Chapter 25 Shyness "Little Yanshu, are you shy?"...

She looked down and noticed that her two feet were unconsciously crossed.

She felt that Ah Zhao's gaze was a bit strange, full of a wild, aggressive feeling.

Li Chengyi wrapped his arms around Lin Yanshu's soft waist, picked her up, and placed her directly on the stool.

After the servants brought new shoes and socks, Li Chengyi squatted down, grabbed Lin Yanshu's ankles, and put the shoes and socks on her.

Li Chengyi's hands were very hot. When Lin Yanshu was held by him, she involuntarily pulled her feet back, but Li Chengyi forcefully pulled her back.

He stroked Lin Yanshu's fair ankles; Lin Yanshu's feet were soft.

Li Chengyi looked up, his face cold:

"Why are you running? I'm not going to eat you."

Lin Yanshu bit her lower lip in shame and indignation, sitting quietly in place, letting Li Chengyi do as he pleased.

Li Chengyi's movements were somewhat stiff; he had never served anyone like this before.

Moreover, Lin Yanshu is so delicate; with just a light pinch, his ankle was covered in red marks.

Therefore, Li Chengyi couldn't quite control his strength. He awkwardly put socks on Lin Yanshu, grabbed her heels, and slipped her shoes on.

Seeing that Li Chengyi had put his shoes on for him, Lin Yanshu jumped off the stool, spun around on the ground twice, and then smiled gratefully at Li Chengyi.

Li Chengyi blew on the ginger soup on the table and snorted coldly:

"Next time, I won't care about you. I'll let you freeze to death outside!"

Lin Yanshu stuck out her tongue at Li Chengyi in a coquettish manner, knowing that Li Chengyi wasn't that heartless.

She opened her mouth and swallowed the ginger soup that Li Chengyi fed her.

It was warm, and Lin Yanshu couldn't help but drink a few more sips.

After drinking a bowl of ginger soup, Lin Yanshu felt warmed up, and only then did she remember her important matter:

"Ah Zhao, I just saw a lady outside dressed in white, like mourning clothes. Do you know who she is?"

The banquet was crowded with people, including many women dressed in white, but in mourning attire. They were likely Chen Juan, the widow of Minister Shen.

Li Chengyi raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Yanshu with a probing gaze:

"Chen Juan, the widow of the Shen family. Why is Yan Shu asking about her?"

Lin Yanshu only had a guess in his mind, but it had not been verified yet.

She looked up at Li Chengyi with her lips pursed and her eyes watery:

I just saw it in the crowd, and I'm a little curious.

Li Chengyi didn't think much of it and dried Lin Yanshu's hair. When the two returned to the banquet, it was already getting dark.

Li Chengyi was now worried about letting Lin Yanshu wander around alone, so he stayed by Lin Yanshu's side without leaving her for a moment.

Wherever Lin Yanshu went, he went too.

Lin Yanshu searched for a long time in the crowd before finally finding Chen Juan in a corner.

She walked over, and Li Chengyi followed.

Lin Yanshu turned to look at Li Chengyi. She felt that Li Chengyi's status as the crown prince was too oppressive, not to mention that the death of Minister Shen was inextricably linked to him.

Lin Yanshu held Li Chengyi down and used sign language:

"Don't go over there."

Li Chengyi frowned unhappily. Why couldn't he go over?

He didn't speak, but with a cold face, he grabbed Lin Yanshu's arm, preventing her from leaving.

It speaks silently:

I'm angry.

To coax me.

Lin Yanshu was amused by his antics, and poked Li Chengyi's cheek, as if coaxing a child:

"Stop fooling around, I'll come find you in a bit."

Li Chengyi reluctantly let go, leaving the onlookers nearby completely stunned.

Almost everyone believed that Lin Yanshu was the most likely candidate to become the Crown Princess. If they could get on Lin Yanshu's good side in the future, it would be beneficial to their own development.

Many people were plotting their own schemes.

Lin Yanshu walked to Chen Juan's side and got closer. She could smell that familiar scent again, which was very similar to the scent of the woman from the black market that night.

The only difference is that the scent of women in the black market is more alluring and seductive, while Chen Juan's scent is much more subtle and elegant.

If it weren't for Lin Yanshu's knowledge of pharmacology, ordinary people, no matter how close they got, wouldn't be able to detect the similarities between the two.

Chen Juan sensed Lin Yanshu approaching. She turned to look at Lin Yanshu, secretly sizing up the woman who was getting closer to her.

She knew that she was the Crown Prince's new favorite, and her reputation was widespread in the capital.

Chen Juan was quiet and elegant, with little expression on her face, like a simple Lin Daiyu. Perhaps due to the pain of losing her husband, Chen Juan always looked a little sad, with her eyebrows and eyes downcast.

Lin Yanshu's eyes curved into crescent shapes as she reached out her hand to Chen Juan.

Chen Juan stared in astonishment at the girl in front of her, wondering what she was up to.

Lin Yanshu found out one character card after another:

You look very lonely.

Can I play with you?

Chen Juan thought Lin Yanshu was silly and said self-deprecatingly:

"You want to play with a widow like me who just lost her husband? Don't you find it unlucky?"

Lin Yanshu stood beside Chen Juan, listening to her speak. She felt that Chen Juan spoke with the grace of a well-bred young lady, carrying a touch of melancholic poetry.

She chatted with Chen Juan in this casual way.

Lin Yanshu was certain that Chen Juan was connected to the incense shop they had investigated.

………

After her suspicions were confirmed, Lin Yanshu told Li Chengyi about the clue.

Li Chengyi frowned in thought. After Shen Jingting was killed, the Shen residence had been thoroughly searched, but nothing useful was found. It seemed that Shen Jingting's widow was not as ordinary as she appeared.

He then sent people to investigate Chen Juan's background.

Lin Yanshu volunteered to help him investigate:

“Ah Zhao, I am a woman, and I have a natural advantage in dealing with women.”

After hearing this, Li Chengyi secretly assigned her his personal guards and let her do as she pleased.

Lin Yanshu spent several days dealing with Chen Juan, and she truly felt that Chen Juan was bad at interacting with people.

So Lin Yanshu went directly to Chen Juan's door.

She stood at the doorway, dressed in plain clothes, smiling.

Chen Juan didn't know what it was about Lin Yanshu, the little mute, that attracted her, and he would come looking for her every few days.

But she was one of the Crown Prince's people, so I couldn't afford to offend her.

Chen Juan had no choice but to invite Lin Yanshu in.

Lin Yanshu strolled around the Shen residence. After Minister Shen passed away, the Shen residence became much quieter, and even the number of servants was reduced.

Lin Yanshu was unfamiliar with many places when she first arrived at the Shen residence, so Chen Juan introduced them to her.

“This artificial hill was designed by my husband himself, and this pavilion was designed by him and me together.”

As she spoke, Chen Juan's voice trailed off, and her eyes reddened.

Lin Yanshu couldn't bear to see a woman cry, so she took a piece of candy out of her bag and handed it to her.

"It's very sweet."

Chen Juan realized she had been impolite, so she took the candy from Lin Yanshu's hand, thanked him quickly, and left.

Lin Yanshu had no intention of bothering her, and she leisurely strolled around the house.

She looked at the pavilion with her hands behind her back; it was small and exquisite.

Lin Yanshu sat in the pavilion as night gradually fell.

The servants lit the lanterns in the pavilion, and the dim light shone on Lin Yanshu.

She stretched out her palm to look at the dappled light.

Lin Yanshu frowned and looked thoughtfully at the lamplight. She looked up and put one foot on the table.

Lin Yanshu climbed onto the table, stood on tiptoe, and took the lamp cover off the beam.

The glass lampshade is heavy.

Lin Yanshu placed the things on the table, then pointed and pushed the lamp off the stone table.

In an instant, the glass shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. The servants around were shocked; they didn't know how to tell their master that a guest had broken something.

Lin Yanshu squatted down and pulled out a wooden box from the glass shards. The box was very intricately designed with a lock, which Lin Yanshu couldn't understand.

Lin Yanshu held the wooden box to her ear and shook it; it was very light inside.

Lin Yanshu asked her servants to deliver a letter to Li Chengyi on her behalf.

She can't open this box.

Upon receiving the message from Lin Yanshu, Li Chengyi immediately put down what he was holding.

Huo Zheng followed behind him, muttering in protest:

"Your Highness, you only have Miss Lin in your heart!"

"Your Highness, you can't let a woman lead you by the nose like this!"

Lee Seung-ik smiled:

"I am happy to be alone, Huo Zheng. You are still unmarried and do not understand the profound meaning of this."

Huo Zheng could only watch helplessly as his prince was called away.

Ha! If he gets married, who will work hard for his prince without complaint!

Only those who have no woman in their hearts can shoulder great responsibilities!

Li Chengyi arrived shortly afterward.

Lin Yanshu had been waiting for him for a long time. When she saw Li Chengyi riding towards her at the gate of the mansion, Lin Yanshu ran over and threw herself into his arms with her face flushed.

Li Chengyi dismounted nimbly and caught Lin Yanshu, who was running towards him.

Lin Yanshu, nestled in his arms, looked up at Li Chengyi with bright eyes. She took out a wooden box she had brought from the Shen residence from her sleeve, placed it in Li Chengyi's arms, and gestured in sign language:

"I found it at the Shen residence, but I can't open it."

Li Chengyi felt that Lin Yanshu was a little cold.

It was already late autumn, almost winter, and Lin Yanshu's clothes were indeed a bit thin.

Li Chengyi took the wooden box, placed Lin Yanshu's hand in his palm, bent down and gave her a breath of fresh air.

Li Chengyi's warm breath fell on Lin Yanshu's hands, and her fingertips, which had been red from the cold, gradually warmed up.

Li Chengyi fiddled with the wooden box. It was indeed a finely crafted box; if the key was verified too many times, the mercury inside would seep out and ruin its contents.

"Yan Shu, where did you find this?"

"On the roof beams of the Shenfu Pavilion."

"Ah Zhao, aren't I amazing!"

Lin Yanshu looked obediently waiting for praise, with a hint of arrogance in her expression. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised as she waited expectantly for Li Chengyi's reply.

Li Chengyi chuckled softly, put down the wooden box, bent down and leaned closer, looking at Lin Yanshu tenderly, and said approvingly:

"Hmm, impressive."

"Let me think of a way to reward Yan Shu."

Li Chengyi's tone was somewhat tender and affectionate. Although it was just a few normal words of praise, it made Lin Yanshu blush.

She raised her hand to touch her burning cheeks, her heart beating a little fast.

That's strange.

Lin Yanshu raised her hand and pushed Li Chengyi away.

The distance between the two had increased considerably, and Lin Yanshu finally felt much more comfortable. It's true that people should maintain some distance from each other.

Li Chengyi watched her actions, completely bewildered.

Seeing Li Chengyi's puzzled expression, Lin Yanshu reached out and explained:

"It's too close, I'm not used to it."

This was the first time Li Chengyi had seen shyness in Lin Yanshu. He raised an eyebrow and smiled smugly.

"Little Yanshu, are you shy?"

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Author's Note: Please, my darlings, add my new novel, "The Rough Man Married a Little Wife" [Sunglasses], to your favorites. My next novel will be a rough-man literature series.