16 Reading

There were no dramatic scenes of a mother and daughter reuniting in tears; there was only a greeting and the simple act of acknowledging one another.

Lin Yun had secretly rehearsed her performance the night before, worried that her weeping wouldn't be convincing enough. She had even hidden a piece of chili pepper in her sleeve, smearing it onto her fingertips just as she boarded the boat. In the end, none of it was needed.

Although the situation was unexpected, once it occurred, Lin Yun realized it wasn't truly surprising. If Lady Song had been the type to dote on her daughter, she would have rushed back from the farm to the Marquis of Ningyuan’s estate the moment she learned Lin Yun had been found, rather than sitting in the Lin garden reading as if nothing had happened.

Lin Yun had initially assumed the farm was very far away, which was why they were so slow to return, but after making the journey herself, she discovered it was only a half-day’s travel.

Lin Yun’s return had not changed the Marquis’s estate in the slightest. The Marquis was busy with official duties, and both her mother and grandmother remained at the farm with no intention of returning. Perhaps the original owner of this body had realized this as well, which was why she felt no attachment to the estate. When she left, she never mentioned her long-absent parents; she only cared about delivering her letter and asked Lin Yun to look at the blooming osmanthus flowers in the courtyard.

Even her distant cousin had asked several questions, yet Lady Song hadn't uttered a single word about how Lin Yun had spent the past fifteen years. This mother had simply said, "As soon as we heard the news of your return, and with the twelfth lunar month approaching, the farm was cold, so we intended to return immediately. But your grandmother was so excited by the news that she fell ill."

Looking at the indifferent expression on Lady Song’s face, Lin Yun felt that the winter chill at the farm was likely the real reason they wanted to return, rather than her arrival.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, filial piety was held in high regard, so Lin Yun felt she should show some concern. She asked, "It has been over ten days; how is Grandmother’s health now?"

Lady Song replied, "She has been much better these past few days. We had intended to set off for the Marquis’s estate once she improved, as the water pavilion is not suitable for recovery, but Qitang has been working so hard to look after her that she fell ill as soon as the old lady began to recover. That is what delayed our return and prevented us from coming to see you sooner."

Lin Yun went through the motions of inquiring about her cousin as well, though a malicious thought crossed her mind: *This sounds like a classic setup. Is this cousin going to be a difficult person to deal with? Is she truly ill, or is it a ruse? Why is the timing so convenient?*

It wasn't that Lin Yun enjoyed thinking the worst of people; she had only developed this habit since arriving at the Marquis’s estate. With so many eccentric characters here, she had to anticipate the worst-case scenario to avoid being caught off guard.

Lady Song asked a few questions about what books Lin Yun had read. Seeing the disdainful look on Lady Song’s face—the look that said, "You surely haven't read anything"—Lin Yun wanted to answer that she had been reading *Plant Gene Regulatory Networks: Methods and Protocols*.

She had finished that book the night before she died. Who was Lady Song to look down on her? Lady Song had certainly never read it.

Perhaps because Lin Yun didn't answer immediately, Lady Song listed a few titles and asked if she had read them. "Have you read the *Collected Commentaries on the Four Books* or *Burning Books*?"

"How about the *Commentary on the Book of Changes* or *Precious Gems of Classical Literature*?"

"What about the Four Books and Five Classics?"

Lin Yun shook her head to all of them. The previous titles were completely unfamiliar, and as for the Four Books and Five Classics, she had only studied excerpts from her nine-year compulsory education textbooks, which hardly counted as having read them.

Finally, Lady Song asked if she had read the *Thousand Character Classic*.

Lin Yun only remembered the opening lines about the "heavens and earth," so she shook her head again. Lady Song shook her head in turn and stopped paying any attention to Lin Yun.

***

The rest of the conversation with Lady Song was easy, as Lady Song clearly had no interest in talking to her and was eager to dismiss her so she could return to her reading. Lin Yun offered a few polite responses and took the initiative to take her leave.

Lady Song didn't even bother with superficial pleasantries and simply told Lin Yun to withdraw. It was the nanny by Lady Song’s side who added, "When we heard the news of your coming yesterday, the Madam was overjoyed. She had people tidy up the Wuzhou Ferry overnight, just waiting for your arrival."

Lin Yun couldn't help but steal another glance at Lady Song. Using her research-honed powers of observation, she couldn't detect a shred of joy on that cold face.

Lin Yun had been annoyed earlier that her rehearsal had gone to waste. It felt as frustrating as preparing a presentation, confident that she would answer every question with ease, only to have no one ask her a single thing during the group meeting.

Now that the nanny was blatantly lying about Lady Song missing her, it felt like the stage had been set for her. Lin Yun’s desire to act flared up, and she prepared to touch her fingers to the corners of her eyes.

Unexpectedly, a hand pressed down on hers. Lin Yun looked curiously at Nanny Yuan beside her. Nanny Yuan said, "Our Second Miss has also been pining for her mother. She cried so much in the Marquis’s estate that her eyes were swollen, and only today have they improved a little. Yesterday, when she decided to come to the farm, she was so excited at the thought of seeing her mother that she tossed and turned in bed all night."

Lin Yun’s eyes were indeed slightly red, which everyone could see—though the cause was that she had cried for her own plight yesterday, and today, sand had blown into her eyes.

With the red eyes as evidence, Lin Yun felt her "pining for her mother" had much more substance than Lady Song’s "cleaning the residence overnight"—she had cried herself, whereas the room had been cleaned by servants.

Feeling she had won, Lin Yun pulled her hand back, satisfied.

The nanny opposite was undoubtedly a clever woman and immediately picked up the cue, continuing the act: "Indeed, no matter how much time passes, the hearts of a mother and daughter are always tethered together. Last night, the Madam had already decided: since the Second Miss arrives in the evening, the journey from the estate must have been exhausting. She should rest well at the Wuzhou Ferry today, and she can go see the Old Madam and the Eldest Miss tomorrow."

With two masters idling and two nannies acting with such sincerity, the scene of the mother-daughter reunion finally came to an end.

By the time Lin Yun and her retinue reached the Wuzhou Ferry on the west side, she had forgotten to wonder why the pavilion had such an odd name; the structure itself was truly astonishing.

A winding corridor led to a boat-shaped building sitting in the water. The Wuzhou Ferry was surrounded by water on all sides; from a distance, it looked exactly like a real boat.

The servant leading the way explained, "It is winter now, so the lotus flowers have withered. Come summer, the water surface will be covered in white lotus flowers—it is truly a sight to behold."

Lin Yun, the "country bumpkin," remained calm on the surface, but inwardly she lamented the lack of a mobile phone camera to take a picture as a keepsake.

Once inside the pavilion, the decor was within Lin Yun’s expectations. Nanny Yuan had the original maids of the pavilion wait outside and ordered Shi Er to fetch a basin of water.

When the water arrived, Nanny Yuan took Lin Yun’s hands and placed them in the water. "Second Miss, you should wash up so your eyes aren't irritated anymore."

Lin Yun’s little trick naturally hadn't escaped Nanny Yuan. She had seen the Second Miss fumbling in her sleeves on the boat, and in the reception hall, Nanny Yuan had stood so close that she had smelled the chili the moment Lin Yun reached out.

She hadn't intended to interfere, but after witnessing the Marquis’s wife’s total indifference, Nanny Yuan felt it was unjust for the Second Miss. She truly felt pity for this child.

She had been tossed about in her youth, and now that she had finally returned home, she had not received a shred of love from her own kin.

Nanny Yuan gently rubbed Lin Yun’s fingertips in the water, speaking with earnest sincerity: "Don't blame me for being meddlesome, but with a mother like this, you must not invest too much emotion, or you will only end up hurt."

Before coming to serve Lin Yun, Nanny Yuan had heard Nanny Luo speak of Lady Song. Lady Song was the daughter of the Empress Dowager’s close friend, and by rights, the Empress Dowager should have looked after her. But Lady Song was indifferent to everything, caring only for herself and her books. The Empress Dowager found her impossible to get along with. Part of the reason she was so eager to care for Lin Yun was the foresight that Lady Song would never treat her properly and would simply wash her hands of the girl.

Nanny Yuan had initially hoped Lady Song wouldn't be that bad, thinking that a mother would have some sense of responsibility, but seeing her today, Nanny Luo’s words had proven entirely true.

Lin Yun nodded, saying she wasn't sad: "It is better that she is living well than if she were living poorly."

Lady Song was a mother who only cared about herself. Looking at it from the bright side, at least she didn't have the energy to make things difficult for her.

Lin Yun didn't feel pitiful, but the people around her clearly didn't believe she wasn't hurt, and they felt deeply sorry for her.

Ruyi, being soft-hearted, thought of the Marquis’s wife’s coldness toward her daughter earlier and was on the verge of tears. The sight of a beauty weeping was truly heart-rending.

With reddened eyes, she used a handkerchief to carefully dry the water from Lin Yun’s hands, bowing her head as she mumbled, "I know a new hairstyle—it’s pretty and not cumbersome. I’ll style it for you tomorrow, Miss, and I guarantee it will make you look beautiful and feel comfortable."

Shi Er also racked her brain to comfort her: "You had ice cream yesterday, so you can't have any today. Later, I’ll go to the small kitchen and see if I can make you a bowl of crystal soap-berry dessert."

Nanny Yuan added, "Second Miss is tired today. We shall postpone the one-hour lesson until tomorrow."

Lin Yun smiled—for the new hairstyle, the sweet soup, the postponed lesson, and for the fact that there were people in this house who truly cared about her.

"I accept the hairstyle and the sweet soup, but the lesson must go on. We cannot let things fall behind..."

***

At the Heming Pavilion, Xu Zhengqing, the Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was having a meal in the main hall with an attendant after his shift. He was a peer of Pei Hejing, and they had been on good terms. After Pei Hejing’s death, Xu Zhengqing had felt that his own residence was no longer safe, so he had sent his wife and son to stay with her family for a while.

With no one at home to dine with him, he had been making do at the Heming Pavilion these past few days.

As he finished his meal and was about to put down his chopsticks, he heard two minor officials talking about the Censorate, and Xu Zhengqing quietly pricked up his ears.

"The Dali Temple case is about to be closed. They say Censor Pei was just unlucky—the thieves came in to steal money, ran into him, and killed him."

"Really? I thought he had offended someone. After all, the Censorate’s work isn't easy."

"I thought that too, but I heard the Emperor hasn't held morning court for days. Anyway, after some maneuvering, that’s how the matter is being settled."

"Sigh, that really is just bad luck."

When Xu Zhengqing heard "bad luck," he gripped his chopsticks tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging.

The man who died was a Fourth-Rank Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate; he was no nobody!

He remembered that Pei Hejing had been drafting a secret memorial for some time. He had been acting in the line of duty—how could they talk of luck?

The Censorate was responsible for supervising all officials, yet one of their own had been murdered so easily. It was absolutely preposterous.

Xu Zhengqing’s nostrils flared with rage as he panted. He slammed his chopsticks down and decided to go find his superior, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

The Emperor hadn't held morning court for days, but he didn't believe the Emperor would never hold court again. Xu Zhengqing was determined to rally the entire Censorate to fiercely impeach the Dali Temple and demand to know who had instigated such a brazen act!

Their Censorate had lost a man! This matter was far from over!