Lin Yan was recently preparing for the end of her mourning period. Originally, with the demise of both parents, Lin Yan was supposed to observe six years of filial piety. However, her mother, pitying her daughter and fearing she would miss her prime marriageable age, stipulated in her will that the months of mourning for her should be counted as years.
This meant she had to observe 27 months of filial piety for her father and 3 months for her mother, totaling 30 months of mourning. Her mourning period was nearing its end. The Marquis of Huaiyin had already sent someone to invite Lin Yan back for the New Year, and she had not refused.
However, she had already purchased a residence in the capital. It was a two-courtyard house. Though not large, it represented a considerable sum of money. The purchase of this property had reduced Lin Yan's assets by more than half.
Indeed, "living in the capital is not easy." Fortunately, Lin Yan's few shops were profitable enough that she didn't overly dwell on this expense.
Still, this marked her having her own home in the capital. Although it was not easy, at least if she had to leave the Marquis of Huaiyin's mansion, she would have a place of her own.
While the manor was comfortable, it was not a long-term solution.
Granny Fang and the old steward did not comment when they saw Lin Yan spending a fortune to buy the residence. Over the past two years, they had noticed that their young lady seemed indifferent towards the Marquis of Huaiyin's household, apparently not wanting to be involved with the heir.
Yet, their young lady had sent people to spread good reputation for that heir, and now when people spoke of young talents, the heir was the first to come to mind. Some bookstores were even discreetly offering portraits of the heir.
This had left a trace of the Marquis of Huaiyin's heir in the hearts of many young ladies.
Although Lin Yan's actions were somewhat perplexing to them, they diligently carried out her instructions.
The passing of her parents had significantly changed their young lady, especially after her experiences at the Marquis's mansion.
The old steward’s nose twitched with emotion when he recalled what Xiao Man and the others had told him about the mistreatment Lin Yan had suffered within the Marquis's mansion. This was the Lin family's only young lady!
When their master and madam were alive, they had never let her suffer any hardship. Even though many people sympathized with their master for not having sons, he had never considered taking concubines because of it.
They had protected their only daughter meticulously, shielding her from all external storms. But now they were gone, leaving their young lady alone.
If he were not a servant of the Lin family, he truly wished he could seek justice for his young lady. However, they were insignificant, with no means to protect their young lady, and could only hope she would stand on her own.
Nonetheless, seeing how their young lady handled affairs now allowed them to feel somewhat at ease.
Whether it was adopting orphaned beggars or managing shops, their young lady was thriving.
Furthermore, she had not developed feelings for the Marquis's heir. As long as she didn't fall for him, she wouldn't be hurt because of it.
However, this probably had something to do with the Marquis of Huaiyin's heir as well. After all, he had not appeared since bringing their young lady to the manor two years ago.
Each time, it was the Marquis's steward who sent things over, and whose orders these were was self-evident.
Apart from her maternal uncle, everyone else in that Marquis's mansion was a stranger to their young lady.
“Miss, the latest collected rumors from the capital have been compiled. Would you like them now?” Gu Yu walked in, interrupting Lin Yan’s thoughts.
“Are there any new and interesting rumors from the capital recently?” Lin Yan asked, turning her head. She was curled up on the heated brick bed, holding a book and flipping through its pages.
The sunlight outside shone through the paper pasted on the window, illuminating the brick bed.
The absence of glass was still an issue; these paper-covered windows could not block the wind. But without windows, the room would lack light, and they would likely need lamps even during the day. However, researching glass would not only arouse suspicion from that transmigrator but also draw the attention of those in higher circles.
The last world had been too tiring; she felt she could rest in this world.
Moreover, if she gained too many points, the main god might assign her some hellish difficulty worlds. She had heard from the system that some worlds were very dangerous, and some hosts died upon entering.
“Replying to Miss, there aren't any particularly novel rumors recently. It's just that some poems have been circulating among literati, making many scholars curious about the kind of person who could write such poems.”
As Gu Yu spoke, she took out a stack of poems from her sleeve.
“Miss, would you like to see them?”
Gu Yu’s primary role was to compile these capital rumors for Lin Yan, as well as information that could be gathered from officials' households.
Xiao Man was responsible for collecting this information. Although she was a bit carefree in her actions, she was very good at gathering intelligence. So, she took some of the adopted children and went to listen in on street corners and alleys.
The good reputation of the Marquis of Huaiyin's heir was also spread by them.
“Let me see them.”
Lin Yan put down her book and took the manuscript of poems handed to her by Gu Yu.
Upon seeing them, she recognized them as familiar poems, the very poems by which that transmigrator was making a name for herself. Interesting.
“Have you found out where they originated from?” Lin Yan placed the manuscript on the low table by the brick bed.
“It seems they appeared suddenly, with no source.” Gu Yu was also quite puzzled. These poems were exceptionally well-written, and she had wanted to investigate their origin, but no one knew who the author was.
“Then don’t focus your energy on this. We have to return to the Marquis of Huaiyin's mansion for the New Year this year. Pay more attention to news from that side recently.” Lin Yan knew that this was likely the work of the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo’s mansion. She was very careful when doing these things, certainly not letting anyone discover her. Furthermore, as a lady confined to her chambers, she had no connection to this matter, so others would not suspect her.
“Yes, Miss. However, the mansion had a commotion a couple of days ago.” Gu Yu had not mentioned anything about that mansion before, fearing their young lady might become preoccupied with it.
Now that their young lady had inquired, some matters had to be communicated to her first. However, even if their young lady hadn't asked, they would have had to inform her before their departure.
They couldn't let their young lady go to the Marquis's mansion without knowing anything, only to be targeted without realizing it.
“Oh? Who caused the commotion?” Lin Yan's interest was piqued.
“It was Aunt Jiang in the mansion, saying that the Marquis had sent over your household allowance. This left the Sixth Miss without enough charcoal and she fell ill from the cold.”
“What’s this about?” Lin Yan frowned. How did the charcoal sent to her manor become the mansion's allowance? Weren't they separate?
“After winter set in this year, the Madam of the Marquis reduced the charcoal for each courtyard considerably. However, the ordinary charcoal was not reduced; it could be burned, but it produced a lot of smoke. Only the smokeless silver-charcoal allowance was reduced.
When someone inquired, it was said that because two cartloads were sent to you, the mansion's allowance was insufficient.”
Gu Yu answered according to the intelligence she had gathered, while inwardly feeling disdain. Such a grand Marquis’s mansion, and they would quibble over two cartloads of charcoal.