Chapter 137 Lip Balm

"Miss...Miss..." The maid opened her mouth, her tone full of shock.

The shadow walked slowly towards her, and Lin Yurou was startled.

Her father had just confined her to her room in the evening and told her to reflect on her mistakes facing the wall. Her eldest brother definitely could not come in to see her at this time.

The shadow was getting closer, but she could no longer hear the maid's voice. She put down the thing that was blocking her face and looked forward with a nervous heart.

The man did not come any closer, but stopped beside the candlelight, staring at her with his deep eyes.

And she finally saw the man's face clearly.

Lin Yurou sat still, Shen Changhe did not come forward, and the maid stood aside covering her mouth, not daring to utter a single syllable.

The stalemate lasted for an unknown amount of time. Lin Yurou suddenly put down her things, lowered her head slightly and started crying. The red and swollen slap marks on her face were facing the direction where Shen Changhe was standing.

Let him see carefully!

That kind of intense pain, without his deliberate suppression, seemed to be gnawing at his heart.

My throat felt like it was blocked by a ball of cotton wool, and my five fingers slowly clenched into fists.

"Young lady, it's time to eat." The maid's voice came from outside the door. She came back to her senses and almost ran out. "Young lady is not hungry now. She has already gone to bed. Please give it to me first."

After sending the visitor away, the maid turned around, closed the door, and stood guard at the door to prevent anyone from approaching.

Lin Yurou in the room didn't say a word, she just kept crying. Her aggrieved and pitiful look with tears in her eyes seemed to be cutting into Shen Changhe's heart.

He walked over slowly, squatted down in front of her, and silently wiped the tears from her face.

"What are you doing here?" Lin Yurou tilted her head, without the previous gentleness, and her tone was a bit tempered. "Are you here to see how miserable I am?"

"I'm sorry." Shen Changhe said hoarsely.

Lin Yurou glanced at him stealthily, and her tears flowed even more violently.

She knew very well how upright and gentlemanly Shen Changhe was. The fact that he climbed over the wall late at night for her meant that her and An An's plan had succeeded.

If she just tried a little harder...

Shen Changhe felt extremely guilty, but was suddenly hit by a force and almost fell to the ground.

Lin Yurou didn't care about all that. She had only one thought in her mind: this was her best chance. It was a dark and windy night, and she was most likely to be impulsive. She had to take him down.

His waist was tightly hugged, and Shen Changhe was stiff and didn't dare to move for a long time. His face, which was already red due to drunkenness, became even redder.

I didn't know where to put my hands and feet.

"I'm really at my wit's end. What should I do?" Lin Yurou pressed her face against his chest, crying breathlessly.

"For the sake of the Lin family's reputation and my unmarried sister, I have to get married. If all else fails, I'll just become a nun. It's better than joining the Chen family and cleaning up the mess in the backyard for my good-for-nothing cousin."

After saying that, Lin Yurou slowly loosened her hand and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

She lowered her head but couldn't stop sobbing.

I was thinking that this would soften his heart.

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and then a great force pulled her into the drunken man's arms again.

Lin Yurou was indeed bold, but at this moment she couldn't help blushing and her heart beating fast. She pinched her palms and told herself.

This is not the time to be shy, we need to finish the business first.

She took a long breath and pushed Shen Changhe, "Let me go. It's none of your business whether I marry into the Chen family and get tortured to death or become a nun. It's my bad fate, and I don't blame anyone."

Chen Changhe had never known that holding a beautiful girl in his arms was so torturous, and he had no idea that the bitterness of love could cause such heart-wrenching pain.

"I will marry you. I will marry you."

He tightened his arms and refused to let go no matter how Lin Yurou struggled.

Of course, Lin Yurou only pushed him away a few times symbolically and then started crying again.

This time it was intermittent, just humming softly. Shen Changhe had never seen other girls cry, so he was easily deceived without experience.

Lin Yurou raised her head. Her pretty face looked disheveled. Her eyelids and face were red and swollen. Her makeup was smudged by her tears. However, she looked very moving in Shen Changhe's eyes.

"I don't need your pity." She said stubbornly.

"No," Shen Changhe stared at her, "I've been thinking about you these days."

Lin Yurou's expression relaxed at this point. She looked so miserable that it was really heartbreaking. Shen Changhe's eyes fell on her red lips and he lowered his head for some unknown reason.

Lin Yurou's face turned red and her heart was beating fast. She felt like her heart was not her own, but she did not hide. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her palms.

Shen Changhe looked at her clear yet misty eyes, suddenly realized his abruptness, and immediately wanted to step away.

Lin Yurou made up her mind and stood on tiptoes to kiss him.

At that moment, Shen Changhe felt like he was electrocuted. A tingling sensation spread throughout his body, causing his brain to stop working for a short time.

Lin Yurou lowered her head shyly. Since they were already at her home, she naturally had to go all out and not give him the slightest chance to regret.

Shen Changhe is different from others. If she wants to love him, it is far from enough to be gentle and virtuous. If she can get a man like this, he will be hers for the rest of her life.

Shen Changhe's face was burning, even more shy than Lin Yurou. He himself felt that as a grown man, he was a little... petty.

Would she think he was dull and boring? An An always said that about him.

Thinking of this, Shen Changhe pursed his lips, suddenly reached out and grabbed her waist, and with his other hand supported the back of her head, doing what he had tried hard to suppress and failed to do just now.

The woman's red lips were soft and sweet, and he was reluctant to let go the first time he tried them.

Lin Yurou was dazed and followed his lead. It took a long time before the kiss ended. Shen Changhe wiped off the smudged lip balm on her face, feeling that he had been a little too rude.

Lin Yurou looked at his troubled face and snorted, "You even climbed over my wall, and you still care about this?"

Shen Changhe suddenly felt embarrassed. Climbing over the wall to meet a beautiful woman late at night was a romantic affair, but it would be bad for the reputation of the girl.

"Mo Hu said," he tapped her forehead with his fingertips.

"You've already done it, and you won't let me say it."

Shen Changhe choked. How come he didn't notice that she was so sharp-tongued?

"I was drunk and couldn't control myself."

Lin Yurou lowered her head, twisted her handkerchief and said nothing, but the base of her neck was red.

"Just stay at home and wait for my news these two days. You don't have to compromise and deal with the Chen family. I will find a way to deal with Lord Lin."

"Um,"

Shen Changhe gently touched her red and swollen cheek before leaving.

As soon as he left, the maid opened the door and entered the room, and saw her daughter sitting on the couch, grinning foolishly.

"Girl, wash your face quickly. If others see the lip balm on your face, they will guess what you did."

"Ah? Is it that serious?" Lin Yurou immediately stood up and walked to the bronze mirror to look at herself, her face flushed with shame.

"Miss, you are too bold." This is in the mansion, it would be terrible if we were discovered.

Lin Yurou snorted softly, "The brave ones will die of overeating, and the timid ones will die of starvation. I've done everything, but I'm still afraid of this."

The main reason was that she understood Shen Changhe's character and knew he would never do anything out of line. Just what happened tonight was enough to make his old-fashioned temper responsible for her.

The servant and Uncle Zhong were guarding the wall of the Lin family, stamping their feet anxiously. Finally, they saw the young master climbing over the wall and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir."

Shen Changhe was almost sober by now.

Looking back at the high wall now, he just felt that he was ridiculous, but he did not regret it.

He got on the carriage swiftly and told Uncle Zhong, "Go to the Fourth Prince's Mansion."

Apart from preparing for the wedding, Xiao Yuan spent most of his time in the study dealing with the piled up paperwork.

He didn't want to spend the two days of his wedding in the study.

When Shen Changhe pushed the door open, he just looked up and glanced, then continued to annotate, but his lips were slightly raised.

"Fourth Prince." Shen Changhe bowed before saying, "I have something I would like to ask for your help."

Xiao Yuan didn't even raise his head. "The water behind you is clean. Wash the lip balm off your face first."

Shen Changhe's face instantly turned red, and he rubbed his lips with his hands, and sure enough, red marks were left on his fingertips.

He hurried over and scooped up some water to wash his face. The cold water on his face did not alleviate his embarrassment or burning sensation in the slightest.

After washing for a long time, he used a towel to wipe off the water stains. When he turned around, he saw Xiao Yuan staring at him with an ambiguous look.

He felt uncomfortable and his face was burning, but he did not explain. He quietly pulled a chair and sat down opposite the desk.

Xiao Yuan retracted his gaze, squinted his eyes, and slowly turned the jade ring on his left hand.

I wondered why he hadn’t thought of this. Climbing over the wall to meet the beautiful woman is really a good idea! !

He just didn't know whether that woman would get angry or not, but it didn't matter. At worst, he could just follow her older brother's example and shut her up.

"Does the Fourth Prince have any solution?"

Xiao Yuan came back to his senses and handed the memorial that had been prepared on the table to Shen Changhe, "Take a look at this."

The memorial was very long. Shen Changhe read it for a full quarter of an hour before he closed it with a calm look and placed it back on Xiao Yuan's desk.

"What did you find?" Xiao Yuan put down his pen and asked in a calm voice.

Shen Changhe was silent for a moment before he said, "Lord Lin is just a civil servant with no real power. Even if the Lin family's side branch is brainless, it should never be so arrogant."

Forcibly abducting women, occupying people's fertile land, collecting stall fees, and injuring people's lives are all enough to warrant exile.

Xiao Yuan nodded, "I am also wondering about this. If I hadn't taken over the troops of East City, I wouldn't have known that the people in those villages in the east had such a hard time surviving. A branch of a civil servant dared to be so accomplices to the evil."

Shen Changhe's face was solemn, "I think Lord Lin doesn't know about this. Judging from his temperament, he is not such a bold person."

Xiao Yuan glanced at him and said, "It is precisely because he doesn't know that this is your chance."

"Local officials within a hundred miles of East City have almost no substantive role, but the 10,000 soldiers and horses protect the people. Since you are idle at home, why not take over and give it a try?"

Shen Changhe was slightly surprised, "This... I'm afraid the emperor won't agree."

Ten thousand soldiers and horses are not a lot, but they are not a small number in the capital, and they can play a significant role at critical moments!

"Since it's given to me, I have the final say. My father-in-law has quite a bit of prestige among the military officers. You may be able to use this to make further progress in the future."

Shen Changhe pursed his lips and agreed without any hesitation.

Xiao Yuan took out a token from the secret compartment and handed it to him, "Go find out a little tomorrow, and settle the matter with the Lin family before tonight."

"So anxious?" Shen Changhe was slightly stunned. He always felt that Xiao Yuan seemed to be more anxious than himself.

Xiao Yuan stared at him and said, "A quick fight and a quick decision will prevent any more trouble."

That person still owed him a condition. After finishing this matter, he will climb over the wall to find her tomorrow night to fulfill his promise.

"What about the branches of the Lin family?"

Xiao Yuan didn't care. "As you said, Lord Lin doesn't have the guts. They must have someone behind them to back them up. The reason they chose the countryside is probably because that person's position is low and he can't stop them from being so arrogant in the city."

"Just follow the clues and deal with it all at once."

If the Second Prince and his gang were caught, it would be a pleasant surprise.

——

On the second day, Shen Changhe left the house at dawn and went to the East City military camp.

With Xiao Yuan's token and being the descendant of a military general, Shen Changhe successfully took over the military affairs of Dongcheng with almost no effort.

He asked his deputy to sort out all the complaints concerning the Lin family's side branches in recent years, and then he took the things and went directly back to the capital to the Lin Mansion.

Lord Lin has been watching the situation from the sidelines for some time and is also very conflicted.

The Fourth Prince was not favored by the Emperor, and he had no connection with the Second Prince. Adding to that the matter with the Shen family, he was in a rather awkward situation.

Especially with all the gossip these days, he didn't even want to step out of the door.

"Master, Master." The housekeeper hurriedly reported, "Mr. Shen is here and wants to see Master."

When Lord Lin heard that it was Shen Changhe, he subconsciously thought that he must be here for the wedding, and ordered in a cold voice, "If you don't see him, just say I'm not at home."

“The old servant said,” the housekeeper frowned, “but Master Shen said it was not for personal matters, but he had official business to discuss with the master. If the master is not here, then it will not be him who will come back next time, but the clan mansion.”

That expression and the words he uttered were so cold that he was frightened.

"Oh? Official business? What official business? Didn't he lose his official position a long time ago and stay at home idle?"

Lord Lin frowned and said, "Let's go and take a look."

Shen Changhe was led to the flower hall, and soon Lord Lin arrived, accompanied by the eldest son of the Lin family, Lin Ye.

Lord Lin didn't think that Shen Changhe had any important business at all, and he spoke very casually, "Mr. Shen said he had official business to look for me, what's the important business?"

Shen Changhe glanced at the maids and old women in the room, did not respond, lowered his head, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

This incident made Lord Lin a little more alert.

It doesn't look like he is pleading for Rouer.

"Everyone, step back." Lin Ye ordered in a deep voice, and asked his servant to guard the door.

Shen Changhe then put down his teacup. He had been in the Imperial Guard for several years, and the cold and murderous aura he exuded was enough to make Lord Lin, a civil servant, fearful.

When it comes to official business, he is impartial and his stern face does not show any emotion.

"I took over the East City military camp at the request of the Fourth Prince. I suddenly discovered these things when I took office today. Lord Lin, take a look. Do you find them familiar?"

He took out a stack of petition papers from his sleeve and placed them on the table.

"..." Lord Lin looked up at him, then stood up and walked over to take the petition back.

This brat changes his attitude so quickly. When he was good friends with Rou'er, he called her "uncle" all the time.

When he saw the contents of the petition, Lord Lin's pupils widened and all the complaints in his heart instantly disappeared.

Lin Ye also came over and looked at the petition papers his father flipped through one by one, his face turned pale.

"This is impossible. Someone must have framed me!"

Shen Changhe said nothing, but turned to look at Lord Lin, whose hands were shaking. He dropped the petition papers on the ground, covering the floor. Lin Ye was startled and hurriedly picked them up one by one.