Chapter 26 Winter Lake: Even if I die, I can only die beside you.

On a sunny spring day, the lake reflects the willows, and peach blossoms drifting down from the canal float on the shimmering surface.

Tranquil and serene.

Two loud "plop" sounds splashed water, creating huge sprays that startled the butterflies on the shore, causing them to flutter their wings and fly away.

The people struggling in the lake splashed up waves, instantly attracting onlookers from the nearby shore.

"Princess!"

"lady!"

"Help! Someone, save them!"

"..."

The chaotic noises on the table reached Lin Shutang's ears faintly, but he couldn't hear them clearly.

Only the constant gurgling of water churning in my ears disrupted the flow of other sounds, leaving them fragmented and incoherent.

A large amount of water rushed into my nasal cavity, as if it had all fallen into my throat, making me choke and feel a fishy, ​​painful sensation.

Lin Shutang couldn't help coughing; the more he opened his mouth, the more water filled his chest.

My hands and feet were starting to go numb, and the bottom of the lake was dark and cold.

The icy lake water spread to every inch of her skin. In a daze, Lin Shutang seemed to feel the pressure of the water on the lake surface, and in her blurred vision, she saw a figure swimming towards her.

As the water rippled outwards in concentric circles, Lin Shutang stared blankly at the person before her, her memory beginning to falter, the face gradually overlapping with Shen Jun's...

At the end of the twenty-second year of Yongchang, heavy snow fell, and everything was covered in frost and white.

In the snow that barely reached their calves, messy footprints, some deep and some shallow, were left behind.

Lin Shutang ran barefoot out of Jingyuan Residence, the biting cold wind scraping against every inch of her exposed skin like a blade.

The fox fur coat she was wearing had long since been lost somewhere. In the swirling snow, she ignored her stiff legs and the chafing on her cheeks from the outstretched branches, and struggled with her feeble strength like a caged bird.

They fled aimlessly throughout the vast Duke's mansion.

She dared not stop; her heart was pounding, her eyelashes were covered in frost and snow, making her vision blurry, and her breath seemed as if it could freeze into icicles at any moment.

It's too cold.

It's too big.

Passing through a narrow path, countless paths branch out.

Turning a corner in a long corridor, there are countless eaves standing side by side.

Beyond one door lies an even deeper, more sprawling mansion.

Heavy gates with watchmen's clappers, red pillars with carved rafters, and alleys leading in all directions.

Lin Shutang had absolutely no idea which direction he could run in next.

She heard the fierce howling wind constantly blowing in her ears, and the dense sound of footsteps approaching her from an unknown direction. She heard many people calling her "Lady of the Heir Apparent".

...No, she isn't.

She is Lin Shutang.

She doesn't belong here.

She's leaving!

...As long as I get out of here, everything will be fine.

Yes, as long as you leave...

She moved her stiff legs again, the cold air seemed to seep into her bones, making her feel sore.

But she dared not stop, as if some vengeful ghost was chasing after her.

She couldn't hear which direction the sound was coming from; in the swirling snow, the rustling of the snow seemed to drown out all the shrill cries of the birds.

Her mind was as blank as the snow before her eyes; she was like a wind-up puppet, only knowing to run desperately forward.

It seems that by doing this, I can run back to Qingzhou, back to Xixian, back to the summer of my fourteenth year.

The snow in Yujing is so heavy; Lin Shutang had never seen such a heavy snowfall when he was in Qingzhou.

It's as big as a goose feather.

The flakes fall gently, as soft as cotton, yet why do they hurt so much when they hit my skin?

Lin Shutang got up from the snow and continued running forward without stopping for a moment, dragging his swollen ankle.

The snow kept tripping her up; the snowflakes were so cold they seeped into her bones.

Snow, heavy with the weight of the lush green pines and cypresses, had piled up on their branches.

The gilded tiles with upturned eaves and corners gleamed with a dazzling snow-like light.

The snow continued to fall, its white frost clinging to her eyelashes. As far as the eye could see, the world was a vast expanse of white.

Finally, after running for an unknown amount of time, the hem of her skirt, which she was holding, became soaked with snow and clung stickily to her skin.

My feet were so cold that I couldn't feel them at all, as if my lower body no longer belonged to me.

Lin Shutang stood by the lake, but could no longer see the scene before him clearly.

It felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, where even the slightest movement would mean certain death.

The wind whipped her long hair, which was draped over her shoulders, and etched her thin collarbones into the air. She stood alone in the biting wind, looking so frail that she seemed as if she could be easily broken at any moment.

Yet its straight spine is like a drawn sword, possessing the imposing presence to cleave through the cold wind and fierce snow.

Her empty eyes stared blankly ahead, her chapped lips oozing crimson, a single splash of vibrant color against the vast expanse of white snow.

The chasing crowd stopped and stood quietly behind her, not daring to move an inch, lest they startle the person in front of them.

When she heard the rustling sound of footsteps crushing branches behind her, her numb and stiff face finally began to crack, and her body trembled instinctively.

She knew it all too well; she knew exactly whose footsteps those were.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned around abruptly. Sure enough, she saw that golden, jade-like face, which seemed to be tempered with light in the cold snow, cold, beautiful, holy, and inviolable.

Compared to her disheveled state, the man, dressed in a fine robe, exuded a refined and honest air. Yet, Lin Shutang found him even more terrifying than a deadly demon.

He stared at her calmly and collectedly, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

As he slightly raised his eyes, the frost on his face dissipated, and his usually dark eyes seemed to be softened by a gentle light.

He curled his pursed lips into a smile and coaxed, "A-Tang, come back with me."

go back?

Where to go back?

Lin Shutang suddenly came to his senses.

No, she wants to leave.

She wants to go back to Qingzhou; that's her home!

Without hesitation, she turned around, lost her footing, and fell into the lake.

The frozen lake surface burst open, and the icy water rushed in, submerging mouths and noses, scraping like a knife, and even rotting bones.

She suddenly lost the strength to struggle, all the blood drained from her body, and her body sank heavily into the deepest part of the lake.

It's so cold.

It's so cold.

Lin Shutang opened her eyes and watched the sunlight on the lake recede further and further away from her.

Suddenly someone broke through an even bigger hole and swam towards her against the backdrop of the snow-covered sky.

It's Shen Yun!

Does he mean he wouldn't let her go even if she died?

Lin Shutang struggled desperately.

Suddenly, his body started to burn.

It's getting so hot.

Lin Shutang felt so upset that she wanted to cry.

My throat, nasal cavity, and chest are all burning and sore.

It felt like all the blood in my body had frozen.

She looked up and saw flames shooting into the sky all around her. The dry branches crackled and popped as they burned, and the surging fire waves in the air carried the acrid smell of gunpowder.

Shen Yun gripped her arm, his usually handsome face contorted in a grotesque grimace. His face seemed to be covered in blood, and his breath was hot. "Be good. If you die, you can only die by my side."

Lin Shutang suddenly opened his eyes!

Shen Yun wrung out a new handkerchief to cool her down. She noticed that Shen Yun was staring blankly at the top of the tent with empty eyes, and glistening beads of sweat were seeping from her fair skin on her forehead and neck.

He reached out to wipe it, and his tense expression finally relaxed. But Lin Shutang looked as if he had seen a ghost and suddenly dodged to the side.

Shen Yun stared at her, his expression froze, and then, seeing the lingering wariness and fear in her eyes, he understood.

He held her chin with one hand, leaving her nowhere to retreat, lowered his eyes, and carefully wiped the sweat from her cheeks.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he said.

His voice was hoarse when he spoke, as if he had been running a fever for two days.

Lin Shutang was still shaken and immersed in the dream before he woke up.

Upon hearing Shen Yun's voice, it took him a long while to process what he was doing.

She closed her eyes, letting Shen Jun do as he pleased and scrutinize her, and softly responded with an "Mm." Then she said nothing more.

"What did you dream about?" Shen Yun continued to ask, as if she were extremely curious.

Lin Shutang found his question strange. If it weren't for the fact that people can't see other people's dreams, she would have really thought that Shen Yun knew something.

Recalling everything that happened in the dream, Lin Shutang's throat tightened a little. "It's nothing."

She gripped the quilt tightly with both hands, and her closed eyes felt hot.

That wasn't a dream.

It actually happened.

At that time, she and Shen Jun had just gotten married, and the security inside Jingyuan Residence was not very tight.

As long as Shen Yun is not in the manor, she will seize any opportunity to escape from Jingyuan Residence.

That day was the coldest day in Yujing since the beginning of winter.

The heavy snow had been falling for half a month when she slipped and fell into the winter lake, where she developed a high fever for three days.

This damaged the foundation.

The doctor said it would be difficult for her to conceive again.

Lin Shutang felt fortunate to have no children, as Shen Yun's family background would certainly not allow it.

Maybe then they'll let her go?

But fate seemed to be playing tricks on her; she still became pregnant and was forced to give birth by Shen Yun.

A hint of moisture welled up in Lin Shutang's eyes. She turned her head toward the inside of the bed, concealing the single tear that had slipped down her cheek.

It was clearly only three years ago, but it felt as distant as if it had happened in a past life.

Where has that fierce determination to leave Shen Yun and the Duke's mansion gone?

An image of a stubborn girl by a lake in winter comes to mind, her resolute determination to die rather than live. Is that really her?

"How is Princess Changning?" Afraid that Shen Yun would continue to press for answers, Lin Shutang took the initiative to change the subject before he could speak.

Shen Yun wrung out the handkerchief again to cool her down. "She's fine. She woke up yesterday."

He sounded somewhat impatient.

"Have I been unconscious for a long time?" Lin Shutang felt that the time was a bit off when she heard this.

He opened his eyes and looked at Shen Yun. His gaze fell on her still flushed cheeks, and he sneered, "You think people are still admiring flowers outside?"

"If you can't swim, why are you trying to be brave?" He scooped Lin Shutang up in his arms and covered her tightly with a brocade quilt, not letting in a single breeze.

Lin Shutang was suddenly pulled into his arms. She wanted to struggle but had no strength. She looked up and glared at him fiercely, "What are you doing now?"

"Whether I save someone or not is my business. Why are you interfering in this?"

Shen Yun, unusually, didn't refrain from criticizing her. Instead, he reached for the warm medicine soup on the small table beside the bed, pulled her into his arms, and fed her.

Lin Shutang opened her mouth, and a mouthful of bitter juice almost made her spit it out.

"Swallow it." Shen Yun's cool voice rang out from above.

Lin Shutang was so frightened that she immediately swallowed it. The bitter and cloying medicine slid over her tongue and throat, and she couldn't help but cough a few times.

"I want candied fruit." Lin Shutang frowned, turned her face away, and refused to drink anymore.

Ignoring everything, Shen Yun scooped up a spoonful and handed it to Lin Shutang, coldly saying, "No."

"Let's see if you dare to do it again. I'll teach you a lesson." Shen Yun scooped up another spoonful and put it into Lin Shutang's mouth.

People who are sick are naturally more sensitive, and Lin Shutang's eyes welled up with tears from such a harsh rebuke.

His temper flared up even more.

She reached out and opened Shen Yun's medicine bowl, "I don't need your help!"

The medicinal liquid splattered, and some spilled out, landing entirely on the back of Chen Yun's hand.

The back of his fair hand, with its prominent blue veins, was instantly burned with red marks, a shocking sight.