Chapter 342: A Bitter Past, Trouble in the Mansion
Some time later.
Madam Tan stood at the gate of the mansion, watching Lin Tianlu and his group depart.
Lan’er, standing beside her, stole a glance at her mistress’s radiant and beautiful face and couldn’t resist asking curiously: “Your Highness, are you truly going to take Master Lin as your godson?”
“Have you forgotten the title ‘Young Master’ again?”
“I’m foolish.”
Lan’er quickly lowered her head and said: “I will definitely remember to call him ‘Young Master’ in the future.”
“Don’t make such a mistake again.” Mother Tan’s tone softened slightly as she touched the silk sash on her chest, sighing softly: “When my mother was on her deathbed, she told me about this secret from our ancestors, but I didn’t take it too seriously. After all, even if the Lin family and my Tan family were close and in love hundreds of years ago, it’s all in the past now.”
“But only now do I understand my mother’s good intentions.”
Mother Tan lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembling: “She knew I’ve been alone all these years and wanted me to have something to look forward to. Even a godson could bring new meaning to my life.”
Lan’er hesitated and asked, puzzled: “But Master Lin… and Your Highness have never met before. To suddenly establish such a relationship, even after a night of conversation, how can there be true affection?”
“Indeed.”
Mother Tan chuckled softly: “In Tianlu’s eyes, my actions must seem too forward, perhaps even frivolous. If others saw this, they would surely criticize me.”
“Then why did Your Highness…”
“Affection can be cultivated slowly. Most importantly… this child is no ordinary person.”
Mother Tan’s eyes flickered, and she murmured: “The opportunity to interact with him is fleeting, I don’t want to miss it. I naturally have to seize this chance and bring him closer.”
Saying this, she didn’t want to say anything more, waving her sleeve and turning to leave gracefully, without looking back: “Lan’er, remember to visit the other officials and landowners in the city. But be careful of the so-called ‘Luo Xing’ faction. If you sense any danger, retreat immediately, don’t get too involved and risk getting into trouble.”
“Understood.”
Lan’er bowed slightly.
But as she looked up at her mistress’s slender back, her eyes flickered slightly.
Having been rescued and raised by Her Highness since childhood, she had long treated her like her own mother and understood her thoughts.
—Her Highness wasn’t as carefree as she appeared.
The loneliness and bitterness that had accumulated in her heart for decades, now finally released, her passionate and sincere feelings were like a raging fire, burning brighter and brighter, impossible to extinguish even with a downpour, how could it be explained in just a few words?
As for coveting the Young Master’s extraordinary cultivation, that was absolutely impossible. After all, Her Highness had never craved power or status, nor had she ever desired unparalleled martial arts skills in her forty years of life.
Only… loneliness had plagued her.
Lan’er pursed her lips slightly and silently followed, her head lowered.
Her Highness’s words were just a cover for her true feelings. This journey was a gamble, but if she could truly find true love… it would be a wonderful thing.
…
Drizzle fell, gradually obscuring the bright sun.
Lin Tianlu sat in the driver’s seat of the carriage, leaning against the frame with an umbrella, rubbing his temples, and sighing helplessly.
“This sudden blessing is truly hard to handle.”
“Hu~”
Yun Yue slightly lifted the carriage curtain and teased: “That Madam Tan, soft and fragrant in your arms, so voluptuous and alluring, wasn’t it quite enjoyable and comfortable, Tianlu?”
“Cough! Men and women shouldn’t be too intimate—”
“Since you two have just reunited, a bit of intimacy is fine~” Yun Yue chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand, and then glanced sideways at the two women lying in the carriage: “But Ruoyu and Yishi have ‘suffered’.”
“Mmm…”
Mao Ruoyu, curled up like a cat, pursed her lips slightly, a blush appearing on her cheeks, and whispered: “Mother Tan wasn’t harsh or strict with us, she was quite kind and gentle.”
“It’s… just that it was our first time meeting an elder, we were a bit nervous.”
Cheng Yishi massaged her temples and sighed softly: “If I had known Mother Tan had such a gentle personality, I wouldn’t have been so anxious.”
Thinking about how she had tried to remain calm and composed before their visit, she couldn’t help but blush.
“It’s unavoidable.”
Yun Yue chuckled: “Thankfully, Tianlu hadn’t met Mother Tan when you got married last month. Otherwise, you would have had to toast her and say some sweet words to gain her favor at the wedding banquet.”
Mao Ruoyu touched the gold and jade necklace that Mother Tan had personally put on her, her eyes shimmering slightly, and she murmured: “After chatting with her last night, although Mother Tan has a high status, she seems…”
She couldn’t quite describe the feeling.
But as a fellow woman, even though Mother Tan had remained calm and composed throughout their conversation, she could sense an unshakeable sorrow and melancholy in her eyes, making her feel sympathy and a sense of closeness, as if they had known each other for many years.
“That Tan Zisheng, she has indeed had a difficult life.”
A seductive voice, filled with interest, suddenly echoed.
Everyone turned their heads to see Youluo sitting gracefully beside Lin Tianlu, her long legs crossed, a smile on her face.
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “Where did you disappear to last night, Miss Youluo?”
“You and Mother Tan were establishing your familial bond, I naturally wouldn’t intrude and create an awkward misunderstanding. After all, she’s a real princess, and if they saw someone of unknown origin like me, I would be questioned.”
Youluo waved her hand and chuckled: “Besides, I was also curious about this woman’s identity, so I went to investigate.”
“Did you find anything, Miss?”
“Naturally.” She smiled charmingly, wagging her slender finger: “For example, Mother Tan’s background is quite intriguing.”
Mao Ruoyu leaned closer curiously: “Tell us quickly.”
“Although Tan Zisheng’s mother, Consort Xian Xiao Tanxue, was a commoner, she actually had another identity.”
Youluo explained slowly: “She was the Young Master of the Qinxin Sword Sect in the mortal world and entered the palace to assassinate the current emperor. But some strange things happened in the palace, and she fell in love with the emperor, eventually abandoning her mission and becoming Consort Xian.”
“This…”
Mao Ruoyu and the others were surprised.
Former enemies, putting aside their differences and falling in love, such a strange and unexpected development?
Lin Tianlu wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, the emperor had three thousand beauties in his harem, it wasn’t unusual for some of them to have unique backgrounds. And for her to be promoted to the position of Consort Xian despite her past, it proved that there was true love between her and the emperor.
“It’s just a pity that Consort Xian was perhaps too kind.”
Youluo chuckled and said casually: “Although she became Consort Xian, her words carrying weight in the harem, second only to the Empress,
She seemed to have grown tired of the schemes and plots, becoming more and more detached, rarely interacting with the other women in the harem, only spending time with the emperor. This might seem aloof and noble to outsiders, but to the other concubines, it was incredibly hateful, as if she was monopolizing the emperor’s favor.”
“Then what does this have to do with Mother Tan…?”
“Tan Zisheng grew up in this cold and lonely environment.”
Youluo shrugged: “No one in the harem befriended her, her parents only cared about each other, and she was treated like an insignificant illegitimate child. She only had the company of palace maids and eunuchs, learning poetry, calligraphy, and painting. And besides that, she inherited Consort Xian’s legacy… and started practicing martial arts.”
“When she was just past marriageable age, the emperor betrothed her to Hua Jianfeng, the son of the Zhengyang Prince, to show their close relationship and also as a reward for Hua Jianfeng’s bravery on the battlefield. Giving away a princess as a gift was a great honor for the Hua family.”
She couldn’t help but sneer: “But none of this was discussed with Tan Zisheng. She only learned about it from the servants after the marriage was announced publicly.”
“…”
Mao Ruoyu and Cheng Yishi were speechless, their faces filled with sympathy and pity.
Last night, when they were chatting, although Mother Tan’s expression had been helpless whenever she mentioned her past, she hadn’t shown any sadness.
They hadn’t expected her childhood to be so difficult.
Even with a life of luxury, to be treated like a puppet, manipulated at will, was no different from being a living dead.
“Then what happened to Mother Tan afterward—”
“She was forced to dress up and be sent to the Zhengyang Prince’s Mansion as a bride, even if it meant being tied up~”
Youluo sighed: “Even though she had never met Hua Jianfeng, never known his personality, she was to spend the rest of her life with him.”
“Unfortunately, fate seemed to be particularly ‘cruel’ to her. Before the wedding, while Hua Jianfeng was still at the border, Tan Zisheng, dressed in red wedding robes and with a veil covering her head, waited silently in the mansion for more than a month. In the end, she only received the news of his death in an ambush on the battlefield.”
Lin Tianlu was silent for a moment.
Mao Ruoyu covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide, and murmured: “Then Mother Tan, she…”
“A joyous occasion turned into mourning. That night, her red wedding robes were replaced with white mourning clothes, and she kept vigil for Hua Jianfeng’s spirit tablet and grave for six months, then mourned for three years, not seeing any visitors, abstaining from meat and worldly pleasures, her food and clothing taken care of by servants.”
Youluo suddenly chuckled: “Such virtuous conduct earned her a good reputation among the people, everyone praising her for being like Consort Xian. And the name ‘Madam Tan’ became known throughout Qingyang Province, along with the story of her and Hua Jianfeng’s love, envied by countless men and women.”
“Th-This, how…”
Mao Ruoyu was speechless, a heavy feeling weighing on her heart.
Cheng Yishi’s face was grim, her brows furrowed. She had never imagined that the elegant and dignified Mother Tan had such a tragic past, it made her feel angry.
“An imperial princess, to suffer such humiliation?”
Yun Yue murmured with a frown: “The emperor and Consort Xian in the palace, didn’t they object? Did they just watch their daughter stay in the ancestral hall for three years?”
“Indeed.”
Youluo nodded, a mocking smile on her face.
“They had no objections. The emperor, to appease the Zhengyang Prince’s grief over losing his son, even suggested that Tan Zisheng mourn for another three years… or remarry one of his other sons, even his youngest, who was slightly slow-witted due to being born prematurely. To continue the Hua family’s bloodline as soon as possible, it was considered making the best use of her.”
“Ah~ There were even rumors that she should be given to the Zhengyang Prince as a concubine, to bear him a son. And then rumors spread that Tan Zisheng had a bad fate, bringing misfortune and ruin to her husband’s family, that it was unlucky for her to stay in the mansion, so she should be sent—”
“Madmen, they’re truly a bunch of madmen!”
Mao Ruoyu suddenly screamed, clenching her teeth and hitting her thigh.
“That man is unworthy of being a father! So heartless and cruel!”
Cheng Yishi said in a deep voice: “Did the Zhengyang Prince agree to this?”
“The Zhengyang Prince was still reasonable, he didn’t agree to such an absurd proposal.” Youluo smiled: “However, Tan Zisheng did guard Hua Jianfeng’s tomb for five years, she almost became a nun.”
“Such a heartless act, was there no one in the mansion or the palace who objected or protested?!”
“It happened decades ago, who knows how many servants tried to help. Perhaps they were all executed.”
“What happened after that?”
Lin Tianlu suddenly asked, his expression serious: “Although Mother Tan still seems troubled, at least her situation isn’t too bad now.”
“Perhaps she changed her mind?” Youluo crossed her arms and said lightly: “After those years of mourning, Tan Zisheng returned to the mansion and lived there for a few years, then moved out and built a small villa elsewhere, gradually fading from public view, no longer subjected to those unreasonable arrangements, until now.”
“So?”
She smiled and glanced at everyone: “Do you have a better understanding of Madam Tan now?”
Lin Tianlu rubbed his temples and sighed softly.
—She truly had a difficult life.
“When I see Mother Tan again, I’ll definitely talk to her more.” Mao Ruoyu clenched her hands, her voice filled with distress: “To be alone, guarding the tomb of a stranger… how lonely and desolate. Just imagining it makes me feel sad.”
“Indeed.”
Yun Yue’s face showed a hint of emotion.
She could be considered the one who had the most “in common” with Mother Tan.
Her experience of being trapped in the Netherworld was also unforgettable, a nightmare she didn’t want to recall.
“It’s better not to mention this to Mother Tan.” Cheng Yishi whispered: “Constantly bringing up such sad memories would only add to her sorrow.”
“Hu~”
Youluo leaned sideways, playing with her hair, and chuckled: “I didn’t tell you this to make you sad, just so you know that Mother Tan is truly sincere towards Master Lin.
But you should start thinking about how to interact with the people in the mansion when we arrive. The Prince’s Mansion is located on the east side of Qingcheng, a vast estate like a city within a city, with hundreds of people living there. There are eleven sons, five daughters, and countless grandchildren, it will be a headache to deal with them all.”
Lin Tianlu mused: “Let’s visit first and decide after talking to Shuya. However—”
He quickly changed the subject and asked seriously: “Did you find out who is behind the incidents in Wuxing City, Miss? There was a mortal woman in the prefect’s mansion who displayed Crimson Demon Realm cultivation. I heard that she was manipulated and driven insane.”
“This matter is indeed worth noting.”
Youluo’s playful smile faded as she mentioned the serious matter, and she reached into her bosom, between her breasts, and took out a folded piece of yellow paper, handing it to him.
“Do you remember, Tianlu, I mentioned that there’s been a lot of unrest in Qingcheng recently, and a strange expert appeared?”
Lin Tianlu unfolded the yellow paper and saw a few words written on it.
—”Betrayal within, chaos in the mansion.”
“Was this caused by someone in the Zhengyang Prince’s Mansion?” Lin Tianlu’s face showed a look of surprise: “Or is it related to the expert you mentioned?”
“It only happened one night, I didn’t have time to verify the information.”
Youluo blinked her eyes and chuckled: “Since we’re going to the mansion anyway, we can investigate. But as for that expert… the situation is even more unexpected than we thought.”
“What do you mean, Miss?”
“They’re suddenly holding a ‘Qingyang Grand Ceremony’ in Qingcheng just before the New Year, inviting guests and heroes from all over. The scale of the event is quite grand, the entire city is abuzz. It makes one wonder if that so-called expert is secretly instigating things.”
She covered her mouth with her hand and said softly: “As for Wuxing City, there’s no need to worry too much. I’ve investigated, and there are no other demons or ghosts causing trouble. The remaining Luo Xing members and practitioners were all conveniently eliminated in the prefect’s mansion, it’s fine for your Mother Tan to stay here for another day.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Lin Tianlu put away the yellow paper, a hint of a smile appearing on his face: “Thank you for your hard work last night, Miss.”
“It was nothing.”
Youluo’s eyes flickered, and she smiled seductively at the three women inside the carriage: “But you three, after chatting with Madam Tan all night, setting off so early in the morning, why don’t you lie down and rest for a while? You wouldn’t want to look tired and haggard when you see Miss Hua.”
“Alright.”
Mao Ruoyu sighed softly and leaned back, closing her eyes, seemingly still troubled by her encounter with Mother Tan.
Yun Yue chuckled indulgently and gently comforted her, her fluffy fox tail wrapping around the beautiful woman like a warm blanket.
Cheng Yishi, however, stared at Youluo meaningfully for a moment and snorted softly: “Just don’t cause any trouble, Miss, I can still turn a blind eye.”
Youluo opened her folding fan with a smile:
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Madam Cheng~”
“Husband.” Cheng Yishi looked at Lin Tianlu, her voice suddenly softening: “Don’t be captivated by this seductive woman. If—”
She turned to Youluo and suddenly glared at her: “If you dare to do anything against my husband’s will, I’ll make you suffer.”
“You’re quite intimidating, Madam Cheng.”
Youluo narrowed her eyes and chuckled: “However, if you were this assertive in bed, it would be truly impressive.”
“…”
Cheng Yishi was speechless, averting her gaze, and angrily drew the curtain, her face faintly flushed.
Youluo closed her folding fan and tapped her finger lightly, as if creating an invisible barrier around the carriage, blocking the sound.
Then, she turned to Lin Tianlu and teased: “I thought you would say something, Master Lin, but you’re completely silent?”
“You two are enjoying yourselves, why should I interrupt?”
Lin Tianlu shrugged and chuckled: “If Yishi was truly angry with you, she wouldn’t have that cute expression.”
“You see things clearly.”
Youluo’s eyes flickered, and she smiled seductively: “You gave me a lovely gift yesterday, Master Lin, I just happened to be wearing it today, how do I look?”
Lin Tianlu looked at her curiously.
But he quickly raised an eyebrow, puzzled: “Are you really wearing it, Miss?”
The beauty before him was still dressed seductively, her high-slit skirt slightly damp from the rain, clinging tightly to her flawless and voluptuous figure, her fair skin faintly visible.
But her neck and wrists were bare, her hair adorned with a jade hairpin, she clearly wasn’t wearing the gift he had given her.
“Look closely, Master Lin.” Youluo leaned forward lazily and seductively, her fingers twirling her hair, her eyes alluring, filled with an ambiguous and tender affection that made one’s heart melt.
“This…”
Lin Tianlu awkwardly leaned back slightly and looked again, confirming that he wasn’t seeing things— Until his expression suddenly changed.
Her sideways, reclining posture made the hem of her skirt wrinkle, revealing her smooth and delicate skin, her curves accentuated by the tight sash, the black silk around her thighs making her look even more soft and alluring.
But what was most eye-catching… was the silver pendant hanging from her hip, swaying gently, a faint tinkling sound echoing.
“Th-This is—”
“The gift you gave me, Master Lin, have you forgotten already?”
Youluo licked her lips and smiled seductively, her fingers gently caressing the pendant on her hip.
Lin Tianlu asked in astonishment: “Why are you wearing it… there…?”
“Wearing these trinkets around the neck or wrist is too common and boring.”
She smiled ambiguously, as if deliberately showing it off, straightening her leg and raising it slightly, her toes pointed, creating a perfect and beautiful curve.
“Wearing it on my hip, only you can see it, Master Lin. It better expresses my appreciation for your gift, don’t you think?”
The fleeting glimpse of breathtaking beauty quickly disappeared as Youluo pressed her long legs together, leaning against him with a seductive smile, like a clingy cat: “Or do you think this place isn’t good enough, Master Lin, and it needs to be moved to… a more intimate location?”
The seductive beauty leaned closer, her body swaying and twisting, the jade beads on her hip tinkling softly, a suggestive and alluring sound that made one’s heart itch uncontrollably.
Lin Tianlu coughed twice, feeling incredibly embarrassed.
This woman, she was becoming more and more playful.
