Chapter 6, Chapter 6 Outbreak

Shen Panyan noticed that Lin Xiao was distracted.

"Lin Xiao, are you listening?" She turned around and looked at him.

Lin Xiao then came to his senses and subtly looked away, "Your Highness, I am listening."

Shen Panyan pouted; she didn't believe it.

He was clearly daydreaming.

Don't think she doesn't know; his gaze has been fixed on her for a long time.

Shen Panyan was a little unhappy. "Lin Xiao, don't you like the miscellaneous notes I'm reading?"

"There's nothing I don't like." Lin Xiao lowered his head.

"Then why didn't you listen? Instead, you kept staring at me!" Shen Panyan spoke hastily and accidentally blurted out her true feelings. After realizing her mistake, she immediately felt that she had spoken rashly, and her cheeks flushed red.

She hurriedly turned around, covering her face with the book, her voice stammering, "You, you shouldn't look at me anymore. Listen to me read carefully. I'm going to test you in a bit. If, if you can't answer, I, I..."

She wanted to say "punishment," but then felt it was too much, so the words lingered on her lips, turning into a soft, weak voice.

"I might get angry..."

Lin Xiao: "......"

This threat was practically nothing to him.

Looking at the princess with her face buried in her book, Lin Xiao suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

".....good."

Although the princess was timid, she was truly a very special mistress.

Lin Xiao was, after all, a man, and could not remain in the same room with the princess for too long. Shen Panyan could only murmur for a short while before he had to take his leave.

Watching Lin Xiao's disappearing figure, Shen Panyan felt a pang of disappointment, but she also knew that Lin Xiao hadn't actually left; he was just hiding. The disappointment gradually faded, and she quietly began to read.

The snow falling outside the window gradually stopped, and after some time, the door suddenly creaked open.

Qiu Shuang hurried in, "Princess."

"What happened?" Seeing her anxious look, Shen Panyan stood up and put away her notebook.

"Princess, the snow was so heavy just now that the warehouse where we store charcoal collapsed, and now all the silver charcoal is soaked with snow."

The warehouse collapsed?!

Shen Panyan almost fainted upon hearing this. Her brows furrowed with anxiety. "How could this happen? Is anyone injured?"

"No one is injured, but all the silver charcoal is unusable, Princess!!"

“Princess, your health is already poor. Now, in this heavy snow, what will we do without charcoal?” As she spoke, Qiu Shuang burst into tears.

Qiu Shuang has been taking care of Shen Panyan since she was ten years old. Although they had some unpleasantness a few days ago, Shen Panyan still cares about her.

"Qiushuang, don't cry." Shen Panyan quickly took out her embroidered handkerchief to wipe her tears, and said gently, "The snow has just started, there's still time."

We should send someone to the capital immediately to buy some charcoal.

To everyone's surprise, Qiu Shuang's tears fell even more fiercely. "Princess, Xiao Jinzi, who is in charge of purchasing, fell on the ground while shoveling snow and broke her leg. She is now lying in bed unable to move."

When Shen Panyan left the palace, not many people were willing to come with him. Xiao Jinzi was the only person in charge of purchasing in the West Garden. Now that he was injured, and it was snowing heavily, where could they find a strong and healthy person to go to the capital to purchase charcoal?

Shen Panyan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "Why don't you ask the person in charge of the villa?"

Apart from the West Garden, the other palace gardens were maintained and cleaned by other palace servants. It was only after she moved into the West Garden that she was separated from the other places.

"Now that the snow is falling heavily, the carriage is difficult to travel, and the manager of the villa is unwilling to do so. He said that they have some charcoal there and could share some with the princess."

"The smoke from charcoal is thick and very choking. Princess, your health is already poor, how can you use charcoal?" Qiu Shuang said, both angry and anxious.

"Princess, what should we do now..."

Shen Panyan was also at a loss, but she didn't have any better solutions.

Seeing Qiu Shuang's anxious and uneasy appearance, Shen Panyan comforted her instead, "Qiu Shuang, don't worry. It's just this snow. Once the snow is over and the weather clears up, we can ask the steward to send someone to the capital to buy charcoal. We'll spend more money, and he'll definitely be willing."

“But that would mean your charcoal fire would go out, Princess…” Qiu Shuang did not agree with her idea.

Suddenly, Qiu Shuang seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up. "That's right, Princess. Although Xiao Jinzi fell, His Majesty sent a guard over. Princess, you can ask that guard named Lin Xiao to go to the capital and buy some charcoal."

Lin Xiao?!

Shen Panyan glanced at the snow outside the window, pursed her lips, and felt reluctant to let Lin Xiao leave.

The snow is falling heavily, making it difficult for the carriage to travel. Lin Xiao is going, and it will probably take at least two days to return.

Moreover, the snow has stopped now, but what if it snows heavily again after Linxiao leaves?

"Isn't there still charcoal?" Shen Panyan hesitated for a moment.

"Qiushuang, talk to the steward and ask him to allocate some charcoal. I'll use charcoal for the next few days."

Qiu Shuang's heart skipped a beat, her eyes filled with surprise, she never expected the princess to say that.

Qiu Shuang didn't understand why the princess was so dependent on Lin Xiao's guard, who had only been there for a few days.

“But Princess, you’re not well. The smoke from that charcoal is so thick…” Qiu Shuang had been by Shen Panyan’s side the longest and knew her best.

She is gentle by nature, but she can be stubborn at times. Whenever this happens, if she says a few more words or offers a few more words of advice, the princess will gradually give in. It only takes a little more talking.

Shen Panyan turned around, clutching the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and rubbing it repeatedly, a sense of irritability and helplessness welling up in her heart again.

The more Qiushuang tried to persuade her, the less she wanted Linxiao to go. Not knowing how to refute her, she turned her back and ignored Qiushuang's nagging.

Qiu Shuang was determined to get Lin Xiao away; she wasn't going to give in just by playing the ostrich.

So wherever Shen Panyan hid, Qiu Shuang followed.

"Qiushuang, please stop talking."

Her two weak sentences were really not very intimidating.

"Princess, I'm only doing this for your own good; you're not feeling well..."

Shen Panyan felt even more annoyed and went into the study. Qiu Shuang followed closely behind and, without noticing the bookshelf in front of her, bumped into it.

"Bang!"

Shen Panyan fell heavily backward.

The bookshelf and the desk are very close together. If you fall like that, your head will definitely hit the desk hard, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Princess!!" Qiu Shuang's pupils shrank sharply.

She wanted to get Lin Xiao away, but she didn't intend to kill the princess.

If something serious happens to the princess, she will definitely not escape punishment.

Fortunately, a black figure appeared in time and caught Shen Panyan.

"Lin Xiao?!"

Shen Panyan gripped his clothes tightly, looking at him with a mixture of surprise and delight.

If it weren't for Lin Xiao, she would definitely have... A wave of fear washed over her, and Shen Panyan tightly gripped his clothes with both hands. But Qiu Shuang was still beside her, and if she saw him, she would start talking again. So she quickly let go, turned her head away, and her earlobes, hidden under her hair, turned slightly red.

Lin Xiao helped her up and then looked at Qiu Shuang.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, and Qiu Shuang dared not look at him, so she quickly turned her head away.

Lin Xiao didn't waste any words with her. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed her by the neck, his gaze as cold as ice.

A strong feeling of suffocation came over me, and a sharp pain shot through my throat!

Qiu Shuang realized with horror that this guard named Lin Xiao really wanted to kill her, and she really was going to die...

She didn't want to die!

Qiu Shuang suddenly struggled violently, her gaze falling on Shen Panyan.

"Princess...Princess, save..."

Shen Panyan turned around, terrified by the scene. Hearing Qiu Shuang's weak cries for help, she rushed forward and tugged at Lin Xiao's clothes. Looking up at him, her voice trembled with anxiety, "Lin Xiao..."

"Does the princess want me to let her go?"

Lin Xiao's gaze fell on Shen Panyan.

He calmly pointed out a fact: "Just now, if I hadn't arrived in time, Princess, you would have hit your head. With your current physical condition, even Physician Lin might not have been able to pull you back from the brink of death."

"She has repeatedly offended you, Princess. Are you sure you want to keep her alive?"

Shen Panyan's face turned pale.

But Qiu Shuang had been by her side for many years... Shen Panyan bit her lip, ultimately unable to bring herself to say it, "But Lin Xiao, I'm perfectly fine now..."

Lin Xiao: "......"

His eyes turned indifferent, and with a forceful throw, he tossed Qiu Shuang away.

"Cough cough cough..." Qiu Shuang fell to the ground, her throat unable to stop coughing.

Shen Panyan looked at Lin Xiao, a sense of unease gradually rising in her heart.

She could sense that Lin Xiao seemed angry.

She gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and ingratiating as she looked at him, "Lin Xiao, are you angry?"

Lin Xiao: "No."

Lin Xiao took out a small blue porcelain bottle from his bosom and handed it to Shen Panyan.

"This is medicine that Physician Lin gave to me. It can suppress your heart palpitations, Your Highness."

Shen Panyan stared blankly as she grasped the still-warm porcelain bottle, only then noticing that Lin Xiao's hair and martial robe were somehow stained with fine snowflakes.

He was just a bodyguard; how dare he question his master's decisions?

Seeing that the princess accepted the porcelain bottle, Lin Xiao bowed and said, "This subordinate takes his leave."

“Approaching…”

Shen Panyan tried to call out to him, but his figure disappeared very quickly.

Shen Panyan clutched the porcelain bottle, feeling a dull ache in her chest.

She's not stupid; she can naturally tell how the medicine was made.

It must be because of his heart palpitations that Lin Xiao went to Physician Lin and asked him for medicine.

His body was still covered in frost and snow, so he must have just returned.

He cared so much about me, but I...

Having spent many days with Lin Xiao, Qiu Shuang had finally won against him this time. Feeling that she had the princess under her thumb, she staggered to her feet and quickly said, "Princess, that Lin Xiao is so arrogant. He dared to lay a hand on me right in front of you. He doesn't respect you at all..."

She also wanted to ask, who exactly didn't respect her?

Shen Panyan smiled bitterly, a sudden surge of immense powerlessness and anger rising within her.

"Princess, please heed my advice..."

Shen Panyan gripped the porcelain bottle tightly with her knuckles; Lin Xiao's indifferent figure before he left still lingered in her heart.

She was already feeling terrible, and Qiu Shuang was still nagging beside her. The frustration, helplessness, and anger in her heart finally erupted at this moment.

"Shut up, don't say another word!!"

Shen Panyan's hand trembled as she pointed her arm directly at the door, shouting, "Get out! Get out of here!!"

Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks.

Qiu Shuang never expected Shen Panyan to treat her like this. She had always spoken to her softly and gently, and was still in shock, so she treated her in the way she always did.

"Princess, this servant..."

"Are you the princess or am I? You disobey me so much. Why don't I write a letter back to the palace now and let you return to your mother's side?" Shen Panyan said, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face as she tried to suppress her emotions.

Qiu Shuang's face showed great alarm.

She wanted to leave the princess's side, but not now... So, Qiu Shuang suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, "This servant knows her mistake, this servant will take her leave now."

Watching Qiu Shuang turn and leave, Shen Panyan finally couldn't hold back her emotions and burst into tears.

A note from the author:

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