Chapter 50 The Powerful Photographer vs. the Weak Substitute Daughter 12

The bumpy ride made her bury her head, as if she was afraid of falling. Her timid look made Xi Chenmu laugh out loud.

His calm voice echoed above Lin Muqing's head.

"Come down and walk? You can't go back in a day and a night."

Xi Chenmu rode the same horse with her. He seemed calm and without any desire, but his muscles were slowly tensing up. The friction on the outer thighs always distracted people.

Lin Muqing felt it, and also heard the system say that the favorability had increased by ten.

Until we got back outside the city wall.

With the help of people from the palace, they got into the carriage and entered the city.

In the carriage, they were finally no longer standing close to each other.

Lin Muqing's right arm accidentally hit the carriage, and the pain made her tears well up and she let out a hissing sound.

Xi Chenmu raised his head and asked, "Where did you hit?"

She just touched the wooden board inside the carriage lightly and felt numb with pain. The pain was not like the one she felt now from being hit. It might be the wound she got when she fainted and was thrown into the carriage and transported to the suburbs.

"It's okay." At this moment, her arms were raised, and some redness and swelling could be seen on her forearms through the loose sleeves.

Seeing her frown, Xi Chenmu hesitated for a while, then said slowly, "Lift up your sleeves."

Lin Muqing blinked, lifted up his sleeves, and saw that his right hand was red and swollen from the upper arm to the forearm.

There are bruises already.

Xi Chenmu took out a box of ointment made from agarwood from the medicine box in the carriage, put some on it with his fingertips, and applied it. Everything looked extremely natural.

Just a simple medicine.

The man's eyebrows were lowered seriously, his court dress was solemn, and his face was calm. Although there was a little physical contact, there was not a trace of ambiguity.

"Hiss, it hurts." Her voice was particularly soft at this moment, and her eyes were filled with moisture.

Xi Chenmu raised his eyes and looked at her closely, then lowered his head again, his throat rolling lightly, and his tone was calm: "Bear with it."

The movements to get started are much easier.

She exposed her entire smooth right arm, the red and swollen spot was extremely unsightly.

After applying the ointment, the smell of medicine wafts out.

The carriage was so quiet that only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard.

"Why is the prince so good to my daughter?" Lin Muqing said softly, and suddenly met his deep eyes.

Xi Chenmu changed his sitting position, moved a little further away, applied medicine to her again, was silent for a long time, and looked up at her.

That look was calm and peaceful, as if he only felt pity for her. Lin Muqing knew what he wanted to say.

"You were implicated by me, and I will compensate you, that's all."

I don't know who the second half of the sentence is warning not to cross the line.

Lin Muqing lowered her head, so he meant for her not to think too much?

You have 70 favorability points but you still insist on being stubborn? Either you are awkward or you are just being sultry.

Maybe she still cares about her identity...

Lin Muqing smiled, her eyes full of stars, and she seemed relieved. "Your Highness is the only person besides my aunt who treats me so well. He is like... like a relative of mine. That's all. Your Highness should not misunderstand me."

Xi Chenmu lowered his brows, applied the medicine quietly, and said "hmm", with a strange feeling spreading in his heart.

What's the misunderstanding?

Misunderstanding her feelings towards him...

He curled his fingers and felt a tingling sensation in his heart.

In fact, there is another sentence that always pops up in his mind late at night during the past two months, but he should not say it in this situation.

The ointment on the knuckles was taken away.

Lin Muqing said gently, "I'll do it myself. Your Majesty is tired from riding a horse."

Xi Chenmu watched her movements and moved away from her.

It was as if an invisible film suddenly separated them.

They were speechless for a moment.

The only sound in the narrow space was the breathing of the two people.

Xi Chenmu couldn't help but look at her. She lowered her head, blinked her thick and curly eyelashes, and put medicine on her face quietly with her black hair draped over her shoulders. However, her face no longer had the liveliness it had at the beginning and the relaxation it had in her arms.

His dark eyebrows couldn't help but slightly frown.

Lin Muqing found that this medicine was similar to the golden sore medicine, but the smell was different and the pain went away when applied.

"What kind of medicine is this, Prince?" She also imitated his calmness.

Xi Chenmu's expression was slightly depressed, and he took in her emotions. His eyes were quiet and deep. "It's made with agarwood. It has a good effect of promoting blood circulation and relieving pain. You can take this bottle back."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Before getting off the carriage, Xi Chenmu suddenly said, "Your hand is injured, so you don't have to cook tonight or the day after tomorrow."

"good."

After Lin Muqing got off the carriage, he returned to the yard alone.

Everything is normal.

However, that night, Xi Chenmu returned to his room, feeling very sleepy but unable to fall asleep.

When I close my eyes, all I can think of is a girl who is sometimes lively and sometimes gentle.

There was a first encounter in the rain.

Once he saw her picking flowers in the garden, and she finally said she wanted to make flower cakes for him.

There was a scene where she looked at him with her sparkling eyes when she received her monthly salary.

The night before yesterday, I saw her writing quietly and seriously under the window near the west room.

Finally, it was replaced by today's scene. In the dark cabin, the girl was blindfolded, her lips covered, lying there fragile and quietly.

In the past it would only appear occasionally, but now it is everywhere.

He clearly wanted to keep her by his side, so why did he say the wrong thing today?

Maybe she said something wrong first...

She is worried about entering the palace as a substitute. Shouldn't I understand her situation?

In the end, Xi Chenmu didn't know how he fell asleep.

I don't know how I met the girl in my dream who made me feel special the first time I saw her.

…

The next morning.

Lin Muqing still waited for Mr. Xu and his daughter Xu Muying to come and teach her how to read and write. Mr. Xu planned everything very well for her step by step.

She could remember the content after reading it once, and even imitate the words in the book, which made Mr. Xu very happy.

After only a few days of study, in Mr. Xu's eyes, she had already learned how to write and even read a hundred words.

Xu Muying saw that the ink was being used up quickly and said disapprovingly: "You should go to bed early at night and combine work with rest. Writing is not something that can be mastered overnight."

Xi Chenmu happened to walk to the side courtyard where Lin Muqing was studying.

"Teacher Xu, I just want to do something for the prince..." She seemed to feel that the words she blurted out were a little inappropriate, so she changed the words: "For the first time in my life, I have come into contact with such a rich and colorful life, instead of being trapped in a small courtyard, just waiting for the sunset and sunrise."

"I don't know how long the prince has been taking care of you two, but it's obvious that I can't hire two teachers on my own."

"I'm afraid that if I'm late for one day, I'll learn one day less."

Mr. Xu valued talent and quickly comforted him, "You are gifted and are the fastest learner I have ever taught. People always say that enlightenment begins in childhood, but it is not too late for you."

If it was a boy, with such a photographic memory, comprehension ability, and hard work, it would have been even better for him to take the imperial examinations. Mr. Xu felt regretful, just as he felt regretful for his own daughter's talent.

Xu Muying admired her handwriting and said, "Don't worry, I have a lot of free time. I will teach you slowly. After a month, when my son finishes the palace examination, you can come here every day."

"Thank you. I will definitely study hard." Lin Muqing has laid a solid foundation for diligent study. Even if she learns quickly, others will only think that she is studying hard behind the scenes.

After hearing these words, Xi Chenmu stopped and then picked up his feet again. He was just passing by.

Arrived at the gate of the palace.

Yun Qin was waiting for him beside the carriage. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is waiting for you in the East Palace."

"Yes." He bent down and sat in the carriage.

The small space still smelled of yesterday's medicine, constantly reminding him of what happened yesterday.

Even though he had been in a long dream that seemed to last a long time, he was still pulled back to reality.

He felt a little depressed along the way.

Until he entered the East Palace.

Crown Prince Xi Yan was wearing a golden court robe, with the pattern of a four-clawed python particularly prominent against the inlay of gems.

This is a warning and a demonstration.

"Uncle, I am sorry to trouble you during this period. Once my nephew is better, I will be able to relax a little."

Xi Chenmu walked in with his back to the light, with a steady and cold demeanor that could not be matched by the young and rebellious prince.

Every word he said was full of concern. "I came here today to see how you are recovering."

"After all, Luoyang once told me that the detoxification pill must be taken at the right time to force out the poison. If you take it at the wrong time, it will be useless."

The prince's originally relaxed expression turned completely cold, and his gloomy eyes seemed to be filled with poison.

He stood up suddenly, coughed twice, and said with a pale face, "Xi Chenmu!"

"Call me uncle. It seems that his condition has indeed worsened. He has even forgotten his elders."

Xi Chenmu smiled as softly as jade, "I originally planned to wait for Luoyang to ask for clarification before giving it to you. Unfortunately, the prince let me down."