2.9 Lin Daiyu: Little Sister Is No Fool

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Volume Two

2.9 Lin Daiyu: Little Sister Isn’t Foolish

“Is that so?”

After hearing Jia Yucun’s answer, Lin Rui’s heart sank abruptly.

“Connections” were truly a net. Unless one was directly involved, one could never know who was caught within it.

“Brother Anping, you’re still young.” Seeing his dejection, Jia Yucun rarely showed a trace of sympathy, though it soon faded. “Once you return to the capital, life must go on. You only entered officialdom by purchasing a position. Though you bear the title of Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou, the final say lies in the capital.”

Lin Rui’s expression twitched.

They had even prepared for this. The moment he refused to behave, he would be completely blocked off.

A purchased office was nothing more than an empty title. It might be used to flaunt one’s authority before commoners, and at most it earned one a little superficial courtesy in the yamen. Whether even that courtesy was offered depended on the other party’s mood. Without being transferred into a genuine post, it was of little practical use.

“May I ask one thing? Why am I still alive?” Lin Rui asked, his expression grim.

If Lin Ruhai could be assassinated, why couldn’t he?

The faction behind the scenes, led by the Second Prince, had woven such a vast net. Was killing a few more people really so difficult?

“Lord Lin is, after all, a gifted man favored by His Majesty. Some things must be done, but if the first attempt fails to finish the job cleanly, then he can only be left alive for the time being.” Jia Yucun looked at him seriously. “Otherwise, it would look far too ugly.”

“More importantly, the court is not controlled by a single faction.” A sardonic smile appeared on Lin Rui’s face.

He had indeed overestimated himself before. He had thought that after suppressing every power in Yangzhou, escaping that quagmire through his own schemes, bringing all his wealth and relatives to Jinling, and successfully securing the protection of Lady Fengsheng, everything would be fine.

In truth, they had no need to do anything in Jiangnan. He would have to enter the capital sooner or later.

To a man holding only a purchased office, any casual slap from the court would be a crushing blow from an entirely higher level.

Fortunately, the court had its own rules. Matters could not be taken too far. Jiangnan might lie a thousand miles from the capital, beyond the reach of direct intervention, and however serious a matter became, there was usually some way to smooth it over. But if they went too far after he reached the capital, they would effectively be handing a weapon to their opponents.

What Jiangnan lost was merely silver. Trouble in the capital, however, had to be erased with blood.

A few deaths meant little, but the power lost in their wake was inevitable. The price was simply too high.

“Brother Anping, take care of yourself.” Jia Yucun offered no further explanation.

Having said this much, he had already shown extraordinary goodwill.

“What about Xue Pan?” After hesitating for a moment, Lin Rui asked about another matter.

“He’ll have to remain locked up for a few days. That way, I’ll have something to say for myself.” Jia Yucun pointed toward the prison.

“I heard that the killing was over a maidservant?” Compared with whether the Foolish Tyrant was suffering, that was the true reason Lin Rui cared about the case. “Where is she now?”

Jia Yucun’s expression paused noticeably.

“I took pity on the young girl and did not make things difficult for her. The Xue family has taken her away. Beyond that, I know nothing.” After a long silence, his tone grew complicated. “As for the kidnapper, he has remained in prison ever since.”

“Someone as heartless as that deserves to be dealt with.” Lin Rui’s expression suddenly turned cold. He had never concealed his attitude toward human traffickers. “I won’t disturb you any longer, Brother Shifei. I’ll take my leave.”

As for the reason behind Jia Yucun’s hesitation, Lin Rui understood perfectly.

The kidnapped girl, Xiangling, whose real name was Zhen Yinglian, was the daughter of Zhen Shiyin. And Zhen Shiyin was precisely the benefactor who had once financed Jia Yucun’s journey to the capital to sit for the examinations. His kindness was no less than that of Lin Ruhai.

Jia Yucun pretended not to notice the implication. At least he was still able to rise, cup his hands, and watch Lin Rui leave.

That earlier phrase, “heartless as a wolf and a dog,” had not referred only to the kidnapper.

But Lin Rui did not bring it up. There was no point. It would be better to look after Xiangling properly in the future.

Only after the footsteps outside had faded did Jia Xing slowly enter the hall.

“Master, I remember that the Feng family—” she reminded him uneasily.

“Feng Yuan was certainly wronged, but not entirely unjustly.” Jia Yucun shook his head lightly. “Several days have passed since his death, yet only one old servant has been running about on his behalf. He was the sole heir of the main branch, so that can barely be explained. But what of all the collateral branches?

“The Feng family may not be a great clan in Jinling, but neither are they insignificant nobodies. Their proper head of household died, and not a single person came forward to concern himself with the matter. In that case, he might as well remain dead. It would be far easier to handle than the Jia and Wang families.”

“Those wretches are probably all waiting to divide up the head family’s property,” Jia Xing snorted.

“That is simply the way of the world. I cannot change it.” Jia Yucun sighed softly.

Judging by the wistful expression on his face, he had probably been reminded of his former self.

“Master is right.” Jia Xing merely sighed as well. “It’s just that Miss—”

“Enough!”

Jia Yucun suddenly rose to his feet, his expression turning completely cold.

“...Yes, Master.”

When Lin Rui returned to the wharf, it was already past the beginning of the Rat hour—after eleven at night.

He had not spoken with Jia Yucun for long. But summer days were long and nights short; darkness did not fully descend until the beginning of the Dog hour, around seven in the evening. Not wishing to invite any additional trouble, he had deliberately gone late. Adding the time spent traveling back and forth, it was already this late by the time everything was finished.

Yet everyone was still waiting. Although Lin Daiyu had not come out from the inner room, the door remained open.

The mistress and servant newly arrived from Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan’s household were there as well, though they appeared somewhat isolated.

“Master!” The You sisters hurried forward when he entered.

“Did everything go smoothly?” Jia Min asked with a smile as she personally handed him a cup of cooled tea.

“Jia Yucun didn’t dare cause any trouble.” Lin Rui had no time to attend to anything else. He drained the tea in one breath. The temperature of the drink made sweat break out all over his body, but a refreshing coolness immediately spread through him, and he could not help smiling in comfort.

“I knew he wouldn’t dare.” Jia Min spoke lightly, though she, too, did not truly relax until this moment.

“Brother Rui—” Xue Baochai finally found a chance to speak.

Compared with the “eldest young lady of the Rongguo House” before her, she had not the slightest courage to talk about status. Apart from a few maids, even Miaoyu had been born the daughter of a proper official family, though that family had since fallen into decline.

“Don’t worry. It’s all settled.” Lin Rui explained the arrangement they had agreed upon. Only at the end, seeing the delighted smiles on the Xue sisters’ faces, did he add, “Just don’t cause any more trouble. You have plenty of business in Jiangnan anyway. Treat it as an inspection tour. Come back only after you hear that the pardon has been issued.”

“Brother Rui, rest assured. Little Sister understands!” Xue Baochai burst into tears of joy.

“You two girls, are you relieved now?” Jia Min smiled and gently stroked the two Xue sisters. “You’ve been frightened and anxious for several days. Now that you can finally relax, hurry back and get a good night’s rest. We’ll discuss the arrangements for tomorrow afterward.”

“Thank you, Aunt!” Xue Baoqin nodded quickly. Supporting her cousin, she bowed with her before leaving.

They were not fools. They understood that the others still had matters to discuss.

“Who sent the message?” Jia Min asked the moment the Xue sisters had gone.

At her words, the maids tactfully rose and left the room as well.

“Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Brilliance, concurrent Grand Tutor, Minister of Rites, and foremost scholar of the realm—Elder Wu Lun, Wu Tianyou.” Lin Rui coldly recited the long string of titles. “Unless something unexpected happened, he knew at least something about Uncle Lin’s assassination. The Second Prince is still young, after all.”

“Is that so?” Jia Min seemed to have suspected it already. Her expression became extraordinarily complicated. “So that is how it was.”

“You knew?” Lin Rui pressed anxiously.

“Your master was favored by His Majesty, and I was the Empress’s sworn confidante. Although the Lin family never said anything publicly, we have always been regarded as belonging to the faction of the First Prince.” Jia Min sighed softly. “In fact, all these years, your master has never even paid the First Highness a private visit.”

“Taking sides, factional strife—damn it!” Lin Rui could not stop himself from cursing.

That was what made things so infuriating. It did not matter how one chose one’s side. What mattered was how one’s enemies viewed it.

Either this side or that one. Either black or white. If you did not submit to me, you were my enemy.

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Although Lin Ruhai had once served in the capital, he had been sent out to an external post long ago. He had held office in Yangzhou for many years and had not returned to the capital in ages, yet he had still been “assigned a faction” against his will.

“Actually, wasn’t Lord Pan the same?” Jia Min’s face took on a nostalgic expression as she beckoned Miaoyu to her side. “He and your master were classmates at the academy. But he achieved success at a young age, passing the second-level examination several years ahead of your master, and so he also married several years earlier.

“When the names were chosen, they discussed the character ‘jade’ together. They had originally thought that if the children were of the same sex, they would become sworn siblings, and if they were of opposite sexes, the families would arrange a marriage. Unfortunately, when Lord Pan traveled through Jiangnan on official business, my Yu’er had not yet been born. By the time he heard of her, the two families had already been separated by life and death.”

“So they never met?” Lin Rui pointed first toward Lin Daiyu in the inner room, then toward Miaoyu.

No wonder the two of them had not known each other in the original story. Lin Ruhai had taken the position once held by the Pan family after it was framed. By then, Miaoyu had already “entered the religious life.” To avoid suspicion, they could neither meet nor conveniently mention one another. Then Jia Min died young, followed by “Lin Daiyu’s Journey to the Jia Residence.”

By the time only one little Sister Lin remained of the Lin family, who could still clearly explain what had once been a friendship between their households?

“Precisely.” Jia Min nodded and rose. “It’s late, and you’ve been busy all day. You should rest—”

But before leaving, she paused briefly, looked toward the inner room, and gave her daughter a meaningful glance.

Lin Daiyu puffed out her cheeks and turned away, presenting only her back toward the door.

Once there was no one else in the room, Lin Rui was just about to speak when Miaoyu also stood.

“You should rest. I’ll take my leave first.” Without waiting for a reply, she hurried out.

Judging by how hurriedly she left, she looked almost as though she feared someone might chase after her.

Lin Rui did indeed think of following her, but just as he shifted his weight, he stopped and turned toward the inner room.

Lin Daiyu was glaring at him “fiercely.”

“Little Sister Lin, long time no see!” he said with a smile as he approached, only to receive a swat to the back of his head.

“You have another ‘little sister.’ What am I, then?” Her voice was muffled and sullen.

But just then, her shoulders began to tremble.

“My good little sister, what are you worried about?” Lin Rui hurriedly turned her around and pulled her tightly into his arms. “We have an entire lifetime ahead of us. Surely you don’t intend for things to go on like this every day—me soothing someone whenever you’re angry, leaving both of us miserable?”

“You’re tired of me?” Lin Daiyu immediately lifted her head “fiercely.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Lin Rui took the opportunity to lower his head and kiss her.

Looking at the girl whose delicate face had flushed crimson as she lowered her head, he secretly rejoiced.

Hah. As if I couldn’t handle you.

Unfortunately, he celebrated too soon. Lin Daiyu was not reassured in the least.

“What about her?”

“My good little sister, you know perfectly well that there is no one left in the Pan family.” Lin Rui knew he could not continue down that path, so he swiftly changed the subject. “If I drove her away as well and let a helpless young woman wander alone outside, could you really bear it?”

“Brother Rui, I’m not a fool.” Lin Daiyu did not fall for it. Her beautiful eyes widened as she gazed at him with quiet reproach. “Nor am I incapable of accepting others. Take Sister Chan and Sister Juan, for example. Aren’t they treated as my own sisters? She... is different.”

Her status was different.

Miaoyu was the daughter of an official family.

“Don’t worry. Even if you and I die, we’ll be buried together.”

Lin Daiyu was amused by his earthy declaration of love and burst into laughter.

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