Chapter 40 He was torn apart alive

On Mid-Autumn Festival night, Huiyi had a sweet dream.

She dreamed that she had turned into a huge, beautiful peony, the kind that was incredibly fragrant.

A bee, drawn by the fragrance, came and settled among the flower's stamens to collect nectar, working extremely diligently.

In my dream, the bee had been collecting honey for a long time and returned home with a full load.

When Huiyi woke up in the morning, she looked at her slightly swollen lips in the mirror and wondered, "That's strange. Could it be that some bees really stung me last night?"

Looking at herself in the mirror from left to right, Huiyi was completely baffled.

Just then, Lin Er came in after finishing his shooting practice. As usual, his forehead was covered in sweat, and even his clothes were soaked through in the chilly autumn air.

Just one look is enough to tell how hard this person has practiced shooting.

Thinking that Lin Er might know something, Huiyi applied cooling balm to her lips and casually asked, "Did you see any bees in the house last night?"

Lin Lanting wiped the sweat from his brow, looked away from the tender red skin, and casually asked, "What kind of bee?"

Lin Lanting wondered if the bees had been attracted by having too many flowers in the bedroom.

"I dreamt yesterday that bees stung me, and my mouth hurt."

She pressed her lips again, and they still felt swollen.

Lin Lanting's face stiffened. Feeling guilty, he glanced at the bees again and blamed the matter on them, saying vaguely, "Maybe. Perhaps there are too many flowers in your palace. There are still bees at this time of year, so it's hard to say if a few have come in."

As she spoke more fluently, Lin Lanting felt no guilt.

Huiyi thought it made sense and nodded with her lips slightly pursed, saying, "Perhaps that's the case. We'll have someone remove the flowers later."

"To prevent bees from stinging me again next time I come back."

Huiyi continued talking to herself without any sign of doubt, which reassured Lin Lanting, who had been secretly glancing at her.

Looks like I'll have to be gentler next time.

...

On the way back, Yu Niang and the others told Hui Yi about one of her dowry estates.

"I heard from the steward of the estate that the fruit-producing estate in the south of the city has a bumper harvest this year, and the fruit tastes sweet. If the princess wants to go out for a stroll, she might as well pick a time in the next few days to go and take a look."

Yu Niang knew her princess's preferences; rather than having the fruit brought to her, she preferred to pick the fruit herself, so she could both eat and play.

What kinds of fruits are there?

Do you have pomegranates?

Huiyi perked up and asked with a squinting eyebrow.

Yu Niang smiled and nodded, replying, "Of course, we have apples, pears, persimmons, grapes, hawthorns, dates, tangerines, and so on."

Huiyi was increasingly moved as she listened and immediately agreed.

"Alright, then let's do it the day after tomorrow."

Outside the carriage, Lin Lanting listened calmly, already having already made arrangements for the day after tomorrow.

When the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived, the osmanthus tree that had been transplanted into the courtyard indeed blossomed, and its cool fragrance enveloped the entire Lin residence. Huiyi kept her promise and gave the gardener a generous reward.

As night fell, Huiyi emerged from her bath, her cheeks flushed, her hair damp, with occasional droplets of water falling from it.

When Huiyi didn't see Lin Er on the long couch, her heart skipped a beat.

He walked quickly to the bedside and, sure enough, saw Lin Er lying on it with his legs crossed.

"Are you ever going to stop?!"

I thought it was just a little trouble at Xunfeng Palace, but who would have thought they'd act like this after coming back? They're really taking advantage of me.

"What's wrong? Did I offend you again?"

Faced with Huiyi's challenge, Lin Lanting feigned innocence and asked the question knowing the answer already.

If she weren't outmatched, she would have slapped him across the face.

"Still asking? Still asking?"

"Who gave you permission to sleep in my bed? Get off!"

Lin Lanting changed her posture, turning to the side and propping her head up to argue in her defense, "But didn't you allow it last night?"

"Last night is last night, not today, and never again!"

Lin Lanting didn't take it seriously and still shamelessly said, "I don't care, I want to sleep in a bed from now on."

Huiyi was initially annoyed, then remained silent for a while before her expression gradually became serious.

"You all go out first."

She turned and gave Biqing and the others some instructions. After they all left and closed the door, Huiyi finally spoke.

What exactly do you mean?

They're not even a proper married couple, what kind of talk is it for them to sleep in the same bed?

"What do you mean?"

Lin Lanting was still playing dumb, but Huiyi went straight to the point and spoke frankly.

"What did we say on our wedding night? You haven't forgotten everything, have you?"

"A fake couple who keep to themselves and don't interfere with each other."

Lin Lanting felt that these words were both familiar and strange, and it was hard to imagine that they came from her own mouth.

He opened his mouth, but choked up for a moment.

Looking at Huiyi's extremely serious face, Lin Lanting felt annoyed.

But I'm mostly annoyed with myself.

He really wanted to go back to that night and kill his past self.

Why was I so rude back then? Now I'm suffering the consequences.

Huiyi noticed his silent demeanor and sneered, "If you remember now, get out of here."

Under Huiyi's unceremonious shooing, Lin Lanting slowly sat up.

Those dark eyes suddenly met Huiyi's irritated and indifferent gaze, and they didn't blink.

Huiyi didn't like such direct eye contact; she felt that such eye contact was a bit too ambiguous.

"What are you doing? You're not happy?"

"I'm a princess. Do what I'm told, and stop talking nonsense!"

Just as Huiyi was starting to feel the pressure of those dark eyes, she suddenly saw Lin Er reveal a nonchalant smile.

Then came a shocking statement.

"I regret it. I don't want this 'live and let live' mentality. Let's live our lives properly."

If you listen closely, you can also hear the tension mixed in.

Only Lin Lanting knew how difficult it was for him to utter these words, which were tantamount to pouring his heart out.

He wasn't usually a shy or timid person, but this was his first time dealing with matters of the heart, so he was inevitably awkward and unsure of himself.

After listening to the entire statement, Huiyi looked confused but didn't believe it.

"I know, you're trying to play a trick on me, aren't you?"

Do I look like an idiot to you?

"Nobody would believe you."

"Are you getting up or not? If you don't, I'm going back to the palace!"

With that, he turned around nimbly, as if he were about to leave without even changing his clothes.

Looking at Lin Lanting again, his heartfelt feelings had been discarded like trash, and his face was more than just ashen.

"I'm leaving!"

It's disheartening to have your courageous confession ignored by the other party.

In addition, he sensed Li Huiyi's strong rejection of him.

He originally thought last night would be a good start, but unfortunately he was wrong.

With a gloomy expression and barely able to suppress the anger in his chest, Lin Lanting shouted these words, immediately got out of bed, and strode out of the room. Because of his resentment, he inevitably opened the door with a little too much force, making a loud noise that was hard to ignore.

"This is outrageous!"

Seeing that Lin Er still dared to throw a tantrum with the door, Huiyi stomped her foot in anger and scolded him.

But at least she achieved her goal and kicked Lin Er out of her bed.

I was just surprised that this guy was so angry, as if I had done something to him.

"What's wrong with the princess and her husband?"

Yu Niang and her entourage had been waiting outside. They heard a faint argument coming from inside, and then the prince consort came out with a grim face, clearly indicating that something unpleasant had happened.

Seeing Yu Niang's worried face, Huiyi forced a smile and comforted her, "It's alright, it's alright. It's just that Lin Er wasn't allowed to sleep in the bed. It's a small matter, Yu Niang, don't worry."

"My hair isn't dry yet, Yu Niang, please help me dry it."

Yu Niang wanted to ask a few more questions, but when she saw her princess snuggling into her arms and begging her, Yu Niang immediately forgot about the prince consort.

"I'll be right there. Quickly close the door, lest the princess catch a cold."

After a flurry of activity, Huiyi, feeling dry and comfortable, nestled into her warm bed, only to think of Lin Er for a fleeting moment before falling asleep.

Where did he go?

Thinking that Lin Er was such a grown man, and a military general who had been on campaigns for many years, he couldn't possibly be unable to take care of himself.

She should think about what to have for breakfast tomorrow.

After agonizing over whether to eat soup noodles or flatbread for a long time without reaching a decision, Huiyi drifted off to sleep.

She dreamed again, but this time she wasn't a peony; instead, she transformed into a parrot that flew freely.

As it was chirping and flying in the sky, a shadow suddenly fell from above, and the sparrow, which had turned into a parrot, was caught by a pair of sharp claws and carried to a higher point in the sky.

In her dream, she cried out, but what came out were only desperate chirping sounds.

With great effort, I looked up at the owner of the sharp claws and found it was a familiar falcon.

It seems to be called "Chasing the Wind".

Huiyi cursed for a long time in her dream, her chirping incessantly.

She didn't know what she said that angered the falcon, but it suddenly loosened its grip and threw her off the mountain.

"Help!"

Huiyi screamed as she woke up from her dream, her heart pounding.

Upon hearing the commotion, Yu Niang and the others rushed in. When they heard that the princess had a nightmare, they comforted her repeatedly.

Once she calmed down, Huiyi blamed Lin Er for this nightmare.

Who made Chasing the Wind his bird!

...

After having a nightmare, Huiyi washed up and drank a cup of calming tea before ordering food.

Since we can't decide, let's eat both.

Halfway through the meal, Lin Er suddenly appeared from some corner. Seeing her having breakfast, he didn't sit down and start eating as usual. Instead, he politely greeted her and then left with his change of clothes.

The two barely exchanged three sentences throughout the entire process, without a single smile, their indifference palpable.

Yu Niang sighed, and Bi Qing and the other maids looked at each other in bewilderment. Only Hui Yi muttered a few words in annoyance.

"He's gotten angry! Who gave him the nerve!"

"It's best if he leaves, it's all cleaned up. I don't want to see him again!"

"Have a meal!"

Yu Niang sighed again, pondering how to ease the tension between the young couple.

We have a long life ahead of us, we can't let it pass by in such a mess.

After Lin Lanting took office, Huiyi played with Cuiyi for a while, and then Jindie handed over an invitation from outside.

I glanced at the signature: Xi Bai, Left Director of the Imperial Music Bureau.

After reading it, Biqing said to Huiyi, "Young Master Xi said that he has composed a new piece of music and would like to ask the princess to appreciate it. He asked when the princess would be free so that he could come and present the music."

Huiyi was indeed somewhat interested, but not today. Remembering that they were going to the manor to pick fruit tomorrow, she smiled and said, "Perfect, after picking fruit tomorrow we can listen to Qu Ningshen. Let him go to the manor first tomorrow."

Once Kingdee received confirmation, it immediately sent a reply.

The Jinwuwei government office was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere all day.

Today, there are especially many soldiers who have been punished to clean chamber pots, for all sorts of bizarre reasons.

Some people were punished for smacking their lips while eating, for speaking loudly while joking, or for laughing too much.

One man was even caught and punished simply for showing off a sachet sewn by his wife.

It's obvious they suffered a huge injustice at the princess's hands, so they're here to cause trouble for them. This is outrageous!

They were only angry for a moment, then went back to diligently cleaning the chamber pot.

In the afternoon, Lin Lanting was holding her forehead in a daze when Changqiu rushed over.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

Lin Lanting was already in a bad mood, and Changqiu's words made him even more irritable. He patiently said, "Just say what's on your mind, don't keep nitpicking!"

Changqiu was also hurt by the fiery aura surrounding her husband, and her expression shrank back slightly.

He had been with his master since he was eight years old. To be honest, his master was rarely so irritable. When others provoked him, he would lash out on the spot. He was never this frustrated.

It won't implicate them, the servants.

It seems they got a big scare from the princess.

Changqiu felt even more miserable about what he was about to say.

"My lord, news has arrived from home. The princess is going to the manor in the south of the city tomorrow, and that pretty boy from the Left Music Bureau will be going with her!"

Having mustered the courage to finish speaking, Changqiu immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at her husband's face.

A strange laugh was heard, followed by the gentleman's overly calm words.

"Okay, that's all for you. Go back and rest."

Changqiu found it unbelievable, but that didn't stop him from fleeing as if he were escaping.

He was terrified that his husband would also punish him by making him clean the chamber pot.

Only Lin Lanting remained. He no longer concealed his gloomy and furious expression, and with a venting punch, the desk snapped in two, and files and ink scattered all over the floor.

The perpetrator was completely unaware, staring intently in the direction of his house, muttering something to himself.

"Dare to mess with me? I'll tear you apart!"

He couldn't do anything about Li Huiyi, but that didn't mean he couldn't do anything about a pretty boy.

It's all that pretty boy's fault, he deserves to die.

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Author's Note: Another big update! [heart emoji]