After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The maid called Mei'er was taken aback for a moment, clearly showing some displeasure, but that displeasure vanished in an instant. She bowed slightly and left.

Soon, only Fang Xiaoran and the sickly man remained in the corridor. Fang Xiaoran was completely unfamiliar with this man; in fact, she had no memory of his face, neither in her past life nor in this one. Clearly, she had no connection with him.

"I apologize for my rudeness, young lady. My surname is Lin, and my given name is Ziye." Lin Ziye bowed to Fang Xiaoran in apology, appearing very polite. However, this only made Fang Xiaoran more curious. This person seemed to be the young master of the Lin family. Why had he summoned her here?

Fang Xiaoran said calmly, "I wonder what brings Young Master Lin here?"

"For no other reason than that I feel that if you insist on marrying into the Xue family, you should think it over carefully. Perhaps there are better options." He curled his pale lips into a faint smile, but there seemed to be some deeper meaning hidden in that smile.

Fang Xiaoran raised an eyebrow without realizing it. "A better choice, you mean, young master?"

The purpose of this conversation is obvious, but she doesn't understand why this young master would personally tell her all this. Could it be that the Lin family has fallen so low that even the Fang family is a force to be reckoned with?

"No, I am frail and sickly, and being born out of wedlock, it is impossible for me to marry the legitimate daughter of the Fang family. I have come here to find a match for my younger brother, Lin Ziheng. Although he is timid by nature, he is kind-hearted and responsible. His mother also passed away early, and he has a younger sister besides me."

"So, does the young master mean that if I marry him, I can avoid the strife in the inner quarters and enjoy peace? But I've heard that Old Madam Lin adopted several sons back then. Since they were all adopted, what difference is there between legitimate and illegitimate children?"

“If you don’t care about the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, marrying me would be a good choice. Although I can’t guarantee that we will grow old together, the entire Lin family can be entrusted to you. Although the Lin family is in decline now, it is not without hope of recovery.”

It seems that his words just now were just a test. His real purpose was to hope that Fang Xiaoran would marry him, but there was no emotion involved, it was purely a matter of interests.

Fang Xiaoran seemed to recall this person. He was Zhao Jin's ruthless henchman, who secretly carried out many shady dealings for Zhao Jin. Later, when Zhao Jin ascended the throne, the Lin family also rose to prominence. However, she vaguely remembered that the person was not Lin Ziye, but Lin Ziheng.

The pure white-clad scholar, with his Yin-Yang Ghost Hand, was barely alive, yet he ruthlessly sealed the throat and pierced the heart.

She had only met him once, and even then, they were separated by a thick curtain, but those eyes were the only thing that remained vivid in her memory. These eyes were very similar, but they lacked the coldness and iciness of those eyes.

Was it him? Or his younger brother?

Fang Xiaoran wasn't sure, but this person was certainly extraordinary. After all, the fact that he could come to her in person and say these things showed that he had enough confidence.

"Why me?" Fang Xiaoran asked curiously.

She didn't think Lin Ziye chose her because she was the eldest daughter of the Fang family; this identity didn't actually offer him much real help.

Lin Ziye smiled faintly and said, "If I said that I fell in love with you the day I saw you playing the zither in the peach garden, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe you." Fang Xiaoran replied decisively. Judging from his words and his unyielding expression, it was clear that he had not approached her for such a simple reason.

"I don't believe it either." Lin Ziye's eyes were dark and unfathomable, with a deep meaning in them. He continued, "I just feel that you and I are the same kind of people. So instead of wasting your life in the Xue family, you might as well take a chance. Perhaps you will get unexpected results."

"However, you don't need to reply immediately. You have plenty of time to make a decision."

After saying this, Lin Ziye coughed violently, his chest heaving, and his face grew increasingly pale. Perhaps hearing his cough, Mei'er rushed over, disregarding his earlier orders, and stepped forward to support him, carefully patting him back to help him catch his breath.

"No, I told you, I told you not to come any closer!" Lin Ziye tried to push Mei'er away, but he didn't even have the strength. He could only shout sternly, "What, now you don't even listen to me?"

Mei'er said in a low voice in a hurry, "Young master, you should rest. Even if you want to punish me, I will never complain."

It's clear that Mei'er is deeply in love with Lin Ziye. In fact, Fang Xiaoran could alleviate Lin Ziye's illness with a little acupuncture, but she doesn't want to do that. This person is very powerful, and it is precisely because of this that she cannot have too much contact with him, at least not now.

Moreover, the thought of his relationship with Zhao Jin made her secretly hostile towards him.

“It seems that the young master is not feeling well. It would be best if he stayed here in the cold wind. Miss Mei’er, please take your young master back to rest.” Fang Xiaoran suggested, and Mei’er nodded immediately upon hearing this.

At this moment, Fang Xiaoran curtsied and said, "Then I will not disturb you any longer and will take my leave now."

"Please go back and think it over carefully, young lady. It will do you no harm."

Fang Xiaoran did not respond to Lin Ziye's words and disappeared at the end of the corridor. Seeing her leave, Mei'er's eyes softened slightly and she asked in a low voice, "Did you and Miss Fang get along well?"

"It's hard to say, but if she's not smart enough, I can't blame myself." After saying that, he coughed violently again. Mei'er didn't care about anything else and quickly helped him leave.

The layout of the Lin family's villa was very complicated and had no discernible pattern. After leaving through the corridor, Fang Xiaoran originally intended to return to Linyi Pavilion, but she wandered around for a long time without finding her way back.

That shouldn't be the case. Her memory is excellent; there's no reason she shouldn't be able to find her way back, unless a special formation is used here, which would cause this situation if someone accidentally entered.

But who would set up such a formation in their own yard? Especially since this is Madam Lin's birthday celebration, aren't they afraid that guests might accidentally enter the formation and not be able to get out?

Or rather, this place is not meant to host guests in the first place.

Was Lin Ziye doing this on purpose? But what was his purpose in doing so? Trapping her here wouldn't make her agree to his proposal.

Just as she was wondering, Fang Xiaoran inadvertently walked to a pavilion. On the stone platform outside the pavilion sat an old man dressed in fine clothes, his hand covering his chest, his face showing pain, and his body swaying precariously.

Seeing this, Fang Xiaoran quickly stepped forward to support her and asked in a deep voice, "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

"My old illness has relapsed. Quickly, quickly go to Yuexian Residence and get me some medicine..." The old man's hand gripped Fang Xiaoran's sleeve tightly, his eyes were lifeless, and his gaze did not fall on her.

Fang Xiaoran was puzzled and subconsciously waved her hand in front of the other person. Seeing that the other person did not react, it was clear that the other person could not see.

I heard that Madam Lin went blind at a young age, and the other person's clothes don't look like those of an ordinary old woman. Could she be Madam Lin?