Lin Songhao, who had been standing in the corridor, stared blankly at his sister after learning the truth, his face full of disbelief.
He never imagined that in the short time he had been away, something shocking would happen at home: not only had his sister gotten engaged so quickly, but the wedding date was even set for tomorrow!
Lin Songhao stared wide-eyed at his sister for a while before he came to his senses. He then turned his gaze to Young Master Zhao, only to see that Young Master Zhao, like his sister, had a flushed face and looked somewhat embarrassed.
Lin Songhao muttered to himself, "Am I dreaming? Could this be real?" Judging from the way Young Master Zhao and his sister looked, it seemed like they were really getting married.
He pinched himself quietly to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and muttered to himself, "I only went to watch the excitement for a while, and my sister is already engaged and getting married tomorrow. That's too fast."
Lin Songhao said softly, "If Her Highness had known earlier that brothels would cause trouble, she probably wouldn't have had time to arrange my sister's marriage."
He thought to himself that although his sister's marriage seemed a bit rushed, if she could marry Young Master Zhao, that would be the best thing ever.
Young Master Zhao is not only of excellent character, but also handsome and charming. In this way, after my sister marries Young Master Zhao, she can be close to protect him.
Just as Lin Songhao was lost in his jumbled thoughts, Lin Yajun suddenly asked, "Brother Hao, how's the matter at the brothel going? Have you found the murderer yet?"
Lin Songhao raised his head, his eyes flickering. He lowered his voice and said, "The murderer has been found; it's Hu Shizi's cousin. He didn't leave after the incident; he was tied up. According to Hu Shizi's men, Hu Shizi's cousin was jealous because he saw the beautiful woman being taken away by Hu Shizi. He got jealous, so he got Hu Shizi drunk, knocked out a prostitute, and then committed the heinous act."
"Hu Shizi's cousin was beaten to death on the spot by the Duke's men!"
"The Duke was not going to let it go. He went to the Ministry of Justice to accuse the Prince Consort, saying that the Prince Consort's brothel had failed to protect the safety of its customers and that he wanted to hold the Prince Consort accountable."
As Zhao Canchen listened to Lin Songhao's account, he frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with Lin Yajun. Both of them saw confusion in each other's eyes.
Zhao Canchen pondered to himself, "Can the prince consort outmaneuver the empress's family? After all, the Duke's mansion is a force to be reckoned with."
Lin Yajun had never liked the prince consort, and upon hearing this news, she even felt a surge of schadenfreude.
A slight smile played on her lips as she thought to herself, "Hmph, serves the prince consort right for his bad luck. Who told him to be so arrogant and treat Canchen so poorly?"
Regardless of the commotion outside, the Lin family is now focused on preparing for tomorrow's wedding ceremony.
Although the Lin family is not in a position to host a banquet, Zhao Canchen and Lin Yajun still need to have the necessary marriage ceremony.
Zhao Canchen presented the box of silver that the princess had given him, and also added the roll of silver notes that Xu had forcibly returned to him the day before.
His voice was slightly low: "I will use all my family's wealth as a betrothal gift."
A hint of shame appeared on Zhao Canchen's face. He was not satisfied with the amount of the betrothal gifts and said apologetically, "This is really too little. I'm sorry to have wronged Xiaojun."
Madam Xu quickly accepted the box of silver and banknotes with both hands, her eyes revealing sincerity. "Young Master Zhao, this is far too much! Even the daughters of officials of the third or fourth rank might not have such a generous dowry. This is your entire fortune, it's truly more than enough." Madam Xu's words were filled with emotion.
She thought to herself: A son-in-law is like a son to me, and I've decided to treat this poor son-in-law like my own son.
"Husband, let's go get the things now." Madam Xu gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, then, holding the box, turned to Lin Daoyan and instructed, "Hurry up, or it will be difficult to handle once it gets dark."
Lin Daoyan quickly nodded and replied, "Okay, ladies, let's go now."
So Lin Daoyan and Xu hurriedly went out to buy furniture and bedding.
Fortunately, their main house had been completely renovated, and the belongings of the previous two families had been sold off, so the newly purchased furniture could be placed directly.
Zhao Canchen's marriage proposal was successful, and the wedding was set for tomorrow. This made him so excited that he couldn't concentrate on his book and asked Lin Songhao to demonstrate with a stick for him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Yajun quickly returned to the west wing, secretly planning how to use the excuse of resting to enter the space and check the surveillance situation of the brothel.
She hurried into the courtyard, and Madam Ma put down her needlework and greeted her with a smile.
"Congratulations, Miss!" Ma bowed her head and said, her tone conveying her blessings to Lin Yajun.
The servants of the Lin family all spread the word that Lin Yajun had become engaged to Young Master Zhao and would be getting married tomorrow.
This news was no secret in the household, and the servants were all happy for their young mistress.
Lin Yajun smiled politely at Madam Ma and said softly, "Thank you, Granny." Then she went straight into the house.
Ma watched her daughter's back disappear into the house before picking up a wooden box and going to the kitchen to fetch hot water for her to wash her face.
As soon as Lin Yajun stepped into the room, she sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
She looked closely and saw Qiaoqing standing in the middle of the room, her face frighteningly gloomy, as if someone owed her hundreds of taels of silver.
In the past, whenever Lin Yajun returned to her room, Qiaoqing would always be the first to greet her, help her take off her coat, and then ask with a smile, "Miss, are you hungry or thirsty?"
However, today, Qiaoqing stood there motionless as if she were under a spell, staring at Lin Yajun with her big eyes without blinking.
Lin Yajun stared back at Qiaoqing in surprise.
“Miss, how could you choose to marry Young Master Zhao?” Qiaoqing finally spoke, her voice filled with disappointment and reproach. “He is a very dangerous person. Have you forgotten what I told you before?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yajun's eyes widened, and she looked at Qiaoqing with a face full of surprise.
She simply couldn't understand how a mere maid dared to speak to her in such a tone.
This doesn't resemble a servant at all; it's more like an elder reprimanding a junior, or even a superior issuing orders to a subordinate.
Lin Yajun couldn't help but recall the scene before she left. Qiaoqing was still very respectful, carefully seeing her off and reminding her, "Miss, you must speak less in the Princess's residence." At that time, Qiaoqing was clearly a kind and understanding maid.
But now, in just two or three hours, Qiaoqing has completely changed, as if she had suddenly died and her body had been possessed by a strange soul.
Lin Yajun frowned slightly, revealing a hint of doubt and worry, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
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