Although the Lanxi Lin family's manor covers a large area, it is not as luxurious as Zhao Rong imagined.

Instead, it is uniform, restrained and low-key.

Only black, white and gray are intertwined.

In the misty mountains.

This is an endless stretch of buildings.

From a distance, you can see the undulating horse-head walls, the black tiles and white walls that complement each other, and the dim screen wall.

There are also arch-shaped memorial archways, with flowing eaves and flying ridges, brackets and flower wings, and beams and columns decorated with hollow reliefs of dragons, lions, cranes, deer, etc.

After getting off the car, Zhao Rong stopped to watch for a while. The number of archways on this piece of archway was astonishing. They were erected to commend meritorious service, academic achievement, good governance, loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness, and to show off merits.

It shows the character and achievements of every scholar named Lin in this family over the past 700 years.

No wonder he could raise such a scholar around him.

Lin Wenruo suppressed the smile that was always on his face and took Zhao Rong to visit the Hui Memorial Archway, but he did not introduce him to the deeds of these ancestors or the highly praised inscriptions on them.

The two scholars walked and stopped, speaking very little.

The crowd was waiting not far away, looking at two slender figures holding umbrellas under the tall archway.

Soon, a large group of people came out of the manor, all of them were stewards and servants, who came out to greet the master and the guests.

"Zi Yu, I will show you around my humble abode later." Lin Wenruo raised the corner of his mouth, and walked side by side with Zhao Rong, slightly leaning sideways to talk. A large group of people followed behind the two of them, slowly walking into the manor.

"It's not fun enough today because of the rain. If it stops tomorrow, I'll take you to have some fun in Lanxi."

Zhao Rong listened attentively, but when he heard this, he did not comment and did not answer the call.

Suddenly, a servant in navy blue came up from behind and reported quietly, "Master, Prime Minister Qin and his men are waiting in the Begonia Hall."

"Tell Mr. Qin and the others to wait, I'll be there in a minute." Lin Wenruo said casually without turning his head, and then added, "Ask the kitchen staff to prepare dinner for them."

Then he continued the topic he had just discussed with Zhao Rong.

After receiving the order from his master, the servant retreated with a normal expression.

He did not think there was anything wrong with having the prime minister and a group of court ministers come to wait for a seventh-rank censor.

"If you have something to do, you don't have to accompany me. Just send someone to take us to a place to rest." Zhao Rong looked at Lin Wenruo and said seriously. "I will leave tomorrow when the rain stops. I can't disturb you anymore."

"Tzuyu, what are you talking about? I'll be angry if you keep doing this. They're just trivial matters. I'll deal with them after I accompany you to visit the house." Lin Wenruo pretended to be angry, then sighed.

"These days, there are endless quarrels in the court. It's very annoying. I can't even have a moment of peace when I get home."

Seeing him like this, Zhao Rong couldn't refuse anymore and nodded.

Zhao Rong and the other two each had a yard to rest in. After Lin Wenruo settled the three of them, he offered to take them around for a tour.

Liu Sanbian and Su Xiaoxiao both waved their hands to refuse. The former knew that the host's enthusiasm was definitely not because of him, so he didn't join in the fun. Before leaving, he also reminded Zhao Rong not to forget today's training, as a martial artist cannot slack off for even a moment.

The little fox demon was still sulking, feeling that his kindness was being taken advantage of by Zhao Rong, and his little head was still aching.

Thinking of this, the little fox demon sniffed and glared at Zhao Rong who was flirting with Lin Wenruo again.

Zhao Rong glanced and discovered someone's rebellious intentions. He glared back at her, but he didn't expect the little fox demon to be not scared at all. She puffed up her little face and widened her eyes even more.

Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows. How come this bullied guy is getting bolder and bolder? Now he is resisting even when being bullied.

Zhao Rong shook his head without thinking too much. He put the book box into his elegant courtyard with green willows hanging down and strange rocks standing tall, and started walking around with Lin Wenruo with his hands folded.

"Zi Yu, your little brother is a girl, right?" Lin Wenruo raised the corner of his mouth.

"It's a girl."

"She is so handsome just in men's attire. If she were to change back into women's attire..." Lin Wenruo plucked a hibiscus flower from a branch that had intruded into the corridor, gently rubbed it, and scattered it into the pond beside the road, causing ripples. He turned around and said enviously, "Tzuyu is so lucky."

"Don't talk nonsense. It's not what you think. She's just a stupid girl. She's silly. Anyone can fool her with just a few words. If anyone gets her in the future, they'll have to watch her every day and worry about her day and night."

Lin Wenruo pretended not to hear and sighed slightly: "Is it possible that men who are good at poetry are so popular? It was the same in the academy before. Tuizhi was proficient in poetry and was very popular with girls. He was also liked by teachers, which made me and other classmates very jealous."

"Now Tzuyu is like this again, attracting beautiful women to throw themselves at her, it really makes others like me envious."

Zhao Rong opened his eyes wide. "Lin Wenruo, if I hadn't heard that you had more than a dozen concubines, I would have believed you and played a trick on me."

Although he didn't know who Tuizhi he was referring to, Zhao Rong could still understand what he meant.

"What did they say about me?" Lin Wenruo blinked.

"They say you are a sex-hungry ghost, taking so many beautiful concubines, changing one every day, and being a bridegroom every night."

"What do you think, Tzuyu?"

"They're talking nonsense."

"Tzuyu still understands me."

"They are clearly sleeping together in the same quilt."

“…”

The two of them strolled along the way, passing by exquisite pavilions and towers, and through the quiet and beautiful pond and water corridors, and came to Lin Wenruo's study.

The name of the study is Youwei Zhai.

It is located in a quiet garden and covers a large area. In the room stands a large rosewood marble desk, on which are piled various famous calligraphy works, dozens of precious inkstones, and pen holders of various colors. The pens inserted in the pen holders are like a forest.

On the other side was a huge Ru kiln flower vase filled with crystal-ball white chrysanthemums. In the middle of the west wall hung a large painting of "Smoke and Rain", with a pair of couplets hanging on the left and right.

"Practice and your reputation will be established; understand the truth and your heart will be at peace."

Finally, the area that occupies the largest space is the shelves of books, which almost fill up half of the study.

"We do have some rare treasures from the south of the Yangtze River at home, but they are too vulgar for scholars like me. I'd better bring Ziyu here to enjoy the elegant things."

The various stationery items in the study made Zhao Rong dazzled.

Lin Wenruo chuckled and took out his collection of famous calligraphy and paintings, as well as rare ancient books for Zhao Rong to appraise. Zhao Rong looked at them with great interest.

The two of them had similar interests, so they did not feel bored. Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was already dusk. Because it was a rainy day, the sky was dark, but the lights in the Lin Mansion were bright, as bright as day.

Zhao Rong said goodbye to Lin Wenruo, declined Lin Wenruo's invitation to the banquet on the grounds of being tired from the journey, and returned to his residence first.

Lin Wenruo watched Zhao Rong leave. In his eyes, the latter's figure was stretched very long by the lights in the corridor.

"Still not working?"

Lin Wenruo let out a light breath, turned around and went back to the study, walked straight to the desk, and took out several exquisite and unique stationery items, including a fine brush washer, an ivory paper cutter, and also picked out a few rare copies of ancient books.

Take them all aside separately.

These are the ones that someone's eyes lingered on for a moment.

Lin Wenruo leisurely left the study and headed for the Begonia Hall. When he arrived there, Prime Minister Qin and other court officials had been waiting anxiously for a long time. When they saw him finally coming, they all breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease, as if they had found a backbone.

"Young Master." Everyone saluted.

Lin Wenruo smiled and nodded, then walked forward to help up the oldest man among the crowd.

"Mr. Qin, I've told you many times that you don't need to be so polite. You are my father's teacher and have been helping the Lin family for so many years. Why are you still so formal?" Lin Wenruo smiled helplessly.

"I heard that you haven't been feeling well lately. Qing Chi will send some supplements to your house later. Please don't refuse. Your health is more important. You can put the things at hand aside for now."

Prime Minister Qin was flattered, trembling slightly, with tears streaming down his face, he said that he would devote himself to the Lanxi Lin family and the country of Zhongnan until his death.

Afterwards, Lin Wenruo exchanged pleasantries with everyone for a while and then began to discuss business.

An hour later, this private "small court meeting" ended, everyone dispersed, and only one person was left in the Begonia Hall.

Lin Wenruo picked a chair at random, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

Even when he was alone, he always sat with his back straight and his posture correct.

He looked around at the empty hall and tapped lightly on the back of a chair with one finger, and the rhythmic sound echoed in the hall.

"Master's guess is correct. Qin Shiru is indeed treacherous. While betting on Master, he is secretly courting Qing Jingzi. It was his son Erlang who was behind this." A voice came from the darkness behind Lin Wenruo. "I guess there are many people like him in the court."

"As usual, send them off." The man on the chair kept moving his fingers, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. "Neat and tidy."

"Yes, sir. I will send it to the Qin residence along with the supplements later."

"Keep pulling."

"I have already given the order, and someone is watching."

“Well done.”

"The master is so wise."

Then the hall was quiet for a while, with only rhythmic sounds remaining.

"master."

"explain."

"Would you like me to investigate the group of people you brought back, especially the scholar?"

As soon as the words fell.

The rhythmic sound suddenly stopped.

The hall fell silent.