Chunhong was bought at the age of five to serve Lin Boshi. Though not strikingly beautiful, she had a charm that grew on people. When Lin Boshi turned fourteen and Chunhong sixteen, he formally took her as his concubine. Later, after Lin Boshi married his wife, Dong Shi, his mother elevated Chunhong from a maidservant to a full-fledged concubine.
Having grown up together, Lin Boshi and Chunhong shared a deep bond. Even after his marriage, Lin Boshi remained more affectionate toward Chunhong, largely ignoring Dong Shi, his official wife. He rarely spent nights in Dong Shi’s chambers—no more than five days a month, and even that was enforced by his mother, who hoped for an heir.
Filled with hatred, Dong Shi tried to suppress Chunhong using household rules, but Lin Boshi always intervened. Frustrated, Dong Shi turned to her in-laws for justice, but her poor communication skills only alienated them further, making her life in the Lin household even more miserable. Consumed by resentment, Dong Shi wished for Chunhong’s death and made several attempts on her life, all of which Chunhong narrowly escaped.
Despite Lin Boshi’s rare visits, Dong Shi became pregnant in their second year of marriage. She hoped carrying the Lin family’s first grandson would earn her husband’s favor, but instead, he grew even colder toward her, lavishing attention on Chunhong. Using Dong Shi’s pregnancy as an excuse, he spent every night with Chunhong, eagerly seeking medical advice to help her conceive.
This pushed Dong Shi over the edge. Unable to harm Chunhong due to Lin Boshi’s vigilance, she exploited his habit of consulting fortune-tellers. Using her meager dowry, she bribed a fortune-teller to claim that Chunhong’s presence endangered her unborn child and that selling Chunhong was the only solution.
As the Lin family’s eldest son, Lin Boshi valued his lineage but couldn’t bear to part with Chunhong, who had become indispensable to him. He asked the fortune-teller for an alternative, who suggested Chunhong pray daily at a nunnery until the child’s birth. Relieved, Lin Boshi rewarded the fortune-teller and arranged for Chunhong to stay at the nunnery.
Eager for Chunhong to conceive, Lin Boshi frequently visited her, though out of respect for Buddha, he would take her to an inn instead of the nunnery. They spent days together—Lin Boshi studying while Chunhong kept him company—living more harmoniously than he did with his official wife. To Lin Boshi, Chunhong was his true wife, while Dong Shi was merely a figurehead.
Expecting her husband’s attention after sending Chunhong away, Dong Shi was dismayed to see even less of him. He ignored even the five-day rule set by his mother, leaving Dong Shi powerless and seething with hatred.
Things worsened when Lin Boshi returned one day to announce that Chunhong was pregnant and should be brought home to rest. He ordered Dong Shi to prepare Chunhong’s quarters, a demand that nearly made Dong Shi faint with rage. Swallowing her anger to appear virtuous, she secretly plotted to harm Chunhong’s unborn child.
An opportunity soon arose. A classmate invited Lin Boshi to Shengcheng for the imperial exams. Initially hesitant due to his unpreparedness, Lin Boshi decided to try his luck, hoping success would secure a better future for Chunhong and their child. In his haste, he left without informing Chunhong, only instructing Dong Shi to fetch her.
Upon returning, Lin Boshi found Chunhong missing. Dong Shi claimed she had disappeared from the nunnery, allegedly eloping with a man. Disbelieving, Lin Boshi investigated and discovered the truth but could do nothing, as Dong Shi was near childbirth and under his parents’ protection.
After giving birth to a son, Dong Shi found no solace. Lin Boshi ignored the child, lost in grief over Chunhong’s absence. Feeling abandoned, Dong Shi irrationally blamed her son for her misfortunes and nearly starved him to death. His grandmother intervened, taking him under her care.
Neglected by her husband and despised by her in-laws, Dong Shi grew bitter. When her sister-in-law Tong Shi became pregnant and received lavish attention, Dong Shi’s jealousy drove her to harass Tong Shi, who, being strong-willed and skilled in martial arts, refused to tolerate her pettiness. Their clashes escalated, once nearly turning violent.
Exasperated by their eldest son’s instability and Dong Shi’s behavior, the elderly Lins divided the household, leaving with their grandson to live with their second son.
News of Lin Boshi’s exam failure, coupled with the loss of Chunhong and his child, and his parents’ favoritism toward his younger brother, hardened Lin Boshi. He treated Dong Shi as a mere outlet for his frustrations, showing no affection toward their children except for the tenth son, who resembled him. Placing his failed ambitions on this son, he neglected his daughters, resulting in Lin Cuiping’s arrogance. Only Li Cuimei’s influence saved Lin Cui’e from similar corruption.
Abandoned by his parents, the eldest son’s suffering became understandable.
“Sigh—though Chunhong suffered, the eldest son’s abandonment by his father is also tied to her. If Lin Qiang returns to the Lin family now, how will the eldest son endure it? Meanwhile, Lin Chengxiang, who lacked none of his parents’ love, is now a magistrate—how can the eldest son compare?”
“What a tragedy—”
Lin Zhongshi and Tong Shi, usually decisive, found themselves paralyzed by this dilemma. Though Song Shi agreed not to reveal the truth to Lin Qiang for now, the issue would eventually resurface, reopening the eldest son’s wounds—perhaps even deeper than his father’s final rejection.
Lin Chengxiang resembled Song Shi in her youth, a fact only Tong Shi and Lin Zhongshi noticed after hearing her story. The eldest son, however, bore little resemblance to Lin Boshi, making their fraternal ties unnoticeable unless deliberately exposed. Hoping to delay the inevitable, Lin Zhongshi and Tong Shi wished Song Shi would never reveal the truth. They cared little whether Lin Chengxiang reclaimed his lineage.
Unaware that the eldest son knew Dong Shi had drowned Lin Fang, they would have been heartbroken to learn of his suffering.
As for Lin Chengxiang, though slow-witted, he was grateful. Hearing Tong Shi’s words through Song Shi, he abandoned his initial plan to exploit the eldest son and instead sought to clear his name, investigating the past abandonment.
As Lin Zhongshi predicted, Liangping Town was now submerged, its records lost. Yet through persistence, Lin Chengxiang uncovered witnesses confirming Tong Shi’s account—the eldest son’s abandonment resulted from Lin Boshi’s cruelty. But why Lin Boshi was so heartless remained a mystery no one could answer.
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