“Chapter 196: The Name Inquiry”

"Chapter 196: The Name Inquiry"

"'You must be out of your mind!'"

"Lin Huabin pushed Zheng Shi away, astonished that his wife could conceive such a ludicrous idea."

"He angrily said, 'To replace Yunwan's birth details with Yunjiao's, how dare you even suggest that!'"

"'If the old madam finds out, she’ll flay your skin!'"

"Zheng Shi was also afraid."

"But no matter how afraid, it was something she felt she had to do."

"It was better than spending a lifetime in fear, watching her stepdaughter marry into high society."

"She stopped trying to coax him and coldly huffed, 'Master, have you considered what will happen if the eldest miss becomes Prince Huan's princess and finds out about the Su family's affairs? How will we handle it then?'"

"'So much silver... the mansion can’t afford that anymore.'"

"'It’s not just for me, but for you as well!'"

"Over the years, it wasn’t just her love for clothes and jewelry. The antiques and paintings Lin Huabin collected in his secret chamber were all treasures of immense value."

"Lin Huabin was momentarily stunned."

"His anger subsiding a bit, he sat down to rest for a while before saying, 'Don’t worry about it, there's nothing wrong. Yunwan is still my daughter, and you are her legal mother. She wouldn’t dare do anything to us.'"

"'Even if she becomes a princess, even the emperor and empress must adhere to filial piety.'"

"'It's unreasonable to target one's own father and legal mother just because she's married into the royal family.'"

"He dared not tell Zheng Shi that the Su family's money had nothing to do with their current daughter."

"Yunwan couldn’t touch the Su family's money at all."

"'But master…'"

"'Enough, say no more.'"

"Zheng Shi was at a loss for words, of course he wasn’t worried about himself!"

"Lin Huabin said gently, 'After the name inquiry, we'll set the date. Once the date is fixed, the wedding will soon follow. You’re the legal mother; show the dignity of one. Stop quarreling with Yunwan all the time.'"

"'Her marrying well reflects well on you too, doesn’t it?'"

"Zheng Shi twisted her handkerchief, her eyes reddening."

"She burst into tears as soon as she spoke, 'She may be marrying well, but my poor Jiao'er…'"

"Mentioning this, Lin Huabin also felt a pang of distress."

"He comforted Zheng Shi, 'What's done is done, don’t think too much about it. Yunwan's marriage has reached this point, let’s marry her off well and then focus on Jiao'er’s wedding.'"

"'Plan a wedding? With whom?'"

"Zheng Shi was very resentful, 'Have you already made up your mind?'"

"Lin Huabin fell silent for a moment before saying, 'Let's marry Yunjiao off as well. At worst... I'll take good care of Wen Hai in the future. I see he is an ambitious young man, and he may very well pass the imperial examinations. His future could be limitless.'"

"It's certainly better than her becoming a spinster."

"'Master!'"

"Zheng Shi was seething with anger. Wen Hai was nowhere near good enough for Yunjiao!"

"'Enough with your crying and wailing, we have many guests these days. Don’t make us a laughingstock.'"

"'Big brother has guests over, I should go and join him.'"

"Lin Huabin wiped away Zheng Shi's tears before leaving."

"He really didn't want to argue with Zheng Shi anymore. The old madam was right, it’s best to finish Yunwan’s wedding matters as soon as possible."

"Zheng Shi was still discontented."

"Watching her husband’s retreating back, she sneered, 'In the end, you just don’t care about Jiao'er.'"

"But she knew her husband’s character all too well."

"'It seems I must push you to the edge…'"

"'I want to see, once the rice is cooked, what you all will say then!'"

"Zheng Shi went to see Lin Yunjiao."

"Mama Zhao was guarding outside. As she passed by, Zheng Shi asked, 'How has the second young miss been lately?'"

"Mama Zhao replied, 'She’s doing quite well. Just not eating much.'"

"But this was still different from her usual lively demeanor."

"Zheng Shi, with mixed feelings in her heart, dismissed the maids and entered to see Lin Yunjiao."

"Lin Yunjiao was in the room, plucking petals from flowers, tearing off petals from newly bloomed chrysanthemums."

"Hearing the sound, she looked up, initially wanting to call out, but then sulkily lowered her head, threw the chrysanthemums in her hand, and crushed them underfoot."

"'What are you doing here!'"

"She turned her back to Zheng Shi."

"Last time, just because she mentioned marrying cousin Wen Hai, mother slapped her."

"She had never been hit by her mother in her life."

"And cousin Wen Hai... wasn't that bad, was he?"

"'Sit down,' Zheng Shi commanded."

"Zheng Shi was very stern, a rarity for her."

"Lin Yunjiao looked back at her mother and sat down reluctantly."

"'There’s no time left. Jiao'er, there's nothing more I can do about your marriage.'"

"Zheng Shi closed her eyes and, clenching her teeth, asked, 'Jiao'er, tell me, do you really want to marry Wen Hai, or would you prefer…'"

"'To marry whom?'"

"Lin Yunjiao looked bewildered and slightly annoyed, 'At this point, does what I want even matter?'"

"'Would you be willing to marry the Prince?'"

"Zheng Shi said."

"Lin Yunjiao was stunned, 'Mother, what are you talking about? The Prince saved someone else, not me. How could I possibly marry the Prince?'"

"Zheng Shi replied, 'Don’t worry about that, just tell me if you wish to marry him or not.'"

"'I guess… I do.'"

"Lin Yunjiao felt very uncomfortable about it."

"Originally, marrying cousin Wen Hai wasn't a big deal, but since her elder sister was marrying Prince Huan, she felt discontented."

"Having grown up in luxury, how could she not know that being a prince's wife was far better than being a scholar's wife?"

"'That’s enough.'"

"Zheng Shi stood up and said, 'Stay in the courtyard, embroider if you must, read if you must. You are not to see Wen Hai and his mother again!'"

"'I'll have them thrown out tomorrow.'"

"'Mother!'"

"Lin Yunjiao was somewhat frantic."

"She had been trying to find out what was happening in the mansion these past few days, but Mama Zhao kept a close watch, making it difficult to learn anything."

"But she still knew that Cousin Wenhai had been staying in the Lin Mansion."

"Now, her mother wanted to drive Cousin Wenhai away. What was she planning?"

Zheng Shi made her sit down.

"Remember this, if you don't want to be forever overshadowed by Yunwan, you'd better behave."

Before leaving, she still caressed her daughter's cheek, softly advising, "Eat well, my dear. You've become so thin, it won't look good when you get married."

"Mother..."

Lin Yunjiao wanted to follow her, but as soon as Zheng Shi left, the door was closed behind her.

She felt very uneasy.

"What is Mother planning?"

"She used to be fearless, but now the future seemed so uncertain."

"It's all Cousin Wenhai's fault!"

Lin Yunjiao wanted to make a scene, but she hesitated.

"She herself didn't know what kind of outcome she wanted to provoke."

"To become Princess Huan or... to marry Cousin Wenhai?"

"She didn't know."

"On the fifteenth of August, the third branch of the Lin family celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival together, enjoying the moonlight."

"This time, they even invited people from the Western Lin Mansion, making it a lively affair."

"Lin Yunwan played the zither, composed poems with her sisters and sisters-in-law, and was quite the center of attention, all in accordance with Elder Madame Lin and Mamma Fan's wishes."

"Her reputation was too mediocre now. Before getting married, she needed to distinguish herself more to befit the status of Prince Huan's wife."

"Fortunately, these were not difficult tasks."

"The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet ended joyously."

"The next day, the official from the Ministry of Rites came from the Jiang Qian station to inquire about names, which went smoothly."

"That evening, Old Madam Lin called Lin Yunwan for dinner. Changing her clothes, Lin Yunwan heard Lin Huabin speaking with the old madam inside: 'Mother, Yunjiao’s marriage can’t be delayed either. I was thinking... we could arrange her wedding alongside Yunwan’s.'"

"Old Madam Lin scoffed, 'Is this your idea, or Zheng Shi’s?'"

"Lin Huabin bowed his head, 'It was discussed by both me and her. I can’t take good care of someone else’s daughter and neglect my own.'"

"Old Madam Lin did not spare him face, 'Haven’t you neglected enough already?'"

"That one has already become a wandering spirit!"

"Lin Huabin’s face showed guilt."

"The mother and son continued their verbal sparring."

"Lin Yunwan waited outside for a while."

"Unsure of what scheme Zheng Shi and Lin Huabin were concocting, and whether the old madam would agree."