Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 70 Rouge Ranking No. 4

The zither stand is placed by the window, facing the lake and mountain scenery.

Su Xiaoxiao sat gracefully before the zither, her slender fingers gently plucking the strings.

When the zither music begins, it is like the first ripples of spring water, like a gentle breeze rustling willows.

It gradually becomes faster, like the surging tide of a river, like the ever-changing wind and clouds.

In the end, it returns to peace, like the bright moon shining on the great river, tranquil and serene.

The song ended, but the lingering melody still resonated.

"What a wonderful piece!" Lin Chen praised sincerely. "Miss Su's musical skills are rare in this world."

Su Xiaoxiao said softly:

"Young Master Lin, you flatter me. I've heard that there's a Mr. Bai at Zuiyue Pavilion whose qin playing is unparalleled in the capital. I've always wanted to learn from him, but unfortunately, I've never had the chance to meet him."

Lin Chen smiled and said:

"Mr. Bai's zither playing is indeed superb. If Miss Su goes to the capital, she must visit Zuiyue Pavilion. I will have Mr. Bai play the zither for you personally."

"Then thank you in advance, Young Master Lin." Su Xiaoxiao's eyes flashed with anticipation.

Xiao Yulou suddenly asked, "Miss Su, was this piece of music composed on the spot?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded:

"Indeed, this piece was composed by Xiaoxiao this morning while admiring the lake view."

"He composed a piece on the spot; his talent is overflowing," Xiao Yulou exclaimed.

"I have met many talented women, but very few possess the talent of Miss Su."

Su Xiaoxiao blushed slightly: "Mrs. Lin, you flatter me."

As the four chatted and laughed, the painted boat sailed into a lotus pond.

In the height of summer, lotus flowers are in full bloom, their red and white petals exuding a sweet fragrance.

"The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, an endless expanse of green; the lotus blossoms, bathed in sunlight, are a vibrant red." Lin Chen recited this poem as he looked at the scene before him.

Su Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "Young Master Lin, what a wonderful poem! These two lines perfectly capture the beauty of the lotus pond."

Lin Chen chuckled dryly, "It was just something I made up on the spot. I hope Miss Su will forgive me."

I thought to myself, "Please forgive me, Senior Yang Wanli, for borrowing your poem."

Su Mo smiled and said, "Brother Lin is not only... cough cough, not only does business well, but his literary talent is also outstanding."

It seems today's lake excursion will produce some fine works of art.

"I don't have that talent," Lin Chen waved his hand. "However, if Miss Su is in the mood, she might as well compose a poem and broaden our horizons."

Su Xiaoxiao did not refuse. She gazed at the lake and pondered for a moment before softly reciting:

"The vast expanse of water meets the sky, and egrets gracefully enter the painting."

A small boat drifts with the waves, amidst the lotus blossoms, where the water is red with the fragrance of lotus flowers.

The green hills are faintly covered with water, and the grasses in the south of the Yangtze River are not withered in autumn.

On a moonlit night over the Twenty-Four Bridges, where is the beautiful maiden teaching the flute?

Her voice is clear and melodious, and her poems are graceful and elegant, blending the scenery of Taihu Lake with the charm of Jiangnan.

"What a fine poem!" Lin Chen clapped his hands. "Miss Su's talent is truly admirable."

Su Xiaoxiao blushed even more: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Young Master Lin."

Xiao Yulou watched the two exchange words with a smile in his eyes, but did not interrupt.

She knew Lin Chen's personality; he would inevitably admire a woman who was both talented and beautiful.

But she didn't care—each of the seven sisters-in-law in the Lin family had her own strengths.

One more Su Xiaoxiao isn't a big deal.

Moreover, this woman is indeed outstanding and worthy of Lin Chen.

Su Mo watched his sister and Lin Chen chatting and laughing, while he also made his own plans.

He knew Lin Chen's identity—the Duke of Zhenguo, with numerous experts under his command and the Empress's deep trust.

More importantly, this person, though seemingly a playboy, is actually quite shrewd and possesses extraordinary abilities.

Although the Su family is incredibly wealthy in Jiangnan, they are ultimately a merchant family with limited influence in the court. If a marriage alliance could be formed with them…

He looked at Xiao Yulou and saw that Madam Lin was calm and had no jealousy in her eyes, which made him even more certain.

It seems that the rumor that Lin Chen "carried eight wives on his own" is true, and that his wives and concubines at home are harmonious.

"Brother Lin," Su Mo suddenly said:

"There's a lantern festival in Suzhou tonight. I wonder if Brother Lin would be interested? I've prepared a few lanterns; you can go and release them."

Lin Chen looked at Xiao Yulou: "What does Fourth Sister-in-law think?"

Xiao Yulou smiled and said, "The lantern festival is lively, it would be good to go and take a look."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Su." Lin Chen cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Lin, you're too kind," Su Mo said with a smile.

"Tonight at dusk, I will host a banquet at Wanghu Tower to welcome Brother Lin and his wife."

After swimming for another half an hour, the two boats parted ways.

On the way back, Xiao Yulou leaned on Lin Chen's shoulder and whispered:

"Eighth brother, Su Xiaoxiao... is very good."

Lin Chen put his arm around her: "Fourth Sister-in-law, are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Xiao Yulou rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm serious. Su Xiaoxiao is beautiful and talented, and comes from a good family. If you like her, just take her in."

Lin Chen chuckled: "Fourth Sister-in-law, are you trying to push me away like this?"

"It's not about pushing them out," Xiao Yulou said solemnly.

"The seven of us are all widowed sisters-in-law, and we are already blessed to have your sincere treatment of us."

"As the Duke of Zhenguo, you will eventually marry a woman from a distinguished family as your principal wife. A woman like Su Xiaoxiao is just right."

Lin Chen was moved and held her hand tightly:

"Fourth Sister-in-law, in my heart, all seven of you are my wives, without distinction between primary and secondary wives."

As for Su Xiaoxiao... it's only the first time we've met, it's too early to say anything like that.

"You're just so stubborn," Xiao Yulou laughed. "I could tell from the way you look at her that you admire her."

"Admiration is one thing, liking is another," Lin Chen said. "There's no rush, let's take it slow."

Back at the inn, Yuan Tiangang greeted him: "My lord, Zhang Qing has important news to report."

"Let him come."

A moment later, Zhang Qing entered the room and whispered:

"My lord, we have found out that three of the merchant ships looted by the Canal Gang belonged to the Su family."

Strangely, the Su family didn't investigate further; they simply made the Canal Gang pay compensation to settle the matter.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Is the Su family so easy to talk to?"

"I also found it suspicious," Zhang Qing said. "So we investigated further and found that those three batches of goods... had problems."

"What's the problem?"

"Nominally, it was silk, tea, and porcelain, but in reality..." Zhang Qing lowered his voice, "it contained weapons."

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed: "Weapons? Weapons smuggled by the Su family?"

"It's not smuggling." Zhang Qing shook his head. "Those weapons have the Ministry of War's mark; they are standard equipment issued by the imperial court."

The Su family was helping the imperial court transport military supplies, but they were using trade routes, not official roads.

Lin Chen suddenly realized: "No wonder the Su family didn't investigate further—this matter couldn't be brought to light. The canal gang robbed the military supplies, and the Su family could only suffer in silence."

"Exactly," Zhang Qing said.

"Furthermore, I suspect that the robbery by the canal gang was not accidental; they may have known that the shipment was unusual and deliberately targeted it."

"For what reason?"

"Extortion," Zhang Qing said.

"The canal gang dared not actually swallow the military supplies, but they could use it to extort money from the Su family. In order to cover up the matter, the Su family had no choice but to pay money to avoid trouble."

Lin Chen sneered: "The Canal Gang is quite bold, daring to even tamper with military supplies."

He pondered for a moment: "Who else knows about this?"

"There shouldn't be many," Zhang Qing said.

"The Su family did it discreetly, and the canal gangs didn't dare to make a fuss. When my subordinates went to investigate, they found that all the relevant records had been erased. It was only by following a canal gang accountant that we found a clue."

"Continue the investigation," Lin Chen said.

"Focus on investigating who the Grand Canal Gang is connected to in the imperial court, and also investigate why the Su family is responsible for transporting military supplies. I feel there's something fishy going on here."

"yes!"

After Zhang Qing left, Lin Chen fell into deep thought.

Xiao Yulou said softly, "Eighth Brother, this matter... seems to be getting more and more complicated."

"Yes," Lin Chen said with a smile.

"I initially thought it was just the canal gang members being greedy for money, but now it seems there's an even bigger fish behind them."

"And tonight's lantern festival..."

"I'll go as usual." Lin Chen stretched. "I'll have fun and do my research, without missing a beat."

Looking at his lazy appearance, Xiao Yulou couldn't help but laugh: "You really have a big heart."

"Life is short, why create trouble for yourself?" Lin Chen pulled her into his arms.

"Come on, Fourth Sister-in-law, rest with me for a while. We're going to the lantern festival tonight."

"In broad daylight... let go..."