Chapter 64: Mantis Catches Cicada

  Lin Zhaoyan arrived at Rongshou Hall when Hong Yinxin was standing outside the gate.

  Lin Zhaoyan naturally knew it wasn't for her and asked: "Has Fifth Sister not arrived yet?"

  Hong Niang nodded and said with concern: "Fourth Miss, what happened in the palace?"

  Lin Zhaoyan smiled and didn't answer.

  Hong Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam Hou and Seventh Young Miss have already arrived and are reporting to Old Madam about the situation in the palace. Old Madam's expression is not good, and she even lost her temper. I don't know what was specifically said, but I vaguely heard it had something to do with Fifth Young Miss."

  It turned out to be for Lin Ruoyan to spread the news.

  Hong Ying plucked up the courage to say: "Fourth Miss, I dare to say a word, although you and Fifth Miss have a bad relationship, but after all, you are sisters of the same flesh and blood, you should help her more, don't let outsiders bully her."

  She was going to help Lin Ruoyan speak later.

  Lin Zhaoyan nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, I have my own measure."

  She said, pausing for a moment, and then continued: "You should go back too. No matter what, you are always the maid by Grandma's side. Grandma trusts you, that's why she doesn't keep anything from you. You mustn't let this trust be discounted."

  Before, Hong Niang didn't speak ill of Lin Ruoyan because Old Lady Lin was willing to give Lin Ruoyan face. But once there's a conflict between Old Lady Lin and Lin Ruoyan, as someone by Old Lady Lin's side, Hong Niang must stand firmly on Old Lady Lin's side, she absolutely cannot misjudge the situation.

  Hong Niang's body trembled slightly, and she immediately nodded her head, "This slave thanks Fourth Miss for her teachings."

  Lin Zhaoyan said nothing more and walked straight into the palace.

  Hong Ying turned her head and gazed at Lin Zhao Yan's slender back, letting out a soft sigh.

  The fourth daughter is kind-hearted and pure, with a delicate and transparent nature, which is actually very likable. However, it's unknown why she was disliked by the old lady and the third lady.

  What a pity!

  Lin Zhaoyan walked to the entrance of Rongshou Hall's main house and heard Lin Lao Tai Tai's angry roar coming from inside.

  "I let you enter the palace just to have you take care of Ruo more, but instead you didn't even protect her and let her be humiliated in public. What kind of heart do you have?"

  Lu's voice followed. "Aunt, you really wronged Yun'er! Yun'er was teaching Ruoxi to be careful with her words and actions all the way, but she couldn't always follow her and remind her. Originally, at the banquet, the ladies and girls sat separately, and Yun'er didn't know that she would quarrel with Zhao's sixth lady!"

  Lin Xing followed with: "To say that Zhao Liu was also reasonable and wouldn't let go, Fifth Sister just helped Fourth Sister say a few words, but she went against Fifth Sister all the time, always finding fault with her."

  "Shut up! Your fifth sister is causing trouble with someone, can't you try to stop her? What's the point of me bringing you into the palace?" Madam Lin's voice was stern and cold, making even Lin Zhaoyan, who was standing outside the door, shiver involuntarily.

  In Grandma Lin's mind, all her granddaughters are just pawns, and everything they do has an ulterior motive. Lin Xingyan might still think that Grandma Lin let her enter the palace because she is relatively steady. Even if Lin Ruoyan doesn't work out, at least there's still her to maintain a good image.

  Little did she know, she was just using Lin Xingyan as a shield and scapegoat for Lin Ruoyan.

  As expected, when Lin Zhaoyan entered the house, he saw Lin Xingyan straighten his back and clench his fists tightly at his sides.

  Must be angry and hateful and heartbroken again?

  Lin Zhaoyan secretly sneered, fortunately she had never held any hope for Old Lady Lin.

  She walked forward and greeted Mrs. Lin.

  Old Lady Lin saw her and a hint of disgust flashed in her eyes, saying: "Where were you when Sister Ruo had an accident?"

  Lin Zhaoyan replied, "Earlier, I and the sixth Miss of the Zhou family found the seventh prince who had fainted in the Imperial Garden. The Emperor knew about it and sent someone to call us over for questioning."

  Old Lady Lin's body shook, and she said sternly: "You saw the Emperor?!"

  Lin Zhaoyan raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I've seen it."

  Is it necessary to be so shocked when seeing the emperor?

  Even Lian was startled by Old Lady Lin's reaction, "Auntie, you..."

  "It's nothing." Old Lady Lin had already recovered her composure, waving her hand to interrupt Lu's words. She then stared at Lin Zhao and asked: "What did you say to the Emperor? What was his reaction?"

  Although Si Yatou doesn't look like the Emperor, the feeling between her eyebrows and her overall demeanor are exactly the same as Ruan Yu's from back then. Even if the Emperor thinks Si Yatou is long dead, it's hard to guarantee that he won't have any suspicions.

  Lin Zhaoyan didn't know what was on Lin Lao Tai's mind, and replied calmly: "To be honest, the Emperor didn't express any doubts either, and soon let us return."

  Old Mrs. Lin nodded thoughtfully.

  She always felt that the Fourth Miss's affairs would never end, and the Empress Dowager had not taken care of her for over a decade. Suddenly, she took an interest in the Fourth Miss, could it be that she wanted to acknowledge her?

  Will His Majesty agree?

  It has always been a matter of honor and shame for those in power to think about it, but I'm afraid that when the time comes, Fourth Miss will not be able to ascend to heaven, and instead will have to die a second time.

  Chun Ge had gone mad once for fourteen years and if it wasn't for Si Yatou, she might not have seen her little son again.

  Because he was certain that Siyi was his and Wanru's child, he placed all the love he had for Wanru onto Siyi.

  If something unexpected happens to Si Yatou, he might do something terrible. At that time, it's not just that he can't be saved, but the entire Marquis Manor might also be affected and suffer along with him.

  Old Lady Lin was getting angrier by the minute. These four girls were a disaster, appearing at the wrong time and disrupting everyone's lives. The entire Hou Mansion was on edge because of her, worried sick about what might happen next. Not only did they have to provide for her every need, but they also had to keep the truth from her while making sure she didn't die carelessly. It was all so frustrating!

  "Aunt?" Lu Shi cried out in surprise again, turning her head to look at Lin Zhao Yan with increasingly astonished eyes.

  There must be some unknown secret inside.

  "It's better this way, you can't just interfere with things in the palace as you please. Even if you really saw something, you have to pretend you don't know anything." Old Lady Lin collected her thoughts and ignored Lu Shi's confusion, only reminding Lin Zhao Yan.

  "It's clear and obvious." Lin Zhaoyan nodded, but in her heart, she also felt surprised at the old lady's unusual behavior.

  It would be great if a dream came now, best of all it could resolve all her doubts.

  Lin Zhaoyan couldn't help but feel distressed. This dream was really a mess, with things that shouldn't be dreamed of piling up and causing her trouble.

  Just then, a sudden report from outside announced that Fifth Young Mistress and Third Madam had arrived.

  The next second, Lin Ruoyan rushed in with tears streaming down her face.

  "Grandma! You're going to be in charge of Ruoyan!"

  Mrs. Lin was shocked by her demeanor, and her previous annoyance towards her immediately dissipated. She hurriedly helped her up and said, "What's wrong with you, crying like this? Even if you unintentionally offended the Empress Dowager, there will still be a next time, and I'll help you plead your case again. What's the point of crying so much?"

  Lin Ruoyan has always been proud and willful, even when she did something wrong, she would put on a defiant attitude. This time, she cried so hard, she must be extremely scared.

  After all, she was her spoiled granddaughter since childhood, so Mrs. Lin naturally had a few more points of tenderness and affection for her.

  Lin Zhaoyan looked at him, his eyes cast down in a faint smile.

  It seems that Lin Ruoyan is even more ruthless than Lin Xingyan when it comes to acting.

  Lin Ruoyan's eyes welled up with tears, and she said sorrowfully: "Grandmother, you must stand up for me! If I really have no sense of propriety and offended the Empress Dowager, then so be it. But this is all because someone has wronged me!"

  Mrs. Lin frowned immediately, "What does this mean?"

  Lin Ruo Yan sobbed and couldn't speak.

  Liu continued, "When Ruo'er returned and told her wife about what happened in the palace, her wife initially thought that Ruo'er was being too rash and impulsive. But after careful consideration, she felt that something wasn't right. Ruo'er said that there was no fragrance on her body, and when she recalled the incident where Qi'er tripped Ruo'er earlier, her wife investigated and discovered that the clothes Ruo'er had changed into had been soaked in a colorless and odorless liquid that would release a fragrance when it came into contact with water."

  Although Liu didn't understand perfumery, Wan Niang did and had often taken advantage of him in this regard.

  From then on, Liu was determined to make a strong effort and read many books about perfumery, with very rich theoretical knowledge.

  Liu said, casting a hateful glance at Lin Xingyan. "In that case," she said sternly, "as long as you wear this dress and get splashed with water, the fragrance will be overwhelming. And as for who could have come up with such an idea, in the entire Hou Manor, aside from Wan Niang and Qi Meizi, I really can't think of a second person!"

  Old Lady Lin's face changed immediately, and she slammed her hand on the table, shouting at Lin Xing: "Is what your mother said true?! Are you using this despicable trick to harm Ruo Jie?!"

  Lin Xing said calmly, "Tell Grandmother that I know nothing about this matter. Not to mention the clothes, which I couldn't even touch, even if I could, how would I use such a method to harm Fifth Sister? Even if Fifth Sister's body was scented with fragrance, what could be done?"

  Lin Xing spoke with a foolish tone, so much so that even Liu Shi was stunned for a moment, unable to tell whether what she said was true or false.

  Lu felt something was off.

  These two sets of clothes were prepared by her mother's order, and when Lin Ruoyan went to change, it was also the maid beside her who took the clothes. Moreover, on the day when Auntie interrogated the second house, she was also listening beside her, so she knew the emperor's likes and dislikes.

  It looks like she's playing tricks behind our backs!

  She's a noble lady from the Marquis' residence, how could she know such a despicable trick that only those lowly women from brothels and singing houses would use? Only that cheap woman, Wan Niang, would come up with such an idea!

  It seems that Lin Xiangyan wants to frame her, no wonder she didn't want to bring the maid along!

  Lin Zhaoyan also seemed to have figured it out roughly, and curved his lips into a gentle smile.

  It seems that Lu's cleverness has been passed down for generations, but this time he will fall into Lin Xingyan's hands.

  Notice: Some readers in the book review section have reacted to the name Zhang Guan Li Dai, Xiao An apologizes and will pay attention to it in the future. In addition, Xiao Qi has officially changed his name to Xiao Xi, which is more in line with the character's personality. I will modify all public chapters accordingly. Sorry for the trouble caused to everyone.

  Everyone enthusiastically catches bugs, because the author is usually busy and sometimes can't check in time, so mistakes will occur xD

  Thanks for the reward from book friend 131112180530042 on a rainy winter night when the sky is already light blue.