Chapter 60 Alone in an Empty Room? Lin Yanshu happened to encounter... at the city gate.

Lin Yanshu happened to run into Xie Ciyan, who had just returned to the capital, at the city gate. It wouldn't have been a problem; she was sitting in the carriage, and Xie Ciyan couldn't see her.

But she happened to rent an unlicensed car, which the government officials, who often dealt with carriage companies, could spot at a glance.

Renting an unlicensed car isn't unusual, but she was unlucky enough to run into Xie Ciyan.

Xie Ciyan, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, immediately recognized it as a black carriage. As the carriage passed through the city gate, Xie Ciyan waved his hand to stop it, revealing his identity:

"The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is on his routine inspection tour."

Lin Yanshu's palms were sweating. She had run away without anyone knowing, but if Xie Ciyan found out, Li Chengyi would definitely find out, and she wouldn't be able to leave.

But she couldn't leave without lifting the carriage curtain. Lin Yanshu nervously clenched her hands, hesitating.

Xie Ciyan sat on his horse, waiting for the person inside the carriage to show their face, but the other party did not move for a long time.

Xie Ciyan still wanted to go back. He frowned impatiently, thinking that this person probably had something shady going on.

As he was contemplating whether to do it himself, a delicate hand slowly lifted the carriage curtain. The face inside the carriage was revealed.

Lin Yanshu turned her head slightly and looked out of the car. Xie Ciyan saw Lin Yanshu's face. He didn't expect that Lin Yanshu was in the car. He then looked at the rest of the car.

With Lin Yanshu present, Li Chengyi was most likely there as well. But he didn't see him in the car.

Xie Ciyan looked at it suspiciously. This was not the Crown Prince's carriage. Why would Lin Yanshu need to rent a black carriage?

He guessed that Lin Yanshu didn't want to attract attention and was acting quietly. He dismounted, walked to the carriage window, and asked in a low voice:

"Miss Lin, where are you going?"

"Leave the city." Lin Yanshu's voice was soft, even somewhat hesitant.

Xie Ciyan's years of experience in solving cases made him keenly aware of the anomaly, and he led the horse to the soldiers at the city gate.

"Could you give me a ride?"

Xie Ciyan had just returned from outside the city, and the route she took to the city was completely different from his.

However, Lin Yanshu was afraid of being rejected, so Xie Ciyan immediately told Li Chengyi, and she nodded.

Xie Ciyan lifted the carriage curtain and got into the carriage, which then headed out of the city. Silence filled the carriage.

Xie Ciyan spoke first, breaking the silence.

"What is Miss Lin going out of the city for?"

Lin Yanshu didn't answer; to be precise, she didn't know how to answer.

Xie Ciyan was not in a hurry and asked patiently. He felt that Lin Yanshu's departure from the city might be related to Li Chengyi.

"Did His Highness the Crown Prince send you out of the city?"

Lin Yanshu then moved, her eyelashes fluttering a few times, and she whispered her denial:

"No...he doesn't know."

Xie Ciyan was startled to realize that Lin Yanshu might be doing something big.

"Sneaked out?"

Having been seen through… Lin Yanshu no longer hid it. She clenched the hem of her clothes and said frankly, as if she had given up entirely:

"Yes, I didn't tell Ah Zhao. Are you going to tell him?"

Xie Ciyan had no idea when Lin Yanshu had the idea of ​​running away; he really shouldn't have meddled in other people's business.

But he still answered Lin Yanshu, Xie Ciyan like a cunning fox, feigning to extract information:

"Why should I tell His Highness the Crown Prince? That's your business. I'm just questioning the unlicensed carriage."

Lin Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief. That's how it is; then A-Zhao won't know where she went.

"However, as a friend, it is still very necessary to inquire about where your friend is going."

Xie Ciyan smiled slyly, like a cunning old fox. Lin Yanshu knew she couldn't win an argument with him, so she simply spoke her mind:

“I don’t know where to go, I just want to leave A-Zhao and not be by his side.”

Xie Ciyan secretly raised his eyebrows, feeling a slight sense of smugness. But what was there to be smug about?

Is there a problem in her relationship with Li Chengyi? At least Lin Yanshu's side is wavering.

He tapped his knee with his fingertips, as if in thought, and slowly began to speak:

"I have a suggestion. I once worked in a small town outside Beijing, and there were a few places that were quite nice, like Anning."

Lin Yanshu looked at Xie Ciyan with a conflicted expression. Should she listen to him? But even if she didn't listen to Xie Ciyan, he would still find out where she was going.

"Where?"

Xie Ciyan mentioned several city names:

“These places are all quite safe, and they're right near the capital. If you're in one of these places, I can help you out when I have time.”

Is it easy to detect?

She really wanted to escape from Li Chengyi. It seems that whether or not she could hide was the only criterion Lin Yanshu used.

Xie Ciyan chuckled: "No."

"I'll help you. As long as Miss Lin doesn't show herself, she won't be discovered."

Lin Yanshu naturally sensed Xie Ciyan's goodwill and breathed a sigh of relief, but why did Xie Ciyan help her?

Was it really because of their time together in the capital that he felt his close friend was so rare?

Lin Yanshu's thoughts were in a mess, and she didn't have the energy to think about it carefully. She chose a place and Xie Ciyan delivered it to her.

Xie Ciyan was very familiar with this town. He found a house for Lin Yanshu. It was just the right size for her, and the location was not remote. If anything unexpected happened, the neighbors could help out.

Xie Ciyan finished handling everything, and it was already sunset. He had to hurry back, so he said goodbye to Lin Yanshu.

"If you need anything, you can come to me. I'll come and check on you when I have time."

Lin Yanshu lowered her head, looking extremely conflicted. Xie Ciyan mounted his horse and was about to ride away when Lin Yanshu raised her head, stared at him, and pleaded:

"Please, Lord Xie, do not tell anyone that I am here."

Xie Ciyan had never seen Lin Yanshu make such a solemn request to him. He was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but wonder what could be so important that made Lin Yanshu so determined to escape and erase all traces.

He lowered his gaze to Lin Yanshu, composed himself, and replied:

"We are friends, so if you need anything, I will help you."

After he finished speaking, he paused again and added:

"Now that we are no longer in the capital, Miss Lin, you don't need to call me Lord Xie anymore. Just call me by my name, Xie Ciyan."

Lin Yanshu watched him ride away. She knew that although Xie Ciyan looked flashy and unreliable, he was always dependable in his work, and she trusted him.

Lin Yanshu went back to her room to pack her bags. She would probably be staying here for a long time, until... Li Chengyi forgot about her, before she could reappear.

Xie Ciyan rode swiftly all the way and returned to the capital before the city gates were locked.

He specifically instructed the city gate guards to erase any trace of Lin Yanshu. Unbeknownst to anyone, a woman had left the city in a black carriage that day.

……………………

Lee Seung-ik was summoned to the palace by the emperor at dawn. At first, they did discuss state affairs, but later the court officials in the imperial study all left, and the emperor kept Lee Seung-ik there for a while.

It was just a meal, a meal in the palace.

Li Chengyi thought to himself: I can leave after the meal. But there were quite a few more people at the table.

It wasn't a private meal between father and son, but a long-planned selection banquet for a concubine, kept secret from him.

One by one, women cast their gazes at him. Li Chengyi quickly glanced at them and saw that they were all daughters of prominent families in the capital. His father, the emperor, still hoped that he would marry a woman of noble birth as his crown princess.

Li Chengyi, with a cold face, lowered his head and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks. The emperor could tell that Li Chengyi was not satisfied. He believed that the women he had chosen for this meal were outstanding in appearance and talent, and were by no means inferior to that mysterious female doctor outside the palace.

Since the Crown Prince was putting on airs, no one else could. During the banquet, a woman volunteered to perform a dance. Dressed in a light pink brocade gown, she smiled gently, curtsied to Li Chengyi, and said shyly:

"Your Highness, what do you think of this dance?"

Looking at the woman's brocade dress, Li Chengyi thought of Lin Yanshu in her pink gauze dress, which was much more beautiful than this, and whose smile was captivating.

Li Chengyi couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile, his face revealing a doting expression.

The woman who had just performed the dance thought she had won the Crown Prince's heart and was filled with excitement, eagerly anticipating Li Chengyi's praise. However, she was unexpectedly dealt a blow.

"It's not very good, I'm tired of watching it."

Li Chengyi's words were so cold and ruthless that they made the smile on his face seem even colder.

The woman's face darkened. She had long heard that His Highness the Crown Prince was not interested in women and only liked the little mute girl he brought back from outside the capital.

She was initially skeptical and wanted to try her luck at the banquet, but she never expected to be humiliated like this... The expressions of the other women at the banquet also changed from initial curiosity and anticipation.

Although they longed for the Crown Princess's wealth and status, they didn't want to be humiliated in public like this. Sure enough, the rumors were true.

His Highness the Crown Prince is infatuated with that mute female doctor; no one else catches his eye.

Li Chengyi lost interest and could no longer continue the act. He stood up, his face cold, but he still put on a gentle and kind demeanor, like a loving father and son.

"Father, it seems there is nothing to do here. If there is nothing to do, I will take my leave now, as I still have state affairs to attend to."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Li Chengyi, and that he had also embarrassed other women, the emperor let him go.

If he gave too much advice, he feared that the Crown Prince might become rebellious and devote himself entirely to that woman.

Li Chengyi left the palace and went straight back to his residence. When he returned, the sky was just beginning to turn gray, and Lin Yanshu was not there.

The servants told him that Lin Yanshu had gone out to play, so Li Chengyi obediently waited for her at home.

He waited for a long time, from the gray sky to the pitch black. Li Chengyi tapped his knuckles on the pear wood table, his thumb restlessly rubbing the jade tablet on his fingers.

His expression was indifferent, but a sense of anxiety welled up inside him: Where has Lin Yanshu gone? Why hasn't she come back yet? Why does she always seem to be running around all the time?

He wanted to leave the manor now and bring her back, but then he thought about Lin Yanshu's temper. If she hadn't had enough fun outside and he brought her back, she would definitely throw a tantrum.

They might not even let me into bed then.

He thought for a moment, then decided to wait a little longer. If Lin Yanshu didn't return soon, he would go and catch her.

Li Chengyi did wait a while longer. When the servants asked him to come for dinner, he waved them off without any interest.

He gritted his teeth, thinking: Lin Yanshu will marry me in the future, she will be the Crown Princess, how can she be so carefree and forget about me in the mansion?

The more Li Chengyi thought about it, the angrier he became. How could he be so weak-willed as a husband? Although he was not yet married to Lin Yanshu, how were they any different from husband and wife?

Li Chengyi summoned his servants and inquired about Lin Yanshu's whereabouts. Knowing nothing, Lin Yanshu decided not to reveal his location to anyone.

It's already dark outside, and we can't have fun out there any longer. Could it be that Lin Yanshu isn't planning to come back tonight?

Li Chengyi recalled Lin Yanshu's previous overnight stay at the Ji family's house. If she stayed at the Ji family's house, what would he do?

Alone in an empty room?

What a joke! He's the Crown Prince, how could he be left alone in an empty room! Li Chengyi had a carriage prepared to take him to the Ji residence.

He personally went to capture the person and brought them back...

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Author's Note: I'm about to start pursuing my wife! [Sunglasses]