Chapter 58 058 Ran Away...
"Wanwan".
The surroundings were dark, and the sounds of fighting receding behind her were mixed with Lin Wan's rapid breathing.
She paused slightly, gritted her teeth, and resolutely continued running forward, stumbling and scrambling down the pitch-black stairs. Soon, her figure disappeared into the inky darkness.
Lin Wan hadn't run like this in a long time. In the dark stairwell, she couldn't see the stairs under her feet. She accidentally stepped into a hole and fell forward several times. The pain in her body couldn't stop her. As she fell and rolled down, she hugged her face tightly. She already had many scrapes on her body, but she didn't want her only pretty face to be scratched as well.
Fortunately, the observatory wasn't very tall, and she quickly tumbled down to the bottom.
The sounds of fighting were fading from her ears, and she didn't care about anything else. She hurriedly got up from the ground and strode towards the street corner ahead.
Just then, a dark green carriage came galloping up and stopped awkwardly in front of her, blocking her way.
Still in a state of panic, Lin Wan frowned slightly after seeing the face revealed by the lifted curtain inside the carriage. Her hesitation lasted only a moment, but she still got into the carriage.
The moment the carriage curtain fell.
With a loud "bang," an even more dazzling display of fireworks burst forth in the inky night sky, drawing crowds of people from the streets to watch the beautiful fireworks.
On the Star Gazing Tower.
Xie Huaiyuan couldn't see her. Just as the swords suddenly appeared and slashed towards him, he was about to comfort her and tell her not to worry when he clearly sensed that she had pulled away from his arm. She let go of him and ran away without hesitation.
The stairwell was narrow, and it was impossible to see where she was running.
"Wanwan!"
Xie Huaiyuan's empty hand suddenly tightened, his fingertips digging into his palm, blood seeping out from between his fingers. He retreated step by step, making room for the attendants and guards who arrived in time to step forward and fight with the men in black that night.
His expression changed drastically, a strange smile flashing across his face as he stared intently at the black figure.
"No need to leave any survivors!"
Xie Huaiyuan's arm revealed the cuts he had made while protecting Lin Wan, the bloodstains soaking his sleeves and making him look even more disheveled. He looked indifferently at the black-clad men falling one by one, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
If he wasn't mistaken, these men in black were simply the work of those in the court who had recently become extremely dissatisfied with him.
His Majesty's illness showed no signs of improvement and even appeared to be worsening in recent days. People in the palace knew that the highly skilled physician Hua Yisheng had a close relationship with him and wanted to summon Hua Yisheng to the palace to treat him. However, Hua Yisheng happened to be out of the capital at the time.
Some people wanted his help, while others were jealous. If they could get rid of him secretly, then the Prince of Jin would lose a capable person, which would be great for some people.
However, this ruined his chance to bring Lin Wan into the public eye.
The attendant added, "Lord Su and Lord Li of the City Patrol Division are on their way this way..."
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at the crowd gathered downstairs, his tone tinged with coldness: "Understood."
"Should I send someone to find Miss Lin?"
"No need."
-
On a spring night, a carriage traveled through the quiet palace road and turned into Minghua Hall.
After getting off the carriage, Lin Wan looked around at the palace walls that seemed both familiar and utterly unfamiliar. Her eyes widened in surprise as she asked, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Princess Zhaoyi glanced at her disheveled appearance and said, "This is the palace, and ordinary people cannot enter. Could it be that Miss Lin is able to find a better place to hide than this palace?"
"But Your Highness promised me that as long as I left the Crown Prince, you would..."
Lin Wan went through all that trouble to retrieve Li Yunzhou's belongings, which had fallen into Princess Zhaoyi's hands, not to enter the palace to avoid Xie Huaiyuan.
Princess Zhaoyi raised her eyes: "I will return that thing to you, but it is not kept in this palace. In the middle of the night, do you want to tire me out by doing this again?"
When the people in the palace heard that the princess had returned, they all came out to greet her, only to be surprised to see a woman covered in wounds and in a disheveled state following the princess into the palace.
The bright candlelight illuminated Lin Wan, making her radiant face stand out. Even though she was quite disheveled, her beauty was undeniable.
But I also caught a glimpse of her fair and delicate neck as she bent over, and the rosy kiss mark hidden there was revealed with her movements.
Princess Zhaoyi caught a glimpse of it, her hands clenched at her sides, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she stared silently.
During this period, according to the information gathered by her spies, Lin Wan had been with Xie Huaiyuan the whole time. They spent every day together, so it wasn't hard to guess who left the kiss mark on her neck.
But that very faint kiss mark deeply pierced Princess Zhaoyi's heart, and a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.
Lin Wan took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and mustered her courage to say, "I dare not trouble Your Highness, but how can I bother Your Highness in the palace? Why don't you send someone to take me back to the Su residence?"
She had just gained her freedom, so why should she be trapped here again? Besides, she had a bad experience in the palace before, and she didn't want to go through that again.
She wants to go out!
When she tried to plead again...
Suddenly, a eunuch's voice came from outside the palace gates: "The Crown Prince has arrived—"
Immediately afterwards, a man in a bright yellow brocade robe strode in, and the people in the palace knelt down to pay their respects. Even Lin Wan, who was still somewhat confused, hurriedly knelt down with everyone, looking down at her feet, not daring to look directly at the newcomer.
Before long, the man's footsteps slowly stopped a short distance in front of him.
"I came looking for my sister earlier, but she wasn't there. Everyone said you went out of the palace to play. What, is there something fun happening outside the palace tonight?"
Princess Zhaoyi: "They're just ordinary trinkets, how could you possibly want them, Crown Prince?"
The crown prince lowered his gaze and it fell on one of the women kneeling there, whose attire was strikingly different. "And this is..."
“She is a cousin of the Su family. I just happened to meet her in the market. Seeing her like this, I couldn’t bear it, so I brought her back to the palace first.”
The Crown Prince glanced at the graceful figure, then gave Princess Zhaoyi a meaningful look before saying in a low voice, "So it's Miss Lin."
Lin Wan had no choice but to look up and saw the Crown Prince, who was imposing and dignified. She had seen him once before at the Peach Blossom Banquet and had a vague impression of him.
“Crown Prince,” Princess Zhaoyi immediately smiled and stepped forward to help Lin Wan, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. “Why don’t you let Lin Wan stay in the palace for a few days to recover from her injuries before going back?”
A hint of surprise flashed in the Crown Prince's usually calm eyes. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Since it's Lord Su's home, we should naturally treat him well. I'll talk to Lord Su about it tomorrow, since he's been quite anxious lately."
Princess Zhaoyi affectionately took her hand and instructed the maid beside her, "Go and tidy up the side hall. Miss Lin will be staying here for a few days."
As he spoke, he warmly handed the person over to a palace maid to greet them inside.
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze and glanced at her: "Today, the Empress Dowager mentioned going to worship Buddha in a few days. Now that you've returned, I'd like to discuss it with you."
Lin Wan wanted to refuse, but seeing that the Crown Prince and Princess Zhaoyi had important matters to discuss, she couldn't interrupt them immediately. Helpless, she could only follow the palace maid into the side hall.
Princess Zhaoyi followed behind, her expression indifferent, a thin shadow shrouding her eyes. She glanced lightly at her trusted maid beside her, who understood and quietly left, leading the other eunuchs and maids in the hall to the outside of the hall. Instantly, the scene became much quieter.
The hall was brightly lit by candles, which spread like a net throughout every corner of the hall.
The Crown Prince, seated in the main seat, straightened his expression and said, "Tonight, I granted your request and specially put aside many matters to come here. Tell me, what is it that you need my help with?"
Princess Zhaoyi raised her eyes, as if she had made up her mind, and said directly, "I heard that the Empress Dowager is planning to find a concubine for my elder brother, the Crown Prince. I wonder if my elder brother has taken a liking to any of them?"
The crown prince was taken aback, and finally realized that something was wrong.
He looked up, his eyes scrutinizing: "What do you mean by this?"
"Miss Lin from the Su family comes from a respectable family and is gentle and virtuous; she is quite good."
The Crown Prince looked at Princess Zhaoyi in front of him, smiled, and did not respond to her words. He stood up and strode out.
-
The moon shines brightly in the night sky, and the stars are few.
The bustling streets have fallen silent, and the courtyard in Pear Blossom Lane is so quiet that not a sound can be heard.
Xie Huaiyuan walked through the covered walkway under the moonlight and headed towards the depths of the backyard.
After the fire, he had already sent people to renovate the backyard and took the opportunity to adjust the layout of some of the residences, especially the bedroom, which he decorated with great care.
At this moment, the courtyard was once again eerily silent and cold, as if devoid of any living presence, with nothing but the scattered moonlight.
As Lin Wan pulled away from his arms and released his protection, he resolutely ran towards the stairs in the darkness and escaped. At that moment, many images flashed through his mind.
Sometimes he thought of the time when he first met Lin Wan and spent every day with her; sometimes he thought of the time he met her again in the capital, when she walked through the crowd to him on the stairs, took his hand, and her affection for him was so intense.
He had never known what love was before, and only felt that this matter would only cause him more trouble. He was unwilling to easily promise love, but he never underestimated love. Since she said she liked him, she should be responsible for her words.
Since he has repeatedly promised to stay by her side, he shouldn't let go of her hand.
But she's also incredibly fast.
Looking back now, he was too kind to her; he shouldn't have let her manipulate his feelings like that.
Xie Huaiyuan pushed open the door to the newly renovated dormitory room, which had not yet been revealed to Lin Wan. He walked into the gray and dark dormitory room, bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window, and stopped in a corner that was just illuminated by the moonlight, where a newly made bright red wedding dress was quietly hanging.
He reached out and gently stroked her skin, as if caressing Lin Wan's delicate skin day and night, his voice carrying a chilling undertone, as if he were a lover whispering something in a low voice.
"Wanwan..."
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