Lin Shi wanted to take along her late husband's memorial tablet, but was stopped by Ma Momo, saying that she is no longer the wife of the Marquis and is not worthy to worship him. These words caused Lin Shi cried yet she had no choice but to pack and leave after crying her heart out.
Yu Miao Qi sat with her in the carriage while Yu Pin Yan rode a horse ahead to lead the way. Instead of going to Lin mansion, the group went to the small courtyard of Lin Ji Min (Lin Shi's Di[1] younger brother) on South Gate Street.
Holding Lin Shi's cold fingers, Yu Miao Qi asked quietly, "Mother, Younger Uncle is undependable, why don't you look for the Eldest Uncle (Lin Shi's Shu[2] brother)? Although you are not the Marquis' wife anymore, I am anyhow still in the Yu family. They won't dare do anything to you for my sake." In the end, she was thinking for herself too. As only sending Lin Shi back to Lin family mansion would she have a chance to hook up with Eldest Uncle Lin and be able to use the Lin family's wealth to turn the tide in her favor.
Lin Shi shook her head firmly, "I can't go look for you Eldest Uncle. If he knows that I have been divorced by the Marquis, not only will he not help me but will also do his best to suppress me. Can't go find your Eldest Uncle." She reiterated again.
Yu Miao Qi felt rather uncomfortable, "Mother, what kind of deep hatred can make him hold a grudge up to now? In any case, you are at least a family who should share the same interest to prosper or diminish together ah."
Lin Shi hesitated for a long time before she finally spoke frankly, "In order to fight for the family possession, I joined hands with your Younger Uncle and caused the death of your Eldest Uncle's Di eldest son, so ... "
She really couldn't say those latter words.
Yu Miao Qi was too stunned to utter a word. She could not have imagined that Lin Shi, who looked so meek and weak, would actually have such a vicious and ruthless side. If you can collude with others to kill your eldest brother's Di son, why can't you get Yu Xiang killed earlier? She simply wanted to shriek out in spite of everything.
There was dead silence in the carriage. When the two of them regained their senses, they had already arrived in front of Lin Jin Min's door. Seeing Yu Pin Yan leapt down from the tall horse, Sun Shi hurriedly lifted the skirt to greet him, "I say why are the magpies persistently lark on the tree branch[3] today, it's because Eldest Nephew is coming! Please come in quickly!"
Yu Pin Yan waved his hand, "No, thanks. This Marquis is just sending her home. Please take care of her from now on."
When Sun Shi looked back, she saw Yu Miao Qi and Lin Shi standing by the carriage. Both their faces were haggard and Lin Shi was carrying a small bundle in her hand. Sun Shi was also present on the day of jiji. She was so ashamed by those disgraceful things both Lin Shi and Yu Miao Qi did that she could not raise her head for half a month. How could she still not understand seeing this circumstance, the Marquis manor must have divorced Lin Shi to appease the public's wrath.
From the standpoint of an outsider, Sun Shi would say 'should'! But from the family's stance, she just wanted to kneel down to Yu Pin Yan begging him not to be so ruthless.
Unexpectedly before she even opened her mouth, Yu Pin Yan had already leapt onto his horse and urged, "Do tell what you have to say quickly, this Marquis has something to do."
With Lin Shi gone, Yu Miao Qi could be said to be really isolated and without help. She tugged the corner of Yu Pin Yan's robe and pleaded, "Elder Brother, can you wait for the storm to subsides then bring Mother back? I know you blame Mother for being indifferent to you, but think about it, she has never treated you badly all these years ah! Wasn't it hard for her to carry for ten months and give birth to you?"
Yu Pin Yan looked down at her with a cold smile. That's right. It was true that Lin Shi never treated him harshly, but he would rather have Lin Shi beaten and scolded him than to be indifferent for more than ten years. The most hurtful thing in this world is not the pain of flesh and skin but heart-wrenching pain.
However, these mother and daughter are both heartless. What's the point of him telling more? Yu Pin Yan laughed before tightening the reins and left, leaving Yu Miao Qi to pierce his back with a hostile gaze.
On the second floor of a restaurant across the street, a handsome youth in brocade clothes pointed at Yu Miao Qi who had an obvious murderous look and asked, "Who is that girl? She actually seems to want to lacerate All Commander Yu alive."
The aide sitting opposite him replied, "Reporting to the Fourth Master, that is Yu Miao Qi, the younger sister of All Commander Yu."
The youth naturally knew well about the poisoned jujube incident as he sighed with a smile, "So it was her, really bad luck. What a pity ... " It was a pity that the Crown Princess and the Ninth Princess were not poisoned to death, this way he could knock down the strongest backing of the Crown Prince without any effort. It was really a pity ...
The aide nodded knowingly, "Indeed lack of a little bit of luck. But Fourth Master, it's often said that the embankment of a thousand miles collapsed due to a colony of termites. A wall may look impregnable on the outside, but one only needs to find the nodal point inside to have it destruct and make the whole front collapse. This nodal point is right in front of you, what do you think, Fourth Master?"
The youth pondered for a moment then raised his cup for a drink, "Let's give it a try."
Before Yu Miao Qi could even take a seat supporting Lin Shi into the house, Sun Shi asked eagerly, "Why did you only bring so little things back? Even though you have been repudiated, your dowry should logically be your own disposal, the Yu family has no right to usurp it!"
Lin Shi is not stupid at all as she lamented, "Sister-in-law doesn't know, I have embezzled more than sixty thousand taels of public fund to fill the deficit of the dowry shops and Old Madam found out about it. All my dowry are withheld by Old Madam in the Marquis manor as reparation. I have nothing now other than a few pieces of clothes and several hairpins."
With blazing eyes and furrowed brows, Sun Shi poked Lin Shi's forehead with her fingers and condemned, "You still have the face to cry! How could you do such a scandalous thing as misappropriating the public silver! You embezzled so much, did you not leave a single cent, did you? Where did you spend it all? How much money can a few shops use ..."
Her noisy shrill voice caused Yu Miao Qi's headache that she slammed the tea cup fiercely and reprimanded, "Have you said enough? A few shops could not use much money, you ask yourself how much you and uncle embezzle from the books. I did not mention it, does not mean I don't know. I merely have no one available, so I only tolerated you for the time being! Now that I have sent Mother here, I don't want you to pay the silver back. I just hope you take good care of her. I'm still the Di young miss of the Marquis manor, with my support, there is no shortage of food for you."
Yu Miao Qi's words didn't mean the amount of affection she has for Lin Shi. She just has nowhere to rely and wants to leave a way out for herself. She had been too extreme to the Shen family and only now did she figured out that 'one must leave a leeway when one acts for a retreat should time comes[1]'. If she was to stay one more day at that time and beg Shen Yuan Qi to send her back to the Capital to acknowledge her family, she would never be reduced to the current utterly isolated situation.
Lin Shi was moved to tears but Sun Shi did not buy it and sneered, "What do you think you are? Can you even hold a finger to Xiang'er? Xiang'er has more sentiments than you. I'll go beg her for the dowry back."
Lin Shi pulled her back promptly and spoke urgently, "Don't go, she won't help you. She's not my daughter."
"What did you say?" Sun Shi picked her ears, thinking she had heard wrongly.
Lest she would drop in to make trouble and forcibly take away the dowry left for her daughter, Lin Shi had to tell the whole story. Sun Shi was dumbfounded for a long time before regaining her senses and dying to tear Lin Shi apart as she cursed, "You stupid b*tch! Practically stupid! What does it matter if she's not your flesh and blood, as long as Old Madam and the Marquis like her. You raised her and made her wholeheartedly turn to you, isn't that hundred times more useful than this jinx? If Xiang'er could say a few good words for you today, you would not have been driven out in dire poverty! You this stupid b*tch, the one you should love dearly, you don't but treasure the one you shouldn't. You could actually steel yourself to ignore the superb capable son of yours for fifteen years, you really deserve to end up in this situation ..."
Lin Shi dared not retort as she is now living under another's roof. While Yu Miao Qi could not listen to it anymore and also had no strength to tear Sun Shi up, she straightened her back and walked out of the courtyard slowly. She wandered around the street like a wandering soul. The hustle and bustle of the street accentuated the loneliness of the moment that the rims of her eyes somewhat watered and felt slightly hot. She had to look up at the sky to keep her tears from trickling out.
"Be careful, Lady." A clear voice suddenly sounded as she was pulled into a broad and warm embrace as a carriage sped past her heels, trailing along a gush of strong wind.
Yu Miao Qi looked up with lingering fears and met a pair of gentle-like water eyes. The remarkably handsome youth curled his lips up and smiled at her, like a beam of sprinkling golden sunshine ...
**********
In the Yu manor, Yu Xiang took leave from Old Madam and returned to Jingfu courtyard. At this moment, she was lying listlessly on the dressing table. Old Madam was determined not to let her acknowledge Shen Yuan Qi because she really loves her as her own granddaughter. If the matter between her and her elder brother is exposed in the future, Old Madam will probably be deeply hurt while her strong resistance can be foreseen.
It's really worrisome ah! Yu Xiang heaved a faint sigh at her own reflection in the mirror.
"Young Miss, don't think about it anymore. Hurry up and plant the seeds sent by Divine Doctor Pu. If it does not germinate next month, the dewdrops nourishing facial cream that you promised the Crown Princess will certainly be gone." Tao Hong reminded her in due time.
Yu Xiang immediately took off her head full of pearl hairpins, wrapped a headscarf and changed into simple clothes before ordering Liu Lu to push her to the stone table outside the courtyard. Divine Doctor Pu will naturally not impel the disabled her to dig pits and work the land when he asks her to be the medicinal farmer. He merely sent her the seeds of precious medicinal herbs and told her to plant them in pots before transplanting them to his medicinal garden once they have grown.
Many small palm-sized pots were neatly arranged on the stone table which were filled with Yu Xiang's specially blended soil base. All she had to do was poke a hole with her fingers, stuffed the seeds into the hole, filled it with soil and watered it.
After quickly planting a dozen seeds, Yu Xiang's tightly knitted brows had completely unfolded while her mouth hummed the tune of a folk song.
"Young Miss, you're not worried anymore?" Tao Hong asked with all smiles.
"What's there to worry about? There's a tall one to hold up should the sky collapse. If I can't even withstand this little pressure, he better don't pluck this delicate flower of me before it's too late." Yu Xiang wrinkled her nose and hummed.
"Indeed." Tao Hong nodded in agreement.
Liu Lu's state of psyche, however, was not as good when she spoke anxiously, "Old Madam is dead set on not allowing Young Miss to acknowledge and return to her ancestry today. She probably accepted Young Miss as her own granddaughter. If she is to know that Young Miss and the Marquis ... she certainly cannot accept it, and perhaps even resent Young Miss too!"
After Yu Xiang planted the seeds, she ladled some water with a small gourd-ladle and replied casually, "It does not matter. I'll be so filial to her in the future. She is after all my Old Ancestor, how can she resent me for the rest of my life? She is the most soft-hearted and when I give her eight to ten great-grandchildren to look after, see if she still has the energy to be angry with me."
Hearing this, Tao Hong could not help holding back her laughter and even Liu Lu, who's usually heavy-hearted, could hardly suppress a smile.
[1] 做事留一线日后好相见 (Zuòshì liú yīxiàn rìhòu hǎo xiāng jiàn) - it means one should not be too ruthless and should leave oneself a way of retreat someday / It also means to be merciful to others in order to get along with each other in the future.