Had Father never considered the consequences, or...
Butler Lin also felt restless in his heart; in fact, he had been just as shocked as the Young Master when he first saw the content of the secret letter, but they couldn’t defy Lord’s orders: "This must be Lord’s provisional strategy."
Lin Zheqi’s eyes were deep and dark, and he kept his lips pressed together, saying nothing.
Lord had invested so much effort and hope in the Young Master, Butler Lin firmly believed that Lord would never harm the Young Master’s reputation and must have had a contingency plan in place, so he tried to persuade Lin Zheqi: "The power of Ke Prince Mansion is not to be underestimated; Lord is probably using Ke Prince Mansion to test the waters. If it fails, he can still take over the power of Ke Prince Mansion in its entirety;
"Outsiders are not aware of the Young Master’s relationship with Commandery Princess Yanrou, so they naturally won’t criticize the Young Master. The Young Master just needs to marry her and keep her in the backyard, untouched. After the matter is settled, erase all traces, and no one will associate it with the Young Master..."
Under Lin Zheqi’s sneering gaze, Butler Lin’s voice grew lower and lower until he finally fell silent.
How could he have forgotten, the Young Master had always shown his true self to the world. When Lord’s great enterprise succeeded, even if they managed to erase the traces, people would inevitably gossip, greatly affecting the Young Master’s reputation.
Lord was always meticulous in his thinking and should have anticipated such consequences. Why did he still want the Young Master to... Butler Lin’s thoughts became more and more alarming, his complexion grew uglier, no, it couldn’t be. After so many years of careful nurturing, Lord would never treat the Young Master this way! It was the first time Butler Lin doubted his own conjecture.
Seeing Butler Lin’s pale face filled with horror, Lin Zheqi appeared dim and walked to the window, staring blankly at the bauhinia flowers outside.
The warm sunlight of the winter day sprinkled upon Lin Zheqi, casting halos around him. What should have been an imposing and divine figure now exuded an aura of sadness and forlornness, causing Butler Lin to feel heartache and compassion.
Lord had saved his life and was like a mentor to him, but he had watched the Young Master grow up, and in his heart, he had long treated the Young Master as his own child, loving and instructing him.
The Young Master had been away from his family since childhood, enduring alone the harsh training and pressure. Yet, he still couldn’t change his innate sensitivity and passion. Therefore, he especially hoped to end this lonely suffering as soon as possible and allow the Young Master to return to his parents and relatives, to enjoy the happiness of family togetherness.
Now, Lord had issued such an order. Not to mention the Young Master, even he felt very uncomfortable.
Well, the Young Master had always been rational and resilient. Perhaps after some quiet reflection, he might understand, thought Butler Lin as he sighed quietly and then left the study.
As the footsteps faded away, Lin Zheqi’s handsome face was expressionless, while his shiny pupils held unfathomable depths, his gaze silent as still water, faintly radiating weariness and mockery.
For the sake of Father’s grand enterprise, Father would even ignore ethics by having him marry Long Yanrou. How could that not chill him to the bone?
Moreover, after being cautioned by Princess Chen, that person must have become alert to Ke Prince Mansion. Yet, Father still wanted to take over the power of Ke Prince Mansion. Was that even possible?
Le Xing and Le Shui, who had remained silent throughout, looked at Lin Zheqi’s desolate and lonely figure. Their eyes filled with both heartache and rage, as well as a chilling intent to kill.
Knowing that Commandery Princess Yanrou was a notorious cousin to the Young Master, yet that so-called Lord wanted the Young Master to marry Commandery Princess Yanrou – was that Lord truly the Young Master’s father? In their eyes, an enemy would be more like it!
"Young Master, I will kill Long Yanrou right now," Le Xing said as he began to leave.
"Do not act rashly." Pulling Le Xing back, Le Shui lowered his voice and advised, "Long Yanrou is a member of the royal family after all. That person will definitely investigate thoroughly. Moreover, the banquet ended just a few days ago, and it could inevitably cause trouble for Princess Chen and Madam Shao. Even if it’s eventually proven that they’re unrelated to Princess Chen and Madam Shao, Ke Prince Mansion will not let Princess Chen and Madam Shao off easily." He could see that the Young Master was unwilling to harm Princess Chen.
Le Xing understood the Young Master’s feelings as well: "But if Long Yanrou doesn’t die, Lord will have the Young Master marry her. What will the Young Master do then?"
"Let Long Yanrou marry someone else," said Le Shui.
With a twist of his mouth, Le Xing’s face showed undisguised disdain: "Who would want a woman like her?"
"She has learned the Bewitching Technique." Lin Zheqi slowly walked to the desk and sat down, looking at the surprised Le Xing and Le Shui as he calmly said, "Judging from the banquet that day, she hasn’t been practicing long and the method is quite special." He motioned for Le Shui to come closer and quietly gave a few instructions.
After Le Shui left, Lin Zheqi ordered Le Xing, "Send a message to Zhang Run, tell him to hurry up and investigate that matter."
At the Chen Prince Mansion.
Long Xuanmo and Yang Mengchen chatted with Shao Mingyi and his wife about family matters, then Long Xuanmo called Shao Mingyi to his study, while Yang Mengchen signaled Bai He to serve some snacks to Chu Dieyi: "These are a few snacks I made myself, Madam Shao, please try them."
Seeing the various snacks on the table, a complex emotion flashed through Chu Dieyi’s eyes. She picked up a piece of crystal osmanthus cake and took a small bite. It was moist and soft, delicate and sweet, with the aroma of osmanthus mingled with a hint of plum.
These were all her favorite pastries, and only one person knew her taste. Whenever she had a holiday, he would make them for her to enjoy. Unfortunately, it had been a long time since she last tasted them, and she didn’t expect to taste them again today, and the flavor was just like before. Could it be...
"The princess made some delicious pastries." Taking out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, Chu Dieyi said to Yang Mengchen, "Princess, there are some things I would like to discuss with you alone. May I have your permission to speak privately?"
Waving her hand to indicate for Sister Jin and the others to leave, Yang Mengchen watched Chu Dieyi silently, her eyes flickering with various emotions.
"Anne, is it really you?" Chu Dieyi asked eagerly, yet cautiously.
Yang Mengchen stood up, her face filled with excitement and joy, "I am Anne, and you are Melantha?"
"Yes, I am Lan Ling." Stepping forward and grasping Yang Mengchen’s hands tightly, Chu Dieyi said joyfully, "Ah Meng, I never expected to meet you here."
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