Give them a hard time
Wen Youqing stared at Li Yin, taking in all her little expressions. Li Yin frowned, then relaxed slightly. He smiled faintly, without saying a word, and simply sat down next to Li Yin.
Li Yin looked at the booklet intently and carefully. After she finished reading it, she closed it with a "whoosh." Holding the booklet in her hand, she asked, "Lord Lin, what happened to that case from eighteen years ago...?"
Wen Youqing looked at her and smiled gently. He said, "Eighteen years ago, it involved a lot of things. Most of the people who knew about it are no longer here, and those who survived cannot speak of it."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin lowered her eyes to look at the booklet in her hand and said, "Do you think the outcome of the case from eighteen years ago will be the same as mine?"
Wen Youqing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He pondered for a moment before saying, "It's different. The case from eighteen years ago involved many people, and those who knew about it dared not speak out. Everyone wanted to keep it buried in their hearts."
He suddenly reached out and tapped the table lightly, pausing before saying, "I'm giving you this booklet because I want you to learn more about Lin Zhaoshan."
Li Yin looked up and met Wen Youqing's warm eyes. She said, "Thank you."
Wen Youqing smiled and said, "Then, my lady, how should you thank your husband?"
Li Yin pondered for a moment, then said, "How about I treat you to a meal? I'll cook it myself."
Wen Youqing didn't react after hearing the first half of the sentence, but when he heard the second half, he raised his eyes and said, "You can cook?"
Li Yin nodded and said, "Of course, Master doesn't cook. Otherwise, who do you think we ate in the mountains?"
Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin, who didn't answer directly but remained silent for a while before saying, "I'll cook for you, how about you eat a meal I made?"
Li Yin said, "Is there any need for me to cook as a way of expressing my gratitude?"
Wen Youqing tapped the table lightly, his tone slightly helpless as he said, "Madam, what you've made is terrible."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin stared at Wen Youqing with disbelief in her eyes. She asked in a questioning tone, "Senior brother, how did you end up eating my cooking? Aren't you often away?"
Wen Youqing understood the meaning behind Li Yin's words. He paused, and this time he landed the blow more lightly, without making a sound. He said, "Given by Master."
Li Yin frowned slightly upon hearing this, and asked, "Master?"
Wen Youqing continued, "Whenever my master pranks me, he tricks me into eating it. He knows that if you made it, I will eat it."
Li Yin fell into deep thought. Her master often said that her senior brother had an eccentric personality and it was best to stay away from him. Was this a deliberate act to... distance herself from Wen Youqing?
Wen Youqing twitched her fingertips slightly and tapped the table again. With a "tap," Li Yin looked over and heard Wen Youqing say, "So, my wife, I'll cook for you."
Li Yin nodded. When Wen Youqing got up and was about to leave, Li Yin gently pulled her sleeve. He looked up at Wen Youqing and said, "Don't go yet, I still have something to ask you."
Wen Youqing stopped, reached out and touched the hand that Li Yin was holding, which was pulling on his sleeve, and asked softly, "What else do you want to know? I can tell you anything I know."
Li Yin had become somewhat accustomed to Wen Youqing's touches. She let Wen Youqing hold her hand, completely ignoring the satisfaction in Wen Youqing's eyes, and instead asked indifferently, "Yushu, why haven't you come back yet?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing bent down, his knees slightly bent, and presented his face to Li Yin's hands, gently rubbing it. His tone was mournful, seemingly dissatisfied, mixed with a hint of jealousy, "Madam, why do you always think of others?"
Seeing his reaction, Li Yin gently patted Wen Youqing's face and said in a serious tone, "Wen Youqing, I'm asking you a question. Will you answer?"
Wen Youqing lowered his eyes and said, "Yu Shu is a member of the Wen family, so they dare not do anything to her. However, Zhao Lianying lost her voice suddenly, and the Shen family needs someone to go in place of their daughter. So they asked me if I would do them this favor."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin lowered his eyes and pondered. The result was obvious: this was a sure-fire deal, exchanging the life of a maid for a favor from the Shen family.
However, Li Yin still felt uneasy. Yu Shu was not involved in these matters and was an unrelated outsider, yet she was implicated and lost her life for no reason.
That's so unfair...
She took a deep breath and asked Wen Youqing, "What are your plans?"
Wen Youqing stared at Li Yin's hand, then gently traced the lines on Li Yin's palm. He said, "The Wen family is under your jurisdiction."
Li Yin then said, "I want to save people; Yu Shu has nothing to do with this." But that was only one reason. The most important thing was that Yu Shu and Yu Su looked very similar, and seeing Yu Shu would remind her of Yu Su.
Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll have someone pass on a message to them later."
Li Yin's palms were itchy from Wen Youqing's tickling, and upon hearing this, her heart also felt itchy. She earnestly said to Wen Youqing, "Thank you."
Wen Youqing said, "Madam, you and I are so unfamiliar with each other."
Li Yin's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to speak, but Wen Youqing was one step ahead of her and continued, "You are the one in charge of the Wen family, so the power is yours."
Li Yin was taken aback at first, then she said, "I am not sensitive to the court and do not understand the aristocratic families. It is not appropriate for me to take power."
Wen Youqing stood up, straightened his knees, and said, "You are my wife, a member of the Wen family, and the most suitable person for you. This is my wish, and also my mother's wish."
What does Madam Wen mean?
Ding Zishan also entrusted this power to her? But she knew nothing about these things, so she dared not act rashly and had to decline.
Li Yin said, "I don't know how to maintain good relations with those powerful families."
Wen Youqing smiled gently and said, "The Wen family doesn't need to be with other aristocratic families. The Wen family doesn't form factions or participate in political struggles; we only follow the new emperor."
Miss Li asked, "Isn't the Wen family afraid of arousing suspicion and covetousness from the new emperor?"
Wen Youqing smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she released Li Yin's hand and said as she walked, "Madam, see you in the hall in a little while."
Wen Youqing stepped out, and Li Yin watched as the person in the blue robe gradually disappeared from sight, blending into nature.
The rain had eased a bit the moment Wen Youqing got up, and then quietly stopped after he pushed open the door and went out.
Li Yin stared at the spot where Wen Youqing had left for a long time, seemingly lost in thought. Then, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he came back to his senses.
A white dove, circling in the air, soaring like a playful cloud, watching the clouds rise and fall.
Upon seeing Li Yin, it flew down, its wings swaying powerfully as it swooped down. In no time, it reached Li Yin's side. Its eyes were wide open as it tilted its head and looked at Li Yin, glancing left and right. Finally, it hopped twice and landed on the table next to Li Yin.
Li Yin looked over and saw a white dove with its legs bound, containing a bamboo tube. Upon opening it, he was greeted by a chaotic mess of illegible handwriting. Li Yin frowned as he looked at it; it was truly ugly. Each character seemed to have its own thoughts, not in a single line, and each one was animated and expressive.
Upon opening the letter, Li Yin felt as if he were seeing the person in the words, and the image of his unreliable master immediately came to mind.
He wore gray clothes, had a white face and a long white beard, liked to squint his small eyes, and spent his days sleeping in a tree with a gourd in his hand, swaying back and forth.
The letter stated that the capital was a troublesome place and it was best to leave as soon as possible.
Li Yin flipped through the note again, confirming that only this page had writing on it, and then chuckled. It seemed that the old man wasn't always omniscient.
However, the paper feels slightly rough to the touch in some places, like...
Li Yin's smile faded. She held the paper in her hand, looked around, and saw only a landscape screen, a wooden table and chairs, a wooden bed, and jade and porcelain pieces, each one exquisite.
Unable to find a dressing table, Li Yin tucked the note into his sleeve and went out.
Li Yin wasn't very familiar with this road, so she walked slowly, looking around and paying attention to the scenery and places along the way.
The long corridor meandered and the road twisted and turned, with flowers and plants along the way. Unidentified red flowers were in full bloom. The further Li Yin walked, the more flowers there were, clusters and bunches of them, their red color almost dripping blood. Li Yin walked until he arrived at a courtyard.
It was somewhat dilapidated, with withered trees and broken branches, and cobwebs on the door, but lanterns hung from the branches. The lanterns were novel in design and exquisite in pattern, indicating that people still lived here.
What kind of people live here?
Li Yin glanced at it a few times, then turned and left. This time, he still followed his intuition, but by sheer luck, he ended up in the kitchen. Li Yin deliberately walked lightly, as the people inside were busy at work.
One person complained, "Prince Song, why do you always order pastries from the Wen family? Is it possible that the chefs at Prince Song's residence aren't as good as those at the Wen family's?"
A little girl laughed and said, "Sister, don't think like that. The King of Song secretly came here and gave us a lot of reward money."
Upon hearing this, the man reached out and poked the little girl's cheek. She said, "You're so silly. How much of the reward money from above will actually reach us? The people above don't work hard or run errands; they just lie around and collect money."
The little girl suddenly understood and said "Oh," and continued, "If you calculate it that way, it is indeed a loss."
Li Yin walked over and met the eyes of the little girl. The little girl had her hair tied in two buns, each with a bell and a red string. When she saw Li Yin, she turned her head and stared straight at him with curiosity in her eyes. She asked in confusion, "Who are you, young lady?"
The woman beside the little maid had her hair tied in a willow-shaped bun, with a flower between her eyebrows, and was dressed in a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). She didn't look like a maid, but rather like a young lady. When she saw Li Yin, her face, which was covered in makeup, suddenly panicked. The object she was holding fell to the ground with a "thud," and she immediately knelt down, bowed her head, and said, "Madam."
Upon seeing the man's attire, Li Yin raised an eyebrow slightly. Was the Wen family so lax in managing their servants? The servants were dressed almost like the young lady…
However… the Wen family is a prominent family, and they must not be lax in their control over their servants. She immediately understood that she was in power now, and this person's attire was meant to give her a warning.
She then said, "What's wrong with your attire? Madam Ding prefers simple and elegant clothes. Aren't you afraid of offending her?" Li Yin only intended to offer a slight suggestion, since Ding Zishan did indeed prefer simple and elegant clothes.
The woman had her head down, but her hair was styled in a high bun. She muttered, "An orphan girl whose whole family died, and she still cares about so much. Does she really think she's a member of the Wen family?"
Li Yin was about to leave when she heard this, and she immediately became angry. She stopped beside the person and said, "Hmm, you're right, he does have a mouth, but I don't like what he says. It makes me want to tear him apart."
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