Chapter 51: Strange and Mysterious (Second Update Seeking Support!)

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  After another four or five days, Liu gradually recovered from the pain and regained her spirits. She was deeply moved by Lin Zhaoyan's actions over the past few days, and her attitude and tone were softer than ever before.

  "Xuan Ge'er is gone, your second aunt is heartbroken and can't bear it. It's impossible for her to do anything for a while now, I'm just afraid she might treat you unfairly in the future."

  Liu Wenyuan's death actually had nothing to do with Lin Zhaoyan, but on that day at the funeral, Lu saw her and suddenly rushed up to beat her with red eyes, crying and saying that if it weren't for her, Liu Wenyuan would still be alive and well, and wouldn't have died at all.

  That expression was truly hateful towards her, wanting her to pay with her life.

  Lin Zhaoyan knew what Lu was thinking in her heart. She just couldn't accept the fact that she had killed her own son, so she pulled her to be a scapegoat.

  She wasn't angry, just feeling sad for Lu's family, so she said: "Don't worry, Mother, Second Aunt was just momentarily agitated that day. She has been resting these past few days and will come around."

  She didn't know if Lu could understand, but worrying about it now was useless, and all she could do was wait and see what happened.

  Liu sighed and grasped Lin Zhaoyan's hand a little tighter.

  She has always felt guilty towards this daughter, but never self-reproached. However, recently, she really feels that she owes her an apology.

  "Zhaor, don't worry, after this storm passes, mother will help you find a good match, let's not mention the past again."

  Lin Zhaoyan nodded silently, with an indescribable feeling in her heart.

  Liu Wenyuan is dead, but she felt a long-lost motherly love, and it's hard to say whether she should cry or laugh.

  Back in the yard, Man Shuang was feeding Xue Tuan food.

  Xue Tuan saw her and ran over with his tail wagging nonstop.

  Lin Zhaoyan smiled and squatted down to pick it up in her arms.

  "This little guy finally knows who's who, and it wasn't in vain that you've been so attentive to it, miss." Man Shuang said with a sigh of relief.

  Lin Zhaoyan pinched the snow-white fluffy face and smiled: "Miss me?"

  Xue Tuan excitedly squirmed in her arms, completely gone was his previous listlessness.

  Time is indeed a good medicine, no matter what kind of wound, it can be healed.

  "Xue Tuan, from now on, we must be good."

  She held the snowball and muttered to herself, eventually burying that boy as gentle as a clear breeze deep in her heart.

  On March 16th, all the high-ranking officials and wealthy families in Shengjing received invitations from the Imperial Palace.

  It is an invitation for the ladies of various official residences and young misses to enter the palace at the end of the month to attend the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

  The Crown Prince and the Sixth Princess have been gone for three months. The mourning period is over, and even the greatest sorrow must be put aside. The palace cannot always be a place of gloom and doom, and something lively is needed to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.

  Of course. These are just official statements.

  Intelligent people all know that the main purpose of this Hundred Flowers Banquet is for the Empress Dowager to select her attendants.

  The girls from each department are eager to try their best, taking out an even more serious effort of 1.2 million points to learn various etiquette rules.

  The Marquis of Jian'an's estate was calm and unhurried.

  Because Old Lady Lin knew that no matter how many young ladies from noble families entered the palace to participate in the selection, the one who would be selected in the end must be their own family's daughter.

  Not to mention Lin Huaming's instigation. I believe that Empress Dowager and Emperor are also not stupid.

  The Crown Prince is dead, and the Third Imperial Son has a great chance of seizing the throne. Only by putting a "hostage" in the palace can he calm the Emperor's mind.

  And this "hostage" must be substantial enough.

  Originally, Old Lady Lin had chosen Lin Ruoyan, but after the recent turmoil, Lin Ruoyan fell seriously ill and was bedridden. Judging from the situation, she won't recover before the end of the month.

  As for Lin Jinming, Jian'an Marquis Lin Kun and Madame Lu were holding on to him tightly and wouldn't let go, so it was fundamentally impossible for him to enter the palace.

  Mrs. Lin was anxious and issued a military order for Liu to let Lin Ruoyan recover normally before the end of the month.

  Liu was completely unaware and thought that Old Lady Lin was wholeheartedly considering things for Lin Ruoyan's sake, and her heart felt even more moved, becoming even more obedient.

  There was still half a month before entering the palace, Lin Ruoyan's condition had yet to improve, and Liu's heart was also filled with anxiety.

  Rong's mother purchased a batch of new maids and specially notified Liu Shi to select several suitable ones to bring back, including two second-class maids that Lin Ruoyan's courtyard was short of.

  Liu was unable to leave Lin Ruoyan's side as she took care of her, and recently had been trusting Lin Zhaoyan more and more, so she asked for her help in selecting things.

  Lin Zhaoyan was painting in her room when she received this message.

  Lin Chen gave her an examination paper, asking her to paint a picture with "mountain, water, pine and stone" and also asked her to write a poem that matches the atmosphere.

  It is said that Lu Yan Zhi also received the same test questions.

  Lin Zhaoyan didn't want to compare, but Lin Chen was crazy about calligraphy and painting. When making friends, she would also list the other person's attitude towards calligraphy and painting as a major reference object. She didn't want to disappoint Lin Chen, so she agreed.

  If you want to compete, then take it seriously.

  It took her four or five days to make a fuss over just one simple mountain, and still nothing came of it.

  Man Shuang smiled and said, "The more anxious you are for quick success and immediate gain, the less likely you are to win."

  Lin Zhaoyan retorted, "Who says I want to win? I'm just responsible for my own calligraphy and painting."

  Today, she bit her pen and locked herself in the house, just to get a little head start, but outside came the news that she was going to select maids.

  She had no choice but to put down her pen and, after tidying herself up a bit, headed towards the Shangfangyuan where the maidservants lived.

  She had just walked to the gate of the courtyard when she heard a commotion coming from inside.

  "Who exactly did it? Now come out and I can still spare her life, if I catch her, hum, she will be beaten to death immediately!"

  It's Mama Rong's voice.

  Lin Zhaoyan furrowed his brow and stepped into the courtyard.

  The courtyard was filled with a group of young maidservants who had not yet bobbed their hair, each looking as quiet as a cicada in winter.

  Rong's mother and Hong Niang, Bai Ling and several maids stood opposite them.

  Lin Zhaoyan couldn't see their expressions clearly, but from this solemn atmosphere, it could be inferred that they were extremely serious.

  "What's wrong?" she said, walking slowly forward.

  Rong's mother turned around and saw it was Lin Zhaoyan, immediately bowing her body, "Fourth Miss is well."

  Lin Zhaoyan gestured for her to get up and asked, "Mother told me to come select a few maidservants. What's going on in this state?"

  Rong's mother pointed to a round-faced, big-eyed maid beside her and said: "This maid is called Fu Ling. This afternoon when we went to the old lady's courtyard together, she was rewarded with a pair of bracelets by the old lady for her good behavior. Who knew that on the way back, things were stolen."

  Lin Zhaoyan's expression changed slightly.

  These maids have just entered the mansion and they actually dare to steal things, aren't they too bold?

  She was afraid of being misunderstood. So she asked Ganoderma, "Have you looked everywhere? Won't it be that you misplaced it yourself?"

  "Regarding what Fourth Miss said, I didn't make a mistake. The things the old lady rewarded me with, I treasure them even more, and even if they get scratched or bumped, I wouldn't want to part with them. At noon today when I was having my meal, I was worried that the bangle would get damaged, so I locked it in the cabinet. Who knew, who knew that after I finished eating and went back, the bangle was gone..."

  Hong Ying also said: "Everyone has searched for people. Can't find it anywhere, must be hidden by that thief."

  Lin Zhaoyan nodded thoughtfully as if she was deep in thought.

  It seems there really are people with ulterior motives!

  A pair of cuffs is a small matter, but if such an unscrupulous person is allowed to stay in the Marquis's residence, who knows what kind of trouble he will stir up in the future.

  This maid is necessarily to be caught.

  She glanced at the dozen or so maids standing in a row, but they all looked only seven or eight years old. When something like this happened, each of them was frightened and trembling with fear. Their legs were shaking.

  At first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

  Lin Zhaoyan hesitated for a moment and asked: "At lunchtime today, everyone should have been together. Did anyone see someone leave their seat?"

  Rong's mother took over, "Report back to Fourth Miss, these old slaves have all been asked and they said that they are not familiar with each other and did not notice anything."

  "Hmm." Lin Zhaoyan nodded and said calmly, "I believe that even if you interrogate us together, you won't get anything out of it. Why don't we do it one by one? I'll ask you questions, and you answer them. If there's any deception, you should know the consequences."

  Lin Zhaoyan's voice was not loud, nor severe, and even carried a hint of unspoken warmth and composure. The little maids dispelled their previous tension and nodded obediently.

  They had all heard of cases where innocent people were wrongly accused and forced to confess, so even if they weren't involved, they feared being implicated by association, which made them extremely tense and uneasy, without a hint of calmness.

  At this moment, seeing Lin Zhao's words so tolerant and gentle, they all put down their guard.

  Throughout the whole process, Lin Zhaoyan had been secretly observing the expressions of these maidservants, silently memorizing each and every one of their reactions in her heart.

  She wasn't worried about not being able to catch the suspect, after all, they were just 7 or 8 year old kids, how could they be so calm and collected after committing a crime? They were just relying on blending in with the crowd, imitating others, and not letting themselves stand out as unusual.

  As long as she is interrogated separately and intimidated with benefits, I don't believe she won't see through the trick.

  Just as she was about to call the first maid down for interrogation, a soft yet firm cry suddenly came from the crowd, "Fourth Miss..."

  Lin Zhaoyan looked back and saw a pair of extremely beautiful eyes.

  She's a delicate and lovely little girl, with fair skin, refined features, especially a pair of eyes that are deep and enchanting, as if telling a story of love that has turned a hundred times.

  These eyes reminded her of Lu Yan Zhi.

  That contains a kind of emotion that is impossible for a child to have.

  Rong's mother introduced from the side, "Her name is Pomegranate, she is ten years old, a Shanxi native, at four years old due to poverty was sold by her parents, and after many transfers arrived at the Hou estate. The old slave has investigated, she is an innocent young girl."

  Perhaps it was the vicissitudes of her childhood that made her this way; otherwise, Lin Zhaoyan couldn't find any reason to explain her eccentricity.

  Just like Lu Yan, she still can't understand him up till now, especially his attitude towards her.

  Pomegranate stepped out, calm and composed, with an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant. She said: "I know who stole the agarwood bangle."

  As soon as this was said, the whole courtyard erupted in a commotion.

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