After Lin Jin Lou left the east wing, he called over a servant boy waiting in the corridor and said, “Go to the front study and tell Shu Ran to bring the medicinal ointment bestowed by the palace to Xiang Lan, the maid in the east wing.” He then turned and returned to the main chamber. Zhao Yue Chan’s maids Bai Lu and Ting Lan were already waiting at the door, and they became busy as soon as they saw Lin Jin Lou approach.

Ying Shuang went to fetch the already-prepared pear-scented tea, Bai Lu went to wring out a hot towel, and Ting Lan arranged delicate refreshments on the kang table. Lin Jin Lou ignored them all and walked straight inside. Zhao Yue Chan followed closely behind him, and upon seeing Ying Shuang, gave her a meaningful look. Ying Shuang understood and gave an almost imperceptible nod before leaving.

Lin Jin Lou flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes without saying a word. Zhao Yue Chan put on a fresh smile and walked over softly, sitting on an embroidered stool beside the bed. She said gently, “I saw that you’ve eaten, but if you’re still hungry, I’ve prepared some snacks – date and yam cakes and chrysanthemum cakes, both good for digestion and energy.”

Lin Jin Lou opened his eyes to look at Zhao Yue Chan and said, “Not necessary.”

“Please have some anyway, it’s my sincere gesture,” Zhao Yue Chan smiled eagerly. “Bring the cakes over.”

Soon after, Lin Jin Lou heard someone say by his ear, “Please have some cakes, Young Master.” The voice was as sweet and tender as an oriole’s song.

Lin Jin Lou opened his eyes to look and saw a maid of fifteen or sixteen kneeling on the ground. She had a graceful figure, wearing a lake-blue jacket that outlined her full bosom and slender waist. Looking more carefully at her face – willow-leaf eyebrows and cherry-like lips, with large watery eyes – she was truly a beauty. She held a tray with a plate containing several pieces of cake.

Seeing Lin Jin Lou carefully examining the maid, Zhao Yue Chan felt sour in her heart, but still maintained a smile on her face and said, “This is Qiong Zhi, bought a few days ago. I saw that she had good looks and a gentle temperament, so I kept her by my side to serve… Quickly pay your respects to the Young Master.”

Ying Shuang took the tray, and Qiong Zhi gracefully bowed: “Qiong Zhi pays respects to Young Master.” As she spoke, her eyes couldn’t help but glance at Lin Jin Lou. She had been bought at a high price from a slave trader by Zhao Yue Chan a few days ago. Originally, she had been purchased by a madam who had hired a female teacher to educate her. She knew some characters and could play music. Though still a virgin, she had learned some ways of romance. Later, an official wanted to buy her to give as a concubine to his superior, but when that family’s house caught fire and their fortunes were about to decline, they took her directly to the slave market to sell for money. It happened that Zhao Yue Chan came to select people and bought her.

When she first arrived, Zhao Yue Chan’s harsh warnings had truly frightened Qiong Zhi, but today upon seeing Lin Jin Lou, her eyes seemed to stick to him and couldn’t look away – she had originally thought she would be serving an old man over sixty, but unexpectedly it was a vigorous and handsome man!

Half of Qiong Zhi’s body went soft, and she cast a meaningful glance full of sentiment before lowering her head shyly.

Zhao Yue Chan felt short of breath. Recently, seeing Lin Jin Lou going to the east wing every day, she had finally understood: her greatest threat wasn’t those coquettish serving girls, but rather Concubine Lan in the east wing. Concubine Lan came from a good family, was favored by Madam Qin, and was pregnant. Even Lin Jin Lou valued her greatly. If she gave birth to a son in time, there would be even less place for her in the Lin household!

Zhao Yue Chan was a clever person. After painful reflection and much consideration, she finally decided to personally select a beautiful concubine to send to Lin Jin Lou’s bed. When that concubine bore a son, she would adopt him as her own, thus having someone to rely on in the future. However, this concubine had to be carefully selected – firstly, her contract had to be firmly in her own hands; secondly, she couldn’t be too clever but needed to be observant; and thirdly, she had to be obedient. So after much selection, considering Lin Jin Lou’s preferences for beauties, she chose this girl before her, trained her for several days, gave her a sensuous new name, and presented her to Lin Jin Lou.

Now seeing Lin Jin Lou’s moved expression, her heart alternated between joy and bitterness, unable to determine exactly what she felt. As she was lost in thought, she heard Lin Jin Lou snort and lean close to her to say sarcastically, “I truly didn’t know you had recently developed a taste for being a madam.”

Zhao Yue Chan froze, her face immediately turning pale.

Lin Jin Lou leaned back against his pillow and said slowly, “Unfortunately, I dare not accept the prostitute that you, Madam Lin, are trying to procure for me.”

Having said this, he turned to face the wall and closed his eyes to sleep.

Zhao Yue Chan gritted her teeth in hatred, stood up, and left with Ying Shuang, but ordered Qiong Zhi to stay and serve. After leaving the room, Ying Shuang gestured toward the room and whispered, “The Young Master isn’t taking the bait, what should we do?”

Zhao Yue Chan coldly smiled and said, “Look at how he’s pretending. Didn’t you see how he stared at that little hussy when she entered the room, not taking his eyes off her for half the day? Let’s go, I don’t believe he won’t touch that piece of cake.”

To tell the truth, Lin Jin Lou was indeed somewhat moved. He had been observing mourning for his great-grandmother and had abstained for a long time. Seeing such a beautiful woman before his eyes, he truly wanted to indulge. However, he was currently planning to drive Zhao Yue Chan from the household – how could he touch someone she had sent?

So Lin Jin Lou lay there with his eyes closed, and soon fell into a drowsy sleep. When he woke up at night feeling thirsty, he lifted the bed curtain and called out: “Tea.”

Soon after, a pair of fair delicate hands passed him a blue porcelain flower-petal cup. Lin Jin Lou took it and drank it all in one go. In the dim light, he saw Qiong Zhi standing before the bed, her hair loosely tied, her cream-white jacket half-open revealing a bright red undergarment, making her skin appear even more snow-white.

Seeing Lin Jin Lou looking at her, Qiong Zhi’s eyes reddened and she lowered her head, saying softly, “Is Qiong Zhi offending Young Master’s eyes… making Young Master unhappy?”

This vulnerable display made Lin Jin Lou’s mouth go dry, and his voice unconsciously softened as he passed back the teacup, saying, “What nonsense are you thinking? I’m not unhappy.”

Qiong Zhi, containing tears and showing some shyness, glanced at Lin Jin Lou and said quietly, “Then… Madam told me to… serve Young Master… I… I am willing…”

As she reached for the teacup, she deliberately touched Lin Jin Lou’s hand. Those small hands were smooth and soft, making Lin Jin Lou’s heart itch. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace, teasing, “Serve me? How do you plan to serve?” In his mind, he thought: “After all, she’s just a maid, using her isn’t a big deal. Does she think that by sending me a beauty, I won’t send her back home?”

Qiong Zhi’s face gained a spring-like flush, and her fingernail traced across Lin Jin Lou’s chest: “However Young Master wants this slave to serve, this slave will serve accordingly.”

Lin Jin Lou chuckled and was about to kiss her, but seeing Qiong Zhi’s timid expression, somehow reminded him of the little maid Xiang Lan whose face had been scalded by tea today. Xiang Lan had worn the same timid expression, her face burning red, large eyes filled with tears, looking indescribably pitiful and wronged. This reminded him of how arrogant and domineering Zhao Yue Chan was, and consequently, the beauty in his arms lost her appeal. He released his hold and pushed Qiong Zhi away, saying flatly, “It’s late, go to sleep.” He dropped the bed curtain and turned over to sleep.

Qiong Zhi stood dumbfounded beside the bed, not understanding how this master had suddenly changed his attitude – he had been speaking so gently just moments ago, but now wore a cold expression. She secretly regretted missing her opportunity earlier, thinking she shouldn’t have acted shy but should have pressed forward to make their union a fait accompli. After gnashing her teeth in regret for a while, she could only stamp her foot in anger and return to sleep.