Chapter 1431
Persuasion
Chapter 1431 Persuasion
Because the sixth young master was seriously ill, the new lord ordered that the wedding be simplified, and the bride was only allowed to pay respects at the ancestral hall, which was considered to have completed the ceremony.
Therefore, there was no such thing as a wedding night, and Li Wei had never met Lin Hao. So, in the evening, she thought of going to greet Lin Hao.
Li Wei timidly entered Lin Hao's room, wondering as she walked, "What does this Sixth Young Master look like? I've never seen him before!"
Suddenly she smelled a pungent medicinal odor, which was the water chestnut soup that Lin Hao had poured into the basin earlier.
Why does it smell like medicine?
Li Wei walked to the bedside with a puzzled look and said, "Wu Chuan Li Wei greets the Sixth Young Master!"
Seeing no response and with the copper basin on the ground full of red liquid, Li Wei was immediately terrified!
"Why, why is there so much blood? Is he dead? Sixth Young Master, Sixth Young Master~!" Li Wei thought Lin Hao was already dead, so she called out anxiously with a sob in her voice.
"Stop shouting!" Lin Hao's calm voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Hearing someone speak, Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief and then turned around.
However, when she saw Lin Hao's appearance clearly, she stared at him in disbelief, and froze on the spot.
The person who came was none other than the unknown young master whom we had seen in the kitchen before.
Fortunately, Li Wei wasn't stupid. Since he was here at this time, it meant...
"So he's the Sixth Young Master! Oh no!" Li Wei immediately realized what had happened. Thinking of the embarrassing incident at noon, she felt extremely annoyed and ashamed to face anyone.
"Why be nervous? It's not like we've never met before. But since you're here to test the poisons, you can taste this bowl of wild water chestnut soup for me!"
After saying that, Lin Hao placed the water chestnut soup that Su Shen had given him on the table and looked at her with amusement.
Li Wei glanced at the water chestnut soup. She didn't even need to look at it; just the smell told her it was no good. She froze on the spot, unsure of what to do.
"What? You don't want to give it a try?" Lin Hao slammed something on the table again; it was the jade tablet for selecting women.
Li Wei was so frightened that she knelt down and cried out, "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Sixth Young Master!"
"Get up, I was just joking with you, just trying to scare you, my concubine." Lin Hao smiled and helped the little girl up.
Li Wei shakily looked up at Lin Hao, and after confirming that Lin Hao was not angry, she carefully got up and sat down next to Lin Hao.
At this moment, Lin Hao asked, "We haven't known each other for long and don't know each other well yet. What's your family situation like?"
“Ah~!” Li Wei was taken aback and subconsciously replied, “My family has been farming for three generations. Only my father passed the exam, but his official rank was too low to enter Jichuan Palace.”
Tell me something I don't know!
"I don't know. Oh, my dad is a great cook and loves my mom very much. I also have a younger brother named Li Cang, and we always argue!"
Seeing that Li Wei was about to say more nonsense, Lin Hao interrupted her with a smile, "Can you read?"
"Mmm!" Li Wei nodded, and subconsciously opened her mouth to say:
"She's not very good at etiquette, etiquette, or the Four Books and Six Arts, and she's a skilled seamstress. But she's quite knowledgeable when it comes to appreciating fine food and can understand menus!"
"Hmm, if you like it, it's good!" Lin Hao said with a smile.
Seeing that Lin Hao wasn't angry, Li Wei continued, "But my younger brother is a good-for-nothing who doesn't study at all. I usually try to discipline him, but he just doesn't listen!"
"Alright, no need to say that!" Lin Hao interrupted Li Wei, asking curiously:
"I just want to know, is there anything you don't like?"
Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately said indignantly, "Copying books! I did something wrong, and my mother always punishes me by making me copy books. My handwriting is terrible!"
Lin Hao smiled, then said in a serious tone:
"Well, sneaking food in the kitchen isn't a big deal, but the rules can't be broken, so I'll punish you by making you copy books!"
"Copy what?" Li Wei asked with a long face.
"I'll punish you by making you copy the hospital's menu a hundred times!" Lin Hao said in a serious tone.
Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately replied with a pitiful expression, "I understand!"
Then, Li Wei unconsciously glanced at the red liquid in the copper basin beside the bed, and her mind automatically filled in the blanks:
"Sigh, it was the same when my grandfather passed away. Even though he was coughing up blood, he would hide it from us, afraid that we would worry if we saw it!"
"Sigh, what a kind but pitiful person!"
Seeing Li Wei looking at him with pity, Lin Hao immediately knew what was going on in her little head, but he still couldn't help teasing her:
"Do I have flowers on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Li Wei said solemnly, "Sixth Young Master, don't worry, I will definitely treat you well in the days to come!"
After saying this, he bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
Watching Li Wei's departing figure, Lin Hao smiled. He knew what Li Wei was thinking; she simply thought he was about to die and wanted to treat him well in his final days.
The reason she turned and ran away after saying those words was naturally because she didn't want to consummate the marriage.
Lin Hao had seen women before, so he naturally wouldn't force her to consummate the marriage and let her leave.
On the other hand, things were much more interesting at the residence of the Fifth Young Master, Yin Qi. He was forcibly carried into the bridal chamber.
In his opinion, Shangguan Jing was beautiful, but her fiery personality was terrifying. He still preferred the gentle type like Hao Jia.
Although Hao Jia successfully became the eldest prince's concubine, she faced numerous difficulties on her very first day serving tea to the eldest prince's wife.
In addition, she used some manipulative tactics, which won her the favor of the eldest son, Yin Song, but also offended the eldest son's wife. Her life was not as comfortable as it seemed on the surface.
The following day, at the Inner Garden Study Hall.
Granny Yang began to teach the ladies and concubines poetry, literature, etiquette, and so on.
Li Wei, on the other hand, loved to sleep in class, and as a result, she was fined fifty coins on her first day.
When evening came, Li Wei sat at the dining table, starving, looking at the delicious food on the table, while Lin Hao was reading a book.
Unfortunately, Lin Hao didn't touch his chopsticks, and she couldn't either, because the nanny had already taught them the rules of Xinchuan today.
"How did you do at the Inner Garden Study Hall today?" Lin Hao asked, putting down his book and taking a seat after seeing Li Wei's pitiful appearance.
"I'm sorry!" Li Wei said softly.
"Oh? They deducted money from your pay?"
"Hmm~!"
"Never mind!" Lin Hao shook his head and said, "I never expected you to perform that well anyway. Let's eat!"
"When dining with the young master, one must wait for him to start eating first. If the young master does not start eating, one can only wait along with him!"
Li Wei was about to pick up her chopsticks when she suddenly remembered the rules her nanny had taught her during the day, so she quickly withdrew her hand and looked at Lin Hao pitifully.
Seeing that Li Wei still hadn't touched her chopsticks, Lin Hao was speechless. He hadn't expected this girl to be such a good girl. So he smiled and said:
"Alright, eat up. From now on, there won't be so many rules here!"
As Lin Hao spoke, he took out his chopsticks and put a little bit of each dish into his bowl. "Alright, eat up," Lin Hao said, looking at Li Wei with doting eyes.
"Mmm, thank you, Sixth Young Master!" After expressing her gratitude, Li Wei quickly picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Her speed was such that even wolves and tigers would be ashamed of themselves.
Seeing this, Lin Hao said, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you!"
"Mmm~!" Li Wei mumbled indistinctly, but her movements showed no sign of stopping.
After the meal, Li Wei brought Lin Hao some water chestnut soup, then looked at him with pity and said:
"Sixth Young Master has taken his medicine. It won't taste good if it gets cold!"
Lin Hao said, both amused and exasperated, "This medicine is hot, and it doesn't taste good either!"
However, despite his words, Lin Hao still picked up the bowl and drank the water chestnut soup. Actually, this stuff wasn't really medicine; to be precise, it was a nourishing soup, but it was indeed a bit unpleasant to drink.
Seeing Lin Hao frown as he drank the water chestnut soup, Li Wei said with some emotion, "Sigh, there are only a few days left, and you're still working so hard!"
Lin Hao knew Li Wei had misunderstood and thought he wouldn't live more than a few days, but Lin Hao found it amusing, so he went along with her words:
"It's precisely because there are only a few days left that we need to study even harder!"
"You truly are amazing!" Li Wei found Lin Hao's story increasingly inspiring, and so she solemnly said:
"Don't worry, young master, after you leave, I will burn some books for you from time to time!"
"There's no need to burn the books for me, since I've already memorized them all!" This nonsensical conversation made Lin Hao almost laugh out loud.
"Memorize it and take it with you?" Upon hearing this, Li Wei exclaimed with admiration, "Young Master's extensive knowledge and remarkable memory are truly admirable!"
As she spoke, Li Wei took out a roll of paper from her sleeve and placed it in front of Lin Hao, saying, "I've copied all the recipes you asked me to copy a hundred times!"
"The menu in your mansion is truly lavish, but it's a pity you're not well enough to eat it all!"
"But don't be discouraged. Even if you don't have many days left, make the most of every meal and every moment!"
"We're not really husband and wife anymore, so it's really embarrassing for us to be living in your house!"
As she spoke, Li Wei took out a pen and paper and said, "How about this, you tell me your wish, and I'll make it come true for you!"
Listening to Li Wei chatter on and on, Lin Hao was both amused and exasperated, so he shook his head and said:
"I'm afraid you can't fulfill my wish."
"Try saying one!"
"Go back and rest, I want to read!"
After leaving Lin Hao's study, she consciously returned to her own room, showing no intention of serving her husband.
However, as she was leaving, Li Wei pursed her lips and muttered, "If you won't tell me, I'll just ask someone else!"
The next day, Li Wei started writing letters again.
"Father and Mother, my husband's death is imminent. I must return home quickly. When making lotus root starch at home, remember to add a little locust flower. We will eat together when I return!"
After finishing writing the letter and putting it away, Li Wei handed it to Yu Zhan: "Please send my letter home!"
Days passed by like this. He would tease Li Wei from time to time to strengthen their relationship, and at the same time, he would read books about this fictional world to prepare for his exams.
That day, Su Shen came to Lin Hao's side and reported with some concern:
"Young Master, the concubine has been acting strangely lately. She keeps asking around about your preferences!"
"It's one thing for her to ask the Ninth Young Master, but she also inquired about the Eleventh Young Master. If she has some other motive, we need to be careful."
"Alright, don't worry. Of all the women chosen by Waikawa, she's the simplest. What could she possibly want?"
Lin Hao smiled knowingly. He knew perfectly well that Li Wei's purpose in doing this was simply to make up for his near death in her final days.
It's actually quite interesting. It will be even more interesting when she discovers the misunderstanding after her exam!
However, considering the relationship between the eleventh son, his mother, and the original owner of this body, Lin Hao thought for a moment and said:
"However, Mother really doesn't want Ah Zai to associate with the people in our compound, so we need to remind her of that!"
Ah, speaking of the Sixth Young Master's strained relationship with his mother, Lin Hao does know the reason.
He and his wife gave birth to Yin Zheng when he was 14 years old. He also suffered from postpartum depression. To put it bluntly, he and his wife were still children at the time.
But people of this era don't know what depression is, so the wife and her husband are indifferent to Yin Zheng, which also makes others dislike the newborn Yin Zheng.
Therefore, Yin Zheng was "abandoned" by his birth mother at a young age and was raised by Madam Chun, the birth mother of the Fifth Young Master. This is why the Fifth and Sixth Young Masters were quite close since childhood.
As his wife recovered from postpartum depression, Yin Zheng gradually grew up and became more sensible, but he still harbored resentment towards his mother for abandoning him.
At this time, the Eighth Prince suddenly passed away, and the eldest son began to be wary of his younger brothers. Lady He wanted to make amends, but she didn't know how.
In order to protect Yin Zheng, she even had to continue pretending to dislike Yin Zheng in order to counteract the hostility of the eldest son, Yin Song, towards his son.
Su Shen, however, vaguely understood Madam He's intentions, and therefore often advised the Sixth Young Master.
"Actually, the Eleventh Young Master and you are siblings from the same mother. Perhaps the Madam and her husband hope that you two will be close!"
Lin Hao knew the reason, but he didn't express his thoughts directly. However, he also felt it was necessary to ease the tension with Madam He.
Seeing Lin Hao deep in thought, Su Shen was pleased but also afraid of offending him, so he only offered limited advice.
Then, changing the subject, she said:
“Actually, it’s not easy for a country girl like you, Consort. She even specially arranged some flowers just to make you happy!” Su Shen said, pointing to the chrysanthemums in the room.
Seeing the neatly arranged chrysanthemums, Lin Hao's lips twitched, and he glanced at Su Shen: "Are you sure you're just trying to fool me?"
"Uh! The concubine is indeed a bit strange!" Su Shen sighed, unsure of what to say.
"Young Master is back!" Li Wei skipped and hopped over to Lin Hao and asked:
"Does the young master still like these flowers? Since no one knows what the young master likes, I just sent some traditional ones at random!"
However, the chrysanthemum's solitary and aloof nature is endlessly fascinating, and it does suit your refined and solitary temperament.
“That makes sense!” Su Shen chimed in from the side.
"Is that how you use the phrase 'highbrow and unpopular'?" Lin Hao glared at him, then looked at Li Wei and said:
"Have I offended you in some way, or do you feel wronged by marrying into my household?"
"I just want you to be happy, but you don't seem too happy!" Li Wei quickly tried to make amends, saying, "I love you, Lin Hao, but you seem a little unhappy."
"And this one? Do you like it?" Li Wei proudly opened a portrait.
"Yes, I like it, I really like it!"
Lin Hao said this, but he knew that the girl's next step was to hang his portrait in the middle of the main room.
"This little girl has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. What goes around comes around. I'll scare you to death in a few days," Lin Hao thought to himself, preparing to teach her a lesson after the exam.