Chapter 6: Secret

“Why are you glaring at me like that? What, are you dissatisfied?”

Lin Moyu seemed to find Shen Jixue’s defiant glare overly amusing and pinched her cheeks, shaking them left and right.

“Isn’t it good for you to accompany that blind fool?”

Shen Jixue jerked her head away, flinging off her hand, and said hatefully, “Wicked woman, you’re not allowed to insult the Young Master!”

Lin Moyu’s expression darkened, and she raised her hand for a slap.

Then, drawing the short blade hanging from her waist, she viciously thrust it towards Shen Jixue’s right eye.

Shen Jixue squeezed her eyes shut in fear, her whole body trembling.

Even the two old servant women holding her down showed signs of reluctance, turning their heads aside.

Just as the short blade was about to pierce her eye, a loud shout rang out—

“Stop!”

Lin Moyu froze but didn’t even look back. Gritting her teeth, she continued to stab downward.

Clang—

At the critical moment, a pebble flew through the air, sending sparks flying as it struck Lin Moyu’s short blade, knocking it away.

“Father!” Lin Moyu stomped her foot angrily.

“What are you doing?!”

Lin Shuiyu strode over with a stern expression, waving for the two servant women to release Shen Jixue.

Then, with a slap, he struck Lin Moyu to the ground.

“When will you stop causing trouble?!”

She covered her face, looking back at Lin Shuiyu in disbelief.

Since she was young, her father hadn’t even scolded her, yet today, he had slapped her in front of so many people.

This blow was like a thunderclap to Lin Moyu, leaving her stunned and frozen in place for a long while.

Until she saw that figure slowly entering the garden—a figure with white gauze covering his eyes.

Shen Jixue had been pressed to the ground by the servant women for so long that even after being released, her knees were numb, and she failed several times to stand up.

Luyi stepped forward, supporting her and casually dusting off the dirt from her clothes.

“Sister Luyi,” Shen Jixue, who hadn’t shed a tear even after being bullied, now had red-rimmed eyes as soon as someone stood up for her.

She pouted slightly and said, “I’m sorry, I spilled the food.”

Luyi didn’t even glance at the rice scattered on the ground.

She simply said, “It’s not your fault. The one who should apologize is someone else.”

Lin Mozhi stood quietly in place and softly called, “Father.”

Lin Shuiyu glanced at Lin Moyu, whose eyes were filled with tears, and a hint of pity flashed across his face.

But he quickly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, all emotion had been suppressed.

“Yu’er, apologize to her.”

“Father, what are you saying?” Lin Moyu was shocked. “You want me to apologize to a lowly maid?!”

Lin Mozhi frowned slightly.

“Second Sister, mind your words.”

Lin Moyu’s expression twisted instantly.

She leapt to her feet, pointing angrily at Lin Mozhi, and cursed, “You blind fool born of a lunatic mother! Who are you calling ‘Second Sister’?”

Shen Jixue felt Luyi’s hand tighten around her own.

Looking up, she saw Luyi’s face tense, her jaw clenched, barely holding back her anger.

Yet Lin Mozhi’s expression remained unchanged as she stood calmly in place, saying nothing.

Lin Shuiyu was about to explode in anger when a woman’s voice came from the other side of the garden, “Master, Yu’er is the daughter we’ve raised with love. Do you really have the heart to treat her like this?”

Shen Jixue keenly noticed Lin Mozhi’s grip on her bamboo cane tighten for a brief moment.

It seemed that the graceful woman walking towards them was none other than Madam Lin.

Shen Jixue had heard rumors about Lin Shuiyu, Lin Mozhi’s mother, and Madam Lin.

The truth behind these rumors was hard to discern, but there was undoubtedly deep resentment between them—perhaps even a hidden secret yet to be uncovered.

“Mother,” Lin Moyu stumbled towards Madam Lin, crying pitifully, her face streaked with tears.

“My face hurts so much.”

Madam Lin’s brows furrowed slightly as she gently touched the red mark on her daughter’s face, her expression filled with concern.

“Don’t be afraid, Yu’er. Mother is here. I want to see who dares to bully you.”

What an unreasonable statement.

Shen Jixue sneered silently.

She, the one who had truly been bullied, was still standing here.

Madam Lin had twisted the story without hesitation, even though Lin Shuiyu himself had slapped Lin Moyu and ordered her to apologize.

Everyone present had heard it.

It seemed Madam Lin wasn’t even giving Lin Shuiyu any face.

Clearly, the real power in the Lin family might not lie with Lin Shuiyu.

Or perhaps, Madam Lin had something on him—something strong enough to make the head of the family back down.

Lin Shuiyu’s face was as cold as water.

He stared at the mother and daughter putting on their display of deep affection, glanced briefly at the silent Lin Mozhi, and finally smiled.

“The Madam is right. How could anyone dare to bully Yu’er? It was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”

Madam Lin looked at Lin Mozhi and smiled in satisfaction.

“Yes, just a misunderstanding. Let’s go.”

Lin Mozhi stood tall and straight, like a green pine or bamboo rooted firmly in place.

She had not spoken a word since Madam Lin appeared, nor did she stop them from leaving.

Luyi, on the other hand, clenched her teeth so tightly she almost wished she could pick up the short blade on the ground and kill these hypocrites.

Shen Jixue’s face was still swollen, and the two servant women who had held her down remained in the crowd.

That short blade, which had almost gouged out her eyes, still lay glinting not far away.

In broad daylight, with just a single dismissive “misunderstanding” from those in power, the truth no longer mattered.

Shen Jixue lowered her gaze, looking at the cold, hardened remnants of rice on the ground.

Suddenly, a single tear fell silently, disappearing into the soil without leaving a trace.

But Luyi saw it.

She sighed inwardly, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and patted Shen Jixue’s head.

“Let’s go back too.”

“Alright.”

Shen Jixue sniffled, limping as she followed behind Lin Mozhi and Luyi.

The three of them walked in silence all the way back to Songhe Courtyard.

Once there, Lin Mozhi instructed Luyi to fetch medicine and care for Shen Jixue.

Then she went into her room and did not come out again.

It seemed she was truly angered by Madam Lin.

That very night, a physician was summoned, and the smell of medicine in the room grew even stronger.

For the following month, Luyi prepared medicinal decoctions three times a day without fail.

The entire courtyard was steeped in the scent of medicine.

But amidst the medicinal fragrance, there was also a faint smell of blood.

Could it be… blood coughed up?

What illness did Lin Mozhi actually suffer from?

Lying in bed, Shen Jixue guessed wildly.

If it was tuberculosis, she hadn’t heard any heart-wrenching coughs.

The servants in the manor often gossiped that the master disliked the Young Master because he had been bedridden for so long.

But with the Lin family’s wealth and status, while supreme-grade pills to rebuild meridians might be hard to find, lower-grade pills to cure ailments shouldn’t be an issue.

How could the eldest son of a cultivation family be bedridden like this?

There must be some hidden truth she had yet to uncover.

After that day, Luyi told Shen Jixue that Lin Mozhi had ordered her to stay in bed and recover, avoiding the garden and minimizing any chance of encountering Lin Moyu, that venomous snake.

Shen Jixue obediently agreed.

Resting in bed was fine, but staying entirely within Songhe Courtyard seemed unlikely.

Although Lin Mozhi had started to waver about her identity, he still had suspicions.

It seemed he would only be fully convinced once Xu Chang returned.

In the meantime, Shen Jixue needed to fan the flames ignited by Lin Moyu even higher to ensure nothing went wrong.

Ideally, she would end up injured while protecting Lin Mozhi.

As summer approached, Lin Mozhi’s condition seemed to improve, possibly because his illness was sensitive to the cold.

The warmer weather brought some relief.

Luyi busied herself managing every aspect of Songhe Courtyard and barely had time to catch her breath.

Fortunately, Shen Jixue was somewhat useful.

Although she wasn’t allowed to leave the courtyard, Luyi trusted her with most of the miscellaneous chores.

When Xu Chang had been around, Luyi had more free time to keep a close watch on Shen Jixue.

But now, she no longer had such luxury.

“Listen carefully: if anyone knocks on the door, tell them you’ll report to the Young Master before giving them an answer. Don’t let anyone in.”

Seeing Shen Jixue nod, Luyi added sternly, “The Young Master has a weak stomach. Do not disturb him during meals. Wait until I come out of his room before reporting anything. Understand?”

Shen Jixue nodded again.

“Understood.”

Every evening at dusk, Luyi would enter Lin Mozhi’s room to assist him with dinner and medicine.

She would remain inside for about an hour before emerging.

Compared to the morning and noon visits, the evening stay was significantly longer.

But accounting for the time needed for taking medicine, it barely seemed plausible.

Yet Shen Jixue couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Knock, knock, knock—

“Who is it?”

Shen Jixue poked her head out and saw Steward Zhang smiling broadly at her.

“Where’s Luyi?”

Shen Jixue opened the door slightly wider, blinked, and asked, “Sister Luyi is busy. Steward Zhang, is there something you need?”

“It’s nothing urgent,” Steward Zhang waved his hand.

“Summer is approaching, and it’s time to make summer clothes for the young master and young miss. I just came today to ask if the Young Master has any specific requests.”

Shen Jixue repeated what Luyi had instructed her to say.

“I need to consult the Young Master, but he is busy at the moment. I’ll get back to you after asking him.”

Steward Zhang noticed her speaking in a small-adult manner, completely different from her earlier demeanor.

He had been brushed off with similar words by Luyi several times before and immediately recognized who had taught her.

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s fine, I won’t disturb the Young Master. I’ll just follow the usual arrangements.”

With that, he waved his hand and left.

Shen Jixue bid him farewell, closed the door, and turned her gaze toward the tightly shut main room door before walking over.

She approached quietly, paused for a moment, and listened.

There wasn’t a single sound coming from inside.

Frowning, she knocked on the door.

As expected, there was no response.

After a moment of thought, Shen Jixue reached out and pushed the door firmly.

Through the narrow crack she managed to open, she saw that there was a lock hanging inside.

It’s just a meal—why lock the door?

After thinking it over, she circled around to the side window of Lin Mozhi’s bedroom.

Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her ear against the window and listened carefully.

It was completely silent inside.

This window was closest to the table.

Even if Lin Mozhi were eating very delicately, there should still be at least a faint sound of utensils clinking.

There was only one possibility: The room was empty.

And there must be a secret passage inside Lin Mozhi’s room leading elsewhere.

Shen Jixue narrowed her eyes.

An hour every day—factoring in the time to travel back and forth and handle tasks—the range of reachable places wasn’t very large.

But if Lin Mozhi were leaving the manor through a secret passage and immediately traveling via a carriage or beast-drawn cart embedded with Swift Stones, the entire Feixue City would be within reach.

Where exactly Lin Mozhi was going was hard to determine.

She neither wanted to know nor needed to.

However, this might be an opportunity for her to reignite the flames of her plan.

Shen Jixue stood by the window.

After waiting for more than half an hour, just as the sun dipped below the horizon, she finally heard the faint sound of a mechanical lock resetting inside the room.

She quickly stepped away from the window, circled to the backyard, picked up an axe, and resumed chopping firewood.

Luyi came over from the front courtyard.

Seeing Shen Jixue chopping wood, she didn’t say much, only casually remarked, “It’s getting dark. Continue tomorrow.”

She seemed to realize her words sounded like concern, so she turned back and stiffly added, “Look at how clumsy you are—don’t go hurting yourself again.”

“Alright,” Shen Jixue smiled as brightly as ever, her eyes squinting slightly.

“Thank you, Sister Luyi.”