roccoschili Chapter 255 Madam Lin's Worries
Chapter 255 Madam Lin's Worries
For so many years, my mother has been struggling to stay in Kyoto with me, worrying about my father and brother on the border every day, which has caused her to grow gray hair early and become haggard.
“Mother, I know you have suffered.” Lin Wan’er knelt beside her mother, bowed to the Buddha statue, and said, “But I accept it. I love him and I want to marry him.”
“You’ll understand when you reach my age. In the face of reunion and death, whether you like someone or not isn’t so important,” Madam Lin continued. “Don’t I love your father enough?”
Lin Wan'er fell silent again, because her mother was worried day and night because she loved her so much.
“Others may only see two or three parts of this suffering, but you have to bear ten parts of it yourself. If you love deeply, then you have to bear twelve parts of it.” Madam Lin continued, “I can’t watch you follow in my footsteps.”
"Mother, I see your suffering. When the time is right, I will find a way to send you to the Northern Border to reunite with Father," Lin Wan'er comforted her.
This has always been her idea, but she can't do it now because the emperor is wary of the Lin family and she doesn't have enough say.
"At my age, I don't expect anything anymore. I just hope you can find a stable and reliable family and live a peaceful and tangible life."
Madam Lin put down her prayer beads and looked at her daughter: "Mother knows you can't accept it now, but in time you'll understand that Mother is doing this for your own good."
Lin Wan'er thought of her previous life. She was the Empress, the supreme mother of the world, and had a stable life. But how did she live her life?
The palace walls she could never see through, the palace walls where people fought to the death, made her unwilling to even have a child to repeat her life.
"Mother, I know you mean well, but I've really thought it through. What I want isn't a peaceful life." Lin Wan'er's voice was gentle yet firm.
“My daughter doesn’t want to be confined to the inner quarters counting down the days. I won’t wait for her. I also want to don my armor and go to war. That’s what I want to do and what I should do.”
"My child," Madam Lin's body went limp upon hearing this, her eyes blurry with tears as she looked at her, "Must you choose the most difficult path?"
"Mother, please forgive your unfilial daughter for not being able to be by your and Father's side to fulfill her filial duties." Lin Wan'er said with a look of shame.
On the battlefield, there is no guarantee of return. It is perfectly normal for parents to bury their children.
Madam Lin looked at Lin Wan'er and just cried. She only had this one daughter. How could she bear to let her shed blood on the battlefield? How could she bear to let her marry a general who was just like her?
"Mother, I'm not in a hurry for you to make a decision. Let me help you back to rest." Lin Wan'er looked at her mother with only heartache in her eyes.
Her decision undoubtedly made her mother's life even more difficult, but she believed it was only temporary. Once she improved the firearms, her father and brothers' safety would be somewhat guaranteed.
Once the enemy forces on all sides are defeated and peace prevails throughout the land, their family's life will improve.
Just as she escorted Madam Lin back to her room, her personal maid came in from outside and whispered, "Miss, there is a letter for you. It's from the Shen family."
There was no signature, but Lin Wan'er could guess what it was. Opening it and seeing the handwriting confirmed her suspicions.
"Persuade your aunt to agree as soon as possible; otherwise, things may change."
Lin Wan'er closed her eyes after reading it. She knew the implications perfectly well, but given her mother's condition, she had to proceed cautiously. She believed that as long as she remained steadfast, her mother would eventually agree.
Just a matter of time.
Even after sending the letter, Shen Li was still not entirely at ease. She was certain that once the Crown Prince and Prince Yi got wind of the situation, they would try to win Lin Wan'er over to their side.
The only saving grace is that both crown princes are busy with Zhou Zhen's case at a crucial time, so hopefully they won't have time to interfere.
However, she was a cautious person and was always worried about unforeseen circumstances.
However, the final decision rests with Lin Wan'er, since outsiders can't interfere in matters like communicating with parents.
Her eyes darted around; she needed to cause the Crown Prince some trouble, making him even more preoccupied with other matters.
So she wrote a note with her left hand, recording what Bai Wuyou had reminded her about earlier that day: that officials at several passes were acting on Zhou Zhen's orders to facilitate the Honglian Cult. She then asked Lian Qiao to secretly deliver it to Zhao Jing, the commander of the Flying Fish Guard.
Although Gu Chang'an was not in the capital, he had left secret guards for Shen Li, and the message was quickly sent over.
The Crown Prince is surely preoccupied with his own troubles, and as for the Prince of Yi, there isn't a good opportunity to strike him down, nor is the timing right. She still needs to rely on the Prince of Yi's power to crush Li Heng.
After finishing all that, she washed up and went to bed. While reading, she missed Gu Chang'an again and started counting on her fingers to see when he would return.
The news spread throughout Kyoto the next day that the Lin family had rejected the Xiao family's marriage proposal. This surprised everyone, firstly because the Xiao family had never discussed marriage before, and secondly because no one expected that a family of the Xiao family's standing would be rejected.
The Xiao family was clearly not the first to be rejected by the Lin family, so people began to wonder what kind of son-in-law the Lin family wanted. If even the Duke's mansion was not good enough, then only the royal family would be more prestigious.
But will His Majesty allow any prince to marry the general guarding the border?
Li Heng had long harbored the intention to win over Lin Wan'er, and had even sent people to make arrangements, but now he had no energy at all. He had to do his best to protect his people in the Zhou Zhen case.
If the foundation is lost, then truly nothing is lost.
For the next seven or eight days, Shen Li stayed at home and did not go to the Hanlin Academy or even the palace. She did not want to be bothered by Li Heng anymore.
"Miss, a letter has been sent back from Shanxi Road." Peony skipped in, carrying the letter.
Shen Li's eyes lit up, she put down her paintbrush and took the letter. It was written by Gu Chang'an himself, saying that things were going very smoothly and that he would set off back to the capital in two days.
It would take two days for the letter to arrive, which meant that Gu Chang'an was already on his way.
Shen Li's mood improved dramatically. She had been worried that she couldn't help her cousin and Wan'er on her own these past few days, but things were different once her husband returned.
She felt more confident.
"Make preparations, we'll move back to the manor in a couple of days," Shen Li instructed.
Peony responded and gave the order: "Let's tidy up here quickly; the Gu residence also needs a thorough cleaning."
"His return is just in time. The Three Divisions are never ruthless enough without their husbands," Shen Li muttered.
"Isn't that enough?" Yu Die said from the side, "Hasn't the charges against Chief Minister Zhou already been settled? In just a few days, more than a dozen officials have been implicated and imprisoned. Everyone in the capital is already living in fear."
Shen Li shook her head slightly: "Zhou Zhen's power is far greater than this. Although we need to leave some behind to continue fighting against the King of Chess, we can't leave too many behind."
The Ministry of Justice and the Censorate ultimately had dealings with Zhou Zhen. With the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review absent, the Junior Justice did not have much say in front of those two. The fact that things had reached this point already showed that Prince Yi was exerting his influence.
This is why her father insisted on having the prince preside over the trial despite her initial objections; otherwise, the crown prince's influence would not have been eradicated.
Of course, when it comes to the ability to manipulate prisons, even several chess kings are no match for one Gu Chang'an.