cold-hearted
The group then boarded the sedan chair together and headed straight for the Duke's mansion.
Yao Suran had been quite busy all day and was already tired, so she propped her head up with her hand and dozed off listlessly. The maid beside her was very clever and carefully fanned Yao Suran gently. It was clear that she was Yao Suran's trusted personal maid.
With several of them sitting in the sedan chair, it was naturally a bit stuffy. The maid fanned the air, and the laurel fragrance emanating from Yao Suran filled the entire sedan chair, making it even more fragrant.
Lin Xu subtly moved his face toward the sedan curtain. As the sedan swayed, a gentle breeze occasionally blew in, instantly making him feel much more refreshed.
Yao Suran raised her eyes, her voice tinged with weariness, but she still smiled and said:
"Actually, Xu'er, you are very beautiful."
Hearing Yao Suran say this so unexpectedly, Lin Xu looked away from the window and thought for a moment before saying, "Sister Su'an is elegant and graceful, and Sister Suran is as beautiful as a begonia. They are both very beautiful."
Yao Suran curled her lips into a smile, still resting her hand on her forehead, and shifted to a more comfortable position.
"Then what do you think of Princess Kunrou?"
Lin Xu lowered his eyes, his expression hidden in the shadows of the fluttering sedan curtains, making it indistinct. "Princess Kunrou is noble and dashing, far surpassing ordinary women."
The person who was squinting and pretending to be asleep chuckled and gently shook their head.
"It's just sisters chatting privately behind closed doors, why are you suddenly becoming so reserved?"
Seeing that Lin Xu still kept a composed expression, Yao Suran straightened up, smiling gently, but a hint of weariness appeared in her eyes.
"It's so boring that everyone is so fond of speaking official jargon."
Seeing that she couldn't easily get anything out of Lin Xu, she turned her gaze to the maid holding the fan. The maid was very perceptive; seeing Yao Suran's signal, she stopped what she was doing and busied herself taking a jade teacup from the enamel basket that had been prepared beforehand.
Yao Suran scoffed, "Forget it, there will be fine purple bamboo shoots later. Why drink tea now and let Sister Xu'er make fun of us?"
The maid who was fetching tea immediately stopped what she was doing and bowed her head in response.
The sedan chair traveled for quite a while before Yao Suran broke the silence inside. Looking at Lin Xu, she said with a hint of worry, "Actually, there's another matter I wanted to ask of you, sister, for today."
Lin Xu looked at that delicate and bright face with a questioning expression, and Yao Suran gently said:
"My eldest sister has been very preoccupied lately. She seemed delirious the other day, saying she wanted Father to arrange a marriage proposal to the young master of the Zhou family in the east of the city. Xu'er, you seem to be quite intelligent, so why don't you tell me, is the Zhou family, which has been in business for generations, a good match for my eldest sister?"
Yao Su'an comes from a distinguished family and is beautiful and dignified. The Zhou family is also extremely wealthy. How could they not be a good match?
Having already asked the question, she didn't want to hear such a simplistic answer.
"Both of my elder sisters are outstanding in appearance and character among the noble ladies of Mujing. They would be more than qualified to be married to any prince or noble family."
After listening, Yao Suran's face showed some approval. Lin Xu paused for a moment, then continued:
"However, I have heard that not only is Young Master Zhou from a wealthy family, but he is also an outstanding person, one in a million. Moreover, if he can be chosen by the discerning Sister Su'an, he must be quite remarkable."
Her voice was soft, yet very firm.
After listening carefully to these words, Yao Suran felt a pang of melancholy, as if all her strength had been drained, and she slumped against the soft cushions of the sedan chair. After a long while, she murmured to herself:
"Even you say that...?"
In fact, Lin Xu knew that Yao Suran had a very high level of ambition.
Duke Xu was the son of the former General of the Cavalry. In his youth, he followed his father in battle and made great contributions. Later, he was ennobled and became the head of the senior officials in the court. His children were also very capable. His eldest son, Yao Qijiang, guarded Cizhou and held military power. His youngest daughter entered the royal palace at an early age and later rose through the ranks to become a royal concubine. She is now the favored Consort Ming by Emperor Su's side.
With such a family background, even ordinary nobles and high-ranking officials would find it difficult to catch their eye.
However, the younger generation of the Duke's mansion is a mixed bag. The women are all fine, after all, they have been pampered since childhood and their looks and talents are not too bad; among the young grandchildren, however, there are a few well-known spoiled brats in Mujing.
Yao Sha, the eldest grandson who was extremely favored at home, was a typical example. When Lin Xu passed by the martial arts training ground, Yao Sha took a liking to her. When she ignored him, Yao Sha became angry and made sarcastic remarks, which led to Zhao Qi, the guard of the training ground at the time, speaking up for her.
Therefore, Lin Xu understood that Yao Suran might not actually like the Third Prince. What she valued was clearly the Third Prince's status as the legitimate son of the Empress and the power behind him. How to advance further through her future husband's family was what she wanted to achieve. In comparison, Yao Su'an's affection for Zhou Weikan was much simpler.
The sisters were deeply in love. Yao Suran, who had high aspirations, probably saw her sister's longing for her every day and was very angry at her sister's lack of self-control. That's why she wanted to use Lin Xu's words, an outsider, to make Yao Su'an more aware of her feelings.
But if you truly like someone, how can you be easily swayed by the words of others?
Lin Xu watched coldly, thinking that the rift between the two would only grow stronger in the future.
The sedan chair traveled for a short while before finally arriving at the gate of the Duke's mansion. Yao Suran came to her senses, gave Lin Xu a faint smile, and the two of them, with the help of maids, alighted from the sedan chair.
Outside the mansion, maids and old nannies were already waiting. Although they had never seen Lin Xu before, they saw that he was dressed in the style of an official and that he was very close to the second young lady, Yao Suran. So they all greeted Lin Xu with smiles.
As Yao Suran was about to enter the mansion, she noticed several sedan chairs parked not far from the gate and casually asked:
Why is it so lively?
The elderly nanny at the head of the group stepped forward and said softly with a smile, "Young Master came back early from the martial arts training ground today. He kept complaining about the heat, and now he's invited four or five friends to play cards in the side courtyard."
Yao Suran snorted coldly upon hearing this, clearly displeased with her younger brother. Just then, Yao Su'an's sedan chair arrived behind them, so they waited for Yao Su'an at the gate, and the three of them entered the mansion together.
Lin Xu felt complicated as he stepped into the Duke's mansion once again.
When she was invited, she was naturally overjoyed. At that time, the mansion was full of noble ladies who had received invitations, and it was very lively. She moved around and found everything new and exciting, silently marveling at the grandeur of the Duke's mansion.
This time, she and the Yao sisters walked in hand in hand, and the maids and servants they encountered along the way all greeted her with exceptional respect and made way for her.
The group had become classmates at Zhiqiongtang, and even the proud Yao sisters showed a greater degree of intimacy on the surface. Moreover, now that she was observing from the sidelines, she noticed many things she had never noticed before.
For example, Yao Suran, who was willing to stand up for her sister and publicly humiliate her, actually looked down on her sister's crying and whining behavior.
For example, the Duke's mansion, though luxurious and extravagant, is actually showing signs of decline. The Duke's past achievements alone are unlikely to sustain the family's lavish lifestyle for long.
The Yao family is still in power, and those around them naturally hold them in high esteem and fear. However, if they make a single mistake, even a minor one, it could threaten this crumbling edifice.
This is a lesson she has learned from reading more books recently.
When the Lin family had just lost power, Lin Xu was also filled with resentment.
Dou Huaisheng's petty scheming is one thing, but when Emperor Su received the memorial, couldn't he distinguish right from wrong?
The Dou family had just submitted their memorial when the eunuch who was to deliver the imperial decree arrived around noon. His swift and decisive action suggested that it was not merely a hasty decision made on a whim by the emperor.
Since ancient times, serving a ruler has been like serving a tiger; if one loses the ruler's heart, one has nothing left.
The Lin family realized this far too late.
Before a monarch, one must always act with extreme caution and a sense of self-preservation. Given his father's upright and incorruptible character, he might have unknowingly offended the emperor with his words long ago.
Everything happens for a reason. My father wasn't as astute enough back then, and that's why he suffered a terrible setback. Now, looking at the extravagance of the Duke's mansion and the character of the Yao family's children...
Lin Xu couldn't help but feel a bit of the sentiment of someone who had been through it all.
After all, with the building on the verge of collapse and a storm brewing, who can sleep soundly?
.
The Yao sisters lived in the second courtyard of the mansion. Their rooms were separated only by a corridor and were not far from the back garden. Yao Su'an changed her clothes, worried that the wind in the garden might make her catch a cold, so she invited Lin Xu to stay with her in the tea room facing the back garden. It was quite quiet, separated by the ink bamboo of Langxuan Pavilion.
As soon as the group sat down, maids carrying tea and various pastries came in one by one and presented the tea and pastries.
The maid who had fanned Yao Suran in the sedan chair earlier smiled as she served food to the two sisters and Lin Xu. Lin Xu had just eaten lunch brought from home at Qiongzhi Hall, and didn't have much of an appetite, but the little maid was very enthusiastic, her eyes sparkling with smiles as she said:
"Miss Lin, this is your first time visiting. I wonder if the pastries suit your taste? They are all prepared according to the latest trends. Please have a taste."
Yao Su'an picked up a piece of crispy fried snail, savored it carefully with her cherry-like lips, and then revealed a satisfied expression. "This crispy fried snail is really good today. Yueqiao has put in a lot of effort."
Yao Suran picked up her teacup and sipped it slowly, then smiled at Lin Xu and said, "I told you long ago that my eldest sister's cooking is excellent. You definitely won't regret coming here."
Seeing her younger sister's sharp tongue, Yao Su'an simply smiled and shook her head, gently explaining to Lin Xu:
"Yueqiao is my pastry maid who has been with me since she was a child. The pastries she is good at are all the ones that Su Ran loves to eat. She has scolded me a lot for this. Su Ran has always been straightforward, so Xu'er, please don't take offense."
Lin Xu naturally nodded and smiled. The group, who were of similar age, chatted witty remarks while drinking tea, creating a lively atmosphere.
Lin Xu picked up a piece of Bijian bean cake, and it was indeed refreshing and sweet, with a very smooth texture.
The maidservant beside her poured another cup of tea. The moment it touched the cup, a delicate fragrance filled the air. The tender, verdant leaves swayed gently in the hot water, and the tea was sweet and delicious. She couldn't help but exclaim:
"This Zisun tea is truly exceptional; its buds and leaves resemble bamboo shoots. Is it a newly harvested tea this year?"
Yao Su'an nodded, her ear tips turning slightly red.
"It seems that Sister Xu'er has the same taste as me. Both leaves were picked around Qingming Festival, with the purple ones being the best. When I first got it, I was overjoyed, always feeling that this tea was fresher and more mellow than ordinary tea."
Yao Suran chuckled, "You're clearly reminiscing about someone just by looking at this!"
Lin Xu looked at Yao Su'an, whose cheeks had turned bright red, and asked softly, "I've often heard you mention Zhou Lang, so is this Zisun tea a gift from Young Master Zhou?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Su'an blushed slightly and lowered her head shyly.
“He is a gentle man. When I kept mentioning it, he asked someone to buy it from my uncle. He sent over a full two pounds.”
After saying that, she gently brushed the stray hairs behind her ear and said, half-jokingly and half-scoldingly, "I don't drink tea all the time, so how could I possibly drink that much?"
The tea leaves, which had been swirling and dancing in the cup with the steam of the tea, gradually slowed down and slowly settled at the bottom of the cup.
Lin Xu lowered her eyes, watching the emerald green tea leaves steaming in front of her, her red lips pursed, and remained silent for a long time.
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