Lin Tingli was Lin Tingxuns younger brother, fifty years old, in the prime of life, with a robust build. When he entered, his hat almost touched the door frame. His face was full of flesh, and his skin was not smooth, but rather rough and pockmarked. He looked fierce. As soon as he entered, he shouted at Lin Xuzong: "You are indeed my elder brothers good son!" After turning around to greet a few sisters-in-law with a flick of his sleeve, he strode into the inner room, asking the doctor: "How is my elder brothers illness?"

  Lin Xuzong was suddenly scolded by a loud and stern voice, as if a basin of icy water had been poured over his head in the cold season, leaving him stunned.

  Lin Xian looked at Lins second master walking into the inner room and thought he came in so quickly.

  Shi Liang County is the easternmost county of Dongyang Prefecture, nestled between Jiangning, Weiyang, and Huaian prefectures. Although it belongs to Dongyang Prefecture, it is 300 miles away from the city of Dongyang Prefecture. When Lin Jiaqing discovered that Lin Tingxun was ill at dawn when the rooster crowed, he immediately sent someone to inform Lin Jiayou, but even if they rode a fast horse without stopping, it would be barely enough time, and with Lin Jiayous large build, its possible that two good horses could die from exhaustion.

  Lin naturally didnt believe that Lins second master valued brotherly love, so Lin Tingli rarely returned to Upper Lin Village except on the day of ancestor worship. When Lin Tingli came in and scolded Lin Xuzong severely, it was really fierce, making Lin Xuzongs face turn yellow with anger, and if he didnt calm down soon, he would be guilty of unfilial conduct...

  Lins second grandfather rushed back and also blocked Lin Xuzong from taking office!

  Lin Xian thought about the words spoken by Liu Furen in the inner chamber just now, directly implicating Lin Tingxuns illness to Lin Xuexiong. When Lin Ting returned, he again spoke a sentence that implicated Lin Xuexiong, were they in cahoots? Yesterday, Wu Qi personally snuck into the ancestral temple to gather information about the Lin familys movements and confirmed that Lin Tingxun fell ill after tripping in the eastern wing of the temple. However, only Lin Zonghai, Gu Changshun, and Lin Xuexiong, who were also present at the time, knew the specific circumstances. Who between Lin Zonghai and Gu Changshun told Liu Furen the details, and who sent someone to inform Lin Tingli in Dongyang Prefecture?

  Gu Changshun didnt have a choice, for him, Lin Tingxuans death was a fait accompli, he naturally leaned towards the originally predetermined successor, the second young master Lin Xuzong, which was also the most stable option, and there wasnt anything that could be gained by fighting against the wealthy and powerful.

  Lin Zonghai? Its only Lin Zonghai now. He usually looks loyal to Lin Ting, but it turns out his mind is not so simple after all.

  Lin Zonghai and Lin Xuwen, the eldest grandson of the imperial family who was serving as a judicial officer in Beijing, were recently related not only by blood but also by marriage. However, Lin Xuwen was two thousand miles away in Yanjing, unable to intervene in the events unfolding at Shanglinli. Perhaps after Lin Tingyuns death, he would return to Shanglinli to observe three years of mourning, but by then the yellow gourd dish would have gone cold.

  Lin Zonghai may not necessarily be helping Lin Xuwen.

  If Lin Zonghai joins forces with Liu Furen and Lin Tingli to prevent Lin Xuexiong from taking over, labeling him as unfilial, then if Lin Tingxun cannot take over, either the eldest son Lin Xuwen will return to Lins residence to manage the family business, or Lin Tingxuns 10-year-old youngest son Lin Xuexi will be pushed forward as a puppet. Meanwhile, Liu Furen, Lin Tingli, and Lin Zonghai can manipulate everything from behind the scenes. Lin Tingli is probably reluctant to give up his official position as Tongpan of Dongyang Prefecture and return to Dongyang Prefecture City. Wouldnt that make Lin Zonghai the only one in control of Lins residence? What a wonderful plan!

  She glanced at the Sixth Lady, who was covering her face with a embroidered handkerchief, her beautiful eyes red and swollen. The Sixth Ladys name was Shan Rou when she was in the inner chambers, and she was only twenty-six years old, an age when a woman is most flourishing and alluring. Her facial features were as delicate as those of a person in a painting, with a pale face, red lips, beautiful eyes that seemed to hold a wave, wearing a brocade jacket with golden embroidery and a crimson edge, her waist slightly tight, although she was wearing thick clothes, her chest was still bulging, making people unable to help but take another look.

  Lin Xians heart was filled with Lin Tingxuan, who was lying in bed at this time. In his later years, he enjoyed the rare and beautiful blessings of the world. Not to mention the seven wives, the first wife, second wife, and fourth wife had all passed away early. The fifth wife and sixth wife were not one of the most beautiful women in the world, selected from thousands of miles away. The third wife, Xu Nu, was already half old, but she still retained some of her former beauty.

  Men, this life is mixed to Lin Tingxuns level, Lin Xuan thought of his previous life being shot and killed while still single. He had met a girl through blind dating, but she couldnt help dropping hints all the time, and they only managed to secretly hold hands twice in the park.

  Thinking that the Sixth Lady was a weak and timid woman, Lin Xuan also thought that she couldnt bear loneliness. Lin Xuan secretly smiled to himself, thinking that things were getting interesting now. Lin Xiu Zong, who had wished for Lin Ting Yuns early death, probably hoped at this moment that Lin Ting Yun would recover soon; otherwise, the shit in his pants would be hard to wipe clean.

  "Master Lins illness is beyond my capabilities, I can only try out this prescription and see if it has any effect..."

  Looking at the most famous Langzhong Chen Yuting shaking his head and sighing in front of several madams, it means that Lin Tingxun is lucky to be able to lie in bed for a few more days, and its too luxurious to think about getting up again.

  No matter whether Lin Tingxun becomes bedridden or dies in two days, it will not harm the Seventh Lady. Even if Lin Zonghai and the Sixth Lady join forces with Lin Tingli to label Lin Xuzong as unfilial, Lin Xuzong is not without any power to resist. The Third Lady is the legitimate wife, and she has every reason to help her own son. With both sides having equal strength, and the eldest young master being an uncertain factor in Yanjing, the Seventh Lady Gu Yanshao, who has Gu Wuduan as her backing, unexpectedly becomes someone that neither side wants to offend.

  Lin Ting stood in the inner room for a moment before coming out, his eyes saw Lin Xuzongs face and scowled, it wasnt until after a while that he noticed Lin Fu: "Youre the young master of the Lin family! You have great prospects, at such a young age youve already passed the imperial examination, and you handle matters with courage, your future achievements will definitely surpass mine."

  "Second Master is being too kind, Lin Xuan was lucky, not comparable to Second Masters true talent and learning in his younger years." Lin Xuan could confirm that Lin Tingli knew about the events of the past few days in Shanglin Village from the messengers mouth. Lin Tingli usually only returned to Shanglin Village for ancestral worship every year, while he himself was a collateral descendant who had been out of the five degrees of mourning, and did not have the qualifications to enter the ancestral temple during ancestral worship. Even if Lin Tingli had seen him before, he probably wouldnt have left any impression.

  Lin Tingli then took on an elders demeanor and showed concern for Lin Xies thoughts about his future, seemingly hearing for the first time that Lin Xie had been driven out of Shanglin Li by his older brother due to the commotion at Luoma Market the previous night. He said in surprise: "My older brother is also unfair, if I were you, I would have reacted the same way, what crime is there?" He patted Lin Xies shoulder warmly, "If you want to make a name for yourself and bring honor to the Lin family, you should stay in Dongyang and plan your future. Ill take care of things for you, dont worry that the master will wake up and blame you for not leaving Shanglin Li..."

  Lin Tingli was a fifth-grade Dongyang Prefecture judge, and his position in the Dongyang Prefectural government was only slightly lower than that of Prefect Shen Rong and Vice-Prefect Dong Qin. Although Lin Tingli did not get along with his brother Lin Tingxun, he represented the interests of the Lin family to outsiders, and with the support of the powerful local Lin family, Lin Tingli could actually rival the outsider Prefect Shen Rong in influence within the prefecture. If it were the previous Lin Xian, who had no ambitions and bore no responsibilities, everything would be arranged by the family, and he wouldnt have to worry about not having a good future.

  Lin Xian smiled and refused Lin Tinglis offer, saying: "Faithful words are hard to hear but beneficial for the journey. The masters faithful words are still in my ears. Perhaps the master thinks I lack some experience, how could I not know what is good or bad? When the masters illness gets a bit better, I will leave Dongyang Fu and go to Jiangning to make a name for myself..."

  Lin Tings face was unpredictable, and he suddenly burst out laughing: "Good, you have ambition, the Lin familys sons should go out and make a great career..." He spoke loudly in the outer room, not afraid that Lin Ting would lose his mind due to the wind. Apparently, he thought Lin Xuan wanted to go to the bigger tree of Pei Guo Wu, and perhaps those rumors of romance were not just idle chatter made up by Zhaos son.

  Lin Xian considered that even if they joined forces to overthrow Lin Xu Zong and support the ten-year-old Lin Xu Xi as a puppet, it would not be disadvantageous to the Seventh Lady. At this time, being ambiguous in attitude was also harmless, so he stood there with Lin Ting Li exchanging pleasantries.

  Although Chen Yuting, the doctor from Shanglindu Medical Hall, was not inferior to those in Shiliang County, Lins residence still sent someone to invite several famous doctors from the county. They also sent a carriage to Weiyang Prefecture to invite doctors. In the afternoon when the sunset stopped at the treetops, three doctors from the county made a joint diagnosis of Lin Tingxuns illness and shook their heads, asking for further consultation with more experienced doctors. It was only then that Lin Xiu had the opportunity to enter the inner chamber and visit Lin Tingxuns bedside.

  When they met the night before, Lin Tingxuns eyes were still bright and piercing, although his old age was hard to conceal, he still had a tiger-like aura. Now, seeing him with his eyes open but dull and lifeless, unable to speak or move, with a string of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth. When Lin Xuan walked in, two lines of turbid tears flowed out from Lin Tingxuns eyes and dripped onto the pillow. Lin Xuan really didnt know what he was thinking in his heart, perhaps it was that these people couldnt wait for him to die and were treating him as if he were already dead.

  The sun sets in the west, and a famous doctor from Weiyang Prefecture, who was hastily summoned by Lin Tingxuans family, has made a diagnosis. He concludes that even if the worlds top doctors were to come together, they would all be helpless against Lin Tingxuans stroke, and the only option is to use acupuncture and medicine to sustain him for a while and await his fate.

  This made many people breathe a sigh of relief, Lin Xie also breathed a sigh of relief, only Lin Xu Zong was frowning and looking worried.

  Lin Tingxun is still conscious, but unable to speak, except for blinking his eyelids, and his limbs are also immobile. The hope of recovery is slim. Although its not necessary to introduce a new head of the household immediately, the Lin family cant be without someone in charge. Lin Xuexiong also knows that he cant force anything at this time, otherwise, it will provoke Lin Zonghai, Lin Tingli, and the six and seven ladies, as well as Lin Fu and others to rise up and attack. After all, Lin Tingxun is not dead yet, which is in line with the wishes of Lin Tingli, Liu Furen, Lin Zonghai, and others. In this way, the eldest son Lin Xuwen will not return to Shanglin due to mourning and guardianship, and its also impossible to push out the ten-year-old child Lin Xuexi as a puppet.

  Lin Tingli gathered important figures in the clan to discuss matters in the outer house of the garden, outside Lin Xuzongs bedroom. They deliberated for a night, probably because Lin Tingli wanted to give Lin Xuzong an opponent. Lin Fu was also invited to join the discussion - after all, he had not been expelled from the Lin family and still had some achievements in his name. In the end, it was decided that the main person in charge of various Lin family affairs would remain unchanged.

  On the surface, Madame Gu Yingxiu became the biggest beneficiary. After all, she was only in charge of Lin Tingyuns fields, warehouses, and paper workshops before. Now, she doesnt have to be Lin Tingyuns pawn anymore, and it seems like a big power. In fact, each field, warehouse, and workshop has its own person in charge, and most of them are members of the Lin family. It is a big question how much Madame Gu can really control. Anyway, being able to get rid of Lin Tingyuns shadow initially is already a fortunate thing.

  Gu Yingxiu detained seven foreign horse traders, including Wu Qi, to serve as estate guests. Lin Tingli and others did not object. In their view, Gu Yingxiu was after all a concubine who married into the Lin family, so even if she cultivated her own power, it was only for self-protection. Moreover, the sixty fine horses were also needed by the rural camp, but Lin Xian did not want to let the rural camp have an uncontainable cavalry force before the situation in the Lin family became clear, and only agreed to sell twenty horses to the rural camp. The remaining warhorses were still nominally under the name of Madame Qi personally. As long as they could recruit people, with Wu Qi and others present, they would be able to train a capable elite cavalry for Madame Qi.

  Under the sky, there are many places where horses are produced, but the source of good warhorses is mainly concentrated in Hexi, Yannbei, Donghu and other border areas. The empires control over these regions has been almost non-existent for nearly a hundred years, and the Donghu people now even threaten the safety of Guannei. It is impossible to obtain high-quality warhorses from Hexi, Yannbei, Donghu and other places, and only Xiling and other places in Zhongyuan have high-quality horse sources, but they are all monopolized by the garrison, and the quantity is extremely limited.

  Generally speaking, the price of a head of ox in Dongyang Prefecture can be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 coins. A horse for carrying goods would cost twice that, around 9,000 to 10,000 coins. Riding horses are even more expensive. Its not hard to understand why a good warhorse could sell for the high price of 100 taels of silver in Dongyang Prefecture; with 100 taels of silver, you could buy a large double-masted boat that can sail on the Shiliang River.

  The Dongyang Fu Military Commission also has a cavalry regiment, although it has a full quota of 500 people, but there are only 200 horses. Only a few officers in the cavalry regiment have riding horses that can match the average level of the warhorses brought by Wu Qi. Lin Xuzong privately raised 67 bandits, all with horses, but most were small-headed Sichuan horses, which had some endurance, but were not suitable for battlefield charging, otherwise they would not have publicly tried to forcibly buy these horses at the mule market in Shanglin Ferry the other day, resulting in this series of events.

  Lin Xuzong appears to have no losses, but in fact his losses are the greatest. His privately raised bandits have withdrawn from Dongyang Prefecture and it is uncertain when they will return. Previously, he was in charge of the village camp and various miscellaneous affairs. Now that Lin Zonghai is in command of the village camp, he is not on the same path as him, and he naturally cannot intervene in village camp affairs. As for other miscellaneous affairs, there must be miscellaneous affairs pushed to his head before he has anything to do.