Finest Servant

Chapter 340 A Visitor from Jinling

Lin Wanrong, now the Emperor's top favorite, was not surprised to receive invitations from three factions at once. What truly troubled him was deciding which banquet to attend the next day.

Having sent Seo Jang Geum away, Huan'er grabbed him and said, "Brother San, who is that pretty Eldest Miss you know? Does the Eldest Miss know about her? She seems rather special to you, the way I see it."

Lin Wanrong chuckled and said, "You needn't worry. Seo Jang Geum and I have no personal attachment. She is a palace lady from the Goryeo royal family, here accompanying the Goryeo prince on a marriage proposal to the Great Hua."

"I don't believe it!" Huan'er muttered, "Miss Seo may look modest, but the joy in her eyes when she saw you, and the way she looked at you, was not like others. I must report this to the Eldest Miss."

Encountering such a diligent and responsible maid, Lin Wanrong could only smile. He placed the three invitations side by side and began to ponder. Prince Cheng was a noble of heaven, related to the Emperor; logically, he should attend his banquet. But Lin Wanrong had fought openly and secretly with him several times. His sudden invitation likely concealed ill intentions.

The Goryeo people were much more straightforward. Their marriage proposal had failed, and now under others' coercion, they needed to be on good terms with Great Hua. Gaining favor with Minister Lin would be a brilliant move, especially with the presence of Seo Jang Geum, who was not a small temptation.

The Turkic people's bonfire banquet was an interesting idea, quite unique. But Lin Wanrong was no easy mark. He knew very well what these high-nosed foreigners were up to. With war between the two nations imminent, they desperately needed useful information from Lord Lin, the Emperor's close minister.

"Why aren't the lights lit? It's nighttime," a gentle voice rang in his ears, tinged with a touch of joy.

Lin Wanrong looked up and saw the Eldest Miss in a long purple gown, standing beside him like a blooming purple lily. Her slender figure, her voluptuous chest and hips, were like a faint fragrance in the dark night, penetrating his heart and soul. Though only two days had passed, it felt like years. He was entranced by her, soft and delicate as jade.

Noticing his fixed stare, Xiao Yuruo's charming face, a mixture of joy and annoyance, flushed with a thin red, radiating an extraordinary beauty in the evening dusk.

"What's the matter? Haven't you seen me before?" The Eldest Miss lowered her head and softly said, her flushed face as enchanting as the mist stirred by a March spring rain.

"Indeed, I have not," Lin Wanrong teased with a laugh, "I have never seen you so gentle and charming. Eldest Miss, if you speak to me like this every day, I'd willingly go to the temples in the capital and thank all the Bodhisattvas."

"Silly talk!" Xiao Yuruo said, lightly striking the flint to light the oil lamp. The room was instantly filled with soft yellow light, very cozy.

Lin Wanrong noticed a painting easel on her back, her face radiant with a faint smile, and he asked in surprise, "Eldest Miss, you didn't really go out painting, did you?"

"Why not?" she replied, smiling as she took off the painting case. "You're allowed to wander about outside, and I'm not permitted to paint?"

Something was amiss. Upon seeing Miss Xiao's demeanor, gentle as water, Lin Wanrong was both pleasantly surprised and imbued with a sense of unreality. The Miss Xiao of the past was like a tigress, and he had become accustomed to her daily scoldings by his side. Suddenly, she had transformed into a little oriole; this feeling was strange. What magic had Xu Zhiqing worked upon her?

"Eldest Miss, are you alright?" Lin Wanrong carefully asked, "Did something disturb you outside?"

"You're the one who was disturbed!" Miss Xiao hummed, her beautiful eyes glancing at him. She softly said, "I've changed like this; don't you like it?"

"Like—like—like it!" Master Lin stammered. This was suspicious; Miss Xiao had either taken the wrong medicine today or been brainwashed!

"Foolish look!" Xiao Yuruo's face turned a slight red, and she lowered her head, softly saying, "You're truly born to be reckless, Lin San. Is it not good for me to be this way? Do you wish me to scold you as I did before?"

Miss Xiao was right; he really was a lowly man. When she was a tigress, he longed for her to be gentle, and now that she was gentle and charming, he missed the old tigress!

"Why don't you speak?" Seeing Lin San's face astonished and speechless, Miss Xiao couldn't help but stamp her small foot, her face turning red with embarrassment as she hurriedly said. In that state, she looked nothing like the commanding woman of the marketplace but resembled a coquettish fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl—fresh and tender!

"Say, say, say what?" Master Lin felt his brain wasn't catching up. On the martial field, he could easily maneuver against Goryeo and the Turks, but back home, facing this rejuvenated Miss Xiao, he suddenly felt his mind was not enough. The past image of Miss Xiao, tough and resolute, was deeply ingrained in his heart. Suddenly seeing a gentle and loving Xiao Yuruo made it hard for him to adapt.

"Say—" Miss Xiao's face was as red as autumn maple; she lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's, "Say, do you like me as I was before or as I am now?"

"Both!" Master Lin answered without hesitation; this question was too simple. Any intelligent man would know how to respond!

"No!!" Miss Xiao looked up at him and snorted, "You dead man, always trying to deceive people. I won't let you get away with it. Which one do you really like?"

Sweat! After just a couple of sentences, she had already revealed her true nature. Lin Wanrong chuckled and said, "The way you were before suits the way I was before, and the way you are now suits the way I am now. That's enough for me; I'm not picky, and my demands are very low."

Miss Xiao frowned slightly, chewing over his words. She thought for a long time but still did not understand which way he preferred. During her moment of distraction, the drawing case fell on the table, revealing the corner of a scroll. Lin Wanrong laughed, "Miss Xiao, what paintings did you make today? May I see them?"

Xiao Yuruo was deep in thought and subconsciously answered "Yes." She then realized her mistake and quickly protested, "No—"

But Master Lin didn't give her a chance to change her mind; he had already unrolled the scroll with a swish. The scroll rolled open, revealing a continuous series of paintings, containing four images.

In the first painting, a young man with a mischievous smile on his face was shown holding a small ant, guiding it through a jade hole, a fine silk thread tied to the ant's hind legs. In the second, several robust, high-nosed foreign men were depicted, sweat pouring down as they sawed wood, while another man stood at ease, directing soldiers to push logs into the water, one end sinking, the other floating, the distinction clear and immediate. The third painting depicted a hundred horses galloping, a mare and foal nestled together, a man standing in front of the horses, his eyes filled with joy yet tinged with melancholy. The fourth painting illustrated a princess's palanquin returning to the palace, a man running beside it, his expression a mix of surprise, delight, and helplessness.

These four paintings, though depicting the same person, captured various expressions and moods: joy or sorrow, cunning, wisdom, and arrogance, remarkably showcasing different personalities on the same face. The Eldest Miss's artistic touch was delicate, rendering the individual's expression with vivid detail, seemingly effortlessly, and with great intimacy.

"Don't look, don't look!" The Eldest Miss exclaimed in a charming voice, hastily snatching back the scroll, rolling it up and hiding it behind her back.

"I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to go out painting, Miss," Lin Wanrong chuckled slyly. "So, the interest was not in the wine but something else! You've done a great job with these paintings. Were they specifically made to be gifted to me?"

"Gifted to you?" The Eldest Miss huffed. "These paintings are for Sister Zhiqing. You, who aspire to be a prince consort, where would you appreciate such crude scrolls?"

This Eldest Miss has seen and remembered everything scene by scene, Lin Wanrong thought, ignoring her struggles, seizing her small hand, and whispering into her ear: "Whether I become a prince consort or not is secondary, but my daughter will definitely grow up on your milk—"

"You're going to die—" The Eldest Miss's face turned red as a beet. "What grow up on my milk— You scoundrel, you'll be the death of me with shame!"

Xiao Yuruo's face was flushed, her head lowered, no longer daring to look up, the corners of her mouth adorned with a faint smile. Her bashful yet gentle manner was like a spring breeze in March, caressing one's cheeks.

Lin Wanrong's heart itched at the sight, pulling her into his embrace, gently stroking her delicate waist, saying, "Miss, let me write a letter to Madam."

"Mm, what letter?" the Eldest Miss whispered, enveloped in his arms, recalling his wicked demeanor, her heart filled with both shame and sweetness.

"Just say, 'Miss has been deceived by me, please come to the capital to uphold justice.'"

The Eldest Miss lifted her head from his embrace, giving him a reproving glance, retorting, "You dare to say that! If my mother learns of our affairs, she'll surely skin you alive!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, I've done my fair share of skinning!" Lin Wanrong chuckled with a sly grin.

The Eldest Miss glanced at him, speaking with a touch of sourness, "Indeed, you've even done it all the way in Goryeo. That Goryeo girl, Palace Lady Seo, with brows and eyes like paintings, skin as smooth as jade, bright eyes full of wisdom, gentle and agreeable, not only skilled in medicine but also knowledgeable in farming and all kinds of subjects—when will you 'skin' her?"

"Miss, you must believe me, my relationship with Palace Lady Seo is truly a pure friendship. Of course, if she covets my masculine charm, beyond maintaining my personal integrity, there's nothing else I can do," Master Lin said with an earnest vow.

The Eldest Miss, both angry and amused, gave his arm a hard twist, "You think I'll just believe what you say? Qiaoqiao, Qin Xian'er, Luo Ning, didn't each one start with 'pure friendship'? Detestable!"

"Alas, since Miss detests my purity, I suppose I must be impure then," Master Lin chuckled, blowing softly into the Eldest Miss's ear. Xiao Yuruo's face instantly flushed, her heart pounding, and she nearly lost her balance.

Lin Wanrong, embracing her slender waist and about to continue his explorations, was interrupted by a joyful voice from outside, "Brother San, Miss, someone from Jinling has arrived!"

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