Chapter 90

  Elopement

  Kobayashi has been having a hard time for the past two years. Her eldest son resents her for being close to the Lin family and even allowed his younger brother to do such a thing, and he has hardened his heart and refuses to see her. The youngest son is actually close to her, but he was caught and thrown into prison, where he died without a proper burial. Her heart feels like it's being squeezed by someone's hand, so painful.

  But what can she do now? She can't even intervene in family matters. Yin Ruofei dismissed everyone and spoke to her alone, recounting everything he knew: how He Shi had confessed, how she had gone to the nunnery to obtain poison, and how she had used someone else's hands to put it in Old Madame's food. And further back, there was the harm done to her own sister, the plot against her own son - any one of these crimes would be enough to condemn her to death without a burial place.

  Kobayashi was terrified after hearing Yin Ruofei's words. If this were to be made public, even if it were handled leniently, Yin Haicheng would probably slap her to death. And if she were sent to the government office for punishment, it would be even more disastrous.

  Looking at Xiao Lin's kowtowing, which was as pitiful as a chicken pecking at rice, Yin Ruofei felt deeply sorrowful. His own mother had treated Xiao Lin like her own younger sister until she died, but this flower-like madam and her family were all ungrateful wolves who only knew how to bite back.

  "Don't worry, I won't tell Father." Yin Ruo Fei sneered coldly. Originally he had planned to get rid of Little Lin, but who knew that except for the mouthful of grass, the thief had escaped. No matter, people like Yin Jin Tang would definitely not retreat and live out their lives in seclusion after being wronged.

  With his own mother in hand, it's still a useful tool. When the time comes, it will be a powerful threat. Even if that scoundrel doesn't care about his mother's life or death, killing this little Lin in front of him can still make him feel good.

  What's more, Xiaolin's greatest hobby in her life was power and wealth, but now these two things are right in front of her, yet she can't get them. In the Hou Mansion where she once held absolute power, she has thoroughly become a lowly concubine who is not favored and not even allowed to see the mistress. This kind of life is unbearable to think about.

  Yin Ruofei wanted her to experience this kind of taste, one knife to kill, wouldn't that be letting her off easy?

  The Chen family is in good hands, and the Yin children are not much different in age. After the fourth daughter and fifth daughter got married, the marriage of other children was also put on the agenda.

  Jin Yuan has been delayed for quite some time, and now he is already 20 years old. He had an engagement arranged early on, but the turmoil of the past two years has caused further delay.

  Lao Er has been executed on the surface, but in reality only a few people know the truth, and even Yin Hai Cheng is kept in the dark. Lao San was expelled from the family long ago and doesn't need to be taken care of. Now as long as Lao Si Jin Ming and Lao Wu Jin Qian are eager to talk about marriage.

  The two brothers were born in the same year and are now both sixteen years old. However, Jin Qinxian is now studying at Guozijian, which sounds good when mentioned to others, and it's not hard for him to find a good marriage. But things are difficult for Jin Ming.

  Jinming is generally older than Jinqin, but he has a very small capacity. If he marries into a high-ranking family, he's afraid of not being able to hold his own in the household; if he marries into a lower-ranking family, it won't bring him any benefits either. In the future, this Marquis estate will definitely not be inherited by him. Even if they can secure an official position for him, how will he manage then?

  Apart from these two brothers, the Sixth Young Lady of the Lin family had also reached the age for marriage proposals. Having just passed the Guan Li ceremony, she should have been a sought-after bride by many families, but instead, Liu Xiang faced a situation where no one came to propose to her.

  If it were a few years ago, Rui Xin's situation would still be good. Her father was the Marquis of Zhenjiang, her elder brother was a brave and chivalrous commander-in-chief, one of the four young masters in the capital, and her uncles were even more noble as the Left Prime Minister and the Minister of War. Although her mother was only a concubine, she was the younger sister of the main wife, which made their relationship different, and this concubine was also in charge of managing the household.

  At those flower appreciation parties and poetry competitions, Rui Xin was always the center of attention. Of course, those who invited her wouldn't be anyone too noble. The capital's noblewomen were even more particular about birth order, with the eldest and second daughters of a marquis' household being the most honored guests, while other illegitimate daughters didn't count for much.

  In her early years, there were also several families who had taken a liking to Rui Xin. This Rui Xin was good-looking and her status was passable. However, over the past two years, the situation has changed greatly. First, the Lin family collapsed, leaving people sighing in amazement. After Little Lin's backing disappeared, Chen Shi's maiden home gained great power, and the wind direction shifted.

  Originally, people who had intentions no longer mentioned this matter, Xiao Lin was anxious and turned around in circles. Seeing that the fourth and fifth daughters were all engaged, Rui Xin was even more worried, and her hair turned white with anxiety.

  The three girls got married, but the most miserable one was San Gu Niang. Xiao Lin Shi knew what she had done, and although she secretly laughed at Chen Yi Niang's downfall, this matter also dealt a heavy blow to her. Because whether it was Yin Ruo Fei or Chen Shi, they both knew that behind this matter was Xiao Lin Shi, or rather, the shadow of Yin Jin Tang.

  Madam Chen nodded in agreement, but she didn't think so in her heart. At this time, she knew that Ruiqi, the second daughter-in-law, was also married at a young age of twenty or so, and being married a few years late wasn't a big deal.

  But unexpectedly, Lin had the nerve to come to her and ask for help, which was also beyond her expectations.

  Now Rui Xin is obviously not a good marriage, her mother is not favored, the second brother was killed for treason, she is a daughter of a concubine, except for an elder brother who can rely on, there is no other help.

  But people who are slightly close to him know that Yin Jinyuan is not fond of this sister, he dotes on his legitimate younger brother and has never been close to this sister.

  This was also done by Rui Xin herself. She grew up with her second brother since childhood and thought he was smart, more powerful than her. Who would have thought that something like this would happen? They were not close since childhood, and now they can't be close either.

  Rui Xin knew that her uncles and second brother had died, and she spent the whole day crying in her room. But it wasn't because of their deaths that she was sad, rather it was because she feared that this life would never again be as luxurious as before.

  The Chen family was busy finding marriage matches for their two illegitimate children and had truly neglected Rui Xiang, but this led to the exposure of a shameful affair.

  Less than two months later, Yin Jinyuan finally got married. This was the daughter-in-law personally chosen by Yin Haicheng for him, the eldest granddaughter of Cheng En Gong's family.

  This Cheng'en Duke is the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, and the current Cheng'en Duke is the Empress Dowager's older brother. He is a very low-key and serious person. The girl is beautiful and charming, and the Cheng'en Duke is also a very dignified and rule-abiding household. Although Yin Jin-yuan is extremely famous in the capital, it would be considered a great mismatch.

  At that time, Yin Haicheng begged with a swollen face. Cheng En Gong was not willing at first, but the Empress Dowager remembered that Yin Haicheng had made contributions and this was his most beloved eldest son, so she broke the rules and granted him an imperial favor.

  Yin Haicheng thought it was a good idea, as the Lin family had no children for many years. At that time, he would transfer Jinyuan to his name and treat him as the eldest son. With this favor and the relationship with Cheng'en Gong, the emperor should not make things difficult for him, even if he were to demote and inherit the title, it would be considered appropriate.

  Later, with the birth of Yin Ruofei, this legitimate son, he felt that this marriage was even more suitable, so as to ensure that under the circumstances where the eldest son would not inherit the title, his career path would be smooth and worry-free for life.

  Yin Jinyuan's wedding was a grand affair, and Chen knew that Yin Haicheng had set his sights on Jinyuan, so he was happy to make a good sale. Moreover, it also helped to wash away some of the bad luck, allowing the Yin family to reappear in the eyes of the capital's nobles.

  A separate courtyard, already decorated with a festive atmosphere, Yin Haicheng specially asked for a ten-day holiday for his son, hoping that the young couple would spend more time together.

  This week, the girl from the Zhou family was somewhat dissatisfied with this marriage, but she couldn't defy the imperial order and had to give up. The Yin family was also a noble family and not considered humiliating, so when the veil was lifted and she saw that handsome young man, the little bit of dissatisfaction in her heart disappeared.

  "What? Hurry up and go find it for me!" Chen was so angry after hearing her mother's report that she almost fainted.

  What's going on with Liu Niang being gone?

  Madam Chen was seething with anger, this Lin family line really knew how to cause her trouble at every turn!

  Rui Xin had long since disappeared, and Chen's mother summoned the maids from Rui Xin's courtyard. After a round of intimidation and temptation, several young girls finally broke down in tears.

  "Miss, Miss... she has eloped with someone..."

  Mr. Chen just felt a blackness in front of his eyes. What he feared most had really happened!

  She had long known that Rui Xin was not easy to deal with, but she never thought that she would be so bold. Elopement, elopement, the one who proposes is the wife, and the one who follows is the concubine. The mother of Little Lin is a concubine, herself is a concubine, and her daughter also wants to become a concubine? What kind of bloodline inheritance is this!

  The young lady of the Hou Mansion became a concubine, this is truly a loss for the master. Even if they hated the three daughters-in-law, they still married her off as a secondary wife, at least she was a legitimate wife, it's just that life would be difficult. Who would have thought that Rui Xin would hastily reach such an extent, taking advantage of her brother's wedding chaos to elope with someone.

  Madam Chen didn't dare to hide it, and directly went forward to find Yin Haicheng. Yin Haicheng had just sent off the guests and was still immersed in the joy of waiting for his grandson, when he saw Madam Chen walking in with a difficult expression.

  "Madam? Your complexion..." Yin Haicheng was somewhat perplexed. On this joyful day, why would she have such an expression.

  "Master Hou!" Chen's wife hastily took two steps forward and knelt down, covering her face with a handkerchief as she burst into tears.

  "What's this? What does it mean?" Yin Haicheng was startled, this madam had been married into the family for several years and rarely cried, usually with a calm expression. "If there's something on your mind, speak up."

  "I am guilty and have failed to live up to your trust, milord." Madam Chen refused to get up.

  Yin Haicheng hastened his pace, pulling the person up with both hands and supporting them to sit down on one side, "What's going on?"

  "This... Lord Hou..." Chen Shi wanted to speak but hesitated, "It's Rui Xian... Rui Xian she..."

  "Rui Xin? What's wrong with her?" Yin Haicheng didn't care about any of his daughters except for Er Nu Rui Qi, and as for Jiu Niang, he almost forgot she existed. If it weren't for the fact that she was clinging to his leg, he probably wouldn't have even remembered having a daughter like her.

  As for Rui Xin, he was no exception. Apart from knowing that she was a member of the Lin family and ranked sixth in seniority, he had almost no impression of her, only remembering that this girl seemed to be quite formidable.

  "Lin Yiniang said that Rui Xiang has already reached the age of marriage and should be looking for a good match. I had also remembered this matter, but in the past half year, with marrying off daughters, arranging marriages, today is Jin Yuan's wedding, I really am busy, lacking time, can't attend to so many things. Moreover, our Yin family girls, the previous ones were all 17 or 18 when they got engaged, I originally thought that one or two years wouldn't be too late." Chen Shi choked with sobs as she spoke.

  Yin Haicheng nodded, his daughter's marriage was a bit late, but it didn't matter. Rui Qi was almost twenty when she got married, and the others were all seventeen or eighteen years old. Except for the eldest daughter who got married a bit early, which one wasn't like this?

  Besides, Rui Xin is only fifteen, what's there to be anxious about?

  Yin Haicheng patted Chen Shi's back, thinking that someone else had said something to make her so upset. "You should do what you want, don't think about others. Was it Rui Xin who spoke out of turn?"

  Think about the daughter raised by Lin's family back then, Yin Haicheng didn't think it was strange at all. Look at what kind of people they are as a family. Apart from his legitimate descendants, this illegitimate branch is simply stupid beyond help.

  "Lord Hou..."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Ruixin... " Chen took a deep breath, as if summoning up courage, "Ruixin has eloped with someone!"