Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Take whatever you want.

When Lin Zhen pushed the door open and walked in, Bai Ce had just left not long ago. There was too much rotten flesh on Ji Sui's back after the burns, and it needed to be cleaned many times. Although the post station had simple knives, it did not have soothing and pain-relieving herbs like Datura and raw Aconitum.

Therefore, when Lin Zhen suddenly appeared in front of Ji Sui, he once thought it was an illusion caused by the pain.

Otherwise, why would she take the initiative to come to his room to see him?

Ji Sui struggled to stand up and got off the bed. He walked to Lin Zhen, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Lin Zhen."

"I will never leave without your permission." Lin Zhen said slowly.

Ji Sui's gray eyes seemed to light up instantly at these words. His heartbeat was violent. He couldn't help but hold her sleeve and asked, "Is it...really?"

"I have spoken this, and I will not break my word. Or, do you think..."

The nobleness etched in her bones made Lin Zhen unable to utter these words. She pursed her lips, raised her hands, and began to unbutton the buttons around her neck.

His cheeks burned like he'd been slapped twice. After a long pause, Ji Sui finally managed to regain his composure, his dignity shattered to the ground. "That's enough. I'm not in the mood for this today."

He didn't know whether to hate himself for asking such an ignorant question, or to thank the blind man for turning off the two lights before leaving, so that he wouldn't show his ugly appearance in front of her.

"That……"

Lin Zhen was stunned for a moment and put his hands down helplessly.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Ji Sui suddenly hugged Lin Zhen tightly, buried his face in her neck, and said in a hoarse voice.

Even though she knew that Lin Zhen was unwilling, she even suppressed her hatred and threw herself into the arms of such a despicable and dirty man.

But he still longed for her, longed for her scent, longed for every inch of air that was tainted with her breath.

It was not until Lin Zhen lay on the couch that she realized that he really did not intend to touch her.

In view of the previous lesson, in order to avoid angering Ji Bai, Lin Zhen did not dare to directly ask him to let Lin Yue go. He could only do his best to make him lower his guard.

After all, he was the only person who had had physical intimacy with her. It was impossible for Lin Zhen to remain indifferent when they shared the same bed together again. All the past events came to his mind, and he was overwhelmed with emotions. Lin Zhen pursed his lips and turned away.

In just a moment, a hot and strong chest came over and held her tightly.

"That's all." Ji Wei said solemnly behind him.

He knew that she hated him and was disgusted with him, and even used the jade pendant to fake her death in order to escape from him.

She already has a husband with whom she lives in harmony, and has started a new life, a peaceful world without him, Ji Sui.

She had saved him and hurt him, and the entanglement between them seemed to be able to end. Perhaps he should have let go long ago. During the two nights at Li's house, he even thought he could really let go.

Now she was lying in his arms, and every breath so close to him was what he had been longing for for countless days and nights. Only at this moment did he realize that he could never let go of Lin Zhen.

Just one glance from afar and she will be firmly engraved in his heart. Even if he is at the ends of the earth, he will have to remember her all the time. His desire for her will turn into a dark shadow, and eternity can only follow its owner.

The wound on his back was piercingly painful. His body was burning hot, but he couldn't help shivering. His face was pale, his lips were white, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat, but his eyebrows and eyes were full of satisfied smiles.

The warmth in my arms is enough to worth everything.

Ever since Ji Sui decided to take revenge and gave up his identity as Lin Chu and returned to Beijing, Lin Zhen has never gotten along with him as peacefully as he does now.

Even through the thick clothes, she seemed to still be able to feel the shape of the scar on his left chest that she had pierced with her own hands.

She left just to escape, but now she still can't find the attitude to face him.

She had taught him how to read and write, and taught him how to ride and shoot arrows side by side. After spending so many days together, she didn't realize that something was wrong with him until the very end.

Perhaps she should have suspected his identity earlier. Although her father was kind, he always acted cautiously.

Not only did he allow her to let the young man of unknown future stay in his house, he also specially gave him a name and treated him better than ordinary servants. His father was a law-abiding man, but he was tolerant of his various inappropriate behaviors.

Not to mention that before his death, he placed him and Lin Yue on the same level and entrusted them to her...

Did his father realize his identity from the beginning?

When the eldest prince launched a palace coup during the Ghost Festival last year, Lin Zhen had already seen that Ji Bai was Meng Liangyu's man. Meng Liangyu seemed to have nothing to do with Yong'an Hou. Was it Meng Liangyu's instruction to imprison Yong'an Hou in Li Mansion, or was it Ji Bai's own intention?

She suddenly realized that the person she seemed to have always been familiar with was only Lin Chu from the Lin Mansion, not Ji Sui who came later.

The most ridiculous thing is that Lin Chu was just a role deliberately played by Ji Sui, and she eventually died in the rainy night when she stabbed her...

*

The third day of March is Shangsi Festival.

Ji Bai's body was covered with wounds, the sword wounds from the Yizhou border battle and the burns on his back were intertwined and difficult to distinguish. He suffered severe internal injuries and was physically overdrawn. The carriage had to stop to rest several times on the way because he suddenly fell unconscious.

The journey originally took 20 days, but it took them twice as long to enter the city on the Shangsi Festival.

The streets were crowded with people, and carriages had to move slowly.

Lin Zhen lifted the curtain of the carriage. On the night of Shangsi Festival, the road was bustling with people and dazzling lights were everywhere. Such a beautiful scenery could just wash away the fatigue of the journey, but Lin Zhen had no interest in it. She only glanced at the carriage following closely behind, then withdrew her gaze with a serious expression, and turned to look at the man who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Could you... send me back to the Jiaofangsi another day?"

She escaped from the Jiaofangsi and now was caught by Ji Bai. Naturally, she had to be sent back to the Jiaofangsi. She had nothing to say, but she couldn't be sent in in front of Lin Yue, absolutely not.

The man opened his long eyelashes slightly, as if he had heard something wrong, and stared at Lin Zhen with his dark eyes gloomily.

Ji Sui remained silent, so Lin Zhen had no choice but to continue, "Tomorrow, tomorrow will be fine."

"Or, you first—"

The dark pupils suddenly enlarged in front of his eyes, and Lin Zhen's lips were covered with a touch of coldness, and the rest of the words were drowned in the storm between his lips and teeth.

The carriage bumped along, the window curtains fluttering from time to time. Passersby who were careful could peek in at will, which was almost the same as being in public.

The strict upbringing she received since childhood made Lin Zhen subconsciously resist such things, but then she remembered that he was used to humiliating her in this way, and even dared to ask her to relieve him in the crowded palace.

Lin Zhen didn't know what she had done to anger him, but she stopped resisting. Only by letting him vent his anger would he agree to her request.

It was he who sent Lin Zhen to the Jiaofangsi, and it was also he who forced Lin Zhen to have sex with him.

Lin Zhen, who was once unattainable, is now at his disposal. He should be very happy and satisfied.

But why couldn't he feel a trace of joy? The wounds on his body had obviously healed, but he still felt pain, as if he was being pierced by thousands of needles. He couldn't see the wounds, but the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.

Ji Bai's hand that was clasping Lin Zhen's neck loosened dejectedly. He slowly stepped back and leaned back against the carriage.

Ji Sui leaned in the corner, his face hidden in the dark. Lin Zhen couldn't make out his expression, and his breath was still between her lips and teeth. She pursed her lips uncomfortably, glanced away and looked outside.

After entering the city, the carriage gradually drove away from the bustling streets. Lin Zhen glanced at it inadvertently and felt that the route seemed to be becoming more and more familiar. After turning the last alley, her heart suddenly sank.

The familiar blue bricks and black tiles, the weeds at the door had been cleared away at some point, the seal had been removed, and except for the removed plaque on the Lin Mansion door, everything looked the same as before.

"This house has been registered with the Ministry of Revenue and was recently transferred to my name. You can live there for the time being."

Ji Sui put away his previous dejected look, bent down and stepped out of the carriage. He caught a glimpse of Lin Zhen following him out of the corner of his eye, clenched his fists, and did not help her for a long time. He only protected her in the dark when she jumped out of the carriage.

Lin Yue and Bai Ce's carriage then stopped. Lin Yue was naturally very happy to be able to return to the Lin Mansion. She couldn't wait to share this joy with her elder sister, but when she saw Ji Bai's gloomy face, she didn't dare to get closer.

Lin Zhen was filled with emotion. She had watched her mother die suddenly from illness here, and she had also seen her father commit suicide in front of her.

She thought that her short yet long life would be buried along with this mansion, but she never expected that it would see the light of day again.

When she reached out and pushed open the door, it felt like she was in another world.

Almost nothing in the house had changed, except that the people had left and only dead objects were left.

In the silence, a clear and beautiful voice seemed particularly distinct. Hongye stood there blankly, broom in hand, and called out in disbelief, "Girl..."

Lin Yue told Lin Zhen that Hongye was left in the general's mansion by Ji Sui, so Lin Zhen didn't expect to see Hongye here.

It was not until Lin Zhen walked in front of Hongye and looked at her steadily with his bright phoenix eyes that she realized that it was really the girl. Her girl was not dead, and her girl was back!

The broom in her hand fell to the ground, and Hongye suddenly threw herself into Lin Zhen's arms, hugged her tightly, and excitedly called out repeatedly: "Girl! Girl!"

The joy of reunion made Hongye forget the etiquette and rules. She only saw Lin Zhen in her eyes. After a long time, she noticed the other people in the courtyard. Her eyes swept over Lin Yue and she said to Lin Zhen with an apologetic look, "It is Hongye who has failed you."

If she had not changed her mind at the last minute and left the second girl alone, the second girl would not have been caught by Ji Bai. Hongye felt really guilty.

Lin Zhen shook her head. Lin Yue had already told her roughly what had happened. She knew that Hongye was hesitating because she was worried about her.

The cold wind howled in the depths of winter. Hongye looked at Lin Zhen's red nose and the fatigue from the journey, and hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, saying, "Girl, come inside and rest!"

Hongye was dropped here by people from the General's Mansion a few days ago. They didn't tell her anything and just asked her to stay here quietly.

Although Hongye didn't understand the situation, this was the Lin Mansion, where she and the girl grew up. Although the girl was gone, she felt more comfortable and at ease staying here than in the General's Mansion.

Hongyeyuan had just been cleaning up hastily out of boredom, but now that she saw the girl had returned alive, she was afraid of disturbing her night's rest, so she immediately busied herself cleaning up, making the bed, tables, chairs, and all the utensils.

"Don't pack, we are just staying here temporarily." Lin Zhen held Hongye's arm and said lightly.

My father is already a criminal, and Ji Sui will never return the house of his enemy that has fallen into his hands.

Although this is the Lin Mansion, it is no longer her home.

Hongye seemed to understand her thoughts, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Home is where the girl is."

Lin Zhen pursed her lips, moved. Now Hongye and Lin Yue were both safe and sound by her side. This was all she wanted for the rest of her life.

*

After dinner, Hongye came in with a bundle and asked, "What Shizhu gave me just now, is it from you, young lady?"

Hongye would not open it without the girl's permission.

Lin Zhen took the bundle hesitantly, placed it on the desk and opened it. Inside was full of jewels, jades, yellow and white objects, and at the bottom was a scroll of calligraphy and painting. She slowly unfolded it, which was what Qi Yu had bought from the scholar that day.

Letter: With the long years ahead, why fear the wind and snow?

If he wanted to travel far away on his own and make a living, these silver and money were indispensable. Even if he was discovered by the people in Li's house, he could pretend to be a bandit and rob people and property without being exposed.

She thought she and Qi Yu were going through the hard times together, but he had already made adequate arrangements for her.

"Is this a love poem he wrote to you?"

Lin Zhen was lost in thought at the calligraphy and painting for a long time, completely unaware that Ji Sui had already been standing behind her. He snatched the scroll from Lin Zhen's hand and asked with a sneer.