Chapter 34: Inciting Discord

  Zilan sat beside the cradle, gazing at the young master, her eyes slightly red, a tinge of sadness in her heart. She thought about Lin Xiyans words, that smiling through one day was just as good as frowning through another, why make oneself unhappy? She forced back the mist in her eyes. As just a maid, she couldnt do much else, but staying by the young masters side every step of the way was something she could do. When the time was right, she would tell Shen Jinglun that she was willing to be his concubine and serve the young master for the rest of her life.

  Zilan was lost in thought until Nainiang stood up and saluted Shen Jinglun, only then did she notice him, hastily making a bow to him.

  Shen Jinglun signaled to Zilan and others to go out first, his eyes never leaving the little one in the cradle. He stood by the cradle, bent down and gazed at his son's chubby little face. Lin Xiyu had a melon-shaped face, but their son had a round face; however, from his facial features, he could see her shadow, especially their eyes, which were almost identical.

  To this day, he still finds it amazing that this soft and small meat package is his eldest son, the continuation of life. They have an inseparable father-son bond between them. The midwife told him that she had never seen a newborn baby so fair and beautiful. Although these words were flattering, they were also true. How could the son of him and Lin Xiyuan not be handsome?

  Shen Jinglu stared blankly at his son, and involuntarily reached out to touch his small face. Shen Nianxue was startled, and rubbed his cheek against his fingers, continuing to kick his legs, trying to shake off the annoying thin quilt.

  Half asleep, Shen Jinglin reached out to pick up his son, one hand around his body and the other carefully supporting his neck, holding him tightly in his arms, letting his little head rest on his shoulder, wiping his drool on his clothes. He tilted his head, gently rubbing his cheek against his son's soft hair, closing his eyes to savor this peaceful moment. After a long while, he reluctantly kissed his forehead and put him back in the cradle.

  When Shen Jinglian walked out of Weilan Courtyard, there was no longer any gentle sorrow on her face, and only indifference and composure remained in her eyes.

  Shen Zhihua waited outside the courtyard for a long time before coming forward to report: "Master, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, and Second Miss Lin have arrived."

  "En." Shen Jinglin nodded and didn't let him continue on this topic, instead asking: "Is there a situation?"

  "For the time being, there isn't." Shen Zhihua furrowed his brow unintentionally and said in a low voice: "At the yamen, Lin the captain escorted a man back yesterday. In the middle of the night, Lord Lü himself was waiting on guests in the backyard."

  "Oh?" Shen Jinglin's face finally showed a change in emotion, he turned his head to look at Shen Zhihua and nodded for him to continue speaking.

  According to the master's instructions, the yamen only roughly inquired about the man brought back by Lin Zhen, and found that his name was Xie San, but it could not be confirmed whether he was indeed the "young servant who asked for directions" mentioned by Miss Biao.

  Shen Zhihua paused for a moment, secretly observing Shen Jinglun's expression, before continuing: "The person who inquired about the news found Zhang Bo, an old servant from Miss Biao's household, near the yamen. He was like a headless fly, sometimes asking if there was a prisoner named 'Xie San' in the big prison, and sometimes asking about Lin Zhen's whereabouts. I took it upon myself to investigate at the He household, and it turned out that it was Miss Biao's maid Bai Mian who reported to the authorities. Lin Zhen then captured Xie San and brought him back to the yamen. As for what crime he committed, it is still unclear."

  Shen Jinglun did not respond with a yes or no, and asked in a low voice: "Did she arrive last night?"

  Shen Zhihua was taken aback for a moment, realizing that Shen Jinglun was asking about He Huan. He hastily replied: "According to the timing, Miss Biao should have heard the news of Young Master's illness and rushed over immediately. She stood alone under the corridor for half a night..." He spoke hesitantly, his eyes darting sideways to glance at Shen Jinglun.

  "Just say it if you have something to say."

  "Grandfather." Shen Zhihua stepped forward, speaking in a low voice: "Last night, Miss Biao said many strange things." He repeated He Huan's words one by one, saying puzzledly: "Although what Miss Biao said is not a secret, when Grandmother was alive, she forbade the servants in the mansion from having any contact with Miss Biao's family... If it's said that Zilan accidentally let something slip, but when she spoke to Baijiu, someone was always paying attention to them... Moreover, Zilan has always been loyal to Grandmother..." His voice gradually weakened.

  Shen Jinglun listened to his account, her thin lips pursed into a straight line, and a hint of impatience flashed in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up. She instructed: "Earlier she called herself Xiyan, find two maids and inform Lin Erniang about this matter. As for other things, temporarily respond to changes with no change."

  "Old man, last time was when things didn't go well for me..."

  "It's all in the past." Shen Jinglin gazed at the trees by the pond, slightly curling up the corners of his mouth as he muttered to himself: "Come to think of it, I underestimated her. However..." He didn't continue speaking. He was very clear about how Lin Xiyuan would deal with He Huan. The person who had been powerless to fight back that day, why did she change overnight and become...

  Shen Jinglun couldn't find the right words to describe it, but he vaguely felt that he saw a shadow of Lin Xiyuan on He Huan's body. "Maybe because they're cousins," he gave himself a reason and walked forward at a steady pace.

  Shen Zhihua followed closely behind Shen Jingyun. Seeing the sick child and the doctors in the courtyard not far away, he gritted his teeth and said: "Master, that Xie San is surnamed 'Xie', will it...".

  "When you see him, it will be clear at a glance." Shen Jinglin interrupted him and stepped into the small courtyard with an oppressive atmosphere. Silently sitting beside the frail sick child was Si Zhu, carefully taking care of him.

  As the doctors left the Shen family one after another, the news of Shen Jinglun's seriously ill son spread throughout the city. For a time, the Shen family's door was crowded with people coming and going. Even though Shen Jinglun generally did not see guests, it did not prevent others from "visiting the sick" to express their concern and condolences. Among them were Shen's business partners, members of the Shen clan, and even those who claimed to be close friends of Shen Jinglun and came to curry favor.

  As for having a daughter-in-law, the Shen family's eldest son's wife, who is always thinking about being called "Shen's big madam", her thoughts are even more lively. After all, if Shen Nianxi were alive, he would be Shen Jinglun's eldest son and would undoubtedly become the head of the Shen family in the future. Moreover, with the two characters "Nian Xi", how could Shen Jinglun completely forget Lin Xiyuan every day? But if he were dead, the situation would be completely different.

  This morning, Lin Mengyan heard the news and almost laughed three times. She and her parents made a quick plan and rushed over in a horse-drawn carriage. Seeing the doctors shaking their heads and leaving one by one, the three of them became even more anxious. Alas, they had already waited for more than two hours, but still didn't see Shen Jinglin.

  "Father, you're the elder, how long do we have to wait?" Lin Mengyan impatiently twisted the handkerchief in her hand and muttered: "This time, we can't let someone with the surname He steal the show..."

  "The Shen family would never marry that He Huan." Lin Mengyan's mother, Wu Shi, sneered with disdain. In her eyes, He Huan was a joke.

  Lin Mengyan looked out and said: "Mother, you don't know, she's different from before."

  "Haste makes waste." Lin Guqing put down the teacup in his hand and said slowly, "In my experience, the longer we wait now, the easier it will be for us to talk when Shen Jinglun sees us later."

  "Meng Yan, your father is right. You're just too impatient by nature, unlike Xi Yan who can keep her cool and that's why she always gets the upper hand over you..."

  "Mother, she's already dead, no matter how smart or calm I am, what's the use!" Lin Mengyan's expression suddenly darkened.

  "Wu looked at her daughter and sighed silently, then turned to her husband and said: "As for the marriage, what does Mr. Shen really mean? Has anyone around him ever revealed any information? One hundred days will pass quickly, if it passes the hundredth day, we'll have to wait another ten months..."

  "I've been doing business with him for over a year, his mind... " Lin Guqing shook her head and sighed, "No one can guess, the people around him, their mouths are all like clamshells..."

  "What? Is Miss He really calling Master's name in front of everyone and referring to herself as 'Da Nai Nai'?"

  Hearing the whispers outside, Lin Mengyan turned back to her father and made a silencing gesture, then pressed her ear against the window to listen. The maid outside continued, "…Why would Master Shen keep her in the mansion and have us serve her tea and water?...Young Master is a humble gentleman, he wouldn't be so moved by her arrival last night that he'd marry her, would he?"

  Lin Mengyan didn't hear the rest of the words, she turned her head to blame her parents: "He Huan has taken another step ahead of us, last time you shouldn't have stopped me... As long as I ruined her reputation, my sister's husband wouldn't be able to marry her..."

  "Are you crazy, saying this at the Shen's house?" Mrs. Wu hastily covered her daughter's mouth.

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