Wangfu.

Wang Qizhang was in a daze the whole night and drank all the wine that others offered him. When he returned to his mansion, he collapsed on the servant like a drunken wimp and was helped into the room by the servant.

After watching Wang Qizhang enter the room, Lin Yin pulled Wang Yujin back to her boudoir.

Lin Yin closed the door and turned to look at her daughter who had been distracted since she came out of the palace. “Tell me, what happened?”

Wang Yujin stared at her mother blankly, and suddenly she started to sob softly. Seeing her like this, Lin Yin felt sad. She took her hand and sat down, saying softly, “What happened? Talk to mother, don’t make her worry.”

Wang Yujin threw himself into her arms, choking with sobs, “Mother, Mother, Brother Jin said he wants to cancel the engagement!”

Lin Yin was stunned for a moment, and then she became furious: “How dare Xie Jin? This is a marriage granted by His Majesty, does he want to die?”

Wang Yujin raised his head from his mother’s arms: “Mother, he, he didn’t leave the palace with us tonight. I’m afraid he went to ask His Majesty to revoke the imperial decree!”

Lin Yin was shocked: “Is he crazy?”

Lin Yin came back to her senses from the shock, looked at her daughter in her arms, and asked carefully: “Do you know why he wants to break off the engagement with you?”

Wang Yujin’s face was filled with resentment: “He did it for Zhao Shu! I knew that he liked Zhao Shu, and I felt uncomfortable because of this. But now that His Majesty has not granted a marriage between me and Brother Jin, I thought I would turn a blind eye and welcome her into the mansion after Brother Jin and I get married.”

At this point, Wang Yujin’s face darkened: “But tonight, Zhao Shu had a secret meeting with Brother Jin, and I realized that her ambition has always been to be Brother Jin’s legal wife. I used to think that she was just an inconspicuous, unloved daughter of the Zhao family.” As he spoke, his eyes gradually narrowed: “I underestimated her after all!”

Wang Yujin looked bewildered: “Mother, what should I do?”

Lin Yin stroked her hair again and again: “Doesn’t Xie Jin like Zhao Shu? Then let’s see how true his heart is to Zhao Shu. If a piece of white silk is dirty, will he still like her?”

Wang Yujin was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Mother.”

Lin Yin interrupted her: “Or do you want to be broken off by Xie Jin, and then watch Xie Jin take over Zhao Shu as his wife?”

Wang Yujin was unwilling to do so. A hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes, and she said in a light tone: “Mother, if you want to be dirty, then be thorough!”

The sun was very hot these days, and the ladies put a basin of ice in their rooms. However, since ice is cold, it was inconvenient for the ladies to use too much, so the measured ice only relieved them a little bit of the heat.

Zhang Lanyin kept blowing air into her clothes with a fan. Seeing the maid bringing a bowl of sour plum soup on a tray, she quickly put down the fan and took the sour plum soup.

After she drank half a bowl of sour plum soup, she felt alive again. Just when she was feeling comfortable, the maid outside the door announced, “Madam, Madam Wang is here to visit.”

Zhang Lanyin quickly put down the bowl and said, “Please invite the person in!”

A moment later, the bead curtain outside the door was lifted, and Zhang Lanyin got up from the couch and walked towards Lin Yin in front of the bead curtain.

Zhang Lanyin held Lin Yin’s arm and said as they walked, “Sister, how come you have time to come to my place?”

Lin Yin looked at her with a smile: “It’s really hot, I came to you to have a bowl of sour plum soup.”

Zhang Lanyin sneered: “Sister, please stop teasing me. If you really want my sour plum soup, I will send it to you every day without missing a day.”

Lin Yin laughed and pounded his forearm: “I’m not kidding you, I’m here for business. The sun is scorching, making people restless. I have a private house in the shade. I originally thought that this house would be idle and turned into ashes. Now, its usefulness is highlighted. It is a good place to escape the summer heat!”

Zhang Lanyin’s eyes lit up: “Really?”

Lin Yin: “Would I lie to you? I also invited the wives of other wealthy families. I sent invitations to those wives, but I invited you personally.”

Zhang Lanyin smiled comfortably: “Since it’s my sister who invited me, I will definitely go.”

Lin Yin smiled and said, “It’s just that the house is next to a temple, so the courtyard is a little deserted.”

Zhang Lanyin: “It’s better to be quiet, it can both relax your mind and calm your spirit.”

Lin Yin laughed: “If that’s the case, then it’s settled.”

Zhang Lanyin said cheerfully: “Yeah.”

Ever since His Majesty granted the marriage between Xie Jin and Wang Yujin, Zhang Lanyin, who had always kept her distance from Zhao Shu, would send some small items to Zhao Shu’s room from time to time, sometimes trendy street snacks, sometimes hairpins and rings, sometimes some clothing materials. This time, she sent servants to deliver some clothes again.

Zhao Shu glanced at the flaming red dress on the table, then looked up at the maid in front of her.

The maid bowed to Zhao Shu and said, “My dear, tomorrow the Madam will take you and the second Madam to the mountains to escape the summer heat. The Madam ordered me to bring this dress to you and ask you to change into it tomorrow.”

Zhao Shu frowned almost imperceptibly: “I haven’t been feeling well lately. Please let my mother know that I’m sorry I can’t go to the mountains with her to escape the heat tomorrow.”

The maid was unmoved, as if she had known Zhao Shu would say this: “Madam said that no matter what is wrong with the young lady, don’t worry. There will be a doctor accompanying her during the few days in the mountains, and the weather in the mountains is refreshing, which is more suitable for the young lady to recuperate.”

Zhao Shu’s eyes paused for a moment. She knew that she had to go on this summer vacation, and she stopped struggling: “Mother is really thoughtful. Tomorrow I will wear this dress and go to the mountains with mother to escape the summer heat.”

The maid was very satisfied with Zhao Shu’s reaction: “Miss, if there is nothing else, I will leave first.”

Zhao Shu nodded, and the maid just walked out of the yard. Ah Ling couldn’t help but ask: “Miss, do you think Madam has been acting strange recently?”

Zhao Shu put the skirt in the closet and said, “Are there any?”

Ah Ling nodded vigorously: “Yes, it’s just that I feel like the Madam seems to be getting closer to you.”

Zhao Shu walked to the door and looked at the sky: “A Ling, it’s time for lunch.” A Ling also looked up at the sky, then she let out a low cry, picked up her skirt and ran out of the yard.

Zhao Shu turned around, glanced at the closet, and sat down at the table.

Time always moves slowly, whether you expect it or not.

Zhao Shu was wearing a bright red dress today, and the dazzling color made her face look fair and gorgeous.

Zhao Shu took light steps, and the flaming red skirt was lifted up to create ripples, like the rippling water in a lake, falling lightly on people’s hearts.

Zhang Lanyin stared at her eldest daughter who was walking towards her. Her eyes were so dark that it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Zhao Xueying looked at the people in the distance, snorted, pouted unhappily, and lowered the car curtain heavily with her hand.

With their sight blocked, Zhang Lanyin turned away calmly and ordered in a low voice, “Tell the young lady to get on my carriage.”

The servant outside the car said yes. Zhang Lanyin looked over through the dim curtain of the car. The servant bowed and came to Zhao Shu to convey her meaning. He turned back to look over here from time to time while speaking.

Zhao Shu turned her head to look at the carriage. Zhang Lanyin couldn’t help but clench the handkerchief in her hand as she looked at the person who couldn’t see the situation in the carriage at all.

After a moment, Zhao Shu withdrew her gaze and nodded lightly.

The curtain was lifted from the outside, and a figure of red sat in the carriage.

Zhao Shu turned sideways, looked at Zhang Lanyin and called out, “Mother.”

Zhang Lanyin sat back with her eyes closed, and responded to her in a muffled voice from her throat.

Zhao Shu curled her lips towards Zhao Xueying opposite her, but the person opposite her completely ignored her and stared at the scenery outside the carriage motionlessly.

Zhao Shu didn’t care. After completing the formalities, she closed her eyes and rested.

The place Lin Yin mentioned was actually not far away, and the carriage arrived there in half a day.

More than a dozen carriages were parked around, and the ladies who were invited got off the carriages with their daughters, and the men beside the carriages also lifted their robes and dismounted.

All the ladies and young men stood on both sides with their mother as the core.

What Zhao Shu saw when she got off the carriage was this scene: the girl was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with sweet voices and laughter, and the boy was gentle and handsome, with charming words and smiles.

Zhao Shu stepped on the carriage step in her white embroidered shoes, held on to the frame, and walked down step by step.

Everyone present was a nimble person who could keep their eyes and ears open. When the Zhao Mansion’s carriage stopped, they all cast their eyes over there.

Mrs. Lin’s eyes flashed with surprise, and she asked uncertainly, “Is this the eldest daughter of the Zhao family?”

It was no wonder that Madam Lin was unsure of Zhao Shu’s identity. Apart from having seen her a few times when her unfortunate son was studying in the Zhao Mansion when he was young, she rarely saw her afterwards. Even when attending banquets, the Marquis’s wife was always accompanied by the second girl, and the eldest girl was rarely seen.

Mrs. Lin saw that the person next to her did not respond to her and looked over suspiciously.

Lin Xun looked straight in the direction of Zhao Shu, and that look made the old mother’s face blush!

Madam Lin coughed lightly, but the people beside her didn’t respond. Madam Lin gritted her teeth, smiled, and stretched out her hand to twist his lower back: “Stop drooling!”

Lin Xun came back to his senses, looked at his mother whose face was red, and said, “Mother, I’m afraid your eyesight is blurry.”

Mrs. Lin looked at the people around her, then gritted her teeth and smiled at him: “As for the topic of whether my eyesight is blurry, let’s talk about it when we get home!”

Lin Xun’s face froze. “It’s up to you.”

Mrs. Lin put down her hand angrily, and planned in her mind how to exaggerate and tell his father about this unfortunate son’s disrespect to her!
Li Yanrong quietly moved to Lin Xun’s side, looked at the kind-hearted Mrs. Lin, swallowed his saliva, and whispered to his friend: “Why do you bother your mother for no reason? When your mother tells your father about this, your father will beat you with a stick! Besides, your aunt is not wrong. The way you looked at Zhao Shu just now was indeed a little strange.”

Li Yanrong looked at the other brothers who were avoiding them and pursed his lips: “If it weren’t for the fact that we’ve been brothers for more than ten years, I wouldn’t want to bother with you if you’re so conspicuous.”

Lin Xun squinted at him: “No one asked you to pay attention.”

Li Yanrong: “.” This guy deserves to be reported by his aunt!
When Zhao Shu appeared, Xie Jin’s eyes were fixed on her, and no matter how others called him, he couldn’t move his eyes away.

Xie Jin raised his foot and was about to walk towards Zhao Shu. Wang Yujin, who was standing beside him, pulled his sleeve with a pale face: “Brother Jin, please.”

(End of this chapter)