that Lin Xu had gradually stopped discussing important matters in front of her, and that every time he looked at her, his eyes were filled with boundless sighs and determination.
Granny Qin coughed a few times. She was old and now that she was locked up here, she was just barely clinging to life.
She looked up at the woman whose expression was cold yet subtly stubborn, and slowly smiled.
"Miss... kill this old servant."
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