Chapter 34: Taking a Concubine

These words might have been devastating to other princes, especially since they touched upon the struggle for succession. But for Jun Wuhen, a prince who never cared about others’ opinions, they were utterly inconsequential.

“Enough,” Emperor Hui raised his hand. “The third son’s point is not without merit. Besides, from the start, Secretary Xu must have explained the matter of the Northern Rong prince clearly. The Fourth Miss of the Lin family has never actually dispelled the snake venom, yet she insisted on taking credit—truly a sign of poor character.

However, the Marquis of Qingyuan’s family accompanied the late emperor in founding the realm. Even if they have no merits, they have endured hardships. I cannot dampen the spirits of all the marquis’s household, so let the Fourth Miss of the Lin family reflect properly at home and copy the rules of feminine virtue a hundred times. As for the Fifth Miss—”

“The past is shrouded in darkness and cannot be pursued; the road ahead is bright and splendid. I shall grant her the title of Lady of Canlan County!” Emperor Hui declared.

Jun Wuhen was speechless. Rarely did he lose his composure.

Emperor Hui, seeing his son’s expression, laughed heartily. “Alright, just joking. Jinbao, you go and bestow upon her the title of Lady of Yong’an County!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jinbao responded.

And so it was that, two days later, during the royal hunt, the Lady of Yong’an County was honored for her heroic deed in saving a life, and the entire Qingyuan Marquis family’s female members were specially invited to accompany her.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

After Emperor Hui finished his orders, dusk had already fallen, and naturally, Jun Wuchen and Jun Wuhen were set to leave the palace.

Walking along the path, Jun Wuchen glanced at the cold, shadowed figure ahead and cautiously asked, “I’ve never seen Third Brother speak for any lady before. What’s this about now?”

Jun Wuhen barely lifted his eyelids, looked at him calmly, and said, “Now that you’ve seen it, you can close that inquisitive mouth of yours.”

Jun Wuchen was left speechless.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace, Jinbao the eunuch, having delivered the emperor’s decree, was speaking favorably on behalf of the Qingyuan Marquis family.

“The Marquis himself feels deeply apologetic to His Majesty and insisted on coming to the palace to beg forgiveness. I nearly barred him for the sake of palace rules. Moreover, the Marquis is very grateful that His Majesty allowed all the female members of his household to join the royal hunt.”

It was known that previously, only officials of the fourth rank or above in the court were permitted to bring a handful of direct family members to the hunt. But now, Emperor Hui had granted permission for all the female members of the Qingyuan Marquis family to attend—despite the fact that the Fourth Miss of the Lin family had already incurred the emperor’s wrath!

Emperor Hui knew well what the Marquis of Qingyuan was thinking. As a sovereign, he understood that his subjects could not help but feel grateful. What he cared about was, “When you went, did you see the Fifth Miss of the Lin family? What does she look like? What is her character like?”

On this note, Jinbao quickly recalled the flattering words Lin Zhaozhao had previously spoken to the emperor.

“I observed that the Fifth Miss is not only charming in appearance but also exceedingly pleasant in speech!”

Emperor Hui, having been flattered countless times in this position, was naturally not easily swayed by a few words from Lin Zhaozhao. Instead, he thought that although the girl was pretty, her audacity in taking credit for another’s merits revealed a lack of intelligence.

He could not understand why Huai’an would favor this girl and even plead on her behalf.

Well, he owed that son quite a bit after all. At this royal hunt, he intended to see exactly what kind of person this girl truly was. If she proved clever, Huai’an was already at the age when taking a concubine was permissible...

***

At the same time, in the Lin family ancestral hall, Lin Yuanzhi issued an edict: Lin Wanyue and Lin Qingwu must be taught a harsh lesson for the recent incident.

Since early morning, Lin Wanyue had been busy preparing for the flower-viewing banquet and had not eaten a single grain of rice all day. Compared to Lin Qingwu, who knelt upright beside her, she looked winded and weak.

Thinking that if she continued kneeling much longer, her knees would be bruised and swollen, she decided to close her eyes and faint outright.

This frightened the supervising servants, who hurriedly reported, “Bad news, Marquis, Madam—the Fourth Miss has fainted!”

Of course, Madam Bai had been deeply displeased with Lin Wanyue for stealing her daughter’s credit. Now hearing that the child had fainted, despite everything, the girl she had raised must have some worth and could not help but feel concern.

She immediately rose and said, “Take me to see her at once! Marquis, really—Qingwu can kneel all he wants. But the Fourth Miss is delicate; if anything happens to her, what will we do?”

Lin Yuanzhi was naturally troubled. “Do you think I want to be so angry? But if I don’t punish her, the emperor’s wrath will never subside, and it will bring only harm, no benefit, to our Qingyuan Marquis family.”

Madam Bai understood the reasoning.

Yet seeing Lin Wanyue lying pale on the couch, barely conscious, much of her resentment and annoyance dissipated.

“How is Wanyue, Doctor?”

The family physician replied, “Madam, I see the Fourth Miss is deficient in qi and blood. If she continues to kneel, it’s very likely that—”

“Enough. Jinbao hinted to me that the matter was smoothed over by a prince’s favor at the palace. It must be the Ninth Prince, remembering that Wanyue once saved his wet nurse, who protected Zhaozhao’s title as county lady. You rest well tonight. Starting tomorrow, begin copying the rules of feminine virtue and chastity. Do not cause further trouble!”

Lin Yuanzhi looked at Lin Wanyue, who was slowly regaining consciousness.

“Thank you, Father. It was my fault for causing you trouble!” Lin Wanyue said, clutching her chest and coughing cautiously.

Seeing her like this, Lin Yuanzhi said no more and left with Madam Bai, entrusting Lin Qingci, who had arrived belatedly, to care for her.

Thus, only Lin Wanyue and Lin Qingci remained in the room. Lin Wanyue looked at Lin Qingci’s complicated expression and softly asked, “Qingci, why do you stand so far from me?”

Lin Qingci did not want to be distant from Lin Wanyue, but the day’s events had exceeded his expectations.

Confucius taught him propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. “If one receives ten thousand measures of grain but does not understand etiquette, what use is that grain to me?”

But this sister of his...

“Qingci, do you blame me for taking credit?”

“You know me well, having grown up together, but on this matter, you could have said several times that you were not the one who saved him!”

Lin Wanyue replied, “It was Xu Jiao Jiao who dragged me to the Ministry of Rites office. They insisted that I was the one who saved the man and reported it to His Majesty! I only discovered the misunderstanding after returning home and being struck by Zhaozhao. If I had spoken up then, it would have been treason against the emperor, possibly punishable by death! I wouldn’t mind dying, but I did not want to implicate Father, Mother, or you! And now, under such pressure, you accuse me of being shameless! If you despise me so much, I might as well leave the Qingyuan Marquis household!”

She rose to gather her things.

“Ah, sister! That’s not what I meant!” Lin Qingci cried, seeing how many hardships she had endured all for him. He hurried to stop her. “Sister, where are you going? I was clumsy with my words, and I apologize! I know exactly what kind of person you are. It’s my fault, caught up in Lin Zhaozhao’s... anyway, it’s my fault!”

Lin Wanyue relaxed when she saw his sincere attitude.

“Qingci, I don’t blame you. After all, you and Zhaozhao are full siblings. Just so long as you trust and prefer me over her, my heart will be at peace!”

Lin Qingci, remembering he had grown up with Lin Wanyue, hesitated before speaking—