Chapter 58 You, you better hide!

Chapter 55

"Lord Lu, what brings you here?" Shen Panyan stammered.

Why did Lin Xiao suddenly appear?

Could he have overheard what he just said?

But, but she was referring to the real Lord Lu, not him.

Shen Panyan wanted to explain, but now that he was in public, his identity could not be exposed, so she couldn't explain at all. Besides, this kind of thing shouldn't be known to outsiders in the first place.

Just as Shen Panyan was in a panic, Lin Xiao's calm and gentle voice rang out.

He appeared completely normal, as if he hadn't heard what she had said before. "Your Highness, I have come to bid you farewell."

With the imperial examinations approaching, a wave of rumors suddenly emerged among the scholars in the capital, praising the previous dynasty and belittling the current one. Emperor Gan Ning was furious and ordered him to find out who had spread the rumors within seven days.

Therefore, he has been extremely busy lately and could only spare a moment to come today.

Hearing that he was leaving, Shen Panyan became a little anxious, "You, won't you stay a little longer?"

Lin Xiao shook his head, "This humble subject is still tied up with official duties. I only came today to see if Your Highness is well. Seeing that Your Highness is alright, this humble subject is at ease."

Having said that, he bowed respectfully and said, "This humble subject takes his leave."

Then, he turned and left.

He came suddenly and left suddenly. Shen Panyan wanted to see him off, but he walked very fast and disappeared around the corner of the corridor in just a few breaths. She couldn't catch up with him at all, so she had to give up.

Shen Panyan stared at the spot where he had left, biting her lip, feeling uneasy.

Lin Xiao must be angry, otherwise, why would he leave so quickly?

Or should she go and explain to him tomorrow?

Having made up her mind, Shen Panyan decided to go find him. However, the hurried figure of him leaving before he departed left her with a heavy feeling in her chest and a gloomy expression, and she had no desire to entertain Gu Jinyan any longer. Seeing that she seemed unhappy, Gu Jinyan, unusually sensible, did not disturb her any further, got up, and took his leave.

—

The palace was brightly lit at night, but the princess's residence was always quiet. Shen Panyan removed her hairpins and jewelry, sat in front of the bronze mirror in plain clothes, her face full of distress and headache.

The Lu family is a noble family, and she cannot just knock on their door rashly. If outsiders find out and it gets to her father's ears, it will definitely cause trouble for Lin Xiao.

Last time she could use the excuse of being saved to go to the Lu residence, but now that the incident with the startled horse had happened so long ago, that excuse was no longer valid. If she couldn't use that excuse, what other reason could she possibly have to go to the Lu residence?

Headache.

Shen Panyan sighed. Just then, Zhuzhi pushed open the door and came in. "Princess, I just saw a paper moon by your window. I don't know which maidservant folded it and put it there..."

A paper moon?!

Shen Panyan was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "What paper moon? Let me see it."

Zhuzhi walked over and handed her the paper moon.

"This is it. I thought it was folded quite nicely, so I brought it in."

This is a paper moon folded from a sheet of Xuan paper. The flickering candlelight gives it a soft, warm glow.

Suppressing her inner joy, Shen Panyan held the paper moon and said calmly, "I understand. This paper moon is very beautiful. If you come across one again, remember to give it to me."

It's one thing to encounter it once, but how could it happen a second time?

Zhu Zhi didn't understand, but still obediently nodded, "Yes."

The arrival of the paper moon was just the right thing to do for Shen Panyan. She was worried about how to find Lin Xiao when he sent her a message.

Next, all she had to do was wait quietly for him to arrive at the princess's residence.

Concealing her inner joy, Chen Panyan hurriedly called for Zhuzhi to prepare water, as she wanted to take a bath.

She didn't know when Lin Xiao would come to find her, but she guessed it definitely wouldn't be during the day.

During the day, he has to pretend to be 'Lu Yunqi' and can't get away, so it will definitely be at night. Therefore, she must rest early, otherwise even if Lin Xiao comes tomorrow or the day after, she won't know.

The candlelight flickered in the bedchamber, turning her shadow into a thick, dark ink.

After finishing her bath, Shen Panyan was sitting in front of the bed, twisting her hair with a handkerchief.

The person on night watch tonight is Zhuzhi. She sent her to fetch the perfume. Now, the huge bedchamber is so quiet that only her own breathing can be heard, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, faint footsteps came from ahead. Shen Panyan was stunned, thinking that Zhuzhi had returned.

She just left, how come she's back so soon?

Just as Shen Panyan was about to look up, her hair was gently gathered up, and a cold voice, like the sound of jade striking a plate, rang out.

"Your Highness, I will help you."

As she finished speaking, the embroidered handkerchief in her hand was also taken away. Shen Panyan was stunned for a moment, then looked up in disbelief and saw a masked young man in black tight-fitting clothes in front of her. She blinked.

"...Lin Xiao?!"

"Why did you come so early tonight?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise.

Lin Xiao's movements were light yet firm. "I'm free tonight."

"you....."

His voice was concise, calm, and indifferent, revealing no emotion. If he hadn't been helping her twist her hair, Shen Panyan would have thought she had returned to the time when she first met him.

After all, he was like this when he first came to her side, respectful yet distant.

Shen Panyan asked nervously, "Are you... are you angry?"

Lin Xiao didn't stop. Using a handkerchief to wring out her hair was too slow, and it was still springtime, so the nights were cool. He used his internal energy to dry her hair directly.

"Why does Your Highness say that?" Lin Xiao put down the handkerchief. "This subordinate is not angry."

Shen Panyan: "You're just angry."

Having spent many days with him, and being sensitive to the emotions of others, she wasn't so oblivious as to not notice when he was angry.

She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, looking up at him. "Is it because of what I said earlier today? Actually, it's not..."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and the figure of a maid appeared in the window. Shen Panyan quickly shut her mouth, her expression becoming flustered.

Weren't you going to get the perfume? How come you're back so soon?!

As her figure drew closer and closer to the door... Shen Panyan was in a state of turmoil. She couldn't let Zhuzhi discover Linxiao, but it was too late to tell Linxiao to hide somewhere else now.

Shen Panyan gritted her teeth, turned to look at her bed, grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the covers. She stammered, "Lin Xiao, quick, hide! Zhu Zhi is here. She's Father's woman. We can't let her see you."

Lin Xiao's dark eyes flickered, and as if he had thought of something, he obediently hid under her blankets. But how could she not notice that there was someone else under the blankets? Shen Panyan quickly crawled in as well, covered herself with the blankets, and lowered the bed curtains. Almost the moment she lay down, Zhu Zhi pushed the door open and entered.

"Princess, I have brought the perfume you requested."

Shen Panyan had never done anything like this before. Her heart was pounding. Lin Xiao was lying next to her, his warm body pressed against hers. She panicked and gripped the blankets tightly with her knuckles.

"I...I understand, you...you can put it down..." She tried to sound calm, but her tongue seemed unable to straighten out properly, and she stammered.

"Princess, what's wrong?" As soon as Zhuzhi came in, she saw that the princess's bed curtains had been lowered. "You just took a bath. If you go to sleep with your hair still wet, you'll catch a headache. Let me help you wring your hair dry before you go to sleep."

As she spoke, Zhuzhi came toward the bed curtains to help her wring her hair. Shen Panyan dared not let her lift the bed curtains; every step she took felt like a mountain pressing down on her heart. "No, no need, Zhuzhi, my hair is already dry. I don't need your help."

She hurriedly answered the question from outside, but to her surprise, the person lying beside her suddenly moved. He reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, gently pressing his body closer to hers.

She was already wearing her undergarments, and as soon as he approached, his warm breath seeped through the thin fabric onto her skin. Shen Panyan trembled, her cheeks flushed, and she almost cried out, but thankfully she bit her tongue in time to stop herself from making a sound.

What was Lin Xiao doing? Why did he suddenly...? Shen Panyan's heart was pounding like a drum, her mind a mess. Fortunately, he only made that one move, and then he was quiet and didn't move again, which relieved her but also made her even more panicked.

"Bamboo Branch, it's very late. I'm sleepy. You can go out now. You don't need to keep watch tonight."

Zhuzhi approached the bed curtains, her face full of doubt. "But Princess, weren't you supposed to apply perfume?"

The figure of Zhuzhi stood outside the bed curtains, dark and gloomy. Shen Panyan dared not breathe deeply, for fear that she would lift the bed curtains and find something was wrong.

"No, I won't wipe it today. I'm very tired today... Bamboo Branch, I'm sleepy, you can go out."

The princess's intermittent and flustered voice came from inside, and she kept urging her to leave. Zhuzhi felt that something was not right.

The princess had never been like this before. Although she didn't often have Qingdai and her maidservants serve her personally, her attitude was always gentle and indifferent, and her speech was always calm. She had never been so flustered before... Could it be that some thief had entered the princess's residence and was threatening her?

Thinking of this, Zhuzhi couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She had to confirm the princess's safety.

Zhu Zhi's voice was deliberately calm, "Is that so? Then Princess, please rest early. I won't disturb you any longer."

Having said that, Zhuzhi bowed and retreated. As Shen Panyan watched her figure disappear into the distance, her tense heart immediately relaxed, and she wanted to lift the covers to let Linxiao out.

God knows how flustered she was with his body pressed so close to hers, especially his breath on her skin, a dense, persistent sensation. She could perfectly imagine how he was pressed against her right now, his head against her arm, his strong, lean waist against her hips... She had never been so close to a man before, let alone in bed together. Shen Panyan's cheeks were burning, her limbs were weak, and she wanted nothing more than to throw off the covers as quickly as possible.

To her surprise, Lin Xiao grabbed the blankets, preventing her from lifting them. Not only that, he pressed his body even closer to hers. Shen Panyan was both ashamed and annoyed. She reached out her soft hand to push him away, signaling him not to do this. But he only hugged her waist even tighter.

His forceful yet intimate attitude made Shen Panyan's cheeks flush red and her body tense. Yet, he simply held her and did nothing else, leaving her at a loss and completely unsure of what to do.

Shen Panyan's eyelashes trembled, her heart pounded like thunder. She felt that she could no longer indulge Lin Xiao like this. Just as she decided to get up from the bed, Zhu Zhi, who had walked away, suddenly turned back and pulled back the bed curtains.

"Princess, are you alright?!"

Almost instantly, Shen Panyan's heart stopped.