letter
Yao Suran was a well-known heiress in Mujing, and even though she was now down on her luck, the news of her sudden death was still shocking.
Dou Zhen's letter was sent early, and by the time Lin Xu had rested for a while and regained his energy, the news had spread throughout the small county of Laining. Everyone said that the Duke of Xu's mansion was having a run of bad luck, and seeing that so many troubles had already occurred, they should find a master to tell their fortunes.
Lin Xu rubbed her temples, but still felt uneasy. Zhu Ling stayed by her side, and Nong Yu brought over a bowl of steamed, soft rock sugar pear soup. Lin Xu drank a few sips of the sweet, hot soup before feeling a little more at ease.
Even Zhu Ling was surprised when she mentioned this.
"...I never imagined that Miss Yao would be so arrogant and domineering...Although she was hateful, she shouldn't have died so young..."
When Lin Xu came of age, Yao Suran and her maid Feng Ying made things difficult for Zhu Ling in every way. Lin Xu still remembers Zhu Ling's panicked and bloodied face at that time.
When Granny Qin returned from her errands outside the mansion, she heard some rumors and told them to Lin Xu in detail.
It is said that Yao Suran went out to admire flowers alone in the summer and accidentally fell into the lake. Because she fell into a secluded corner, her cries for help went unheard, and she lost her life.
Lin Xu put down the white porcelain bowl in his hand.
Given Yao Suran's personality, she would never go out alone, let alone to admire flowers. Yao Suran has never cared about the beautiful flowers among the blossoms.
In the past, whenever she went out, she would always be accompanied by several maids. That was fine, but during the few days Yao Suran went out to admire the flowers, Lai Ning experienced several torrential rains, and Mu Jing was so close, so the weather must have been no different. How could a pampered young lady from the Duke's mansion willingly brave the heavy rain to go to Jiuqiao Lake to admire the flowers?
Upon closer examination, this matter contains many suspicious points, which inevitably arouses suspicion.
"Having encountered such a serious incident, has the Yao family reported it to the authorities?"
Granny Qin said, "I heard that Madam Yao fainted immediately and didn't wake up for two whole days. She was completely disoriented. Even though the Mu Jing government sent people to investigate, Miss Yao's body had been soaked in the lake for a long time and was very swollen, so they couldn't find anything... I'm afraid this matter can only be left unresolved and treated as an accidental fall into the water."
After a pause, seemingly observing Lin Xu's expression, Granny Qin continued:
"This old servant has also heard that ever since this incident, the young master of the Yao family has been completely distraught. He was already somewhat mentally unstable before, but now he's utterly incoherent, constantly spouting nonsense. Now that the Duke's mansion has suffered such a blow, and with one mishap after another occurring among his descendants... I'm afraid he'll never amount to anything again..."
The young master of the Yao family is Yao Shan, the third-generation direct descendant of the Yao family. He was also the most beloved grandson of the former patriarch Yao.
Lin Xu remembered that when she last saw Yao Suran, she coldly said that her younger brother was already insane and almost a cripple.
Unexpectedly, with Yao Suran gone, Yao Sha's condition was aggravated and became even more serious.
Her mind raced through memories of those old friends and events: the once-prosperous Duke's mansion, the proud and shy Yao Sha, the incomparably beautiful Yao sisters, hand in hand, laughing and talking... She felt a sense of melancholy and speechlessness.
Granny Qin was reluctant to mention Yao Sha in the first place, and not wanting to remind Lin Xu of past unpleasantness, she quickly changed the subject with a smile:
"Speaking of which, the mountain road was blocked by torrential rain and falling rocks a few days ago, which delayed your birthday gifts. Now that many gifts have arrived one after another, would you like to go to the storeroom to take a look?"
Granny Qin had already efficiently compiled those gift lists and shown them to her.
Even now, far away in the military, Liang Zhengyuan and Liao Yan still sent her birthday gifts.
Knowing her tastes, Liang Si sent her a box of preserved plums and a box of salt cakes, which he said were a specialty from the south. The two kinds of pastries were packed in a delicate little box, wrapped cleanly in fragrant oiled paper, and a letter was also tucked inside.
The letter contained only a few words. Liang Si said that he would probably return in triumph soon and asked Lin Xu to prepare to welcome him. He also inquired about his father Lin Fu's health and Gao Youyi's pregnancy.
Lin Xu hadn't heard Liang Zhengyuan speak with such confidence in a long time, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and familiarity. After all the ups and downs, the carefree and easygoing Liang Si had finally returned. She had even worried that Liang Zhengyuan would stop smiling, since joking around and teasing her all day long was Liang Si's personality.
This year, Liao Yan gave her a piece of emerald green stone that shimmered faintly even in the darkest night. The stone was packaged in an exquisite purple teak box. Liao Yan solemnly declared it a luminous stone called a "SeSe Stone," one that Mu Jing could hardly find even a half of, making it priceless. He assured her that if it were lost, she would be held responsible.
Lin Xu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
Liao Yan was a unique and individualistic person.
My two cousins, Liang Zhengqi and Liang Zhengze, also sent birthday gifts. Each of them gave me some top-quality tonics, ginseng, jujube honey, and abalone with bones. My second cousin's wife also wrote in her letter that she didn't know when Lin Xu would be free to come back to Hecheng for a few days, because my maternal grandfather was getting old, but he always missed his youngest niece very much.
Lin Xu naturally wanted to go back and see his maternal grandfather.
In her past life, she had lived at her maternal grandparents' house for a period of time when she was seven years old, to ease her mind, and never returned. Later, when the Lin family encountered trouble, she could never go back...
Whenever her maternal grandfather was mentioned, Lin Xu felt a pang of longing, and even a touch of melancholy would well up within her. She missed him dearly, and she also missed the carefree days she spent in Hecheng.
Besides these, her father, Gao Youyi, Aunt Lan, and Dou Zhen also sent their congratulatory gifts. Her father sent a valuable celadon inkstone and a set of fine rabbit-hair brushes; her brushes had become a bit rough after prolonged use and needed replacing…
Gao Youyi gave her two blue and white plum vases with cloud and dragon patterns, which would surely look beautiful when placed by the window in winter to hold plum branches, and were also very valuable; Dou Zhen gave her two calligraphy books, one "Tea Record" and the other "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription", as well as a lake blue bamboo branch patterned sachet.
Dou Zhen's calligraphy was excellent, having been taught by a renowned scholar from a young age. Lin Xu's calligraphy, on the other hand, only gained a certain elegance after she returned to school and diligently practiced, yet it was still far from the refined style of ordinary young ladies. Dou Zhen once praised her calligraphy for possessing a masculine, sharp edge. Now, in Laining, with some free time, she could finally hone her calligraphy skills once more.
When Lin Xu looked at the dozens of bolts of brocade of different colors, each one smooth and bright, displayed on the wooden shelves in the warehouse, as well as several neatly stacked tea cakes, she couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart.
Those gifts were the most valuable among all the congratulatory presents. They were unsigned, yet they all came from the same place.
It comes from a place she now avoids at all costs, yet, for some reason, she always manages to get involved again.
A thoughtful expression slowly surfaced in Lin Xu's eyes.
Why would Zhou Weikan remember her birthday?
Why would he send these valuable items to Laining for no apparent reason?
For some reason, seeing Lin Xu staring at the bolts of cloth in front of him in deep thought, Granny Qin smiled and said:
"This was sent to you by someone from Zhou's Tea House in Mujing City, specially to celebrate your birthday. I've heard that the Zhou family are imperial merchants for generations, and also the silk industry magnates of Mujing City. Their businesses alone can ensure that their descendants will be worry-free for generations..."
Nowadays, many business tycoons and celebrities come to curry favor with Dou Yanxun, because anyone who can establish a connection with an official will find it easier to do business in the future. However, compared to those small businesses, the Zhou family is like an unshakeable towering tree.
Zhu Ling understood a little better; this was the same young nobleman who had invited Madam to tea when she sought shelter from the rain last time. Madam didn't want to make a fuss about it and wanted to pretend she didn't know the young manager of the Zhou family.
Lin Xu remained calm and indifferent, and instructed Qin Mama in a low voice, "The Zhou family are business leaders, so they are naturally very polite in their dealings with others. The Zhou family gave this gift out of courtesy, so we should remember this favor."
Granny Qin nodded in agreement. But Lin Xu was clutching the gift list tightly in her hand, her fingertips turning white from the force.
Lin Xu returned to the warm pavilion and instructed Zhu Ling to bring candles, which she quickly burned to ashes. Only the remaining, cooled ashes remained.
She was very happy to receive so many gifts, but she was also very grateful that people remembered her and cared about her. After taking a sip of the cooled white tea, Lin Xu picked up her pen and wrote back to everyone.
She urged Liang Zhengyuan not to slack off, but also to take care of his health on the battlefield; she was concerned about Gao Youyi's due date, and even mentioned in her letter that she had recently dreamed of the scene last year when she and Gao Youyi were drinking tea by the window at home...
In her reply to Liao Yan, Lin Xu briefly mentioned that she was doing well, and then wrote down in detail the information she had found about the Yunji Nine Departments.
Among the various kingdoms and tribes along the western border, the Nine Tribes of Yunji were the most valiant and skilled in battle. Their leaders were known for their ruthlessness, and any captured soldiers from Dayu would inevitably suffer humiliation, often making those soldiers wish they were dead. Since ancient times, the Central Plains had referred to the Nine Tribes of Yunji as uncivilized southern barbarians.
In his previous life, Lin Xu also remembered this battle. The riot was instigated by the chief of the Yunji Nine Tribes, who repeatedly harassed the people and villages on the border. Later, he brutally massacred several elderly and weak people in a small village and abducted several young women.
At that time, even though Lin Xu never cared about court affairs, he knew that Emperor Su was furious about this and was enraged overnight. He immediately dispatched troops to march south, determined to annihilate the entire Yunji.
The commander-in-chief who led the troops in that pacification campaign was Yao Qijiang, who was highly regarded by Emperor Su at the time and was the uncle of the three Yao siblings. Yao Qijiang had been guarding Cizhou for many years. Upon receiving the transfer order, he immediately led his troops south and charged into battle with He Qijiang, who was the deputy commander at the time. In less than half a month, they captured the newly appointed chief commander.
In a swift move, he severed the head of the chief's most capable lieutenant. The Yunji Nine Tribes were severely weakened by this battle, and Yao and He seized the opportunity to install the former chief's youngest son as leader, easily quelling the unrest.
When they returned to the capital, they were all rewarded handsomely. Yao Qijiang was even appointed as a third-rank general, and from then on he held great power and guarded the Forbidden City of Mujing. Even the powerful Prince Mao could not do anything to him at that time.
However, now that the Yao family has lost power, Yao Qijiang is still trapped in Cizhou, and He Qijiang is bedridden... Naturally, the two of them have no chance to get a share of the spoils from this turmoil.
Knowing the final outcome and having high hopes for Zhao Qiang's skills and abilities, Lin Xu naturally didn't live in constant fear.
Her only worry was that some people in the team might be dissatisfied with Princess Kunrou being appointed as a deputy general on her first battlefield experience, which could cause some trouble.
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