Tangchao took the lip rouge suspiciously and opened it. Her eyes immediately brightened. This was the most popular lip rouge in the capital, and this particular shade was in short supply, impossible to buy even with money.
"This is too precious, I can't accept it."
Lin Shibai noticed the change in her expression and knew she liked it very much.
"What's so precious about it? Only a spirited young girl like you deserves such a fine item."
Hearing this, Tangchao beamed and was about to tuck the lip rouge into her sleeve.
Lin Yanxi snatched the lip rouge from Tangchao's hand and threw it back to Lin Shibai, saying, "We don't want it."
With that, she pulled Tangchao away.
As Tangchao followed her mistress out of the courtyard, she glanced back at Lin Shibai. He was in a blue robe, fanning himself, and offered her a flirtatious smile.
Back in the courtyard, Lin Yanxi reverted to her listless state, slumping in the rocking chair without moving.
Li Zi and Si Yue wanted to comfort their mistress but were pulled back by Tangchao, who gestured for them not to disturb her.
"Second Sister," Lin Ruoyan's voice echoed from outside the courtyard. As soon as she had a moment, she hurried over to see Lin Yanxi.
Blinking, she said, "Second Sister, you've really regained your senses! That's wonderful!"
Previously, when her second sister was foolish, her eyes were dull and expressionless. Now, although she seemed unhappy, her eyes were bright and lively, a stark contrast to before.
Lin Yanxi hadn't seen Ruoyan in a long time. She stood up from the rocking chair, and being children at heart, the sisters hugged and jumped for joy.
Lin Ruoyan took out a small oiled paper packet from her sleeve. She carefully opened it to reveal two osmanthus cakes.
The osmanthus cakes were porcelain white and fragrant, filled with a layer of rich osmanthus jam that smelled enticing. However, they were clearly not freshly made. The crust was slightly dry, and after a long journey, their original appearance was somewhat obscured.
The osmanthus cakes on the paper had broken into several small pieces, with many crumbs scattered around.
"Second Sister, these were my favorite pastries when I was studying in Yuanyu. The first time I ate them, I thought I had to bring them for you to try. But... I might have accidentally crushed them."
She shrugged and gave an embarrassed, honest laugh.
Lin Yanxi picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth. It was a little dry, but the sweet fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled her mouth, becoming more fragrant with every chew.
Seeing each other with white crumbs of osmanthus cake around their mouths, like they had grown white beards, they smiled at each other.
"Sister, I heard Mother plans to send you away. Don't worry, I'll help persuade Mother."
"Yan'er, don't upset Mother on my behalf. My mother and I will resolve this ourselves."
They were about to exchange more intimate words when they noticed Jiang Wan appearing at the courtyard entrance. Her expression was tense, lacking the joy she had when seeing Lin Ruoyan earlier.
Yu Gu stepped forward quickly and said, "Third Miss, the side courtyard has been tidied. Go and see if anything is missing, and I will arrange for it to be procured."
Lin Ruoyan looked at Lin Yanxi with some difficulty. Her mother's displeased expression made her afraid her sister and mother would argue again.
Lin Yanxi saw through her thoughts and mouthed "Go ahead" to her.
Yu Gu waved to Si Yue and Li Zi, signaling them to also leave the courtyard.
---
Jiang Wan entered Lin Yanxi's room and surveyed the furnishings. Finally, her gaze fell upon Lin Yanxi's fingertips, red from being pricked by the needle while embroidering.
Her eyes softened. She took out an invitation from her embrace. The flat, gold-embossed cover opened to reveal that the Empress had prepared a palace banquet and invited Lin Yanxi to attend.
Lin Yanxi took the invitation and paused when she saw the words "Palace Banquet."
It was after this palace banquet in her previous life that Shen Muzhou would be framed for stealing a jade talisman, imprisoned for treason.
She knew well the intricate complexities of factional struggles. Even with foreknowledge of many events, she could not change his fate single-handedly.
Moreover, the Crown Prince was coveting the Grand Tutor's mansion. She had just rejected the Crown Prince's marriage proposal, and based on her understanding of him from her past life, he would never let it go.
The Crown Prince and the Grand Tutor had a delicate relationship. He urgently needed to marry a woman from the Grand Tutor's family to solidify his ties, while also needing to hold absolute dominance in this relationship. Therefore, this woman had to be as humble as dust yet possess a distinguished family status.
This trip to the banquet would likely stir up more trouble.
Jiang Wan reached out and withdrew the invitation from her hand. "Her Majesty the Empress specially sent an invitation for you to attend a banquet in the palace. I believe..."
She stopped mid-sentence, her hand brushing Lin Yanxi's as she withdrew the invitation.
Jiang Wan's eyes widened, and she involuntarily took half a step back, looking at Lin Yanxi in terror.
When Jiang Wan accidentally touched Lin Yanxi's hand, she sensed traces of a Talisman Master's awakening.
"You..."
Jiang Wan was so shocked she couldn't speak. She grabbed Lin Yanxi's wrist tightly.
"Mother?" Lin Yanxi yelped in pain, trying to pull her arm away.
This time, she was certain. Lin Yanxi truly had a subtle aura of talismanic energy within her.
"You... you're secretly learning talisman arts?" Jiang Wan's voice suddenly rose in a furious shout. "Why? Why did I tell you several times not to touch talismans, and you still wouldn't listen!"
"Who taught you? Speak! Who taught you talisman arts?"
Lin Yanxi was somewhat frightened by Jiang Wan's furious demeanor and stammered, "I... taught myself."
Actually, she wasn't sure if the small talisman mark that formed on her fingertip when the screen fell was the result of her practicing from an ancient book in the past few days.
"Taught yourself? Then you truly have great skill!" Jiang Wan glared at her fiercely and ceased arguing.
This child had never been truthful.
To become a Talisman Master, one needed not only innate bloodline inheritance but also continuous, diligent practice. Without guidance from an expert, it was impossible to awaken the Talisman Master bloodline and learn talisman arts.
Jiang Wan, as if driven mad, ransacked Lin Yanxi's boudoir, searching for any clues to identify the person who had guided Lin Yanxi.
"Clang, clang, clang—"
The jewelry box was overturned, its exquisite adornments tossed aside like refuse. Most of the brocade on the carved canopy bed lay on the floor.
Jiang Wan found nothing unusual after searching. Overwhelmed with anger, she leaned against the table and coughed several times.
"Mother..." Lin Yanxi stepped forward, wanting to support Jiang Wan's frail body.
She had hidden the ancient book in a secret compartment under the bed for fear of it being discovered. It was natural that her mother would find nothing.
Jiang Wan suddenly dodged her outstretched hand, her eyes sharp, staring at her for a long moment without speaking.
Now that Lin Yanxi showed signs of awakening as a Talisman Master, she could no longer be kept.
Jiang Wan, gasping for breath after her violent coughing fit, spoke with a weak, trembling voice, "Zhaozhao, this is fate."
She sighed for a long time, her eyes red, "It is our fate."
A sorrow that could not be dispelled clouded Lin Yanxi's fair, young face. She asked in confusion, "Mother, why is everyone in the Jiang family proud of their Talisman Master bloodline, but only I am not allowed to be a Talisman Master?"
"You never tell me the reason, yet you always force me to become someone I don't want to be. No matter what I do, you don't like me, preferring to drive me away and mistreat me rather than tell me the truth."
"It's as if... as if I'm someone who is inherently wrong, needing no evidence to be convicted. Don't you think that's terribly unfair to me?"
Mist blurred her vision, her nose tip stinging. She looked at her mother, hoping for an explanation.
Even a comforting glance would suffice.
But Jiang Wan maintained her usual stern expression, offering no further explanation. As she turned to leave, her usually upright back seemed to stoop, as if her strength had been drained. She dragged her legs stiffly, walking out with difficulty.
As soon as she exited the small courtyard, Yu Gu greeted her. "Madam."
Jiang Wan shook her head, signaling her not to say anything. After they had walked far away, in a secluded, deserted spot, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining her bright white teeth.
"Madam, Madam... Quickly, call for a doctor! Call for a doctor!"
---
Lin Yanxi shut herself in her room, refusing to see anyone. She sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, her eyes taking in the mess of the room. Recalling her mother's furious, frenzied state, her heart ached with a dull pain.
In the darkness, a figure flashed into the room. She looked up at the figure in black, seeing Shen Muzhou with his usual cold demeanor.
By now, she was accustomed to Shen Muzhou climbing through the window late at night.
His indifferent black eyes fixed on her. His handsome features were perfectly sculpted, his chiseled face bearing a frigid aura that kept people at a distance, his temperament noble and ethereal.
Shen Muzhou inexplicably curved his lips. He spoke, his voice deep, clear, and low, "Why is it that every time I see you, you look so pitiful?"
Upon reflection, he realized that most of the times he saw her, she was in distress or trouble, like a wounded cub, struggling with its last ounce of strength to bite its opponent despite knowing it was outmatched.
He extended his hand to help her up. Seeing her reluctance to offer her small hand, Shen Muzhou didn't insist. Instead, he sat on the bed, close beside her.
"What, is your mother still insisting on sending you away?"
Lin Yanxi's lips trembled. His question, of all things, brought all her accumulated bitterness and grievances to the surface. Tears welled in her almond eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but could only let out muffled sobs.
Her tears fell like a broken string of pearls, tracing paths down her fair, tender cheeks, pooling at her chin, and then dripping onto Shen Muzhou's hand.
He had seen many women cry: women weeping heart-wrenchingly on the battlefield after losing loved ones, noble ladies crying profusely when their expressions of love were rejected, or even like Jing Xin, using tears as a weapon to capture hearts, with a single tear hanging precariously in her eye, about to fall.
But only Lin Yanxi's tears seemed to pierce his heart, making him feel sad with her, a tightness in his chest.
Shen Muzhou paused, then gently stroked her hair. He had always been cold and emotionless, but seeing her cry now, he was at a loss. In an uncharacteristically gentle voice, he comforted her, "Don't cry."
His brow furrowed. He racked his brain for words to coax her into stopping her tears, then added, "Whoever made you sad, I'll kill them for you to get revenge."
This statement indeed had an effect. Lin Yanxi, who had been weeping with her head bowed, lifted her face. She looked at him in disbelief, her voice trembling as she asked, "You want to kill my mother?"