Lin Jin Lou embraced her and walked out the door. Xiang Lan curled up in the blanket, her head throbbing intermittently, her stomach uncomfortable, her face burning with pain, and her entire body weak without an ounce of strength. She simply lowered her head, letting Lin Jin Lou do as he pleased.

They didn’t encounter anyone along the way. The sedan chair was waiting outside the second gate. Lin Jin Lou placed Xiang Lan inside and ordered Xiao Juan to bring a pot of osmanthus tea to attend to her. Only then did he take the reins and mount his horse.

Gui Yuan was startled when he first saw Xiang Lan wrapped like a silkworm cocoon in Lin Jin Lou’s arms. He didn’t dare look at Xiang Lan’s face and secretly glanced at Lin Jin Lou instead, noticing several bloody scratches on his left cheek, clearly made by fingernails. Gui Yuan was shocked and no longer dared to stare at Lin Jin Lou’s face.

At this moment, Xiao Juan lifted the sedan curtain and beckoned, “Little Gui Yuan, come here.”

Hearing this, Gui Yuan hurriedly scurried over with a face full of smiles, “What does Sister Xiao Juan need?” Then in a low voice asked, “What happened to our Madam? Is she ill?” While speaking, he glanced toward Lin Jin Lou’s direction, giving Xiao Juan a meaningful look.

Xiao Juan rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t ask about things that aren’t your business to know.” She then handed a bundle to Gui Yuan, “Take this, it’s some dirty clothes with an odor. I’m worried the smell might make Madam dizzy, so return it to me when we get back to the mansion.”

Gui Yuan accepted it with a bitter expression. Xiao Juan chuckled and handed over four pieces of cake wrapped in a handkerchief, “Take these to eat, they’re still warm. When we get home, Madam will reward you.” With that, she lowered the curtain.

Seeing that Xiao Juan wouldn’t explain and noticing her slightly red eyes indicating she had been crying, Gui Yuan didn’t dare ask further. He just followed from a distance carrying the clothes, avoiding any trouble with the masters.

Xiang Lan continued feeling unwell throughout the journey. Xiao Juan poured osmanthus tea from the pot to help her counteract the alcohol’s effects and pressed several acupressure points with a hairpin. Only then did Xiang Lan begin to feel somewhat better. By the time they returned to the Lin Manor, Xiang Lan was in a daze. Through the haze, someone carried her and placed her on a bed. The bedding and pillows emanated a strong mint and borneol fragrance, completely different from the soft sweet fragrance of her bed. She shifted uncomfortably, her hand touching a round pillow which she hugged to herself, curling into a ball. When her swollen face brushed against the pillow, she couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath of pain and said in a small, pitiful voice, “Mother, it hurts…” A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.

A moment later, someone wiped away her tears and covered her with another blanket. After a while, rough fingers applied medicine to her face, making it hurt even more, but she couldn’t avoid it despite shaking her head. A gruff voice said, “Stay still, stop fidgeting.” Eventually, things quieted down, and she fell into a deep sleep hugging the pillow.

After sleeping for an unknown duration, Xiang Lan woke up thirsty, faintly hearing voices talking.

“…Did that old fool Zhao Jin submit such a memorial to the throne? Heh, he’s quite bold. In recent years, the Emperor has shown him such favor that it’s gone to his head. The matter of Crown Prince succession concerns the dynasty’s future. The Emperor has always been stubborn and self-willed – how could he allow others to meddle?” The speaker was Lin Jin Lou, his tone carrying its usual languid arrogance.

“You were once Zhao Jin’s granddaughter’s husband, calling him ‘old fool’ isn’t very respectful,” Yuan Shao Ren laughed softly. Lin Jin Lou snorted in derision. Yuan Shao Ren continued, “Zhao Jin is the court’s premier scholar and currently the Chief Grand Secretary. His memorial regarding the establishment of the Crown Prince is quite reasonable.”

“The First Prince is benevolent but sickly. The Emperor favors the Second Prince, saying his manner and temperament closely resemble his own. The Emperor is truly delighted with him. When he was still a prince himself, he once said ‘Encourage him, the heir is often ill.’ The Second Prince’s eyes gleam like a hungry tiger – he harbors wild ambitions and seeks no small gain. Just count how many troops he’s amassing and you’ll understand.”

Xiang Lan, who had been sleeping groggily, suddenly became alert upon hearing their conversation. She abruptly realized these two men were behind closed doors, brazenly discussing state affairs, particularly the matter of succession to the Eastern Palace. Xiang Lan recalled the tragic fate of the Shen family in her previous life, and a cold sweat broke out unconsciously. Looking around, she saw the bed canopy embroidered with golden threads depicting vines and spiders, symbolizing continuous joy. The bed curtains were drawn tight, the bedding luxurious, but this wasn’t her usual bed. She quietly sat up and noticed several books at the bedside, along with some exquisite daggers and two or three folding fans, all belonging to Lin Jin Lou. She suddenly realized this must be his study.

She then heard Yuan Shao Ren say, “There’s a proper order of succession. The First Prince is the eldest legitimate son, and was personally chosen as heir by the previous Emperor – he has the advantage. They say the memorials supporting the First Prince are flooding the Grand Secretariat. Now that Grand Secretary Zhao Jin has submitted his memorial, this trend might be unstoppable. The First Prince also has an exceptionally intelligent son whom the Emperor dotes on greatly. When Zhao Jin submitted his memorial supporting the First Prince as Crown Prince, he listed this ‘beloved imperial grandson’ as the primary reason.”

Lin Jin Lou laughed, “If the Second Prince’s beautiful dream shatters, that old Zhao Jin will likely earn his hatred. The Emperor is currently in his prime and still quite fond of the Second Prince. Zhao Jin making such a move is betting his entire clan’s fate. It’s even more incomprehensible than the Shen family back then – at least the Shens stood on principle. Zhao Jin usually knows how to be diplomatic with his superior talent, but now he’s deliberately making himself a target.”

Yuan Shao Ren laughed again, “You think everyone’s like your grandfather, always slipping away smoothly.”

Lin Jin Lou chuckled, then after a pause continued, “The Second Prince has sent me three invitations these past few days. I’ve declined them all with excuses, but if I keep refusing, I might offend him. Everyone harbors burning ambitions, hoping to gain merit by supporting the future dragon. The princes keep trying to draw people to their sides, but I’m too lazy to care about their petty struggles. After my audience with the Emperor, I’ll return to Jinling to rest.”

Yuan Shao Ren shook his head. Lin Jin Lou truly inherited his grandfather’s ways – never taking the lead, maintaining good relations with all sides, and keeping his true thoughts hidden. The Lin family had deep roots and abundant branches, acting without speaking up, bowing their heads to whoever sat on the dragon throne. Court officials often mocked them, saying “Where is their loyalty as subjects?” But each generation of the Lin family produced capable officials, adhering to a diplomatic middle path. While many great clans fell after becoming embroiled in various disputes, the Lin family remained standing. He said, “I also received his invitation and wanted to discuss it with you. Since that’s the case, let’s accept one next time, but only discuss romance and poetry, nothing else.”

Xiang Lan noticed a cloisonné enamel teapot at the bedside. She touched it and found it still warm, then carefully took one of the matching teacups, poured half a cup, and drank it in one gulp. She poured another half cup and was about to drink when she heard Yuan Shao Ren tease, “Alright, enough about that… Say, Ying Yang, what happened to your face? Who scratched you?”

“Nonsense, I got this while sparring with someone.”

“Hehe, who are you trying to fool? It wasn’t there yesterday, and today you’re wounded. Besides, what man keeps such long fingernails unless he’s a dandy? Tell me, which girl scratched you? Not someone from the pleasure houses – those ladies would rather worship you… Could it be the one in your household? Who would have thought such a quiet and gentle person had such a temper? Did you bully her?”

“Get out of here, I already told you it happened during practice, believe it or not.”

“Oh, you’re getting angry now? I’m just showing concern for you, and you treat my kindness like a donkey’s liver and lungs. Your temper, you should change it, ah? Who would want to live with a firecracker every day… Now I understand why you specially invited me over today – it’s because you can’t show that face to others.”

“Tch, why do you talk so much?!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Come on, let’s go practice outside, haven’t exercised in several days.”

“You go first, I need to change clothes.” Lin Jin Lou opened the door and called out loudly, “Shuang Xi, Shuang Xi! Prepare hot tea and snacks, and bring out the weapons for your Master Yuan to choose from.” He then walked to the adjacent bedroom, and just as he opened the wardrobe to take out clothes, he paused and walked to the window instead, lifting the curtain to reveal Xiang Lan sitting on the bed with disheveled hair, hugging the blanket with half a cup of warm tea in her hands. Having slept for a while, her eyes were even more swollen, looking like two peaches.

Xiang Lan stared at him, her heart pounding and her palms growing cold. Earlier, she had relied on being seven parts drunk to throw a tantrum and vent her resentment and anger at Lin Jin Lou. Now that the alcohol had worn off and her mind was clear, she couldn’t help but feel afraid. She secretly looked up once, and Lin Jin Lou’s left cheek was facing the window, making the bloody scratches she had made especially clear. Xiang Lan felt both satisfied and frightened and lowered her head in conflict.

Lin Jin Lou raised his eyebrows, hung the bed curtain on a silver hook, and lifted Xiang Lan’s chin, examining it from all angles before saying flatly, “Good, the swelling has gone down. Apply the medicine once more, and by evening it won’t be noticeable.”

Xiang Lan hadn’t expected Lin Jin Lou to say this and stared at him with wide eyes in surprise.

Lin Jin Lou nodded, withdrew his hand, and very elegantly turned to change his clothes.

Xiang Lan’s head was still dizzy, and she sat there stunned, feeling as if she were dreaming. After a while, Lin Jin Lou finished changing and left, and another moment later came the “bang” of a closing door. Only then did Xiang Lan wake from her daze. She wondered what was wrong with this scoundrel – could he feel guilty? That must be impossible; this fellow never had any sense of right or wrong, everything was based on his preferences. She had thrown a tantrum, scratched his face, and cursed at him – he must consider it a humiliation and probably harbors who knows how much hatred toward her…

While Xiang Lan was lost in these thoughts, she heard the door open again, and Shu Ran entered carrying a box, smiling as she said, “Madam is awake, are you feeling better?” While speaking, she took out a small table and set it on the bed, then removed food items from the box. “When Madam first returned, your face was deathly pale, which frightened us terribly. You look much more spirited now. You probably don’t have much appetite after just waking from drunkenness, but the Master asked me to bring you some food. I thought something light would be better.”

The table was set with three dishes of fresh, fragrant green vegetables, a plate of freshly steamed small round rice cakes, and a bowl of soup. Xiang Lan truly felt hungry now and ate for a while. Shu Ran then ordered a young maid to clear away the remains of the meal and personally helped Xiang Lan rinse her mouth. She then took out her mirror case and implements to help Xiang Lan arrange her hair.

Suddenly, they heard “thump thump thump” footsteps at the door, and a young boy’s clear voice called out, “Father! Uncle Lin!” before bursting in.