Lin Zhongyuan, the eldest son of the Lin family, is dead!
This news came from the imperial court.
Everyone knows that the Ning'an Bolin Weiming family is a nouveau riche family that rose to prominence entirely because of the favor of the regent and the emperor. They have no real foundation in the capital and their current official positions with little real power are pitifully small.
However, he was honest and dutiful, and he was always cautious when attending court every day, never asking for leave.
This time, Lin Weiming not only took leave, but he took ten days off!
Many people went to inquire about what exactly happened.
They learned this astonishing news as soon as they inquired.
With so many people talking, the news spread like wildfire.
When the ladies of many official families heard about this, they widened their eyes in disbelief: "Are you telling the truth? You're not lying, are you? I saw that eldest son of the Lin family at the palace banquet before. He is indeed a handsome and dignified young man."
"Moreover, our son said that his grades at the Imperial Academy were among the best, and that he was preparing to take the major exam this year, and that he might even become the top scholar! How could such a good child suddenly fall ill and die?"
This lady had already begun to plan that although her daughter was two years older than this young master Lin, he was also young. If they could arrange a marriage early on, they could wait until their children were all grown up before getting married.
What a wonderful marriage that would be!
But she hadn't had a chance to talk to Madam Lin or Old Madam Lin and discuss this matter.
How could such a good son-in-law be gone?
It wasn't just one lady who shared this idea; rather, all the ladies in the capital with daughters of marriageable age had already listed Lin Zhongyuan, who was well-educated, handsome, and had even received praise from the emperor, as a key candidate for their future son-in-law.
The sudden news of Lin Zhongyuan's death is a huge blow to these wives who have been so worried about their daughters' marriages.
They couldn't believe it, so they urged their husbands to go to the Lin family's house to pay their respects, under the guise of caring for their colleagues.
Actually, I wanted to go and see what was going on.
The adults didn't refuse; they were also very curious about the matter and wanted to see what kind of illness it was that caused such a healthy child to suddenly die.
Who wouldn't feel it's a pity?
Before they could even set off, Qi Yuan had already rushed to the Lin family's residence.
But before his carriage even reached the Lin family's residence, he heard a mournful melody. The mournful and painful sounds were so heavy that they made one's heart feel heavy, like clothes soaked with water.
Heavy and sorrowful.
Qi Yuan clenched his fists, and couldn't help but recall the time when Lin Zhongyuan accompanied him while he studied.
Actually, it wasn't so much accompanying him as teaching him.
Lin Zhongyuan's literary achievements far surpassed those of the emperor, and he was equally accomplished in politics and military affairs.
Qi Yuan learned a lot from him and had come to regard him as a friend he could entrust with his life.
But how did Lin Zhongyuan suddenly disappear?
"Oh dear, Your Majesty..." Upon arriving at the Lin family's gate, Qi Yuan quickly jumped off the carriage, while Eunuch Liu frantically chased after him, his heart pounding. "Your Majesty, please slow down! Slow down!"
White lanterns and white paper hung under the eaves, and all the servants had changed into white clothes.
The mournful, chaotic cries echoed, each one seemingly conveying endless sorrow.
Qi Yuan finally slowed down and walked towards the main hall. Sure enough, he saw a huge black coffin in the middle. The four children of the Lin family were all dressed in the same coarse linen clothes, kneeling on the prayer mats and crying loudly.
As Lin Wanyue wiped away her tears, she saw Qi Yuan and the others, and softly called out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Your Majesty."
Lin Weiming then noticed Qi Yuan who had barged in and quickly came over to pay his respects.
"Get up quickly, what exactly happened? Brother Lin, wasn't he fine just a few days ago? We even went to White Lotus Pond together... to study there..." Qi Yuan felt his eyes getting hot, and he couldn't say anything.
Lin Wanyue walked over and answered softly, "My brother caught a cold a few days ago and passed away this morning..."
"A cold? How could it be so serious?" Qi Yuan blinked and a tear slid down his cheek.
"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Liu, who was following behind him, was terrified and turned pale.
Lin Weiming didn't know what to do either, so he could only advise Qi Yuan to rest in the room next door.
Lin Wanyue felt a little worried when she saw Qi Yuan like this.
She secretly took out a talisman from her sleeve and stuck it on Qi Yuan's body. It was a calming talisman that could help stabilize his soul.
When Eunuch Liu saw this, his eyes twitched, but he didn't say a word.
He felt that after spending so much time with Lin Wanyue, he believed she was a good girl and would not do anything detrimental to His Majesty.
Qi Yuan went to Lin Zhongyuan's study for a while, but was soon picked up by the people sent by Qi Sichen.
After all, the emperor's safety was paramount, and he could not leave the palace at will.
Qi Yuan himself felt that the scene was evoking memories, and fearing that he would feel a lump in his throat again, he did not linger.
The news of the sudden death of Lin Zhongyuan, the academic genius of the Imperial Academy, naturally reached the academy on the same day.
The older ones could sigh about the unpredictability of life, but the younger ones, especially Lin Zhongyuan's classmates who were about the same age, were much more sarcastic when they got together.
"You know, this guy studies hard every day, never eats anything good, never plays anything fun, probably never even held a pretty woman's hand, and now he's suddenly dead, what a loss!" The speaker was a classmate who had wanted to invite Lin Zhongyuan to Qinlou a few days ago.
After being rejected by Lin Zhongyuan, he was still a little angry, feeling that this Lin was ungrateful and ignorant.
Now, hearing that someone has died, I can't help but feel a little happy.
Surrounding him were his classmates and friends of many years, friends who had visited brothels together, and they all shared similar thoughts.
"Isn't that right? Just the other day our teacher was praising him, saying that he would definitely get a good ranking in this big exam, maybe even in the top three! Now look what's happened, all those years of studying have been for nothing. He's supposed to be studying hard, but this time he's really suffering from the cold."
These people burst into laughter as they spoke.
Some people nearby felt a little sorry for him, thinking that after all, a person had died, and how could they make fun of him?
However, Lin Zhongyuan and they were only acquaintances who had met briefly and did not have any deep relationship. Naturally, they were unwilling to offend others for the sake of a classmate with whom they had little connection.
Moreover, even if they didn't say it, they were secretly relieved, feeling that they had lost a major competitor.
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