Chapter 5

Outside the courtyard, the county magistrate who was accompanying a young man was drenched in cold sweat. The man lightly caressed his jade thumb ring and asked indifferently, “Lin Yong’s Honorary Deed Medallion is being held up?”

“No, I was only… erm…, I was just holding onto it temporarily for safekeeping for Marquis Zhongyong. Sir also knows that the people in the countryside aren’t knowledgeable, aren’t educated, and there is no limit to the number of thefts. This subordinate is worried that Marquis Zhongyong’s Honorary Deed Medallion will be stolen by a petty thief, so it’s kept in the county office for safekeeping.”

These were all perfunctory pleasantries and empty words, and the man didn’t know whether he believed it or not. He glanced at the particularly lively farmer’s house and said, “When Marquis Zhongyong was still alive, he couldn’t stop worrying about his only daughter . Although she is only a little girl, she is Lin Yong’s legitimate successor. Hand everything directly to her when you’ve brought them back.”

“Yes sir.”

The man’s voice was flat but unquestionable. It could be seen that he’d been a high-ranking person for many years and was used to giving orders. After the county magistrate broke out in cold sweat on his face, he found that the man hadn’t moved. The magistrate was surprised, realized something immediately, and hurriedly turned around to walk towards Aunt Lin’s courtyard.

In the courtyard, Aunt Lin and Matchmaker Wang both felt suffocated. They’d quarrelled with their neighbours before, but it was a mutual exchange where each party had their wins and losses.

Not like now, where they couldn’t get a single word in without being interrupted. The sound of Lin Wei Xi’s voice incessantly rang in their ears, it was truly infuriating.

Aunt Lin was so angry she wanted to hit someone. The beginnings of another scheme had barely formed in her mind, but she suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not quite right. She hurriedly turned her head and her legs turned to jelly the moment she saw the person who entered.

“Sir county magistrate… “

The county magistrate waved his hand in frustration. The large Buddha standing outside was still looking at him, who is your sir? Please don’t ruin his career as an official. After secretly warning the two village women, the county magistrate turned to look at Lin Wei Xi, his face immediately looked kind, “Miss Lin, I heard that you were ill again a few days ago. Are you feeling better now?”

Lin Wei Xi wasn’t an ordinary village girl; she recognized the uniform that the county magistrate wore was the most formal one, and that this county magistrate was trying to please her. Lin Wei Xi became more on guard. She looked at the other person defensively, greeted him with a salute first, then asked tensely, “We are honoured by the county magistrate’s presence, what is the matter?”

The smile on the county magistrate’s face deepened. After listening to the county magistrate’s words, Lin Wei Xi became more surprised.

The county magistrate actually wanted to return the Honorary Deed Medallion to her. Furthermore, the rewards sent by the imperial court would be transferred, completely intact, to Lin Wei Xi’s name. How could this be possible? This abnormal behaviour was suspicious, what did he want to do?

When the county magistrate saw Lin Wei Xi’s refusal to respond, he started sweating out of anxiety. He really had no choice but to turn sideways and point outside, then signalled to Lin Wei Xi with his eyes, “The lord from the capital is here, he wants to give it to you so you should accept it.”

Lin Wei Xi looked outside and she saw many horses tied to the crooked tree on the other side of the road. There were so many people standing there, but they stood there in complete silence, in awe of the one person they were standing behind.

Lin Wei Xi was already this old and had come and gone through many large events, but she was actually captured by this person’s aura. Lin Wei Xi stared blankly and asked, “Who is that?”

“Prince Yan.”

Prince Yan?

Maybe it was because Lin Wei Xi looked so dumbfounded, but the county magistrate thought she didn’t know who Prince Yan was, so he could only add, “That person is His Highness Prince Yan. He entered the capital to subdue the rebellion and support the new emperor. The previous emperor named him one of the three Regent Ministers before his death. He’s just returned from suppressing the uprising at the border, and specially came to Shunde District to return Marquis Zhongyong’s remains back to his hometown.”

Of course Lin Wei Xi knew who Prince Yan was. She looked at the man outside in a trance. This was the famous and powerful Prince Yan, and the father-in-law she never met in her previous life.

Because Lin Wei Xi married Prince Yan’s only son in her past life, she was scorned by numerous other noble ladies for the entirety of two years. After her messy break up with Gu Cheng Yao, the slander died down a bit.

But even so, no one could deny that Lin Wei Xi married very well in her past life. She was the di granddaughter of a Duke and the granddaughter of a Princess Royal. Even with such a prominent status, she still married up when she married Prince Yan’s son.

Lin Wei Xi’s maternal grandmother was an imperial princess, and she spent most of her time in the Princess Residence every year, so Lin Wei Xi listened to stories of Prince Yan’s accomplishments growing up.

According to accounts, Prince Yan led soldiers to battle at the age of fifteen. In the first year of Jianzhao, the previous Prince Yan passed away, and the seventeen year old Gu Hui Yan became the new Prince Yan.

In the past ten years, he defended the country from all sides and Emperor Muzong also put him in an extremely important position. Later when the palace was embroiled in chaos, Emperor Muzong’s first secret edict was issued to Prince Yan. Prince Yan lived up to his expectations, suppressing discord in the capital and cleaning up the government.

Afterwards, Emperor Muzong entrusted Prince Yan to assist his then eight years old eldest son, who was the current young emperor.

Lin Wei Xi grew up listening to Prince Yan’s story. When she first married Gu Cheng Yao, she couldn’t be happier. But in the end, she and Prince Yan Residence were not meant to be.

Lin Wei Xi married Gu Cheng Yao in the first month of the fourth year of Yuanjia. In the second year of Yuanjia, Prince Yan left the capital to quell the Dughlat tribe’s rebellion, even missing his son’s marriage. Then she died afterwards.

Lin Wei Xi couldn’t believe that she never got to meet Prince Yan while married into the Prince Yan household, but it was after being reborn that she met the legendary God of War in a small village.

Lin Wei Xi’s feelings were very complicated. She and Gu Cheng Yao ended their relationship like that, so based on Lin Wei Xi’s temperament, she shouldn’t want anything to do with those related to him, and would no longer maintain goodwill towards those of the Prince Yan Residence.

But at that moment, when Lin Wei Xi saw the god Prince Yan, she realized that she couldn’t be angry at all. Prince Yan merely stood there, an invisible and overwhelming aura enveloping the entire field, and no one dared to even harbour ill-will, much less complain.

So this was Prince Yan… Lin Wei Xi’s shock simply couldn’t be expressed. Unexpectedly, Prince Yan was very young and his looks, extremely outstanding. It’s just that with such a position, no one could notice his appearance. With a high rank came greater responsibility, and he talked about nothing except work. Under this kind of deathly aura, who would dare evaluate Prince Yan’s appearance.

Perhaps Lin Wei Xi had been staring for too long, but Gu Hui Yan, who was used to receiving stares, lightly lifted his eyebrows. He was the commander of the army and the head of a Prince Residence; he never lacked attention, but very rarely did he come across girls the same age as Lin Wei Xi.

He had been fighting in the campaign for many years, so his murderous aura was awe-inspiring. Even the Empress Dowager felt awkward when she met him, not to mention other women.

While in the capital, young women would bow their heads and hold their breath when they saw him and the noble girls who hadn’t left their boudoir yet were so scared that they didn’t dare lift their heads. There were few people like Lin Wei Xi who took the initiative to watch him, and she was the only one who looked at him without flinching. Furthermore, this little girl’s eyes were also very interesting.

Gu Hui Yan faintly smiled back, an almost imperceptible inquiry hidden in the depths of his eyes. Lin Wei Xi locked eyes with Gu Hui Yan, and after looking at each other for a short while, Lin Wei Xi quickly lowered her head to avoid Prince Yan’s gaze.

Seeing Lin Wei Xi lower her head, Gu Hui Yan no longer forced the little girl. If Lin Wei Xi hadn’t stared at him for a long time with a strange expression in her eyes, he wouldn’t have looked back at this little lady. He was very clear about the kind of strain it took to look at him. She was just a little kid, so he would pretend he knew nothing, and let it go.

Lin Wei Xi lowered her head, her heart pounding in her chest. Too scary. The father-in-law from her past life turned out to be this scary.

She thought there wouldn’t be much of a difference between father and son, but after seeing it for herself today, she knew that the image she had of Prince Yan in her head was too superficial.

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