Chapter 11 She was bewitched by her and wanted to kiss him passionately.

Seeing that he looked unhappy, Lin Meizhu decided to tell him the result first: "I poked his eye out! And kicked him down the stairs."

The next voice hesitated. "I'm a bit strong. I might be more than just injured... I'm probably half blind. And... my legs and feet might not be much better either."

Judging from the reaction of the shopkeeper of Tianxianglou, the man she kicked down seemed to be of high status and was even related to the royal family. She was already a little worried, and now seeing Shen Changfeng's silence, she felt even more worried. "Did I handle it poorly?"

Shen Changfeng looked up at her. Every word she said was beyond his expectations.

He nodded. "It was handled terribly."

"Then, what should we do?" Lin Meizhu was frightened by him. She thought to herself that this was the end. If the other party reported her to the government, wouldn't she be beaten with a stick or imprisoned for a few years? She was thinking about whether to surrender herself or make an apology. Would he be willing to plead for her? Would it bring trouble to the Lin family? In an instant, her thoughts were full of thousands of things. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it. But then she heard Shen Changfeng add: "You should have just killed him."

Lin Meizhu looked at him in surprise. Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, she said hesitantly, "I dare not..."

After handing the letter to the coachman at Tianxiang Tower, Lin Meiju returned to her room and found that the tea had a strange fragrance. She pretended not to notice anything unusual, but actually spit the tea onto her handkerchief.

Later, the shopkeeper attentively led her to the inner room to rest. Lin Meizhu became increasingly vigilant, feigning sleep while secretly hiding the moxibustion needles under her palm. She kept her eyes fixed on the doorway, but unexpectedly, there was a secret door hidden against the wall of the bunk bed. Suddenly, a tall, thin man climbed out. Frightened, she broke into a cold sweat. Opening her eyes, she thrust several long needles into him, then, while he struggled in pain, kicked him out through the half-open window.

Shen Changfeng looked at her beautiful face, and his anger suddenly rose. "Chen Yue, come in."

A straight-limbed guard clasped his fists neatly and asked, "What are your orders, my lord?"

Shen Changfeng's tone was stern, and his jawline looked stern: "From now on, you will be responsible for her safety. Don't let her embarrass the palace again. If anyone looks at her for even a second, I will dig out his eyes."

Chen Yue was silent and left immediately after receiving the order.

Shen Changfeng was almost amused by Lin Meizhu's cowardly look. She was the Crown Prince's Consort, and yet she was almost insulted and humiliated. Not implicated in the crime was already a light punishment, and yet she was still questioning whether she had been too harsh? Such cowardice, truly foolish!

At this time, Shen Changfeng didn't know that there are generally two types of people who are brave enough to seek justice for themselves when they are treated unfairly. The first type is those who grew up in a place where love is nurtured. The presence of family, lovers, or friends gives them a constant source of confidence and self-confidence. Their hearts are healthy and strong. They know they always have a way out.

The other type is people who have nothing and they are willing to give up everything.

Unfortunately but fortunately, Lin Meizhu was not among them.

Nearly abandoned by her parents as a child and enduring famine as a teenager, she spent the first half of her life huddled together for warmth, leaving her vulnerable and vulnerable to fear. She longed for love, but it was a rare and unattainable commodity.

Unfortunately, by the time Shen Changfeng understood this truth, Lin Meizhu no longer cared about his love.

Lin Meizhu clearly felt Shen Changfeng's displeasure. Although he arranged a personal guard for her, she was not happy at all.

She could vaguely guess the reason why Shen Changfeng was unhappy. Beating a dog requires looking at its owner. She was being looked down upon and humiliated today, which also ruined his reputation. She had originally thought she was quite capable, able to come up with a way to turn the tables, but now, looking at Shen Changfeng's face, she felt a sense of frustration for no reason.

For a moment, the room fell into a depressing silence.

When Shen Changfeng walked into the room, he was dumbfounded. Wasn't he fine just now? Why did Shen Changfeng look so pale in the blink of an eye? Did the young lady also look red-eyed?

Steward Shen couldn't help but lower his voice: "Sir, should we ask the kitchen to serve the meal?"

Shen Changfeng had just finished drinking the medicine and had no appetite. He said, "I'm not hungry."

Manager Shen nodded: "Then the young lady..."

Lin Meizhu said against her will, "I'm not hungry either."

Manager Shen glanced at her in surprise. It was clear that she hadn't touched much of the food she had just removed...

Shen Changfeng walked into the inner room, and Lin Meizhu followed closely. Suddenly, he stopped, and Lin Meizhu almost hit her face on his back.

Shen Changfeng turned around and asked, "What dishes have the kitchen prepared?"

Shen, the chief steward, was confused, but he still reported truthfully: "Jinling roast duck, stuffed tofu, honey-roasted yellow sparrow, fresh shrimp in pepper vinegar, pearl jade white jade soup..."

Lin Meizhu tried her best to be patient, but her stomach was not willing to cooperate and started to growl. Her face immediately turned red and she mumbled, "It seems... I am a little hungry."

Steward Shen looked at the two men's incoherent words and smiled secretly. It seemed that he was being overly suspicious. The prince clearly cared about the princess.

Lin Meiju ordered a meal to be served in Furong Garden next door. Because she was worried about the people in the main house, she only ate a little quickly, rinsed her mouth and hands, and changed her clothes before going into the room to serve.

The room was quiet. Lin Meiju could hear the sound of even breathing. Seeing a basin of ice placed casually in the room, she frowned, opened the front and back convection windows with light steps, and moved the two gauze screens to a different position. This would not only dissipate the bloody smell in the room but also prevent the draft from directly hitting Shen Changfeng. Then she took the ice basin out.

The maid was surprised when she saw Lin Meizhu walking out of the room holding the ice jar. You know, it took the combined strength of the two maids to lift it. The prince's wife was really amazing! The maids and servants hurriedly took over the ice jar. Why didn't they do such heavy work?

Lin Meizhu raised her index finger as a gesture to keep quiet, as she didn't want to wake up Shen Changfeng in front of so many people.

After doing all this, Lin Meiju tiptoed back to the room. She moved a small stool, sat beside the bunk bed, and gently fanned the person on the bed.

She supported her chin with one hand, and her eyes involuntarily fell on Shen Changfeng's face.

He was born fair, but not in a sickly white way, but rather a warm, pure white like mutton-fat jade. Lin Meizhu compared her wrist to his face through the air and thought to herself: He seems to be better looking.

At this moment, he was lying on the bed and sleeping soundly. His usually cold and hard features seemed to have softened a bit, making him look very harmless. Only traces of sharpness could be seen at the tips of his eyebrows.

Lin Meizhu's eyes traced his long black eyelashes, then drifted to his high nose bridge, and then to his lips. His lip lines were smooth, the edges as sharp as a razor blade, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl upwards when he was quiet. However, she had never seen him smile, which made her feel a little regretful.

She stared at him in a daze. People say that people with thin lips are passionate. Is he like that?

His lips were round, small, and pale pink. Lin Meizhu slowed down her fanning, wondering if it would be soft to bite. With a clatter, the fan hit the edge of the bed. Lin Meizhu was startled by her own thoughts, blushing and secretly cursing at herself.

The summer cicadas stretched out their voices to sing in unison, and the crickets also tacitly echoed with low singing. Occasionally, one or two faint dog barks could be heard in the distance, and even the sound of the wind gradually became long.

In fact, Shen Changfeng was a light sleeper, and he noticed it as soon as the young woman entered the room. He wanted to shout and drive her away several times, seeing her running around, but he also wanted to know what she wanted to do. Until she finally took away the ice mirror and the heat hit his body, he became annoyed. Just as he was about to scold her, he suddenly felt a cool breeze blowing gently, soothing the pain and itch on his shoulders and back.

All the irritability is gone.

He had high requirements for the sleeping environment, let alone falling asleep under the gaze of outsiders, but magically, although he was not sleepy at all, as he smelled the sweet fragrance on her body, his eyelids were bewitched by a mysterious force and he didn't want to open them lazily.

It's a bit like an animal having its fur smoothed.

He could imagine the silk fan in her hands. The red tassels beneath the fan swayed gently, a crisp rustling sound as the tassels rose and fell onto the handle. A fine rustling sound as she shifted her hands. A faint humming sound, a delicate fragrance drawing closer—she wasn't sitting comfortably, so she adjusted her posture.

"Patta——" the round fan fell to the ground.

Shen Changfeng's eyelids moved, and there was a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

It seems that someone has put me to sleep first.

As night deepened, the South Alley was ablaze with lights, overflowing with people. Although the Wei Dynasty had a curfew, many of those making a living in this area had close connections to the powerful, and many dignitaries frequently visited here for pleasure, and the government turned a blind eye.

In the private room, several people were warming their wine and chatting.

The shopkeeper, Ding Er, carefully filled the glasses for the man at the top and said, "Don't worry, uncle. I've taken care of everything. Those beggars insisted they were acting on impulse and had no one behind the scenes. I've also sent people to smooth things over with the government. The case will be closed soon after the signatures are signed. We have people in Tianxiang Tower, and they're very tight-lipped!"

Thinking back to the scene today when the palace guards surrounded Tianxiang Tower, Ding Er still felt a lingering fear. He had thought she was stupid, but who would have thought she would actually pass on the letter under his nose! If she had checked the letter carefully, this kind of thing would not have happened!

You have to know that Ding Sheng is not only a wealthy businessman ranked among the top in the capital, but also has a close relationship with Concubine Xue! They grew up together and are as close as siblings. This time, they were able to buy Yijing Garden because Concubine Xue used her connections and secretly helped them succeed.

Ding Sheng leaned against the soft pillow, his face dark enough to drip water. If he succeeded today, he could use both soft and hard tactics. There was no guarantee that the woman would let him do whatever he wanted for fear of being exposed. He wanted this to happen more than once.

Thinking of Lin Meizhu's breasts, as smooth as milk, Ding Sheng's body began to heat up. However, the sharp pain in his eyeballs allowed him to retain a last shred of rationality. He endured the pain and said, "If she goes back to complain..."

Ding Er immediately replied, "Even if that young woman complained, she has no evidence! Besides, if she dared to complain, we could just turn the tables and find a burly, uncouth horse carriage driver as a scapegoat, saying she was so lonely she took the initiative to seduce someone into bed. She's naturally alluring, and her reputation wasn't great before she got married, so what's so strange about her doing something like this?"

Ding Sheng let out a greedy smile, then glanced at the clepsydra, finally feeling relieved. Legend has it that Shen Changfeng never takes revenge overnight, and now it's already past the last quarter of the night, with less than half a cup of tea, what kind of trouble could he possibly cause?

Seeing that Ding Sheng's expression had eased a lot, Ding Er said again: "Everyone knows that Shen Changfeng doesn't like her. When the time comes, I will tie up that ungrateful woman and bring her back! Let her see how powerful her uncle is!" As he clapped his hands, a singer in cool clothes walked in.

Ding Sheng's eyes lit up instantly. It was because the singer was dressed exactly like Lin Meiju, even the makeup on her hair was the same.

Ding Sheng passed by the woman in front of him and thought of another person's graceful waist and full breasts. He murmured, "You don't know, her hair is fragrant. At that time, her hair brushed against my hand..."

A sneer suddenly filled the air, "Which hand?"

“Who is it?!”

Everyone in the room looked up, searching for the source of the sound, but where was anyone? Cold sweats broke out on their backs as several guards, standing in formation, rushed in.

There was no wind, but the lanterns outside the veranda swayed strangely and violently, their candlelight flickering. Then, with a swish, all the lights went out in an instant. The voice rang out again: "Which hand?"

Then came the sound of footsteps, steady, slow, and increasingly clear.

No one could tell where the sound came from. It seemed to come from mid-air, or as if it appeared out of thin air behind them.

Several guards drew their swords and started slashing in the darkness.

Ding Sheng had already recognized the owner of the voice, but he wasn't sure how much the other person had heard, nor did he believe he would dare to do anything to him. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Why are you playing tricks on me, sir? Why don't you just come out and have a gathering?"

"OK."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blade scraped through the air with a sharp buzzing sound, and then a scream was heard.

Ding Er turned around and saw two bloody forearms gushing out before his eyes. The flesh and veins on the cross section were still throbbing and wriggling. He was so frightened that he almost fainted and backed away tremblingly. "Quick, take him down! Take him down!"

Several guards finally found the shadow hidden in the darkness and rushed over with knives raised.

"If you don't want to die, run."

Cold light flashed everywhere. Several guards clutched their throats, thin wounds like red threads visible between their fingers. Like puppets, they lost control and collapsed. Only then did the shrieking sound of blades piercing the air pierce their ears.

"I'll count to three."

"three!"

Several heads fell to the ground. The black shadow's moves were clean and neat, like chopping melons and vegetables, without even his clothes moving.

"two!"

Several maids hiding in the dark ran out crying.

The long sword drew a beautiful half-moon arc in the air, and chopped down with a tremendous force—

“Snap—”

Lin Meizhu woke up from her dream, touched her face, and murmured, "Those annoying mosquitoes... they're so noisy."

She rubbed the red marks on her face from the pillow on the bamboo mat, not yet fully awake: "Why don't I sleep on the bed? I sleep on my stomach?"

She looked at the shallow marks on the mandarin duck pillow, then shifted her gaze to the empty bed. Suddenly, she stood up. Where was Shen Changfeng? Such a grown man? How could she not even know he was awake?

She turned and ran, but almost bumped into someone at the threshold. When she saw who it was, she was surprised and happy, "Sir, where have you been?"

The lights were dim, but Lin Meizhu could clearly tell that he was in a good mood. "What do you think?"

Lin Meizhu replied naturally, "Couldn't sleep, so you went to look at the moon?"

When she was a child, when she couldn't sleep well, she always liked to lie on Chuqi's desk, leaning over to count the stars, and asking Chuqi where she had just counted. Chuqi was obviously reviewing her lessons, but she could always answer correctly.

The person above her head chuckled, and Lin Meiju also felt that her answer was silly. Who would dress up with injuries and watch the moon in their own yard in the middle of the night?

Shen Changfeng leaned close to her and whispered, "I helped you do something I dared not do."

Something he dared not do... that means... he went and killed someone!? Was he doing it to help himself?

Lin Meiju felt a sweet feeling in her heart, which overshadowed her fear.

It was then that she noticed the smell of blood on him seemed even stronger than during the day. She stepped forward to support him and hurriedly asked, "Are you hurt?"

Shen Changfeng took her shoulder and lowered his voice: "No..."

Lin Meiju could feel that his pace was getting faster and faster, and his steps were getting bigger and bigger, and their destination was the sandalwood bed.

Her heartbeat was slowly speeding up. She looked up at him and suddenly felt a furry head rubbing against her neck.

What a wonderful feeling.

It’s like the always proud tabby cat that sneaks up on you when you’re not paying attention, squinting its eyes and rubs your face.

Just when Lin Meiju was stunned, her favorite tabby cat raised its face and gently touched the corner of her lips.

In an instant, a string of silver sparks exploded from her chest, and her heartbeat crackled in her ears, like the burning and trembling fuse of a firework before it took off.

Her eyelashes trembled, and then she tiptoed gently.

She wanted to kiss him passionately.