Chapter 113 I'm Going to See the Eldest Princess
Lin Xuesong stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Father, in my opinion, Xue'an's misfortune was caused by the Princess and the Emperor's wrath. Xue'an just happened to run into a knife's edge, so he really can't be blamed."
He then turned to Lin Xuean and said, "Third brother should admit his mistake and stop arguing and making Father angry."
"You can't blame him!" Lin Xueyan's face turned pale and then red as he angrily said, "If he had acted uprightly and honestly, how could he have been implicated?"
Lin Xuean ignored her father's angry scolding and her brother's feigned advice, focusing only on the phrase "the emperor's anger."
Is His Majesty angry? Was the Eldest Princess also punished?
He suddenly stood up.
Seeing this, Lin Xueyan became even angrier, "You unfilial son, who told you to get up? What are you doing!"
Lin Xuean said directly, "I'm going to see the Princess."
Lin Xueyan trembled with rage. "You! You still dare to go to her! Do you think our Lin family hasn't lost enough face already?"
Lin Xuean ignored him and turned to walk out.
"Stop him!" Lin Xueyan shouted urgently.
Lin Xuesong immediately stepped forward and grabbed Lin Xuean's arm, lowering his voice to persuade her, "Xuean, don't be impulsive! The Princess has been punished by the Emperor and confined to her quarters for a month. Right now, not only you, but no one else can see her!"
When Lin Xueyan saw that he was about to leave, he was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.
"Guards! Tie this unfilial son up! Throw him into the ancestral hall and lock him up! Without my order, no one is to release him for the next month!"
Before he finished speaking, several servants rushed in and unceremoniously pinned Lin Xue'an's arms behind his back.
Lin Xuean struggled fiercely, but was no match for the strength of the group. In the end, she could only raise her head sharply and look directly at her father.
The usual forbearance and cowardice were gone from his eyes; only cold disappointment and a hint of arrogant mockery remained.
He was pushed and shoved by the servants and led towards the ancestral hall.
As he passed by his two elder brothers, he caught a glimpse of the barely concealed schadenfreude on his second brother Lin Xuezhu's lips.
The heavy ancestral hall doors slammed shut behind him with a loud clang, the sound of the lock clicking away clearly audible.
The ancestral hall was dimly lit, with only a few ever-burning lamps flickering with a faint candlelight, illuminating the ancestral tablets covering the walls.
The walls are covered with memorial tablets for the deceased ancestors of the Lin family, but there is not a single place for his mother.
She was just a concubine, and given her past status, even though she had given birth to a son for the Lin family, she still didn't even have the right to enter the Lin family ancestral hall.
Over the years, he has been cautious and submissive in the mansion, and finally managed to seize the opportunity to curry favor with the eldest princess.
Just when the dawn was breaking, why did we fall into the abyss again in the blink of an eye?
Will the eldest princess still want him?
After the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Lin Xue'an remained kneeling upright on the prayer mat, her eyes filled with a deathly despair.
Just then, a soft creaking sound came from the ancestral hall door behind them.
He turned his head in confusion and saw his eldest brother, Lin Xuesong, walking in carrying a food box.
Lin Xuean immediately turned away, not even wanting to give him a second glance.
"Third brother, don't be angry." Lin Xuesong didn't care about his coldness at all, and quickly walked to his side and opened the food box.
Inside were several exquisite pastries and a glistening roast chicken, the aroma of which instantly filled the ancestral hall.
"I secretly asked the servant to buy this from outside; Father doesn't know. You haven't eaten all day; quickly eat something to fill your stomach."
Lin Xuean hadn't eaten all day and was indeed extremely hungry, but he didn't appreciate the kindness shown to him at all.
Seeing his resistance, Lin Xuesong continued to persuade him, "Why are you doing this? Just bow your head to your father and admit your mistake, and it will all be over. This stubbornness will only make you suffer in the end."
Seeing that Lin Xuean remained silent, Lin Xuesong simply grabbed a prayer mat next to him and knelt down beside him.
Silence fell again in the ancestral hall, with only the crackling of the candlelight.
After a long silence, Lin Xuesong finally spoke, his voice low: "I know why you're so eager to curry favor with the Princess."
Lin Xuean's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and she finally turned her head, looking at him with a dark gaze.
Lin Xuesong met his gaze and said calmly, "You just want to get an imperial title for your mother so that she can rightfully enter the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall, enjoy the incense offerings of her descendants, and be worshipped by the Lin family for generations, isn't that right?"
Lin Xuean's deepest obsession was exposed in one sentence, and her breath hitched. Her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Xuesong then changed the subject, "But have you ever thought that your mother slept with your father to give birth to you, and how is your current behavior any different from hers back then?"
"Shut up!" Lin Xue'an suddenly roared, her face instantly turning red, her eyes filled with rage. "You are not worthy to mention my mother!"
If it weren't for his mother, how could she have died in childbirth?
Why does he, as a beneficiary of the system, have the right to criticize him from such a high and mighty position?
Lin Xuesong, seemingly oblivious to his anger, continued, "What do you think... if your mother were alive, she would think if she saw you following the same path as her?"
"This is my business, it's none of your concern!" Lin Xue'an gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with anger. "You don't need to put on this crocodile tears!"
Lin Xuesong frowned, looking heartbroken. "I just want to tell you that there are many ways to get ahead. Why do you have to choose the most despicable one?"
"Disgraceful?" Lin Xue'an suddenly laughed. "Brother, you were born into the main wife's family. Father paved the way for you and planned everything for you. Of course, you have the right to say you've 'made a name for yourself.' But what about me? If I don't grab onto the Princess as my lifeline, I'll only ever be a shameful illegitimate son of the Lin family, and my mother will forever remain a wandering ghost! I don't think I'm despicable. I'm just fighting for myself and for my mother!"
Looking at his younger brother, Lin Xuesong was no longer the taciturn and stoic man he used to be.
This was the first time in so many years that he had revealed such sharp fangs in front of me.
He sighed and said, "That's all I have to say. Whether you listen or not is up to you. Do you... have any messages for my father?"
Lin Xuean said without the slightest hesitation, "Let me out. I want to see the Princess."
Lin Xuesong stared at his stubborn expression, knowing full well that he wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall.
The eldest princess is currently imprisoned and punished by the emperor to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. Moreover, this whole turmoil was caused by him, so how could she possibly see him again?
But he also knew that no matter what he said at that moment, Lin Xue'an wouldn't listen.
In the end, he simply nodded slowly: "Come with me, I'll quietly take you out."
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