Gu Changshun couldnt understand why Lin Xie refused to move into the new house in Nanchuan, and stood outside for a while, stunned. He then naturally thought that Lin Xie was just pretending, and remembered what Zhao Neng said about Lin Xie. He spat on the ground and thought with disdain: "This master is really arrogant when hes got the upper hand, not knowing any boundaries at all."

  I dont know how Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong persuaded Lin Zhan to go into the house, but after a while, he became somewhat impatient and urged: "Young Master Lin, when I came to find you, the old master was waiting in the study."

  Many things cannot be told to Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong, so Lin Xian naturally cannot explain his plans to them. Hearing Gu Changshun urging from outside, he said: "You accompany me to see the master of the house..."

  Lin Tingxun only said to see Lin Fu, Lin Jingzhong and Zhao Hu were not supposed to follow, but they were afraid that Lin Fu would take the wrong medicine and talk nonsense in front of Lin Tingxun, so they went to the mansion together. Zhou Pu and Chen Enze followed behind them.

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  When passing by earlier, I had seen the Lin familys grand mansion from afar and already felt its extraordinary grandeur, standing proudly on the west bank of Shiliang River. Chen Enze was also a young master of a wealthy family, and now that he had walked closer, he finally appreciated the majestic atmosphere of this hundred-year-old aristocratic mansion.

  The grand mansions main gate faces south and sits north, with a blue background and golden characters hanging in the center of the gate tower, inscribed "Purple Mansion". The crimson door is tightly closed, adorned with large copper rings. He followed Lin Xuan through the side door and entered, where he saw a straight path extending inward. Listening to Lin Xuan introduce it to Zhou Pu, this path is six steps wide and sixty-eight steps long, separating the eight main courtyards and twenty-four smaller courtyards of the Lin family mansion from south to north on both sides. The entire Lin family mansion is surrounded by high walls made of dark green bricks, forming a castle-like building complex that is nearly four feet thick.

  The Lin family had many houses and fields in Shiliang County, Dongyang Prefecture.

  Lin Xies heart was also filled with emotions, the memories of before were just old photographs, but walking in, he could truly appreciate the grandeur and strength of this place. No wonder he had refused Lin Tingxuns kindness earlier, even Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong thought he was ungrateful.

  Lin Xie sighed inwardly: Thats exactly why I couldnt recognize the courtesy and obey the arrangement.

  The place where Lin Tingxuan usually receives guests is the Xishu Garden on the northeast corner of the mansion. Gu Changshun led a group of people inside. As they passed by the Yucen Courtyard, the sound of a girls giggles came from inside. Lin Tingxuan was still wondering who was playing inside when the courtyard door was suddenly pushed open from the inside, and a maid wearing a pink green jacket and embroidered flower skirt rushed out, colliding with Zhou Pucai behind him.

  I dont know how Zhou Pu made his move, but I saw him put his hand on the maids shoulder and gave her a push. The maid spun around in front of the gate, swayed twice, and actually stood still; Zhou Pu also stood aside with his hands in his sleeves, as if he had never touched the maid at all.

  "Ah!" The young maid, who had almost collided with someone, covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise, her pretty face flushing bright red as she tried to escape. Two more people walked out of the courtyard, and the young man at the front glanced at Lin Xie with a slanted gaze, saying: "Youre making such a racket early in the morning, not letting people sleep! It turns out you really arent dead!" The maid retreated behind the young man, her face still red, but also curiously sizing up Lin Xie and the others.

  Zhao Nai, a servant of the Lin family who had not been seen since parting ways in Baisha County, walked out wearing a short jacket behind the young man. Seeing Lin Xie standing in the corridor, he was also startled, with one foot stepping over the threshold and the other still in the courtyard, unsure whether to step forward or withdraw his foot.

  "Fortunately, Second Master Lin Xuzong was spared from the disaster." Lin Xie saw that Lins second young master, Lin Xuzong, had a very cold tone and responded with a faint sentence. He didnt even look at Zhao Neng, but in his heart, he was puzzled: How did this dog leg Zhao Neng follow Lins second young master Lin Xuzong?

  Lin Tingxun had seven wives and a bunch of daughters, but only three sons. The eldest son, Lin Xuwen, was already married and established in his career as a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works in Yanjing, considered one of the young officials in the capital; the second son, Lin Xuzong, did not inherit any official titles and stayed in Shiliang County to assist Lin Tingxun with family matters. He looked down on Qiuniang Gu Yanshou, who had become strong-willed after marrying into the Lin family, and naturally didnt have a good impression of Lin Mou, who often showed favoritism towards Gu Yanshou; the youngest son, Lin Xuhui, was born to Lin Tingxuns fifth wife when he was 55 years old and is now only ten years old.

  The Lin family had few officials in the imperial court, except for Lin Xuzong, only Lin Tinglis younger brother Lin Tingli served as a fifth-grade prefectural judge in Dongyang Prefecture. The Lin familys deeper political resources were also accumulated over hundreds of years through marital relationships. This tradition has never been lost, and Lin Tinglis seven daughters who have grown up are naturally married to families that are either wealthy or noble.

  Lin Xuzong stood under the eaves, staring at Lin Fu for a while, wondering why this softie was so calm in front of him today? He also raised an eyebrow at Gu Changshun, very puzzled that Lin Fu came back alive and well, but didnt bother to ask.

  Gu Changshun was able to read peoples expressions, and said to Lin Xiuwen: "The old master wants to see Lin Xiucan in the Book Garden, I just found Young Master Lin at the west end of the village."

  "Oh, then my father will definitely ask about the Baisha County matter," Lin Xuzong said to Zhao Neng as he turned back, "Come on, you accompany me to take a look at the Xiashu Garden too."

  Lin Furrowed his brow, still unaware of what Lin Tingxun wanted to talk about, Second Master Lin Xuzong had already taken a clear stance to support Zhao Neng, and didnt even ask if his father was summoning him for consolation or recruitment.

  Gu Changshuns heart was racing with anxiety, thinking to himself: "Could it be that the Second Master doesnt know that the Old Master has just decided to bestow the Nanxi Village residence on Lin Xian? No matter what happened in Baisha County, even if he just pretended to comfort Lin Xian and asked about the situation in Baisha County, the Old Master would still lean towards Lin Xians side. The Second Master is in such a hurry to support Zhao Neng, isnt that going to make things worse?"

  Everyone was there, but Gu Changshun only hummed a low tune as he led the way forward. He also found it strange in his heart: wasnt it just about passing the imperial examination and becoming a jinshi? Did the old master have to go to such great lengths to curry favor? Could Lin Xiu still leave the Lin family?

  In this situation, Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong were completely unable to intervene, they followed behind. Zhao Hus thoughts were a bit rougher, Lin Jingzhong secretly wiped sweat for Lin Fu in private, the second master was furious, afraid that he had been waiting here for them to come over early. Lin Fu had just refused to move into the South Creek Villa, thinking that if Master thought Lin Fu was ungrateful, Lin Fus future days would be difficult to get through.

  Lin Jingzhong wandered into the Ci Shu Garden in the northeast corner of the mansion, and saw that the window of the Warming Pavilion was open. The Seventh Lady stood inside with the master of the house, looking at the plum blossoms in the garden. Seeing the Seventh Lady there, Lin Jingzhong felt a little more at ease.

  "Lin Xuan is really back." Lin Tingxun, 65 years old this year, has sunken cheeks and high cheekbones. His forehead, eye corners, cheeks, and chin are all wrinkled, but a pair of bright eyes are full of spirit, without any signs of aging. He saw a large group of people walking into the courtyard, and his second son Lin Xuexiong was also following behind, talking to Lin Xuan through the pavilion window. His gaze fell on Zhou Pu, and Lin Tingxuns eyes lit up. With his experience, it wasnt hard to see that this man was not an ordinary refugee.

  Zhou Pus origin was unclear, and Lin Tingxuan didnt think much of it. Although the local militia mainly consisted of local sons, they also recruited brave outsiders. As for how these outsiders came to be here, Lin Tingxuan wouldnt bother with that; he only cared about whether they could be used by him or the Lin family. Lin Tingxuan had also noticed that things were getting increasingly chaotic in this era. For a household as large as the Lins to continue on, one couldnt help but put in some thought. He originally wanted Lin Xian to speak with Zhou Pu in the warm pavilion, but after seeing Zhou Pu, he changed his mind and said: "Is this Zhou Zhuangshi? I want to personally thank Zhou Zhuangshi for lending a helping hand to my young nephew Lin Xian in a foreign land... please come in and sit down." As he spoke, he walked to the entrance of the warm pavilion to welcome him personally.

  The previous Lin Xie was both afraid and fearful of the master of the house, Lin Tingxun. At this time, he had only borrowed Lin Xies body and could completely view Lin Tingxun with a different mindset. Listening to Lin Tingxun call him "nephew" in front of everyone, Lin Xie didnt have any special feelings and thought to himself: The Lin family is powerful in Dongyang, and the master of the house, Lin Tingxun, is not a simple character.

  Lin Tingxun heard that he was back alive and immediately put on an impatient expression, wanting to summon him. Before they even met, he had already bestowed upon him a grand mansion. This was because Lin Tingxun valued his identity as a holder of the imperial examination, but didnt think much of him as a person. Lin Tingxun believed that by doing so, it would be enough to make him feel grateful and willing to listen to the Lin familys arrangements, and he would be content with his own fate.

  As Lin Xie walked into the garden, he didnt see Lin Tingxun making an effort to walk to the door of the warm pavilion to show some courtesy. Lin Xie thought that Lin Tingxuns actions in trying to win him over were no different from throwing a dog a bone, but when Lin Tingxun caught sight of Zhou Pus extraordinary qualities, he felt that speaking through the window was too slow.

  Lin Xian thought to himself that he had indeed underestimated the people of this era. Zhou Pu, who came from a military background and had spent ten years as a bandit roaming the Huai River region, had developed an air about him that was difficult to conceal. It seemed that his decision to settle in Dongyang Prefecture and register as a resident was the right one; even if the Lin family could see some flaws, once Zhou Pu registered in Dongyang, they would leave for Jiangning.

  Lin Jie and Zhou Pu walked into the warm pavilion, Lin Tingxun warmly grasped Zhou Pus right hand, with one hand on Zhou Pus shoulder, inviting him to enter the warm pavilion. Zhou Pus tiger-like mouth and thick calluses on his palms confirmed Lin Tingxuns judgment, thinking: If this man could be summoned into the county camp, it would be great! Just now, I heard Yanxiu say that Lin Jie wants to take this fellow as a follower, what qualifications does this child have to take in such a character? Lin Xuzong followed without being called and entered, while others remained guarding the courtyard.

  Lin Tingxun didnt forget to warmly pat Lin Xies shoulder, and with a kind smile, asked: "What took you so long? Did you go to Nanxi first to take a look at the new house?"

  "Thank you for your kindness, Master. Im alone in Shanglin Village and staying at Zhao Hus house is enough. Its really not necessary for two or three people to occupy such a large empty mansion." Lin Xie said.