Lin Ze’s brow furrowed as he glanced at it, his expression immediately softening.
Shen Muzhou walked slowly to Lin Yanxi's side and handed her the items in his hand. “My Prince Mu’s mansion doesn’t have much of value. These meager land deeds are what I’ve accumulated over the years. I hope Madam won’t find them lacking.”
Upon hearing him address her as ‘Madam,’ Lin Yanxi’s face instantly flushed crimson. A blush, like rouge, spread across her fair cheeks.
She didn’t know how to respond, her hands awkwardly suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to accept or refuse.
What he held was a stack of deeds for houses and shops. A rough estimate suggested they occupied a significant portion of the capital city, with some located in outer counties. At the end of the stack of property deeds was his waist token.
He called this ‘meager’?
Lin Yanxi gave an awkward twitch of her lips. She assumed these must be fakes. She and Shen Muzhou were only in a fake marriage; why would he give her the real ones? However, these fakes were made with such exquisite detail that they were indistinguishable from the genuine article.
He took her hand and placed the waist token in her palm. “I present this waist token of mine to you. Monthly stipends and withdrawals from the bank are all issued based on this token.”
Lin Ze, who had been disdainfully sipping his tea, couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the sight of the waist token.
He set down his teacup and began to scrutinize Shen Muzhou with renewed seriousness.
These tokens were equivalent to entrusting one's life and fortune to Lin Yanxi. Even after decades of deep love and companionship with Jiang Wan, he had never given her his waist token.
Lin Yuan’s eyes were fixed on the waist token and the land deeds on the table, her jealousy so intense that it felt as though flames could erupt from her eyes.
She had initially thought this Ninth Prince was merely coveting the Grand Tutor’s influence, and his proposal to Lin Yanxi was just a strategic move. She had even secretly rejoiced, believing Lin Yanxi would surely be unwelcome in the Prince Mu’s mansion and their marriage would be unhappy.
But today, the Ninth Prince not only dared to offend the Grand Tutor for Lin Yanxi’s sake, punishing her own mother and standing up for her, but he had also handed over the property deeds and waist token to her. Could it be that he genuinely liked her?
Lin Yuan tightened her grip on her handkerchief, gritting her teeth in resentment. Why did all the good fortune fall to Lin Yanxi!
Lin Ze’s attitude shifted entirely. He forced an unnatural smile. “How about this, since the Ninth Prince shows such sincerity, and this marriage was personally decreed by His Majesty, our Grand Tutor’s mansion has no reason to refuse.”
“It’s just that my wife has recently passed away. Even if we don't observe the full mourning period of two to three years, it would be extremely inauspicious to arrange a wedding and funeral rites together. According to custom, Yanxi must also observe five months of mourning for her mother.”
“Once the mourning period is over, you will wed immediately.”
He suppressed the calculating glint in his eyes. If Shen Muzhou truly fell for Zhaozhao, then he had months to plan carefully.
Lin Yanxi took his words and replied, “Alright, let it be so.”
It was all a pretense anyway. All she wanted was the title of Princess Consort. The later the wedding, the better.
Shen Muzhou’s expression remained unchanged. “It is all as Madam decides.”
His gaze was gentle and doting. His voice, though calm, carried warmth. When facing Lin Yanxi, a faint smile played on his lips, making him exceptionally handsome and extraordinary, like a gentle breeze or the clear moon.
Looking at him like this, for a moment, she almost believed it, that he genuinely intended to marry her. But she quickly shook her head.
Lin Yanxi, be clear-headed. He loves that ‘Zhaozhao,’ not you! Don't mistake this act for sincerity!
She shook her head and gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile.
Outside, Madam Xu’s cries had grown hoarse. She was weakly propped up outside the main hall, watching the two inside exchange tender glances. Lin Yanxi held a waist token in her hand.
Her heart was filled with anger and humiliation, but she was so bruised that she could barely lift her eyelids.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan quickly emerged from the hall and helped Madam Xu back to the rear courtyard. Once in the courtyard, Madam Xu began smashing all the teacups on the table in a fit of rage.
Lin Yuan shot her a cold glance. “Little Mother, please calm down. Even if you smash every piece of porcelain in this room, what good will it do? Lin Yanxi is still alive and well. You remain a powerless second wife in this mansion.”
Madam Xu glared at her fiercely. “Then what can I do? You useless girl! Look at Lin Yanxi, using some underhanded trick to coax the Ninth Prince into giving her his waist token and land deeds. And you?”
“How many times have you gone to the Crown Prince? He avoids you every time, which clearly shows he doesn't want you anymore!”
“Let alone coaxing the Crown Prince to entrust his life and fortune to you, even giving you a title would be enough for us second branch to hold our heads high in this mansion.”
Lin Yuan listened, feeling annoyed. “It’s all because of my low birth! If I were the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor’s mansion, with my talent and looks, the men in the capital would be lining up to marry me.”
After speaking, she stormed out of the room in a huff.
“Where are you going!” Madam Xu called after her.
Lin Yuan paused. “I’m going to find a way to get a title from the Eastern Palace. Are you just going to smash things in the room to vent your anger like me?”
She left the room, leaving Madam Xu and the mess behind.
The wedding arrangements were mostly settled. Shen Muzhou agreed to all the stringent conditions proposed by Lin Ze.
After Lin Yanxi saw Shen Muzhou off, she looked at the waist token in the sunlight. The token was attached to an exquisite small clasp, with dark green tassels hanging below.
She marveled, “Ninth Prince, your waist token is made so finely. It’s truly indistinguishable from the real thing.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Muzhou tapped her smooth forehead with his jade-like fingers.
“Who told you it was fake?”
Lin Yanxi was surprised. “Real? This is the genuine Prince Mu’s waist token?”
Shen Muzhou smiled without answering, raising his eyebrows at her with a hint of playfulness.
She clutched the waist token and examined it repeatedly. It was indeed real. She then laboriously pulled out the land deeds from her sleeve and asked, “And these? Are they real?”
Clearly, she hadn't treated these items as genuine, stuffing them casually into her sleeve. When she pulled them out, they were crumpled and wrinkled.
Shen Muzhou chuckled softly. “Take good care of them for this Prince. If you wish to be this Prince’s Princess Consort, you must have the demeanor of a mistress of the house.”
Lin Yanxi looked at him in surprise and pushed the items back into his hands. “Then I can’t accept these. They are too precious. What if I lose them…”
He let out a scoff. “If you lose them, you can come to my Prince’s mansion as a hired laborer to pay for them.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yanxi quickly and carefully folded the land deeds together and placed them neatly inside her collar.
“Then when do we leave for Ghost City? This afternoon?”
Shen Muzhou shook his head. “No rush. The entrance to Ghost City only opens on the first and fifteenth day of each month. It’s the fifteenth in a few days. You should prepare yourself well at home first.”
“Actually… you don’t have to go. The journey to find the Jade Talisman will undoubtedly be perilous and arduous. I don’t want you to face danger.”
Her expression was firm, with a hint of urgency. “I must go.”
The person who stole the Jade Talisman might be the one who killed her mother. Even if not, there must be a connection.
Seeing her determination, Shen Muzhou didn't try to dissuade her further. He generally indulged her in whatever she wished to do.
---
For the next few days, she confined herself to her room, studying the talisman arts in ancient books. She suddenly recalled the old man with the white beard.
What was the origin of that old man?
With a “clang,” the large door was pulled open. Li Zi was dozing off in the courtyard, leaning on her broom. Hearing the door open, she snapped awake.
“Miss, you’ve finally decided to come out of your room.” Li Zi happily ran over, holding her broom.
Lin Yanxi said, “I want to find Aunt Yu. Where is she?”
Aunt Yu was a lifelong servant of the Jiang family, having grown up in the Jiang mansion. She wanted to ask Aunt Yu if the strange white-bearded old man was from the Jiang family. Could it be that besides her maternal grandfather, there were other people in the Jiang family who had awakened the bloodline for talisman arts?
Li Zi froze, then asked in confusion, “Aunt Yu? Miss, what do you mean?”
Lin Yanxi didn’t immediately grasp the meaning behind her words and repeated, “Aunt Yu, the one who served Mother. What’s wrong with you today, you girl?”
Li Zi stood rooted to the spot in shock, looking at her young lady. After a long pause, she stammered, “Oh, oh. Well, Aunt Yu, she might have gone back to her hometown. She’s not in the mansion anymore.”
Lin Yanxi was stunned. Aunt Yu had returned to her hometown without telling her?
Besides, where did Aunt Yu have a hometown? She was a lifelong servant of the Jiang clan.
Li Zi’s eyes showed sadness and sympathy. She continued, “Or maybe she’s still at the villa.”
The servants at the villa were all dead, and the estate was sealed, with no one allowed in or out. Moreover, when she tried to find other clues a few days ago, she went to the villa once, and there was no one there.
“She wouldn’t go anywhere else. Could Aunt Yu also be in trouble?” Lin Yanxi realized this and gathered a group of household servants to search for Aunt Yu’s whereabouts.
She also personally led people to investigate the estate.
Until two days later, when she and Shen Muzhou were about to depart to find the entrance to Ghost City, Aunt Yu was still nowhere to be found.
In the past few days, she had ordered people to turn the Grand Tutor’s mansion and the villa upside down, but they found nothing. Aunt Yu had vanished into thin air, leaving not a single clue.
Shen Muzhou helped her into the carriage. The carriage wasn’t luxurious or spacious but was very light and comfortable. The long bench inside was covered with a layer of soft bear fur, and a small pillow was placed on the backrest to support the waist, making long journeys more comfortable.
Seeing her dejected, he comforted her, “It’s alright. We’ll pass by the Jiang family residence on our way to Ghost City. Perhaps Aunt Yu has returned to the Jiang family. We can go and take a look.”
Lin Yanxi knew this was highly unlikely. After her maternal uncle Jiang Hao died, her mother married, and her maternal grandfather Jiang Qi also passed away, the mansion was occupied by her granduncle.
There was no reason for Aunt Yu to return to the Jiang mansion; she had no place to stay there anymore.
The carriage had only traveled halfway when it was blocked by a fine horse. The carriage jolted violently, but fortunately, Shen Muzhou quickly reached out to steady her.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a man riding a white steed. His waterfall-like black hair was disheveled, cascading behind him. The wind blew it into a graceful sweep. His dark, deep ice-blue eyes bore a striking resemblance to Shen Muzhou's, yet lacked Shen Muzhou's cold, sinister gaze. A roguish smile played on his lips.
It was Shen Yu.
Shen Muzhou glanced at him and dismounted. “Why are you here?”
Shen Yu innocently waved his hands. “It’s to plead for you. I angered Father Emperor, so he sent me to assist you in retrieving the Jade Talisman.”
Shen Muzhou immediately refused. “I don’t need you. Go back.”
He didn’t want Shen Yu to face danger. If there was anyone in the palace he cared about, it was Shen Yu.
Shen Yu maintained his flippant demeanor, rolling his eyes. “This is Father Emperor’s order. Do you want me to disobey? Don’t you know Father Emperor hasn’t given me my stipend in three months? I’ve already dismissed most of the dancers in my princely mansion. If I mess this up too, my princely mansion and I will be left with nothing but the wind.”
Shen Muzhou’s head ached from his chatter, and he also felt that Shen Yu genuinely needed some experience.
He waved his hand, agreeing to Shen Yu accompanying them, and then got back into the carriage.
Shen Yu happily tied his horse to the back of the carriage and climbed into the tent, greeting Lin Yanxi. “Little beauty.”
Lin Yanxi politely bowed. “Greetings, Fifth Prince.”
Just as Shen Yu was about to step into the carriage, Shen Muzhou placed a hand on his head, gesturing for him to get out.