Chapter 572 Game Theory
Lin Changning continued his busy life at the Marquis's residence until snowflakes began to fall. Under the care of the imperial physician, Li Mingshu's health gradually improved.
Now, sitting by the window, watching Yue'er wrapped in a thick brocade coat playing in the snow with a group of maids in the courtyard, a smile appeared on his lips as he sewed clothes for Yue'er.
She is now always worried that she doesn't have enough time. She makes clothes for Yue'er from when she was 5 to when she was 18 every day, and many of Lin Changning's clothes are now sewn and embroidered by Li Mingshu herself.
Lin Changning asked the imperial physician, who said there was nothing seriously wrong, so he went with Li Mingshu.
After lunch and a rest, Li Mingshu sat by the window with Lin's two sisters-in-law and Lin's mother beside her. The four of them chatted and laughed as they sewed clothes for the children.
After sewing for a while, Li Mingshu let go of her hands, rubbed her eyes, and looked outside. A Ning didn't let her do embroidery for too long and told her to look outside more after she finished.
They say it's good for the eyes.
Now, everyone in the capital is talking about how good A-Ning is to her, saying that a man like A-Ning is hard to find even with a lantern.
Every time Li Mingshu heard this, she wanted to laugh. Surely no one would imagine that the man she couldn't find in the capital, even with a lantern in hand, was actually a woman.
However, she now lives a peaceful and comfortable life. Every now and then, her eldest and second eldest brothers would come to visit her, and her father and mother would also come out of the palace to see her every few days.
My younger sister, on the other hand, is of marriageable age, but she refuses to get married no matter what I say. My mother searched for a whole bunch of talented young men, but there wasn't a single one she liked.
A few days ago, her younger sister came to visit her and asked her, with her head in her hands, where she could find a husband like Changning, who was both considerate and gentle, and who doted on his older sister.
She was so speechless that she could only shake her head, rub her sister's head, and tell her that it would happen.
Li Mingshu glanced at the sky and realized that Changning should be returning home by now; she was a little late today.
Suddenly, someone rushed out of the courtyard shouting, "Madam! Madam! Something terrible has happened! Our Marquis has encountered trouble in the palace!"
Lin's mother was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at Li Mingshu. She saw Li Mingshu's face turn pale, and then she angrily scolded, "What do you mean, 'What happened'? What nonsense are you talking about? Don't you know where you are? Who told you to barge in!"
Lin's mother, who had been sternly reprimanding the servant, stood up and patted Li Mingshu, saying gently, "I don't know what's wrong with this servant, he's so easily startled. Don't take it to heart, Xiao Liu is fine."
As he spoke, he gave a look to Sister Wang beside him. Sister Wang quickly put down what she was doing, rushed out of the room with a hint of anger, grabbed the servant's ear and dragged him out.
"You have no manners at all! Get out here!"
As she spoke, she pulled the person away, but Li Mingshu, holding onto Lin's mother, gently shook her head: "Mother, I'm fine, let him talk!"
Lin's mother still wanted to get the person out of there first, and no matter what it was, Li Mingshu shouldn't know. The child had finally recovered a bit, and her emotions shouldn't be greatly affected.
The Lin family kept the imperial physician's instructions in mind and kept Li Mingshu in the dark about anything that was even remotely related to evil.
But today, for some reason, the servant barged directly into the courtyard.
A thoughtful look flashed in Lin's mother's eyes. She was pulled back by Li Mingshu's hand again, and hesitated when she saw Li Mingshu's firm and stubborn eyes.
"Mother! Tell me, the more you keep things from me, the more grateful I become."
Before Lin's mother could speak, the servant that Wang's sister-in-law had dragged out suddenly shouted, "The Su family, the Ji family, and the Zhou family have suddenly brought a man named Lin Changqing to see His Majesty, saying they want to accuse our Marquis of disregarding human life and causing the death of his own relatives!!! They even said they want to expose the Marquis!!!"
Lin's mother and Wang's sister-in-law's expressions changed instantly. Li Mingshu felt a sharp pain in her chest, and the surge of emotions made her unsteady on her feet for a moment.
Lin's mother was startled and quickly supported Li Mingshu: "Oh dear! A-Shu! Imperial Physician, quickly go and fetch the Imperial Physician!!!"
The Emperor and Empress have now assigned nearly half of the Imperial Medical Academy's staff to live in the Lin residence, all to ensure their daughter's safety. As soon as Lin Mu finished speaking, an Imperial Physician hurriedly carried a medicine chest from the side room toward the main room.
Li Mingshu's dark circles were soothed, and she was gently helped by Lin's mother and Niu Er's sister-in-law to the soft couch by the window. Yue'er, who had just been playing outside, heard her mother's voice, turned around and rushed back into the room. She obediently squatted by the soft couch, looking at her mother with a hint of worry in her eyes.
When Li Mingshu's eyes cleared again, the imperial physician was already in front of her. Just as he was about to take her pulse, Li Mingshu waved her hand away slightly in resistance.
"Mother, sister-in-law, I'm fine. Have a carriage prepared; I need to go to the palace now!!!"
The thought of Lin Changning facing those wolves and tigers alone in the palace filled Li Mingshu with immense worry. After calming herself down, she decided to go directly into the palace to meet these people with Lin Changning.
As long as she is alive, there is still some leeway even if Changning's identity is exposed. Her body is so weak that she can only live one day less. She should first go to the palace to ask her mother to cover for her, and then rush to her father's place.
If we hurry now, there might still be a chance for things to turn around. Even if something does happen, the Emperor and Empress will not do anything to Changning, considering that she doesn't have long to live.
However, if they arrive too late and Changning's identity is exposed, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. Without her as a shield, it would be difficult to save her once the dust settles.
When Li Mingshu first came to the capital, she had already thought that this day might come, so she had already planned her escape route. A few days ago, she went to the palace and asked Changning and Yue'er for three blank imperial edicts, so that she could protect the two of them if she were no longer there.
After thinking for a moment, Li Mingshu quickly instructed her maid to fetch a blank imperial edict from her secret box. Holding the edict, she addressed Lin's mother again, saying, "Mother, you and your two sisters-in-law should not go out today. I will take care of Xiao Liu. Please look after Yue'er for me. I am going to the palace."
Lin's mother knew that Li Mingshu's health had not been good lately, and her eyes welled up with tears as she held Li Mingshu's wrist tightly: "Shu'er, your health is not very good now, and you still need to take medicine every day to recuperate. Tell your mother what to do? I'm coming over, so don't go on a trip. If Aning comes back, she will feel bad and blame her mother for not taking good care of you."
Li Mingshu smiled reassuringly at Lin's mother: "Mother, only I can do this. Let me go. Aning is very good to me, and so are you. I've had a very happy time at the Lin family. Please take good care of Yue'er at home."
Having said that, she gently pushed Lin's mother away, gripped her hand tightly, and coldly glanced at the maid beside her, her eyes filled with icy intent: "Go, prepare the carriage, and come with me to the palace!!!"
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