"Yes, Father." Lin Changxin stopped looking at his younger sister who was locked in the room and followed Lin Taifu out.
— — — — — — — — —
The next day, after receiving good news from court, Nian Gengyao couldn't wait to tell his sister about the "good deed" that the Lin family had done to bully her. As for morality, it was utterly meaningless to Nian Gengyao, who had gone from being a civil official to a military general. It would be considered gentlemanly of him not to add fuel to the fire and secretly kick them while they were down.
"Sister, sister, sister!"
Qingyin, who was sitting in the courtyard eating crabs, turned around before she even saw him, having already heard his voice. Sure enough, it was the legendary sister-obsessed Nian Gengyao.
Nian Gengyao was in his thirties and had already married two wives. His first wife was a gentle but sickly woman who passed away shortly after giving birth to their first daughter, Nian Kongqing. His current wife was the great-granddaughter of Prince Ying, Ajige, and the daughter of Duke Su Yan, a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, a noblewoman of the Manchu Banner. She had no children yet. Both wives were well-educated and reasonable, but Aisin Gioro was more intelligent and talented. Guang Qingyin knew that many of the Manchu memorials were written by this wife.
He genuinely admired and respected his sister-in-law, so he always treated her with respect.
Nian Gengyao watched his sister having lunch without any unease or feeling that he was disturbing her. He sat calmly opposite Qingyin, his pale face completely obscured by his beard. His tall and imposing figure blocked out a large amount of light, and Qingyin suddenly felt as if the sky had darkened.
No matter how big the world is, it can't delay his sister's meal. Nian Gengyao took the initiative to take over the work from Songzhi and Dongmei. While peeling crabs for Qingyin, he said generously, "If you like to eat Songhua crabs, brother will go and have someone go to the Songhua River (same as above, hehe) to catch a bunch more. I guarantee they will be fresh and plump so you can eat to your heart's content."
Qingyin blinked and smiled sweetly, "Second brother is the best to me. Thank you, brother. This is enough for me. If I want more, I'll tell you."
Seeing Qingyin acting coquettishly, Nian Gengyao was overjoyed. He carefully peeled the crab meat, which was unusual for his large size, and said softly to Qingyin, "It's okay, brother is happy to do it. Just tell brother what you want to eat, little sister."
The stark contrast between the rugged appearance and the gentle voice and actions was already commonplace for Songzhi and Dongmei. Everyone in the manor knew how good the second young master was to the young lady. However, looking at the second young master with his unruly beard and affected voice, Songzhi and Dongmei felt a chill.
Qingyin's eyes twitched slightly at the sight, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled at Nian Gengyao, complaining in a coquettish tone, "Brother, your beard is too long and prickly. It looks so ugly. Brother, don't you want to keep it long?"
Nian Gengyao looked troubled. If anyone else dared to talk about his precious beard, he would definitely make them pay. But this was about his precious sister, and he was caught in a dilemma.
Seeing his sister's expectant eyes, he awkwardly changed the subject: "Little sister, you have no idea how unlucky the Lin family, who bullied you last time, are!"
Seeing that Nian Gengyao had changed the subject, Qingyin's eyebrows twitched slightly. She didn't want to push him too far. This beard was something Nian Gengyao had kept since he was able to grow a beard, so she didn't want to achieve her goal directly. Qingyin nodded and stared at him curiously, following Nian Gengyao's lead.
Seeing his sister's interest, Nian Gengyao happily continued, "Sister, you have no idea how outrageous that Lin family is. They actually dared to get involved in cheating on the imperial examinations and even called themselves the number one talented woman in the capital. Hahaha, I think they are the number one scourge. If it weren't for the fact that old scoundrel Lin kowtowed quickly, they wouldn't even be able to protect Lin Changxin. Now, not only has that old scoundrel Lin lost his official position, but the rest of the Lin family have also fallen out of His Majesty's favor. Only Lin Changxin's position was reduced by one rank."
Qingyin thought about the expected consequences and nodded slightly. The Lin family's rapid downfall was probably due to more than just this one reason. It was likely related to the struggle for succession within the royal family. Qingyin thought calmly, but on the surface, she still expressed a few words of condemnation and a smile of agreement to Lin Yaxian.
Seeing Nian Gengyao grinning smugly, Qingyin's eyebrows twitched. Could this be considered a pair of wicked siblings kicking someone when they're down? Qingyin felt a little embarrassed at the thought.
Thinking of his younger sister's feelings for Prince Yong and her desire to marry him, Nian Gengyao reluctantly shared the progress with Qingyin to make her happy, saying, "Sister, you just need to wait for your marriage to Prince Yong. I've already spoken to the Prince. Just wait to marry Prince Yong in style."
Upon seeing Nian Gengyao suddenly mention Prince Yong, Qingyin's thick, curly hair cast shadows on her smooth skin. She lowered her head shyly, and this charming and bashful demeanor only fueled Nian Gengyao's anger, filling him with the bitter feeling that his good cabbage had been taken by an outsider.
This feeling lingered until he met Prince Yong. When Yinzhen saw Nian Gengyao glare at him, only a hint of anger rose within him. He remained unmoved, continuing with his own affairs. He understood the thoughts of his trusted confidant, who was also a close friend; his mind was sometimes sharp, sometimes dull, but his talent in warfare was undeniable, greatly aiding Yinzhen's ambitions. Thinking of this, his initial anger at being offended vanished.
These past two days, Qingyin has been thinking about experiencing local customs before her appearance is completely altered, so as to avoid attracting too much attention in the future.
Therefore, after thinking it over, Qingyin decisively changed into a simple yet beautiful outfit, covered her face with a veil, and came to a famous restaurant in the capital with Songzhi and Dongmei as her guards.
Qingyin, who was sitting in a private room on the second floor, was munching on some fragrant dried meat when she saw the protagonist of the gossip from a few days ago. She immediately found a good view and position to look at her.
"Miss, isn't that the Lin family's daughter?" Songzhi exclaimed in surprise.
Qingyin raised her index finger to make a "shh" sound, signaling her to be quiet, and looked at the commotion below.
Seeing Lin Yaxian, who was covered in dirt and dressed in tattered clothes, clinging to the leg of a slender man in plain clothes, the man looked panicked and tried to pull her away, but Lin Yaxian clung to him even tighter, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.
Qingyin clicked her tongue in amazement. This man seemed a bit weak; even a frail woman like Lin Yaxian couldn't untie it.
The two were fighting, and the commotion they caused attracted a crowd of onlookers who gathered around to discuss the matter.
“Isn’t this Zheng Dajuren?” A man with a dignified appearance, dressed as a scholar in a blue long gown, stepped forward, his tone full of disdain.
"What? Could this be Zheng Fangjing, the one who abandoned his wife and children? And is this Lin Yaxian, the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Lin?"
"Tsk tsk, adulterous couple, embracing in public before even being married? Could it be that they're planning something..."
"Could Zheng Fangjing have cheated to become a Juren? How could someone with such a despicable character pass the exam?" The middle-aged man with a beard looked at the two of them with disdain.
...
With each word, Qingyin watched as the two men's expressions grew increasingly unpleasant, even developing a sense of disgust towards each other.
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