Xu Xiaoniang covered her face, stunned by the slap.
Lin Yanxi had actually hit her in front of everyone, in the presence of so many servants. The servants cast contemptuous glances at her. Xu Xiaoniang, being merely a concubine, had lorded over the household for years, relying on the son and daughter she bore the Grand Tutor. Mistreatment of servants was a daily occurrence.
"You dare to hit me?" Xu Xiaoniang fumed. "Even the Master has never hit me, and you dare to hit me?"
Lin Yanxi impatiently rubbed her ears. "Whether I dare to hit you or not, haven't I already done so?"
"Didn't Auntie just say you could do anything for her? And now you can't even take a single slap?"
"You are a dying person about to marry the Ninth Prince," Xu Xiaoniang said furiously, pointing at her. "How much longer do you think you can be proud? Remember, I am an auntie in this household! Even if I'm not the main wife, you should still show some respect."
She was so angry she was about to go mad, disregarding whether her words were appropriate, and blurted them all out.
Lin Yanxi scoffed. "Whether the Ninth Prince lives or dies is not for you to decide. On the contrary, your constant talk of death is cursing a prince, which is punishable by death according to the law."
"You are right about one thing. You are an auntie in this household, so remember your status as a second-rank concubine. Don't always covet a position that doesn't belong to you. Be honest and dutiful, and you will earn respect."
Xu Xiaoniang’s voice rose a few decibels. "What do you mean by that? Since Madam Jiang is already dead, why can't I become the main wife? Do you expect the Master to leave the position of Grand Tutor's wife vacant forever?"
Lin Shibai couldn't stand Lin Yanxi's arrogance. He rushed to Xu's side, intending to push Lin Yanxi away, but she was agile and dodged his push with a slight turn of her body. Instead, he almost stumbled and fell.
Lin Ze, who had been silent all this time, saw Lin Shibai dare to lay hands on Zhaozhao. His face darkened, and he roared, "Lin Shibai, get back here."
"Father!"
"You have no say here. If you truly have this much free time, go quickly and clean up the mess you've caused, and don't bring more trouble to the mansion! Get out!"
Lin Ze's words startled Lin Yanxi. She felt an intense sense of familiarity with the scene before her, even the words were the same as in her past life. In her past life, after Lin Ze used his connections to have Lin Shibai transferred back to the capital, Lin Shibai had caused trouble outside, leading to a very tense relationship between father and son. At that time, when Lin Yanxi occasionally returned home and was made difficult by Madam Xu, and Lin Ze slapped Madam Xu, Lin Shibai defended Madam Xu, and Lin Ze had said the exact same words. What had Lin Shibai said in her past life... He had said something like, "I'll get out, and I'll never come back..." After saying this, he left the mansion in anger, plunged into gambling, and incurred tens of millions of taels of debt. Lin Ze had no choice but to use most of Madam Jiang's dowry to cover this deficit.
Lin Shibai looked at Lin Ze indignantly. "I'll get out, and I'll never come back!"
Lin Yanxi watched them with shock as they took half a step back. The scene before her overlapped with her past life. She realized with a jolt that Xu Xiaoniang had been slapped, just as in her past life. The process was different, but the outcome was the same. Just like her mother's death. But this scene was happening at least five years earlier than in her past life, and Lin Shibai had returned many years earlier as well. Could it be that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the fate of her past life? Were everyone's endings already decided? Not only would they not change, but they would also occur much earlier because of her appearance. A chill ran down Lin Yanxi's spine. No! She didn't believe it. Lin Yanxi gave a look to a nearby servant and said, "Stop him."
Lin Shibai asked exasperatedly, "What else do you want? Don't think that because you have Father's favor, I really won't do anything to you."
Lin Yanxi paused, her expression softening slightly. "Yesterday, as I was leaving the mansion, I saw some people asking about a young master named Bai Lin. They were holding portraits and said they were from Anbei." In her past life, Lin Shibai had gambled under the alias Bai Lin and accumulated debt. She guessed that such a gambling addict would have many creditors in Anbei. Seeing Lin Shibai's reaction, she knew it was true. She continued to embellish, "Those people looked ferocious and carried ten-meter long sabers, searching everywhere for this Bai Lin. Brother, does this have anything to do with you?"
Lin Ze's head was already pounding, and just as he was about to explode, Lin Shibai quickly said, "This, this has nothing to do with me."
Lin Ze questioned him, "Is it truly nothing to do with you?"
Lin Shibai replied with a guilty look, "Father, many people have returned from Anbei. Lin Yanxi, did you clearly see that the person in the portrait was me?"
Lin Yanxi pretended to think for a moment. "No, I only caught a brief glimpse."
Lin Ze glared at him. "Hmph, if I ever catch you dabbling in those low-class things, I'll break your legs."
Lin Shibai's worried heart finally settled. He waved his hand and said, "Oh, I told you it wasn't me. Forget it, I'm tired. I'm going back to my room." He abandoned his earlier tough stance of leaving home and scurried back to the rear courtyard. Lin Yanxi looked at his guilty and fearful appearance and thought he probably wouldn't dare to go out gambling for a while.
"Zhaozhao, come with me."
Lin Ze led Lin Yanxi to the study and closed the door. He stood with his back to her and remained silent for a long time. Staring at the imperial decree on the desk, he said, "Zhaozhao, I will not let you marry the Ninth Prince. He is cruel and unrighteous, and now he is imprisoned. Marrying him is a dead end."
"Then who does Father want me to marry?"
"Father naturally wants you to marry someone who truly cherishes and respects you." When Lin Yanxi was little, she always felt her father's back was broad and tall. But for some reason, as she grew up, she felt her father seemed shorter and his back was somewhat bent. She softened her tone. "Father, you know I am the legitimate daughter and bear the fate of the entire Grand Tutor's mansion. It's impossible for me to marry an ordinary person."
"The Crown Prince would never allow it. Only the power in Shen Muzhou's hands can contend with him. To clear his name and marry into the prince's mansion is already my best outcome."
Lin Ze was confused. "If you don't want to marry the Crown Prince, then don't. Why must you stand against him? He will not trouble the Grand Tutor's mansion."
"He won't trouble the Grand Tutor's mansion?" Lin Yanxi retorted. "What if he does? Shen Qingyun has wolfish ambitions. If one day he ascends the throne and orders the extermination of the entire family, Father, will the Grand Tutor's mansion still have a way to survive?"
Lin Ze remained silent. How could he not know that Shen Qingyun was not as gentle and refined as he appeared on the surface? But in the imperial court, who wasn't treading on thin ice? Lin Yanxi knew her father's mind had wavered. She hugged Lin Ze's arm, like a little daughter begging her parents for candy, "Father, Shen Muzhou is not as unbearable and violent as the rumors say. Just believe your daughter this once and help me, Father~"
Seeing his daughter's coyness, Lin Ze's heart softened. At this moment, he would give his life for her, let alone change his allegiance. At the same time, he felt a moment of his own aging. His Zhaozhao had grown up, and she had made a choice for him and the Grand Tutor's mansion. There was also a hint of displeasure. It seemed Zhaozhao had truly fallen for Shen Muzhou. That scoundrel only had a handsome face, yet he had deceived his daughter into pleading for him so fervently. In any case, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He asked with some worry, "Zhaozhao, have you truly decided to support the Ninth Prince?"
Lin Yanxi smiled sweetly, her eyes firm. "Yes. Father, you will help me, won't you?"
"If your heart yearns for Prince Mu's mansion, Father will definitely do his best to help you," Lin Ze said with a sigh. He resignedly walked to a hidden compartment and twisted the inkstone on the desk. The compartment opened, revealing a small piece of broken saber. "This broken saber was found among the corpses of the Eastern Palace guards. We suspect it was left by the person who stole the jade talisman. Perhaps you can have the Dark Night Division investigate this lead."
Lin Yanxi examined the saber carefully. Apart from the curse energy attached to it, there was nothing special. A sunflower pattern was carved on the back of the blade. Lin Ze sighed. "The other party was very clean. Apart from this broken saber, there are no other clues."
She said, "Father, this is enough. Don't worry, the Ninth Prince will find the jade talisman and turn misfortune into blessings. I will also find the killer of my mother soon." Lin Yanxi drew the sunflower totem from the broad saber onto Xuan paper. Before rescuing Shen Muzhou, she had another important task to complete. She sneaked to the Ministry of Imperial Clan and saw the Minister's sedan chair parked in the courtyard.
"Oh, this Ninth Prince is a tough one. He's been tormented for two days and still shows no sign of confessing." A jailer, holding a lantern, led the Minister of Imperial Clan. The Minister of Imperial Clan stopped in front of the sedan chair and coldly snorted, "Then tomorrow, we'll try something even harsher. As long as his life is spared, don't torture him to death." The jailer looked troubled. "We've used all the torture methods, what else can we do?" The Minister paused in front of the sedan chair. "Tsk, who says there's no way to torture someone? I've recently devised a new method that will make him confess. Tomorrow, prepare some burning charcoal, pry open his mouth, and force the scorching hot charcoal down his throat. The smell of burning flesh will be instantaneous." "The charcoal will burn down through his tongue, throat, and intestines, sticking them together. Tsk, tsk, the taste of that, hehehe." Hearing this, the jailer quickly gave a thumbs-up. "The Minister is indeed resourceful. We'll do it tomorrow." The two of them smiled at each other. The Minister got into the sedan chair, and the curtain was lowered. "Lift the sedan." Lin Yanxi heard this and realized that Shen Muzhou had lost his voice in her past life because of this. She wanted to make this perverted Minister experience these tortures himself!
Late at night, as the sedan chair traveled down a deserted alley, circular paper money began to scatter from the sky, and the intermittent sound of suona horns, like mournful wails, echoed. The driver of the carriage dared not go any further. He trembled and called out, "Mas... Master." The Minister of the Grand Court of Revision impatiently lifted the curtain. "What's going on?" Before him appeared a petite, human-like figure, hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to discern their gender. "The auspicious hour has arrived. I've come to send you on your way, Master." As the words fell, the suona horns began to play. Lin Yanxi's voice, eerie and strange, echoed in the dark night, accompanied by the ringing of a bell, making it incredibly terrifying.