"Young Master is joking!" Lin Yan stiffened her face and turned to leave.
Xing Shao Jun then realized his words had been too flippant. "It was my fault. Miss Lin is magnanimous and should not hold it against me."
He quickly blocked Lin Yan's path and bowed in apology.
Lin Yan hastily sidestepped to avoid his bow.
"What are you doing, Young Master?" Lin Yan asked with a frown.
"My words were out of line and angered Miss Lin. However, Miss Lin could consider that your engagement with the Marquis of Huaiyin has been broken, and you can consider others. May I know what you think of me?" Xing Shao Jun said sincerely.
"Young Master, please do not tease this commoner. I dare not aspire to the Marquis of Huaiyin's household, let alone a Duke's mansion!" Lin Yan's eyes reddened as she spoke.
"Alas! Don't be angry, don't be angry." Seeing Lin Yan's eyes reddening with anger, as if she would burst into tears at any moment, Xing Shao Jun quickly explained. "I am serious. My family does not have a mother-in-law as wicked as the Marchioness of Huaiyin. If you marry me, you will be in charge, and you will be the most important person in the family. No one will mistreat you."
"I'm not talking to you anymore!" Lin Yan gave him a shy, angry glance and ran towards her carriage.
Although Xing Shao Jun could have stopped her, he was not foolish. Stopping her now would not achieve his goal and might only make her more angry. He watched Lin Yan leave directly, his regard for her growing even greater.
At the Duke of An's mansion, Tang Xin Yi had not heard any news of the person she suspected was a fellow countryman for a long time and finally felt somewhat relieved. Even if she knew her destined partner, Feng Fei Yu, was to be engaged to the princess, she felt nothing. It was just a man. If she did not achieve as many merits as described in the book, and truly married into the Marquis's household, she would likely be tormented by the Marchioness, just like that cousin. She might even be worse off than that cousin, as the Marquis was her maternal uncle and could protect her somewhat. What did she have? She was merely a庶女 (shu nü - daughter of a concubine) from a Duke's mansion. If she suffered any injustice, her nominal father would not stand up for her. The mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship was the most difficult. Although she had not been married in modern times, she had seen plenty. Once she knew how difficult the Marchioness was, she gave up on the idea of marrying Feng Fei Yu. Feudal etiquette was already heavy enough, and she couldn't add another restraint to herself. Although she didn't know if her countryman truly existed or what his attitude towards her was, Tang Xin Yi felt she should keep a low profile. The plot was the plot. Even though she had transmigrated, it didn't mean she was the original protagonist. If she were to be so high-profile without the protagonist's luck, she would surely die a miserable death. Take her legitimate elder sister, for example; she clearly disliked her. If she did anything, her legitimate elder sister would definitely sabotage it. She certainly wouldn't want to step forward herself. What she wanted now was to find a husband she could control, and then use some of her modern knowledge to earn money and improve her life. It would be even better if she could return to modern times. She had learned many skills here, and could earn a lot of money as a streamer back there. She also needed to find a backer. As a 庶女, she possessed too little. She needed more say to do more things. Just as Tang Xin Yi was contemplating how to find a powerful patron, the entire Lin household knew that the highly esteemed Young Master had taken a liking to their young lady. However, they did not hold out much hope. This young master possessed even greater power than the Marquis of Huaiyin's household. Although they felt their young lady was perfect in every way, her family background was indeed a fatal flaw. The Marquis of Huaiyin's household already considered their young lady to be a high-status match, let alone this Young Master. Their family were founding dukes, controlling one-third of the military power. This Young Master was also valiant and skilled in battle, having made many contributions. How could such a family marry an orphaned daughter with no power or influence? However, according to the Lin family's precepts, marrying as a concubine was out of the question. What was a concubine? A subordinate woman, merely serving others. Even a favored concubine was still a concubine. Therefore, they did not feel happy because of the Young Master's regard for their young lady; instead, they felt very worried, wishing their young lady would quickly find someone to get engaged to and marry. Lin Yan, the subject of discussion, was not affected at all. Even though those around her were anxious for her, she remained calm. The flower viewing party held at the estate last time was very successful. Although Xu Ling and the others felt a bit constrained by the presence of Princess Jiayi, after a short period of interaction, they found that Princess Jiayi was not as rumored and actually quite suited their temperaments. Thus, after the flower viewing party, they met several more times. The flowers on Lin Yan's estate were also divided among them. Lin Yan was very generous, giving them away to anyone who asked. In a short while, Lin Yan's reputation among the young ladies improved. As Lin Yan's reputation grew, the Marchioness's reputation worsened. Although they did not say anything to her face, they privately spoke of Lin Yan and the Marchioness who had been bullying her to their families. Lin Yan recently moved to her estate to escape the summer heat in the capital. While she was drinking tea, a servant reported, "Miss, Young Master Yi has brought his colleagues to visit and is asking if you would like to see them. They said they might be disturbing the owner and have come to greet you." "Colleagues?" Lin Yan seemed to understand something. "Let them come. Just a brief meeting from a distance will suffice." "Yes." The servant withdrew after receiving Lin Yan's reply. "Brother Lin, will our presumptuous visit disturb the host?" A man in his early twenties looked at Lin Yi with some apprehension. Lin Yi had brought them out to admire the scenery, and upon arriving, they realized they were at someone else's estate, and Lin Yi had not made prior arrangements. "No, this is my great-aunt's estate. I can bring people to visit. The flowers and trees on this estate are very famous. If you want any, tell me, and I will ask my great-aunt for them," Lin Yi said expansively. "So it's Brother Lin's great-aunt's estate. Then, do we need to meet the elder? Since we are here, would it be improper not to see her?" another young man said. The colleagues Lin Yi brought this time were all young and unmarried. Lin Miao and the others understood their intentions. However, they had also participated in assessing these young men's characters and were happy with the outcome. As for finding a partner for their elder, it was because their aunt was young and their elders were not present, so they had to worry more. When they learned that Lin Yan had come to the estate to escape the summer heat, they thought of this idea. Even if outsiders found out, it would be said that they were out traveling with people, and it would not affect their aunt's reputation.