Chapter 955 - 949: Delivering the Letter
Su State is several hundred miles away from the Capital City, and with the cold wind blowing fiercely, asking someone to deliver a letter swiftly on horseback is indeed a great favor.
But the mere mention of Old Duke Chong was enough for Mr. Lin to undertake this journey.
Although Madam Lin was reluctant to let her son endure hardships and feared the dangers he might encounter on the way to the capital, Su Jin’s gesture of gifting a Duan Inkstone and her decision to send a letter to Old Duke Chong proved that her identity was extraordinary.
Lord Lin was demoted, and Madam Lin always hoped for the day he would be reinstated in his post. With the opportunity to connect with Old Duke Chong brought to their door, how could she miss it?
Madam Lin looked at Lord Lin and said, "I think it would be better for you to deliver this letter?"
Lord Lin frowned and said, "How could that be appropriate? Mr. Xie entrusted this task to our son; how can I deliver it instead?"
"What if, like you, he ends up being a matchmaker and has a marriage proposal discussed?"
The maids around covered their mouths, laughing.
Madam Lin almost wanted to strangle Lord Lin.
However, considering Mr. Xie was young, Madam Lin assumed the letter might not be of critical importance and dismissed the notion.
Since it was an insignificant letter, Madam Lin instructed Mr. Lin to be cautious while traveling.
Mr. Lin set out for the Capital City early the next morning, accompanied by a servant.
Despite Madam Lin advising him not to exhaust himself, Mr. Lin felt that the letter Su Jin had entrusted him with was important, and he dared not delay.
The two rode four horses, swapping whenever needed.
Except for eating and sleeping, they moved without stopping.
The servant was so exhausted that he almost collapsed on the horse and said, "Master, do we need to rush with such urgency?"
"What if it’s something major?" Mr. Lin replied.
"But what if it isn’t?" the servant asked.
"If it isn’t, I’ll let you sleep for two days straight."
"..."
What else could the servant do but grit his teeth and follow his young master in a mad dash towards the Capital City?
The burning of grain and grass is a serious matter, and although they may not capture the arsonist, this incident must be reported to the court promptly.
Despite running as fast as he could, Mr. Lin was still slower compared to the messengers who had set off two days earlier to deliver the news to the Capital.
Upon learning of the destruction of supplies, the Emperor was furious.
Panic spread through the court.
With the treasury depleted and the war at the border consuming vast expenses, the burned supplies raised concerns that sustenance for the border might not last.
Even if a general is as skilled as a god in battle, he won’t be able to hold out for long under these conditions.
Old Duke Chong, who had been recuperating for a long time, started attending court after his health improved.
The Emperor, showing compassion for his age and frailty, allowed him to sit in court— an exclusive privilege.
The Emperor dispatched investigators to look into the incident of the burnt supplies and instructed the Ministry of Revenue to urgently gather more supplies for the border.
...
After four days of galloping on horseback, Mr. Lin finally reached the Capital City that morning.
As he gazed at the towering city gates, he felt a bit dizzy.
Though this wasn’t his first time in the Capital City, he truly didn’t know where Duke Chong’s Mansion was located.
He asked around for directions and arrived in front of Duke Chong’s Mansion.
Looking up, he saw three large characters on the plaque: Shangguan Mansion.
Mr. Lin: "... "
Servant: "... "
The servant glanced at Mr. Lin and said, "Master, doesn’t this look nothing like Duke Chong’s Mansion?"
The gatekeeper servant noticed them staring at the plaque and unhappily said, "Who are you looking for?"
"Excuse me, is this Duke Chong’s Mansion?" Mr. Lin asked.
"If it’s not Duke Chong’s Mansion, is it your home then?!" The servant retorted aggressively.
Once crowded with visitors, Duke Chong’s Mansion’s plaque was gone, and since Duke Chong’s disappearance, it’s been desolate and empty.
To the servant, Mr. Lin’s question insulted them, rubbing salt into their wounds!
Mr. Lin’s servant was also aggravated.
Having rushed from Su State to deliver a letter, the attitude of Duke Chong’s Mansion folks was so vile?!
What a waste of all the effort.
"Leave, leave, if you don’t, I’ll call someone to beat you up!" The harsh Duke Mansion servant threatened.
Mr. Lin’s servant pulled him away.
As they walked away, Mr. Lin still couldn’t believe it and asked another passerby, "Was that Duke Chong’s Mansion?"
The passerby thought for a moment and said, "You could say yes or no."
Mr. Lin was utterly puzzled.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Lin asked humbly.
It wasn’t the type of issue easily explained, so the passerby asked, "Depends on who you’re looking for at Duke Chong’s Mansion?"
"I’m looking for Old Duke Chong," Mr. Lin replied.
"Old Duke Chong doesn’t live here; he resides at the old residence of Duke Chong’s Mansion. Walk further and turn the corner to reach it."
The passerby showed them the way and strode off.
Mr. Lin and his servant exchanged bewildered looks.
The two went to the old residence.
Looking up at the plaque, both had long faces.
The plaque was there, but what’s up with the extra part beneath?
The servants at Shangguan Mansion were hostile, and now there wasn’t even a gatekeeper here.
Mr. Lin waited at the door for a while, but seeing no one come out, he stepped up the steps.
Stepping into Duke Chong’s Mansion, he called out, "Is anyone here?"
After training and preparing to take a bath, Young Master Su Jin and his friends heard someone calling and ran over to ask, "Who are you looking for?"
"Looking for Old Duke Chong," Mr. Lin replied.
"Does he live here?"
Young Master Su Jin nodded, "He’s always lived here, but he’s not home now. Do you need to see him urgently?"
Mr. Lin wasn’t sure if it was urgent.
He felt a bit annoyed, not having seen a single servant but being surrounded by several kids for a chat.
As Mr. Lin glanced around, Young Master Su Jin said, "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
The servant laughed and said, "Who are you?"
"I’m Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion," Young Master Su Jin said.
"I’m the Ninth Prince," Ninth Prince said.
"I’m Young Master of Jibei Marquis Mansion," Young Master Shen said.
"I’m Young Master of the Zhao Family," Young Master Zhao said.
The four introduced themselves one by one.
Just one of their identities was enough to crush Mr. Lin.
Mr. Lin knew Marquis Jibei, and the name of Marquis Dongxiang was even more renowned.
He took out the letter from his chest, and Young Master Su Jin glimpsed the familiar handwriting.
It looked familiar.
Mr. Lin said, "Brother Xie asked me to deliver a letter to Old Duke Chong personally to his hand."
"Brother Xie?"
"My brother-in-law?" Young Master Su Jin asked excitedly.
A servant approached from a distance, and Young Master Su Jin shouted, "Quick, tell my mother that there’s a letter from my brother-in-law!"
Has the husband been found?
The servant happily ran to the inner courtyard.
Young Master Su Jin took Mr. Lin to the inner courtyard.
Mrs. Tang was doing embroidery. Upon hearing from the servant about the letter from the husband, she quickly set down the embroidery frame and stepped out.
The maids and matrons gathered around, putting tremendous pressure on Mr. Lin.
Mrs. Tang wanted to see the letter, but Mr. Lin hesitated and said, "The young master might be mistaken. The Brother Xie I spoke of has a flawed appearance and is not yet married, so he shouldn’t be this mansion’s husband. His letter... can only be given to Old Duke Chong."
Entrusted to deliver, Mr. Lin dutifully insisted, and Mrs. Tang didn’t want to make things difficult for him.
Young Master Su Jin said he recognized the handwriting on the letter and that it was indeed from Brother Xie; who else could it be if not her husband?
Mrs. Tang sent someone to fetch Old Duke Chong back.
After half an hour, Old Duke Chong returned from the Ministry of War, and Mr. Lin courteously handed him the letter.
Old Duke Chong took the letter, glanced at it, and smiled, "It’s Jinjim’s own handwriting."
"My sister’s letter?" Young Master Su Jin was surprised.
He wanted to step forward but was held back by Steward Lin.
Because Old Duke Chong’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by anger right after he spoke.
Mrs. Tang grew anxious, fearing Su Jin had encountered any trouble that prompted her to write asking for help.
Mr. Lin stood there as if struck by lightning, his face turning beet red.
Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion’s elder sister—wasn’t she the Princess Consort Zhenbei and the reigning Princess Jin Ning?
He... he...
He actually claimed he wanted to share a room with her?!
Old Duke Chong handed the letter to Mrs. Tang for a look, retrieved it, and told Mr. Lin, "You come with me to the palace to see the Emperor."
With that, Old Duke Chong strode off.
Mr. Lin followed nervously with a stiffening resolve.