Chapter 239 Beauty Fades, Love Declines

Chapter 239 Beauty Fades, Love Declines

Upon hearing this, Little Bell's tense nerves finally relaxed.

"Her Highness has been busy preparing for the coronation ceremony lately and hasn't been sleeping much, so it's natural that she looks tired. There's nothing seriously wrong with her health, so you don't need to worry unnecessarily. Besides, she's been taking my specially made health-strengthening pills, and she should be able to live to be a hundred years old without any problem. How could she possibly be sick?"

"That's good." Chen Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Little Bell, "Are you done asking?"

Chen Yanqing nodded.

Little Bell immediately turned and walked towards the door, her steps hurried: "Then I'll go first."

Before Chen Yanqing could even utter the word "goodbye," she had already opened the door and left quickly without even looking back.

He stood there, his brows furrowing unconsciously, filled with doubt.

The Lin family is holding another funeral.

This is the second funeral in just three months.

When the second young master of the Lin family passed away last time, the gate of the mansion was bustling with carriages and horses. Most of the prominent families in the capital came to pay their respects, and the carriages and horses lined up to the street corner. It was quite a scene.

But now, Minister Lin's funeral was unusually quiet. Only a few guests were standing in front of the door, not even enough for a proper ceremony, and it was filled with an indescribable desolation.

The reasons for this can be summarized in three points.

Firstly, during the palace coup on New Year's Eve, many powerful and influential people died on the spot at the hands of the rebels. Each family was busy with their own funerals and had no time to spare, so they naturally couldn't take care of the Lin family.

Secondly, with the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony imminent and the entire country preparing, holding a grand funeral at this time would be taboo. Therefore, the Lin family could only keep everything simple, and there were even fewer guests.

The most crucial point is that the Lin family has long lost its former glory.

With Minister Lin dead, the Lin family lost its leader.

The only son still in officialdom, Lin Xuesong, is just a minor official of the seventh rank. He has little influence and cannot support the family. Now he has to observe three years of mourning.

As for the youngest son of the Lin family, although he was once the Crown Prince's favorite, he was removed from the list of potential husbands by the Ministry of Rites due to his mourning period, and thus lost any hope of climbing the social ladder.

Everyone in the capital is shrewd; who doesn't know that the Lin family has completely fallen from grace?

Having lost their usefulness, no one was as attentive and enthusiastic as before. They weren't even willing to make a token appearance. Most of them just sent servants to deliver a funeral rite and get by.

Lin Xuean, dressed in mourning clothes, stood quietly in front of the memorial hall.

This time, he was clearly no longer the handsome and charming man he once was; his brows were furrowed with deep worry.

He couldn't even be bothered to take care of his face, which he usually cherished. Dark stubble sprouted on his chin, and he exuded a strong sense of decadence, as if all his energy had been drained away.

As Du Cong, leaning on his cane, lifted the curtain and entered the room, he immediately saw this scene.

A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, vanishing in an instant.

Lin Xuean is utterly useless except for her presentable face.

Timid and sensitive, with a deep sense of inferiority, she has no opinions of her own and only knows how to cling to the powerful like a parasitic plant, relying on her good looks to win favor.

Not to mention his father, Minister Lin, who was a sycophantic opportunist who first attached himself to the Cui family and then tried to curry favor with the Princess. Such fickle behavior was despicable.

The father and son are a pair of equally incompetent and spineless individuals, and opportunistic and scheming individuals. If they remain by His Highness's side, they will only be a hindrance and a burden, offering no benefit whatsoever.

Since His Highness had previously been fond of Lin Xue'an's face, he naturally dared not say anything.

But now, Lin Xue'an has lost His Highness's favor and can't even be included in the list of candidates for husbands. He has been completely rejected, which naturally makes him feel a little smug.

Such a useless person was never worthy of staying by His Highness's side. Now that he has fallen into this predicament, it is only his own fault.

Seeing him, Lin Xuesong, who was also listless, perked up and quickly stepped forward, "Lord Du, what brings you here? Please come in!"

Everyone in the capital knows that Lord Du is one of the most favored and trusted men in the Crown Prince's inner circle.

He was solely responsible for investigating the accomplices of the Cui family.

Their methods were ruthless and merciless.

Anyone investigated by him would almost always confess within a day, without exception.

Even more impressively, he single-handedly uncovered irrefutable evidence of collusion between Prime Minister Zheng and the Cui family, bringing down the once all-powerful prime minister for investigation.

People in the capital privately called him "the lame Yama," and everyone was on tenterhooks, afraid of being troubled by him, lest they bring trouble upon themselves.

Therefore, when faced with this rising star, Lord Du, everyone naturally treated him with utmost courtesy and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

So Lin Xuesong was full of doubts. Why would such an important person come to the funeral of their fallen Lin family?

As if seeing through his thoughts, Du Cong said, "I was once a colleague of Minister Lin, and I am also a close friend of Second Brother Lin. It is only right and proper that I come to pay my respects today."

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked straight past Lin Xuesong and went to the coffin of Minister Lin.

"Thank you for remembering our past friendship, Lord Du." Lin Xuesong quickly bowed and thanked him, then turned to his younger brother and instructed, "Xue'an, quickly offer Lord Du some incense."

Lin Xuean lit three incense sticks and presented them to Du Cong with both hands.

Du Cong glanced at Lin Xue'an before reaching out to take the incense.

Then, with a solemn expression, he bowed three times to the coffin, placed incense sticks into the incense burner, and then straightened up.

They really did seem to be there to sincerely mourn.

"Lord Du, if you are not busy, please come to the hall and have a seat. We have prepared some simple food and wine to show our hospitality."

Lin Xuesong cautiously extended the invitation, afraid of neglecting this distinguished guest.

"Okay." Du Cong nodded in agreement.

Lin Xuesong was overjoyed and quickly said, "I'll accompany you, this way please!"

“No need. Lord Lin is busy with many affairs, there’s no need for me to accompany you.” Du Cong raised his hand to stop him, then turned his gaze to Lin Xue’an beside him. “Why don’t you let your younger brother accompany me?”

Lin Xuesong was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant and replied, "That would be great! Xue'an, quickly lead the way for Lord Du and treat him well. Don't be impolite!"

Lin Xuean gestured, "Lord Du, this way please."

The two moved to the dining room and sat down, where they were met with a desolate scene.

The banquet tables that were set up were only occupied by a few people, mostly distant relatives.

Du Cong glanced around and said bluntly, "Why is the Lin residence so deserted these days?"

Lin Xuean was naturally sensitive, so how could she not hear the sarcasm in his words?

He forced a smile and said in a strained tone, "His Highness the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne, and everyone in the capital is busy with preparations. They are naturally too busy to attend to everything. For Lord Du to come and pay his respects in person is a great honor, and we are extremely grateful."

Du Cong nodded, then abruptly changed the subject: "His Highness the Crown Prince has been back in the capital for two months, and it seems he hasn't yet summoned Young Master Lin to serve him?"

Lin Xuean's expression changed slightly, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched her palms.

Du Cong, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment, slowly added, "Look at my memory, I forgot that Young Master Lin is currently in mourning. In this situation, how could he possibly bring further bad luck upon His Highness?"

Lin Xuean's face darkened completely.

His Highness went to Hebei Province for disaster relief for two months, and it has been two months since he returned from Hebei Province.

For the entire four months, she seemed to have completely forgotten his existence.

No matter how busy he is with official duties, how could he not summon him even once?

Moreover, regarding the selection process, if she were to say a word, how could the Ministry of Rites dare to remove him from the list?

The answer was already clear: he was truly rejected; His Highness had completely abandoned him.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in his throat: "Lord Du is right."

Du Cong, however, was still not satisfied and continued to attack Lin Gongzi's spirit, saying, "But now Young Master Lin has to observe three years of mourning, and in three years he will be twenty-two years old. At that age, I'm afraid... he will no longer have the opportunity to enter the palace to serve you."

He spoke these words sincerely, as if he genuinely felt sorry for Lin Xue'an.

Lin Xuean was unable to utter a single word at this point.

Du Cong continued, "When beauty fades, love wanes; this old saying has never been wrong. If Young Master Lin had read more books back then, he would have known that relying solely on one's appearance to please others is ultimately just a mirage, and how long can it last?"

He still remembered that it was because of Lin Xue'an that His Highness was impeached by the court officials and placed under house arrest.

Saying these things now is both a warning and a hope that Lin Xue'an can recognize the situation, completely give up her thoughts, and stop bothering His Highness and causing her trouble.

After saying that, Du Cong stood up and brushed his robes. "I hope Young Master Lin will take good care of himself. I'll take my leave now."

Lin Xuean stood there, watching his departing figure, her chest feeling as if it were being burned by fire, making it hard to breathe.

What could he do?

He neither possessed the learning of his eldest brother, who was able to pass the imperial examinations and obtain an official position, nor was he like his second brother, who, despite his eccentric behavior, was still highly regarded by their father.

He has a handsome appearance, but nothing else.

Besides currying favor with the eldest princess, what other way out did he have?

Now that the princess has abandoned him, why is no one criticizing the heartless and unfaithful man, but instead everyone is kicking him while he's down?

His elder brother scolded him, saying that if he hadn't insisted on becoming the princess's lover, the Lin family wouldn't have been involved in the subsequent conflicts, needlessly causing the deaths of his second brother and father.

Those young masters from wealthy families all mocked him, saying that he rose to power like a woman by relying on his looks, and that he deserved his current predicament.

Even Du Cong adopted an arrogant attitude to lecture him.

What exactly did he do wrong?

He just wanted to prove himself, to make something of himself, and to let his biological mother enter the Lin family ancestral hall with dignity, so that she would no longer be called a "prostitute" by others.

But why did he end up becoming a sinner despised by everyone?