Chapter 33: If Love is Eternal

The Hour of the Ox (1 AM–3 AM); the night was deep and the cold intense.

In the bedroom in the backyard of Diying Garden, Lin Hansu sat on a chair, her right foot, which had been relieved of its shoes and socks, resting on Ding Suian’s lap. He rubbed the medicated wine into his palm to warm it before covering Lin Hansu’s swollen ankle.

The moment the warm palm made contact, Lin Hansu trembled slightly, instinctively biting her lip, afraid she might let out a sound.

Her five round, jade-like toes involuntarily curled up, pressing against the sole of her foot.

Her majestic Phoenix eyes were filled with shimmering spring waves.

“What exactly happened?” Ding Suian asked, sitting on a slightly shorter stool, gently massaging her foot as he spoke.

“Nothing.” Lin Hansu felt it was overly dramatic to cry and run to find Young Master just because of a nightmare.

“Then why did you run over here in the middle of the night?”

“I woke up in the middle of the night with an itch on my mouth, wanting to find someone to kiss. Is that not allowed?”

“Allowed, but next time, remember to book in advance. If you, Elder Sister, just show up and kiss me whenever you want, it makes me look too easy.”

“Pfft~ Then next time, you can be a little more reserved, and stop eagerly stretching your head forward.”

After a few playful exchanges, Ding Suian had finished applying the medicated wine to Lin Hansu. He then looked up and asked, “Should you put your shoes and socks back on?”

At first, Lin Hansu didn’t understand what he meant, but when her eyes met Ding Suian’s burning gaze, she realized. If they were going to undress later, there was naturally no need to put on shoes and socks now.

Lin Hansu bent down, picked up her shoes and socks, and put them on herself. “If Yi Huan wakes up later and finds I’m not in the room, the back courtyard will be thrown into chaos.”

The refusal was subtle, but the act of putting on her shoes and the attitude expressed in her words were clear.

Ding Suian sighed heavily.

A moment later.

Lin Hansu returned to Huguai Garden. Since her sprained ankle made walking difficult, Ding Suian carried her on his back all the way to the north wall.

Deep winter night, the moonlight was dim.

Lin Hansu wrapped her arms around Ding Suian’s neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and gazed at the deep night with her Phoenix eyes, pondering whether she should select a maidservant to give to Ding Suian as a concubine.

This matter was easy; the only difficulty was getting past her own hurdle.

Before, she thought it was perfectly normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, but now, the mere thought of Young Master being paired up with another woman caused a wave of inexplicable irritation to rise in her heart.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Hansu suddenly said, “Young Master, just now, what did you want?”

“I wanted something, yes.” Ding Suian was quite straightforward.

Perhaps because she was older, Lin Hansu couldn’t help but tease him sometimes, and she mischievously asked, “Want what?”

“I want Great Wu to last for thousands of years, I want Your Majesty’s health to be sound, and I want the common people to live in peace and prosperity.”

“Pfft~ Young Master, if you were an official in court, you would definitely be a treacherous minister!”

“Elder Sister, you wouldn’t be much better. If you were a consort or empress in the palace, you would definitely be a cruel and ruthless demonic consort or empress who disrupts the government. We’re like flies finding a dung heap—birds of a feather.”

“Pah~ What dung heap and flies? Can’t we say we are kindred spirits, sharing the scent of orchids?”

A moment later, Ding Suian reached the bottom of the north wall and boosted Lin Hansu up.

Lin Hansu climbed over the top of the wall, steadied herself on the rock garden on the Huguai Garden side, and whispered, “I can get back myself.”

“Alright.”

Ding Suian nodded upward in response, then turned and left.

Perhaps because he left too decisively, Lin Hansu somehow called out softly again, “Young Master!”

“What is it?” Ding Suian turned back.

Having called him back, Lin Hansu was speechless.

She wanted to explain things clearly, but the difficulties involved and her worries about the future couldn’t be sorted out in just a few words. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Come up.”

Below the wall, Ding Suian leaped up from his spot, grabbed the top of the wall with both arms, revealing only his shoulders and head.

“Are you angry?” Lin Hansu leaned forward over the wall, supporting herself with her hands.

The Princess Consort of Lanyang, who had been decisive and resolute for the past two months, was now slightly embarrassed, like an inexperienced young girl. She whispered an explanation, “Young Master, I told you that night at Jintai Temple that I wouldn’t let you down in this life. But now that the West Yamen has taken over and the case hasn’t been closed, if I were to be with you—” Lin Hansu paused, ultimately too shy to say the embarrassing word—”I worry it might harm you.”

In the dim starlight, Ding Suian smiled brightly. “Angry? Elder Sister, you underestimate me too much. If love is eternal, why must we be together every morning and evening?”

“If love is eternal, why must we be together every morning and evening.”

Lin Hansu murmured the line twice, feeling the knot in her heart instantly loosen. She returned Ding Suian an even brighter smile.

Immediately after, she stretched her head forward and accurately found Ding Suian’s lips.

Compared to the passive clumsiness half an hour ago, this kiss was far more proactive and passionate.

The crescent moon cast the bizarre silhouettes of a man and a woman onto the top of the wall.

Lin Hansu was completely immersed, entering a state of oblivion, and unconsciously, the angle of her upper body leaning forward grew steeper and steeper.

Since she was supporting herself with her hands on the wall, she had a point of leverage.

But Ding Suian, who was only holding onto the top of the wall with his arms, was being pushed backward little by little—

‘Crash~’

‘Thud~’

The coping tiles on the wall were the first to give way under Ding Suian’s shifting center of gravity, and he and the tiles tumbled down together beneath the wall.

Lin Hansu was startled and quickly stretched her head down to look. “Young Master!”

In the dead of night, the sound of bricks and tiles hitting the ground was exceptionally loud.

The Soldiers on duty in the front courtyard heard the noise, and footsteps quickly approached.

“I’m fine, hurry back.”

As Ding Suian was just getting up from the pile of rubble, Chest Hair and Hu Jiangjiu appeared in his line of sight, holding weapons.

Lin Hansu quickly pulled her head back and tiptoed down the rock garden.

She only heard Chest Hair shout from the other side of the wall, “Who is it? Password!”

“Potato, potato, I am Yam.”

“Huh, Boss, why are you out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Why did a section of the wall collapse?”

“Cough, cough. Just now, two wild cats were fighting on the wall and woke me up! I came to chase them away—”

“Wild cats? Do wild cats have that much strength? Enough to kick down such a large section of wall tiles?”

“Brother Mao, why don’t you believe our Boss? Maybe they were very strong wild cats.”

“Who said I don’t believe him! I was just curious.”

“Cough, cough. Make do is right, they were just very strong wild cats!”

Inside Huguai Garden, separated by a single wall.

Lin Hansu, whose fright had just subsided, crouched beneath the rock garden, playfully stuck out her pink tongue, and giggled silently behind her hand.

Oh heavens, they kissed the wall down!

The next day, the 27th day of the Twelfth Lunar Month.

At the Hour of the Snake (9 AM–11 AM), Ding Suian was training with his brothers in the Training Ground. Uncle Zhang, who had just been promoted to manager of the front residence, was overseeing several servants nearby repairing the wall tiles that the wild cats had supposedly knocked down.

A moment later, Wang Xigui, who was on duty at the manor gate today, rushed inside, his expression serious.

“Boss, Head Constable Jiao from the Prefecture Yamen sent word, calling for the brothers who participated in the battle at Jintai Temple seven days ago to go in for questioning.”

“Oh? Didn’t the West Yamen take over the case?”

“I just handed Head Constable Jiao a piece of silver, and he said that the ones who came to conduct the inquiry are the Black Cavalry from the West Yamen, who arrived half an hour ago.”

This was why Wang Xigui was nervous.

But Ding Suian felt much more at ease upon hearing this. He and Ruan Guofan had an agreement that the West Yamen taking over the case was specifically to help conceal his involvement.

Presumably, today’s questioning was just a formality.

After all, as parties involved, the An Squad’s deposition had to be included in the case files.

This also indirectly showed that the West Yamen was close to closing the case.

“No need to panic, just stick to the story we agreed upon beforehand—”

Before long, Ding Suian took the four men who were present that night at Jintai Temple to the Prefecture Yamen.

Inside Ji Pavilion, Lin Hansu lay on the couch, using a soft pillow to elevate her right leg.

Yi Huan, who was determined to be the Princess Consort’s number one confidante, felt very guilty. She was on duty last night, but Her Ladyship didn’t want to wake her and sprained her ankle while getting up alone.

This made Yi Huan feel extremely inadequate.

Soon after, news arrived that Ding Suian and four others had been summoned by the West Yamen to the Prefecture Yamen for questioning, and Lin Hansu immediately couldn’t sit still.

Hopping off the couch on one leg, she said, “Yi Huan, bring my Official Robes!”

The Princess Consort of Lanyang was a legitimate First Rank Lady of the state; wearing her Official Robes meant applying direct pressure.

Granny Xu saw this and quickly stopped Yi Huan, urgently saying, “Her Ladyship should be avoiding suspicion right now! Who rushes to get involved like this?” After speaking, she lowered her voice slightly. “Lord Li might give Her Ladyship Face, but what kind of place is the West Yamen? What use would it be even if Her Ladyship went there!”

Granny Xu had a point. Lin Hansu was simply worried and acting rashly. After sitting back down on the couch, she thought for a few breaths and suddenly said, “Granny Xu, go to the Silver Shop and inform Shopkeeper Hu. Tell him the preparations I asked him to make a few days ago can now be put to use.”

Thanks to reader: Guyueoooo, for the reward.

Thanks to reader: FLXle, for the reward.