Chapter 39 Embarrassingly Using Underhanded Tactics
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Seeing him seriously considering it, Lin Xihe was genuinely afraid that the ancients' brains had overheated. This was tantamount to explaining to the ancients that the Earth rotates.
"I just made it up, don't take it to heart."
Wen Zhixu pressed further, saying, "I can understand the rest of the terms, but I don't understand the term 'brushing orders.' I hope Miss Lin can explain it to me."
"..." Look, this is what ruins a child's brain!
Passing by a stationery shop, Wen Zhixu went inside to select some items, while Lin Xihe waited outside with her dog.
The shop was quite busy, and Wen Zhixu was clearly a regular customer. The waiter, seeing him enter, quickly ushered out the manager.
This scene inexplicably reminded Lin Xihe of a scene where a domineering CEO takes a commoner heroine into a luxury store: the CEO raises his hand and says, "Take off all the top row, I'll buy them all."
She averted her gaze and turned to look at the sparrows foraging for food on the ground.
"Miss Lin, please have a seat."
"ah?"
Lin Xihe was a little confused. Wasn't Wen Zhixu supposed to be buying things? Why was the waiter bringing out a grand chair for her to sit down? She had just smoothed out her skirt when a cup of fragrant tea was brought to her.
...It's not like she bought the calligraphy brush.
She blinked, her gaze returning to the shop, where Wen Zhixu took the pen from the shopkeeper. They were too far apart to hear each other's conversation.
Inside the store, next to the counter.
Shopkeeper: "Young Master Wen, this is the squirrel tail hair brush you ordered."
Wen Zhixu swirled the teacup, and a tangy aroma wafted up, making his mouth water. He didn't drink it, but asked, "Besides hawthorn, was anything else added to the tea?"
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then replied, "As the second young master instructed, I added hawthorn and dried tangerine peel to aid digestion."
"Alright." Wen Zhixu then took the brush and examined it carefully. "The shopkeeper just said... this is made from squirrel tail hair?"
"Exactly. All the hair is taken from the tail hair of chinchillas before winter, when the hair is at its densest and most suitable for making brushes. You mentioned before that if you give this brush to Lord Xie, he will surely like it."
Preface: "Is there any leftover squirrel tail fur?"
The shopkeeper was truly puzzled by this young master's intentions. He hadn't touched the digestive tea prepared as requested, yet now he was asking about such trivial matters.
The light beside her suddenly dimmed, as if someone had held up an umbrella to shield Lin Xihe from the sunlight. Her dozing head slid down abruptly, and Lin Xihe instantly woke up.
"Hmm?" She looked up and saw Wen Zhixu standing beside her.
He was carrying a long, narrow cloth package, which was wrapped quite elegantly. It probably contained the calligraphy brushes he had just bought.
"...Have you bought it?"
Lin Xihe raised her hand to rub her eyes, and when she lowered her hand, a fluffy ball of fur appeared before her. It was smooth and fluffy, with a cute and innocent look, resembling a golden-brown rabbit's tail.
The preface states: "This was a gift with the purchase of the pen. It is useless to me, so you can keep it."
"So cute!" Lin Xihe happily took it, her fingertips stroking the soft down, thinking it looked a bit like a modern bag charm. "What kind of fur is it made of?"
Preface to the text: "Chinchilla".
Lin Xihe suspected that he had a hidden meaning in his words. He had just said that she ate like a squirrel hoarding food, and now he was giving her a squirrel pom-pom.
Inside the stationery shop, the shopkeeper craned his neck, watching the two figures until they disappeared into the distance. Only when their silhouettes became two ink dots against the white walls and black tiles did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At Wen Zhixu's earlier command, the shopkeeper immediately ordered all the pen makers to stop what they were doing. These craftsmen were all experts in pen making in Ning Dynasty, and they were all rushing to make a small pom-pom for the Second Young Master Wen.
It turns out that the young master used it to win the favor of that young lady.
Footsteps came from the side door; it was probably the gatekeeper responding. Lin Xihe quickly waved to Wen Zhixu, "I'm going in."
That impatient look, is it because he's in the way? Is he some kind of lowlife?
A strange, pent-up feeling welled up in his chest like a spring, rushing to his throat, and he blurted out, "Lin Xihe."
"What's wrong?" Her fingertips were just touching the brass ring, and her head turned towards him like an arrow. The steps made her appear half a head taller, and the lingering smile was reflected in her eyes.
After accompanying her for a while, Wen Zhixu finally spoke his mind: "Could we discuss the matter of annulling the engagement again?"
Remembering the letter of annulment he had sent, Lin Xihe understood. So that's why he'd been trying to get close to her lately.
For prominent families, dignity is paramount; breaking off an engagement is no trivial matter, as it concerns the family's reputation. As for dowry and such, Lin Xihe was unfamiliar with the customs of the time.
“Okay.” She readily agreed. “We’re friends now, and I’m the best at covering for you! I’ll keep my dad in line, and you can handle your grandfather yourself.”
Otherwise, if the two of them meet in the court every day, what if they get into a fight and the emperor gets angry and destroys both families?
Wen Zhixu's thoughts drifted entirely elsewhere, and he felt the unease in his heart growing stronger: "Friend?"
When did he ever say he wanted to be friends with her?
Lin Xihe, who had just stepped halfway across the threshold, quickly pulled her upper body back, just like a green bamboo swaying in the wind.
She tilted her head and pondered for a moment: "Do you want to be my sister?"
"..."
A commotion suddenly broke out at the alley entrance.
The Wen family's carriage was in front, traveling at a considerable speed, while another carriage was closely following behind, seemingly poised to overtake them.
Wen Zhixu had no choice but to pause his conversation with Lin Xihe, quickly stepping forward and sternly ordering the driver to stop: "Stop!"
Unexpectedly, the coachman from the Lin family behind them cracked his whip, startling the horse, which reared up and recklessly cut across the road.
Bang! The two cars collided with a loud crash.
Lin Xihe was dumbfounded: Did people in ancient times also have road rage? This is dangerous driving!
Amidst exclamations, shouts, and footsteps, Wen Hongyuan jumped off the carriage.
"Grandfather?" Wen Zhixu stepped forward, raising his arm to help. Although Wen Hongyuan was old, he walked briskly and went straight to the Lin family carriage, lifting the curtain with a swift motion.
"Lin Zhaoheng! If you're not dead, get down here now!"
Wen Zhixu was astonished: How could his usually refined and dignified grandfather utter such blunt words?
He held onto nothing, and just as he was about to put his hand down, someone nudged his arm. Wen Zhixu looked down and saw Lin Xihe had moved closer without him noticing.
"This is your grandfather? Did he eat explosives?"
Preface: He hadn't noticed anything amiss at first, but now it was truly embarrassing for him.
"Perhaps it's because of differing political views in the imperial court." Wen Zhixu originally intended to explain that this was not uncommon.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xihe seemed to understand and nodded vigorously: "This is the first time I've seen such a dedicated and hardworking worker."
"Ox and horse?" Does this mean being dutiful and conscientious?
While Wen Zhixu was lost in thought, Lin Zhaoheng had already rushed out of the carriage and struck first, grabbing Wen Hongyuan's arms behind his back, his emotions running high: "I'll teach them to talk nonsense! Anyone who insults my daughter's reputation, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Wen Hongyuan was furious: "Get out of my way! If I don't teach Lin Zhaoheng a lesson today, I'll resign tomorrow!"
The prime minister, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura. The servants dared not move, only Wen Zhixu stood between the two.
Separating two adult men locked in a fierce struggle was no easy task. Just as Wen Zhixu was about to separate them, the old man suddenly raised his foot and kicked Lin Zhaoheng in the groin.
The latter's legs went weak, and he staggered to his knees, angrily rebuking, "...A prime minister of such stature, resorting to such underhanded tactics!"
"Stop." Wen Zhixu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of coldness.
The two parties involved ignored him and didn't take him seriously.
The one on the ground gritted his teeth and pounced, tearing off the other's brocade belt. The jade pendant hanging from the waist flew to Lin Xihe's feet.
Lin Xihe, who was uninvolved, bent down to pick up the jade pendant and examined the seal script on it carefully against the light. "Sorry," she thought, "I'm illiterate and don't recognize a single character."
As for whether this thing belongs to Lin Zhaoheng or Wen Hongyuan, it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter. Two high-ranking officials are fighting like this right on their own doorstep—what's the point of maintaining appearances?
The servants of the Wen and Lin households were nearly in despair at the sight, realizing that they could no longer rely on the second young master. Everyone said that Lord Lin listened to his eldest daughter's advice the most, so all eyes turned to the eldest daughter of the Lin family.
Lin Xihe looked at Wen Zhixu's overly calm profile and felt a sudden tightness in her heart. She sensed that beneath that calmness lay a strange calm before an earthquake.
She had a bad feeling.
Just as he finished muttering to himself, Wen Zhixu stepped forward, grabbed Lin Zhaoheng's wrist with one hand and said "Excuse me," while his other hand was not idle either. With a clever move, he directly "pulled" Wen Hongyuan up from the ground.
With his arms outstretched to the left and right, he instantly separated the two combatants.
The servants all looked astonished.
Lin Xihe's eyes widened: "You know martial arts?!"
Beneath that seemingly refined and elegant figure lies such agile skill.
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
Wen Zhixu stood between the two, like an invisible Chu-Han border. The Prime Minister Wen Hongyuan and the Censor-in-Chief Lin Zhaoheng, upon turning back to their senses, also felt uneasy.
Seeing that the two men were unharmed, the stewards of the two mansions exchanged glances and instructed the servants on both sides to retreat into the mansion.
"Who dares to speak ill of Miss Lin?" Wen Zhixu's voice was clear and solemn, like a judge in court, causing Lin Zhaoheng and Wen Hongyuan, who were elders, to feel a chill for no reason.
Wen Hongyuan, having been unjustly struck several times by Lin Zhaoheng, was filled with grievance: "It wasn't me! When the court session ended and I was leaving the palace, I saw him arguing with Lord Zhao, and kindly stepped forward to mediate. Who would have thought that Lin Zhaoheng would act without even distinguishing right from wrong..."
Wen Zhixu's defense of Lin Xihe made Lin Zhaoheng, her future father-in-law, feel somewhat relieved. He hurriedly tugged at Lin's sleeve and complained, "Your grandfather tries to smooth things over, not offending either side. I won't stand for that! Anyone who dares to tarnish my He'er's reputation, I'll tear their mouth apart!"
"What slander is this?" Wen Zhixu's eyes darkened slightly.
Lin Zhaoheng: "They said she used carrier pigeons to send messages and secretly dug tunnels..."
The air fell into a deathly silence.
The person at the center of the rumor rolled their dark eyes: It seems there really is such a thing? This news has already reached the ears of the civil and military officials in the court?
"Father, is there anything else?" Lin Xihe asked softly, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Lin Zhaoheng: "You even said you were having a secret rendezvous with another man in the middle of the night!"
His words abruptly stopped, and Lin Zhaoheng's heart sank. He was doomed; he had let something slip. If the rumors were true, had he just revealed his daughter's entire secret to his future husband?
The surrounding air fell into a deathly silence.
Wen Zhixu calmly replied, his tone slightly playful: "Lord Lin, the 'other man' you mentioned seems to be me."
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