Chapter 103 Taking her home, he finally realized that a huge hole had been torn in his heart...

The next morning, when Lin Zhi carried Lin Mianmian downstairs, the wet nurse and the accompanying guards also came out of the room.

Seeing that she was up so early, he was a little surprised: "Madam, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"Young Master Fang hasn't gotten up yet either."

Lin Zhi, holding the child, bowed to the wet nurse and said, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. Now that I have arrived in my hometown in Jiangnan, I don't want to trouble you any further."

“I will take Mianmian back today. Yesterday, Young Master Fang gave me the deed to the house. Today, I will take Mianmian to pay respects to my parents so that you can return to the capital sooner.”

The wet nurse's face still betrayed her surprise: "But... even if we're leaving, we should still inform Young Master Fang, otherwise I'm afraid he'll blame us..."

Lin Zhi handed her a letter, saying, "Just give this to Young Master Fang when he wakes up. I won't make things difficult for you."

"These silver notes are a token of our gratitude. Without you, I'm afraid Mianmian and I wouldn't have been able to get here safely. Farewell."

Once Lin Zhi had disappeared from sight, the group exchanged glances, feeling somewhat sentimental.

"Who told her to just leave like that! You bunch of good-for-nothings!"

"Couldn't you have known to stop them!"

Fang Shiyun woke up early in the morning, excited to go find Lin Zhi, only to learn that she had already left!

He berated his subordinates without regard for his image, only calming down after seeing the letter Lin Zhi had left for him.

After reading it quickly, the person who was furious just moments before had completely calmed down.

With reddened eyes, she tightly gripped the letter and the silver notes inside.

That was the money he had spent on buying a house in Jiangnan, and Lin Zhi returned it all to him.

Fang Shiyun gritted his teeth and carefully folded the letter again, feeling a mix of bitterness and jealousy towards Pei Lang.

At least someone like him left a deep impression on Lin Zhi.

Whether it's love or hate, it's still better than him being like a snowflake that melts into mud on the ground.

Fang Shiyun originally wanted to go to the house he had personally chosen to see Lin Zhi one last time, but he stopped before he was about to leave.

"...Until we meet again."

After muttering a few words, he casually pulled on the reins and led the people back.

Looking at the somewhat desolate Lin family gate, Lin Zhi stared blankly at the missing corner of the steps.

She fell here when she was a child, holding something. Her parents were still alive then, but now she is a mother herself.

Lin Mianmian in her arms seemed to hear her thoughts, and couldn't help but snuggle up in her arms, as if she wanted to get down.

The further Lin Zhi went, the more she thought about it. She had heard that the Lin family had moved away from here after her aunt's death, and no one knew where they went next.

They didn't have time to take anything from the Lin family ancestral hall, which shows how hastily they left.

But as soon as Lin Zhi stepped into the ancestral hall, he saw the crooked and fallen memorial tablets. Apart from some of the ancestors, the rest of the collateral relatives were left here.

Having found her parents' memorial tablets, Lin Zhi respectfully held her daughter and knelt down to pay her respects to the two elders. After bowing three times, she raised her head again, her face covered in tears.

She wanted to come back; she had wanted to for so long.

But now that I'm actually back with my parents, all I can say is tears.

"Father, Mother, your daughter is back."

“This is your granddaughter, Zhao Ning.”

The little child couldn't understand, but still babbled and laughed, giving Lin Zhi countless strength and warmth.

“Mother, I didn’t understand before, and I always blamed you for being so weak and letting my uncle’s family bully you.”

"But now my daughter understands that if you didn't take me with you, you could have anything you wanted."

"But you chose to take me with you and live under the eaves of your uncle's house."

He was protecting her even in his last moments.

If it weren't for her mother, I'm afraid her aunt wouldn't have helped her if she had encountered the situation.

Lin Zhi offered incense and then sat in the ancestral hall with Mianmian in his arms.

The ancestral hall was dimly lit and even somewhat cold.

But Lin Zhi was not afraid at all. This was where her parents were, this was her home.

As it grew late, even if she didn't eat, Mianmian still needed to eat and drink.

Looking at the memorial tablets with some reluctance, Lin Zhi knelt down and bowed three times for the last time: "Father and Mother, once I've settled in, I'll take you home."

As Lin Zhi stood up after the final bow, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower back, followed by a twisted, intense pain.

She stood stiffly in an awkward position, afraid to move, as even the slightest movement would cause her to feel pain all over her body!

Before Lin Zhi could catch her breath, a large hand suddenly pressed down on her lower back!

Even through her thick winter clothes, she could feel the warmth of that hand coming from behind her waist.

Lin Zhi was so frightened that the hairs on her body stood on end, and she couldn't even move her eyes.

She hugged Mianmian tightly in her arms with a start, but the innocent child in her arms laughed.

"Good girl, Mianmian."

The familiar voice rang out from behind her ear, but Lin Zhi felt even more terrified.

"Azhi, why didn't you tell me you were coming to pay respects to your parents?"

Pei Lang gently massaged her lower back and took the child from her arms.

"I thought you would come yesterday, and I waited here all night, but thankfully you came today, so I'm not too disappointed."

Lin Zhi watched as Pei Lang's handsome face even carried a faint smile, but his deep, dark eyes suppressed emotions she couldn't understand.

I was so nervous that my tongue was twitching, and I couldn't get the question out of him.

Lin Zhi felt like prey paralyzed by the fangs of a venomous snake, quietly awaiting death.

But Pei Lang seemed to see through her, and gently leaned against her: "I have been chasing after you at full speed since I woke up, and Fang Shiyun's trickery was useless."

"Azhi, if I want to find you, I can find you anywhere, no matter where you are in the world."

Pei Lang turned his head and pressed the tip of his nose against Lin Zhi's nose, his handsome nose bridge intimately rubbing against her pert nose tip, an ambiguous scene that sent chills down one's spine.

"You are my wife, for all eternity."

Lin Zhi's face turned pale. Ignoring the pain in her waist, she got up to run away, but someone grabbed her waist, pulled her back, and kissed her.

The kiss of their long-awaited reunion was fierce and intense, bringing tears to Lin Zhi's eyes. But the pill that was thrust into her when she wasn't looking had a sweet and astringent taste.

"Hmm!"

Lin Zhi suddenly pushed the person away and lay down to try to spit out the pill, but the pill melted in her mouth and slid down her throat.

Pei Lang held Lin Mianmian steadily with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Lin Zhi's waist, watching her gaze gradually fade until she fell asleep in his arms.

Only then did he feel that the huge hole in his heart had been filled and made whole.

“Azhi, I’ll take you home.”

For more than ten days in a row, Lin Zhi kept waking up and feeling dizzy.

Not only was it the medicine Pei Lang fed her, but also the discomfort of traveling by water. Even though Lin Zhi tried her best to stay awake, she couldn't stop her drowsy mind and the ship that was gradually approaching the capital.

"Today is truly a lively and extraordinary day!"

"Exactly! Such a grand display! I heard it's because the Northern Rong princess has entered the palace and become a Noble Consort!"

"That's wonderful! The Northern Rong are a powerful force, and now they have completely submitted!"

The bustling main street was packed with people, but the best-viewed private room in the attic had long been occupied by Pei Lang.

Wrapping Lin Zhi in a top-quality fox fur coat, Pei Lang embraced her from behind as they watched the spectacle: "How about it? This scene is quite grand, isn't it?"

"Her Majesty the Empress has truly spared no expense, willing to spend so much money for the sake of the Consort and His Majesty's reputation."

Lin Zhi's arms were tightly bound under the fox fur coat, her eyes showing no curiosity, only indifferent disgust.

"So what? It's none of my business."

Pei Lang chuckled softly in her ear, leaning closer to speak: "None of your business? Then who was it that listened to those baseless rumors and treated me coldly and resentfully back then?"

"Aren't you happy now?"

He opened his mouth and took her soft earlobe in his mouth, his breathy voice like a ghost in her ear.

Lin Zhi was filled with shame and indignation, but had nowhere to escape.

Once all the people on the long street had dispersed, Pei Lang finally agreed to take her back.

It was just once, and she only returned to their bedroom. Pei Lang was doing official business five steps away from her, and he would occasionally glance at her.

Feeling uneasy under such gazes, Lin Zhi continued working, though her mind remained unsettled.

Ever since she and Mianmian were abducted by Pei Lang and taken back to the capital, she has never been able to go anywhere on her own again.

Even Mianmian could only be looked after for one or two hours a day before being taken away by her wet nurse.

Pei Lang even arranged for maids to stay by her side at all times.

If he didn't attend court, he would stay by her side without leaving for a moment.

This morbid possessiveness made Lin Zhi feel like a bird trapped in a gilded cage, living well but not wanting to live.

Bored, she tried to pass the time by embroidering, but was horrified to find that she could not even thread a needle!

Pei Lang returned to his residence after court without even changing out of his official robes to find her, but as soon as he pushed open the door, he was almost hit in the face by a ball of embroidery thread!

Pei Lang easily dodged to the side, catching the still somewhat heavy ball of embroidery thread, his brows furrowed slightly but a smile still playing on his lips.

"What's wrong? Who upset Madam?"

As Pei Lang's presence drew near, Lin Zhi's fear and unease intensified. Her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she couldn't even see a needle and thread!

Perhaps it was because she did too much embroidery work in Pingyi, or perhaps it was because she cried too much, that she might go blind soon!

Terrifying thoughts raced through Lin Zhi's mind. Terrified, she grabbed Pei Lang and turned to leave a deep bite mark on his shoulder.

Pei Lang didn't even frown, gently patting Lin Zhi's back reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Lin Zhi reacted even more strongly to these words. She let go of Pei Lang's hand and stepped back to look at him.

Pei Lang could still be seen clearly. His deep purple official robes accentuated his mature charm, giving him a cool and composed demeanor that made people unconsciously trust and admire him.

Pei Lang seemed to be the same as before, or even better than before.

But what about her?

Lin Zhi involuntarily shrank back, her slender shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Only she changed; only she became worse.

Pei Lang will get tired of her soon!

Extreme thoughts tore at her reason. At this moment, even Pei Lang noticed something was wrong and pulled her into his arms to restrain himself.

"Azhi! What's wrong? Look at me!"

Although Pei Lang's movements were somewhat rough, he tried his best to avoid hurting Lin Zhi, but Lin Zhi still looked at him in a daze.

Staring at the face that was almost identical to the one in his memory, he leaned forward and kissed it without hesitation.

The long-awaited intimacy made both of them sigh, but Pei Lang felt something was wrong and couldn't help but open his eyes to look at her, only to be pulled down onto the couch by Lin Zhi.

"You're not allowed to say anything..."