Chapter 128 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, 8 Bracelets

"The princess is having a nightmare!"

"Zhenzhen! What are you standing there for? Pull the princess away!"

The steward of the manor cried out in terror.

Zhenzhen woke up from her dream and scrambled through the mud, stumbling and falling all the way to the house.

Yun Chiyi was perfectly sober. Seeing Zhenzhen crying so hard, she didn't want to make things difficult for her. So, the moment Zhenzhen's wet hand touched her arm, she deliberately fell down, losing consciousness and crashing onto Lin Jinyuan right before everyone's eyes.

Lin Jinyuan felt a dull ache from the impact.

He held the unconscious Yun Chiyi in one arm, and touched the bridge of her nose with his left hand. His fingertips were stained with thick blood, but he was not annoyed. He ordered someone to go and invite Physician Li back.

The story of the princess coming back from the dead was the subject of much discussion in the household.

Zhenzhen firmly believes that Heaven took pity on her and gave her a glimmer of hope.

Others thought it was strange, but dared not publicize it.

Physician Li frequently visited the Prince's residence, but as winter approached and snowflakes fell on the green tiles, he visited less often.

That day, the snow outside had stopped. Yun Chiyi held a hand warmer and sat on a small couch, looking at the white expanse of the courtyard with a rosy complexion. Only a cluster of red in the corner of the wall caught her eye.

The camellias stood proudly on the branches, blooming in dazzling red. The soil beneath their roots was newly filled in, and the camellia trees had only been moved to her yard two days ago.

Seeing that she was looking at it so intently, Zhenzhen couldn't help but say, "The prince said that the courtyard is boring in winter, so he specially ordered people to move the camellias from behind the study here so that you can relax."

Yun Chiyi twitched her fingertips slightly and smiled gently.

Zhenzhen continued, "Second Miss is getting married in half a month. The manor sent over an invitation. The Prince said he would ask if you wanted to go. If not, he can send a gift through someone else. You've only just recovered a bit, so Second Miss will understand."

Who's getting married?

Her brow twitched, and she realized it was Yun Shuxue.

She hadn't seen Lan Yihan for a month and was a little worried, so she wanted to take this opportunity to go back and visit him.

Zhenzhen understood her meaning and added, "The prince also said that if you go, he will have the steward prepare a gift list for you to review."

These past two days, Lin Jinyuan has been staying in his study, listening to Zhenzhen tell him that he had just received a book and was engrossed in reading it.

At this point in the original text, it was a turbulent time, with undercurrents swirling around Lin Jinyuan, whose activities were definitely not as simple as just studying books.

A few days ago, he even made an excuse to replace two servants. One of them was innocent, and the other was a spy for the Prince of Lin. The latter had even sent a letter to Yun Chiyi.

In fact, the people in the mansion had been secretly replaced several times, but he handled it very slowly, and no one suspected anything.

Yun Chiyi knew that Lin Jinyuan was always patient and reserved, and even if things turned upside down outside, he would not rashly reveal his talents.

Anyway, as long as he's not courting death, he can do whatever he wants. She doesn't intend to stop him or interfere.

Yun Chiyi pulled the fox fur blanket on her lap up a little higher and wrapped her hands around the heater.

The north wind was howling outside, but she didn't feel cold. In the past, her hands and feet would be freezing cold as soon as autumn arrived.

It seems that his health is finally improving.

Yun Chiyi's eyes were bright and clear. She stretched out her fair hand, picked up the hot tea on the table, took a sip, and then sighed with joy, half-closing her eyes.

Life was quite leisurely, but a little boring.

Seeing her leaning lazily against the small couch, Zhenzhen guessed that she might want to listen to a story.

"The story from last time has a sequel. Chao Sheng delivered it this morning. Would you like me to read it to you?"

Oh, it's that book where a young lady falls in love with a poor scholar, her family forbids it, the young lady commits suicide for love, and afterwards becomes a beautiful ghost.

The book describes the scholar as a handsome and beautiful man, and the young lady falls in love with him at first sight. She loves him passionately, but she doesn't know that the scholar is actually a fox.

Yun Chiyi straightened her back and sat up, wanting to hear what kind of trouble the vixen was up to this time.

She would always take a short nap while listening to the story, but she couldn't stay awake and fell asleep when she heard the part about the scholar finding the young lady's ghost.

Seeing this, Zhenzhen closed the book and shut the window to keep her from catching a cold.

The wooden wheel rolled across the ground, and a thin shadow fell into the house. Zhenzhen quickly turned around, about to speak, but then fell silent when she saw Lin Jinyuan's slender, raised finger.

Yun Chiyi was fast asleep and had no idea that he had arrived.

Zhenzhen went out and quietly closed the door.

Lin Jinyuan reached out and picked up the book on the bed, turning to the page that Zhenzhen had just been reading.

In the book, the young lady and the scholar are embracing and weeping, hating the world for separating lovers.

It's so cliché, I don't know why she's become obsessed with it.

Yun Chiyi faced his direction, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Lin Jinyuan reached into the small blanket and gently kneaded her hand: "Prince Lin plans to assassinate the Crown Prince at the hunting grounds at the end of the year, but don't worry, he will definitely lose."

He smiled gently, his eyes filled with affection: "When the time comes, Your Highness, please don't cry too much."

His voice was very low, and Yun Chiyi was oblivious to it. She only vaguely felt the cold snake crawl into the blanket. She shrank back in, but the thing clung to her hand and wouldn't leave.

When Yun Chiyi woke up, there was no one left in the room.

The two wet tracks left on the ground by the wheelchair told her that Lin Jinyuan had been there.

She yawned and looked up to see a jade bracelet encircling her wrist.

Lin Jinyuan was trying to act like a gentle and refined gentleman, so even the gifts he gave were so plain and uninteresting. He was being a poor and stingy prince.

She turned the bracelet and saw that the character "渊" was engraved on the outside. The characters were slender and vigorous, and it was obvious that it was Lin Jinyuan's handwriting.

He has a habit of drawing, writing, and carving when he is thinking. Yun Chi has seen this scene a few times. He sits quietly behind his desk, staring intently at what he is holding. The more peaceful his expression is, the more indifferent his temperament becomes.

Someone came in, and Yun Chiyi subconsciously lowered her sleeve to cover the jade bracelet.

Then he was stunned. He was being so secretive, how could she also be involved in something that couldn't be brought into the light?

It turned out that Zhenzhen had brought the gift list and asked her to take a look at it first to see if there was anything to add.

Yun Chiyi glanced at it and casually crossed out a few items. Yun Shuxue was married well and wouldn't care about her meager earnings, but she herself did care.

-

Half a month later, the Yun family married off another daughter, and the whole street became lively.

As Yun Chiyi stepped down from the carriage, she saw Yun Huai Ren laughing so hard he was almost doubled over, nearly losing his composure.

On the day of her wedding, Yun Huai-ren seemed to have swallowed a dead fly, standing numbly at the door to greet and see off the guests.

Perhaps in his eyes, a crippled prince is far less important than a son-in-law from a high-ranking family.

"Princess Cheng has arrived."

Yun Huai Ren instantly stopped smiling, and saw Yun Chi Yi, who was beaming with joy and wearing a blue and white floral dress, slowly walking up to him.

He hadn't seen her for a long time since the day she returned to her parents' home. He heard that a few months or half a year ago, she had fallen seriously ill. Now, her complexion showed no signs of illness; instead, she was radiant, elegant, and noble.

"Princess Cheng".

Yun Chiyi held his hand as he bowed, but because of their father-daughter relationship, she couldn't let him actually bow to her.

Zhenzhen stood close to Yun Chiyi and spoke up for her: "Lord Yun, besides offering her congratulations today, the Princess Consort would also like to have a word with Madam Yun."

He naturally couldn't make the decision, and Yun Chiyi was simply informing him.

Yun Chiyi was helped into the room by Zhenzhen. The room was filled with bright red decorations and was bustling with guests. Yun Shuxue had enjoyed the privileges of a legitimate daughter for many years, but today she finally had a nominal status, which she had obtained by climbing up to the Gao family.

Amidst the commotion, Yun Chiyi spotted Lan Yihan standing alone under the eaves.

She stepped over, and as soon as she got close, Lan Yihan was overjoyed, and a smile finally appeared on her face.

The two walked to a less crowded place, and Yun Chiyi held her hand tightly.

"Mother."

Her voice was still a little hoarse, low and soft, like a bird's feather adrift on a lake.

Lan Yihan was truly startled. She was incredibly excited but dared not utter a sound. She looked at Yun Chiyi for a long time with tears in her eyes.

She was worried about the risks she was taking, yet delighted that she had regained her voice.

Yun Chiyi then asked, "How have you been lately?"

"Good, good, good, Mother is doing very well."

Lan Yihan looked haggard and said "good" several times. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, as if she were crying but also laughing. Yun Chiyi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Is there something you haven't told me..." Yun Chiyi said a few words, her voice even hoarseer, the last syllable almost squeezed out.

Lan Yihan shook her head: "Everything is fine, don't worry."

With so many guests, Lan Yihan had to greet them and arrange their seating. In the end, even as the legal wife, she still had to take care of someone else's daughter.

Yun Shuxue's mother was also present today, dressed elegantly and mingling warmly with the ladies. Seeing them chatting together, she came over to greet them.

Yun Chiyi nodded and turned her back; she didn't want to see this concubine.

She smiled and comforted Lan Yihan, who was filled with tears, while also comparing the images in her memory; Lan Yihan had become so thin.

The front yard was crowded and noisy, so Lan Yihan asked someone to take Yun Chiyi back to her old room to rest. Once there were fewer people, she went there.

Yun Chiyi wouldn't stay long either. She was originally going to leave after giving the gift, but after seeing Lan Yihan, she couldn't rest easy and decided to stay an extra hour.

Her boudoir was as neat and clean as before, with not a speck of dust on the table, but no one lived there and there was not even tea.

Zhenzhen picked up the teapot and said, "The servants at the Yun residence are all busy; there's not a soul here."

People were either in the front hall or helping Yun Shuxue with her makeup.

Zhenzhen was indignant. If this weren't the princess's maternal family, she would have complained a lot. This was too rude.

Yun Chiyi pointed her in the right direction and told her to go to the tea room to get water.

Zhenzhen wiped the stool with her sleeve: "Your Highness, please wait a moment, I will be right back."

Yun Chiyi nodded and watched Zhenzhen hurriedly leave.

She lowered her head and turned the jade bracelet, staring at the inscription on it listlessly.

Lin Jinyuan's handwriting is beautiful, just like him.

She blinked. Someone came in and closed the door. Logically, Zhenzhen shouldn't have been there so quickly. She turned her head and stared. The light in the room had already dimmed.

The tall figure gradually pressed in, and the newcomer used a folding fan to lift the beaded curtain, revealing a charming and wicked face.

Upon seeing it was him, Yun Chiyi immediately stood up.

Lin Tingyu flicked his folding fan and slowly approached: "Sister-in-law, why are you so alarmed to see me?"

He approached step by step, grabbed Yun Chiyi's wrist, and forced her to stop in her tracks.

"Are you avoiding me, or are you playing hard to get?"