Volume 1, Chapter 7: You Must Live Well

Lin Qingwu’s gaze locked onto the fleeing figure, alarm bells ringing in her heart. She immediately employed her lightfoot skills to pursue him.

With a nimble flip of her body, she blocked the man’s path and kicked him to the ground.

“Uncle Yang!” Lin Qingwu quickly recognized him as the man assigned by the Lin family to guard the ancestral graves. Her brows knit together. “Why are you running?”

Logically, his presence here was unremarkable, but his attempt to flee upon seeing them clearly suggested something was amiss.

Seeing Lin Qingwu, Uncle Yang looked as if he had seen a ghost. He struggled to rise from the mud, desperate to continue his escape. However, before he could scramble up from the slippery, rain-soaked ground, Jun Yue struck him unconscious with a single palm.

“Leave this man to me. If Miss Lin has any questions, perhaps you might find the answers at the Duke’s Mansion…”

Jun Yue’s words left Lin Qingwu momentarily stunned.

“The Duke’s Mansion…” Lin Qingwu repeated in a low voice. But she soon understood his subtext; perhaps she already knew where the problem lay.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I shall take my leave.” Lin Qingwu cast a grateful glance at Jun Yue before turning to depart.

Jun Yue watched her retreating figure and immediately summoned Mo Ci from the shadows. “Follow her. Ensure Miss Lin returns to the residence safely.”

“Huh?” Mo Ci pointed at himself, puzzled. “My Lord, is… is this really necessary?”

After all, he had a clear understanding of what Lin Qingwu was capable of back in the day; if she truly encountered danger, it was uncertain who would be protecting whom.

Jun Yue shot him a cold glare. “Go if I tell you to. Why so much chatter?”

Stunned by Jun Yue’s icy gaze, Mo Ci dared not speak further and immediately set off to follow Lin Qingwu.

…

Back at Purple Bamboo Court, Yun Shang was jolted awake by the thunder in the middle of the night, only to find that Lin Qingwu was no longer on her bed.

“Miss!” Yun Shang searched every corner of the courtyard in a panic, but there was no sign of Lin Qingwu.

The young maid stamped her feet in distress. “Oh no, Miss is truly gone. But in the middle of the night, with this downpour, where could she possibly have gone?”

She grabbed an umbrella and rushed out of the courtyard to search for her, only to see a figure slowly walking toward her through the rain.

“Miss!” Yun Shang was both shocked and delighted, and she hurried to meet her.

Close up, she realized that Lin Qingwu was drenched from head to toe, her hair plastered against her cheeks, and her entire body covered in mud. She looked utterly wretched, yet she seemed entirely different from the person seen earlier that day.

Before Yun Shang could ask anything, Lin Qingwu commanded, “Let’s go back inside first.”

Once inside, Lin Qingwu immediately ordered Yun Shang to prepare bathwater. After bathing and changing, she showed no intention of resting, instead heading toward the bookshelf to open a long-sealed secret chamber.

Watching Lin Qingwu, whose state had been strange since her return, Yun Shang felt a wave of worry. “Miss, your health is already frail, and you’ve been caught in the rain tonight. It would be better to rest.”

Lin Qingwu turned, her gaze fixed firmly on Yun Shang. “Yun Shang, I have a matter of vital importance to attend to. Do not disturb me until I emerge.”

“Yes.” Though Yun Shang wanted to persuade her further, she lacked the courage to say more in the face of this version of Lin Qingwu.

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, the door to the secret chamber finally opened again.

Yun Shang, who happened to be entering the room with a food box, saw her and a smile broke across her worried face. “Miss, you’ve come out at just the right time. Please, come and eat.”

As she opened the box, she continued, “From now on, I will supervise your meals. Since I am back, I will make sure your health is well taken care of.”

Listening to Yun Shang’s nagging words of concern, a warmth bloomed in Lin Qingwu’s heart. She walked over, took the porridge Yun Shang offered, and placed it before her. “Sit down and eat with me.”

“I have already eaten, Miss. Please, enjoy your meal.” Yun Shang gave a playful smile. “You must have caught a chill last night. I am still brewing ginger soup in the kitchen; I need to go keep an eye on it.”

Yun Shang ran off, and Lin Qingwu shook her head helplessly.

Whether it was due to a cold or the lack of sleep, her head felt heavy and the food tasted like nothing, but she forced herself to swallow it. There was no other choice; she had to survive.

She had to find her mother’s true remains, figure out who the imposter occupying her home was, and perhaps resolve every mystery to bring justice to her mother.

Lin Qingwu drank the porridge spoonful by spoonful, a long-lost sharpness returning to her eyes.

“You wretched maid! Acting like you’re at death’s door while sneaking back to Purple Bamboo Court, as if you’re still some noble young lady!”

Lin Qingying suddenly kicked the door open and stormed in. With her angry curse, she lashed out with a whip, knocking the bowl from Lin Qingwu’s hand. Porcelain shattered everywhere, and a bloody welt appeared on Lin Qingwu’s arm.

However, this time, Lin Qingwu did not kneel in panic or offer apologies as she usually did. She merely glanced calmly at the wound on her hand and picked up a handkerchief to gently wipe away the blood. Only then did she lift her eyes to look at Lin Qingying. “I was unaware of your grand arrival. What are your instructions?”

Seeing that she had not risen to greet her as usual, Lin Qingying’s face turned livid. Recalling the news she had just received, she was consumed by rage. “You lowly servant, what kind of attitude is that?!”

She raised her whip, intending to strike again, but Lin Qingwu reached out and caught it, causing Lin Qingying to stumble. “You scoundrel! You murderer! How dare you fight back? You’re courting death!”

“Miss!” At that moment, Yun Shang heard the commotion and rushed over. Seeing the scene, she tried to charge forward to protect Lin Qingwu, but was held back firmly by Chunlan and Chunxi at the door.

Yun Shang’s eyes were red with urgency as she exerted all her strength to break free. “Miss Qingying, take your anger out on me! My mistress is a lady of this house just like you; you cannot bully her like this!”

“Mistress? Lady?” Lin Qingying laughed as if she had heard the greatest joke. “Lin Qingwu is nothing but a criminal slave!”

Glaring at the maid who dared to offend her, she was incensed. “And what are you, to lecture me?!” She gestured for Chunlan and Chunxi to deal with Yun Shang.

“Why make such a scene?” Lin Qingwu spoke up, cutting through the noise. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Lin Qingying’s expression flickered, but she eventually managed to calm her rage. She stared fixedly at Lin Qingwu and commanded, “All of you, get out! I want to speak with her alone.”