Chapter 24 The Banquet (Part 1) The strict separation of men and women is against propriety.
Seeing that Li Chengyi didn't react, Lin Yanshu raised her hand and gently rubbed Li Chengyi's earlobe, looking at him expectantly:
"Does it still hurt?"
Li Chengyi stiffened, pulled away from Lin Yanshu's hand, and stammered:
"No...it's alright now."
Li Chengyi licked his lips, pressed Lin Yanshu into her seat, and styled her hair in a popular style among ladies of noble families in the capital, which suited him perfectly.
Lin Yanshu touched her hair bun, her eyes sparkling as she praised Li Chengyi:
"Ah Zhao is truly the most skillful man in the world!"
Li Chengyi secretly curled the corners of his mouth, then took Lin Yanshu's hand and got into the carriage.
Li Chengyi no longer intended to hide Lin Yanshu; he wanted everyone to see Lin Yanshu.
He knew she was his woman.
The carriage stopped, and Li Chengyi got off first, waiting for Lin Yanshu beside it.
Lin Yanshu placed her hand in his palm and, with Li Chengyi's help, jumped off the carriage.
Everyone recognized the Crown Prince's carriage.
Everyone looked on curiously, wondering who could possibly be served by the Crown Prince.
A slender woman slowly stepped down from the carriage. The girl had a charming smile, beautiful eyebrows and eyes, a touch of red on her lips, and wore a hairstyle that was popular in the capital at the time, with a green ribbon fluttering in the wind behind her head.
The prince gazed at the girl with concern, his eyes filled with tenderness, and naturally reached out to smooth the hair behind her ear.
Lin Yanshu looked around curiously, following beside Li Chengyi.
Everyone was stunned. Was this still their aloof and celibate crown prince?
The crown prince can be so tender towards women.
This scene was like a thunderbolt, crashing down on the banquet.
The noble ladies who witnessed it were filled with envy, envying that Lin Yanshu could actually gain the favor of the Crown Prince.
Those who had never met Lin Yanshu were filled with curiosity.
They wanted to see what kind of beautiful woman had managed to win over Li Chengyi so effortlessly.
Lin Yanshu sat in the women's section, lazily enjoying the song and dance performances at the banquet.
She just felt that there were too many people staring at her.
She looked back at each one.
Before he arrived, Li Chengyi had shown him a portrait of the woman who was a suspect. Besides these people, many others were also looking at her with scrutinizing eyes.
These gazes, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, made Lin Yanshu feel very uncomfortable.
She took a sip of tea and quietly left the banquet.
The banquet was packed with people.
Lin Yanshu was followed by people wherever he went.
She couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and looked at the people following her not far away. She walked up to them and stared at them.
Arrange the nameplates:
Why are you following me?
These young ladies from prominent families only then discovered that Lin Yanshu was actually mute.
They initially thought Lin Yanshu was just quiet, but they never expected him to be a mute.
Such a woman is actually being pampered by His Highness the Crown Prince.
A strong sense of imbalance overwhelmed the woman.
Someone stepped forward, looking at Lin Yanshu with a mocking expression:
"A little mute girl, taking advantage of being saved to cling to His Highness's side, is truly shameless."
News of Lin Yanshu's rescue of Li Chengyi in the countryside reached some well-informed families in the capital.
However, no one knows the specific details, and outsiders naturally assume that Lin Yanshu was currying favor with the Crown Prince.
Lin Yanshu looked up at her.
She didn't recognize the person, so she raised her hand and used sign language:
So you're jealous of me?
"If you want, I can talk to Ah Zhao for you."
The woman couldn't understand Lin Yanshu's sign language and angrily cursed:
"What kind of nonsense is this!"
Those nearby who understood sign language couldn't help but laugh.
"She's mocking you, Miss Ji."
"They mock you for not being able to win their favor, and instead become jealous!"
Lin Yanshu widened her eyes; that was clearly not what she meant.
But Ji Wenxuan, as if her tail had been stepped on, exploded with fury. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened, and she strode forward, pointing at Lin Yanshu and angrily cursing:
"You...you're just a country bumpkin, how dare you mock me?"
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you trying to gain His Highness's sympathy by playing the victim?"
As she spoke, Miss Ji moved even closer to Lin Yanshu.
Lin Yanshu was somewhat helpless. This person must have been so angry that she forgot she couldn't speak.
Seeing Lin Yanshu's calm demeanor, Ji Wenxuan felt like she was a clown, which made her so angry that she became flustered and pushed Lin Yanshu.
Lin Yanshu dodged to the side, but Miss Ji insisted on competing and turned to pull Lin Yanshu away.
Lin Yanshu refused to comply with her wishes, and Ji Wenxuan was so anxious that she lost her balance and fell backward.
Ji Wenxuan completely panicked, her fingers flailing wildly in the air.
Lin Yanshu quickly reached out to grab her, but was pulled into the lake by the inertia.
Two people fell into the water in an instant, and the onlookers exclaimed in alarm, immediately calling for servants to come and rescue them.
The commotion here even attracted the attention of the people in the front hall.
Ji Wenxuan couldn't swim. Her face was filled with fear as she opened her mouth wide and flailed her limbs in the water. The entire lake surface surged because of Ji Wenxuan's movements.
Everyone was focused on Ji Wenxuan, who was struggling, but no one noticed that Lin Yanshu had disappeared.
It wasn't until Ji Wenxuan was exhausted and her body kept sinking into the water that the maid rushed over.
But no one dared to go into the water, because if they couldn't save this important person, they might lose their heads.
Li Chengyi walked through the crowd, his face cold as he inquired about what had just happened.
"Miss Lin just had an argument with Miss Ji here, and the two of them fell in together."
"They still haven't been saved!"
Upon hearing Lin Yanshu's name, Li Chengyi immediately tensed up and ran to the front, but there was no trace of Lin Yanshu in the lake.
Li Chengyi frowned, raised his hand to take off his outer robe and jump in.
Before he could take off his outer robe, another person emerged from the lake.
Lin Yan suddenly appeared behind Ji Wenxuan, grabbed her shoulders as she fell, and dragged her towards the shore.
Li Chengyi quickly ran to the shore, squatted down, and took Lin Yanshu's hand.
Ji Wenxuan was caught by a maid on the shore, and several people quickly surrounded her.
Lin Yanshu leaned against the shore, exhausted, panting heavily. She was soaking wet, and cold water dripped from her hair.
Lin Yanshu's already fair face turned pale from the cold. She frowned slightly, her wet clothes clung to her body, and her thin body trembled constantly.
Ji Wenxuan peeked at Lin Yanshu through the gaps between the maids surrounding her. She was coughing violently, choking on water, and couldn't utter a word.
She knew that it was Lin Yanshu, the mute, who had saved her.
She could still feel Lin Yanshu's small hand gripping her shoulder, and it was surprisingly strong.
She even felt that she still smelled of Lin Yanshu's unpleasant medicinal herbs on her.
The scent of rouge on her body mingled with the unpleasant smell of herbs on Lin Yanshu's body in the lake water.
Ji Wenxuan felt utterly disgusted! The stench gave her a headache!
Li Chengyi looked at Lin Yanshu with heartache, then took off his outer robe and covered Lin Yanshu's body with it.
Li Chengyi, his face cold, picked up Lin Yanshu and turned to shout angrily at the onlookers behind him:
"Get out of my way!"
Lin Yanshu, her eyelashes wet with water, peeked out.
She had never seen Lee Seung-ik look so serious.
She was a little scared.
Lin Yanshu's eyes darted around, and he saw a pretty woman dressed in white, with a pale face, staring at the two of them from a distance.
Lin Yanshu felt that her scent was very unique, yet it also felt very familiar.
But Li Chengyi walked very fast, and before she could react, the smell had already disappeared.
Li Chengyi kicked open the door and carefully placed Lin Yanshu on the couch.
Lin Yanshu's small hand tugged at Li Chengyi's outer robe, which still retained Li Chengyi's warmth.
She stared at Li Chengyi with wide, round eyes.
Li Chengyi's expression was very bad; he coldly questioned her:
"Who told you to go into the water!"
"How can I rest easy with this!"
Lin Yanshu innocently stretched out his hand and used sign language:
"I can swim. I'm just going down to save people."
Seeing Lin Yan's unrepentant attitude, Li Chengyi was overcome with anger.
He puffed out his cheeks in anger and forcefully shoved Lin Yanshu's hand back into his outer robe.
He spoke passionately, berating Lin Yanshu:
"Save what?! There are so many people, do you even have a chance to step forward? You're so kind!"
"I'm so angry at how stupid you are, I'm going to get sick!"
Lin Yanshu stuck out her tongue, tucked her head into her outer robe, and looked at Li Chengyi guiltily.
Seeing Lin Yanshu's expression, Li Chengyi knew that Lin Yanshu would not listen to what he was saying.
He was so angry at her that he laughed and flicked Lin Yanshu's forehead.
Lin Yanshu's forehead immediately turned red from Li Chengyi's flick. She looked at Li Chengyi with a wronged expression, covering her forehead.
A servant brought ginger soup and clean clothes, which Li Chengyi took and coldly handed to Lin Yanshu.
Lin Yanshu reached out and untied his outer robe.
She stood before Li Chengyi, completely soaked.
Li Chengyi then realized that Lin Yanshu was completely soaked in lake water, inside and out.
Her clothes clung to her body, outlining the girl's graceful curves. Li Chengyi's eyes flickered, and his throat bobbed.
Lin Yanshu was unaware that her wet clothes clung to her body, and she squirmed uncomfortably.
Li Chengyi held his breath, turned his head away from Lin Yanshu, and said:
"Change your clothes first, then I'll come in."
After saying that, he fled the room as if in a panic, slamming the door shut behind him.
Lee Seung-ik leaned against the door, took a deep breath, and tried hard to control himself.
Lin Yanshu stared blankly at Li Chengyi's retreating figure.
She found Li Chengyi's behavior somewhat inexplicable.
She reached out and unbuttoned her clothes, threw her soaking wet clothes on the tatami mat, and changed into new ones.
She felt much better now, but her shoes were wet.
Lin Yanshu bent down, took off her shoes and socks, ran to the door, and opened it.
She spotted Lee Seung-ik standing in the sunlight, his back to her.
Lin Yanshu raised his hand and patted his shoulder. Li Chengyi turned around and looked over.
He noticed Lin Yanshu's bare feet at first glance.
He should have avoided it.
The strict separation of men and women is against propriety.
But he couldn't help staring at Lin Yan's feet, her fair ankles swaying in front of him.
The toes were probably bright red because the lake water was too cold before.
Lin Yanshu noticed Li Chengyi's gaze.
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