The young man before her wore rough linen clothes. His skin was dark, his nose bridge high, and when he grinned, a row of small white teeth was revealed. His black hair was tied up in a cluster, and his bright eyes sparkled beneath thick eyebrows.
Though his build was somewhat slender, he was strong and sturdy, with bulging muscles on his bare arms.
Lin Yanxi reacted quickly, pulling a hairpin from her head and pointing it at him. "What do you want?" she asked.
Si Yue waved his hands frantically, trying hard to explain, "Little mistress, it's me. Don't get agitated and hurt yourself."
Mistress? What nonsense!
Seeing her expression soften slightly, Si Yue straightened the hem of his clothes and deliberately struck a cool pose, brushing away a stray strand of hair from his forehead. "My name is Si Yue. Don't you remember me? I'll be heartbroken, little mistress."
His bright eyes dimmed instantly. She stared at his dark, handsome face, which seemed vaguely familiar. The name also sounded familiar.
Si Yue reached into his clothes and pulled out an earring. The jade earring was adorned with colorful gemstones, elegant yet not gaudy, clearly priceless.
"Oh, you're, you're the young man who offered to sell himself to bury his brother?"
Lin Yanxi suddenly understood. She had encountered Lin Yuan at the manor gates and, on impulse, had tossed the earring to a young man kneeling in the street corner.
So it was him.
Si Yue took two steps forward, wanting to get closer to Lin Yanxi. "Yes, you bought me, so naturally, you are my mistress."
She warily stepped back two paces, widening the distance between them again.
"Little mistress, you don't want Si Yue anymore?" A flicker of hurt flashed in his eyes, and his outstretched palm trembled slightly.
Lin Yanxi felt he was like a stray puppy abandoned by its owner in the street corner, and her heart softened.
The young man's emotions came and went quickly. He wrinkled his nose. Lin Yanxi's room carried a natural sweet scent of a young lady, mixed with the tempting aroma of pastries.
She understood Si Yue's expression and chuckled lightly, pointing to the pastries on the table. "If you want to eat, go ahead."
Hiss, this Si Yue looks so familiar.
Lin Yanxi thought back carefully, silently repeating his name.
Si Yue, Si Yue, General Si Yue?
!!!
She suddenly remembered a young and promising general in the previous life in Nanmin. A commoner who rose from an unknown soldier to the rank of general in just three years.
It was also thanks to this General Si Yue's numerous victories that he stabilized Shen Qingyun's position as Crown Prince.
Lin Yanxi raised an eyebrow, watching the young man devour pastries. This life, she definitely couldn't let Si Yue be used by the Crown Prince again.
She sat down with him at the table, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "Eat slowly. If you're still hungry, I'll have the kitchen make more for you."
Si Yue's dark eyes looked at Lin Yanxi. After a moment, tears welled up. He awkwardly wiped his pastry-crumb-covered hands on his clothes and hugged Lin Yanxi.
He sobbed, "Little mistress, you are so kind to me. My brother and I were homeless and bullied every day. No one ever gave us food."
Thinking of his younger brother, he fell silent for a moment and murmured, "If only my little brother could eat such delicious pastries."
Lin Yanxi tried to comfort him, gently stroking his hair as one would a puppy.
This was an opportunity to gain favor with the future general.
"From now on, you won't go hungry. Stay with me, and no one will dare bully you again."
Si Yue wiped his tears and said, "Does that mean I can stay here, little mistress?"
Lin Yanxi mused, "You can stay in the manor for now, but I see that you have the makings of a general and minister. You need to be cultivated well."
Si Yue looked confused. "Makings of a general and minister?"
"You don't need to worry about that. In short, I believe you have great potential. Follow me and do well."
"Little mistr..."
"Stop, stop, stop. We're not some cult. Calling me 'mistress' every day. Just call me 'Second Miss.' Also, you're not allowed to enter my courtyard without my permission."
Of course, she couldn't let him enter freely. She still didn't fully trust Si Yue. What if he defected to Shen Qingyun later and revealed that Shen Muzhou visited her room every night? That would cause trouble.
Besides, Lin Yanxi's boudoir was not a place one could just enter!
After Lin Yanxi settled Si Yue into the servants' quarters, she hurried back to her courtyard.
She was afraid that if Shen Muzhou arrived and found her absent, it would create complications.
She pushed the door open with a 'bang.' The room was empty; no one was there.
Hmph, it's best if he doesn't come!
---
For the next few days, Lin Yanxi was confined to her courtyard by Jiang Wan, not allowed to move freely.
Whenever she had free time recently, she would lock herself in her room and repeatedly study the ancient book on talisman arts, practicing as instructed, but with little success.
It seemed that without the Soul Ring, she truly wasn't cut out to be a talisman master.
Besides practicing on her own, she made Si Yue do physical training every morning, for his future in the military.
"Oh dear, Miss, how much longer do I have to train?"
Since Lin Yanxi couldn't go out, she put Si Yue through extra training in the courtyard.
At the moment, Si Yue was holding a large water vat, his arms extended, with three layers of bricks stacked on them, and he was in a horse stance.
Lin Yanxi sat lazily on the swing chair in the courtyard. Lizi fanned her, and Tangchao fed her a crystal-clear small purple grape.
Impatiently, she raised her eyelids, glanced at Si Yue, and sternly said, "Keep your stance steady. If you tremble again, I'll add another hour of training."
"Alas, it's not that Miss doesn't care about you. Only with a good physique can one become a great general!"
Lizi and Tangchao both snorted at this. Tangchao teased, "If Si Yue can become a general, then I can become a noble lady."
Si Yue straightened up, his back rigid, and tried to maintain his balance, saying defiantly, "Eldest Miss said I can become a general, so I will!"
Lin Yanxi nodded in satisfaction, as encouragement.
After another half hour, she circled Si Yue and said, "Your training these past two days has been good. Come, I'll take you out on the streets."
She remembered that in his past life, Si Yue was known for carving out a path with a broadsword, which led to his promotion.
It was time to take him to pick out a suitable weapon.
Si Yue was used to being free and had been bored staying indoors at the Grand Tutor's manor for days. Upon hearing he could go out, he was overjoyed and followed closely behind Lin Yanxi.
Lizi ran after them, tugging at Lin Yanxi's sleeve. "Miss, perhaps we shouldn't roam around and upset Madam."
"It's fine. Father and Mother are busy with Lin Shibai's affairs and don't have time to bother with me."
As soon as Lin Shibai returned to the manor, he demanded the front courtyard and insisted on adding Zhao Yinyin to the family registry, which had already annoyed Lin Ze quite a bit.
Lin Yanxi led Si Yue out through the dog hole. The streets were a riot of colors, and the most enticing smell came from the Wan Family Restaurant on this street.
Si Yue, carrying a pile of things, followed happily behind Lin Yanxi.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat at the best restaurant in the entire city."
The two entered the Wan Family Restaurant and chose a table upstairs, which offered a panoramic view of everything happening on the street.
"Wow, Miss, this is too lavish."
Si Yue looked at the table full of delicacies and swallowed hard.
Lin Yanxi ruffled his hair and said, "Eat, eat more to become a great general."
"What a coincidence, Sister Xi'er."
The door to the private room on the second floor opened, and Luo Jingxin walked out slowly.
She wore a white gown that trailed on the floor, with gold thread tracing beautiful patterns on it, emitting a colorful, flowing light under the sun. The pearl hairpin in her hair was exquisite, with several strands of white pearls dangling on either side of her temples.
Lin Yanxi's hand had not yet left Si Yue's hair. Just as she was about to stand and greet them, she saw Shen Muzhou emerge from the private room and stand behind Luo Jingxin. He glanced at Si Yue, then his gaze fell on Lin Yanxi's hand.
His eyes were cold and sharp, with a hint of suppressed displeasure.
Lin Yanxi withdrew her hand and stood up, feeling a bit awkward. She didn't understand why Shen Muzhou was glaring at her.
He had explicitly said he wasn't familiar with Luo Jingxin, yet they were dining in the same private room. Was this what "not familiar" looked like?
No wonder he hadn't sneaked into the Grand Tutor's manor these past few days. He had been spending time with Luo Jingxin. Of course, he wouldn't have had time.
Thinking this, she shot Shen Muzhou a fierce glare.
"Princess Chaoyang," Lin Yanxi stood and bowed.
Luo Jingxin, enhanced by her white dress, seemed even more ethereal and elegant. She warmly stepped forward and sat beside Lin Yanxi. "Ah, dining with Muzhou is rather boring. If Sister Xi'er doesn't mind, why don't you join me for a meal?"
Before Yanxi could reply, Shen Muzhou, with a cold expression, sat down opposite Lin Yanxi.
She couldn't easily refuse, especially since she had a good impression of Luo Jingxin. It was just that the incident at the hairpin ceremony had been a bit awkward.
Luo Jingxin seemed to sense her thoughts and spoke frankly, "The other day, Muzhou and I had a misunderstanding. He lost his temper with me, and it put you in a difficult position."
"I was upset for a moment and spoke harshly to you, Sister. Are you still angry with me?"
Lin Yanxi glanced at Shen Muzhou. His expression was as indifferent as ever, and he offered no response to Luo Jingxin's words.
So, his appearance at the hairpin ceremony that day, taking her away, and saying he wasn't familiar with Princess Chaoyang were all just him being angry with Luo Jingxin.
His repeated interventions to protect her were not only to help her overcome her cold ailment but also to provoke Luo Jingxin.
His absence these past few days meant they had reconciled. Thinking about it this way, many things suddenly made sense.
Her voice was soft, masking a trace of unease. "I'm not angry. I was worried that we might develop a rift."
Luo Jingxin covered her mouth and smiled. "No matter what Muzhou and I's relationship is, I genuinely like you, little girl. You are smart and clever. I have a half-sister at home, but her personality is nowhere as likable as yours."
"Speaking of which, I prepared a carriage for you that day but couldn't help you. If you had accepted the Crown Prince's hairpin, I would have felt guilty. Fortunately, Muzhou rescued you."
Lin Yanxi felt a pang of awkwardness, and her tone became a little petulant. "Hmph, who wanted him to rescue me?"
Luo Jingxin smiled. "Indeed, Xi'er is quick-witted and intelligent; she can always turn danger into safety. The dishes have all arrived, so let's stop talking. Xi'er, eat more; you look so thin."
She first picked up a piece of roasted goose from a plate and placed it on Shen Muzhou's plate. "Muzhou, this is your favorite."
Shen Muzhou met Luo Jingxin's gaze, stared at her for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Lin Yanxi pouted. These two were exchanging meaningful glances.
She, imitating Luo Jingxin's dignified and graceful manner, picked up a chopstickful of food to put into Si Yue's bowl. But Si Yue was engrossed in eating, with a bowl piled high, and there was no room for anything else.
She glared at Si Yue and, huffily, put the food back into her own bowl.
A crowd had gathered on the street below, and their murmurs reached the second floor.
"Someone died again?"
"This is the third body! And they say the manner of death is the same."