Lin Jingyue stroked the white jade bracelet on her wrist. Its texture was mediocre, and its feel was ordinary—it did not compare to the emerald green bracelet the Marquise had just given her.
Yet, this was the piece Lady Lin had given her on her tenth birthday.
The Lin Family had never mistreated her regarding food or clothing, but they had never truly cared for her either. Most of her jewelry consisted of whatever remained after Lin Jingyan had picked through them and bestowed the rest upon the maidservants.
Lin Jingyue narrowed her eyes, ignored the Marquise and her husband, and looked at the Chengyuan Marquis with a smile.
"The Marquise is right; having been raised by the Lin Family, my taste should be quite decent. However... since the Lin Family raised me for several years, and I have yet to repay such great kindness, how could I possibly spend the Lin Family’s money further? Therefore, I have only prepared gifts for my elders and my eldest brother for this visit. I hope you will not find them lacking."
She turned back and called out, "Bochun."
Bochun immediately placed the items bought at Ming'an Ward before the Old Madame, the Chengyuan Marquis, and the Marquise respectively. As for Lin Jingyue’s biological brother, Zheng Jin, he was not present.
Seeing the Chengyuan Marquis coldly push aside the silk pouch she had offered, Lin Jingyue continued:
"As for the great debt of my upbringing by the Lin Family, it cannot go unrewarded. My purse is empty at the moment, so I must ask the Marquis to send some silver over on my behalf. Once I earn money in the future, I will pay the Marquis back. How does that sound?"
The Old Madame frowned. "Pay it back? What are you talking about? You are a young lady of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor. Having been raised by the Lin Family for so many years, it is only right that your father steps forward to thank them."
Xu Wenzhou had been observing for a while and naturally understood what Lin Jingyue was plotting. He tapped the table in agreement:
"My aunt is right. To be born and then raised—one cannot leave such a debt unpaid. After all, the Lin Family nurtured Jingyue for so many years. Upon recognizing her as kin, the Marquis Manor quite sensibly returned Jingyue home. Such an action is truly righteous. The Marquis should have prepared a gift of gratitude long ago, simply waiting for Jingyue to return so it could be presented."
The Chengyuan Marquis and his wife exchanged a glance. The Chengyuan Marquis replied, "...Yes, it was prepared long ago."
The Marquise wanted nothing more than to slap herself. Why had she brought up those merchants for no reason? Now, before the girl had even officially entered the fold, she had been outmaneuvered and forced to prepare a gift of thanks. How infuriating.
Lin Jingyue seemed to sense the Chengyuan Marquis’s discomfort. She slowly lowered her gaze, her eyes resting on the white jade bracelet:
"The Lin Family is merely a merchant house. The Marquis need not trouble himself with a grand gift; two hundred taels of silver will suffice."
It would serve as repayment for the favor of the Lin Family raising her. From now on, she would owe them nothing.
Xu Wenzhou glanced at Lin Jingyue, picked up his wine cup, and took a sip without another word.
The manor already had a new master who spent money freely, and now they had to give away two hundred taels of silver for nothing? The Marquise was not one to make a losing deal, so she tugged at the Chengyuan Marquis’s sleeve. The Marquis shot her a glare, silently cursing her for being shortsighted. The Xu Family valued etiquette and filial piety above all else; how could one haggle over such a small sum in front of them? Did she not want their two sons to become students of Young Master Xu?
"The Lin Family has raised the child for many years, so a gift of thanks to show our gratitude is indeed necessary. Someone come..."
The Old Madame interrupted, instructing, "Have someone from my side deliver it. Jingyue has been raised so delicately; we must thank the Lin Family properly."
The Marquise gave a stifled, resentful acknowledgement.
"Father, I heard a distinguished guest arrived at the manor today? Oh? Grandmother is back already? No one told me."
Just as the Old Madame’s pageboy walked away, a tall man with sharp features strode in. He offered greetings to everyone in turn, but upon seeing Lin Jingyue sitting by the Old Madame, he froze.
The Old Madame beckoned him over. Zheng Jin regained his composure and walked toward them. "This is..."
"This is your biological sister, her name is Jingyue." The Old Madame looked at her eldest grandson with a smile. "Next time you are on leave and she has been added to the family genealogy, take her back to the Zheng family so her maternal grandfather’s family can rest easy."
"Jingyue? A good name. When Mother was alive, she loved the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival most of all." Zheng Jin paused. He searched his sleeves but could not find a suitable gift, so he simply took off his personal jade pendant and pressed it into Lin Jingyue's hand. "If you feel uncomfortable in the manor, or if you are short on silver, come find me. Your eldest brother will take care of it for you."
Lin Jingyue obediently said, "Mm," and as she accepted the pendant, she pulled her gaze away from Zheng Jin.
Zheng Jin followed his late mother's surname, the Zheng family, who were generations of military men, and he was much closer to them. In her previous life, Zheng Jin was Lin Jingyan’s elder brother and had stood up for her several times, but he was busy with his studies and martial arts and could not always stay in the manor to protect her.
Later... after Lin Jingyan poisoned the Crown Prince, she died a miserable death, and the entire Zheng family was beheaded at the vegetable market. Zheng Jin had spent years in grueling training, finally passing the Military Examination and earning a position as a centurion in Liangzhou. He had fought through blood and death to claw his way up to the rank of a fourth-grade Vice Commander, only for it all to end in nothing.
Zheng Jin sat nearby, next to Lin Jingyue. He took the four treasures of the study and two old books that Bochun had offered, placing them carefully to one side. He could not help but feel a deep pity for this sister who had only just been reunited with the family. He feared that she must have suffered greatly since childhood to be so thoughtful and thorough regarding her return to the manor.
Xu Wenzhou studied Zheng Jin for a moment, realizing he valued those two old books solely because of Lin Jingyue. He gave a rare nod:
"Marquis, this eldest son of yours is someone who can be put to good use."
As for the children born to the current Marquise, Lady He, and the illegitimate children born to concubines... Hmph, they were just like the Chengyuan Marquis—unlikely to achieve anything of note.
The Chengyuan Marquis coughed. "Jin’er’s martial arts are indeed quite good, though he is somewhat lacking in the civil examinations compared to his two younger brothers. Yinyuan, Yingeng, come and greet your cousin."
The two young men, who had been lingering at the table to entertain the guests, rose in unison, bowed to Xu Wenzhou, and called out respectfully, "Cousin."
The Old Madame’s eyes lit up. She stared at Xu Wenzhou, opening her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
Xu Wenzhou’s brow furrowed as he looked down at the teacup on the table. It was no wonder that even though his father had missed his aunt so much, he had not visited the Chengyuan Marquis Manor for years.
The room fell silent. Bochun looked left and right, not daring to even draw a full breath.
Lin Jingyue toyed with the jade pendant Zheng Jin had given her, looked up at the visibly conflicted Xu Wenzhou, and whispered to Zheng Jin, "Are you on leave today, Brother?"
Zheng Jin nodded and smiled. "Yes. I am currently studying and training at the Imperial College’s martial academy. I can only come home every ten days. If you need anything, sister, just send a pageboy to the Imperial College to call for me."
Seeing that Zheng Jin truly wanted to be kind to her, Lin Jingyue could not help but smile.
After waiting for a long time without Xu Wenzhou saying a word, the light in the Old Madame's eyes gradually dimmed. She called out to the servants:
"Enough, don't talk about these irrelevant things. Bring out the food quickly. I’ve been traveling for most of the day; I’m famished."
"Yes." The servants retreated one after another.
Xu Wenzhou looked at the Old Madame’s pale, disappointed expression, then swept his gaze toward Lin Jingyue beside her. Suddenly, he spoke:
"Jingyue just did me a great favor, and I was worrying that I hadn't prepared a gift for her. Since the Marquis mentioned the matter of enrolling students at the Guanxian Academy..."
The Chengyuan Marquis and his wife didn't care whose favor Xu Wenzhou was looking at; they only begged him to accept one of their sons. The Guanxian Academy had a prestigious reputation, and its headmaster was Xu Yuan, a literary giant with students all over the world! People in the court and among the commoners broke their necks trying to get into the Guanxian Academy, and the Chengyuan Marquis was no exception. It was a pity that Elder Xu’s standards for accepting students were unpredictable; even the Old Madame of the Chengyuan Marquis Manor, his own biological sister, had sent letters shamelessly, yet failed to get him to make an exception.
Xu Wenzhou clutched his wine cup and told Tang Yinyuan and Tang Yingeng to sit down:
"Since Zheng Jin is Jingyue’s biological brother, I will make an exception and accept him as my student. He can study with me during his time off. Consider it a welcoming gift from me, his cousin, to Jingyue."
Zheng Jin turned his head in astonishment. "But... but I have been training in martial arts under my maternal grandfather since I was young, and I have been preparing for the Military Examination."
Xu Wenzhou waved his hand. "No matter."
He settled the matter in a few sentences, his tone firm and allowing no room for refusal.