LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 74 - The Connection
With her daughter married off, Yun Shuyao felt a sense of loss and became increasingly concerned about Lin Ruhai’s progress. He still had unfinished business, and any rewards would be given only after he completed his tasks. She wondered how Kangxi would assess her contributions and wanted to visit the Fourth Prince’s residence to see Luoyu.
Although it wasn’t impossible to send messages, and they could have someone relay news, if any urgent matters couldn’t be discussed openly, they had agreed to use a book as a code for communication.
Additionally, there were shops in the capital that had been part of the dowry, and certain goods in those shops could also serve as a means to convey messages. However, none of these could truly replace face-to-face communication, which provided a more direct and thorough understanding.
On this day, it was still Chenyu who carried his sister out. Both of his sisters were carried by him, and he felt as if there were a thousand pounds on his back, making him advance slowly with each step.
From now on, her future would largely depend on the Fourth Prince. Only when her children grew up would there be a possibility for change.
Previously, she was a Lin family daughter; in the future, she would be a member of the Aisin Gioro family.
The Aisin Gioro family was royal, and if he didn’t rise high enough, he wouldn’t be able to help her at all.
—
This wedding was of a higher standard than the previous one, as the Fourth Prince was a royal, which drew even more attention. The Lin family was frequently mentioned lately, and for those who had previously been unaware, the two recent weddings had given them a basic impression of the Lin family.
One impression was that they doted on their daughter, and the second was their wealth.
If the Lin family’s third daughter weren’t still so young, many would have already planned to marry their sons to her.
However, the third daughter was still young, while the Lin family’s only son was of marrying age. With such a substantial dowry for a married daughter, how much wealth would he inherit from the Lin family in the future?
Thinking about this, many were filled with excitement.
As night fell, the sounds of celebration seemed to linger in her ears, and the sight of her daughter still seemed to dance before her eyes.
The day had passed quickly, so fast that it felt surreal. Yun Shuyao sat up in bed, realizing she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.
She got up and dressed; the entire Lin residence was very quiet. Perhaps the masters couldn’t sleep, but the servants were deep in slumber.
The two consecutive weddings had drained all the energy from the servants.
Yun Shuyao didn’t want anyone to attend to her that night. Her movements were light, and she didn’t wake anyone.
She opened the window, gazing at the moon outside, and sighed. Today was her daughter’s wedding night, and tomorrow they would have to go to the palace to pay respects to the masters, meeting the Empress Dowager, Kangxi, and Consort De.
Once she returned, she would have to take charge of her own life…
The more she thought about it, the less sleepy she felt, so she decided to go to the study next door.
Ordinary maids were not allowed in her study, and others understood this; it was an important place, and the master often came by, so it was normal to have things that weren’t suitable for others to see.
In fact, her study was half a true study and half a greenhouse filled with various plants.
She personally cared for the plants here, and perhaps others thought that this was the secret to her ability to grow so many outstanding flowers and plants. Because of this secret, she took extra precautions to keep it hidden.
The main reason Yun Shuyao didn’t allow them to enter freely was to conceal the rice and wheat she was growing here, as she accelerated their growth period.
When they occasionally came to check, they wouldn’t clearly remember their previous condition and size.
If she grew them outside, the maids and those brought in from the farms would be familiar with crops and know their growth cycles. They would easily notice if something was amiss in her garden.
So she kept them in the study, where she could provide sunlight, water, and fertilizer, along with her special abilities.
It was mainly her abilities that made her unconcerned about growing them in pots.
Lin Ruhai also knew she had a few pots of crops in her study, thinking she was just cultivating potted plants for decoration, since she raised many unusual things, and crops seemed normal by comparison.
Yun Shuyao did this to ensure that when high-quality seeds emerged in the future, it wouldn’t seem out of place.
She couldn’t just produce the good seeds out of nowhere, as that would be too suspicious. However, if she claimed to have been researching them over the years, with witnesses and evidence to back it up, it would seem more credible.
She checked the pot of wheat in her study, examining the soil and the leaves. She delivered a wave of “nutrient pellets” to them, and the wheat visibly stood a bit taller.
When would she finally see good results?
That night, Lin Ruhai in Yangzhou also couldn’t sleep. He stood in the courtyard, looking up at the bright moon above.
Though they were separated by distance, it was the same moon, and perhaps someone else was looking at it at that moment too?
Thinking this, Lin Ruhai walked to the table and picked up his teacup, taking a small sip. He had initially wanted to drink wine, but due to his health, he needed to abstain, and Dr. Zhou had refused, so he settled for tea instead.
If he could get away, he would rush back to attend the joyous occasions of his two daughters. Their happy days were close together, and he wanted to personally see both daughters off.
He wondered how they were doing now.
What were his two sons-in-law thinking?
Holding the teacup, he realized it was empty without noticing. As he leaned forward, he realized there was nothing left to drink.
Setting down the teacup, Lin Ruhai looked up at the bright moon once more, returned to his room, and took out paper and pen. He carefully pondered each word as he slowly began to write a letter…
As the night passed, the Lin family in the capital transformed from quiet to lively again. After a good sleep, everyone felt a bit sluggish that day, but at this hour, even the strictest among them would let things slide.
They lazily tidied up yesterday’s items, decorations, and gifts, attending to various miscellaneous tasks.
Once everything was sorted, they also needed to prepare for the visit of the eldest daughter—no, now it should be called the eldest aunt—and the eldest uncle, meaning they would be going back to the maternal home to spend time under the moon.
The time spent at the maternal home could vary in length, but the old lady hoped they could stay for a full month. The eldest uncle had no objections to this; both families were accustomed to negotiating, knowing that the Lin family cherished their daughters. In this regard, the Xilin family was very cooperative.
Next was the second daughter’s visit back home. The likelihood of the Fourth Prince joining them was low, but he should come for the visit, right?
The servants were busy preparing, while everyone in the Lin residence—from the old lady down to Daiyu—woke up late that day.
After getting up, they awaited news.
They were waiting to hear whether the visit to the palace for greetings went smoothly.
Logically, it shouldn’t be problematic; it was just a formality. However, if any issues arose, the impact could be significant, and as the maternal family, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Later, when they heard that Luoyu had successfully brought back the rewards from the palace, the entire family felt relieved.
—
The first to return was Yingyu and her group.
When Yingyu was helped down from the carriage by the eldest uncle, her flushed face immediately indicated to everyone that her marriage had not encountered any unpleasantness.
Moreover, the tacit understanding between the couple spoke volumes. Seeing them enter, the old lady’s anxious heart settled, and Concubine Mei stood there beaming with joy, savoring the scene.
She knew that her daughter, with her talent and beauty, could easily win the heart of her husband.
Dachun wasn’t particularly robust; he was not as strong as his older brother, who practiced martial arts and now served as a guard in the palace.
Although not very sturdy, he was taller than most scholars and appeared to be a refreshing young man. When he came to the Lin family, he would blush at the maids and servants referring to him as “the eldest uncle.”
The old lady enjoyed watching them exchange shy glances and then awkwardly turn away.
With their father absent, Chenyu, as the only male in the family, had taken on the responsibility of “teaching” his brother-in-law to treat his elder sister well, or else he would have to watch out for his little brother-in-law. Additionally, there were the inevitable drinking challenges.
Dachun had initially taken a relaxed attitude towards this, thinking his brother-in-law didn’t seem to have a high tolerance for alcohol. Even if he encouraged him to drink, as long as he kept pace, they could end the challenge gracefully. However, the result was that Dachun kept drinking and drinking; aside from the first cup, he never won again.
Dachun suspected that his brother-in-law was deliberately letting him win to save face, otherwise, he wouldn’t touch a drop.
Seeing Dachun’s dazed expression, Chenyu laughed. As the saying goes, “Truth comes out after drinking,” and that was exactly the effect he wanted.
Of course, this needed to be controlled; if it went too far, all he would gain was a drunken fool.
After confirming he was satisfied, they helped him back to the eldest sister’s courtyard to rest, where they would stay for the next month.
Seeing Dachun in a drunken state made Yingyu feel both tender-hearted and amused. She had someone bring a hangover soup and fed it to him; otherwise, he would regret it when he woke up.
The old lady watched this scene with a smile, and once her son-in-law was settled back to rest, she asked, “How is he? Is he good to you? Has anyone made things difficult for you?”
Concubine Mei didn’t speak but leaned forward instinctively, clearly concerned about the question.
Yingyu smiled shyly, “He’s very good to me, and no one else has made it hard for me. Grandmother, you can rest assured.”
At that moment, a maid nearby chimed in with a laugh, “On the day of the wedding, when the groom lifted the veil, he was completely stunned.”
Yingyu’s face turned even redder.
The old lady smiled with satisfaction, “When a couple is of one heart, their strength is as solid as gold. If he treats you well, you should treat him well in return. A harmonious couple leads to a harmonious family.”
Yingyu softly replied, “Grandmother, I understand.”
Dachun quickly adapted to life in the Lin family. With his father-in-law absent, he felt much more relaxed, though he occasionally felt frustrated during lessons alongside his brother-in-law. It was no wonder his brother-in-law had scored well on the exams; he barely managed to pass, revealing a significant gap in their abilities.
He planned to take the exam for the National Academy next year. If he failed, he could only donate money to gain admission. Currently, he was studying with a hired tutor at home, and now that he was living with his in-laws, he studied alongside Chenyu under Teacher Lin.
Studying was like rowing against the current; if you don’t advance, you will fall behind. If he had to rely solely on his own motivation to study this month, he feared he would regress.
However, just as he got into the groove, Dachun became anxious.
This was because his brother-in-law, the Fourth Prince, was coming to visit with his second sister-in-law, and he would be seeing the Fourth Prince up close.