Chapter 62: Not Having the Heart to Let Her Live as a Widow All Her Life

Madame Qin’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her voice, “What do you want to do?”

Lin Xianyun rolled her eyes and said, “Mother, she is very much on guard against us, and opportunities won’t come by often. Therefore, we must seize this one.”

Madame Qin’s gaze darkened, “Do you mean today?”

Lin Xianyun nodded.

Madame Qin was somewhat disapproving, “But today is your day of great joy. If a scene is made, you will be affected as well.”

Lin Xianyun, however, smiled, “Seeing her fall into the mud on my wedding day would be happiness upon happiness.”

Knowing that Lin Xianyun had suffered a heavy blow at the hands of Lin Wanqing in her past life, Madame Qin figured she must be yearning for Lin Wanqing’s death. She asked, “Then what should we do?”

Lin Xianyun raised her fingers, which were stained with henna, and inspected them, “Lu Jinoxiao won't be able to act like a real man from now on. She is my elder sister, how could I truly bear to watch her spend her whole life as a living widow? I shall play the good Samaritan and let her truly experience the delight of being a woman.”

Madame Qin’s eyes widened in utter disbelief, completely unprepared for Lin Xianyun to be so daring.

With a smile, Lin Xianyun said, “Mother, if a woman isn’t ruthless, her position remains unstable. In my past life, I was far too merciful, which gave her the chance to turn the tables on me. In this lifetime, how could I possibly give her the opportunity to harm me again?”

Madame Qin paused, realizing there was indeed truth to these words, and said, “Alright then, tell me what you want to do, and I’ll make the arrangements.”

Lin Xianyun leaned close to Madame Qin’s ear and whispered a few words. The expression on Madame Qin’s face shifted rapidly from solemnity to excitement.

“Focus on putting on your makeup; I’ll go handle the arrangements right away. This time, I will make sure that wretched little hussy gets trampled into the dirt, never to climb back up for the rest of her life!”

Only by doing so could she soothe the bitter hatred of having so much of her silver stolen!

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Lin Wanqing was chatting warmly with the various ladies.

With the misunderstanding regarding the congratulatory gifts cleared up, everyone naturally seized the opportunity to curry favor with her.

A round-faced matron spoke up, “Madame Lu, I am truly sorry. I was led astray just now and almost wronged you.”

Lin Wanqing smiled and replied, “Madame Zhang need not dwell on it. It was merely a trivial matter, and I haven't taken it to heart.”

In truth, the one who had spoken the loudest earlier was precisely this Madame Zhang. Her husband was also a merchant, though his relations with the Lin family were ordinary, coupled with a hint of rivalry. Thus, she thoroughly enjoyed watching the Lin family make fools of themselves. Whether it was Lin Wanqing losing face or Madame Qin losing face, she relished seeing it all.

Madame Zhang smiled flatteringly, “No wonder Madame Lu was able to marry into the General’s Mansion; this poise and bearing are simply beyond what ordinary people can compare to.”

The other matrons chimed in to agree with this sentiment.

In her past life, Lin Wanqing had seen plenty of opportunists in the business world. Compared to those merchants, the attitudes of these matrons didn’t even count as a side dish, so she genuinely didn't care at all and chatted and laughed with everyone without a trace of lingering resentment.

Yet, in the eyes of others, the impression was entirely different. The eldest daughter of the Lin family possessed such a poised and articulate manner—generous, dignified, and entirely free of airs or vindictiveness despite having the moral high ground.

A young woman like this was certainly not someone an ordinary household could raise. Compared to Madame Qin’s own daughter, the two were as different as clouds and mud.

Previously, they had considered Madame Qin to be a decent person, but who could have imagined she was actually so despicable, keeping such an exceptional young woman tightly under wraps without leaking even the slightest hint of news outside. Otherwise, they would have certainly fought to secure her for their own sons.

With such an exemplary daughter-in-law, a family’s prosperity would be guaranteed!

It was a pity, however, that she had married into the General’s Mansion and become a general's wife.

Yet, it wasn't truly a pity either; what kind of place was the General’s Mansion? It was a height that merchants like them could never hope to reach in this lifetime. For a young woman like her to marry into such a prestigious household was indeed well-deserved.

Thinking along these lines, their hearts ached once more. Clearly, their own sons once had the chance to marry a young woman destined to be the mistress of the General’s Mansion!

It was all because of Madame Qin, that narrow-minded stepmother, who caused their sons to miss out on such an opportunity!

Unaware that she had momentarily become a lingering regret in the hearts of the gathered matrons, Lin Wanqing continued to converse with everyone with grace and decorum.

Time flew by until midday, when a maidservant from the Lin residence came to invite everyone to take their seats at the banquet.

The wedding customs in Yuzhou City dictated that the ceremony took place in the afternoon. The bride’s family began hosting guests from the evening before, followed by a banquet at noon the next day, and another that evening—a total of three consecutive wedding feasts. The groom's family followed the same arrangement.

Lin Wanqing joined the others in taking her seat. Given her current status, she was seated at the head table, alongside official-ranking matrons from Yuzhou City and wives of the wealthiest merchants.

The Lin family was wealthy and thoroughly enjoyed showcasing their financial prowess through such banquets, ensuring the feast was exceptionally extravagant. There were over a dozen rare delicacies from the mountains and seas alone, not to mention the numerous other courses.

With the hosts being generous, the guests ate to their hearts' content.

One matron raised her wine cup toward Lin Wanqing and said, “Madame Lu, we never used to see you out and about. You must mingle with everyone more often from now on, and let us all bask in your good fortune.”

Lin Wanqing also raised her cup and replied, “Indeed, I should get out more. I also hope to catch some of the financial prosperity from all you esteemed ladies.”

Hearing this, the matrons burst into radiant smiles.

Normally, they found those pretentious official-ranking matrons utterly exhausting to deal with—women who clearly weren't high-ranking officials themselves, yet put on airs as if they were royalty. The moment money or business was mentioned, they would immediately adopt a disdainful expression, acting as though associating with merchants was beneath them.

Yet, who wasn't aware of their shallow backgrounds?

Whose household didn't require silver to get by? Could it be that these officials subsisted solely on wind and dew without touching the dust of the mortal world? Uttering sheer nonsense! Every single official's wife sitting at this table—without exception—had business ventures of their own. Which of them wasn't fiercely scheming to earn more silver?

Yet when it came to speaking openly, each one acted as pure and lofty as could be.

What a load of pretense!

Madame Lu was refreshingly straightforward! She loved silver and wanted to earn it, and she stated it plainly. How could anyone not like her?

Consequently, the merchant matrons were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, raising their cups to toast Lin Wanqing.

Lin Wanqing accepted them all without hesitation. Having taken an antidote beforehand, she had no need to fear drunkenness.

Just as she was about to bring the wine cup to her lips, someone violently crashed into her from behind, causing the entire cup of wine to spill across her garments.

“Spare my life, Eldest Miss! This servant tripped and did not mean to bump into you.”

A maid dressed in the attire of the Lin household knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy repeatedly, drawing the gazes of guests at the other tables.

Lin Wanqing waved a hand and said, “Get up. It’s just some wine.”

However, wearing damp clothing felt rather uncomfortable and was somewhat improper. Therefore, Lin Wanqing addressed the ladies, “Please continue dining, everyone. I shall go change into a fresh outfit and return shortly.”

Naturally, no one raised any objections, and they urged her not to rush.

Accompanied by her two personal maidservants, Lin Wanqing headed toward the courtyard she used to inhabit.

Because of today’s grand wedding at the Lin residence, the maidservants and pages of the estate had been reassigned to help out in the front courtyard, leaving the rear quarters exceptionally quiet.

The mistress and her two maids returned to the familiar courtyard with practiced ease. Having stood vacant for little more than a month, the courtyard already appeared somewhat desolate and dreary.

Lin Wanqing, however, paid it no mind; she had never liked this place to begin with, so whatever state it fell into was of no consequence to her.

Pushing open the door to her former bedchamber, Lin Wanqing walked into the inner room herself, while Banhai went off to fetch a change of clothes.

“Oh, how strange, where have all of the young miss’s clothes gone?”