Lin Wanyue's second visit to the Prime Minister's residence happened on a chilly morning three days later. The dawn had just broken through the night, and the first rays of light, like a soft veil, slowly spread across the earth. Faint sunlight filtered through the crevices of the branches, dappling the winding paths of the garden, painting a dreamlike scene of light and shadow in this tranquil place. Jiang Yan and I were leisurely walking our birds in the garden. The fresh fragrance of flowers and the warm aroma of earth mingled, filling the air, creating a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere, as if the hustle and bustle of the world were completely shut out.
At this delightful moment, Lin Wanyue quietly appeared at the garden's entrance. She wore a half-worn, plain dress. The fabric was once considered high-quality, but the marks of time had left a noticeable mark on it, giving it a worn hue. In the morning light, it seemed even more dull, reflecting her current desolate state. Her hair was meticulously combed, not a single strand out of place. However, the white hair creeping up her temples was particularly striking. The snow-like strands trembled gently in the breeze, as if silently telling of the vicissitudes of life. Compared to the previous few days, her face looked even more haggard, her eyes filled with fatigue and resignation. She seemed to have aged significantly overnight. Her former arrogance had vanished, replaced by a sense of endless desolation and desolation.
"Sister, I'm not here for Wenxuan's matter." Before I even opened my mouth, her eyes were slightly red, and there was a hint of sob in her voice that was hard to conceal. "I really want to talk to you. So many years have passed, and I know in my heart that I was bewildered and committed too many unforgivable mistakes." Her tone was full of regret, but the pain of the past was like scars engraved in her heart, which could not be easily healed.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan calmly handed the birdcage to the servant beside him and quickly moved in front of me, standing there steadily like an indestructible barrier. His tone was calm and solemn, yet it also revealed an inviolable majesty: "If Madam Lin has anything to say, please speak frankly." Jiang Yan's eyes revealed a wary and scrutinizing look, as if he was guarding against her possible harm again.
Lin Wanyue's hands trembled slightly, rubbing them nervously back and forth. Her eyes flickered, as if she was deliberately avoiding our gaze, not daring to meet ours. "I know full well that I let you down back then. Those things weigh on my heart like a heavy rock. But the situation now is so dire that I have no other choice. Wenxuan still can't find a wife, and the Lin family's fortune is declining day by day, on the verge of collapse... Sister, you're living so comfortably now. Can you really bear to watch us fall into this desperate situation without giving us a hand?" Her voice was filled with pleading, and she looked as if she had grasped at a last straw, her eyes gleaming with a glimmer of hope amidst despair.
I raised my hand slightly, signaling the maid to serve tea. My eyes unconsciously fell on the tea leaves bobbing in the celadon cup, and my thoughts drifted with them, memories of the past flooding back like a tide. I spoke slowly, my voice seemingly calm, yet with a hint of chill, like a winter wind: "A helping hand? Tell me, how exactly should I help? Do you want me to marry my spoiled granddaughter off to your family, and have her toil like a beast of burden, suffering endless grievances? Or do you want me to give you half of the shop that the prime minister's family has painstakingly built, so that you can just sit back and reap the benefits without any effort?" My words were filled with questioning and disdain, each word like a sharp sword, piercing her heart.
"No, no!" Lin Wanyue frantically waved her hands at this, her expression growing increasingly anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. "That's absolutely not what I meant. I just wanted... I wanted Siyan to give Wenxuan some pointers, considering our past acquaintance and the affection we've had. After all, he's educated and literate, so he deserves a chance to make a name for himself and revive the Lin family fortune..." Her voice tinged with urgency and helplessness, trying to find a reasonable justification for her request.
"Having studied, one should understand propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame." Jiang Yan immediately took over. His tone was calm, yet like a sharp blade, each word seemed to pierce the heart. "Back then, when you instigated him to throw stones into my wife's yard and allowed him to bully her at will, did you ever consider the word 'affection' for a moment? Your actions are truly despicable." Jiang Yan's eyes revealed a cold and dissatisfied look. Like a torch, they stared directly at her, as if to examine every past misdeed.
Lin Wanyue's lips trembled uncontrollably, as if struck by a sudden, biting cold wind. Her entire body trembled slightly. As everyone was stunned, she dropped to her knees with a thud. The dull sound echoed in the silent garden, striking everyone's heart with a sledgehammer. "Sister! I kowtow to you!" Her voice was laced with tears, and she cried out in near despair. "Please have pity on an old woman like me! If Wenxuan can't find a wife, the Lin family will be extinct! How can I face the ancestors of the Lin family then?" Her cries were filled with despair and helplessness, as if she had fallen into despair, begging for only a glimmer of mercy.
This sudden action even made Jiang Yan stunned, and a hint of surprise and hesitation flashed in his eyes. I frowned, and a complex emotion arose in my heart, a mixture of pity, anger and helplessness. Subconsciously, I reached out to help her up. After all, no matter how many grievances there were in the past, her pitiful appearance at this moment still touched the soft spot in my heart. However, she shook my hand away with force, and shouted almost hysterically: "Don't touch me! I know you have always looked down on me! Yes, I bullied you back then, but you are so successful now, why do you still keep harping on those trivial matters? Can't you be magnanimous and forgive me?" There was a hint of resentment and unwillingness in her eyes, as if she felt that I should no longer care about the past.
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