A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.

The black box went straight into the Eastern Palace.

Lin Shifeng was extremely curious and was about to use the excuse of safety to find out more when Xuan Ge heard that he had come to protect Lin Zhenlie on his behalf. So he ordered someone to lead the way and take him there.

Xuan Ge, on the other hand, focused on setting up the black box.

The Imperial Guards had already taken up residence in the Eastern Palace, and Xiao Zhian was already aware of Xie Xincun's escape.

At this moment, he was still reviewing memorials in the Jiade Hall. The two officials, the Recorder and the Scribe, were used to staying up all night with him. With nothing to write down, they solemnly copied the previous records repeatedly in cursive, running, clerical, seal, and bird-and-insect scripts.

Du Yu entered the hall, coughed twice with his fist clenched, and winked at the two men.

The two officials understood each other and silently took their leave of the hall.

Under the moonlight, the glazed tiles of the East Palace shimmered with iridescent light. The two exchanged unspoken glances, their hearts mingling.

—His Highness the Crown Prince has a secret lately.

—Yes, should we dig it up?

Wow! We must never lose the integrity and uprightness of us historians!

"You're right. Our Secretariat is not like the Secretariat of the disgraced Shen family. We are all loyal ministers, upholding justice and fulfilling our duties..."

Their eyes darted around, their ears perked up, ignoring the guards at the door and the countless imperial soldiers, as they slowly pressed their ears against the wall.

Du Yuxing walked down the steps and reported in a low voice: "Your Highness, Princess Pingyang sent someone to assassinate Zhao Yanxiu today. We protected Zhao Yanxiu's life and also caught the murderer, who was the former Grand Secretary Shen Congyun's personal bodyguard, named Chu Jiu. I found Xiangfei bamboo arrows in his arms."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhian stopped writing his imperial edict, his phoenix eyes deep and unfathomable.

A few days ago, Pingyang sent someone to contact Zhao Yanxiu. It seems that Zhao Yanxiu is a smart man and was not misled. He insisted on guarding the tomb and wearing mourning clothes outside the city, staying away from trouble. Pingyang failed to win him over and sow discord, so he changed his tactics and chose to kill him to silence him and frame Yinyin, who used the Xiangfei bamboo arrow.

All the officials knew that Zhao Changji had died at Yin Yin's hands. Zhao Yanxiu and Yin Yin had an irreconcilable feud over the murder of Zhao Yanxiu's father. Pingyang's move was a double-edged sword: it eliminated Zhao Yanxiu, who knew the truth, while simultaneously framing Yin Yin, ruining her reputation for fighting traitors for the country, and branding her as a ruthless murderer who would be condemned by everyone.

They never stop for a moment. Even at this point, Pingyang can still use Shen Congyun as a disguise and use Shen Congyun's personal guards to commit crimes. Even if Chu Jiu is caught, the clues will only point to Shen Congyun, that prisoner, and will not involve her in the slightest, nor will they dirty her hands.

When clever people use their cleverness for evil, they become utterly depraved and inhuman.

Xiao Zhian was utterly disappointed in his younger sister. If he hadn't promised Yinyin that he would let her take revenge herself and that Pingyang would continue to do evil, even if he couldn't find any evidence for the time being, he could have temporarily placed Pingyang under house arrest under the pretext of praying for blessings, thus preventing her from causing trouble.

"Your Highness," Du Yu continued, bowing, "Today, several of the princess's guards went to the Holy Water Temple, attempting to set it on fire, but they were apprehended in time, preventing any incident from escalating."

"Holy Water Temple?"

Xiao Zhian's expression changed drastically.

The Holy Water Temple was the place where Lin Huaiyin had arranged to meet him. Being targeted by Pingyang was tantamount to directly threatening Lin Huaiyin, which was no small matter. With a furrowed brow, he stood up and questioned, "What's going on with Qin Luo? How could you let the people of Pingyang find out about Yinyin's whereabouts!"

"Your Highness, please calm down." Du Yu lowered his head and explained, "This matter is not Commander Qin's fault. Princess Pingyang's people followed General Lin to the Holy Water Temple and encountered Miss Lin there."

"Lin Zhenlie?" Xiao Zhian asked incredulously.

"That's right. Ever since Danfengmen divorced his husband and was dismissed from his post, Princess Pingyang has paid special attention to General Lin, collecting many of his portraits and weapons, and has also been making contact with the Imperial Guards."

Du Yu explained the whole story, and Xiao Zhian lowered his eyes coldly, gesturing for him to leave.

Pingyang has set its sights on Lin Zhenlie.

Xiao Zhian slumped down, involuntarily recalling the expression on Pingyang's face as she gazed at General Ma Shang in front of Danfeng Gate—she hadn't even glanced at Shen Congyun, seemingly unconcerned that years of effort had been destroyed and that she had lost her most important ally in the rebellion and usurpation. It was as if she had nothing to do with Shen Congyun; she was just staring intently at Lin Zhenlie, her eyes burning with longing. When she saw Yinyin snatching the Emperor Taizu's golden spear, she leaned forward slightly, full of envy…

Pingyang, she probably wanted a father like that too.

If Pingyang had been born into the Lin family, she would surely have grown into a beautiful girl, just like Yinyin.

Thinking of Pingyang's face, Xiao Zhian felt a tightness in his chest. His sister had committed many evils and would surely suffer the consequences. However, memories from his childhood flashed back and forth: his sister entering the mourning hall, closing the door, his sister returning from the imperial mausoleum, throwing herself into his arms and wailing. His sister hadn't wanted to become like this; she wasn't born evil. If only she had a good father, a good brother…

Xiao Zhian was caught between his sister’s pitiful and hateful state. The complex and surging emotions squeezed the mask of the Crown Prince Regent. At this moment, he was alone in the Jiade Hall, alone on the high platform and throne, missing Lin Huaiyin terribly.

He knew everything about Lin Huaiyin, her past and present lives, her joys and sorrows.

But Xiao Zhian himself had never told anyone about himself or his past. Lin Huaiyin knew nothing about him. At this moment, an overwhelming urge to confide overwhelmed Xiao Zhian. His soul had nowhere to rest. He wanted to place it on Lin Huaiyin, but he was afraid of frightening her or that she couldn't bear it. He could only meet her in the sunlight. As Lin Huaiyin said, he had to digest his weakness and confusion on his own. He swallowed whatever came to mind and sought nothing from the outside.

Xiao Zhian swallowed back mouthful by mouthful.

The "川" character between his eyebrows gradually smoothed out.

His eyes were obscure, yet held a chilling clarity.

He unfolded the memorials, picked up his pen, and began to review them. The tasks at hand wouldn't diminish or disappear just because of a momentary lapse in concentration... But if Xiao Zhi'an's peripheral vision fell upon the empty space beside him, a delicate little face would appear vividly... If Yin Yin were by his side, she would trace his handwriting, and she would transform the responsibilities of being the crown prince into a delightful pleasure...

No, if Yinyin really were there… With ink dripping from the vermilion brush, Xiao Zhian smiled knowingly. Knowing her as he did, she wouldn't be interested in more than one memorial, then she'd pester him for a while, before settling into his arms and falling fast asleep, leaving him to hold her while he continued reviewing memorials… his workload doubled…

The joy that Lin Huaiyin brought was direct and healing. Even though she wasn't there, Xiao Zhian could find comfort just by thinking about her.

Having composed himself, the Crown Prince continued his busy work in the brightly lit Jiade Hall.

The Imperial Advisor quietly entered the hall and returned to his original seat.

Lin Shifeng waited outside the hall, but instead of seeing his "future nephew's father," he saw that the man was burdened with important state affairs.

On his first night visit to the Eastern Palace, Lin Shifeng found no beautiful women by his side, no maids serving tea, and no gentle concubines. In fact, he didn't see any women at all along the way.

The title "future nephew's father" is quite respectable.

But people change.

Lin Shifeng hadn't had a chance to talk to Lin Huaiyin yet, so he didn't plan to discuss the matter of his "future nephew" with Xiao Zhian too much—if he acknowledged him, he had to give him a formal title as soon as possible; if he didn't, the Lin family could afford to raise him.

But the Lin family won't go out of their way to pursue them.

Lin Shifeng didn't plan to go in; he wanted Xiao Zhian to take the initiative to talk to him.

Before long, Xuan Ge arrived at the Jiade Hall.

Upon hearing that Lin Shifeng was present, Xiao Zhian immediately summoned him to the palace.

Lin Shifeng entered the hall to pay his respects.

Xiao Zhian descended to greet him.

Lin Shifeng thought that his "future nephew's father" was sensible, but to his surprise, Xiao Zhian said: "Regarding the Tiger Guarding Lin Xie family, I hope you, Minister Lin, will explain in detail."

——

The Lin Residence.

Lin Huaiyin has a headache.

She drank bowl after bowl of hangover soup, and along with the previous alcohol, she practically spent the whole night hugging a chamber pot.

Xie Xincun could come at any time. Sometimes Lin Huaiyin would sit on the chamber pot, looking around like a frightened bird, afraid that he would suddenly appear, which would make her extremely embarrassed.

Embarrassed, distressed, trembling, and peering around, Lin Huaiyin spent the entire night staring at the door, the window, and the roof beams. Sometimes she thought that Xie Xincun could even disappear into thin air from the Imperial Prison; perhaps he could appear before her like a wisp of smoke.

Well, it's impossible to defend against, and we can't win or escape, so we might as well surrender.

She's a liar and an accomplice; she'll get what's coming to her.

If all else fails, she can introduce Princess Pingyang to Xie Xincun. Xie Xincun probably hasn't met such a vicious and wicked noblewoman before, right? It would be quite interesting to learn about her life story. She can also give you a version of Princess Pingyang's past life, double the experience, double the fun.

Inspired by this, Lin Huaiyin suddenly thought of a way to survive—past lives and present lives. She could tell endless stories, and every day she would tell Xie Xincun a little story about her past and present lives. She should be able to live a long time, until Xie Xincun got tired of hearing about her and would avoid her whenever he saw her.

"Hahaha." Lin Huaiyin laughed strangely.

The sight of fish and crab claws was terrifying.

Crab Ao was actually quite confused—the new son-in-law was so good, why did His Highness the Crown Prince want to imprison him? And the new son-in-law's escape was a happy event, so what was Miss afraid of?

Yu Li was relatively clear-headed—it was a love triangle. His Highness the Crown Prince was jealous and imprisoned Young Master Xie. He even argued with the young lady because of Young Master Xie. The young lady drowned her sorrows in alcohol, but she was also afraid that Young Master Xie would come back to take revenge on her and His Highness the Crown Prince.

The responsibility lies with His Highness the Crown Prince. Yu Li, impartial and unbiased, made the final judgment—His Highness the Crown Prince has always been unreliable. The fragrant soup on Buddha's Birthday almost killed Miss, and now his attempt to suppress his rival has backfired, letting him escape. Miss is truly unlucky to have him.

General Xuan Ge is still the most reliable.

Yu Li's death is the final verdict.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock on the door suddenly sounded.

Lin Huaiyin shuddered, and the three of them huddled together, one hand holding a fish claw and the other a crab claw.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking was neither too loud nor too soft, neither too fast nor too slow, and was done in a polite manner.

"Knock knock knock".

The person knocking was calm and polite.

Like a sly cat that skillfully toyed with mice, it was elegantly and groping behind the door.

This is indeed how Lin Huaiyin perceives Xie Xincun – teasing, observing, scaring people to death, but never actually killing them.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock on the door is a polite death knell.

The three of them had a buzzing in their heads.

Aren't there Lin family guards outside? Why isn't anyone doing anything about it?

"I can't take it anymore!"

Crab Claw, his temper flaring, broke free from Lin Huaiyin, "I'll go open the door for the young master! He won't do anything!"

"No, no, no! I'll go!"

Lin Huaiyin broke free from Yu Li, covered her tightly with the blanket, jumped off the bed, grabbed Xie Ao, and pushed her back onto the bed, saying, "I'll go."

"Stay put and don't make a sound."

Without saying a word, Lin Huaiyin turned around, her heart pounding wildly, choking her throat. She clutched her chest, cursing Xie Xincun for not going to find Xiao Zhian, while puffing out her cheeks and blowing out a few candles, trying to hide her trembling figure as she cautiously walked towards the door.

Standing in front of the door, Lin Huaiyin made a painful decision. Since Xie Xincun was coming, she couldn't escape. She had to stand tall and never let him look down on her.

"Click." The bolt was pulled out.

Lin Huaiyin took another breath, her cheeks puffed out like fish bubbles, and with one burst of energy, she opened the door, stepped out, and slammed the door shut with a "thump!"

If you have any grievances, take them out on her!

Before you decide to fight or kill, let her tell you a story first!

Lin Huaiyin calmly faced her death, but unexpectedly, standing outside the door were Lin family guards and—Lin Huaiyin looked closely—Qin Luo!

It's Qin Luo!

It really is Qin Luo!

Qin Luo of the Imperial City Guard!

That damned Qin Luo from the Imperial City Guard!

Lin Huaiyin was immediately enraged—coming to scare people in the middle of the night, is he crazy!

Did Xiao Zhian summon them?

Are you playing hide-and-seek late at night?

Both of them have problems. Is it better to just avoid provoking her?

Anger flared up instantly. Despite the guards nearby, Lin Huaiyin pounced on Qin Luo, pinned him down, and began to beat him mercilessly!

Qin Luo dared not retaliate, nor even block, and immediately his head was covered in bumps.

He finally got a chance to stuff his faith into Lin Huaiyin's head, but Lin Huaiyin smacked him on the forehead.

"Grandma, please, just take a look." Qin Luo was on the verge of tears as she took the envelope and handed it back.

Lin Huaiyin grumbled and took the letter back to her room to open it—"Yinyin, thank you for keeping this letter in my hands, don't worry."