I Transmigrated and Already Had a Wife - Chapter 70

After the maid left, Lin Muwan looked at the person on the bed, curved her lips, climbed back onto the bed, and nestled into her arms.

It was as if time had returned to how it was before; every night, she would fall asleep in her embrace, and the person she saw when she opened her eyes in the morning was also her.

Thinking this, she was just about to drift off to sleep when the sound of knocking on the door rang out again, accompanied by a deep male voice, “Wan’er, are you awake? I just heard the maid say you weren’t feeling well. Your mother and I have come to see you.”

Who?

Jiang Zhou, who was sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes, startled, and instinctively looked at the door. Her sleepiness was completely chased away. After a long pause, she swallowed hard, shifted her gaze to the person in her arms, opened her mouth, but couldn’t make a sound.

Lin Muwan had opened her eyes at some point and was looking at her with a smile.

Jiang Zhou: “……”

“Get up and put your clothes on first,” Lin Muwan said.

“Wan’er,” Minister Lin called out again, his expression dark as he stood outside the door. If he hadn’t cared about his reputation, he would have pushed the door open and gone in long ago.

When did his daughter ever sleep late? Given his daughter’s current situation, if she were truly unwell, she would have sent for a doctor by now. The fact that she was hiding in the room and not coming out could only mean one thing: there was someone in her room.

Did he need anyone to tell him who that person was?

Minister Lin’s mustache trembled, and his eyes were fixed on the door, afraid that the person would escape right under his nose if he wasn’t careful.

Just wait until he catches that wretched boy; he’ll give him a good talking-to for sneaking into his daughter’s room behind his back.

Preposterous!

Since hearing Minister Lin’s voice, Jiang Zhou had been in a state of panic. She shot up from the bed, grabbing her outer robe to put it on while also quickly glancing around the room.

Lin Muwan’s room was clean, tidy, and completely visible. The only place to hide seemed to be under the bed.

Never mind, under the bed it is. It was better than being caught by her father-in-law. The mere thought of Minister Lin, with his mustache trembling in anger, made her shiver.

Too terrifying.

Thinking this, she crouched down to crawl under the bed, but her wrist was seized, and she was pulled back by Lin Muwan.

“Hmm?”

Lin Muwan smiled gently, turning her fingers to interlock with Jiang Zhou’s, holding their hands tightly together.

“Wife…” Jiang Zhou was confused. What was going on? Why was her wife holding her hand at a time like this? If it were any other time, she would have been excited and kissed her back, but today, she glanced towards the door, and another knock sounded.

Oh dear.

“Let’s go, we’ll open the door,” Lin Muwan said.

“What?”

Was she going to confront Minister Lin directly?

Lin Muwan tilted her head to look at her, then smiled and explained, “There’s no need to hide. You are my husband. What’s wrong with a husband staying in his wife’s boudoir?”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhou looked suspicious. “Didn’t you say we couldn’t let Father-in-law see?”

Lin Muwan: “…”

What could she say? Should she say she just wanted to see him scared?

“Husband, let’s open the door for Father first,” Lin Muwan changed the subject.

Jiang Zhou nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

As the door opened, Minister Lin felt a rush of dizziness. That wretched boy actually dared to stay in his daughter’s room behind his back.

The thought alone made him furious.

His face was solemn. As her father, it was inappropriate for him to barge into his daughter’s boudoir, but that wretched boy… seeing the person standing next to his daughter, he felt a wave of despair.

Not only had that wretched boy entered his daughter’s boudoir, but he had also stayed the night!

No!

He had forced his daughter to stay at home for the past few days, and his daughter and that wretched boy hadn’t made a fuss. It turned out they had already conspired to pull this stunt behind his back. The wretched boy could move in and out of the Minister’s Residence without alarming anyone.

He glanced at Minister Lin’s wife, took a deep breath, and thought, Women are short-sighted and spoil their children. His entire plan was ruined by his wife.

How else would that wretched boy have dared to come without her tacit approval?

He glanced again at the hands of his daughter and Jiang Zhou, which were tightly clasped together. He twitched his mouth, feeling another pang of heartache.

“Since you’re fine, come to the front hall for breakfast,” he said, then flicked his sleeve and left with Minister Lin’s wife.

Jiang Zhou looked at Lin Muwan in disbelief, her mouth twitching. After a long moment, she managed to form a question, “Is Father-in-law… this easy to talk to?”

Lin Muwan gave her a sidelong look, turned to enter the room, and after a moment, her soft voice echoed from inside, “How long are you going to stand there?”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhou turned her head, finally snapping out of the shock she had just experienced.

What exactly had she just witnessed?

What did that obstinate father-in-law mean? Did he tacitly agree not to obstruct them anymore?

Seeing her standing there with a foolish grin, looking at her, Lin Muwan laughed, “If you don’t come in and change your clothes for breakfast, I can’t guarantee that Father won’t change his mind later.”

Change his mind?

How could she let that happen?

Jiang Zhou quickly closed the door. The next moment, she rushed over and pulled Lin Muwan into her arms, resting her chin on her shoulder. She murmured, “Wife, am I dreaming? How did Father-in-law suddenly…”

She still felt like she was in a dream.

Lin Muwan chuckled, hugging her back. “Silly. Wash up first. I’ll have Xiaoju bring you a change of clothes.”

Jiang Zhou released her, looked into her eyes, and said, “Wife, I still feel like I’m dreaming.”

Lin Muwan sighed and said helplessly, “Then how will you be sure it’s not a dream?”

How to be sure?

Jiang Zhou pondered for a moment, rolled up her sleeve, and said earnestly, “Wife, pinch me. Hurry up and pinch me.” she urged.

Lin Muwan looked up at her, pursed her lips, and pinched her white, jade-like skin hard. The pain in her arm instantly shot into her brain.

Jiang Zhou exclaimed excitedly, “It hurts! Wife, I really wasn’t dreaming!” Saying this, she pulled Lin Muwan into her arms again and sighed, “This is wonderful! You don’t know, I’ve been so sleepless thinking about you every night during this time. I couldn’t sleep at all. Now I finally don’t have to worry about this anymore.”

Excitement is infectious. Lin Muwan’s lips curved slightly. “Husband, you’ve been wronged during this time.”

By the time the two of them had tidied up and arrived at the front hall, a zhuxiang (about 30 minutes) had passed. When Minister Lin saw the two of them enter hand in hand, his face was so dark you could squeeze ink out of it.

Jiang Zhou looked around. Just seeing Minister Lin’s dark face made her heart skip a beat. She nervously tugged on Lin Muwan’s sleeve. “Wife…”

“A-Zhou has arrived! Come and eat,” Minister Lin’s wife greeted them kindly, waving her hand.

“Mother.”

“Hmph!” Minister Lin grunted unharmoniously through his nose.

Jiang Zhou froze.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Minister Lin’s wife glared at Minister Lin, thinking he was becoming more and more of a confused, stubborn old man.

“A-Zhou, sit by me and chat with me.”

“Oh, alright.”

Jiang Zhou sat down next to Minister Lin’s wife, and Lin Muwan sat down on Jiang Zhou’s other side.

Minister Lin cleared his throat, glanced at Jiang Zhou, and said unnaturally, “The Emperor mentioned you again a few days ago. You were the top scorer in the military exam and have performed great services this time. He plans to make you the Deputy Commandant of the Imperial Guards.”

Jiang Zhou: “……”

Lin Muwan frowned slightly and said plainly, “Father, my husband’s ambition is not here. We will be setting off for Linyang County in a few days.”

“Wanwan, what did you say?” Minister Lin’s wife exclaimed in surprise. “You’re living well in the capital. Why are you suddenly leaving?”

Jiang Zhou also widened her eyes and looked at her. “Wife…”

Lin Muwan smiled.

“Nonsense!” Minister Lin roared, slamming his hand on the dining table. The soup splattered out onto the table, showing how much force he had used.

“Can the Emperor’s decree be refused just because you say so? That’s a crime of deceiving the Emperor, a capital offense! Even if the Emperor doesn’t pursue it, what will she do if she doesn’t take office? What about you and the children in the future? Follow her back to Linyang County to continue suffering?”

Jiang Zhou frowned, hesitating for a moment. Although Lin Muwan had grown up pampered, she had also given her the best of everything. How could their life together be described as “suffering”?

Before she could think further, the hand hanging by her side was grasped by a slightly cool hand. Jiang Zhou’s body stiffened and she looked at the owner of the hand. Lin Muwan’s face was calm and cool, her thin lips slightly pursed, and her high nose bridge and superior profile were presented before her eyes.

Lin Muwan: “This is my decision; it has nothing to do with my husband. Ever since the Lin family was afflicted, your daughter has known the saying, ‘accompanying the monarch is like accompanying a tiger.’ Father, you were an honest official, loyal to the Emperor, yet you were innocently dragged into this struggle for the throne, stripped of office, imprisoned, and your wife and children were exiled. My husband has a pure nature. The muddy waters of the imperial court are not suitable for her, so I ask Father not to bring up these matters again.”

“You… nonsense, nonsense,” Minister Lin’s mouth trembled, so choked up that he couldn’t speak a complete sentence.

What was he doing all this for?

Wasn’t it all for his daughter? Yet, in the end, his daughter not only didn’t appreciate it but was blaming him.

Minister Lin glanced at Jiang Zhou, suppressed his anger, endured it, but his face was still quite ugly. He said in a deep voice, “Eat first.”

Minister Lin’s wife sat next to him. Hearing him say this, she knew he was relenting. Having been married to him for twenty years, she understood his temper. He might not listen to others, but as long as it was his daughter speaking, no matter how unwilling he was, he would eventually compromise.

The dining table was filled with steamed dumplings, small buns, furong cake…

It was astonishingly rich.

Jiang Zhou was busy putting food into Lin Muwan’s bowl, which quickly formed a small peak. “Wife, these are all your favorites. I just tasted them; they all taste excellent.”

Minister Lin’s hand holding his chopsticks trembled, and the food he was about to put into his mouth nearly fell. He lifted his eyelids to glance at them and felt deeply frustrated.

A dignified man, instead of serving the imperial court, was engrossed in the petty love affairs of children. A piece of rotten wood cannot be carved, a piece of rotten wood cannot be carved.

He shook his head. The people in front of him were truly unbearable to watch. After eating a few bites, he put down his chopsticks, scanned the people, got up, and, with a flick of his sleeve, walked out through the hall.

Jiang Zhou was startled by his sound, tightened her grip on her chopsticks, looked up as he left, and asked uncertainly, “Wife, is he really okay?”

Lin Muwan chuckled lightly. “He’s fine. Father has always had a small appetite.”

Minister Lin’s wife paused in the act of picking up food, looked up at her daughter, and her expression was complicated. Why did I suddenly lose my appetite too?

With the two elders leaving one after the other, only the two of them remained at the table. Jiang Zhou relaxed. She ate while marveling in her heart. As expected of the Minister’s Residence, the food tastes different. Even her wife, who had a small appetite, ate quite a bit today. She planned to ask her mother-in-law later if their cook could come and learn a few dishes.

“Husband, I’m finished eating,” Lin Muwan put down her chopsticks and took a handkerchief from her sleeve pocket to wipe the corners of her mouth.

Jiang Zhou also put down her chopsticks and looked at her.