Lin Yuejiao belongs to me

Lin Yuejiao turned around to look at Shi Xianyue, a smile curling on her lips as she said, "However, my greatest thanks still go to all of you. If it weren't for you running around taking care of everything on my behalf, it would have been impossible to put an end to this rumor so cleanly and swiftly. This cup is a toast to you."

Shi Xianyue, Si Yingxi, and the others felt as wretched as if they had swallowed a live fly.

"You're too kind, just doing our part." Shi Xianyue could only raise her wine cup with a stiff face.

With Lin Yuejiao's personal appearance, the rumors collapsed without being attacked.

Returning to the Lin Manor:

"Yuejiao, now that you have recovered from your illness, this old woman can finally set her mind at ease," the Old Dowager said with a double entendre.

The moment Lin Yuejiao heard this, she knew the Old Dowager had already learned the truth yet did not blame her. It seemed Lin Zijin had fabricated a most fitting excuse. She smiled and said, "I made Grandmother worry."

Even though Lian Shi'er had seized every opportunity to almost ruin her reputation, Lin Yuejiao remained calmer than anyone else.

This was simply the nature of struggles among noble daughters, and she was long used to it.

Although Lian Shi'er had not intervened in this matter from beginning to end, Lin Yuejiao knew she was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

A curve formed at the corner of Lin Yuejiao's lips. "Grandmother, ever since the imperial selection began, Yuejiao has broken her leg and now fallen ill. It has truly been a series of misfortunes. It seems Yuejiao has thin blessings and too little virtue, unable to bear the fortune required to be a premier young lady. Since I am to enter the capital in the future, I fear that carrying too much fortune might shorten my life. Therefore, I wish to go to a temple, surrounded by green lamps and ancient Buddhas, to chant Buddhist scriptures for half a year to increase my blessed fortune, hoping to live in peace and safety."

"That will not do. You are going to the capital very soon; how can you go to a temple to eat vegetarian food? To be conferred as a premier young lady yet fail to enter the Zhaohuang Academy—that would be a crime of severe disrespect," the Old Dowager immediately objected.

Lin Yuejiao sighed. "Grandmother speaks the truth; imperial grace cannot be disappointed, so the Zhaohuang Academy must still be attended."

"Why must the eldest sister trouble herself? It would be fine to simply send someone else in your place to pray for blessings," Lin Zijin chimed in with a smile, catching the subtle hint in her words.

The Old Dowager nodded in agreement. "That is a good idea. Your body has suffered so many misfortunes; if someone from the Lin family goes to accumulate a bit of blessed fortune on your behalf, this old woman's mind can also be at ease."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I do recall that Elder Sister Xu has been staying at the Shuiyue Nunnery for several months now. Next month marks the end of her half-year term, and she should be returning." As she spoke, Lin Yuejiao glanced sideways at Yi Hanbing and smiled. "Grandmother, Yuejiao would like Elder Sister Xu to pray for blessings on my behalf for half a year. I wonder if that is permissible?"

Yi Hanbing's expression changed drastically. She had been yearning day and night for her daughter's return, only for this cheap slut Lin Yuejiao to pull such a trick.

"Elder Sister Xu is already used to staying at the Shuiyue Nunnery, so that will save the trouble of anyone else from the Lin Manor making the trip," Lin Yuejiao said with a beaming smile. "Elder Sister Xu and I are first cousins; her praying for blessings is equivalent to me praying for blessings. I believe that with Elder Sister Xu praying for me, it will surely ensure my peace and safety in the capital."

Yi Hanbing asked angrily, "Why don't you send your own mother?"

"My mother would certainly like to go, but unfortunately she has to take care of Yi'er. My younger brother is sickly, and without my mother taking care of him, I could be even less at ease," Lin Yuejiao replied with a look of utter innocence.

Yi Hanbing looked around, only to discover that there truly were no other suitable people left in the Lin Manor. Pointing at Lin Xuelan, she said, "Then let Lan'er go!"

One's own daughter was a true daughter after all; no matter how much a concubine-born daughter pleased her, she was still just someone to be thrown out as a scapegoat to ward off disaster.

Seeing Yi Hanbing's reaction, Lin Xuelan was long accustomed to it. She stood up, curtsied, and said, "Lan'er is willing to pray for blessings for the eldest sister."

The Old Dowager felt that Lin Xuelan was quite sensible.

With a lukewarm tone, Lin Yuejiao said, "A mere concubine-born daughter cannot accumulate the blessed fortune required by the legitimate daughter of the Lin family. She was born with thin blessings to begin with, which is why she is a concubine; how could she possibly accumulate blessings for me? In my opinion, Elder Sister Xu is deeply blessed. Grandmother, Elder Sister Xu is the most suitable choice."

Naturally, the Old Dowager would not refuse Lin Yuejiao, so she smiled and said, "Fine, let it be as you wish."

Only then did Lin Yuejiao break into a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Grandmother."

She then turned to look at Yi Hanbing. "Thank you, Second Mother."

She exchanged a tacit glance with Lin Xuelan, each understanding the other without a word.

Yi Hanbing was so angry she was on the verge of tears. Losing her composure, she said, "Old Dowager, I haven't seen my poor daughter for nearly half a year. Please change to someone else and let her come back. I cannot live without her!"

"Shut up! All day long I only hear you squawking. If you want to accompany her, how about I send you to the Shuiyue Nunnery together so that you mother and daughter can be reunited and pray for blessings there?" The Old Dowager snorted coldly. "I haven't even settled accounts with you yet; when outsiders came knocking earlier, why were you following along and stirring up trouble? That settles it. There is no need to pick up Lin Qingxu next month; let her continue staying at the Shuiyue Nunnery."

It was as if a bolt from the blue had struck Yi Hanbing. She glared at Lin Yuejiao, wishing she could rush forward and tear her to pieces.

The moment the banquet dispersed and the Old Dowager left, Yi Hanbing darted in a single stride right in front of Lin Yuejiao, blocking her path and saying angrily, "Lin Yuejiao, you stop right there! All that nonsense about thin blessings and praying for blessings—they are just your excuses, aren't they? You simply don't want Xuer'er to return; you just want my Xuer'er to keep rotting away in the Shuiyue Nunnery!"

"Second Mother is right; I simply do not want Lin Qingxu to return." Lin Yuejiao did not deny it at all, a triumphant curve lifting the corners of her lips.

Her face turning livid with rage, Yi Hanbing pointed at her and said, "You actually dare to admit it! I am going to tell the Old Dowager! You just wait!"

"Second Mother, if even you can figure this out, do you think Grandmother couldn't see through it?" Lin Yuejiao sneered, saying, "Is a young lady who didn't even participate in the Zhaohuang Academy selection important, or is a premier young lady important? Without even using her brain, Grandmother would still choose the latter. Second Mother, since you dared to collude with outsiders to pull off little stunts, you must let your daughter pay your debts by staying another half a year at the Shuiyue Nunnery."

Yi Hanbing's face paled. Looking at Lin Yuejiao at this very moment, she felt a trace of terror rising from the depths of her heart.

"Don't forget why Lin Qingxu was driven off to the Shuiyue Nunnery in the first place. Since I was able to have her driven away, I can make it so she never returns—and even ensure she can never return for the rest of her life." Staring fixedly at Yi Hanbing, the corners of Lin Yuejiao's lips curved upward, yet her gaze was so freezing cold it seemed capable of stripping away a person's very soul. "Second Mother, you had nothing to rely on in your hands, yet you courted death like this and implicated Lin Qingxu. Who can you blame?"

With a stumble, Yi Hanbing staggered backward two steps, thoroughly frightened by her.

Curving the corners of her lips, Lin Yuejiao turned and walked away.

In the open-air garden of the Yunsheng Water Pavilion:

Rong Yu and Li Moqian sat facing each other. On the jade stone table sat a few plates of mooncakes and pastries alongside a pot of clear wine. With only the two of them present, their figures were drawn out into long shadows.

On a day meant for family reunion, they stood alone and solitary.

"This past month, the Prince Mu faction used the Chi family case as a breakthrough to fiercely attack the Crown Prince faction, pulling down a large number of officials—more than thirty of them above the fifth rank. The Ministry of Works in particular was left almost a third empty," Li Moqian said as he lifted the wine pot to pour a cup, smiling gently. "Prince Mu's attacks have come to a temporary pause. Next, we shall see the Crown Prince's counterattack."

Apathetic emotions filled Rong Yu's handsome face. "Where is Beitang Han right now?"

"Still providing disaster relief in the Nine Counties," Li Moqian pursed his lips. "Jian Ling is quite formidable after all, investigating numerous clues; he truly lives up to being a man of the Censorate. We added fuel to the fire behind the scenes to help him grasp the critical evidence as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once Prince Mu returns to the capital, this game would give rise to too many unpredictable changes."

Just at that moment, Yun Jian was seen walking in hurriedly, handing a letter to Rong Yu. "Your Highness, an eight-hundred-li urgent report from the capital!"

Rong Yu unsealed it, glanced over it briefly, handed it to Li Moqian, and a smile curved on his lips.

After reading through it once, Li Moqian smiled. "Talk of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. During today's morning court, the Crown Prince openly launched an attack on the grounds that Prince Mu misappropriated public funds from the Ministry of Revenue. The Crown Prince faction produced critical evidence, catching the Prince Mu faction off guard and allowing them to seize the upper hand. The Emperor was furious, had half of the Ministry of Revenue officials arrested for questioning, and urgently summoned Prince Mu back to the capital."

"Yunjin, copy a dispatch of the morning court news and send it to Lin Yuejiao," Rong Yu instructed.

He remembered that a certain young woman particularly enjoyed watching Beitang Han meet with misfortune.

Yun Jian acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Li Moqian cast a somewhat surprised glance at Rong Yu, yet said nothing further, merely pursing his lips into a smile.

"Moqian, I was rejected by her." Only after drinking did Rong Yu acquire a shred of human warmth; his eternally handsome, impeccably flawless yet cold face was filled with desolate dejection.

He poured a cup of wine and drank it down. As the fiery, pungent liquid scorched his throat, Rong Yu made a decision: "I will not send her away. I am going to win her over."

He curved his lips, his tone growing even more certain.

"To win her over—she is mine."

Having made this decision, his mood improved vastly. It felt as though the stone that had long pressed down upon his heart had finally fallen away, leaving his entire body light.

Rong Yu heard no response from Li Moqian. Turning to look at him, he discovered that the man had already passed out drunk.

Rong Yu chuckled softly to himself. Gazing off in the direction of the Lin Manor, his wine-imbued gaze looked exceptionally captivating.

The next morning, looking at the news from the morning court sent over from Rong Yu's side, Lin Yuejiao's lips curved upward.

It seemed that for the next period of time, Beitang Han would be too busy dealing with his own troubles to manage anything else.

The day for her to leave Xinzhou was also approaching. Before leaving, she needed to stabilize the situation within the Lin Manor so that her mother and younger brother could live peacefully inside the Lin family home.

"Elder Sister, we bumped into Young Master Wen Zeyue last time during the Qixi Festival, and he said he would escort us to the capital and return with us. I wonder what Elder Sister thinks of this?" Lin Zijin walked in and asked with a smiling expression.

Wen Zeyue's image flashed through Lin Yuejiao's mind, and she smiled. "Then we must thank Young Master Wen. Perfect, we can just ask him for help with this matter."

"What matter?" Lin Zijin asked with a puzzled look.

Lin Yuejiao pressed her lips together. "The major matter of turning Lan'er from a concubine-born daughter into a legitimate one. Iris, take my calling card to invite Young Master Wen; let's gather at the Pinxiang Tea House on South Street this afternoon."

"Understood." Iris curtsied and withdrew.

Inside the Pinxiang Tea House:

Lin Yuejiao and Wen Zeyue sat facing each other.

He was still dressed in a luxurious brocade robe embroidered with golden threads of Sichuan silk, the jadeite thumb ring on his hand flashing dazzlingly—the epitome of a wealthy young master of a prominent family.

"Why is Young Master Wen being so polite with me? Back at the literary gathering in Xinzhou, if you hadn't generously stepped in, I would have fallen right into the villains' schemes. Wen Zeyue is a man who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and grudges, and I decided right then and there to make friends with Fourth Miss. If Fourth Miss continues to treat me so distantly, it means you don't regard me as a friend at all," Wen Zeyue said with a narrowed-eye smile. Seeing Lin Yuejiao's smile put him in an exceptionally good mood.

Lin Yuejiao raised her teacup to toast him and smiled. "Very well, then I won't stand on ceremony either. Please."

Wen Zeyue raised his teacup to clink it against hers, and the two exchanged a smile.

"Young Master Wen, I happen to have a favor to ask of you. Since you frequent places of pleasure year-round, do you have anyone under your command skilled in gambling techniques? Lend them to me for a bit," Lin Yuejiao asked.

A profligate young master like Wen Zeyue excelled most at eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling; coming to him for such a matter was foolproof.

"Gambling techniques?" Wen Zeyue arched an eyebrow and smiled. "Other things are hard to say, but when it comes to gambling and visiting pleasure houses, leave it to me! Fourth Miss, just tell me what it's all about."

Lin Yuejiao said, "I want to trick someone named Lin Ruiheng. He is addicted to gambling and lust; I want him to run up a massive debt and sign an IOU. And then..."

There was no need to hide anything from someone as straightforward as Wen Zeyue, so Lin Yuejiao laid out her entire plan.

Hearing this, Wen Zeyue chuckled. "This sounds like fun. No problem, leave it to me. I'll go gamble with him and make him lose every last cent!"

"Young Master Wen, if Lin Ruiheng loses to you, my plan won't work out. With how handsome, dashing, powerful, and wealthy you are, Second Mother would be overjoyed at the opportunity to latch onto you," Lin Yuejiao said with a faint smile.