Changshun looked full of worry. "Do you know what the Heir did today? He actually climbed over the wall!"
"Climbed over the wall?" Changning’s expression was strange. "It couldn't be the wall separating us from the General's residence, could it?"
"That's exactly it!" Changshun slapped his thigh. "Do you think the Heir has been led astray by the second Miss Lin?"
Changning nodded solemnly. "He has been led astray."
"What should we do? The two houses are so close; as the saying goes, 'near ink, one gets stained.'"
"Changshun," Changning patted Changshun on the shoulder, "there is another saying: 'Good medicine is bitter to the taste but good for the illness; honest advice is unpleasant to the ear but good for conduct.'"
"You mean—"
Changning’s expression was grave. "Since we follow the Heir every day, even if we annoy him, we must advise him more."
"You're right, that's what I was thinking too." With his companion's support, Changshun’s eyes brightened.
Changning smiled. "If you can think that way, I am relieved."
The next day, just as Lin Hao stepped out, she ran into Qi Shuo.
"The Heir is also heading out?" Facing the smiling youth, Lin Hao greeted him politely.
Lately, she had been running into the Heir of Prince Jing quite often.
"Actually, I was waiting specifically for the second Miss Lin."
Lin Hao paused, looking surprised. "Does the Heir have business with me?"
Qi Shuo gestured toward the teahouse ahead. "If it is convenient for the second Miss Lin, let us go into the teahouse to talk."
Lin Hao pondered for a moment and nodded.
The two entered a private room in the teahouse. Through the curling fragrance of tea, Lin Hao looked at Qi Shuo. "Please tell me what business you have, Heir."
"It is still about the matter of you being followed yesterday, second Miss Lin."
"Oh?" Lin Hao held her celadon teacup, looking curious.
"That person likely only started tailing you yesterday. If you wish to find them, it would be best to carefully analyze where you went and whom you met yesterday."
Lin Hao frowned. "Yesterday... I was just wandering around to clear my head. I had no special purpose, nor did I meet anyone unusual."
Qi Shuo lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the celadon teacup.
The tea was clear and green, with the leaves rising and falling, much like the ripples in his heart at this moment.
It seemed he was meddling in affairs that were not his own.
Hearing him bring up yesterday's events, the second Miss Lin showed only curiosity, not nervousness.
A person being followed by a stranger should not react this way, unless they knew the identity of the stalker and were either unconcerned or not afraid of being harmed by them.
The fact that the second Miss Lin was so dismissive when speaking of yesterday clearly showed she did not want him to intervene.
Qi Shuo set down his teacup. "Second Miss Lin, please still be careful. If you encounter trouble, you may come to me for help."
"Many thanks, Heir." Seeing that Qi Shuo did not press for answers, Lin Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
A neighbor who is too enthusiastic is also a troublesome thing.
"Then I shall not disturb you further, second Miss Lin." Qi Shuo stood up.
Lin Hao hesitated for a moment before speaking. "If the Heir encounters any trouble in the future, you may also come to me for help."
Qi Shuo was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Then I shall thank you in advance, second Miss Lin."
After leaving the teahouse, to avoid letting Mingxin Zhenren enter the Heir of Prince Jing's line of sight, Lin Hao abandoned the idea of going to the bridgehead and instead went to stroll along Changchun Street. When she returned, she brought back many bags of items for her family.
Whether they were practical was secondary; the key was that they were things women would like at first glance.
Life seemed to become easier all of a sudden. After more than ten days passed this way, the Old Madam heard some news and couldn't help but mention it in front of Lin Hao.
"The Heir of Marquis Pingjia has become betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Earl of Huaian's residence."
"The Earl of Huaian's residence?" Madam Lin frowned. "I remember that the current Countess of Huaian is a second wife, right? The eldest daughter of the Earl of Huaian is the child of the first wife."
The Old Madam glanced at Lin Hao. "If it weren't for Ah Hao knowing that the Heir of Marquis Pingjia is of poor character, I would have thought this was an excellent match upon hearing it, and I would have joined the world in praising the Countess of Huaian for being so attentive to her stepdaughter."
Madam Lin couldn't bear to hear this now, and she sneered, "Men truly are all rotten. I still remember that the Earl of Huaian and his former wife were famous for their affection."
Once, a lady had mentioned it with envy, and she had secretly felt unconvinced, believing her own affection with Wen Rugui was no less than that of the Earl and his wife.
Now it seemed it was all a joke.
The Old Madam remained rational and mused, "The Earl of Huaian might not know either. The Marquis of Pingjia's house has high status, and the Heir of Marquis Pingjia has never had a bad reputation. To anyone looking, it would seem like a good match."
"So the Countess of Huaian was also kept in the dark?"
"That is not necessarily so." The Old Madam’s lips curled in a mocking smile. "This second wife of the Earl of Huaian is a distant cousin of the Marchioness of Pingjia, though many people are unaware of this connection."
Years ago, when the old Marchioness of Pingjia was still alive, their relationship was decent, which is how she knew of this.
When the Marquis of Pingjia's house came to propose that day, she had been quite tempted, partly out of consideration for an old acquaintance.
Madam Lin gasped. "If that is the case, then the Countess of Huaian is truly vicious!"
The Old Madam glanced at her daughter. "How many children without a birth mother to protect them can fare well?"
Madam Lin felt a chill in her heart.
When she locked herself in her room, she had once had thoughts of giving up on herself.
At sixteen, with just one glance, she had placed Wen Rugui in her heart. For the twenty-plus years she had been married to him as she wished, every day had been steady and joyful.
She had never doubted the idea of growing old together, yet she had unexpectedly suffered a fatal blow from the person sleeping beside her.
Her life had collapsed at that very moment.
What had pulled her back from that collapse?
Madam Lin looked at Lin Hao.
It was Ah Hao’s crying.
Tears welled up in Madam Lin’s eyes as she pulled Lin Hao into an embrace. "Ah Hao, thanks to you, otherwise your eldest sister would have jumped into a pit of fire."
Suddenly embraced by her mother, Lin Hao’s expression stiffened for a moment.
The Old Madam shook her head with a smile.
She used to find Wanqing’s straightforward nature headache-inducing, but now that she thought about it, it was a good thing—it was better than someone with a delicate mind who kept all their sorrow buried inside.
After leaving the Old Madam’s place and returning to Luoying Residence, Lin Hao instructed Baozhu, "Bring me the invitations received yesterday to look at."
Baozhu soon took a printed invitation from a drawer and presented it to Lin Hao.
The invitation was exquisite and grand; it was for a birthday banquet to be held by Little Princess Qi Qiong of the neighboring Prince Jing’s residence.
Lin Hao had not intended to go.
It hadn't been long since the proposal from Prince Jing’s residence was rejected, and appearing before the Princess of Jing would be somewhat awkward.
But now, she changed her mind.
At the Little Princess’s birthday banquet, Chen Yi, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Huaian, should be there.
At her grandmother’s place, her mother said it was fortunate she was there to prevent her eldest sister from jumping into a pit of fire. While she was happy for her sister, her heart felt heavy.
Her eldest sister did not jump into this pit of fire, but another girl was about to.
And originally, the eldest Miss Chen would not have married the Heir of Marquis Pingjia.
She thought that just letting her sister avoid the fate of marrying the wrong person was not enough; the root of the tragedy for these women was the Heir of Marquis Pingjia.
Solving the root cause was the right path; otherwise, it was merely diverting the disaster elsewhere.
She would use the opportunity of the Little Princess’s birthday banquet to meet the eldest Miss Chen.