relief
The Bai family put a lot of effort into finding a suitable husband for Dou Zhen at this banquet, and all the men who came to the banquet were the most distinguished and handsome men in Mujing.
Among the young masters of noble families, Zhou Weikan, dressed in a dark blue straight robe, stood out from the crowd with his refined features. He had changed his clothes, perhaps because he had left in a hurry today and hadn't brought many clothes with him. It was unclear where he had found this straight robe, but despite its ordinary fabric and color, it made him appear even more composed and impossible to ignore.
With just a quick glance, Lin Xu spotted several familiar faces in the crowd.
Cao Yuan and Zhao Fujang, the former tutors of the two princes of Zhiqiong Hall, also came today. The two looked the same as they had a year ago, but their expressions were shocked, as if they were frightened by the commotion just now and Lin Xu's actions. Not far from the two, Duan Jinru, dressed in a light blue casual robe, stood tall. His skin was now much darker from the sun, and he looked at me with his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was thinking about something.
The brothers Dou Yanzhou and Dou Yanxun, as the hosts of the house, politely accompanied the guests.
Lin Xuxin's heart sank. She looked away from the group of male guests and towards the Crown Princess who had spoken so leisurely earlier.
Miao Yiyun stood at the head of the group of women, smiling as she looked at him. Lin Xu, however, clearly saw the coldness beneath the gentleness in her eyes.
In just a moment, she realized that Miao Yiyun must have found out about her falling into the water!
She had underestimated Miao Yiyun's cunning before! It seems that Miao Yiyun's repeated harassment of her today shows that she hates her to the core and is determined to make her lose face!
No wonder, just now Miao Yiyun used the ring as an excuse to launch an attack on me through Song Xiyan and Wei Tingya. After seeing that Song Xiyan and Wei Tingya failed, she is now making suggestive remarks in front of everyone, and she even waited until all the male guests were gathered here!
That's truly wicked!
When she fell into the water, she was in a panic. Zhu Ling was guarding the path leading to the pond. Miao Yiyun was in the flower hall in the inner courtyard where guests were being received. When did her people find out about this?
Her thoughts raced aimlessly. A moment later, a chill ran down her spine behind Lin Xu. She almost dared not look into the crowd again…
Dou Yanxun's gaze just now clearly carried a hint of doubt, as if he were asking him through the crowd what had happened.
...But how should I tell him?
Miao Yiyun had planned this all along. If she still refused to hand over the ring, she would use this as an excuse to make a big fuss. She would not only use Zhou Weikan's rescue of her to sow discord between her and Dou Yanxun, but also try to ruin her reputation in front of everyone!
Lin Xu broke out in a cold sweat. In that brief moment of confusion, thousands of thoughts flashed through her mind. But how could she break this deadlock...?
Zhu Ling had already stood up and was now standing beside Lin Xu, her arm supporting him trembling slightly. Seeing Lin Xu remain silent, and not wanting to embarrass someone of Miao Yiyun's status, Bai Shi quickly said:
"Second wife, why don't you answer when the Crown Princess is so concerned about you?"
Madam Bai had stayed with the ladies of the noble families all day and had not left the front courtyard. Aunt Guo, who was still taking care of the kitchen in the back courtyard, was slightly taken aback when she saw Lin Xu, who was clearly dressed differently than in the morning.
Aunt Guo keenly noticed that Lin Xu, who had been so imposing just moments before, was now pale-faced, clearly hiding something on his mind. Having spent many years immersed in the inner quarters of the household, she immediately understood that Lin Xu was obviously concealing something!
Lin Xu's hesitant expression was clearly noticed by everyone in the hall.
Song Xiyan, who had been holding back her anger, had now come to her senses. She was still resentful of the humiliation she had suffered at Lin Xu's hands, so she coldly smiled and said, "If Madam Dou has no fear in her heart, what is there that she dares not say? I think this hesitant speech is probably because she has something to hide!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Wanzhi and Deng Tanyu, who always followed behind Song Xiyan, nodded hurriedly.
Lin Xu noticed the way everyone was looking at her and knew that if she didn't explain herself, she would face a bloody storm. Miao Yiyun was clearly prepared to take the ring from her and make her lose face today.
She gently closed her eyes, and in a short while, she had made up her mind to go all in. When she opened her eyes again, she had regained her composure.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It was merely a small handkerchief that accidentally got wet; I never expected it to attract so much attention. I am truly flattered. Actually..."
She slowly opened her mouth, but before she could finish speaking, her voice was cut off by a male voice from the crowd.
That gentle voice carried through the crowd, yet it was exceptionally resounding.
"In fact, it was Madam Dou who kept it a secret for me out of consideration for my reputation. Now that Madam is being harassed in every way, how can I sit idly by and do nothing?"
Zhou Weikan, with a gentle expression, glanced leisurely at Miao Yiyun and the Bai family, then cupped his hands and said:
"To be honest, I am new here today and not very familiar with the furnishings of your residence. That's why I got lost while admiring the scenery in the back garden. It was thanks to the kind reminder from Madam Dou that I didn't accidentally wander into the inner courtyard. The path by the lake was slippery, and Madam Dou accidentally slipped and fell into the lake while giving directions. To avoid suspicion, I sent my servant to fetch the steward. I remained silent just now because I was worried that someone with ulterior motives would use it against me and tarnish Madam Dou's reputation. I never expected that I would be so worried and do such a foolish thing, which would also implicate Madam Dou who kindly gave directions. I feel very guilty and uneasy. I hope that Your Highness, Madam Bai, and others will understand."
The Zhou family had been imperial merchants for generations, and everyone in Mujing knew this young, promising, and exceptionally handsome manager. Even the masters of the imperial palace had to give him some respect. Seeing Zhou Weikan's composed and polite demeanor, Miao Yiyun smiled and said:
"It was originally a good deed. Thank you, Master Zhou, for clearing up our doubts."
Zhou Weikan was a man of exceptional talent, whose handsome appearance alone had always attracted the admiration and affection of many noble ladies in Mujing. Today, many young ladies from prominent families had rushed to see him after hearing that he had accepted an invitation from the Dou family.
Now that he had stepped forward, even Jin Wanzhi and Deng Tanyu, who had just echoed Song Xiyan in the crowd, blushed. Meanwhile, Yao Su'an, dressed in plain clothes and standing beside Madam Jiang, couldn't help but tense up when she saw Zhou Weikan speak up for Lin Xu.
In a corner unnoticed by anyone, Yao Su'an gently clenched the handkerchief in her hand. The light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and she pursed her lips but ultimately said nothing.
Zhou Weikan then cupped his hands in greeting to Bai Shi and Dou Zhen beside him, and said with a smile:
"Today's commotion was caused by my own foolishness, and it also delayed Miss Dou's auspicious time. I will go back and carefully select several dozen bolts of cloud-woven brocade, which is still quite fashionable in Mujing, and personally deliver them to your esteemed residence another day to express my apologies. I hope Madam Bai, Madam Dou, and Miss Dou will not take offense."
The brocade was incredibly rare, and new designs often sold out within hours. Upon hearing this, Bai's anger subsided. Seeing Zhou Weikan's noble status, she naturally didn't want to make things difficult for him and simply thanked him.
Thus, the farce came to an end. Now that everyone had arrived, they all took their seats according to their assigned seating order and soon began drinking and chatting happily.
Lin Xu felt that the anxiety that had been hanging over her for so long was hard to calm down. She avoided the crowd and stood in a corner. After a short while, she heard a voice that was urgent and contained a hint of anger.
"You fell into the water?"
Lin Xu struggled to lift her head, only to be met with Dou Yanxun's anxious face. He grabbed her still slightly trembling wrist:
"...What happened? How could someone suddenly fall into the water? Has the royal physician been summoned?"
Zhu Ling then said, "Second Master, Madam was worried about Third Miss's coming-of-age banquet, and didn't have time to call the family physician, so she forced herself to come back to take care of it..."
Dou Yanxun, his face flushed with anger, muttered a low rebuke: "Nonsense!" He then turned to pull Lin Xu toward the other courtyard. After taking only two steps, he changed his mind and immediately waved for Steward Qi to come over: "Someone, prepare a sedan chair for Madam!"
Lin Xu smiled slightly. Although the Dou residence was large, it was quite close to the other courtyard. Why would she need to be carried in a sedan chair? She gently tugged at Dou Yanxun's sleeve and said softly, "Husband... it's alright. I've rested and I'm much better now."
He seemed not to hear her anything, staring coldly at Zhu Ling as if her negligence was the sole cause of Lin Xu's accident. Zhu Ling's heart trembled, and she immediately tried to kneel, but Lin Xu stopped her. Dou Yanxun then said coldly:
"Go and summon the imperial physician first! If anything really happens to Xuxu, I'll settle accounts with you later!"
Lin Xu couldn't refuse him, and besides, she did feel weak, so she let Zhu Ling help her back to the villa.
Across a dense bamboo forest, Duan Jinru stood by the window inside the hall, watching Lin Xu and Dou Yanxun's figures gradually disappear into the distance, his deep eyes slowly narrowing into slits.
.
A short while later, the physician from the Qi family arrived in a hurry, carrying his medicine box.
Now that Dou Yanxun has been promoted one after another, none of the servants in the mansion dare to be negligent. Moreover, seeing that Dou Yanxun rarely loses his temper like this, even when the physician of the Qi family took his pulse through the gauze curtain, he lowered his head and dared not breathe loudly.
Fortunately, she had only caught a sudden chill, and the physician from the Qi family prescribed some medicine to replenish her qi and dispel the cold, as well as a prescription to nourish the fetus, saying that if she took good care of herself in the coming days, there would be no major problems. Dou Yanxun was relieved to hear this. He then instructed Rongwei to quickly take the medicine down to brew it, and he repeatedly emphasized that there must be no mistakes.
Seeing his cautious demeanor, Lin Xu couldn't help but smile.
"My husband, our child is alright."
He heard Lin Xu's voice coming through the gauze curtain, clearly weak, yet she still calmly comforted him. He couldn't help but sigh softly before sitting down on the bed and holding her slender, fair wrist.
A faint sense of relief, a feeling of having survived a near-death experience, flickered in his eyes. "It's good that you're alright." He sighed again, as if still shaken by the memory. His eyes, gleaming with a hint of dread, trembled slightly as he looked at her, a sharp, piercing light in them.
"I was only away from you for half a day, and this happened... If something had happened to you at home, none of those who dared to bully you would have escaped!"
Lin Xu smiled too. Today, she was furious and slapped Miss Song twice across the face; it was clearly Miss Song who had bullied her… Given Miss Song's arrogant and spoiled nature, there would likely be many more conflicts in the future…
However, she was truly exhausted and didn't want to think about any more strange or supernatural things. Lin Xu gently rested her head on his broad shoulder, closed her eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
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