Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Insolent.
Kangtai Hall, west side room.
Lady Lin, the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an, was leaning against a soft couch. Beside her sat a girl dressed in simple and elegant attire. She held a bowl of medicine in her hands and gently scooped a spoonful to Lady Lin's lips, saying soothingly, "Madam, you'd better take some medicine to avoid hurting yourself."
Lin sighed softly, half-raised herself, and drank a mouthful of medicine from the spoon. Her expression was filled with relief, but her tone was filled with resentment. "I have quite a few servants here, why do I need you to feed me medicine? You're making a fool of yourself."
Seeing this, the maidservant standing by hurriedly replied with a smile, "Miss Qu is very clever and skillful. How can we, the clumsy servants, compare with her? Madam, please use the medicine quickly to live up to her kindness."
After being praised by the nanny, Qu Ruyun's cheeks turned slightly red. She bit her lip and fed a few spoonfuls of medicine to Lin's mouth.
Lin wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, then looked straight at Ning Shilu who was kneeling below her and scolded him, "What are you kneeling for? Why don't you get up!"
Ning Shilu lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "It's my son who is unfilial."
Lin glared at him and scolded him, "If I really relied on you, I would have died countless times already!"
Ning Shilu had no way to refute, so he stood up silently and said nothing for a long time.
"Since Madam has taken the medicine, you might as well rest in the west room first. It seems that this banquet will not be over for a while." Qu Ruyun spoke at the right time to ease the atmosphere in the room.
"That reminds me. Your mother must be worried since you've been out for so long. I'm fine now, so you should go back and see her soon."
As Lin spoke, she glanced at Ning Shilu, signaling him to send Qu Ruyun back to Kangtai Palace.
After the two of them left the West Chamber one after the other, the nanny spoke up, "Did Madam see that? Miss Qu is protecting our prince."
Lin took off the headband with a tired look on her face, frowned and glanced at the medicine on the table. The nanny immediately poured the remaining medicine into the flower bed at the door.
"Madam, you have good taste. Although Miss Qu's family background is not prominent, she is truly a rare and good girl." The nanny put the medicine bowl back on the table and praised sincerely.
Lin snorted and laughed, "What's the point of us agreeing on this? Some people are really confused!"
Although Qu Ruyun was only the daughter of a third-rank minister of rites, Lin had never intended to let her son enter the court.
If Ning Shilu had not insisted on marrying Lin Zhen, even if nothing had happened in the Lin Mansion, Lin would not have wanted Lin Zhen to be her daughter-in-law from the bottom of her heart. Lin Zhen's temperament was like her brother's, cold-faced, hard-hearted, stubborn and arrogant.
She only hoped that Ning Shilu could marry a gentle and considerate woman, and live a harmonious and peaceful life with her.
Qu Ruyun is such a woman.
Hearing this, the nanny hurriedly comforted him, "The prince is young and ignorant, so it's normal for him to be confused for a while. He will eventually change his mind."
Lin was quite pleased with what she heard and finally smiled, but it only lasted for a moment. As if she remembered something, her expression darkened again.
*
Ning Shilu sent Qu Ruyun to the front of Kangtai Palace with a gloomy look on his face. After a perfunctory greeting, he turned around and was about to leave.
"Prince," Qu Ruyun called him softly, "Ruyun knows that Prince has someone he loves."
She looked at Ning Shilu with clear and sincere eyes, and said slowly: "Ruyun... is just a person like the prince. Ruyun dare not pray for more. I only hope that the prince will not regard Ruyun as a scourge and avoid her as much as possible..."
After saying this, she bowed respectfully, turned around and walked into the hall.
*
Ji Sui's slender hand passed over Lin Zhenbing's ear, along her jawline, and finally landed on her fair neck. His rough fingertips slowly caressed her neck, and he waited for Lin Zhen's answer with interest.
"Waste? Should everyone be as cruel and ruthless as you?"
Lin Zhen let his hand wander around her neck and asked indifferently.
Ji Sui paused his fingertips, and he moved his gaze away from Lin Zhen's neck and met her cold eyes. The displeasure on his face flashed across his face. He stroked her cheek with his big hand and said leisurely: "So, you want to go with him?"
"Did he sleep with you too?"
With a "slap", a loud slap sounded from the hall.
Lin Zhen's face was pale, with a faint blush on her cheeks, but it was because of anger. Her chest heaved slightly, and she frowned as she looked at the man who had been beaten and turned his head away.
Ji Sui slowly raised his head and poked his cheek with the tip of his tongue. Lin Zhen used a lot of force in this slap. Although it didn't hurt him, he felt a slight heat on his face.
This woman's habit of hitting people hasn't changed at all.
When he was in the Lin Mansion before, he was slapped by Lin Zhen for no reason.
She was writing in the yard, and a few peach blossoms fell on her shoulders. When he reached out to brush away the fallen petals from her shoulder, he accidentally touched her earlobe.
It was a strange feeling that this cold girl had such a soft and warm place on her body.
He couldn't help but pinch it, and then his cheek felt like it was burning with pain.
"presumptuous!"
The girl clenched her fists and yelled, her thin earlobes turning crimson red, and then she left angrily.
Ning Shilu was right. During the three years in the Lin Mansion, Lin Zhen had indeed treated his injuries and taught him calligraphy. It seemed that she did treat him differently from ordinary servants.
But that day, he once again clearly realized that all of this was just a pretense of being noble and kind. She was no different from those who looked down on him, viewing him as lowly and inferior. Even the slightest touch would make her so disgusted and angry, as if it had been stained with some filth, and she would avoid him as much as possible.
After all, he is just a hypocritical person like her father.
Ji Wei suddenly laughed. What did it have to do with him whether she liked that loser or not?
He kept Lin Zhen just to humiliate her.
Ji Wei suddenly pulled Lin Zhen into his arms, his iron-strong arms firmly holding her waist.
The shawl from her arm was suddenly pulled away. Lin Zhen frowned slightly, and before she could react, everything in front of her was pitch black.
Ji Sui bit one end of the shawl and used his free hand to tie it over Lin Zhen's eyes in a few strokes. He hated these cold and indifferent eyes, so he simply covered them to avoid spoiling his fun.
Lin Zhen, trapped in darkness, could not see, but her other senses became more acute. However, this undoubtedly increased her panic, and even her struggle began to become disorganized. Within a few moves, she was subdued in Ji Bai's arms, and the two of them fell onto the wooden stool in front of the table.
Lin Zhen was held tightly in his arms, sitting on his lap, unable to move. When she felt the changes in his body, her ears flushed red and she struggled fiercely in shame and anger: "This is in the palace, Ji Sui, you are crazy!"
Ever since Ji Rui left the Jiaofangsi with a cold face that day, he hadn't set foot there for more than half a month.
Lin Zhen originally thought that maybe he was finally tired of revenge, but he never expected that he would come again, and even become more aggressive, which was extremely ridiculous.
When Ji Sui entered, the door to the side hall was not closed, which meant that someone could break in at any time. The round table they were sitting at was facing the hall door...
"Let me go!" A crack finally appeared on her usually cold and calm face. Lin Zhen tried to throw off the scarf tied around her eyes, but it was obviously of no avail, which made her even more panicked.
Lin Zhen felt a slight chill under his skirt, and his heart plummeted. Shame and anger washed over him like a tide. He realized he had no power to resist. The woman's cold and steady voice trembled slightly: "Lin Chu...you are so outrageous!"
Lin Chu was the name given to Ji Sui by his father when he was in the Lin Mansion. He has always hated and despised these two words the most.
Indeed, Lin Zhen had really annoyed him today.
Perhaps it had been too long since he heard anyone call him like that, but when he heard this name from Lin Zhen's mouth, somehow his heart, which had been as hard as iron just now, softened a little.
Ji Sui smiled and let go of her skirt. He then took her hand and whispered in her ear, "I will spare you today, but... I have to find another way."
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Zhen's wrist began to ache, and the pain there did not subside.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard not far from the hall. Lin Zhen's heart tightened and he was about to stand up, but Ji Sui pressed him back into his arms. He said in a low voice, "...It's almost done, Lin Zhen... Hurry up."
“…”
With her eyes blindfolded, she had no idea of the situation outside the hall. Being controlled by others, Lin Zhen took a deep breath and gritted her teeth to obey Ji Sui's words.
The man was satisfied before he let Lin Zhen go.
The sound of people outside the hall gradually approached. Lin Zhen groped for the edge of the table and retreated into the inner room. Only then did she untie the shawl from her eyes with trembling hands. Her vision suddenly became clear again, and it took her a while to adjust to the light in the room. By then, Ji Sui was no longer in the room.
Lin Zhen didn't know that even if Ji Sui was here, it would be hard for everyone to guess what had just happened. After all, who would have thought that the ruthless general would punish his enemy in such a way.
The female musicians did not recognize the servant who had stopped them outside the hall just now, but they were dissatisfied. After seeing Lin Zhen, they felt even more unlucky. They rolled their eyes at her and went to pack their things.
They didn't recognize those people, but Hongye did. After everyone packed up their bags and left with the eunuch in charge, Hongye hurried forward to support Lin Zhen and asked worriedly, "...He was here? Is the girl okay?"
"Nothing."
The upbringing that has been ingrained in Lin Zhen since childhood made it impossible for him to be like Ji Sui, who could leave as if nothing had happened after doing such a thing.
Although her tone was calm, her body was tense and stiff. As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed Hongye's hand away without leaving any trace and followed her out of the hall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
