Chapter 129. Prelude to a war.
Meanwhile, within the Lin Family estate...
The quiet scratching of a brush echoed throughout a secluded courtyard.
Lin Zhaoyue sat behind a wooden desk, diligently copying the Lin Family’s clan rules.
Her small face was puffed up with dissatisfaction as she wrote one line after another.
"...Ten thousand times..."
She muttered under her breath.
"Does Father really think my hand won’t fall off?"
She pouted.
"How is writing the clan rules ten thousand times going to help me?"
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
Her father had always been so easygoing.
Who would have thought he would become so strict over this matter?
She dipped her brush into the ink once more and let out a long sigh.
"If I had known this would happen... I would’ve at least taken another detour before coming back."
With a resigned sigh, she lowered her head once more and continued copying the clan rules.
Just as Lin Zhaoyue finished writing another line of the clan rules, a series of hurried knocks sounded from outside the courtyard.
"Young Miss!"
Lin Zhaoyue’s ears twitched.
She immediately recognized the voice.
The courtyard gate was firmly shut under Lin Xuan’s orders, but a small wooden window built into the door suddenly slid open.
Lin Zhaowen’s face appeared in the opening.
He glanced around cautiously before lowering his voice.
"Young Miss!"
His expression was filled with excitement.
"The girl you told us to keep an eye on..."
Lin Zhaoyue slowly set down her brush.
"...What about her?"
Lin Zhaowen grinned.
"She finally started walking!"
The moment those words reached her ears, Lin Zhaoyue’s previously listless expression vanished.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
"Really?"
Lin Zhaowen nodded repeatedly.
"I came here as soon as I received the report."
Lin Zhaoyue thought for a moment before asking,
"What is Hong Shaoyun doing right now?"
Lin Zhaowen smiled.
"She’s currently accompanying her older sister."
He continued,
"Hong Shaoling finally started walking today, and Hong Shaoyun has been watching her take her first steps."
Lin Zhaoyue nodded several times, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
"That’s good... that’s good."
Relief quietly settled in her heart.
She truly had felt sorry for Hong Shaoyun.
Had she not carelessly interfered with the sisters’ lives, Hong Shaoyun would have already begun walking the path she was meant to follow, eventually becoming the manager of the Blue Sea Restaurant.
Then again...if she had simply allowed the future to unfold as it originally had, Hong Shaoling would have died long ago.
There was simply no way to preserve both outcomes.
"Ups and downs..." she murmured softly.
After a brief silence, she looked back at Lin Zhaowen.
"How are the Peng and Hao Families doing?"
Lin Zhaowen immediately grinned.
"Hehe. After they rushed back to the Xu Family, they ended up drinking a bitter forfeit."
He chuckled before continuing.
"Apparently, while they were chasing you through the Yew Woods, the Feng Family seized the opportunity and moved into Southwatch City.
The two families had no choice but to sit down and negotiate with them. They managed to keep the Xu Family’s inheritance, but they had to hand over quite a few businesses and territories."
He scratched his head.
"It’s a case of grasshopper and oriole thingy."
Lin Zhaoyue immediately shook her head.
"No."
She raised a finger.
"The cicada stalks the grasshopper, unaware of the oriole behind."
Lin Zhaowen blinked.
"...Right. Well... whatever it is."
A smug grin spread across his face.
"The important part is that we succeeded! We sabotaged both the Peng and Hao Families!"
Then his expression gradually turned puzzled as he looked at Lin Zhaoyue through the small wooden window.
"Young Miss... What exactly did those two families ever do to you?"
Lin Zhaowen suddenly glanced over his shoulder.
His expression changed instantly.
"Oh no... the guards are coming!"
He hurriedly stepped away from the small window.
"I’ll get going first, Young Miss. Stay safe!"
Before Lin Zhaoyue could respond, he had already turned around and sprinted away.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared around the corner.
Lin Zhaoyue clicked her tongue.
"Tsk. You’re making it sound as though I’m being held captive."
A short while later, another knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
One of the guards unlocked the door just long enough for a maidservant carrying a wooden tray to enter before locking it again.
The maidservant respectfully bowed.
"Young Miss. I’ve brought you your meal."
Lin Zhaoyue smiled.
"Thank you."
She glanced at the tray.
A fragrant roasted duck occupied the center, accompanied by several carefully prepared side dishes, a bowl of steaming rice, and a pot of hot soup.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the maidservant, Lin Zhaoyue picked up her chopsticks and began eating.
Once she had finished arranging everything, the maidservant quietly gathered the empty utensils and walked toward the courtyard gate.
The guard stationed outside opened it once more.
As the maidservant stepped through, she came face-to-face with another guard approaching from the opposite direction.
The two silently looked at one another for a brief moment.
Without exchanging a single word, the maidservant gave the faintest nod as she walked past him on his right.
The guard returned the gesture with an equally subtle nod before continuing forward.
Moments later, he joined the other guards stationed outside the courtyard.
One of them immediately waved him over.
"Fu Haoshi, come over here."
Another laughed as he held up a bowl.
"What took you so long? The food’s already getting cold."
Fu Haoshi walked over and sat down beside the others.
One of the guards handed him a pair of chopsticks.
"Here."
Fu Haoshi accepted them with a smile.
"Thanks."
The group quickly resumed eating, their conversation drifting from the day’s patrols to idle gossip about the city’s recent prosperity.
Inside the courtyard, Lin Zhaoyue calmly stood up from the dining table.
She leisurely made her way toward the washroom at the corner of the courtyard before closing the door behind her.
A moment later—
"Blegh..."
She bent over and pushed two fingers down her throat.
Everything she had eaten moments earlier came back up.
Only after making certain her stomach was empty did she rinse her mouth several times with clean water.
She then washed her hands thoroughly before looking at her reflection in the basin.