Chapter Seven, The Phoenix Woman (1)

Hmph, Huang Mingsong is being excessively unreasonable! He demands that I, without spending a single cent, exhaust a large amount of precious medicinal materials from Yaoling Manor to prepare pills for him, merely to give to his several concubines for their beauty! Father, we cannot act openly, but we can secretly eliminate this scoundrel of an official!

Master Lin glanced at his daughter, feeling somewhat uneasy in his heart. After some thought, he said: "Forget it, Dan Sha has a stubborn temperament; I fear that letting her stay in the courtyard might cause trouble. It would be better to prepare a separate courtyard for her to live in. In just a month or two, we will know the truth of the matter."

Lin Dan blushed and stamped her foot, saying: "My daughter merely wishes to see the young master once, why are you going off on a tangent, father! I will no longer pay attention to you. I am going back to my room."

When she was scolded by her father, she understood the reasoning in her heart, yet felt wronged, biting her lip with her eyes reddening.

Lin Yuquan has already begun to practice medicine outside the home, having seen much of the world, and is more mature than his younger siblings. He quickly spoke up, saying: "Sister, do not be anxious, let us first hear what Father has to say. The reason he arranged it this way and came to remind us early in the morning must be significant."

Old Master Lin smiled bitterly. He looked affectionately at his daughter and said, "I called you here to give you a word of instruction. When Wuqi returns, she must be treated as your sister, as the young lady of the Lin family in Yaoling Manor. I plan to have her move into the Cuijing Garden of Dansha. The words of that wretched woman must not be mentioned again."

After she left, the three brothers of the Lin family exchanged glances. Lin Yuquan mustered his courage and said: "Father, how could the royal mansion regard me, a person from the Jianghu, with any esteem? Even if Dansha were to enter the royal mansion, she would inevitably be bullied. We only have this one younger sister, and marrying into a family of Jianghu nobility would not be a slight to Dansha."

Before long, everyone gathered in the study

Master Lin's finger tapped on the face of the woman in the portrait as he said: "Take a closer look, whose expression does she resemble a bit?"

Lin Dansha is as pure and enchanting as a jasmine flower, with lips like coral. Being the youngest daughter in the family, she is usually spoiled by her father and brothers. After hearing her father's words, she puffed up her cheeks in anger: "I disagree! I absolutely do not want to smell the dog odor on her! I won't let it make me faint!"

What? ! '' The four children exclaimed in unison

Lin Yuquan pondered and said: "What if she is not? I see a resemblance in her expression, but her appearance is vastly different."

Old Master Lin looked at his eldest son with appreciation and, stroking his beard with satisfaction, said: "Father feels a sense of familiarity when looking at the portrait, but after thinking for a long time, I cannot figure out why. Usually, Hua Buqi is just a maid in the vegetable garden, and if she hadn't discovered the thief breaking into the estate tonight, I would not have remembered her at all. Hua Buqi is not as beautiful as the woman in the painting, but I have a particularly deep impression of her smiling face. The more I think about it, the more I feel that this girl resembles the expression of the woman in the painting. This portrait will probably reach the West Prefecture's government office and all the prominent families in about three days. I once treated the wife of the Imperial Censor, Lord Chen, so he sent the portrait to Yaoling Manor in advance and even wrote a letter explaining the reason. The Seventh Prince of Wangjing is urgently searching for a girl around twelve or thirteen years old, for reasons unknown. It is highly likely that this is a romantic affair left behind by the Seventh Prince, and she might even be a lost princess from the common folk. If Hua Buqi is indeed the person the Seventh Prince is looking for, then Yaoling Manor will have made a significant contribution. That is why Father wants Hua Buqi to live in your garden, so that you can treat her like a sister.

Old Master Lin's expression turned stern as he shouted, "Enough! That filthy phrase should not be uttered again!"

Lin Dan Sha finally broke into a smile after shedding tears

The three brothers of the Lin family looked at their father with admiration and exchanged smiles, saying: "We will follow our father's arrangements!"

Master Lin cast an approving glance at the eldest and took out a scroll of painting: "This was sent by the esteemed Inspector Chen from Wangjing, who instructed the relay station to dispatch it swiftly at dawn. Come and take a look."

The Medicine Spirit Manor was brightly lit that night. First, a petty thief broke into the manor, and then a swift horse from the Xizhou Prefecture post station delivered an urgent message from Wangjing City. Lord Lin was initially furious, then pleasantly surprised. Thinking of his four children and the future of the Medicine Spirit Manor, he could no longer sleep, his mind wandering through countless twists and turns, contemplating many matters.

Lin Yuquan, feeling sorry for his sister, gently said: "Just let her stay in the courtyard. Have the maid tidy up a room for her to live in, and simply ignore her. In the future, when someone from Wangjing City comes to see her, either we will send her away or drive her out; it will all be up to my sister to decide"

Have you seen anything?

The Lin siblings stared at the portrait for quite some time, simultaneously shaking their heads. They could not discern what was so special about this unfamiliar woman. She was indeed beautiful, but she was just a beauty after all

Lin Dansha yawned and said, "Father, why did you call me so early? If there is something, you can handle it with my brothers."

The father is unconcerned about the suspected little thief, yet is anxious about Hua Buqi leaving the residence? Lin Yuquan and * Tu * Shu listened in confusion and honestly replied, "There is still no news."

Old Master Lin said in a deep voice: "Did I not tell you early on? At that time, I worry that you will speak disrespectfully when Hua Buqi returns! That Young Master Mo possesses exceptional martial arts skills, and even Steward Liu is no match for him. In an instant, he left Steward Liu behind. He is pursuing with all his might only because of his book boy at Yaoling Manor, and he will definitely bring Hua Buqi back."

Master Lin smiled gently: "They are of similar age, with similar expressions, and were abandoned in Xizhou Prefecture. Everyone in the town can testify that she is the abandoned infant picked up by Hua Jiu. Lord Chen's letter mentioned that there are no obvious birthmarks, so we can only rely on the portrait to search for her. She bears a five-part resemblance, but if she is well-dressed and properly attired, she could resemble her by seven or eight parts. To search for someone based solely on a portrait, a resemblance of seven or eight parts is already considerable."

The young master Yuquan reported to his father after examining the palm injury on the book boy Jian Sheng's back, saying: "Father, the injury of that book boy is not serious. However, no matter how I ask him, he refuses to reveal the background of his young master. He only says that his surname is Mo"

"Don't!" Lin Dansha quickly intervened, a sly smile appearing on her face. She pulled on Lord Lin's arm and said sweetly, "Father, I heard that the Seventh Prince has only one son. The young heir is handsome and talented, not only excelling in literature but also having been taught by renowned masters since childhood, with martial skills comparable to those of the sons of the martial arts families. If my daughter becomes sisters with Hua Buqi, won't there be a chance to meet the Prince's heir in the future?"

The eldest son of the Lin family, Lin Yuquan, suddenly recalled his father's concern for Hua Buqi. Reflecting on Hua Buqi, he exclaimed, "It seems a bit like the expression of Hua Buqi when she smiles. But how could Hua Buqi be so beautiful?"

This is a painting of a beautiful woman admiring the moon. In the painting, the bright moon hangs high, and the fragrance of the osmanthus wafts through the air, as a beautiful woman gazes up at the moon with a smile. The brushwork is vivid, and the woman's skirt is lifted by the evening breeze, resembling Chang'e yearning to ascend to the moon

The Lin family has been engaged in medicine for generations, and the children are all named after medicinal herbs. The eldest son, Yuquan; the second son, Kongqing; the third son, Shiying; and the fourth daughter, Dansha

Master Lin rarely personally attends to patients. The three young masters of the Lin family are capable of managing the family business independently, and the fourth young lady has also made some progress in her medical skills. However, as a young woman, it is not convenient for her to show her face publicly. Despite her young age, she has taken charge of some of the internal affairs of the Yaoling Manor, managing them in an orderly manner, and has won the deep favor of Master Lin

"Let that wretched woman leave if she wishes to. Her staying in the residence only invites ridicule, suggesting that the Lin family of Yaoling Manor is harboring a wretched woman, tarnishing the reputation of the entire household! We have sheltered her for seven years; the Lin family has done enough for her." Lin Dansha recalled the words of her close friend, the daughter of Governor Huang. It was because of her friend's mockery that she had endured this; had it not been for the Lin family's reputation for kindness, she would have long since told Hua Buqi to leave.

Old Master Lin sighed, turned around, and waved his hand, saying: "Continue searching. Go and call Kong Qingshi and Dan Sha here, I have something to instruct them."

Master Lin gently stroked her hair and chuckled: "Silly girl, it is worth your father's affection. Your father allowed her to reside in your garden precisely with this intention. Although Yaoling Manor is renowned in the martial world, it has never been able to ascend to the ranks of true nobility. Dan Sha is beautiful and charming, and her medical skills have made some progress. Although royal offspring seldom marry into martial families, if Hua Buqi truly has a connection with the Seventh Prince, and the Seventh Prince owes my family such a great favor, it is not impossible."

The eldest young master and the second young master have both married, the third young master is seventeen this year and has also made a betrothal. The fourth young lady, Dan Sha, is fourteen this year and will only come of age next year, yet suitors have been coming in droves.

Old Master Lin sighed and said: "What do you understand? That little thief broke into the medicinal herb garden on the mountain and was injured by your second uncle. He caused a great disturbance in the herb garden after failing to steal the medicine, nearly ruining the pills that Governor Huang wanted. For that Hundred Flowers Cold Fragrance Pill, our Yaoling Manor has cultivated medicinal flowers for an entire year, waiting until the winter plum blossoms to harvest the herbs and prepare the pills. Just the cost of watering the plants has already exhausted a fortune. If it were truly destroyed, how would Yaoling Manor explain it? No matter how large the family business of Yaoling Manor is, it cannot withstand the lion's demand from Governor Huang. For that Hundred Flowers Cold Fragrance Pill, we have cultivated medicinal flowers for an entire year, waiting until the winter plum blossoms to harvest the herbs and prepare the pills. Just the cost of watering the plants has already exhausted a fortune. If it were truly destroyed, how would Yaoling Manor explain it? No matter how large the family business of Yaoling Manor is, it cannot withstand the lion's demand from Governor Huang. If we do not comply, we would also offend him. Just encountering a mere governor is already a headache. Although Yaoling Manor has some reputation and friends in the martial world, which of them is not in it for their own benefit?"

In the realm of governance, it is often said that the common people should not contend with officials. With the departure of Governor Huang, who is to say that Governor Li will not arrive? The Yao Ling Manor has been a prestigious family in Xizhou for several generations, and do you think it is possible to survive in this day and age without currying favor with the officials? After obtaining this scroll, I believe it presents an opportunity. I can only hope that Hua Buqi is indeed the person that Prince Seven is looking for. My Lin family has raised her for seven years, and we certainly have some merit in this matter. Even if Dansha has no connection with the heir of Prince Seven, Yao Ling Manor can still gain some benefit from Hua Buqi.

Has the person who went out to seek flowers returned? Is there any news?

Lin Dansha suddenly realized. Immediately, she felt a wave of discomfort in her heart, and with a slight pout, she exclaimed: "How can a dog’s offspring actually fly up to the branches and become a phoenix!"