Chapter 4: Lone Star

The heavy rain poured down, as if trying to wash away the sins of this world.

The joss paper was soaked before it could even be tossed, washed away by the water. There was no music; a funeral procession of over ten people walked desolately through the torrential rain on the streets.

"Is that the young lady of the Lin family?"

"Yes, that young lady is truly pitiful."

"Why?"

Seeing an outsider asking, the waiter couldn't help but feel talkative. He said, "The Lin family was originally a prominent household in our Wu County. The second master of the Lin family was even more extraordinary; a few years ago, he started a maritime shipping business and amassed a huge fortune. It's such a pity. Before the New Year, it was said he was rushing back to celebrate. The ship wasn't fully repaired, but they set off from the sea mouth anyway. They ran into a storm, the ship capsized, and both the second master and the fifth young master of the Lin family died. Only Madam Lin and a young lady were left in the family. The Lin young lady was originally betrothed to the third young master of the Wu family. Ah, honored guest, do you know the Wu family? Yes, yes, the Wu family that produced three top scholars in one generation and three Grand Secretaries over five generations. Our Wu County is originally the ancestral home of the Wu family. Although the Lin young lady was betrothed to a branch family, they were still one of the top families in Wu County, and the third young master had already passed the provincial exams, so his future was limitless. Yes, ah, right, she was originally betrothed to the third young master of the Wu family, but the Lin family's ship sank, and hundreds of people died. Later, the Lin clan head—ah, the eldest master of the Lin family—consulted the gods, and they said the Lin young lady was afflicted by the 'Heavenly Solitary Star,' meaning she would bring death to all her kin. So, the Wu family called off the engagement. The eldest master of the Lin family then opened the ancestral hall and expelled this young lady from the clan, and all the assets of the second branch were reclaimed by the clan. This young lady was quite stubborn; she went to the yamen to apply to open a female household registration and brought Madam Lin out with her. Unfortunately, Madam Lin has also passed away now. This Miss Lin is truly all alone."

"A Heavenly Solitary Star? Humph~" A young gentleman in blue sitting by the window on the second floor of the teahouse let out a sneer. He said to the young gentleman sitting opposite him, "This Wu Feiren really dares to do anything. To curry favor with the Wang family, he's even capable of such things."

The young gentleman's face was hidden in the shadows of the window frame, his expression indiscernible. Hearing the waiter downstairs change the subject as he watched the figure of the woman in white mourning clothes slowly fade into the rain, he asked, "How much of the Lin family's assets were swallowed up?"

"Quite a lot, actually," the gentleman in blue said, taking a sip of tea. "Not counting the silver, there were four large sea vessels alone, over fifty shops, and more than ten large manors totaling a thousand acres of fertile land."

"When Lin Xianshen met with his accident, didn't it say there were five large ships in the fleet returning?"

"Yes, only the ship he was on met with trouble; the other ships arrived safely. I heard that after the Lin family's steward sold all the cargo on board, it turned into hundreds of thousands of taels. After Lin Xianshen died, no one in the Lin family dared to run ships, so they sold both the ships and the crew to sea merchants in Guangzhou. Oh, right, there was one more—the ship Lin Xianshen was on when he met with his accident. The Lin young lady exchanged one of the manors from her mother's dowry for it. That manor had a hundred acres of fertile land, yet she actually exchanged it for a broken ship. This young lady is truly something."

"Even if she hadn't used that manor to exchange, I'm afraid that manor wouldn't have been kept. In all of Wu County, I fear both the Lin steward and the Wu family have seized control."

"Then, should we lend a hand?" the gentleman in blue said with a wicked smile.

"The Wu family has obtained such a massive sum of money. If you have leisure, stay behind." As soon as the young gentleman spoke, the gentleman in blue's expression immediately turned somber.

"Indeed," the gentleman in blue chuckled softly. She was merely an orphaned girl; how could she compare to the struggle for the throne? He had heard that after the Lin young lady established her own independent household, she enshrined the tablets of her father and brothers, changed her name, and sold what little remained of her mother's dowry, waiting only to leave Wu County after her mother's funeral was over.