Chapter Nineteen: Good Fortune

"Wanyue, you have always been quite lucky. When I suffered from heatstroke on the road, it was you who sent me to the clinic. And when the Crown Prince's wet nurse ran into trouble before, it was also you..."

In short, after all that, Xu Jiaojiao's main point was: "You have always encountered noble people since you were young. Tell me quickly, could it be that this matter regarding the Northern Rong prince has something to do with you as well?"

Lin Wanyue was stunned for a moment. Thinking back, a few days ago, when she was out on the street, she did seem to see a man with deep-set features who was severely wounded.

Seeing that he did not look like a local from the Central Plains, she simply gave him a sum of silver.

Who would have thought...

Was he actually a prince from Northern Rong?

Lin Wanyue felt a surge of excitement and subconsciously nodded, saying, "I did help someone—"

"Oh my, I knew it was you! Wanyue, you are simply the lucky star for the Marquis of Qingyuan's estate and our Xu family! If you can come forward to negotiate with Northern Rong, the official careers of my father and your brother will surely flourish even more! No, let's stop wasting time here. I am taking you to the government office to find my father right now!"

"But—"

Lin Wanyue wanted to say that it might be too hasty, but before she could, the other girl grabbed her and dragged her out of the Marquis of Qingyuan's estate.

Lady Bai, who was just coming to look for Lin Wanyue, was taken aback. "What is going on? Where are you running off to in such a hurry?"

"Mother, I have something to discuss with Father and Brother!"

"Wait a moment, this is a small gold lock I had made for you."

Seeing her daughter about to leave, Lady Bai hurriedly brought out the custom-made gold lock.

Come to think of it, she had misunderstood Wanyue regarding the incident with Zhao Shuangshuang. Regardless of anything else, this child had grown up under her care. Although she could be temperamental at times, her nature was not bad. In terms of both reason and emotion, she should not have questioned this child just because of Zhaozhao's inner thoughts.

Since she had just bought a lot of gold for Zhaozhao, it would not be right to treat one differently from the other.

Seeing that her mother had bought her such a large gold lock, Lin Wanyue put it on immediately and said, "I love it very much, Mother!"

Touching the gold lock, which was even larger than her face, she felt a bit aggrieved and took Lady Bai's hand. "Ever since Sister returned, you have rarely taken me out to buy jewelry like this!"

These words were truly poignant.

In reality, it was not that Lady Bai was unwilling to take her; it was that Lin Wanyue had initially ostracized Lin Zhaozhao quite severely, constantly talking about driving her away.

Lady Bai felt guilty toward her biological daughter and wanted to take her shopping, but at the same time, she did not know how to reconcile the relationship between Wanyue and Zhaozhao, so she ended up not being close to either. She had thought that this would allow the two children to get along better, never imagining it would cause Wanyue such harm.

She promised immediately, "Tomorrow, Mother will take you to buy new jewelry again!"

Only then did Lin Wanyue leave happily, heading straight for the office of the Minister of Rites.

As for Lady Bai, she had just had the servants move the gold-crafted stone lions to the front of Lin Zhaozhao's room.

She saw her daughter sitting alone in the room, washing up. Thinking of the friends around Wanyue, and then of her Zhaozhao, who had no close friends to confide in because she hadn't been raised by her side, her heart ached, and she was on the verge of tears.

However, she saw Lin Zhaozhao turn her head upon hearing the noise, rush toward the gold lions outside the door, and scream in disbelief with her doe-eyes wide open:

—[What the hell! Such a beautiful gold lion!!!]

[It exudes an aura of corrupt and illegal wealth from head to toe!]

"Mother, where did these lions come from?"

[It is literally my dream lion! I love it, I love it!]

Lady Bai was startled by her daughter's sudden outburst. Recovering, she hurriedly said, "Don't you like gold? I thought that just giving you these safety locks and such was too superficial."

In the Great Yong Dynasty, stone lions were meant to ward off evil and bring good fortune, symbolizing status and power. A stone lion made of gold, besides those two points, was naturally also valuable!

Hearing this, Lin Zhaozhao almost turned into a screaming chicken:

[Oh my goodness, my dear mother! You are so beautiful, kind-hearted, and have such long legs!!! As expected of a lady from a grand household, she either doesn't act, or she is incredibly generous once she does!]

[It's over, I'm going to love my mother for the rest of my life!]

Lady Bai, "..."

Lady Bai, not expecting her daughter to be so cheerful, was left speechless and amused.

*

Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Rites office.

It was midday, the time when many officials were resting and dining. As the two girls entered, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Isn't that the daughter of Minister Xu? And who is the other...?"

"What are they doing in our office in broad daylight?"

Regardless of what others thought, Xu Jiaojiao, with an arrogant expression, led the way inside. "Minister Liu, have you seen my father?"

"Miss Xu, your father is inside discussing the Northern Rong matter with the Marquis of Qingyuan and the eldest heir."

Inside the room, Minister Xu was pacing back and forth anxiously. "The Emperor has given us three days! Three days to find this person! But I have sent people to inquire privately, and no young lady from any family has admitted to saving anyone!"

"If this continues and we cannot find her, Northern Rong may not be willing to yield at the negotiating table."

"Marquis of Qingyuan, Eldest Heir, you must help me think of a way!"

But what could Lin Yuanzhi do? He wasn't the one who saved the person, and after days of fruitless searching, he was losing his temper. He simply said, "That young lady is also at fault. How were they raised? Doing good deeds without leaving a name! Others might think she did something shameful!"

Lin Qingwu frowned. Just as he was about to speak, he looked up and saw his little sister, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Wanyue?"

The young man in a deep purple robe was stunned for a moment, then walked over quickly. "This is a government office; what are you doing here...?"

"Brother Heir!" Before Lin Wanyue could speak, Xu Jiaojiao hurriedly chimed in, "My father said that the Northern Rong prince was saved by a beautiful girl from the Central Plains."

Lin Qingwu said, "That is true. Because we are about to sign a treaty with Northern Rong, the Emperor attaches great importance to this matter and has even vowed to reward this young lady by conferring upon her the title of County Princess."

In the Great Yong Dynasty, the title of County Princess was usually reserved only for the daughters of princes close to the Emperor. After all, a County Princess held a rank equivalent to an official of the second grade. Rarely was it bestowed for a minor incident unless a girl was being sent off for a marriage alliance.

Lin Wanyue widened her eyes in surprise.

Xu Jiaojiao was even more incredulous. "Conferring the title of County Princess? Father, why didn't you tell me this before!"

Minister Xu said, "I didn't say anything because I was afraid someone would try to claim the credit and cause trouble. Enough, there is too much to do today. I don't have the leisure to deal with you; hurry home and stop causing trouble!"

"I am not causing trouble! Father, aren't you looking for the prince's savior?!"

As she spoke, Xu Jiaojiao pushed Lin Wanyue forward.