Chapter 61: God of War (7)
Lin Wan and Lin Dan live very near to each other. Since Lin Wan had an accident, she had been crying all day long in her yard, which made people restless. Lin Dan had no choice but to wander outside in the daytime and meditate in the room at night. She had a comfortable life. In the memory of the real owner, Lin Wan was a very obedient and considerate sister, but in the eyes of Lin Dan, she was a cunning person who liked to play some dirty tricks and not a person who can be with. She had tried to frame Lin Dan several times, but how could Lin Dan not notice?
For the lake incident, if it weren't for the fact that Lin Dan was far away from her and can't have touched her, she would have pulled her into it. Princess Ming Zhu was involved in the incident, so she was forced to apologize to Lin Wan by her family. However, instead of comforting her, Lin Wan apologized to her. On the contrary, they became good friends.
In Lin Dan's eyes, Lin Wan was a peculiar person. She fooled the people around her and show no mercy when she made use of them. But in the end, they still cared about her and were deceived by her. Her fiancé was the most blinded one. No matter what Lin Wan did, he would accept it all, which didn't fit his name as "the most talented man in the capital".
Without a second thought, Lin Dan knew that it would take a long time for the news of Lin Wan's reputation had been destroyed, so she hid. As she expected, Ding Mujie would never mention the dissolution of engagement after visiting the Lin mansion once. Someone asked him, and he said that he thoroughly believed in King Kang's morality and his fiancée's integrity. The two were innocent, and he would not abandon this relationship just because of those rumors.
The others were speechless and didn't dare to speak ill of King Kang's morality, nor did they say that Lin Wan lack of integrity. They could only retreat bitterly. Some people even talked about etiquette and said that opposite-sexed shouldn't be too close to each other. It was already out of politeness for them to spend a night in the wild. Ding Mujie satirized these people with the story of "an old monk carried the woman across the river" that they were not open-minded enough.
He praised King Kang for his courage to save people and trust his fiancée, Lin Wan. He even told others that it was improper to talk about it. He even felt ashamed of himself.
Upon hearing this, General Lin became more satisfied with his son-in-law. Without the need for Ding Mujie to mention, he asked Mrs. Lin to speed up the preparation and try to get Lin Wan married as soon as possible. Lin Wan thought that Ding Mujie would fulfill her wish as usual and take the initiative to call off the engagement, but she didn't expect that she would put on an infatuated look after he returned home, unable to hide.
These days, he not only earned a good reputation but also proved Lin Wan and King Kang's innocence. Gradually, everyone stopped talking about it, yet envied Lin Wan for having such a good man. Seeing that the crisis was coming to an end, and she has yet to get anything done. Lin Wan couldn't sit still anymore. She asked her mother to make a fuss in front of General Lin. On the other hand, she pulled a rope, pretending to commit suicide.
Ding Mujie didn't mind that her stature had been ruined and was still willing to marry her. On the day she was saved back to the mansion, to retreat for the sake of advancing and proof her innocence, she cried and said that she refused to be King Kang's concubine. If she continued to make a fuss at such time, it would be of no cause. General Lin was not a fool. He was very observant; the old man would soon understand what tricks the two played. They looked down on the Ding family and wanted to marry someone better!
The masks that the mother and daughter had disguised for more than ten years were torn off overnight, revealing their true colors of eagerness for quick success and instant benefit, ignorance, and selfishness. General Lin was very annoyed. He even felt bothered to take another look at them, but he was sad and disappointed. After all, these two were his concubine and daughter, whom he pampered with for many years and saved his life. He didn't afford to be cruel to them.
Hearing the farce of the Lin family, Ding Mujie remained calm. He knew that Lin Wan couldn't get rid of him all her life. As long as he didn't let her go, she had to do whatever to make a scene to marry King Kang as soon as possible. The more she made a scene, the less patience the Lin family had for her. In the end, she would lose all the care they had for her and lose everything.
Until now, she still didn't realize that she was nothing if she leaves the Lin family and those who were willing to support and help her.
After Lin Wan fell into the water in her previous life, she was saved by King Kang, but the charge of pushing her into the water was blamed on Lin Dan. Lin Dan was utterly disgusted by General Lin because she seized her sister's marriage and caused harm to her. To make up for Lin Wan, General Lin didn't stop her from being a concubine in King Kang's mansion. In his opinion, it was the best choice for a woman who been called off the engagement to be a concubine to a prince. As long as he had a fatherly heart, he should not block his daughter's way of life. To make amends for Lin Dan, Mrs. Lin took out half of her dowry and let Lin Wan bring them to King Kang's mansion.
With the help of her family and the love of King Kang, Lin Wan was really proud.
At that time, Ding Mujie once hated Lin Dan. He blamed her for not being grateful for her marriage but also hurting Lin Wan. No matter how hard Lin Dan tried to explain, he refused to listen to her. After that, he seldom came back home and slowly left her behind. Recalling the past, Ding Mujie only felt guilty and self-mockery.
He felt that he was simply the most pathetic and ridiculous idiot in the world in his previous life. Until he died, he never figured out who was faithful to him and who was faking him. He abandoned the person who treated him sincerely but helped defend the hypocritical one as a treasure. If he could return to his previous life, he really wanted to dig his own grave and throw the memorial tablets that belonged to Lin Wan, which he was holding in his arms into the fire together with his bones.
It was said that husband and wife shared the same life and death at the same grave, and Lin Dan's tomb was set beside his tomb. If she had known it in her previous life, she would have felt a great insult to lie side by side with an idiot like him.
The more Ding Mujie thought about it, the more he felt ashamed of himself. But he did everything he should do. He had missed Lin Dan in this life, and there was no way to make up for her. He had to try his best to help the Lin family avoid the impending disaster.
When he was plotting secretly, Lin Wan didn't idle away. She threatened General Lin with her death, and on the other hand, she asked her mother to force General Lin to agree to her marriage with King Kang by saying that she had saved his life. Lin Dan had never been set up by Lin Wan and framed for these crimes for this life. Therefore, General Lin and Mrs. Lin didn't feel guilty for Lin Wan, so they were unwilling to let loose of her. Ding Mujie had made it clear. He didn't care about the gossips and was willing to believe in his fiancée and would marry her as scheduled. In this case, if the Lin family proposed to call off the engagement first, then sent Lin Wan to King Kang's mansion as a concubine. What was their intention? To diplomat with King Kang?
It didn't matter how others would laugh at the Lin family, but what the emperor would think? Would he doubt the loyalty of the Lin family and take some measures… It was about the family's centennial offense. No matter what, the emperor would not agree to the marriage, and General Lin would definitely obey.
Lin Wan had made trouble many times, and once, she was almost hung on the door beam. Fortunately, she was saved by a servant, her throat was broken, and she couldn't speak for several days. Aunt Shi knelt at the entrance of General Lin's study for three days. During this period, she didn't eat nor drink, and almost caused a miscarriage. Only then did General Lin know that Aunt Shi was pregnant again. He quickly took her back to his room. No one knew what the two of them had said in the room. When they were out again, General Lin softened his attitude and comforted Lin Wan gently.
The mansion was full of noise all day long, making his granddaughter dare not go back home and dare not enter. She lost a lot of weight. The great empress was very distressed. She forcefully suppressed the emperor and said, "since she is willing to be other's mistress, then let her be. Our Lin family will not stop her. Guards, pack up the luggage for the Shi and Lin Wan, send them to the village in the suburb of the capital, and give them the deed of the village so that they can have a single pass. From now on, there would be no Aunt Shi or lady Lin Wan in our mansion. If anyone calls the wrong person, she would be beaten twenty times and kick out of here!" The great empress looked at Mrs. Lin and remained gently, "You'd better prepare a great gift to the Ding family and tell Mujie that Lin Wan has died of illness. Our two families end up not destined to be in-laws and tell him not to be sad. If there is a chance in the future, I will personally find him a good wife. "
Mrs. Lin glanced at General Lin and asked, "But Your Highness, what should we do with the baby?"
The great empress snorted, "Let her raise herself. She has a great plan for it."
The great empress didn't care about anything in the family. However, once she spoke, even the emperor had to obey her, let alone General Lin. This time, Aunt Shi and Lin Wan were dumbfounded. They cried and begged that they didn't want to leave the Lin mansion. They even walked on their knees and wanted to hug the great empress' thighs but were kicked away by Lin Dan.
The great empress touched his eldest granddaughter's head lovingly but felt annoyed when she looked at Lin Wan. She quickly ordered the servants to tie the two of them and put them into a carriage. In the afternoon, Mrs. Lin paid a visit to the Ding family with a lot of gifts. The next day, a white flag was hung at the gate of the Lin family. It was said that Lin Wan was too depressed and died of severe illness. Aunt Shi couldn't bear the loss of her daughter, and she committed suicide.
From then on, the two had nothing to do with the Lin family. They could do whatever they wanted and could be concubines as they wished.
The actions of the Lin family were not secret and could even be said to be a little-publicized. When Lin Wan and Aunt Shi were driven out of the mansion, they cried and yelled, many people were looking at them. But because of this, everyone could clearly know the attitude of the Lin family. To not have any relation with King Kang, they would instead give up a favored lady and a well-educated daughter, raised for more than ten years. It was challenging to win them over.
King Kang was framed by the Lin family. Even though he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone, he still pretended to smile as if he didn't care at all. Lin Wan was no longer the seventh lady of the Lin family, and even Lady Shi was kicked out of the house. She couldn't use her husband anymore. The two were no longer of use to King Kang, so he naturally wouldn't care about them. Thus, the matter of being his concubine was no longer being said.