Wen Mingtang was taken aback when he saw Lin Fei suddenly appear before him.

It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with him; he wasn’t going to the yamen. Lin Fei wasn’t wearing an official robe today but rather a light blue long robe, which made him appear quite gentle and refined, giving him the air of a jade-like gentleman from a famous poem or painting. Except…

Wen Mingtang looked at the crumbs of crispy pastry and brown sauce still on the corner of his mouth and twitched his lips: This Lin Shaoqing must have been eating breakfast just a moment ago! He must have received the news suddenly and rushed over, but he arrived too quickly and hadn’t even had time to wipe his mouth.

Noticing Wen Mingtang’s gaze, Lin Fei was startled. When he realized what was happening, his usually expressionless face visibly stiffened. He instinctively reached for his sleeve to take a handkerchief to wipe his mouth but then stopped halfway, probably realizing his action was a bit too deliberate. He coughed lightly, glanced at the side door, and turned, saying, “Follow me!”

Hearing the sounds outside the side door, Wen Mingtang immediately followed.

Because it was still early, and many people in the Marquis’s residence were still asleep, Wen Mingtang followed Lin Fei into his courtyard without encountering anyone.

After leading Wen Mingtang into the courtyard, Lin Fei began to explain, “I was having breakfast when the steward told me that my grandfather was coming to collect samples. To avoid any trouble between you and him, I came over.” He paused, and before Wen Mingtang could speak, he added, “The bolt on the main gate broke a couple of days ago, so to prevent any accidents, we’ve temporarily closed it. These past few days, we’ve been using the side gate.”

Hearing Lin Fei’s unusually long explanation, Wen Mingtang, who hadn’t initially paid much attention, realized he was explaining why she was being directed to use the side gate.

Wen Mingtang didn’t really care whether they used the main gate or the side gate; let alone ordinary people, even minor officials entering and leaving the Jingyun Marquis’s residence could be easily dealt with if the Jingyun Marquis’s residence used the side gate to distinguish between different classes of visitors.

During her years in the Yeting Palace, Wen Mingtang had come to understand the Great Rong Dynasty quite a bit. Compared to many dynasties, Great Rong was considered relatively civilized, and many outdated customs had been abolished. However, it still couldn’t compare to the modern society she had once lived in.

Otherwise, Liu Shi wouldn’t have been punished for insulting the “scholar” Liu Yuan at Zhao’s Restaurant.

Back then, Great Rong’s strict hierarchy helped her punish the troublesome Liu Shi; today, it asked her to use the side door, so Wen Mingtang naturally wouldn’t say anything.

She couldn’t just follow orders when it was advantageous to her and refuse when it wasn’t!

After explaining, seeing that Wen Mingtang didn’t seem displeased, Lin Fei said again, “The kitchen is still busy preparing breakfast. Please sit here for a while, and I’ll take you there when they’re done.”

Wen Mingtang nodded, thanked Lin Fei, and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

Lin Fei glanced at Wen Mingtang, who had sat down, then turned and went back inside. A moment later, he returned with a storybook and a cushion.

Wen Mingtang looked up at Lin Fei, who pointed to the stone bench she was sitting on and said, “It’s cold; the stone is chilly. Sit on this cushion!”

Wen Mingtang took the cushion and thanked him again, then took the storybook he brought. She glanced at the cover and couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was common for storybooks to be divided into several volumes before a single story was finished. Because Liu Yuan was also a big reader of storybooks, Wen Mingtang and Liu Yuan often swapped volumes to avoid waste.

The storybook they were currently reading was a revenge mystery. Yesterday, Wen Mingtang had finished the second volume and returned it to Liu Yuan and was just about to start the third.

And the book Lin Fei was handing her was the third volume of that revenge mystery: could this be a coincidence?

Looking at Lin Fei, who had gone inside and wiped the crumbs and sauce from his mouth, Wen Mingtang thought to himself that it was no coincidence.

Liu Yuan’s stack of storybooks lay on the table. With Lin Fei’s keen observation, how could he not notice the difference between the ones he had turned and those he hadn’t?

After marveling at Lin Shaoqing’s meticulousness, he flipped through a couple of pages, and a pair of well-defined hands presented her with a cup of tea.

Wen Mingtang was taken aback: such thoughtfulness was quite flattering.

“Thank you…” Before she could finish the word “thank you,” Lin Fei waved her hand and hurriedly left the courtyard.

The servants outside whispered “Lord Duke” and other such phrases, and Wen Mingtang realized: The Duke of Jingguo had entered the manor, and everyone else was still asleep; only Lin Fei, his master, was already up, so the servants had come to inquire.

Shaking his head, Wen Mingtang ignored the matter of the Duke of Jingguo and took a sip of the tea Lin Fei had brought him. The jiǔcài hézi and húlà tāng for breakfast were delicious but left a greasy aftertaste, which was exactly what he needed for a refreshing drink.

Since she was already early, she decided to read some stories before going to work with Master Xing.

Wen Mingtang’s guess was correct; the servant had come looking for Lin Fei because a jade pendant the Duke of Jingguo had left in the mansion yesterday was missing. He had searched the main hall for a while without success and sent someone to ask Lin Fei if he remembered where the pendant had been. Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Lin Fei’s eyes: After arriving at the mansion yesterday, the Duke of Jingguo went straight to his study and didn’t go anywhere else. Even if he had lost something, what could he possibly find in the main hall?

Lin Fei went to the study of Marquis Jingyun and, as expected, immediately saw the jade pendant on the desk. When he took the jade pendant to return it to Duke Jingguo, Lin Fei couldn’t help but ask Duke Jingguo, who was sweating profusely from searching for the item, “Grandfather, you only went to Father’s study yesterday. Why didn’t you go to the study to look for it?”

Duke Jingguo was somewhat taken aback when he heard this: “Ah Fei, when did I go to your father’s study? Didn’t I go to the main hall?”

Going to the main hall was the day before yesterday, not yesterday.

Lin Fei seemed to suddenly realize something, his gaze sharpening slightly. His eyes lingered on the Duke of Jing’s graying temples, and he swallowed the words he was about to say. Lowering his eyes, he helped the Duke of Jing fasten the jade pendant back to his waist, asking, “Grandfather, why did you leave so early today?”

The Duke of Jing nodded, saying, “I was discussing the distribution of New Year’s goods to the border guards with those old fellows in the Ministry of War.”

Lin Fei responded, then said to the Duke of Jing, “Grandfather often drinks a few cups when reminiscing with old friends, and he can’t see the way clearly at night. It would be best to bring two guards with you.”

The Duke of Jing, who had initially wanted to refuse, paused when Lin Fei mentioned, “Can’t see the way clearly.” After thinking for a moment, he nodded in agreement: He was getting old, and his night vision was indeed not as good as it used to be; it was necessary to have two people with him to help him find his way.

After fastening the jade pendant around Duke Jing’s waist and watching his departing figure, Lin Fei’s heart sank: His grandfather was getting old; perhaps it would be time to find a royal physician to examine him.

However, this matter wasn’t urgent; the Marquis’s residence had another important matter to attend to today!

(End of Chapter)

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