When Lin Wanyu returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, the sun was setting in the west. The afterglow dyed the clouds crimson, and the entire sky looked like a beautiful painting.
The Prime Minister's Mansion was quiet. There was no sign of activity.
Lin Wanyu took Ling'er straight back to the Melody Pavilion. After dinner, she took her medicine and went to rest.
In the middle of the night, it began to drizzle. The raindrops hitting the eaves were extremely annoying.
The window was open. The cold wind carried the raindrops into the room, fluttering the gauze curtain in front of the bed.
Lin Wanyu rubbed her temples. Feeling sleepy, she got up to close the window.
Just as she reached the window on the north side, she heard some noises in the garden outside.
There were rustling sounds, and someone seemed to be talking, but the voice was too soft for her to hear clearly.
North of the Melody Pavilion was one of the small gardens in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Since it was far from the main courtyard and rather secluded, few people came here. It was left idle, with only some holly bushes planted to make it look not too shabby.
But at this hour, with the rain falling outside, who on earth would come here?
Lin Wanyu hid to the side and listened intently to the sounds outside. After a long while, she still couldn't hear anything.
Just as she was about to lose patience and go back to bed, the people in the garden came out.
The woman's voice came through the rain intermittently. Lin Wanyu only heard something about being pregnant with his child, some estate, and not being heartless...
When she wanted to listen further, it became quiet again. The people must have left.
A gust of wind blew, and Lin Wanyu shivered. She closed the window and returned to the bed, trying to fall asleep again. But she just tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
There were quite a few dirty secrets in the Prime Minister's Mansion!
A secret tryst at night, a pregnancy, and heartlessness...
But who were the two people having the tryst?
By the time the sky turned pale in the east and the rain stopped, Lin Wanyu still hadn't fallen asleep. She looked out of the window and then got up, put on her clothes, and walked towards the back courtyard.
The holly bushes in the garden were lush and green. After the baptism of the rain, they were even more vibrant.
As soon as Lin Wanyu stepped out of the door and onto the small path, she saw the chief steward of the Prime Minister's Mansion walking from behind. He was muttering something, and his eyes were looking around as if he was searching for something.
Seeing this, Lin Wanyu quickly retreated. She immediately understood what was going on.
After the steward left, Lin Wanyu followed the path he had come from. To her surprise, she found a nameplate in the grass.
A nameplate was a symbol of identity. In the entire Prime Minister's Mansion, only Wang Jinsong and his son wore nameplates engraved with the character "Wang". Since Wang Jingze was not in the mansion, then...
Lin Wanyu threw the nameplate back to where it was. She strolled around casually as if nothing had happened and then returned to the Melody Pavilion.
Ling'er had already gotten up. Seeing her coming in from outside, she was a bit surprised.
"Miss, didn't you sleep all night?"
Lin Wanyu waved her hand and said gently, "How could I not sleep all night? I just got up early and went out for a walk."
As she said this, she walked into the room and sat down. Her mind was filled with the words people used to praise Wang Jinsong and his wife.
Words like "flying wing to wing" and "a loving couple"... Now they just sounded like a joke to her.
Although it was normal for a man to have concubines, Wang Jinsong didn't take concubines properly but...
She had long known that men were cold - hearted. Seeing such things was not really surprising.
Lin Wanyu took a deep breath. For some reason, Lu Huaijin's face appeared in front of her eyes.
"Miss, let me serve you the medicine."
Ling'er came in with the medicine and bowed respectfully.
Lin Wanyu suddenly came back to her senses. There was a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "Okay."
In the following five days, Lin Wanyu stayed in the Melody Pavilion every day. She either made pastries or practiced calligraphy and painting.
The Prime Minister's Mansion had started to be decorated. Red silk lanterns were hung everywhere, and the maids and servants were dressed in festive clothes.
The front courtyard was bustling all day long.
In just a few days, the news that the Crown Prince of Xiang was going to marry the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion had spread throughout the capital. Storytellers in the restaurants and teahouses even came up with a story, saying that at a palace banquet, Lu Huaijin fell in love with Miss Wang at first sight and then asked the emperor to bestow the marriage.
When Ling'er told Lin Wanyu this, she just smiled it off.
"Ling'er, today is the day when Miss Wang will come back. Go to the front courtyard and see. If Miss Wang comes back, come and tell me. I'll send these pastries over."
Early this morning, Lin Wanyu had been busy in the small kitchen, making all kinds of pastries, just waiting for this moment.
Hearing this, Ling'er nodded with a smile. Before leaving, she joked, "I thought these pastries were made for the eldest young master."
After saying that, she gave Lin Wanyu a playful smile and walked out.
Lin Wanyu lowered her head and smiled faintly. There was a hint of gloom in her long and slender eyes.
The Prime Minister's Mansion surely didn't lack such food. She made these just as an excuse.
Let's see what would happen later!
Time passed by second by second. Lin Wanyu waited for a long time, but Ling'er didn't come back.
It was quiet all around. There was nothing to be heard.
Early this morning, the carriage of the Prime Minister's Mansion had gone up the mountain to pick up Wang Yurou. It was almost noon, but they still hadn't come back.
Lin Wanyu suddenly felt a bit uneasy. She had a bad feeling in her heart.
The wind was blowing outside. The red lanterns on the beams were swaying back and forth. The sky was overcast, as if it was going to rain again.
Lin Wanyu pushed the door open and stood under the corridor, waiting quietly.
After about half a stick of incense, Ling'er pushed open the courtyard door and walked in. Her little face was flushed, as if she had run all the way here.
"Miss."
The moment Lin Wanyu saw her coming, her heart skipped a beat.
It was all or nothing now.
"Miss, the people who went to pick up Miss Wang are back. But they said Miss Wang was missing. They only brought Furong back. Now the front courtyard is in a complete mess. Madam fainted after hearing this, and the master is there with her."
Lin Wanyu's fingertips trembled slightly. She silently closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then turned around and walked into the room.
"Let's carry these pastries and go to the front courtyard to see the master and madam."
Ling'er was a bit puzzled and followed her into the room. "Miss, the front courtyard is in a mess now. We'd better go later."
Wang Yurou was the apple of Wang Jinsong and Gu Nianci's eyes. With Wang Yurou missing, no one knew what big trouble would happen.
Lin Wanyu stood in front of the table without turning back. There was a hint of relief and calm in her gentle eyes.
"The master and madam have been very kind to me. Now that Miss Wang is missing, I should go and see."
She had waited for these days with great difficulty. Now that it seemed like a turn for the better was coming, how could she not go?