Did you kill the fourth sister?

Lin Yuejiao returned to the Lin manor just as Yun Jian’s figure vanished into the deep night, heading back to report the evening’s events to Rong Yu.

Upon hearing how Lin Yuejiao had played the ghost to terrify Lin Qingxu out of her wits, even someone as cold and austere as Rong Yu could not help but curl the corners of his lips.

"Young Master, Lin Qingxu has been scared out of her senses. I suspect it will take quite some time after she regains consciousness for her to return to normal. Do you still require me to take action against her?" Yun Jian asked, cupping his hands in a salute.

Rong Yu’s slender fingers toyed with a pouch made of fine white silk. Embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, the only embellishment was a subtle inlay of silver thread, outlining a motif that looked like a flower yet not quite, like grass yet not quite.

"No need. She is her enemy; I, this Young Master, have no need to meddle in such trivialities," Rong Yu said coldly.

To an outsider, this emotionless remark might suggest that Rong Yu held a grudge against Lin Yuejiao. In reality, it was simply the realization that she was capable of handling the matter herself, rendering his intervention unnecessary. Rong Yu had originally intended for Yun Jian to teach Lin Qingxu a lesson after Lin Yuejiao was nearly drowned, but he had not expected her to take matters into her own hands first.

Li Moqian, sitting nearby, chuckled. "Ever since you arrived in Xinzhou, haven't you meddled in quite enough? It is only natural for you to care about the Fourth Young Lady's life; if a chess piece were to die, how could the game continue?"

"Moqian, your words carry weight," Rong Yu nodded, stepping down from the pedestal Li Moqian had provided, finding a perfect excuse for his recent uncharacteristic behavior.

Li Moqian pursed his lips. "Then what are the Young Master’s plans for the next steps? The Chaohuang Academy examinations are approaching."

"I leave that to you. If you are short of assistant examiners, feel free to mobilize the officials of Jiangnan as you see fit, and I shall report it to the Imperial Court." Rong Yu waved a hand dismissively. "Yun Jian, send people to keep a close watch on Chi Zixian and the Chi family."

A strange smile appeared on Li Moqian’s face. "Since the Young Master is so sharp, shouldn't we also keep an eye on Wen Zeye?"

"Hmm, that is also acceptable." To his surprise, Rong Yu actually nodded.

Li Moqian and Yun Jian were left speechless.

*

In the Youran Garden, Lin Yuejiao did not retire to sleep. Although the night’s activities had left her exhausted, the tension in her heart remained taut. Until the dust settled, there was always a chance for her opponent to turn the tables, and she refused to slacken her vigilance.

After resting for a short while, Lin Zijin came to summon her.

"Yuejiao pays her respects to Grandmother." Lin Yuejiao bowed.

The Old Matriarch took her hand personally, pulling her to sit on the nearby soft couch. She said kindly, "Yuejiao, it was hard on you to be summoned so late. There is no need for such formalities. I heard you fell into the water today. Tell me the truth: was it an accident, or were you pushed?"

"Grandmother, how did you know..." Lin Yuejiao blurted out in surprise, then pressed her lips together and said, "Grandmother, I am fine. Please do not ask any further about this."

The Old Matriarch sighed. "If that wicked girl hadn't been so guilty, mistaking you for a vengeful ghost, I would never have imagined she would disregard our sisterly ties so callously as to push you into the water. Now that it has come to this, you need not cover for her. I know everything. I only pity my Yuejiao for suffering such an ordeal."

"Grandmother," Lin Yuejiao asked, "how did you come to know everything?"

The Old Matriarch sighed again. "Zijin claimed you slipped into the lake, but I did not believe it. You had just drowned tonight, and Lin Qingxu mistook you for a water-logged spirit. She would only do that if she had seen you fall and mistakenly thought you had perished. Not only did she see it, but she was the one who did it; otherwise, why would she be so terrified of you coming to claim her life, and why would she be scared into madness?"

"Grandmother, you..." Lin Yuejiao wore an expression of perfectly measured surprise, then bowed. "Grandmother, since you already know everything, I dare not deceive you. It is as you said. Fortunately, the Young Master saved me, and I was able to reclaim my life."

Yi Hanbing cried out with venomous resentment, "Pah! Lin Yuejiao, don't you dare frame my Xu'er. If it was really Xu'er who pushed you, why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Second Aunt, I didn't speak up because I survived, and it wasn't a matter of life and death; we are, after all, one family. Without evidence, I did not want to cause you trouble. I originally said I slipped just to avoid trouble; how can you claim I am slandering Lin Qingxu?" Lin Yuejiao spoke word by word, every point logical and grounded.

In truth, this was all a fabrication; Lin Yuejiao hadn't reported it simply because she lacked evidence. Her meticulous planning to let the Second Branch expose their own guilt was the true purpose of her scheme. It was never as simple as merely scaring Lin Qingxu.

"Perhaps we should invite the Second Sister and see if her ramblings include the phrase 'I killed the Fourth Sister,'" Lin Zijin added, a cutting remark that left Yi Hanbing’s face deathly pale, unable to utter a single word.

"To be tyrannical and beat servants to death is one thing, but to be so bold as to harm one's own cousin shows a heart of pure malice. Our Lin family is a household of letters, valuing virtue above all else—filial piety, brotherly affection, and sisterly harmony. To think we have produced such a wicked blight!" The Old Matriarch’s face was cold and stern. "Someone, assemble everyone immediately. We gather in the ancestral hall."

The ancestral hall was a place for honoring ancestors, and with the Lin family facing one calamity after another, the Old Matriarch’s anger was genuine.

In the ancestral hall, two rows of candles burned, illuminating the entire room. The Old Matriarch sat on a grand chair, her face gloomy, while the younger generations stood in the hall.

The Lin family had four branches. The eldest son, Lin Changge, was the Prefect of Xinzhou. His wife, Qian Yaoxian, the recently suicidal Lin Qingliu, and Lin Qingsheng—who had been beaten fifty strokes and had to be carried in—stood on the left, followed by the concubine-born daughter Lin Xueshu.

On the right stood Lin Changhao of the Second Branch, who managed the family’s shops and banks, along with his wife Yi Hanbing, the bound Lin Qingxu, and the sixth daughter, Lin Xuelan.

The Third Branch was represented by Lin Yuejiao’s mother, Jing Mingge, standing timidly with her younger brother, Lin Yi.

The Old Matriarch spoke of the family’s history, her voice heavy with authority. She spoke of how the family had declined in power, how the younger generation’s lack of success had made it impossible for the family to maintain its status, and how the marriages of the Lin daughters were tied to the family’s future. She rebuked them for their lack of discipline and the recent scandals.

"Second girl, Xu'er, for pushing your cousin into the lake, you have shown no sisterly affection. I am deeply disappointed. I must punish you to uphold the family’s moral standing," the Old Matriarch declared. "Tomorrow morning, send this wicked girl to the Shuiyue Convent to cultivate her heart and wash away her sins. She shall return after half a year."

Despite Yi Hanbing’s frantic pleas, the Old Matriarch remained unmoved, citing the importance of the Chaohuang Academy selection and the need to rectify the family’s decay.

After dispensing punishments to the rest, the Old Matriarch turned her attention to Lin Yuejiao. Her expression softened, and she said kindly, "Yuejiao, focus on preparing for the academy examinations. Do not stay shut away; attend literary gatherings often, so others do not wonder how you earned those three ivory plaques. The Young Master’s favor is a blessing, but you must not leave room for idle gossip. Do you understand?"

"Thank you, Grandmother, for your guidance. Yuejiao will certainly find opportunities to show everyone that my needlework and culinary skills are worthy of the ivory plaques," Lin Yuejiao replied with a faint smile.

In that moment, she knew the Old Matriarch was truly acting in her interest. Yet, she remembered that in her previous life, it was this same grandmother who had forced her to become a concubine to a fifty-year-old scholar after her face had been disfigured.

The interests and affections of a great family were intertwined, and it was difficult to tell them apart.