Let's avoid meeting for now.
A meteorite crashed down, isolating the heavens and the earth.
Deep inside the imperial prison, it was pitch black.
Xie Xincun stood at the bottom of the shaft and slowly closed his eyes.
"Squeak squeak" describes the scratching and scratching of a mouse's tiny claws.
"Thump thump thump," that's the rat's heart pounding.
A "plop" sound came from a water droplet sliding down the wall.
The air is filtered through thick, humid air, and the smoky flavor is too fresh.
"hehe."
Two laughs came from the darkness.
A trap?
I see.
It seems that the crown prince of Xingchao is desperate and is even using his own woman.
Xie Xincun remained calm and entered the charred cell arranged by Xiao Zhian. He picked up a bit of ash from the wall with his fingertip, crushed it, sniffed it, and then turned and walked into the depths of the prison.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps in the darkness, graceful and composed.
Having roamed the continent for years without ever being defeated, Xie Xincun is now imprisoned in the Xingchao Imperial Prison. He is not worried at all, and even finds it amusing.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, he understood Lin Huaiyin's personality—her straightforwardness was the good thing about this brat. If she wanted something, she would bite right away; if she cared, she would ask on tiptoe. Her little tricks were all written on her face. If you tried to use any tricks on her, you would definitely suffer endlessly.
He could easily picture Xiao Zhian looking ridiculous with his head covered in bites, while Xie Xincun himself was completely unfazed.
When he came down, he noticed that there was wind, a strong wind. Since a strong wind rushed in when the door was opened, the way the wind went was the way out. He only needed to follow the burnt smell of the fake fire scene created by Xiao Zhian to find the exit and walk out of the prison at his leisure.
Walking alone through the passageway, Xie Xincun gradually felt a sense of loneliness, a feeling he had never experienced in all his years of traveling across the mainland.
His palms involuntarily conjured up the feel and warmth of Lin Huaiyin's skin. He raised his hand, the girl's fragrance still lingering. He gestured to show Lin Huaiyin's height, which was just up to her chest, imagining her walking beside him, occasionally spinning and jumping, turning her face to look at him.
Her eyes were bright, with beautiful features, and a shrewd, intelligent look.
She should be by his side. Xie Xincun withdrew his hand, his five fingers clenching into a fist in the air. He lamented that he had been too lenient with Lin Huaiyin and too lenient with Xingchao. The gambling and marriage, those things that used to add excitement, now only made him lose interest. Looking back, they were a waste of his time with that brat. If he wanted it, he would take it.
Perhaps she's tired of the people and things here, remembering his kindness, and eagerly waiting for him to come and take her away.
This place can't hold him back; she should have faith in him.
Xie Xincun looks forward to meeting Lin Huaiyin.
He had never seen her tears.
——
Above the imperial prison.
In the shadow of the black boulder, Xiao Zhian held Lin Huaiyin tightly, refusing to let go.
How could he let her go? He only wanted to carry her back to the Eastern Palace and make her his wife.
He could easily have Lin Huaiyin if he wanted to.
Xiao Zhian had always cherished, loved, and respected her, and had never entertained such a despicable and domineering thought—regardless of her wishes or her happiness, as long as she was by his side, that was enough, and he would use any means necessary to keep her…
Standing on the edge of a precipice of depravity, Xiao Zhian found himself with nowhere to retreat. The more Lin Huaiyin struggled, the more he succumbed, his reason teetering on the brink of collapse.
He had nothing; everything around him was meaningless, belonging to the Crown Prince who could be anyone's regent.
He is Xiao Zhian. He asks for nothing but Yinyin and to spend his life with her. He schemes and plots to keep her by his side. What is wrong with that?
What's wrong with him eliminating a potential obstacle between him and Yinyin?
Are they just going to sit and wait to die, watching other men approach her, bully her, harass her, and take away everything that belongs to them?
He defended his lover, what did he do wrong?
He went to great lengths, using the power of the empire, all to be with her. Why did he end up like this? Why did he eliminate the obstacles, repent his mistakes, and yet suffer a complete defeat in front of Yin Yin?
"Yinyin." Xiao Zhian desperately held the little girl in his arms tighter. "Don't go, Yinyin, stay with me, don't go anywhere."
Lin Huaiyin was almost suffocating from his choking. She turned her head with difficulty and saw that Xiao Zhian's eyes were fierce and his eyelashes were filled with tears. He looked like a wounded beast, carefully afraid of being driven away and abandoned by her.
Lin Huaiyin felt terrible, her eyes red and moist. She couldn't bear to see Xiao Zhian sad. He was a proud man to the core, yet he always showed this expression in front of her. He had just defeated and imprisoned an enemy who was like a god. He had proven his strength, so strong that he could rival a monster like Xie Xincun. He should be proud, but instead, he cried his eyes out and hugged her like a big, helpless dog that had lost its owner.
But faced with Xiao Zhian like this, Lin Huaiyin had neither the strength nor the desire to comfort him.
He made decisions without her involvement, without giving her any signal whatsoever, not even a half-joking suggestion that he would tease her a little, just to let her know what to expect.
Since you've gotten used to being the Crown Prince, and insist on making decisions unilaterally and going down a dead end, you have to bear the consequences yourself. Why should she have to back down when you put on this face afterward?
He's having a hard time, but isn't she having a hard time too?
She trusted him so much, giving him all her secrets and revealing all her fears without reservation. He knew that in her past life she had been schemed against and used by Shen Congyun, leading to the destruction of her family. He was the only person in the world who had won her heart and knew her weaknesses, yet he chose to use such methods to deal with her.
He had planned to do this, to strike at her most painful spot. Why should she be the one to suppress herself and comfort him?
Is she some heartless creature that can be trampled on at will?
He can't have all the advantages and expect her to suppress her emotions and take care of him; she can't do that.
"Let me catch my breath." Lin Huaiyin's voice trembled as she was being strangled. "You can't kidnap me like this. I haven't vented any emotions on you. I'll deal with it myself, and you deal with it yourself. Let's not see each other for now."
Upon hearing that she was leaving and would never see him again, Xiao Zhian's mind went blank. The arm around Lin Huaiyin's waist tightened instead of loosening. He would not let go, never. Even if he had to take her back to the East Palace, even if she hated him, he would force her to stay by his side. He could not live without her.
Picking up Lin Huaiyin, Xiao Zhian completely lost his mind.
The harsh confinement made Lin Huaiyin's bones ache.
Her ribs were compressed to the brink of fracture, and air could only escape from her chest. Xiao Zhian had once been the only piece of driftwood in her stagnant waters of despair, but now that driftwood was covered in sharp thorns, piercing her heart and lungs. Lin Huaiyin felt like she was about to die in Xiao Zhian's arms. She gasped in pain and questioned, "You can't use me as a pawn when I love you with all my heart, and then use your pain to override my pain afterwards. Thunder and rain are both the emperor's grace. This is how a crown prince treats his concubines. Are you sure you want to use it on me?"
The moment the words fell, they transformed into a heavy hammer, slamming down on the chains that Xiao Zhian had raised to imprison his lover, smashing them to pieces.
He stood frozen in place, closing his eyes in anguish.
Yinyin was not his concubine, nor was he Yinyin's crown prince. He was Zhi'an, yet he did things that Zhi'an should not and would not do.
He shouldn't have kept the plans from her beforehand, ignoring her pain; and afterwards, he talked too much, depriving her of the right to express her dissatisfaction.
He couldn't have it all and pretend he couldn't see her sadness.
In an instant, the thunderous heartbeat behind Lin Huaiyin suddenly fell silent.
Xiao Zhian put her down and let go. She was finally able to stand up and breathe. This feeling that only by leaving him could she stop the pain and breathe freely made Lin Huaiyin's eyes and nose sting and her vision blur.
She loved him, she really loved him. He had once caught her so tenderly and accepted everything about her. But suddenly her lover changed, his face contorted, his whole body a mask of pretense. She was afraid. She couldn't continue, and she didn't know how to continue.
Clutching her sleeves, Lin Huaiyin looked up at her carriage, then ran off in silence and climbed on.
The area had been cleared out by Xiao Zhian the moment Lin Huaiyin was imprisoned, and was surrounded by the Eastern Palace guards.
The coachman cracked his whip, the horse's hooves pounded, and the carriage, right before Xiao Zhian's eyes, resolutely departed.
Lin Huaiyin curled up in her carriage, touching the familiar embroidered cushions, and suddenly felt a chill run down her neck, remembering that she had been with Xie Xincun.
Xie Xincun made sarcastic remarks about the Shangsi Festival, mocking her incompetence, and then pinned her down on his lap, choking her to force her to submit.
She could not possibly give in; the only options were to die at Xie Xincun's hands or become a puppet under his silver needles. It was Xiao Zhian who pulled the rug out from under her and embellished the bet, allowing her to barely survive.
The truth was etched on the cushion beneath Lin Huaiyin's seat. She had overlooked a fact she should have seen long ago—Xiao Zhian was cunning and capable of scheming. He had been scheming against Xie Xincun for a long time, and in this round of embellishing the bet, he revealed his ruthlessness.
However, because she was the beneficiary of the ruthless and arbitrary alteration of the bet, she escaped unscathed. Therefore, she didn't find him scary; instead, she enjoyed his foresight.
It seems that the danger only appears in the eyes of the victim; the knife does not cut people and looks like a ritual object in a temple.
So, if it happened again, Lin Huaiyin asked herself: If she heard Zhi'an suggest switching the bet again, would she accuse him of being unethical, or would she kiss him as always and praise his cleverness?
Please give me an answer.
Please give me an answer.
Please give me an answer.
Lin Huaiyin urged herself on again and again. The wheels rolled forward, the horses' hooves pounded on the ground, the wind lifted the carriage curtains, and then they fell again...
The rumbling cart tracks finally ended at the gate of the Lin residence.
Lin Huaiyin slowly alighted from the carriage, nodded to the coachman, and exchanged a brief glance—she didn't want her family to know about her confrontation with Xiao Zhian.
The coachman nodded knowingly: "Miss, you must be tired. Go and rest."
"Hmm." Lin Huaiyin climbed the steps and entered her home.
The house was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the servants were bustling about.
Lin Huaiyin only learned upon asking that today was the day her new son-in-law was visiting, a time for family reunion. In a few days, she would be going to the New Liao Kingdom with her new son-in-law, and the family banquet was being prepared in full swing.
Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin silently murmured the words "new son-in-law," her gaze blank as she watched the maid continue her busy work.
“I’m jealous that he can come and go from your house so openly and approach you so brazenly, and that he’s your father’s favorite son-in-law.”
Xiao Zhian leaned down and whispered sadly, "He has taken over the title that belongs to me. Your maid calls him son-in-law, and your own sister calls him brother-in-law. Yinyin, look at me, I feel so bad."
Just then, Lin Mianfeng and her two maids bumped into her. A crisp, sweet "Third Sister!" rang out, and she looked behind her, asking, "Where's Brother-in-law? Father said you came back together?"
“Last night,” Lin Huaiyin shook her head, “Young Master Xie is a distinguished guest, but he is not your brother-in-law.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Mianfeng's eyes twitched, and he stammered, "N-Is that so?"
"No." Lin Huaiyin took Lin Mianfeng's hand and said, "I just got home and I just want to spend my days eating and waiting to die, and keep you and Mother company. I don't want to listen to Father's nonsense arrangements."
"That's wonderful!" Lin Mianfeng immediately forgot about Xie Xincun and jumped up to hug Lin Huaiyin. "I also want to be with Third Sister every day!"
"What's so good about it?" Lin Zhenlie walked over from the corner of the corridor, pulled Lin Mianfeng down, and blew on Lin Huaiyin's beard—"Where is Nephew Xie?"
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