Chapter 83 Don't you miss me?
Ji Wanyuan initially thought she was hallucinating, but after chewing several times, she realized it wasn't.
There was actually something inside this pastry. Who put it there?
A figure flashed into her mind, her heart raced, but she dared not confirm it.
She instinctively wanted to ask who made the pastries, but fearing she might alert them, she said nothing in the end. While Xi'er was serving her soup and vegetables, Ji Wanyuan pretended to accidentally knock over a teacup. As she bowed, she secretly hid the pastries.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Xi'er was startled to see that Ji Wanyuan's dress was wet with tea.
The tea wasn't cold, but Ji Wanyuan was pampered and had delicate skin that couldn't withstand such heat. What if something happened to her...?
"It's nothing." Ji Wanyuan waved her hand casually, then frowned as she looked at the hem of her skirt. "I'm going to change."
Xi'er had been serving Ji Wanyuan for some time and knew her temperament well. She quickly helped her behind the screen and found her new clothes.
Ji Wanyuan said she would change herself, "You tidy up the outside, I'll go out later, we'll continue eating."
Xi'er paused slightly, but still agreed.
Ji Wanyuan changed her clothes, did not check the letter immediately, and hid it away.
When she came out, Xi'er had already finished getting ready.
Ji Wanyuan continued eating. This time she ate slowly and carefully, tasting almost everything, and did not notice anything else.
After finishing her meal, she couldn't wait to read the letter, so she said she needed to rest.
Xi'er said that she had just eaten and that it might not be good for her health to go straight to rest. "You are now quite far along in your pregnancy, so you should walk around more to conserve your strength for childbirth."
That makes sense. Yesterday, Ji Lingyue had a doctor examine her pulse, and her pregnancy was fine. Now that she's far away from the Lin family, she probably won't repeat the mistakes of her previous life.
But Ji Lingyue's obsession and madness always made her uneasy.
Most importantly, Ji Lingyue doesn't like this child. Even if she gives birth to the child safely, will he harm the child, or take the child away and use the child to threaten her?
Ji Wanyuan became more and more worried.
She walked around the courtyard several times with Xi'er, her mind preoccupied. Ji Lingyue didn't come during this time; she didn't know what he had been busy with these past two days. He hadn't appeared since the last time.
He did it on purpose, letting her know the news first to make her anxious and restless, like an ant on a hot pan.
How wicked!
On another note, could this letter be bait set up by my brother?
After returning to the inner room, Ji Wanyuan hesitated again and dared not open it.
She entered the curtained area, looked around, and nestled inside the brocade quilt, trying to sneak open the curtain, but... it was too tightly covered, and she couldn't see anything.
So she popped her head out again, and that's when she realized the letter was gone.
Startled, she sat up abruptly, nearly straining her back. She groped around, and just as she thought she had fallen into the courtyard and got up to look for it, she touched the letter. At the same time, the baby in her belly gave her a kick.
Ji Wanyuan quickly covered her mouth to comfort him, "Lin'er, you have to be good."
It must have sensed something, because it stopped making a fuss. Ji Wanyuan looked around, strained her ears but heard nothing, and was finally able to open the letter with peace of mind.
Before she could even read the contents of the letter clearly, she had already recognized the handwriting of that scoundrel.
It's him!
The letter said that everything was fine in the capital and that she shouldn't worry, and that he missed her.
When Ji Wanyuan's gaze fell upon these words, her expression became slightly unnatural.
She quickly skimmed over it, then went back to look again, finally slowly scanning the few words that had been written down as words of longing.
He misses her, so why doesn't he come to see her?
Are you that afraid of your brother? Or is he still busy with other things? Does anyone know what he's been up to lately?
Since he already knows what his brother said to her, could he also know that his brother was going to... force himself on her?
Given how jealous he is, he'll probably settle scores with her again later.
Ji Wanyuan pondered for a long time, shook her head, and after regaining her senses, read the letter several more times. Only after she had read it enough did she hide it and place it close to her heart.
Holding the thin letter in her hand, she felt inexplicably calmed down. Perhaps without even realizing it, her lips unconsciously curved upwards.
"..."
Ji Lingyue has been dealing with the Wuhuan affairs for quite some time now, but his men still haven't found Wen Qiyan's whereabouts. Not only Wen Qiyan's whereabouts, but even the whereabouts of Prime Minister Ji's troops haven't been found.
"What a bunch of useless trash!" Ji Lingyue sneered, and none of his men dared to speak.
Wen Yunqin has been brought under control, but... there has been absolutely no progress in the matter of Youzhou.
When I arrived earlier, the mining industry in Youzhou had already come to an end, and the disposal and exchange of private mines were all handled by Prime Minister Ji's confidants.
These people are all Prime Minister Ji's right-hand men; they should not be touched unless absolutely necessary.
With the emperor currently ill, the Fang family involved, the Lin family meddlesome, and other powerful families eager to make their move, and the court not yet officially launching a war against the Ji family, he cannot take action against Prime Minister Ji's people.
Even if he were to do something behind the scenes, Prime Minister Ji would certainly suspect him.
Prime Minister Ji has already become dissatisfied with him, so it's not impossible for him to sacrifice a pawn to save the king and abandon the tail to survive.
If we pin all the treasonous acts committed by the Ji family on him, the young master of the Wuhuan, and then hand over the private mines, wouldn't the Ji family be completely absolved?
Perhaps it was for this reason that his father had been subtly reminding him over the years that he and Ji Wanyuan could only be brother and sister, and that they should not overstep their bounds.
Back then, if it weren't for Wen Qiyan, my sister might have taken a look at him.
He knew very early on that only Ji Wanyuan, the apple of Prime Minister Ji's eye, could determine his future and what he valued.
Now, Wen Qiyan has won Ji Wanyuan's favor. Even though the people in Wen's camp know that the emperor is using him, Prime Minister Ji still trusts him and entrusts him with his affairs.
What's so great about the Wen family's son? He's just a bit handsome, and besides that, he's incredibly cunning.
With such a person as a son-in-law, the father wouldn't worry about whether his sister could handle him.
Ji Lingyue was in a bad mood and waved for the messenger to leave.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes to rest, and looked at Xi'er, who was following Ji Wanyuan, and asked, "Has there been any news about Yuan-mei these past two days?"
Xi'er thought for a moment, "Miss hasn't been throwing a tantrum these past two days, and she's been eating and drinking well, taking walks and resting."
Because Ji Lingyue had instructed that everything concerning Ji Wanyuan should be handled meticulously, Xi'er handed over the notebook recording Ji Wanyuan's daily life and diet.
As Ji Lingyue flipped through the pages, his gaze lingered on the incident from yesterday when Ji Wanyuan had knocked over a teacup and demanded to change clothes.
"Have you checked Yuanmei's clothes?"
Wen Qiyan's whereabouts are unknown, but since he likes his sister, he will definitely come, but there has been no news of him for the past two days.
"I have checked carefully, and there is nothing wrong with Miss's clothes."
Ji Lingyue carefully flipped through the journal again, his fingertips lingering on the record that Ji Wanyuan was in a bad mood but still tasted every dish.
As he was pondering this, a subordinate came to deliver a message, saying that He Xun requested an audience.
"Let him in."
He left the book behind, and Xi'er followed the attendants out through the side door.
After He Xun arrived and explained his purpose, Prime Minister Ji sent a letter inquiring about Ji Wanyuan's recent situation.
"Do I have to teach you how to fob off your father?" Ji Lingyue spoke to He Xun without any politeness, while still flipping through the notes Xi'er had kept.
The note said that Ji Wanyuan had been staying in the courtyard quite obediently these days. She was in a bad mood a few days ago, but her mood had relaxed in the past two days.
Ji Lingyue flipped the note back over and stopped at the spot where Ji Wanyuan had knocked over the teacup, staining her skirt with tea.
He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice that He Xun was a little taller than usual today.
"It is easy to deceive the Prime Minister, but he will only believe it if he believes it."
Ji Lingyue looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
He Xun met his gaze. "In his letter to me, the Prime Minister said that he hadn't received a letter from Miss Ji for a month."
"You want to see your sister?" Ji Lingyue looked into his eyes.
He Xun smiled. "No."
"I only need Miss Ji to write a letter home and deliver it to the Prime Minister. Of course, I am just informing him of this matter and have no other intentions."
Ji Lingyue sneered, turned his gaze away, and continued to stare at the note. Originally, he wanted to go to Ji Wanyuan in person and ask her to write a letter, but when he thought of how she had thrown a tantrum and refused to listen to reason a few days ago, he hesitated.
If we go, I'm afraid she'll resist like a little hedgehog.
Even though he didn't want to, Ji Lingyue's gaze still fell on He Xun, who was leisurely drinking tea.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Ji Wanyuan, who was leaning against the windowsill, immediately perked up her ears.
Why does that footstep sound so familiar? It sounds like Wen Qiyan's footsteps.
She hunched over and looked outside, where she saw He Xun's face.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what had been a disappointment, but she felt a void in her heart, so much so that it showed on her face. Seeing this, He Xun asked, "Miss Ji, who do you wish to see?"
Why does this man's tone sound so strange?
Is it because she misses the scoundrel who wrote her a letter a while ago?
So you think He Xun's footsteps sound like him, and even his tone of voice sounds like him?
Ji Wanyuan stared at He Xun's face for a long time, feeling utterly bored, but it wasn't him.
She looked away. "What brings you here?"
"Miss Ji didn't seem too happy to see me," He Xun asked again.
Ji Wanyuan still felt his tone was strange, glanced at him, and didn't reply.
After sitting down, Ji Wanyuan asked Xi'er to pour him a cup of tea before asking, "What brings you here?"
He Xun explained his purpose and took out a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Looking at the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in front of her, Ji Wanyuan thought of Ji Lingyue's imprisonment of her and simply gave up, saying, "I don't want to write."
She thought He Xun would try to dissuade her, but to her surprise, he picked up the wolf-hair brush and looked at her, saying, "Miss Ji, just dictate, and I'll write it down."
As Ji Wanyuan watched him hold the pen, she felt something was off, strangely familiar.
Is she crazy? Why does He Xun look so much like Wen Qiyan today?
Although she had disliked Wen Qiyan for a long time, the time she disliked him was no match for the years she had liked him.
During the years she liked Wen Qiyan, she chased after him and watched him closely, so she knew everything he did and even imitated him.
She had secretly watched Wen Qiyan write many times, and He Xun in front of her was exactly the same in his words and actions.
Is it really a coincidence?
Ji Wanyuan stared at him. When she saw He Xun start writing, she leaned over to take a look and her pupils contracted when she saw the two words the man wrote.
This...this...this isn't...?!
Before the shock in her eyes had faded, the hand holding the wolf-hair brush instantly smeared the words she had written.
"It's been a long time since I've written anything, so I'll just write a few words to see." He pulled the Xuan paper aside and looked at her. "Please dictate, Miss."
Ji Wanyuan looked at the man before her, meeting his deep, dark eyes, "..."
It really is...
"What is the young lady looking at?"
He raised his pen and waved it in front of her. Ji Wanyuan realized where she was and quickly snapped back to reality.
"Your handwriting is really ugly." She turned her face away, and at the same time, increased the distance between them.
Seeing the woman's profile as she turned away, her words contradicting her true feelings, the man subtly curled his lips into a smile.
After a pause, Ji Wanyuan began to dictate her recent situation.
As she spoke, she couldn't help but start complaining, her tone carrying a subtle hint of coquetry.
The wolf-hair brush made a rustling sound as it fell on the rice paper, and the man would occasionally hum in agreement as he wrote.
Xi'er was grinding ink beside them, and watching the two of them working together so well, she felt a strange sense of harmony.
Why does Miss Ji seem less resistant to her son-in-law than the rumors suggest?
Was it because he was writing letters home for her and sending them back to the capital?
Ji Wanyuan spoke a lot, which was unusual for her, and her words filled two whole sheets of Xuan paper.
Xi'er carefully put away the Xuan paper, tore off the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, Ji Wanyuan muttered to herself, "Why are you here?"
The man was washing his hands, water droplets dripping from his long, jade-like knuckles.
Ji Wanyuan was suddenly reminded of the mess his fingers were making on her chest, and for a moment she blushed and felt her mouth go dry.
"Don't you want me to come?" The man's voice was very low, penetrating into the ear and sending a shiver down one's spine.
Ji Wanyuan glared at him resentfully, then saw Xi'er helping her pack letters. She shifted her gaze to the man, glared at him, and said, "Hmph."
The handsome man smiled and asked, "Don't you miss me?"
Ji Wanyuan puffed out her cheeks, her fingers unconsciously curling up, her full lips opening and closing, but the words she uttered were very firm, "I don't want to."
He laughed, "Then I won't come anymore."
Ji Wanyuan glared at him even more, and she didn't stop even when Xi'er came over.
"Just kidding." Looking at the girl's puffed-out cheeks, he wanted to reach out and pinch them, but he refrained.
"Who cares if you come?" She turned her face away and stood up.
Xi'er stayed with Ji Wanyuan the whole time, almost never leaving her side.
In the blink of an eye, he had bypassed the beaded curtain and arrived beside her.
Ji Wanyuan could say nothing more. The man who had regained his identity as He Xun had already stood up and left without lingering. He bowed politely.
Ji Wanyuan watched his retreating figure, her resentment undiminished.
"..."
That day, Lin Sinian and Lord Lin had an argument in the study, and afterwards Lord Lin fell ill.
Madam Lin summoned the imperial physician to examine Lord Lin, who said that he was suffering from a sudden attack of anger and needed to rest quietly, and could not be subjected to any further stimulation.
Madam Lin usually doted on her two children and rarely said anything harsh to them, but this time, she couldn't hold back and sent someone to invite Lin Sinian over to ask him what he was up to that had made his father sick.
Are you and your father enemies? What good will it do you to make your father sick?
Lin Sinian said, "There are indeed some benefits."
Once he falls ill, he won't have the strength to get involved in the Wen family's affairs. Ji Wanyuan's pregnancy and whereabouts need to be protected, and the biggest obstacle is their family members.
They're all relatives, so we can't be too harsh.
"Mother, I have something I don't want to hide, but it's best if you don't get involved in the Ji family's affairs."
Madam Lin's heart skipped a beat. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
“What relationship do we Lin family have with the Ji family? Even if we are related, it’s the Wen family, not the Ji family. We’re talking about your father and you right now.”
"Since Father has fallen ill, you should not go to the palace recently. Just stay at home and take good care of Father's health."
"You—" Madam Lin hadn't finished speaking.
Lin Sinian interrupted directly, "Mother, stop pretending to be deaf and dumb. You should know what I mean by getting involved in this matter."
Madam Lin remained silent, staring at Lin Sinian's profile, hesitating several times as if she wanted to say something but didn't, truly unsure of what to say.
What else could she say? Her attempts to put on a motherly air were all sharply rebuffed by Lin Sinian's words. Now that Lin's father was ill, Lin Sinian was the one who called the shots in the entire Lin family.
She had no choice but to bring up the emperor, "Your father said this is the emperor's decree, ordering us to get rid of Ji Wanyuan and the child in her womb. If we fail to do so, our entire Lin family will suffer."
"His Majesty is currently ill and has no time to deal with these matters. Moreover, there are countless affairs of the court, and he probably cannot manage them all."
Madam Lin sighed, "If someone from the palace comes to interrogate me, what am I supposed to say to your mother?"
Lin Sinian instructed her to simply say that Ji Wanyuan was not yet due to give birth and that there was no need to take action for the time being, otherwise it would alert the enemy.
The emperor is currently in poor health and will certainly not make a move against the Ji family at this juncture.
"Just go through the motions," Lin Sinian instructed again. "Make sure you do it convincingly, so no one notices anything amiss."
Mrs. Lin remained silent for a while, then sensed that something was amiss.
Um……?
She called Lin Sinian over to reprimand him, but instead it turned into Lin Sinian reprimanding her and telling her how to do things.
Thinking of what Lin Nianxi and her father had talked about, she hadn't yet received confirmation from them.
Putting aside the Ji family's affairs for the moment, Madam Lin asked him, "And what's going on between you and Lou Qingru?"
“I heard from your father that you and her…you and her…”
Madam Lin simply couldn't bring herself to say the words "private affair."
But if she didn't mention those two words, what else could she say? After deliberating for a long time, Madam Lin really went all out and asked, "Do you still have feelings for her and are you planning to... rekindle your old flame?"
After saying that, she kept observing Lin Sinian's expression.
Lin Sinian remained as steady as a mountain, refusing to respond. Madam Lin, however, grew anxious, "Say something!"
"Are you trying to make your father sick with anger, and then make your mother die from it?"
Lin Sinian looked over and asked, "Does Mother share the same opinion as Father?"
"What do you mean?" Madam Lin frowned in confusion.
"Explain yourself clearly."
Lin Sinian remained silent, but Madam Lin immediately stated, "Let me tell you first, I share the same thoughts as your father, and we will absolutely not agree to Lou Qingru becoming our daughter-in-law."
"Not to mention that Lou Qingru is a member of the Ji family, her behavior is dissolute. In the past, she would either go to restaurants to show her face or visit opera troupes to order actors and listen to music. If we were to marry her, our ancestors would be disgraced."
"Moreover, she got married and then divorced, and she even caused her ex-husband's death. Now she's dragging a child back to the capital... It's simply, simply terrifying."
Madam Lin was about to say something harsh, but when Lin Sinian looked at her with a chilling gaze, she immediately changed her mind.
After a long silence, Lin Sinian sneered, "My mother only thinks that our Lin family is a prestigious and wealthy family. She never considered that she didn't want to marry into this family at all, and even looked down on your son."
After a moment of stunned silence, Madam Lin said something. Her eyes widened. "Lou Qingru doesn't even look at you?!"
If she had liked him, why would she have secretly married him in the first place?
As for that child...
Lin Sinian lowered his eyes as he thought of this.
Madam Lin was so incredulous that she laughed, even forgetting why she had brought up Lou Qingru's past relationship with Lin Sinian in the first place.
"What does she have to look down on you for? Even if you can't compete with Wen Qiyan in the capital and can't get first place, you're still second. Why would she look down on you?"
"Could Lou Qingru rank second among the noble ladies of the capital?"
Judging from Madam Lin's current attitude, she seems determined to go to the Ji family and settle things.
After a moment, she came to her senses and realized something was wrong. "Don't try to change the subject! It's not about whether you two are a good match or not, it's about whether you can be together!"
Lin Sinian looked at Madam Lin, "Does Mother feel that she has another man's child and can't tolerate that child calling you grandmother?"
Mrs. Lin retorted, "You already know all this, so why are you asking me?"
"Do you like Lou Qingru so much that you'd help her raise her child with another man?"
Lin Si casually remarked, "What if my son says that the child was mine and hers?"
"What did you say?!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin was struck dumb, as if by a bolt from the blue. She stood frozen in place, completely stunned.
She thought she had misheard, but Lin Sinian repeated, "My son said that the child Lou Qingru brought back to the capital is mine."
The sky had fallen, and Madam Lin was so angry that she fainted.
Seeing his mother faint before him, Lin Sinian, just like a few days ago, calmly ordered someone to fetch a doctor.
The Lin family's peace was short-lived, as chaos erupted once again.
When the news reached the Wen family, Madam Wen was puzzled, "Why are the Lin family members falling ill one after another?"
She was planning to sneak over to the Ji family's place, but she didn't expect that she wouldn't need to be wary of the Lin family anymore?
Looking at the files from the Censorate, Wen's father thought, "It's probably Lin Sinian's doing."
"Both of them are sick, isn't this a bit too harsh?"
Madam Wen said that Lin Sinian used to seem refined and gentle, so why was he so ruthless?
Upon hearing this, Wen's father couldn't help but scoff, "Madam, you're mistaken. Qi Yan, don't you see him as aloof and restrained as well?"
Although the words were harsh, Wen's mother had to admit that it was indeed true.
The two of them really are... truly worthy of being called best friends.
"It's someone else's business, I can't worry about that now. I've had some cloaks and jackets made for Ji Wanyuan these past two days. When I pass by the Ji family, I'll have someone send them to Youzhou. I heard it's very cold there, and I wonder how her pregnancy is going—"
As Madam Wen spoke, her gaze inadvertently drifted outside, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Qingling, what brings you here?"
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Author's Note: Small red envelopes will still be randomly given out! [rainbow emoji]
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