"But when I look at you, you don't seem to be forced by anyone; on the contrary, I'd love to have you."

"Your Highness will surely be able to tell that the princess is an interesting person, and it's not tiring to talk to her. It's not like I'm making a rare friend, so I'm taking the initiative. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zexuan gave a puzzled "Oh": "But what you expressed before was that you admired the princess and even wanted to marry her. How come you changed your tune today?"

Lin Ziwen's lips twitched; he hadn't expected that the man would take those words to heart.

"Didn't you say it back in the Central Plains that if the princess didn't want to marry the prince, she could marry me instead? That's why I dared to say that. Besides, I don't think the prince and the princess have any interaction, so your chances are slim."

"So, that's why you and the princess are often together? So that the princess will have a deeper impression of you and be willing to marry you in the future."

“I didn’t say that, but you came up with it yourself.”

Yi Zexuan waved his hand: "Never mind, never mind. The autumn hunt is just around the corner, so I'll have to trouble Young Master Lin to arrange and scout out the location."

Lin Ziwen raised an eyebrow: "There are still two months before we arrive at the autumn hunting grounds. Isn't it a bit too hasty to start now?"

"I told you to look carefully, so just look carefully, you know what I mean."

Lin Ziwen nodded: "Then we really need to divide the areas properly. I estimate we'll need a lot of money for equipment. May I ask how much that money is..." Lin Ziwen stretched out his hand towards him.

"You, Young Master Lin, are richer than the palace. Can't you afford this little bit of money?"

"I can afford to pay, but it's your game, not mine. If I pay, I'll be losing money."

Yi Zexuan shrugged: "Anyway, I don't have any money."

"You're cheating. Fine, I give up. It's a blessing in disguise. I've fallen for your trick."

After saying that, Lin Ziwen stood up and said, "Prepare a room for me, young master. I'm going to rest and sleep."

Yi Zexuan stretched out his foot, picked up a towel to dry it, and stood up, saying, "It's still that room. It's been reserved for you. Just go there yourself."

Lin Ziwen crossed his arms and scoffed in dissatisfaction, "I'm saying, when guests come, you let them sleep in the same room as your guard?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zexuan countered, "Then are you a guest?"

Lin Ziwen was a little embarrassed; this meant that he considered him one of his own.

However!

"Yes, I am a guest! Who should I ask for a room? I want to sleep alone!" Lin Ziwen protested.

"If you keep making trouble, I'll lock you in the woodshed to sleep."

Lin Ziwen's lips twitched, and he muttered to himself, "How ruthless."

Lin Ziwen walked out helplessly, and Yuan Ruo immediately put her arm around his shoulder and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, I don't mind you, but you mind me? Let me tell you, I heard everything you said in there clearly."

"Did you hear that? Then you should also think your prince is a scoundrel, right? How could he let a guest be treated so poorly!"

Hearing this, Yuan Ruo tightened her grip on his hand and said, "Say that again? What kind of treatment is this! Do you believe I'll throw you into the woodshed right now?"

Lin Ziwen clasped his hands together and said, "No, no, sharing a room with you is a godsend, something I couldn't ask for!"

Yuan Ru scoffed, "I'll grant you this opportunity. Come on, go and rest in my room."

That night, when all was quiet and the backyard was peaceful, everyone was resting except for the two guards on night watch at the gate.

Su Lixia lay on the bed, clutching her stomach with both hands. She had dinner with Lin Ziwen that evening and couldn't resist eating a couple of greasy bites. When it was time to rest, she felt a bit unwell.

Yi Zexuan, the expert at scaling walls, arrived at the backyard once again and slipped in through the window of Su Lixia's main hall.

There was a bucket by Su Lixia's bedside, which Xiaolian brought in specifically in case she vomited later.

His brows are furrowed right now, but he's still having a sweet dream.

"You not only prevented me from marrying her, but you also went so far as to make things difficult for her! I think you're tired of living!"

Su Lixia shook her head and waved her hands, explaining, "I didn't. When did I make things difficult for her? If you want to marry her as your princess, I won't stop you!"

"How dare you talk back!"

*Smack!* One slash! Gone!

When Yi Zexuan arrived, he saw that she had her brows furrowed and her forehead was covered in sweat, so he reached out and touched her forehead.

"No!" Su Lixia exclaimed, slapping his hand away. She then opened her eyes and gasped for breath.

Yi Zexuan frowned: "Did you have a nightmare?"

When Su Lixia saw him, she immediately sat up and kept trying to hide inside. Yi Zexuan was puzzled by this.

What are you doing in my house? What do you want?

"I didn't intend to do anything, I just have a question for the princess."

"Why can't you ask questions during the day? Why do you have to wait until everyone's asleep and sneak over?"

Yi Zexuan asked in confusion, "Why are you so afraid of me? You don't need to be afraid. With your appearance, I will not have any ill intentions towards you."

Su Lixia snorted: "Then what are you hiding in your sleeve?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zexuan was taken aback, patted his cuffs back and forth, and then pulled out a dagger.

Seeing this, Su Lixia became even more nervous, and even swallowed.

“If you don’t like me, I can leave. I certainly won’t delay your grand plan or stop you from marrying Miss Xue as your concubine. I haven’t done anything to hurt you, right? I can stay here and live a leisurely life as a princess. Please, don’t hurt me.”

Yi Zexuan couldn't understand what she meant at all, and said, "It seems that the princess was frightened by the nightmare and is somewhat delirious. I will ask the princess again another day."

After saying that, Yi Zexuan turned and left. On his way back, he thought, "The grand plan? Making Rou'er a concubine? Harming her?" Yi Zexuan had indeed thought about these things, but he hadn't really thought about the latter two recently.

Could it be that she knew I had intended to get rid of her back then? An idea is just an idea; it shouldn't be like that. Could it be that Lin Ziwen told her something inappropriate? Yi Zexuan wondered to himself.

After Yi Zexuan left, Su Lixia finally calmed down and lay down again, but she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The dream felt too real...

The next morning, Xiao Lian came to help Su Lixia get up. As soon as she entered the main hall, she saw the window that was not closed properly and said, "That's strange. I clearly remember closing it."

A short while later, when they entered the house, Xiao Lian saw Su Lixia sitting there with dark circles under her eyes, looking haggard. She quickly went over to her.

"Princess, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Su Lixia nodded: "Young Master Lin, you must still be at the Prince's residence at this hour, right?"

"Well, Xiaolian really doesn't know."