Chapter 32: The World is Full of Suffering

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

With the New Year approaching, Lin Hansu had been incredibly busy these past few days.

After the major purge in the manor, there was a shortage of staff, and many things required her personal attention.

Fortunately, this morning, Granny Xu, who had gone to Central Heaven a few days ago, returned to the Prince’s Manor with over forty household servants, allowing Lin Hansu to finally extricate herself from the complicated chores.

“When we were in Central Heaven, making Xuan’er study was like taking his life, but Waner said that these past two days, Xuan’er has actually been obediently copying moral essays at Squad Leader Ding’s place. How strange, how strange!”

Towards the end of the Chen hour, Lin Hansu was strolling in the garden with her eldest sister, who mentioned this strange occurrence.

Lin Hansu’s lips curved into a subtle arc, and a sense of pride inexplicably rose in her heart.

Recently, she had been busy, and when she had free time, she still had to accompany her sister. After a silent calculation, it had been several days since she last saw Ding Suian. So she took Lin Fuyao’s arm and turned towards Diying Garden, her face showing no emotion as she said, “Perhaps Xuan’er has grown up and knows to be diligent to bring honor to Eldest Sister. But then again, Squad Leader Ding does have many outstanding qualities.”

Lin Hansu wanted to emphasize the latter half of the sentence, but what Lin Fuyao heard in her heart was the former half. She sighed softly and said, “I hope so.”

Entering and exiting Diying Garden, Lin Hansu was the only person in the Prince’s Manor, besides the An Squad Soldiers, who did not need to announce her presence. Wang Xigui offered to be a guide for the Princess Consort, but she waved him off, saying, “You all go about your business, I’ll just wander around casually.”

Today the sun was bright, it wasn’t a day for group discussions on Golden Lotuses, and there was nothing illicit in Diying Garden, so Wang Xigui left as instructed.

Lin Hansu had a clear goal. She walked through the front courtyard with her eldest sister, heading straight for the back courtyard.

“Third Sister is so generous to people, giving such a good garden for Soldiers to live in.”

As a concubine’s quarters, Lin Fuyao lacked neither fine clothes nor delicious food, but the residence she lived in certainly couldn’t compare to the Prince’s Manor, which was built according to regulations. Her words were full of envy. “Now that the manor is quiet, you’ll be more at ease by yourself in the future, no need to worry anymore.”

The two rounded the spirit screen, and the most spacious and brightest Halberd Hall in Diying Garden’s back courtyard came into view.

Lin Fuyao, who was speaking, unconsciously paused, and her footsteps stopped as well.

Lin Hansu did the same.

The sisters’ gazes simultaneously turned towards the Halberd Hall about twenty paces away.

To avoid suspicion, the folding screen doors were wide open.

Inside the hall, Ding Suian and Jiang Yuan sat on either side of a small tea table.

Ding Suian seemed to be teaching Jiang Yuan something, his finger pressed on a piece of paper, and Jiang Yuan watched intently, occasionally looking up to ask a question. They were sitting a bit close.

The clear morning sun slanted in, casting a harmonious and warm yellow glow on them.

The words ‘Tanlang Xie Nü’ simultaneously surfaced in the hearts of Lin Hansu and Lin Fuyao.

The man wore a moon-white brocade robe, handsome and steady; the woman wore a light green ruqun, graceful and poised. From a visual perspective, they were pleasing to the eye, truly a perfect couple.

Lin Hansu felt an inexplicable surge of sourness, bitterness, and anger, a complex mix of emotions.

Lin Fuyao, beside her, naturally didn’t notice her third sister’s hidden thoughts. Her gaze was fixed on the Halberd Hall. She gently shook Lin Hansu’s arm and whispered, “Which Young Master is this handsome Young Master? Why is he in your manor? Is he a guest? Is he married?”

Lin Hansu’s heart tightened, and she quickly said, “He’s just a Dragon Guard Army Soldier.”

“A Soldier?” Lin Fuyao was slightly disappointed but still didn’t retract her gaze. She added, “Looking at his attire and demeanor, he must come from an extraordinary family. Could he be the son of some high official, sent to the army for training?”

“His father is only a Dutou in the Winged Tiger Army.”

“Only a Dutou?” Lin Fuyao instantly lost interest, and her gaze towards the Halberd Hall became displeased.

“…” Lin Hansu saw her eldest sister’s snobbish look and suddenly felt very annoyed.

She was afraid of the Young Master being coveted, but seeing him looked down upon by her eldest sister, she also felt a bit angry.

“Squad Leader Ding entered the Manifesting Elemental State at eighteen, and he comes from the Dragon Guard Army. He is sincere, and his future is limitless.”

“So what? The army has never lacked young talents, but how many of them actually make it big?”

“I’ll make a bet with Eldest Sister, within three years, he will surely rise to prominence.”

It was late at night, and she didn’t know what time it was.

Lin Hansu slowly woke up, the surroundings pitch black.

“Granny Xu? Nanny… Wansu…”

She called out several times, but no one responded; silence reigned everywhere. Lin Hansu got up, but the hand she used to support herself on the bed pressed into something cold, sticky, oily, and wet.

Turning her head, Lin Hansu was instantly Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Beside her was Du Jue’s unrecognizable corpse!

It had decomposed beyond recognition, a putrid mess of bodily fluids and rotten flesh.

“Ah!”

Lin Hansu shrieked, reaching out to feel around. It was narrow, cramped, and the space was small.

Sealed in a coffin?

Under immense fear, Lin Hansu exerted all her strength, pushing open the coffin lid just enough for one person to squeeze through.

She crawled out using her hands and feet, then stumbled back to the Prince’s Manor.

The Prince’s Manor was exceptionally festive tonight, adorned with lanterns and streamers, and large red ‘囍’ characters (double happiness) were pasted on the spirit screen.

But when Lin Hansu entered the manor, she was blocked by Steward Hou.

“I am the Princess Consort of Lanyang!”

“Nonsense, the Princess Consort is currently inside the manor, where did this madwoman come from?”

Lin Hansu looked down and saw that she was covered in dirt and looked disheveled.

Just then, the scene before her eyes shifted. She saw Ding Suian riding the Mythical Beast she had intended to give him as a birthday gift, a large red flower pinned to his chest, leaving the manor gate with an arrogant air.

Behind him followed a small sedan chair draped in red silk. Lin Hansu looked closely and saw that the person inside the sedan chair was none other than her beloved niece, Waner.

Lin Hansu was instantly enraged. She rushed up, grabbed the reins, and looked up to question him, “Young Master, why have you betrayed me!”

“You and I are innocent, how can you speak of betrayal?”

These words pierced Lin Hansu’s heart like a knife, and she began to cry unknowingly. “You said we would grow old together!”

Ding Suian sat tall on the horse, looking down with a cold expression. “Stop making trouble, go home quickly.”

Granny Zhang and Granny Xu stepped forward and, without a word, dragged Lin Hansu aside and threw her into a corner of the street.

Steward Hou shouted from over there, “The auspicious hour has arrived, enter the bridal chamber.”

Lin Hansu sat on the ground, feeling as if her heart was being squeezed, the pain so intense she couldn’t breathe. “Wuwuwu, Young Master, you tell me to go home, but I no longer have a home, wuwuwu…”

“Wuwuwu…”

Lin Hansu suddenly sat up, looking around in a panic. Her familiar boudoir, the night candle in the corner dimly illuminating a three-foot radius.

On the small couch in the corner, Yi Huan, who was on night duty, was sleeping sprawled out.

It was just a nightmare!

“Hoo…”

Lin Hansu let out a long breath, her chest rising and falling. She felt an itchy, wet sensation on her face. She wiped it with her hand and found her face covered in tears.

The dream was fake, but the heart-wrenching pain was exceptionally clear and real. Even after waking up, her tears wouldn’t stop.

She sat on the bed, hugging her knees, in a daze for a while. Then she suddenly flipped off the bed, quickly put on her robe, went downstairs, out the door, and ran towards the south wall.

On the Huguai Garden side, there was a rockery near the wall. It wasn’t difficult to climb the wall with the help of the rockery.

But the adjacent Diying Garden had no place to help her climb down the wall. Lin Hansu didn’t hesitate for a moment, directly leaping down from the eight-foot-plus wall.

‘Plop!’

She fell heavily to the ground, landing on her bottom and spraining her ankle.

Yet, she didn’t stop, limping straight towards the courtyard where Ding Suian lived.

‘Knock, knock, knock~’

She knocked on the door. After only two or three breaths, a candle lit up inside the room. “Who is it?”

“It’s me…”

Her voice trembled slightly.

The footsteps inside the room quickened.

‘Creak~’

Inside the door, Ding Suian, dressed only in an inner garment, said in astonishment, “Why are you here in the middle of the night?”

Outside the door, Lin Hansu’s eyelids still held residual tears, and tiny, glistening teardrops clung to her eyelashes. Her pretty nose was red from the cold night wind.

Under the starlight, her slightly upturned face was filled with fear and unease, exuding a fragile beauty that made one pity her.

The temperament that blended dignity and charm now only retained charm.

“Come in first.”

Seeing that Lin Hansu didn’t respond, Ding Suian stepped aside.

Lin Hansu, dragging her sprained right foot, stepped over the threshold.

“What happened to your foot?”

Ding Suian asked again, but Lin Hansu still didn’t answer. Instead, she closed the door behind her.

She then took a step forward, almost pressing against Ding Suian. Then she raised her hand, pulled his arm around her waist, and thoughtfully placed Ding Suian’s large hand on the peak of her peach-shaped buttocks. Finally, she pressed his hand firmly to give it a squeeze.

The sensation was fleshy and springy.

“…”

This flirtation broke all previous taboos.

Young Master Ding was not a Saint, nor did he ever intend to be one. He leaned forward, but unexpectedly, Lin Hansu in his arms instinctively leaned back, her hands unconsciously pressing against his chest.

Due to the posture, he could clearly feel the tautness and suppleness of her slender waist.

But her body language clearly conveyed the message that she didn’t want Ding Suian to go any further.

“…”

Sister, that’s just rude!

Running over in the middle of the night, flirting with a young man like me, and then pretending to be virtuous halfway through?

Lin Hansu, leaning back, looked directly into Ding Suian’s bright, starry eyes and said, “Don’t move, I’ll do it.”

With that, her arms, which had been pressing against Ding Suian’s chest, slowly extended and wrapped around his neck. Her slender waist gradually arched up, and her head drew closer and closer.

When the distance was only two or three inches, their exhaled hot breaths became clearer. Lin Hansu’s bashful instinct made her close her eyes, but she also wanted to remember the Young Master’s appearance at this moment, so her half-closed eyelids reopened.

After one breath, Lin Hansu, who always sought to be in control of everything, pressed her cool cherry lips against Ding Suian’s.

Neither of them closed their eyes. Their gazes met, you looking at me, me looking at you. There was no flowing emotion, only a tiny bit of awkwardness.

After about five or six breaths, Lin Hansu leaned her head back, creating a half-foot distance.

Her clear, charming Phoenix eyes sparkled, and her expression held a sense of accomplishment, as if a great task had been completed. “Young Master, now you’ve touched and you’ve kissed! If you dare to betray me…”

“Sister, you call that kissing?”

He was touched, pulled by Lin Hansu’s hand for a touch; he was kissed, their lips just brushed!’

Do you think we’re wirelessly charging?

“Otherwise? That’s how you kiss, you don’t understand! I’ve seen the hidden dowry paintings…”

Lin Hansu spoke with conviction, even having the nerve to assume the air of an experienced person to teach Ding Suian.

Still saying I don’t understand?

I understand enough to make your head spin!

Quarreling without sticking out your tongue is just hooliganism!

Ding Suian pressed forward again. This time, Lin Hansu didn’t dodge, seemingly wanting to see what tricks the boastful Young Master had up his sleeve.

It wasn’t until Ding Suian forcefully pried open her teeth that her Phoenix eyes suddenly widened, and a muffled hum escaped her nostrils.

Her arms, clamped around Ding Suian’s neck, unconsciously tightened. The slight dizziness brought on by restricted breathing caused her wide-open Phoenix eyes to slowly close.

At this point, the last trace of tears in her eye sockets was squeezed out. One line slid along the corner of her eye into her temples and disappeared, while another flowed down her tender cheek, over her delicate nose, and finally seeped into the corner of her lips.

The clear tears tasted slightly tart and salty.

Yet, they mingled with a faint sweetness on her lips and tongue.

The human world is full of suffering, only love is sweet.