Regret (End of Volume 3)
In the eighth year of the Yuanzhen era, the borders of Dayu were repeatedly harassed by neighboring countries. Prince Mao was summoned to lead an expedition, and he successively defeated four enemy prefectures. With 300,000 iron cavalry, he achieved a great victory and led his army back to the capital. The emperor was overjoyed and specially ordered the imperial carriage to welcome him to the eastern capital. A banquet was held in front of the emperor for three days, and the inner court was ordered to announce to the whole country that all civil and military officials, members of the imperial family and noblewomen were invited to attend banquets in the Jingren and Yanhe Halls for three consecutive days of celebration.
That battle was the only victory for Emperor Su shortly after he assumed personal rule. Prince Mao not only avenged his previous defeat but also broke the curse that had plagued Dayu for years, making him the first among the Three Dukes in terms of military achievements. He was then granted the title of Assistant General. His adjutant, He Qijiang, and the 14th Division that accompanied the army also became renowned from that time onward, becoming the Iron Family Army, praised by all the people of Dayu.
On the day the imperial edict was issued, although Lin Xu was still quite young at the time, he remembered that it was a grand scene with all the officials entering the palace to celebrate, and no fewer than a hundred noblewomen and other people entered the palace to express their gratitude... There was singing and dancing, and the atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.
Liang Shuangyu, on the other hand, entered the palace from her home to attend the banquet on the third day.
"...This old servant remembers that the lady was already feeling unwell at that time. She accepted the invitation from the palace and dared not disobey, so on the last day, she rode alone in her carriage to attend the banquet. As a third-rank noblewoman, she thought it would just be an ordinary banquet to express her gratitude, at most exchanging a few words with the ladies she knew. She didn't even wear her finest attire and instructed this old servant to make pastries for you, Miss, after she returned..."
Granny Qin wiped away her tears halfway through her story before continuing, "But who would have thought that the Madam wouldn't return that night, and it wasn't until the next day that news came from the palace..."
Lady Liang, a noblewoman, went to a banquet in the palace, but unfortunately fell seriously ill at night and died.
She was too young to understand such words. But she could vaguely guess from the way her father staggered after hearing the message from the eunuch that had brought it that something bad had happened... Later, she cried and begged her father to bring her mother back. Lin Fu just sighed and lovingly stroked her forehead.
"Good Xu'er... From now on, it will be the two of us who depend on each other for survival."
The usually gentle father seemed to have aged ten years overnight, even his beard appeared to be covered with a layer of silver frost. After that, the father gradually became more and more taciturn. The huge house was empty all day long, Lin Xu suffered from nightmares every day, and even had a high fever that wouldn't go down, almost costing him his life.
If my mother hadn't had that accident that year... she wouldn't have become so ignorant and incompetent, my father wouldn't have been so heartbroken and neglected his political career, and things wouldn't have turned out the way they did in my previous life...
My mother had always been in good health. Even when she was slightly unwell back then, she certainly didn't have any serious illness. How could she have lost her life in less than half a day! Therefore, although she hadn't found any clues in her investigation into her mother's death before, when Old Madam Wen mentioned that her mother had been summoned away by the Empress, she had a very strong premonition—
The Empress must have killed my mother!
The current Empress Dowager, known for her gentle and dignified demeanor, and praised by the world as a virtuous empress, is the biological mother of the current crown prince. Who would have thought that she would be so ruthless and cruel behind the scenes, taking the life of an innocent person!
Countless waves surged within Lin Xu, who closed his trembling eyes, his hatred seeping into his very bones…
Zhu Ling knew how sad Lin Xu was, and she gently stroked Lin Xu's thin shoulders to comfort her: "Even if you want to feel sad, Madam, you must consider the baby in your womb. Don't be too sad and hurt your body repeatedly."
Granny Qin hurriedly slapped her face and said remorsefully, "That's right, it's all my fault for bringing up these old stories. Miss, you should focus on your pregnancy now. The Second Master's career is going well, and the Master has a new baby boy. Everything is going in the right direction."
Lin Xu understood that they were all doing it for her own good. She was currently confined to the inner quarters, while the Empress was of immeasurable status, holding a high position. How could she possibly get close to her, let alone find out the truth about what happened back then? Although Lin Xu had not yet sorted out her thoughts, she knew that this matter could only be planned slowly.
Meanwhile, Zhou Weikan's matter was already giving her a huge headache...
The imperial merchants and the princes had been colluding for a long time, and Lin Xu couldn't think of any other reason besides treason. But even before the Third Prince entered the Eastern Palace, he had already secured victory. As the son of the Empress, he was skilled in both literature and martial arts and had entered the court early to assist Emperor Su. Why would he risk so much and do something so unnecessary?
Moreover, he is now the Crown Prince, only one step away from the throne in the Golden Palace, so why does he still maintain contact with Zhou Weikan and collect those weapons into the palace? Although Emperor Su has been in power for many years, the court has always been dominated by civil officials such as Zhao Xiang, and military generals such as Prince Mao have made great military achievements, making the court a chaotic mess.
As she read more and more books in this life, and pondered many things in secret, Lin Xu gradually came to understand that for a man like her father, an upright official who had no interest in factional strife, who had neither family protection nor imperial relatives, navigating the vortex of the court was incredibly difficult and thankless. Perhaps her father's downfall in her previous life was an inevitable misfortune.
After thinking about it for a long time, Lin Xu felt somewhat powerless. Her body was getting heavier, and her memory and physical strength were not as good as before. She could only plan slowly and could not be reckless.
So she simply ate the lunch that Rongwei had prepared: a few light side dishes, a bowl of milky white fish soup, and two small pieces of sweet jujube cake. Zhuling brought a few soft pillows to put behind her back. The room was warm and cozy with the glow of incense, so she leaned against the window to take a nap.
She was no longer alone. Now, there was a little life inside her that needed her care and protection. She had to get enough rest and stay safe. Thinking this, Lin Xu quickly fell asleep.
.
The next day, Dou Yanxun left the mansion early again.
These days he left early and returned late, sometimes not even seeing Lin Xu when he came back. Lin Xu knew he was busy with official duties, and the people in the Censorate were all sharp-tongued and not to be trifled with, so he must be exhausted. Therefore, she specially asked someone to leave him a bowl of hot hen and ginseng soup. Unexpectedly, when he woke up in the morning, the bowl of soup was still untouched.
She thought he had been busy lately and planned to cook him a nourishing meal when he had some free time. After Lin Xu finished his breakfast and practiced calligraphy, he was called over by Dou Zhen's personal maid, Pan'er, to have tea together in the warm pavilion in the back garden.
He Miaoyi stayed at the Dou family's house for five days and had become quite familiar with Lin Xu. Today, she wore a short brocade jacket in begonia red, trimmed with silver fur trim on the collar and adorned with two mutton-fat jade buttons at the cuffs. Her face was framed by the fur trim at the collar, making her red lips and white teeth appear even more striking, and her appearance was quite pretty.
She stared intently at the plate of sesame cakes in front of Dou Zhen, making both Lin Xu and Dou Zhen laugh. Dou Zhen then pushed the plate of pastries towards her, saying, "Come on, they're all yours!"
Only then did He Miaoyi happily pick up a piece of sugar cake, about half the size of her palm, and begin to eat it with relish. Even the little maids standing by were amused. Even Xue Tuan'er, held in Rong Wei's arms, narrowed its dark eyes and wagged its tail frantically.
He Miaoyi adored puppies. Ever since she saw Rongwei teasing Xue Tuan'er in the back garden, she always begged Lin Xu to bring Xue Tuan'er to her for tea.
Since Dou Zhen came of age, two families have come to propose marriage. One is the youngest son of the Cui family in Hedong, and the other is General Lai from the southern city. However, Lady Bai dislikes the Cui family because, although they have produced noble ladies for generations and even a concubine from the previous dynasty, none of them hold official positions in the current dynasty, so they are not a good match for Dou Zhen.
Although General Lai held the rank of Third-Rank Tiger-Bestowing General and was a close confidant of Prince Mao and He Qijiang in his early years, he was already over thirty and still unmarried, so Lady Bai rejected him again. Lady Bai's rejection of two such prestigious marriage proposals without a word made other families who were interested in Dou Zhen hesitate.
Although Dou Zhen was shy and didn't mention it, Lin Xu could still see her anxiety.
Because Jiang Heng has made no move so far. No one from the Jiang family has come to mention the idea of a marriage alliance with the Dou family.
As the group laughed and joked, Dou Zhen gradually stopped smiling, looked down at Xue Tuan'er who was sticking out her tongue, and seemed to be thinking about something, with a shadow falling over her eyes.
"The weather has been fine these past few days. I heard that Baozhen Pavilion on North Street has recently acquired a new batch of rouge. Third Sister, are you interested?"
She was thinking that when the two of them went out alone, she could try to find out what Dou Zhen was thinking.
Unexpectedly, He Miaoyi raised her head, her eyes sparkling:
"Really, I've never been to the North Street area before!"
Dou Zhen laughed, "How could that be? Doesn't Miss He usually love going out of the manor to play?"
He Miaoyi pouted and said sadly, "It used to be like this, but ever since my elder brother was injured, Father has scolded me for not being ambitious and always thinking about going out to play. I don't care about my family at all, and it's been a long time since I've gone out for a proper stroll." The little maid that He Miaoyi brought also nodded in agreement.
Since that was the case, the group agreed to change their clothes and go out for a stroll in the carriage when the daylight was still bright. Lin Xu had slept relatively well last night and was full of energy, so she nodded in agreement. She then instructed Steward Qi to prepare the carriage, while the others went back to their rooms to change their clothes.
Since becoming pregnant, Lin Xu had always dressed loosely and comfortably, without much embellishment. She simply changed into a light lotus-colored floral jacket, recombed her hair, and got ready. As she led Zhu Ling through the corridor, she saw a figure in crimson begonia and another in deep blue, faintly visible behind the layers of trees not far from the hexagonal pavilion.
It looked more like He Miaoyi and another tall man.
Lin Xu and Zhu Ling exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat puzzled. Who was Miss He talking to?
Are there any other tall young men in this mansion?
The two women slowed their pace and walked a few more steps forward, looking through the winding corridor. Sure enough, they saw Miss He, with her hair in a single bun, and a man who looked somewhat unfamiliar.
The man was tall and appeared to be around twenty years old. He was dressed in a dark blue robe with wide sleeves and had handsome features. He stood opposite Miss He.
As the two were talking, from Lin Xu's perspective, Miss He had her back to her, and could only see the young man's appearance, which was polite yet approachable.
Zhu Ling was the first to react:
"Madam, this is your nephew, Dou Tonghan, who came to stay at the manor with Old Madam Dou."
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