Chapter 6: The Eldest Sister-in-Law is Like a Mother

“Mother, don’t worry. We’ll talk about it when we get to the capital.”

“Okay, okay.” Mrs. Lin smiled, her face relaxing.

“It’s my son who has been wronged the most. He gave up his studies to support the family, and then he joined the army at the age of 15 to pay taxes. He’s been delayed until now, and he hasn’t even found a wife.”

“Now I just hope that he can make up for his regrets and marry a wife.”

For Yao, life was too quiet. Every day, she just chatted with Mrs. Lin and sorted through her husband’s belongings.

She had gotten used to washing dishes, and she spent her free time in her room, looking at the calligraphy scrolls her husband had left behind.

Her father had been a shopkeeper, and although their family was poor, he had made sure she learned to read and write. But she found it difficult to write.

Her husband’s handwriting was excellent, his characters reflecting his personality, gentle and refined. Since she came here, he had taught her to read and write, and he had even written calligraphy scrolls for her to practice.

She loved calligraphy, but she was always lazy. Now that her husband was gone, these were the only things left of him, so she kept them all.

She also avoided going upstairs as much as possible, doing everything she could to avoid Ling Xiao, that murderous demon.

And Ling Xiao seemed to be very busy. He didn’t study much, and when they occasionally bumped into each other, he would just glance at her and walk away, not even bothering to speak.

He seemed to dislike her.

But Yao thought it was better this way. They had no interaction, and they were just the male and female leads in a story. When they got to the capital, they would definitely be separated, and they would have even fewer chances to meet.

Time flew by, and they finally arrived in Yanjing.

Yao packed her belongings and helped Mrs. Lin out of the cabin. She saw that Ling Xiao was already standing at the bow.

He was wearing a long robe with black patterns on the sleeves, his hair tied up with a silver crown. He stood at the bow, his back straight, like a mountain.

He turned his head when he heard their footsteps, his sharp face full of sharpness.

“Mother.”

Mrs. Lin was a little apprehensive, and it took her a while to say, “Brother Ling, we’ve reached the shore.”

“The horses are already at the shore. After we dock, I’ll have someone send you back to the mansion first. I need to go to the palace.”

“Okay.”

He glanced at Yao, who was standing beside Mrs. Lin, but she was looking down, completely ignoring him, not even bothering to raise her head.

His eyes darkened slightly. She knew how to act.

He turned to Ling Shen, “Take good care of Mother.”

Ling Shen’s eyes lit up, and he almost couldn’t hide his joy, “Brother, you can go!

Finally, he could spend time with his brother again!

They docked, and the pier was quiet. There were no other idle people around because the Imperial Guards had set up a cordon.

“Welcome back to the capital, Your Highness!” The Imperial Guards saluted in unison.

Ling Xiao walked towards the shore, and the Imperial Guard commander followed closely behind, “Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you in the palace. Please go to the palace immediately.”

“Prepare the horses.”

Yao helped Mrs. Lin, and Ling Shen followed behind, carrying a box. They were surrounded by a sea of Imperial Guards, their imposing presence intimidating everyone. Ling Xiao stood tall and straight, his back straight, his presence dominating the scene.

Yao’s face tightened slightly. For the first time, she truly felt the power of this man.

She must not offend him.

The Imperial Guards led a magnificent steed to Ling Xiao, who mounted the horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

Then, General Zhang came forward and said respectfully, “Old Madam, this way please. I have prepared a carriage to escort you back to the Marquis’s Mansion.”

Mrs. Lin nodded quickly, “Okay.”

Yao helped Mrs. Lin into the carriage, and the carriage slowly drove towards the Marquis’s Mansion.

Their luggage and boxes were naturally loaded onto the carriage and transported along with them.

The carriage drove slowly along Zhuque Street. Yao lifted the carriage curtain and saw the bustling streets, teahouses, and theaters, as well as street vendors selling their wares.

“So this is the capital,” Yao blinked, looking at the scene.

Mrs. Lin sighed, “It’s worthy of being the capital. It’s ten times more lively than our town!”

“If you like, I’ll take you out to have a look around.”

Mrs. Lin felt a little more relaxed, “Okay.”

After about a quarter of an hour, the carriage arrived.

“Old Madam, we’ve arrived.”

Yao helped Mrs. Lin out of the carriage.

As soon as she got off the carriage, Yao was stunned by the scene. The majestic and imposing Marquis’s Mansion stood tall, with a plaque hanging above the gate that read “Military Marquis’s Mansion.”

At the moment, a group of servants were waiting at the gate. When they saw the carriage, they all bowed and said, “Servants greet Old Madam.”

Mrs. Lin was stunned. She had heard that her son had become an official, but she had never imagined that he had reached such a high position.

Yao said softly, “Mother, you should let them get up.”

Mrs. Lin quickly came to her senses, “Get up, all of you.”

They all stood up and greeted them with smiles, “Please, Old Madam, enter the mansion!”

Yao helped Mrs. Lin inside.

The mansion was decorated with carved beams and painted columns, pavilions and towers, and winding corridors. They walked along the winding corridors before finally reaching the inner courtyard.

Mrs. Lin’s legs were tired.

Ling Shen had been staring with his mouth agape, “Such a big mansion, how much did it cost?”

Yao looked around, her eyes filled with curiosity. She thought, with such a big mansion, they would definitely bump into each other.

Mrs. Lin sighed, “Brother Ling is really impressive. Your father would be happy for him in heaven.”

Yao’s eyes dimmed, “If my husband were still alive, I would rather stay in Xingfeng for the rest of my life.”

The steward led Mrs. Lin to the best courtyard, “This garden is cool and secluded. What do you think, Old Madam?”

Mrs. Lin was completely lost at the moment, and she didn’t care where they put her.

She was also tired, so she went to her bedroom and lay down to rest. She had been through a lot these past few days.

After settling Mrs. Lin, Yao chose a courtyard next to hers, so it would be convenient to take care of her.

Ling Shen was very excited, and he ran around the mansion, choosing a courtyard that was both spacious and beautiful.

“This garden is very good. The Military Marquis’s study is nearby, so it’s convenient for you to visit him.” The steward flattered him.

Ling Shen was startled and quickly changed his mind.

Yao went to her own courtyard and began to unpack her belongings. She didn’t have much, mostly her husband’s belongings, including pens, ink, paper, and even books.

“Madam, let me help you unpack.” The maid was considerate.

“No need, I can do it myself. If you’re busy, just call me.”

The maids were happy to see that their mistress was so easy to talk to.

Yao worked for half a day before finally organizing all her belongings.

She had sent her husband’s spirit tablet to the ancestral hall, but she kept his belongings in her room. The room was filled with his things, and she felt a sense of fullness, a sense of completeness.

After putting away her belongings, she went to Mrs. Lin’s courtyard, Fushou Garden.

“Mother, are you…”

Yao saw that Mrs. Lin was already awake, and she rushed over to greet her.

“I’m feeling better. Is Brother Ling back?”

The old woman in charge of the servants replied, “Not yet. Old Madam, would you like to have dinner first?”

“Let’s wait for him. I’m busy with things, and I haven’t had dinner yet.” Mrs. Lin was a little worried.

Just then, Steward Wang rushed in, holding a stack of cards, “Old Madam, Madam, these are the visiting cards and gift lists from various families. The Military Marquis is too busy to deal with them, so I brought them to you and Madam to look over.”

This kind of social interaction was usually handled by the wife.

Mrs. Lin couldn’t read, so she turned to Yao. Yao was a little confused. She had never dealt with this kind of thing before.

She took the cards and read them to Mrs. Lin, “These are invitations to various banquets, this is a gift list, and these are…”

Yao’s movements paused as she saw several cards with women’s names on them. She was stunned for a moment.

Mrs. Lin leaned over curiously, “There are portraits of women on these cards.”

“These are probably… matchmaking cards,” Yao guessed.

The steward chuckled, “That’s right. The Military Marquis is a talented man, and he’s not yet married. Many noble families in the capital are interested in him. Since the Military Marquis left the capital, the mansion has received many matchmaking cards.”

Mrs. Lin was delighted, “That’s good, that’s good. Don’t worry about the banquet invitations and gift lists for now. Let’s focus on choosing a wife for Brother Ling. We need to choose carefully!”

The steward smiled, “Of course. After all, she will be the future Military Marquis’s wife. We can’t just choose anyone. Since you’ve seen the matchmaking cards, we can meet them later. If they’re a good match, we can arrange a meeting.”

Just then, they heard a voice announcing, “The Military Marquis has returned.”

Immediately, a tall and imposing figure strode in, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

As soon as he entered, Mrs. Lin shouted happily, “Brother Ling, you’re back.”

Mrs. Lin was used to Ling Xiao coming in, so she had the maids bring a stool over to her side. Ling Xiao lifted his robe and sat down.

“How are you feeling here? Are you used to it?” Mrs. Lin asked excitedly, holding the matchmaking cards, “These girls’ matchmaking cards have all been sent to you for you to choose from. Are you happy?”

Ling Xiao wasn’t interested in these things, so he simply said, “Mother, you can choose.”

“You’re choosing a wife for yourself, and you’re letting me choose? What kind of logic is that?” Mrs. Lin glared at him.

“I’m busy with court affairs, and I don’t have time to choose. If you think they’re good, I’ll arrange a meeting.”

As Ling Xiao spoke, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He looked at Jiang Yao, who was sitting silently beside Mrs. Lin, pretending to be mute.

He realized that every time he saw her, she was always quiet and obedient.

She was too quiet.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and a sharp pain shot through him.

His mother was treating this cunning woman like her own daughter, and he couldn’t see anything.

But Mrs. Lin suddenly said, “Why don’t you let me help you choose?”

Yao had been pretending to be asleep, but when she heard this, she was startled and raised her head. She met his bottomless black eyes, and a chill ran down her spine.

“Mother, you’ve been through a lot these past few days, and you can’t even read. You can’t recognize these matchmaking cards. Besides, you’re afraid of choosing the wrong one. You’ve read books, so you’re better at this. You’ll definitely be able to choose a good wife for Brother Ling!”

Yao quickly declined, “I’m not capable of doing this.”

“How can you be in charge of this?”

Mrs. Lin pressed her, her voice firm, “As the eldest sister-in-law, you’re like a mother. It’s only right that you help choose.”

Yao’s brows furrowed, her face stiffening. She turned her head to look at Ling Xiao.