Chapter 126 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, 6 Bite Marks

Yun Chiyi's face had finally regained some color, but today's sudden illness has taken away all her strength.

Her body, soaked with sweat, was hidden under the brocade quilt. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her teeth biting her lower lip, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.

A pale, bluish hand pressed against her lips, separating them from her sharp teeth.

Yun Chiyi paused for a moment, then suddenly opened her lips and bit down hard on her slender knuckles.

She was unconscious and unaware of the force she was using. A hint of blood filled her mouth. She blinked and bit down harder.

"princess……"

Zhenzhen looked worried and glanced at Lin Jinyuan, whose expression remained unchanged.

"Your Highness, your hand..."

Lin Jinyuan cupped Yun Chiyi's cheek in his palm and gently stroked it to comfort her.

Seeing that he seemed unaffected, Zhenzhen suppressed her tears and quickly handed him the wrung-out handkerchief again.

Lin Jinyuan caught it and carefully wiped the sweat from Yun Chiyi's neck.

Shadows flickered beneath the window, and basin after basin of hot water was brought into the room, only to be poured out onto the loquat tree in the courtyard when it cooled down.

Lin Jinyuan frowned and asked as he went outside, "Where is Physician Li? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Chao Sheng replied through the window: "Your Highness, I have sent someone to urge them again. They should arrive soon."

After a moment's hesitation, Chao Sheng knelt on one knee and reported with a deathly pale face: "Your Highness, Mr. Gao's room is empty, and his whereabouts are unknown. He may not have left the city yet, and I have already sent people to chase after him."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jinyuan's eyes turned slightly cold: "Quack doctor."

He spoke slowly, his voice clear and cold like a frozen cave. Zhenzhen was afraid of his gaze, so she stepped aside and stood there, glancing worriedly at Yun Chiyi, who was lying unconscious on the bed.

After an incense stick had burned, Physician Li arrived late.

"Your Majesty, I am late! The roads are crowded with carriages and horses."

Physician Li, carrying his medicine box, hurriedly knelt down.

Lin Jinyuan lowered the bed curtains and asked him to take Yun Chiyi's pulse. Lin Jinyuan's hand was also swallowed by the light gauze curtains. He tried to pull his fingers out, but his sharp teeth clenched tightly, and his arm gradually lost feeling.

The light inside the tent was dim. Yun Chiyi calmly opened her clear eyes and silently looked at the blurry figure outside the bed curtains.

Lin Jinyuan sat diagonally on the edge of the bed, talking to Physician Li.

He spoke calmly and deliberately, revealing no flaws.

A cryptic smile flickered in Yun Chiyi's eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she bit down hard.

She was faking her illness, but she wanted to make him feel pain so that she could vent her anger.

Lin Jinyuan paused, then said, "...Even Physician Li couldn't diagnose the illness."

Imperial Physician Li sighed deeply: "It doesn't seem to be poison, nor is it a case of drug toxicity. Your Highness, my medical skills are inadequate."

After carefully reading the so-called prescription left by Mr. Gao several times, Physician Li was completely bewildered, his eyebrows and nose furrowing in confusion.

"Your Highness, I cannot see anything amiss here. May I have the prescription? I will stay here for ten days."

Yun Chiyi clearly felt guilty when he heard Lin Jinyuan's reply was half a sentence slower.

"Then I'll have to trouble Physician Li."

Physician Li made a sincere guarantee, even using the phrase "I would die ten thousand times over".

"The princess's blood and qi are stagnant in her chest. Your Majesty, I will now administer acupuncture to regulate her blood and qi."

Men and women are very different, and doctors are no exception. As Physician Li performed acupuncture through a silk handkerchief, Yun Chiyi opened her eyes and felt a slight soreness in her arm.

She seized the opportunity, loosened her grip, and released Lin Jinyuan's hand.

Lin Jinyuan curled his fingers and withdrew them from her lips.

His hand finally saw the light of day again, and everyone gasped in shock at the sight of the torn flesh and the gushing blood.

While Physician Li bandaged him, he leaned half his body into the bed curtains and used a warm handkerchief to wipe the blood from Yun Chiyi's mouth.

Her pale face was flushed with a rosy hue, making her look stunningly beautiful, like a red plum blossom in the dead of winter. Lin Jinyuan's eyes darkened for a moment as he stroked her fair nose with his long fingers, then pressed his lips, which only he could see at that moment, down heavily.

Unlike the gentle spring breeze that caressed the willows in the past, this breeze carried aggression and anger.

Yun Chiyi knew he was angry, of course. If she hadn't given in any longer, she probably wouldn't have been able to use this hand for more than a month.

Who told him to be so ruthless? He deserves to suffer a little.

After Physician Li left, Yun Chiyi slept soundly until nightfall before waking up.

She had been lying there for so long that she was truly asleep, without a trace of pretense.

He opened his eyes and saw the cold moonlight falling on Lin Jinyuan's shoulder.

Was he sitting by the bed the whole time? He was so engrossed in the role that he forgot there were no audience members in the room.

Yun Chiyi, still half-asleep, carefully examined Lin Jinyuan for a moment before her lips trembled and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Why did she start crying as soon as she woke up?

Before Lin Jinyuan could finish thinking, Yun Chiyi had already struggled to her feet and thrown herself into his arms.

She sobbed silently, her shoulders trembling as if weighed down by a bent flower branch.

"It is my fault."

Yun Chiyi pressed against his chest, her heart beating normally, and the body didn't even realize whether she was lying.

"If I hadn't been so trusting, my wife wouldn't have suffered so much for nothing."

Yun Chiyi shook her head, rubbing against his collar and making his clothes all wrinkled.

"Crying too much is bad for your health, so stop crying for now."

Lin Jinyuan raised his tear-stained face, lowered his head and kissed away the salty tears. Yun Chiyi blinked her eyelashes lightly, her curled raven feathers brushing against his eyebrows and eyes.

Having just experienced such an event during the day, Yun Chiyi naturally had no desire to be intimate with him.

She frantically pressed her palm onto the brocade quilt, inadvertently pressing down on Lin Jinyuan's wrapped fingers, and heard him inhale a breath of cool air.

Her eyes were full of confusion, and her delicate brows were furrowed like distant mountains.

Lin Jinyuan explained, "It's nothing, I just got burned."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chiyi's eyes were filled with heartache. She took his hands in both of hers and gently blew on them.

"I am no longer a child."

Yun Chiyi's eyebrows furrowed in surprise, then she smiled again.

Lin Jinyuan patted her back gently: "I am relieved to see my wife wake up with my own eyes. It is still early, so you can sleep some more. I will leave after my wife falls asleep."

Yun Chiyi nestled against him, yawned, and clutched his robe at the chest with lingering fear. She drifted off to sleep, only to wake up uneasily again.

He encircled her frail body, his long fingers gently patting her thin back, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily.

Yun Chiyi was asleep, her sleeping face peaceful, curled up close obediently and without any threat.

Like a gentle white cat.

Lin Jinyuan's eyes closed and then opened again, his cool gaze sliding down to her soft lips.

She possessed an ethereal beauty; her long, curled eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch.

The moon's shadow flickered across the window for a short distance before Lin Jinyuan called Chaosheng to close the door.

"Linshui Pavilion..."

After the master and servant had walked away, Lin Jinyuan finally spoke. He touched his thin lips with his tongue and tasted a hint of saltiness. He paused, then interrupted himself.

The bitter saltiness that lingered on his lips was from the tears that fell from Yun Chiyi's lips.

He reached out and wiped away the trace, then said, "Go to Linshui Pavilion and send a message back to Mr. Gao. Tell them that if this happens again, what they want will disappear without a trace."

Chao Sheng didn't notice anything unusual about him and simply carried out the order.

"My lord, we have found the person who came and went from Yunfu. He is a staff member of the Linwang Mansion and has been working there for six years."

Lin Jinyuan chuckled lightly: "That must be my second brother's confidante. I originally thought it was just a romantic affair between her and Prince Lin, but it turns out it's not like that. Is my father-in-law colluding with a prince because he thinks his official hat is too heavy?"

He then slowly said, "She endured humiliation and lay beside me. If the King of Lin succeeds, he should treat her as an honored guest and a fragrant incense in his tent."

"We'll see if she's an informant, or a weapon to kill me, and when she'll make her move."

Chao Sheng immediately pledged his loyalty: "My lord, if that day ever comes, I am willing to share your burdens and rid you of this scourge."

The two grew up together, and Chaosheng's life was bought by Lin Jinyuan from a stable boy. Some things didn't need to be said too explicitly; Lin Jinyuan understood.

"If she dares to do it, I won't let her leave this palace," Lin Jinyuan said calmly.

Chao Sheng seized upon the loophole in his words and tilted his head slightly in the darkness.

When exactly will the princess be eliminated? Or will it be when Prince Lin can no longer hide his true colors?

How long will that take? A year? Two years? No longer. Prince Lin could no longer hide his thoughts.

Should we kill him or not...?

Zhenzhen found it increasingly difficult to understand his scheming.

Fortunately, Lin Jinyuan explained, "Keep her, but keep a close eye on her. The Yun family may be ruthless towards her, but my mother-in-law might not be. She'll be useful sooner or later."

It's better to explain now. Chao Sheng replied emphatically, "Your subordinate obeys."

The moonlight was like water. Lin Jinyuan remained calm and advised, "The Yun family has received news of her serious illness and will likely send someone to visit her. No matter who it is, let them in."

As he expected, the next morning, just after Yun Chiyi had finished her porridge, a servant rushed over to report that Lan Yihan had arrived.

This is inconsistent with the agreement. When Lan Yihan heard that she was seriously ill in bed, he rushed to see her without regard for anything else, which is a legitimate reason and will not arouse suspicion.

Yun Chiyi leaned against the bed curtains, letting Zhenzhen come over to guide her.

The next moment, Chaosheng led a group of maids to welcome Lan Yihan in.

Lan Yihan saw that she was thin and frail. The cloud-patterned brocade quilt was gently pressed on her, and although it was so light, it seemed as if it would crush her body.

"Yi'er! My child!"

Yun Chiyi was slightly taken aback. She was pretending to be sick, but she was afraid of seeing Lan Yihan's tears.

She had never seen such a beautiful woman cry so easily. There was no scheming in her eyes, and her thoughts were written all over her face. Those people in the Yun family were just taking advantage of her kind heart, and they were becoming more and more unruly.

Yun Chiyi and Lan Yihan sat on the edge of the bed, gently patting the back of her hand, showing a gentle smile as if coaxing a child.

The bond between mother and daughter was the most touching. Zhenzhen wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and sobbed with emotion.

Lan Yihan clutched her handkerchief and hurriedly wiped away her tears: "Mother is really worried and can't rest easy until she sees you with her own eyes."

Yun Chiyi had heard similar words last night, and only then did she realize how obvious the difference was between true feelings and false intentions.

"Yi'er, why are you so thin? Look at your hands, they're all dry."

Zhenzhen suppressed her sobs and said, "His Highness also instructed the kitchen to come up with more ideas, even if it's just to let the Princess eat one more bite."

Lan Yihan sighed, "Your Highness has really gone to great lengths."

At least besides her, there were other people taking care of Yun Chiyi's health, but Lan Yihan's heart still felt heavy, as if a large stone was pressing down on it.

-----------------------

Author's note: I'll post it earlier these next few days [kissing emoji]