Moon Silver
The Lantern Festival passed quietly. Apart from seeing Xie Qi once during a family meal on the fifteenth, no one knew what he was busy with the rest of the time.
Once the first month of the lunar calendar is over, the sunshine begins to feel warm.
Li Wan leaned against the daybed, looking at the shadows of the tree branches in the courtyard. She thought of her parents, who would soon be busy with farm work. Without her help, they would be even more exhausted.
Xiuzhu brought in a plate of steamed sugar pastries and placed it on the small table in front of Liwan.
Seeing Li Wan frowning in worry, she quickly said, "Madam, please don't always frown. If you get wrinkles, won't that vixen Jixiang be even more pleased? I'll go to the kitchen and get some pastries for you to try."
Li Wan was feeling hungry, so she picked up the pastry and ate it in small bites. "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen Jixiang. Has she been to Xie Qi's room recently?"
“She does want to,” Xiuzhu laughed.
"I heard that she was always looking for excuses to get close to the young master. A couple of days ago, she finally got the job of delivering meals to the young master. But guess what? The young master didn't even remember her name. He thought she was an eyesore standing in front of him and had the old women drag her out."
Li Wan was taken aback. "Jixiang served him for one night, how could he be so heartless?"
Xiuzhu poured a cup of tea and served it to him, laughing even more heartily. "What do you mean by serving him for one night? I overheard the old women in the front yard gossiping that Jixiang didn't even step into the threshold of the young master's bedroom that night. He was ordered to stand at the door all night."
"Is it that bad?" Li Wan put the last small piece of pastry into her mouth. Oh well, other people's business is none of her concern, and she couldn't be bothered to care.
only……
Li Wan paused, then asked Xiuzhu, "Why are you calling me 'Madam'? Didn't we agree to call me 'Miss'?"
Xiuzhu's face stiffened, and she said in a low and cautious voice, "I don't know where the young master heard that we still call you 'Miss', so he specially ordered the head steward Tian Fu to give a lecture to all the servants in the mansion. If anyone calls their master by the wrong title again, they will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane, or even beaten to death."
Li Wan was shocked. "He's gone mad over such a trivial matter."
"Madam!" Xiuzhu wanted to cover Li Wan's mouth as much as possible, looking at Li Wan with a pitiful expression, "Please don't hurt me."
Li Wan remained silent.
A moment later, Xiuhe walked lightly into the house, bypassing the landscape embroidered floor screen at the entrance.
"Madam, I just went to the accounting office in the front yard to collect my monthly allowance."
Hearing about the money, Li Wan's eyes lit up. "I had forgotten that I could receive a monthly allowance. Let me see how much it is."
Xiuhe placed a large green embroidered money bag in front of her, "It contains fifty taels of silver in total."
"Fifty taels!"
Li Wan exclaimed in surprise. You see, in her previous life, she, her father, and her brother worked hard all year round farming and collecting herbs, but they still couldn't earn five taels of silver.
Unexpectedly, a concubine of a marquis receives fifty taels a month!
Holding this large bag of money, Li Wan felt as if she were holding a mountain of gold. If she could bring this money back to Niutian Village, she would instantly become the richest person within a hundred miles.
Unfortunately, she will most likely only return to her consciousness and cannot take anything with her.
The eunuch felt a sudden sense of powerlessness as he visited the brothel.
Li Wan touched the smooth silver ingot, her pupils darting around: Since I can't take it with me, I might as well spend it all.
Having been here for so long, I've been busy every day trying to change my fate, and I've never had a chance to properly enjoy the lives of the wealthy and powerful.
"Xiuzhu and Xiuhe, let's go for a stroll in the streets on a sunny day in a couple of days."
She clutched the silver to her chest. "Fifty taels. That should be enough to buy a whole cartload of stuff."
He then clicked his tongue and muttered, "But gold and silver jewelry, and fine clothes are still too much to take with you. It's better to have a big meal."
Xiuzhu and Xiuhe looked at their mistress holding the money like a precious treasure. They exchanged a glance and both looked distressed: their son-in-law was heartless and boring, forcing the young lady to spend money to pass the time.
Then Xiuhe remembered something else and said, "Madam, if we want to go out, we should inform our son-in-law first."
Although a concubine is still a wife, she is not the principal wife and cannot freely ride in a carriage out of the mansion. If she wants to go out, she needs the male master's permission.
"Troublesome." Li Wan pouted. "Xiuhe, you just went to the front yard. Is Xie Qi in the mansion?"
Xiuhe nodded, "The young master is here, but he's receiving guests in his study. It seems to be the second young master of the Lin family."
Lin Youke!
Li Wan saw those dark, gloomy eyes flash before her eyes, and a chill ran down her spine for no reason.
What is he doing here?
Li Wan glanced at the steamed pastries on the small table and said, "Okay, let's go to the study now and deliver the pastries."
We arrived at the front yard bathed in warm sunshine.
In front of the study in Zhenyun Hall stood a young man in black robes carrying a long sword.
The young man was not tall, and his eyebrows and nose were not prominent. When he saw Li Wan, his originally sharp eyes paused for a moment, and then he cupped his hands and bowed his head in greeting.
"Mo Qi greets Madam."
Mo Qi? Li Wan pondered the name and blurted out, "What about Mo Ba, Mo Jiu, and Mo Shi?"
Mo Qi took a light breath, glanced in the direction of the study, and answered honestly, "They are all busy."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan smiled and said, "It really is around 80 or 90."
Mo Qi realized he had been tricked, blushed, and quickly straightened up.
Li Wan lifted the mahogany openwork carved food box in her hand, "I've come to deliver pastries to the adults."
Mo Qi glanced at the food box, hesitated for a few moments, and said, "Madam, please wait a moment while I go and inform them."
"good."
A moment later, Mo Qi pushed open the study door and led Li Wan inside.
Upon entering, Li Wan was surprised to smell a bloody odor. She subconsciously scanned the room and indeed saw a dark stain on the floor.
"Sister-in-law."
Suddenly, a hoarse voice startled Li Wan, causing her to gasp.
After realizing what was happening, she frowned and looked at Lin Youke, who was sitting in the armchair.
His face was so pale it was almost transparent, and beneath his bloodless skin, faint blue veins were faintly visible. His nose was straight, but gaunt and thin.
She was wrapped in a thick snow fox fur coat, making her dark eyes stand out even more.
Seeing his eyes, Li Wan was reminded of his sinister coercion in the palace that day.
With Xie Qi present, he wouldn't dare do anything. The dog emboldens the coward, so Li Wan forced a standard fake smile.
"Cousin Lin, please don't mind your sister-in-law's bluntness. It's just that since you have a bad voice, you should make a sound before you speak in the future, otherwise a sudden noise might scare people."
Besides Xie Qi and Lin Youke, each of them had their own guards standing beside them in the study.
As soon as Li Wan finished speaking, the whole room fell into an unusual silence.
The gray-clad guard behind Lin Youke's face instantly darkened, and he gripped his sword even tighter.
Upon seeing the guard's appearance, Li Wan subconsciously took two steps toward Xie Qi.
After a moment, Lin Youke chuckled, "Sorry for startling my sister-in-law."
"What brings you here?" Xie Qi suddenly asked.
Li Wan turned to look at him.
Today he was wearing a dark-colored satin robe with subtle patterns. His phoenix eyes were deep and dark, with long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them.
Such an exquisite face, coupled with a powerful aura of aloofness and nobility, made Li Wan sigh in her heart every time she saw it, lamenting the injustice of the Creator.
She placed the food box on the table in front of Xie Qi and took out several plates of delicate pastries with both hands.
"My lord, you are busy with official duties. These snacks were made by me personally and I brought them here for you to try."
Xie Qi glanced at the pastries that the mansion's kitchen often made, raised an eyebrow at Li Wan, and asked, "Did you make these yourself?"
Caught off guard, Li Wan blushed and smiled awkwardly, "I personally supervised the chefs in making it."
After saying that, she quickly picked up a piece of lotus seed cake and brought it to Xie Qi's lips, saying, "My lord, please eat it while it's hot."
The pastry was pressed to her lips, and the sweetness, along with the soft fragrance of her fingertips, spread through her nostrils. Xie Qi subconsciously opened her lips and took a small bite.
The sweet pastry melted in his mouth, and he lowered his eyes, surprisingly finding the taste quite good.
Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that she had blocked any possible questions from him about the lie she had told earlier.
She stepped back a few paces and sat down in the armchair opposite Lin Youke.
“My grandmother told me a few days ago that I should visit the Lin family when I have time, and I didn’t expect my cousin Lin to come today.”
Lin Youke coughed lightly and said, "My father is about to return home, and there are some things I need to discuss with Cousin Xie."
Li Wan's heart skipped a beat; he must have come to discuss taking over the Jinlin Army with Xie Qi.
Lin Youke and Xiao Xian are colluding with the enemy and now know that Qi is about to wage war against our country. First, let Xie Qi take over the Jin Lin army and help them repel the enemy. When the time is right, kill Xie Qi, regain military power, and help Xiao Xian ascend the throne.
But why doesn't Lin Youke just get the Jinlin Army directly from Lin Shang now? Is it because he's afraid he can't defeat the Qi Kingdom on his own?
In a flash, a guess popped into my head.
Just as he was about to speak tentatively, Xie Qi picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and placed the teacup on the table.
The bottom of the celadon cup lightly touched the wooden table, making a crisp sound. Li Wan instinctively looked at him.
Xie Qi's long fingers, which were resting on the edge of the table, curled up and tapped casually, revealing a hint of impatience. "What else do you want?"
Xie Qi clearly disliked her.
Li Wan was speechless and could only say, "There is one more thing. I would like to go out in a couple of days to buy some things."
"Can."
Xie Qi gave her a brief reply, then looked at her calmly, waiting silently for her to leave.
Li Wan bit her lip secretly. She had wanted to test Lin Youke a few more times, but Xie Qi just kept making things worse.
Left with no other choice, she had to take her leave.
As she was leaving, she felt the gray-clad guard give her a fierce look. She wanted to glare back, but remembering the knife in his hand, she had no choice but to hold back.
The carved door to the study closed again.
A man covered in blood was dragged out of a side room by guards. He had been covered in the mouth and nose to prevent him from making a sound.
"Thank you, cousin. My aunt ordered this man to infiltrate the Lin family, intending to prevent him from petitioning for the appointment of you as the commander-in-chief of the Jinlin Army after my father returns to the capital."
Lin Youke looked at Xie Qi and continued, "Father decided to let you take over the Jinlin Army several years ago, and His Majesty also tacitly approved it. Your aunt is already in the Cold Palace, but she still stirs up trouble. It seems that she still harbors resentment towards you."
Xie Qi scoffed upon hearing this, "With the Fourth Prince dead, she has no hope left, so of course she will fight to the death. However, the matter of the Jinlin Army is still unresolved, so it is too early to say anything now."
Xie Qi raised his hand and flicked two fingers, and the dying man was immediately dragged away.
"Furthermore," Xie Qi looked at Lin Youke, "the Jin Lin Army is essentially the Lin family army, and should rightfully be led by a descendant of the Lin family. Your elder brother is mentally challenged and cannot take on the role, but in reality, you are also capable of doing so."
Lin Youke chuckled and shook his head. "Cousin is joking. Not to mention that Father and His Majesty both favor you, with my frail body, it's uncertain how many years I can last."
"Your health is much better than when you were a child, so please don't worry."
Lin Youke nodded, "Yes."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lin Youke returned to the Lin residence.
The carriage stopped at the gate of the Lin residence, and a gray-clad guard helped Lin Youke down from the carriage.
"Young Master, Xie Qi did not agree to take over the Jinlin Army today. I wonder if he has become suspicious?"
Lin Youke twirled the jade thumb ring on his thumb, his voice cold and sinister, "Send a message to the palace that I will be entering the palace soon."
"yes……"
The gray-clad guard's words came to an abrupt halt as a dark shadow flashed past him, followed by a flash of cold light, and a spurt of blood gushed from his neck.
His body fell straight to the ground with a thud, his dead eyes wide open.
The person who killed him has vanished without a trace.
Lin Youke's white fox fur coat was splattered with blood, and he looked down at the corpse, his pupils growing increasingly gloomy.
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