As night fell and the sound of the hour struck just after 7 p.m., the bustle of Shengjing City gradually faded away. During the day, it was packed to the rafters, but now only the street sweepers under the government's employ were left tidying the streets.
Located on Chang'an Street, closest to the south of the Imperial City, the Prime Minister's Mansion was lit up with palace lanterns in the backyard by the orderly maids and servants.
As the exquisite sheep's horn-shaped palace lanterns were lit one by one, the entire mansion radiated a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
Yet, in the main room of the East Cross Courtyard, Mrs. Dong was quietly weeping with her head bowed, her sobs subdued, not daring to make too much noise.
Beside her sat Mr. Lin, Lin Guangzu, with a furrowed brow. His fists clenched and unclenched as he sighed long and hard, looking at his wife with words that wouldn't come.
"Husband, what do we do? We only have one daughter, and now she has to enter the palace to become someone important! Those in the West Wing speak sweetly, but in truth, isn't it because their daughter, who has been in the palace for years, has only birthed a princess? Isn't having Qianqian enter the palace just to secure her favor?"
Thinking of her sensible daughter, Mrs. Dong could no longer restrain her sobs, clutching her handkerchief tightly, wishing she could tear apart the royal decree that sent her daughter into the palace.
"We had thought to keep her a few more years and let her marry at her own pace, never expecting to be plotted against by that old woman of Ronghe Hall. Knowing she was to enter the palace, we should have arranged her marriage earlier when she came of age."
Remorseful, Mr. Lin punched his leg, but his skinny arms did him no harm.
He who always regarded filial piety highly now referred to his stepmother as "that old woman of Ronghe Hall," which caused Mrs. Dong to halt her sobbing.
Complaining of the grievances suffered over the years.
"Our Xingzhi is now twenty-three years old, yet he's still just an unranked guard. It's hard for anyone to believe that the legitimate grandson of the esteemed Prime Minister Lin can't even attain the lowest seventh-rank court guard, merely inviting ridicule."
"Our Mu Zhi is now a boy of about thirteen and can't even enter the illustrious Imperial College, only able to have a scholar teach him at home. Even with lofty aspirations, he has no wings to soar."
Sinking deeper into sorrow, her tear-reddened eyes swelled from rubbing.
It seemed their entire household had become mere companions to the West Wing, and now they wouldn't even spare their only daughter.
Hearing his wife's lament, and recalling the decades of neglect and alienation they faced, Mr. Lin felt indignant.
But he could do nothing more than wave his fists in impotent fury.
For his stepmother was Princess Rongkang from Prince Zhan Mansion, and with decades of accumulated authority, she not only managed the entire mansion but also had influence in both the palace and the imperial court.
And her true legitimate granddaughter, Lin Wanzhou, the legitimate eldest granddaughter of Prime Minister Lin, was now the Imperial Concubine, second only to the highest in the palace.
Lamentably, the servants claimed that the West Wing were the true masters of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
And for those in the East Cross Courtyard, without Mrs. Dong's family support, they would have long become a desolate courtyard or been sent back to guard the ancestral home.
Sighing long, Mr. Lin felt both a deep hatred for his own helplessness and pity for his children.
They seemed glamorous yet lived with difficulty.
The candlelight stretched their shadows across the window, and outside, Lin Xingzhi and Lin Wanyi, who had come to offer their parents some sweet soup, overheard the entire conversation.
Lin Wanyi was somewhat taken aback, furrowing her brow as she thought about the matter.
Lin Xingzhi's hand, holding the wooden tray, showed bulging veins, and his face looked grim.
He had just come off duty today and ran into his sister on the way back to his room, coming together to greet their parents, only to unexpectedly overhear that the West Wing intended to send his sister into the palace.
In his urgency, he wanted to break in immediately, but Lin Wanyi stopped him.
She gently shook her head at him, took his arm, and said in a low voice.
"Brother, come with me."
Then she practically dragged him from the main house to her small courtyard.
"Qianqian, why won't you let me go in and get some clarity?"
Lin Xingzhi was exceedingly agitated about anything concerning his sister, especially after hearing about entering the palace involving the West Wing and the people of Ronghe Hall, his long-repressed anger almost erupted.
Looking at her brother's current state, Lin Wanyi knew without a doubt how much it would pain and sadden their parents.
The cool breeze along the way had cleared her mind long since.
"Brother, what would you ask if you went in? Saying more won't change the fact that I have to enter the palace, will it? Rather, it would cause our parents more distress. Why bother?"
"But this is your marriage at stake! The West Wing is going too far!"
Punching the pearwood table so hard that the green porcelain cups trembled and clattered.
Lin Wanyi stepped forward, checking his hand. It was just slightly red, nothing concerning.
So she slowly spoke, her tone revealing no trace of loss or difficulty.
"What's done is done, an imperial order cannot be defied. For us to survive in this house has been difficult. If my marriage causes the Commandery Princess and those in the West Wing to be angered, how could Mother live peacefully in the backyard? Recently, Grandfather arranged a position for Father to enter the Astronomical Bureau. So, if my entering the palace can ensure our family's safety and peace, Brother, I am willing a thousand times over."
Lin Wanyi's eyes were filled with sincerity, even more with concern for her family.
Seeing his sister so sensible, Lin Xingzhi felt extremely pained.
Clearly, she was only seventeen and could have led a peaceful life in an ordinary family, yet everything turned into a mirage.
Entering the palace appeared to be an honor of the highest order, but behind it, how many thorny paths must she tread?
The West Wing's Lin Wanzhou had become the Imperial Concubine, yet she did not appear to have a particularly happy life. What kind of days would her sister face?
"Qianqian..."
Lin Xingzhi wanted to persuade her but didn't know where to start.
That night, nobody in the East Cross Courtyard slept well.
Early the next morning, just as the clouds began to part at dawn.
Nanny Liu from Ronghe Hall personally came to the East Cross Courtyard to invite Mrs. Dong and Lin Wanyi over for a talk, her face wearing an uncharacteristically cordial expression.
"Second Miss is really blessed. She's about to enter the palace to become a noble. Mrs. Dong can be at ease, our Imperial Concubine will take care of her, and Second Miss won't suffer at all. Perhaps she will enjoy wealth and fortune immediately, isn't that also a blessing for the first branch?"
Talking and walking, she continued to flatter and comfort.
Mrs. Dong's eyes remained slightly red, her lips pressed tightly together.
Under her wide sleeves, she held Lin Wanyi's hand and was unwilling to let go for a long time.
Lin Wanyi held her mother's slightly trembling hand in return, wanting to convey her own calmness to reassure her.