29 Defending Lin Yuejiao

“Your kindness is misplaced, Young Master Chi. I have long heard that Phoenix Court Academy is the highest institution of learning for the noble daughters of the realm. I have always hoped to try my luck and see whether I might be fortunate enough to become one of its students. I cannot accept your good intentions,” Lin Yuejiao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Chi Zixian immediately looked displeased. “Must you insist on taking that ridiculous examination? What is so wonderful about Phoenix Court Academy? Even if you get in, there is no guarantee that it will lead anywhere. How could it compare with marrying me and becoming the young mistress of the Chi family? Lin Yuejiao, are you going to marry me or not?”

“Marriage is decided by the parents and arranged by the matchmaker. What say could I possibly have in the matter?” Lin Yuejiao said calmly. Then her tone shifted. “But Grandmother dotes on me. Knowing that I am determined to take the Phoenix Court Academy examination, she has therefore refused this marriage proposal. I am deeply grateful to her.”

The Grand Lady smiled in satisfaction.

Chi Zixian was furious. He had always been overbearing, strutting through Xinzhou as though he owned the place. Yet now he had been rejected by Lin Yuejiao. His expression darkened as he turned to Ran Wanyi.

“Mother, I must marry Lin Yuejiao, no matter what.”

“Do not worry. Your mother is here.” Ran Wanyi patted his shoulder, then cast Lin Yuejiao a sidelong glance. “Do you think that because you obtained three ivory-carved bamboo tokens and may have a chance of entering Phoenix Court Academy, you can soar to the heavens and become a phoenix, and therefore look down on the Chi family? Lin Yuejiao, do not become too pleased with yourself. To take the Phoenix Court Academy examination, you must first be the legitimate daughter of an official family. In other words, within three generations of your Lin family, someone must have held an official post of at least the ninth rank at court.”

She paused before continuing, “As far as I know, the highest-ranking official in your Lin family is currently Lin Changge, the fifth-rank Prefect of Xinzhou. If Lin Changge is no longer the prefect, would you, Lin Yuejiao, still count as the legitimate daughter of an official family?”

The Grand Lady’s expression changed. “What exactly are you implying, Madam Chi?”

“Nothing in particular. It just so happens that our Chi family has some connections with the Commissioner of Jiangnan. He is the direct superior of the Prefect of Xinzhou. Having him investigated would not be difficult.” Ran Wanyi spoke with deliberate calm.

At the thought that her son might lose his official cap, the Grand Lady felt uneasy. But Lin Yuejiao said, “Madam Chi may not know this, but my grandfather once rose to the rank of second-rank Commissioner of Jiangnan. After he died of illness, my great-aunt petitioned for a posthumous honor on his behalf, and he was posthumously granted the position of Commissioner. Therefore, whether or not my eldest uncle is an official, and whether or not anyone else in the Lin family holds office, so long as His Majesty does not revoke my grandfather’s posthumous title, I, Lin Yuejiao, remain the legitimate daughter of an official family.”

The Commissioner of Jiangnan was the highest-ranking authority in an entire province. Although Lin Yuejiao’s grandfather had repeatedly been pushed aside and eventually retired, he had not been dismissed for offending the emperor or committing an error. He had voluntarily resigned in order to protect himself. Officials above the third rank who died with such a spotless record were eligible for posthumous honors.

Though the honor was little more than a flattering name and offered no practical benefit, Lin Yuejiao had found a use for it.

“Within three generations” happened to begin with Lin Yuejiao’s grandfather.

Even the Grand Lady had not thought of that at once.

Ran Wanyi was likewise taken aback, and a note of wariness entered her gaze as she looked at Lin Yuejiao.

“What a sharp-tongued girl. It seems that your family would rather see Lin Changge lose his office than agree to this marriage. Very well. Even if Lin Changge loses his position, you, Lin Yuejiao, can indeed still take the examination. But Grand Lady, even if Lin Yuejiao enters Phoenix Court Academy, what her future will hold remains unknown. If Lin Changge is no longer the Prefect of Xinzhou, however, your Lin family will already be beginning its decline.” Ran Wanyi sneered as she looked at the Grand Lady. “Are you certain you want to trade Lin Changge’s future for a single opportunity for Lin Yuejiao?”

Seeing the Grand Lady caught in a dilemma, Ran Wanyi slowly added fuel to the fire.

“So what if she enters Phoenix Court Academy? Once she goes to the capital and offends the Crown Prince’s secondary consort, do you think she will be able to survive there? How many people in the capital would be willing to offend the Crown Prince’s household for her sake? When that happens, she will be unable to take a single step in the capital. Your Lin family will have lost its prefect as well, and the decline of such a large clan may begin with nothing more than one mistaken decision. Grand Lady, you had better think carefully.”

The Grand Lady clenched her fists.

“Does your Lin family not have other noble daughters? If our Chi family and yours become related by marriage, then we will be one family. If any of the other Lin girls are fortunate enough to enter Phoenix Court Academy, we will certainly look after them. They, too, could have a splendid future. Grand Lady, what do you think?” After threatening her, Ran Wanyi followed with an inducement, a contemptuous smile curling at the corners of her lips.

A trace of regret flashed through the Grand Lady’s eyes. She made her choice, picked up the marriage contract, and let out a sigh.

Lin Yuejiao’s heart sank. “Grandmother…”

“Yuejiao, Grandmother knows that you are determined to enter Phoenix Court Academy. But since the Crown Prince’s secondary consort has acted as matchmaker, our Lin family cannot refuse to show the Crown Prince’s household some respect.” The Grand Lady looked toward Lin Yuejiao. “You need not take the examination. Stay at home in peace and prepare for your wedding.”

“Grandmother, Madam Chi, marriage is indeed not something I have the right to decide. However, the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness gave me three ivory-carved bamboo tokens. He must have believed that I would enter Phoenix Court Academy when he gave them to me. Now I am to marry and can no longer take the examination, which would mean I had failed the heir’s gift. Therefore, before the marriage contract is signed, I hope someone can be sent to inform the heir and return the three tokens, so that I may express my remorse.” Lin Yuejiao thought of Rong Yu. “Once the three tokens have been returned, arranging the marriage will be more proper.”

At this moment, Lin Yuejiao could only use Rong Yu as a shield.

In truth, she had no idea how he would react after learning what had happened.

Previously, Rong Yu had made an agreement with her: she was to enter Phoenix Court Academy as the top candidate from Jiangnan, and in return, she would do one thing for him.

Ran Wanyi glanced at Lin Yuejiao and sneered. “You need not use the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness as an excuse. So what if you have three bamboo tokens? The Phoenix Court Academy examination has not even begun, and you are not yet a student there. Even the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness has no authority over the Chi family’s marriage arrangements. As for this marriage, you will marry whether you want to or not!”

Lin Yuejiao clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

“You will marry whether you want to or not? What an imposing tone.”

At that moment, a cold male voice came from outside the door.

Lin Yuejiao turned abruptly and saw a man in a crimson brocade robe walk inside.

It was the same crimson brocade robe embroidered with carved patterns that he had worn when they first met. Its sleeves drifted lightly around him, revealing an air of effortless elegance.

Perhaps he alone in all the world could make red look so beautiful, so unforgettable.

His silver hair fell like snow. His exquisitely sculpted features, as though carved by supernatural hands, were expressionless, while his narrow eyes held a thread of icy chill.

He was so handsome that he seemed inhuman, like a fallen immortal or a demon descended from the Ninth Heaven.

He had come down from the heavens.

Rong Yu.

He had arrived.

Everyone in the room froze. The Grand Lady was the first to recover. She rose and bowed.

“Greetings, my lord.”

“I did not expect to arrive just in time for a forced-marriage spectacle.” Rong Yu swept a glance over the mother and son from the Chi family, his tone cold enough to pierce bone.

Even before Rong Yu, Ran Wanyi no longer possessed the arrogance she had displayed moments earlier. Her daughter was the Crown Prince’s secondary consort, but the nobleman before her was someone the Crown Prince himself sought to win over. Every prince treated him with respect. He was, without exaggeration, the foremost power in the Great Zhao Empire.

“May I ask why you have suddenly come, my lord?” Ran Wanyi asked politely.

Rong Yu replied without the slightest courtesy, “Is it your place to ask about my business?”

“The Lin family is honored by your presence, my lord. What orders do you have for us?” the Grand Lady asked as she stepped forward.

“I heard that Lin Qingliu had been disfigured, so I came to confirm whether she had lost her qualification to take the Phoenix Court Academy examination. After all, she was once known as the most beautiful woman in Xinzhou, and the matter is not insignificant.”

That was merely an excuse.

He did not care in the slightest whether Lin Qingliu could take the examination.

Yun Jian had been keeping watch over the Lin residence. The moment the Chi family arrived to propose marriage, news had been sent back to Cloudsong Waterside Pavilion.

Before the Grand Lady could answer, Rong Yu continued, “However, I did not expect that the moment I arrived, I would find the woman to whom I granted my tokens being forced into marriage. The Chi family is certainly bold. Do you not know that I gave Lin Yuejiao three ivory-carved bamboo tokens?”

“Well…” Ran Wanyi hesitated, carefully choosing her words. “The Phoenix Court Academy examination has not yet begun. Our Chi family has not violated any rules by proposing marriage to Lin Yuejiao.”

Her tone had already weakened considerably before Rong Yu.

Rong Yu curved his lips slightly. “You have not violated any rules. But you have struck at my dignity.”

“You make it sound far more serious than it is. What do you mean?” Ran Wanyi asked in surprise.

Rong Yu raised one brow. “Throughout Jiangnan, Lin Yuejiao is the only person to whom I have personally granted tokens—and I gave her three. Yet you are forcing her into marriage and preventing her from taking the Phoenix Court Academy examination. The bamboo tokens I gave her would then have been given for nothing. Tsk. Do you take my tokens for toys?”

Ran Wanyi’s heart jolted.

She could already tell that Rong Yu intended to interfere, but before she could think of a reply, Chi Zixian protested indignantly, “You gave her your tokens, and we made our proposal. The two have nothing to do with each other. What, does receiving your tokens mean she must take the Phoenix Court Academy examination and can no longer marry?”

Ran Wanyi hurriedly shot him a warning glance, signaling him to be quiet.

Rong Yu’s gaze swept over Chi Zixian. It was so cold that the young man involuntarily took a step backward.

Rong Yu did not even bother to speak to him. Instead, he turned to the Grand Lady.

“Lin Yuejiao is the most outstanding noble daughter I have encountered since coming to Jiangnan. Her prospects are limitless. Here in Jiangnan, beneath a clear and righteous sky, no petty villains have the right to run wild.”

The meaning was clear: Lin Yuejiao had to take the Phoenix Court Academy examination, and the Lin family need not fear the Chi family.

If the Chi family dared to move against the Lin family, whether by having Lin Changge stripped of his office or by exerting pressure in other ways, Rong Yu would not stand by and watch.

The Grand Lady felt as though she had swallowed a calming pill.

“We are grateful for Madam Chi’s regard and for thinking so highly of Yuejiao. But Yuejiao is determined to take the academy examination, and I fully support her decision. Therefore, our Lin family cannot accept this marriage. I ask Madam Chi to forgive us.” The Grand Lady handed the marriage contract back to Ran Wanyi.

Ran Wanyi’s expression shifted repeatedly. Being rejected by the Lin family filled her with humiliation and rage. She felt that they were utterly incapable of appreciating a favor. Yet with Rong Yu standing beside them, she did not dare say more. She merely smiled without warmth.

“Very well. The Lin family has certainly given me a new impression. The road ahead is long. Just wait and see. Zixian, we are leaving.”

Chi Zixian was unwilling, but with matters having reached this point, he could only follow Ran Wanyi out.

“Thank you for protecting us, my lord. If you had not come in person today, I truly do not know what might have happened…” The Grand Lady sighed.

Only then did Lin Yuejiao loosen the fist hidden beneath her sleeve. She suddenly realized that her palm was throbbing with pain; she had been so tense that she had not noticed it before.

When Rong Yu prepared to leave, the Grand Lady asked Lin Yuejiao to see him out.

The two of them walked out of the Hall of Bright Rites and proceeded through a complicated, winding corridor shaped like a series of rectangular loops. Strange rocks rose from the ponds on either side, and the water was clear and cold.

One wore red, the other white. Their reflections in the water looked exceptionally well matched.

“Thank you for your great kindness today, my lord. I will not forget our agreement. I will certainly win first place in Jiangnan. I am doing so because of our agreement, but also for my own sake.” Lin Yuejiao looked at Rong Yu and offered her thanks with complete sincerity.

The agreement?

Did she think he had come to help her because of that agreement?

If not, then why had he come here the moment he heard that the Chi family was forcing her into marriage?

They walked all the way to the gates of the Lin residence. As she watched Rong Yu’s departing figure, Lin Yuejiao suddenly asked, “My lord, if I wanted to move against the Chi family of Xinzhou, could you give me some guidance?”

Yun Jian and Iris, who were following behind them, were both startled by her words.

Rong Yu turned around. His crimson robe fluttered lightly, and his backward glance was cold and deep. His handsome features caused everything around him to lose its color.

Their eyes met.

“Ten years ago, His Majesty ordered the construction of the Jinghua Palace in Jiangnan. The official who oversaw the project was Chi Zixian’s father, Chi Shuangxiang, who now serves as Vice Minister of Works,” Rong Yu said calmly.

Lin Yuejiao pressed her lips into a smile and bowed gracefully.

“Thank you for showing me the way, my lord. Farewell.”

When Rong Yu saw her smiling face, he turned, mounted his carriage, and left. His expressionless face nevertheless held the faintest upward curve of his lips.

What a clever little woman.

“My lady, you intend to move against the Chi family?” Iris asked in surprise.

“Of course. The Chi family forced a marriage upon me and bullied me to this extent. Grandmother had already told them clearly that I was going to take the Phoenix Court Academy examination, yet they insisted on having their way and used my eldest uncle’s office to force Grandmother into agreeing. This is no marriage alliance. It is a feud.” Lin Yuejiao smiled. “If I remember correctly, the Chi family also has a noble daughter taking the Phoenix Court Academy examination this year. Madam Chi has certainly made an excellent plan—killing two birds with one stone.”

Iris said worriedly, “But even the entire Lin family cannot afford to offend the Chi family. What can you do, my lady?”

“That is why I asked the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness. Has he not already given me his guidance? We will begin with Jinghua Palace.” Lin Yuejiao smiled sweetly.

The moment the Chi family attempted to force her into marriage, their enmity had been sealed.

Lin Yuejiao carefully searched her memories just now and suddenly recalled something.

In her previous life, when the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness came to Jiangnan to oversee the selection for Phoenix Court Academy, two major events connected to him had occurred during his stay.

Seeing that Iris still looked confused, Lin Yuejiao smiled and explained, “The Lin family cannot afford to offend the Chi family, while the highest official in Jiangnan, the Commissioner, has an exceptionally close relationship with them. Aside from the Heir of Loyalty and Righteousness, no one in all of Jiangnan has the power to move against the Chi family. Even if we possessed evidence of their embezzlement and corruption, it would be useless without someone to oversee the investigation. We cannot exactly travel all the way to the capital to file a direct complaint with the emperor. The capital is a thousand miles away. So when I asked the heir just now, I was testing whether he would uphold justice if I moved against the Chi family.”

“Oh, I understand now. The heir will not only uphold justice, he also told you where to begin if you want to move against the Chi family. That means he must already have been investigating them. What a coincidence! You want to deal with the Chi family, and the heir wants to deal with them too.” Iris suddenly understood.

Lin Yuejiao pressed her lips together. Where was the coincidence? Her memories from her previous life told her that the Chi family had ultimately fallen into Rong Yu’s hands.

“But Jinghua Palace was built ten years ago. It happened so long ago—how are we supposed to investigate it?” Iris was quick-witted as well, and immediately realized how difficult the matter would be.