Chapter 164: Deep-Rooted Passion

"You must be the young lady from Magistrate Wang's household, right?" Lin Sangqian smiled and said, "I am Lin Sangqian. Do come in and have a seat."

Wang Qiongshi, who hadn't felt much of anything just moments ago, suddenly felt awkward and restless. As she walked in with her two maids, she caught sight of the snowman in the courtyard and felt a sudden itch to join in. She, too, wanted to build a snowman.

"Miss Wang, it’s cold outside. Let’s go inside," Lin Sangqian urged.

"Right..." Wang Qiongshi nodded.

Word quickly spread among the Lin family that the young lady from the Wang family had arrived. Liao Shuxia looked at Wang Qiongshi, who was sitting primly before her, and felt a touch of embarrassment. After all, her son had refused to marry the girl. While he hadn't done anything wrong, the situation was undeniably awkward.

Zhao Lan'er and Xiao Yawen bustled in with several cups of hot milk tea, then lingered, refusing to leave. After all, they possessed a deep-seated love for gossip!

Wang Qiongshi held a cup of hot milk tea in her hands. She looked up and saw Liao Shuxia watching her with a gentle smile. She turned her head, only to see Lin Sangqian looking at her with a similar smile. She turned again, and there were Zhao Lan'er and Xiao Yawen, also…

Wang Qiongshi grew even more nervous, unable to string a coherent sentence together: "I... I... I..."

Seeing their young mistress being so timid, her two maids felt a sense of frustration. One of them spoke up directly, "It is like this: we saw Scholar Lin earlier."

"Is that so?" Lin Sangqian asked, excited. "What did he say?" She was truly curious about how her wooden-headed second brother would treat Wang Qiongshi.

"He was very kind!" Wang Qiongshi quickly replied. "He was very good."

Liao Shuxia and Lin Sangqian exchanged a glance, both secretly thinking that things were looking grim. It seemed this Miss Wang was truly deeply infatuated with Lin Yanbei. Even in front of his family, she couldn't help but sing his praises. Naturally, it went without saying how she must behave in front of her own parents.

"Yanbei only knows how to study all day. If he said anything that offended you, please don't take it to heart," Liao Shuxia said, not wanting the young woman to be too heartbroken.

"Scholar Lin didn't say anything to hurt my mistress's feelings, but we did run into a Mrs. Yu later," the maid continued.

"Mrs. Yu? You mean the wife of Young Master Yu Jingxiao?" Xiao Yawen asked immediately. "What did she say?" That insufferable white lotus—what good could possibly come out of her mouth?

"She said that you had spoken ill of my mistress in front of Scholar Lin," the maid stated bluntly. Though they were slightly more mature than Wang Qiongshi, their personalities were quite similar—straightforward and honest.

Qi Erliu likely never imagined things would turn out this way.

"She’s spouting nonsense!" Xiao Yawen was so angry she nearly jumped. "We have never mentioned you in front of Second Brother Lin, let alone spoken ill of you!"

"Miss Wang, we are strangers to one another; there is truly no need for us to stir up trouble in front of Scholar Lin," Zhao Lan'er added.

"And it’s even less likely for me," Lin Sangqian said. "What benefit would I gain from driving my second sister-in-law away?"

"I know, I know." Wang Qiongshi nodded vigorously. She felt that these girls from the Lin family were quite wonderful—certainly much more genuine than that Mrs. Yu. Especially when Lin Sangqian called her "Second Sister-in-law," it made her heart bloom with joy. Surely this was far better than Qi Erliu!

"My goodness, it’s a good thing you came to us," Liao Shuxia said. "Otherwise, we might have been fooled by Qi Erliu."

"That wouldn't have happened. When she spoke to me, I already felt she was incredibly fake," Wang Qiongshi said. "Unlike you all—the moment I saw you, I felt a sense of kinship."

"It’s strange, but I feel a kinship with you too!" Liao Shuxia said, holding her hand. "It’s a pity my second son is so exasperating. A girl as wonderful as you, and he... no, I mean, his eyes are only filled with books."

"I won't give up!" Wang Qiongshi said solemnly. "Unless he marries someone else, I will not marry anyone else."

"But I fear it will delay your happiness," Liao Shuxia said with a pang of sympathy. How could this girl be so foolish?

"I’m not afraid!" Wang Qiongshi declared. "If I cannot marry the person I love, then I would rather remain unmarried for life."

Lin Sangqian looked at the young woman before her with great admiration. In this era, for a young lady from a wealthy, pampered background to hold such convictions was truly rare.

As they chatted, Wang Qiongshi began to let her guard down. "That woman surnamed Qi, daring to lie to me and sow discord between me and you—isn't it obvious she’s trying to use me as a pawn?" Wang Qiongshi said indignantly. "No, I absolutely cannot swallow this insult!"

Hearing this, Lin Sangqian smiled. "In that case, would you like to teach her a lesson?"

"Of course I do!" Wang Qiongshi replied quickly. "Sangqian, do you have any good ideas?" In such a short time, her form of address for Lin Sangqian had already changed.

"Teaching her a lesson is easy, but she is so good at playing the victim. She will surely go to Young Master Yu and others to act pitiful," Zhao Lan'er frowned. "Wouldn't that make us the villains?"

"Yes, it would paint her as the poor, innocent victim," Xiao Yawen agreed.

"I know all of that," Lin Sangqian said. "That is why we must strike at her weak point."

"What is her weak point?" Wang Qiongshi asked, looking at Lin Sangqian with admiration. She thought Lin Sangqian was incredibly clever!

"Naturally, it is for Young Master Yu to see her true colors," Lin Sangqian said with a mischievous smile. "She has spent so much effort disguising herself in front of him. If her true self were suddenly exposed, think about how unbearable that would be for her."

"That makes sense!" everyone agreed in unison.

"Then we must come up with a proper plan..."

...

Qi Erliu had waited for several days, but there was no news of any conflict between Wang Qiongshi and the girls from the Lin family, which left her feeling somewhat disappointed. Both Lin Sangqian and Wang Qiongshi were figures of some standing; if they had truly come to blows, word would surely have spread throughout the town. Was Wang Qiongshi really so spineless? Had she not even sought out the Lin family to settle the score?

Qi Erliu ate her breakfast, her mind elsewhere.

"Erliu, what are you thinking about?" Yu Jingxiao’s gentle voice sounded in her ear.

Qi Erliu snapped back to reality and gave a soft smile. "It’s nothing. Husband, are you going out today?"

"Yes, Shopkeeper Lu from the Fortune Pavilion has invited me to discuss some matters," Yu Jingxiao said.

"Then please take care on the road."

"I will. If you are bored at home, go out for a walk. Buy whatever you like; no need to save money for me."

Qi Erliu’s heart blossomed with joy, and she said coyly, "You are so good to me."

She was determined to hold firmly onto Yu Jingxiao and seize control of the entire Yu family’s wealth!

After Yu Jingxiao left, a servant from the Yu manor suddenly hurried over and said to her, "Madam, a maid is at the door claiming to be from Miss Wang’s side. She says Miss Wang would like to meet with you."