Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Deep among the withered lotus and decaying reeds, pavilions formed a patchwork. From a distance, they saw a group of people, dressed in blue brocade robes, covered with sky blue wide-sleeved gauze clothes, standing with their hands hanging in the cool wind.
The head of the Lin family, Duke Lin Yedan of the Qing Kingdom, stood in front of the people, looking at Lin Xin who had arrived by boat a moment ago, as if he was looking for the shadow of someone in him.
Lin Xin also looked at this uncle by blood from a distance.
The Lin family all had a pair of peach blossom eyes, but the appearance of peach blossoms in their eyes varied from person to person. The prince, Lin Qu, was as handsome as jade, elegant and romantic; but Lin Yedan had a coffin face, looking as if everyone owed him money.
In his previous life, Lin Xin had just killed his master and was in a daze in the palace. It was then that this uncle had visited him. His eyes were full of disgust, as if he was something to be ashamed of.
“Since you have a spiritual vein, follow me back to the Lin family and kowtow to your ancestors in place of your unfilial father.” Lin Yedan’s tone was fierce, and for a child who had just lost his master, it was not something to rely on such a relative.
Lin Xin ignored the uncle who appeared suddenly.
“This kid hasn’t spoken to anyone for a month, and I’m still trying to find a way,” Emperor Yuanshuo patted Lin Xin’s head apologetically, “Don’t force him.”
“Since his father is dead, the Lin family should take care to discipline him.”
“His father’s lineage has been separated from the Lin family, and I will take good care of him.”
Then Lin Yedan walked away with a puff of his sleeves. Lin Xin just silently rejected the only opportunity to recognize the Lin family. When his murderous reputation spread, the scholarly Lin family naturally never tried to recognize him again.
Later, he became the Marquis of Lu, and began to collect Luli when he was seventeen years old. By then, Lin Yedan had retired and handed over the position of Duke of the country and head of the family to the crown prince Lin Qu.
This cousin of his was extremely tactful, with a pair of gentle peach blossom eyes that always had a smile on his face. He would give whatever he asked and would never conflict with Lin Xin.
But now, the Luli order had been advanced by two years, and the head of the family had not yet changed. It was still Lin Yedan who had talked to him coldly and regarded him as a dishonourable thing.
Lin Xin tapped his toes and jumped directly from the bow to the waterside pavilion on the dock. The Yuan’a followed behind him, and the nine people stood neatly behind Lin Xin, holding a wide-edged sword in their hands, with drooped mouth corners, cold eyes, and a perfect debt collecting face.
“Lin Xin has met Duke Qing.” Lin Xin raised his hand and gave a half salute.
Lin Yedan returned the half salute with a cold face.
“Lin Qu has seen the Marquis of Lu.” The prince smiled and bowed, “The Marquis has come all the way, please come in and have a cup of crude tea.”
Taxuelu did not have the carved jade railings like those of the Zhu family’s Yinian Palace, but it was decorated with vegetation everywhere. The wooden pillars were only painted with a layer of varnish, making them surprisingly elegant.
Three steps to a pavilion, five steps to a scene, all had their origins. Lin Xin looked at the poem on the screen wall, “The cold wind blows through the forest rain and beats the leaves, and the withered lotus fights for the snow silently.”
His father’s original name was Lin Yesheng. After he left the family, he no longer mentioned his original name similar to that of the family leader, and the world only knew him as Lin Zhenghan.
“These are your father’s words.” Lin Yedan stood next to Lin Xin, looking at the two lines of poems written in vigorous script with his hands behind his back, as if looking at his rebellious brother.
His father’s calligraphy was neat and elegant, and he was quite famous in the Jiangnan area. Unfortunately, he did not inherit his talent, and instead learned Zhu Xingli’s wild calligraphy. Sometimes he couldn’t tell whether he was the son of the Lin family or the Zhu family. Lin Xin withdrew his gaze and looked no further.
“That’s the Lin family ancestral hall over there,” Lin Yedan pointed to the high-ridge hall not far away, and said in a stiff tone, “If you give up the position as the Marquis of Lu, you can come back to the Lin family and also move your father’s memorial tablet over.”
The Lin family, who had been scholars for generations, attached great importance to the clan ancestral hall. Lin Yedan was probably being “extremely kind” by extending such an invitation.
“Thank you so much, Lord,” Lin Xin smiled, with sarcasm in his eyes, “I’m just a lackey everywhere, so it’s better to be a member of the royal family. At least I’m more comfortable.”
“You…” Lin Yedan’s face turned livid, “You’re just like your father, you ba****d!”
Lin Xin unsheathed Mojian and looked at Lin Yedan’s coffin face with cold eyes, “My lord should be self-respecting. This Marquis is now a noble prince. Although my fiefdom is not as big as the Lin family’s, I’m not your subordinate. At most, I’m a junior.”
The implication was that if I’m giving you a face, don’t push my nose in it, you really think of yourself as an elder.
“You dare to draw your sword against me!” Lin Yedan was furious and pulled out the spirit sword from his waist with a slap.
“Father!” Lin Qu grabbed Lin Yedan’s wrist and said with a frown, “You didn’t say that before.”
Behind Lin Xin, the Yuan’a members also drew their swords out of the sheath in unison, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Lin Xin drew out the scimitar unhurriedly, and flicked the blade casually, “Even if this Marquis admits to returning to the Lin family, one or two pieces of Luli would still have to be handed over. The Luli order must have been read by the Duke of the country. Let’s stop gossiping and I would ask the Duke to bring the Luli.”
Lin Xin had already mastered the kung fu of exasperating people.
The Lin family, who were the most afraid of losing face, naturally didn’t want to listen to this kind of speculation. Lin Qu held his father who was trembling with anger and said softly: “Master Marquis misunderstood. Just check it, Lord Marquis.”
After finishing speaking, he slightly raised his hand, and the guards carried the boxes of Luli into the courtyard. Lin Xin retracted Mojian and made a flip gesture. The Yuan’a immediately poured out all the Luli, spread them on the ground and started checking and weighing them one by one.
The crisp sound of Luli falling to the ground seemed to have knocked the face of the Lin family to the ground.
“Are you doing this to make enemies of all the aristocratic families?” Lin Yedan said in a deep voice, shaking off his son’s hand.
“It’s all about serving the emperor. I can’t an enemy!” Lin Xin turned to look at Lin Yedan, “My father left the Lin family, was hunted down by the enemy, and took my mother and me to hide in Tibet. The emperor gave him a title and gave him glory.”
He didn’t feel bad about the Lin family, after all, it was his father who betrayed the Lin family. At the beginning, it was agreed that life and death were one’s own fate, and there was nothing anybody could do about it. He couldn’t blame the Lin family for not saving Lin Zhenghan’s family when he was in trouble. Correspondingly, Lin Yedan had no right to discipline him!
In order to welcome the envoys from the Beimo, a banquet was held in the palace, with lights and colors everywhere, making it very lively.
Shen Lou spent some time in Beimo. When he returned to the capital, it was already snowing lightly in Yongdu. Standing by the small lake in the Royal Garden, watching the snowflakes melt silently in the water, he expected Lin Xin to suddenly appear from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, and saying coquettishly, “It’s so cold, please give me a hug.”
And suddenly, a soft hand was placed on his shoulder. Shen Lou turned back with a smile, but instead of seeing the person he wanted to see, he saw a strange woman.
The woman wore a pink skirt, a jade belt around her waist, and a golden peony hairpin on her head. She had a beautiful face and a noble temperament.
“Shen Lou has met Princess Yunxi.” Shen Lou quickly took two steps back and saluted her.
“You recognize me!” After Princess Yunxi was finished being surprised, she suddenly burst out with unconcealable joy, “The prince has seen me before?”
She rarely appeared in front of people and only attended palace banquets during New Years and festivals. She didn’t expect that Shen Lou would notice her.
“I don’t dare, it’s just a guess.” A woman who could walk around the palace and was gorgeously dressed would definitely not be a palace maid. It was impossible for concubines to approach foreign ministers, so only princesses could appear here. As for Yunxi, she was the only princess of her age in the palace, so there was nothing difficult to guess.
Princess Yunxi suddenly felt a little disappointed, “So it was Yunxi who was too abrupt.”
The atmosphere fell into awkwardness for a moment.
This princess was about to be sent away for marriage. Shen Lou couldn’t say much to her, so he pondered over it and prepared to leave.
Seeing that Shen Lou was about to leave, Princess Yunxi said anxiously: “Shen Shenzi, do you know the candidate for this marriage…”
“The princess should ask the prince.” Shen Lou lowered his eyes.
“If anyone must be chosen, it must be me,” Princess Yunxi laughed at herself. She was the only princess of the right age in the palace. These days, they even hired a gentleman who could speak barbarian language to teach her, “I just want to ask, Uluolan Khan, what kind of person is he?”
Shen Lou went on a mission to Beimo and went through a lot of trouble before meeting Uluolan Heruo. Thinking back to the man he met in the golden tent, he told the truth: “Khan is young, handsome, and brave.”
Even though Heruo belonged to Shen Qirui’s generation, he still looked young, with strong spiritual power and amazing momentum. He just didn’t speak much and was as cold as a wolf king on a snow-capped mountain, as if his attendants would pounce on him and bite the enemy’s throat at his one signal.
Princess Yunxi was not very happy when she heard this, “No matter how handsome he is, it’s just a rude barbarian from Beimo.”
“Shen Da!” Zhong Youyu ran over with a smile but when he saw Princess Yunxi here, he immediately stopped in his tracks.
Princess Yunxi glanced at Zhong Youyu calmly, nodded slightly to Shen Lou, and turned to leave.
“Isn’t that Princess Yunxi?” Zhong Youyu had been in the palace all year round and had seen this princess before. He rolled his eyes and said with a smile, “Previously, the emperor had intended to betroth her to you. Now she came to see you. She must be here to ask for help from you.”
To be sent to Beimo for marriage, it didn’t have to be a princess who was a direct relative, it could be a daughter of a royal family or a prince. If Shen Lou proposed to the emperor that he wanted to marry Yunxi at this time, Feng Zhuoyi would definitely give the princess to him.
Shen Lou frowned, “I already have a sweetheart, so I can’t marry her. Why don’t you do this good thing.”
“Me? No, no, no,” Zhong Youyu shook his head like a rattle, “Wait, what did you say? Sweetheart? When did you have a sweetheart? Who is it?”
Shen Lou didn’t bother to pay attention to him, he just turned around to leave.
Zhong Youyu immediately followed and started chattering non-stop, “You Shen Lou, you don’t share this kind of thing with me, then I won’t tell you that those aristocratic families are preparing to deal with Lin Xin.”
The author has something to say:
Little theater:
Princess: Shen Lou, Shen Lou, I have something to tell you.
Loulou: No, men and women should not be too intimate.
Youyu: Shen Lou, Shen Lou, I have something to tell you.
Loulou: No, it must be the same. No nonsense
Xinxin: Shen Lou Shen Lou, I, I forgot what I wanted to say
Lou Lou: What Xinxin said is really interesting, hug and hold high (￣3￣)
T/N: Why do I suddenly smell green tea?
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