Chapter 21: Afraid I’ll Eat You?

Quarter past You Hour.

Within a quarter of an hour, the news that the Old Ancestor had been ‘murdered by thieves’ caused an uproar in the Prince’s Mansion, throwing the five or six courtyards of the inner residence into chaos.

Granny Liu, who knew all the inside details, truly hadn’t expected this outcome. Greatly alarmed, she quickly sent someone out of the mansion to inform Second Master Du and Third Master Du of Madam Wu’s death.

At the same time, she secretly ordered people to guard outside Huguai Garden, as if afraid Lin Hansu might escape.

On the first floor of Ji Pavilion, steam misted over the Hot Spring Pool.

Lin Hansu, who had just fainted from ‘excessive grief’ outside the mansion gates, was now leaning against the edge of the pool, her Phoenix eyes slightly closed, her wet hair cascading like an inky Dragon over her pale back.

The hot water had soaked through her body, dispelling all coldness. Her face and the snow-white mounds half-exposed above the water were flushed with a layer of rosy rouge.

Her entire body exuded the relaxation and exhaustion that follows the completion of a ‘great task’.

Granny Xu stood nearby and reported in a low voice: “…The people from Mianze Pavilion are hiding outside Huguai Garden, stealthily watching our compound. Should this old servant bring people to drive them away?”

“No need. If they want to watch, let them watch.”

Lin Hansu opened her eyes. Reflected by the steam, her pupils looked like black grapes dipped in water, shimmering brightly.

This day and night had been truly thrilling.

But now that Madam Wu was eliminated, the dark clouds that had obscured her heart for six years vanished in an instant, and Lin Hansu was increasingly unwilling to suppress the feelings in her heart.

She lightly raised her jade arm, idly playing with the petals floating on the hot water, and said languidly, “Call Young Master over.”

“…”

You two just separated less than an hour ago!

Granny Xu did not want the two of them to meet at such a sensitive time, so she stood still, pretending to be deaf and mute, offering no response.

“Granny Xu?” Lin Hansu sounded displeased.

Only then did Granny Xu say, “There are people from Mianze Pavilion guarding outside the courtyard. It is already dark, and if Your Ladyship summons him over, it will inevitably lead to gossip.”

Lin Hansu, however, seemed to have had a plan ready. “Nanny, why are you so rigid? Huguai Garden and Diying Garden are only separated by a wall. You move a ladder over, let him climb across, and then climb back. Who else would see?”

“…”

Xu Hour.

On the first floor of Ji Pavilion, Lin Hansu’s dark hair was unbound, cascading like a waterfall to her waist.

She wore a wide-sleeved silk gown embroidered with crimson clouds and Phoenix patterns, covering a rustling silk skirt, with an azure blue tube top underneath, half-concealing her jade-like bosom.

After Ding Suian entered, he froze for a breath.

The first time they met, she was wearing a maid’s outfit. Since then, Lin Hansu had always appeared in white mourning clothes.

It wasn’t that the white clothes looked bad, but the sudden change in style was dazzling.

In white, she was pure and transcendent.

In red, she was a peerless beauty.

Lin Hansu deliberately spun around, making her skirt blossom like a flower.

The gold threads shimmered under the candlelight, and her gown fluttered like embers about to die out, radiant with color.

Not only were her clothes beautiful, but Lin Hansu, having just stepped out of the bath, still had a blush on her cheeks, and all her exposed skin glowed with a soft, tempting pink light.

She looked like she would taste very good.

Lin Hansu smiled slightly and commanded, “Take off your clothes.”

“Hiss~”

Ding Suian straightened his gaze and looked over.

Although solving problems for the Sponsor is part of my duty, aren’t things developing a bit too quickly between us?

We’re already taking off clothes to sleep?

Princess Consort, please maintain decorum!

As a traditional and conservative man, he felt they should at least hug and kiss to transition before talking about sleeping.

Jumping straight to bed would inevitably be dry.

On the other side, Lin Hansu turned, picked up a small porcelain bottle, and returned to Ding Suian’s side. Seeing him sitting stiffly on the stool, she felt playful. She deliberately leaned closer, used a finger to lift Ding Suian’s chin, and narrowed her Phoenix eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you perhaps afraid I’ll eat you?”

Elder Sister, you started the flirting this time!

Ding Suian’s gaze lingered briefly on Lin Hansu’s delicate, cherry mouth. He smiled and said, “Elder Sister might not be able to handle it.”

Lin Hansu seemed not to understand Ding Suian’s retort. She chuckled softly, held up the Trauma Ointment in her hand, and said, “Dummy, I need to apply medicine to the wound on your shoulder!”

Huh?

So it was for applying medicine!

I knew it was for applying medicine all along! I definitely wasn’t thinking nonsense!

Ding Suian slowly moved his hand away from his belt.

Damn it, why was it just applying medicine!

It was disappointing.

The external injury on his shoulder wasn’t severe, but the wound was gaping and looked somewhat frightening.

Lin Hansu dipped a cloth into Strong Alcohol and carefully cleaned the wound. Then, she scooped a little ointment with her pinky finger and gently applied it around the injury.

“Does it hurt? If it hurts, just squeak~”

“Squeak~”

“Pfft. You can’t be serious for a moment. Looks like it doesn’t hurt after all.”

After a short while, the ointment was evenly applied. They needed to wait for half a quarter of an hour for the ointment to dry slightly before bandaging.

Ding Suian remained bare-chested.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Hansu, sitting slightly behind him, openly admired the view. Ding Suian’s back was lean and firm, his shoulders broad, tapering down to his waist where his V-lines disappeared beneath his lower robes.

The small muscles on his flanks were slightly bulging, clearly defined, lean and not bulky.

He looked very capable.

“Regarding last night’s incident, why were you so sure it was Madam Wu’s doing?” Ding Suian asked, his hands resting naturally on his thighs, his back facing Lin Hansu.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm what hmm?”

“Uh, what did you just say?”

“I asked why you were so sure it was Madam Wu’s doing last night.”

“Last night, she probably thought I had no chance of survival, and she subtly revealed it in her words. But Young Master, how did you determine they would make their move last night?”

“You are highly vigilant against her now, so trying to harm you using shady inner residence methods is unlikely. Your staying outside the mansion last night was an opportunity for her, so I made some preparations beforehand. However, it’s a pity I couldn’t extract evidence of the Prince’s Mansion colluding with the Bandits from the minions.”

“What is there to regret? As long as Madam Wu is gone, the rest are just worthless trash.”

“The Princess Consort is certainly confident.”

“The fighting last night must have been dangerous. Tell me about it.”

Last night, Lin Hansu stayed inside the room in the adjacent courtyard. While she couldn’t see the fighting outside, she wasn’t deaf. She heard Ding Suian call out ‘Old Uncle’ clearly.

“What’s there to talk about killing? It was bloody and messy. You’re a Young Woman; hearing about it will give you nightmares at night.”

Seeing that Ding Suian was unwilling to talk, Lin Hansu stopped asking, instead curling her lips into a silent, soft smile.

In front of outsiders, she was the Princess Consort of Lanyang; in front of Yi Huan, Wansu, and the many other female dependents, she was their pillar.

No one else treated her as a ‘Young Woman’. Hearing such a novel and intimate address for the first time, a sweetness couldn’t help but bloom in her heart.

“Raise your arm.”

Seeing that the ointment was mostly dry, Lin Hansu lightly patted Ding Suian’s upper arm.

Ding Suian raised his right arm as instructed and asked again, “Princess Consort, in such a huge Prince’s Mansion, why haven’t I seen any respectable Martial Artists?”

“Kings with Different Surnames are already viewed with suspicion by the Imperial Court. Who would dare to keep heroes and strong men in their mansion?” Lin Hansu leaned forward toward the wound on Ding Suian’s shoulder, pouting her rosy, cherry lips and blowing a few soft breaths.

Her breath was fragrant like orchids, right next to him. The warm, sweet airflow caressed his bare shoulder and neck.

Ding Suian gave a start and looked back.

Lin Hansu lifted her gaze. Her Phoenix eyes, meeting Ding Suian’s, were innocent and pure. She even asked back in confusion, “What’s wrong? Blowing on it makes the ointment dry faster.”

“…”

Was I overthinking it again?

This is the only downside of an Older Sister Type: sometimes you can’t tell if she’s flirting or acting innocently.

Schrödinger’s Flirtation

Meanwhile, Lin Hansu had already picked up the gauze, passed it under Ding Suian’s armpit, wrapped it twice around the injured shoulder, and returned to the main topic. “The descendants of the Du Family lack both talent and the willingness to endure the hardships of a Martial Artist. That’s why you were able to intimidate this bunch of trash with your Manifesting Elemental State last month.”

“I think the two Du Family brothers will probably use Madam Wu’s death to cause trouble.”

“Hmph, those two pieces of trash have no talent for scholarly studies and can’t endure the hardships of martial arts. If they had any capability, Madam Wu wouldn’t have been forced to take such a desperate measure.” After finishing the bandaging, Lin Hansu tied a beautiful bow with the end of the gauze, then clapped her hands. “Done!”

Ding Suian was about to get up when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. He turned his head and saw that Lin Hansu was pulling the cord of the Jade Pendant tied around his neck.

“Wearing this jade close to your body suggests it was given by a very important person. Was it perhaps a token of love given by some Young Lady?”

Lin Hansu gave him a sidelong glance, seeming to joke, but also with a hint of interrogation.

“It was indeed given by a very important person.” Ding Suian shook his neck, swinging the Jade Pendant that hung on his chest to his back.

It was a one-inch long, four-sided white Jade Pendant, with a line of small characters engraved on each face.

Lin Hansu gripped the pendant, leaned forward to look, and softly chanted:

“May my child be smart and wise,

May my child be rich and noble.

If both are hard to achieve,

May they live without calamity until a hundred years old.”

After a slight pause, Lin Hansu’s voice softened even more. “An heirloom left to you by your Mother?”

“Mm.”

“Ah, these few words convey a loving Mother’s deepest wishes. If Aunt could see you grown into such a magnificent, upstanding Young Man today, she would surely be comforted in the afterlife.”

For some reason, Ding Suian suddenly recalled Ruan Guofan’s comment about Madam Wu: ‘Never underestimate the determination of a parent plotting for their children and grandchildren.’

Thanks to reader:’Stranded Shell’ for the tip~