The clouds parted.
His gentle, jade-like face, which had been tender and affectionate just moments before, instantly transformed into a demon. The rhinoceros horn ring embedded itself into Lin Huaiyin's skin, forcefully pressing against her jawline. His icy, cold eyes were fierce and ruthless, making Lin Huaiyin feel as if she had returned to the imperial prison of her past life.
What, you want to kill me again?
Lin Huaiyin felt a raging fire before her eyes, and her back felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand arrows. She felt as if she were once again in the prison, her chest filled with the blood and corpses of the Lin family. With a death wish, she stared at Shen Congyun, calculating the possibility of killing him with a Guanyin statue.
From beginning to end, the person she most wanted to take revenge on was Shen Congyun!
She was determined to take control of Shen Congyun's fate herself, no matter what!
Even if it means exchanging one life for another.
Moreover, in this life, she is not facing this challenge alone.
His Highness the Crown Prince's men are watching. Even if she is killed in retaliation, as long as she shouts out about Princess Pingyang's conspiracy before she dies, even if His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't investigate thoroughly, he will know that she left a backup plan with Xie Ao, and her father and brothers will definitely avenge her!
"Smash him to death!" Lin Huaiyin grabbed Shen Congyun. She wouldn't sit idly by and become another victim of his power. At worst, they would perish together.
The night was too deep, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the lanterns could not illuminate Lin Huaiyin's face. Shen Congyun could not see clearly, but he instinctively sensed something was wrong. He subconsciously increased the force and shouted angrily, "Who gave you permission to look me in the eye?"
Lin Huaiyin tilted her head back to the extreme, her back ached so much she could barely stand, and her entire weight pressed down on the hard edge of the thumb ring.
She was in excruciating pain, tears welling in her eyes, as Guanyin Bodhisattva slowly moved upwards.
Xuan Ge, who was in the attic, saw through her intention, breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly approached, preparing to rescue her.
Yu Li didn't understand why Shen Congyun suddenly made a move. She was afraid of Shen Congyun and even more worried about Lin Huaiyin. She moved forward with difficulty.
"Son-in-law?"
She called out timidly, and a flash of white light appeared in Lin Huaiyin's mind. She immediately threw away the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue—
"Bang!"
The Bodhisattva statue shattered into pieces, the porcelain shards splashing like water droplets, reflecting the light of the scattered orange blossoms on the ground.
Lin Huaiyin held Shen Congyun's hand, blinked hard, squeezed out two lines of tears, and pleaded painfully, "I'm sorry, my husband."
Hearing the commotion, Madam Shen guessed that something had happened to the Bodhisattva and rushed over in three steps.
"What's going on?" She passed Chu Jiu, Chen Lanyan, and the other two, and quickly walked to Lin Huaiyin's side. Before she even got close, she started scolding, "Daughter-in-law, what's wrong with you? Even a Bodhisattva can't hold you back. You're going to be punished by heaven!"
When Madam Shen arrived, she was horrified by the sight of the broken porcelain on the ground. She quickly put her hands together and chanted "Amitabha."
After reciting the poem, she wanted to scold Lin Huaiyin, but she saw Shen Congyun grab her chin and not let go. Lin Huaiyin stood on tiptoe, her toes were unsteady, and her skirt was lifted off the ground.
She immediately understood what was happening, raised her hand—"Slap!"
A slap landed on Shen Congyun's face, and Old Madam Shen snatched Lin Huaiyin away and pulled her into her arms.
"Congyun, have you lost your mind? This is a Bodhisattva blessed by the woman in the white cloak! Your daughter-in-law spent a lot of money, went through countless hardships and prostrations to obtain it. She prayed for the Bodhisattva for your son. Why are you acting crazy and bullying her? If you offend the Bodhisattva, our whole family will be in trouble!"
Shen Congyun was slapped twice in one night, once on the left and once on the right, his face burning.
He had never suffered such a humiliation. His hatred for Lin Huaiyin reached its limit. Ignoring Madam Shen's attempt to protect him, he pulled her out and dragged her straight towards his Ligou Garden.
That despicable scoundrel deliberately smashed the Buddha statue to use his mother as a shield.
With that kind of brain, who knows how many things they've done behind the scenes!
A series of recent misfortunes flashed through Shen Congyun's mind. Lin Huaiyin's sneaky behavior had aroused his suspicion many times, but he had always managed to escape it. Tonight was the perfect time to strip her bare from head to toe and interrogate her thoroughly!
He strode forward, while Lin Huaiyin staggered along, almost being dragged along.
Yu Li could no longer care about anything else and rushed over to hug Lin Huaiyin tightly.
She had no silver tongue and couldn't utter any words of pleading. Suddenly, she noticed the bloodstains on Lin Huaiyin's back and knew she was suffering. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she hugged him tightly, forcefully pulling Chen Congyun to a stop.
Seeing this, Old Madam Shen also came after them.
Chu Jiu ordered the guards to take Shen Lanyan away. He was a few steps ahead of her, and with a long leg, he crushed Yu Li's ankle.
Yu Li was in pain, but she refused to let go, even at the cost of her life.
Shen Congyun was determined to go his own way, and no one dared to stop him.
After slapping her brother, Madam Shen felt guilty and regretful. She stammered, unable to speak. Shen Zaiyuan hid far behind others, unable to understand why his brother had suddenly turned against him again.
Xuan Ge, hidden in the shadows, noticed the blood on Lin Huaiyin's back and knew he had to intervene, or she might not survive.
However, before he could act, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out outside.
With a high-pitched neigh, the horse's hooves came to a stop at the gate of the Shen Mansion.
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to it.
Since very few people are qualified to ride horses in the capital, a visit late at night must be of great importance.
Shen Congyun immediately thought of Princess Pingyang, but then he thought again that Princess Pingyang would not be so blatant.
He glanced at Lin Huaiyin sideways; Lin Huaiyin was motionless, as if she had already fainted.
If you're dizzy, you can't conduct the trial.
Sinking away from the clouds.
Lin Huaiyin's arm fell to the ground with a thud.
Old Mo, the chief steward of the outer palace, rushed over in a hurry, bowing and saying, "Master, the Crown Prince has issued an urgent edict, summoning you to receive the decree."
Upon hearing that it was the Eastern Palace, everyone in the courtyard fell silent.
Shen Congyun tidied his appearance, left the crowd behind, and strode away.
As he walked away, Lin Huaiyin dared not loosen her teeth. She bit her tongue, swallowing a mouthful of blood, and forced herself to get up.
Seeing that she could still get up, Xuan Ge, who was hiding in the shadows, frowned deeply and clenched his fists—Miss Lin was truly a ruthless and iron-blooded person.
Lin Huaiyin sat up, and Yu Li quickly took off her outer robe and draped it over her, covering her bloodied back.
She didn't know when or where Lin Huaiyin was injured, but since her mistress hadn't told anyone, she was going to help keep it a secret.
"The night breeze is cool." Yu Li limped along, dragging her ankle, and helped Lin Huaiyin to her feet.
The master and servant exchanged a glance, looking utterly miserable and wanting to burst into tears.
But if I cry now, I'll die soon.
Lin Huaiyin knew she had to hold on. The wound on her back couldn't be discovered, and she had to try to find a way to heal it. Otherwise, if it were exposed, she would definitely die.
She swallowed the blood in her mouth, slowly knelt before Madam Shen, and said, "Mother-in-law, your daughter-in-law accidentally smashed the Guanyin statue, offending the Bodhisattva. My sins are grave. I wish to reflect on my mistakes in seclusion and be punished by copying the Lotus Sutra one hundred times. I beg the Bodhisattva for forgiveness."
Remembering what had just happened, Madam Shen knew that Shen Congyun was in the wrong. Seeing her pitiful state, she couldn't help but ask, "Why did you provoke Congyun?"
"I just couldn't bear the thought of my flesh and blood being separated from me, so I advised my husband not to blame Lanyan. It was my rashness that led me to speak out of turn." Lin Huaiyin bent her knees, tears streaming down her face.
When Madam Shen heard her say that, she was immediately displeased.
The daughter-in-law is too self-important.
Since Yun got angry, she didn't dare to interrupt; she hadn't uttered a sound just now.
So what if we send them away? We can just bring them back in a few days. It's no big deal.
Madam Shen thought to herself, "She, as the mother, hasn't said a word, but her daughter-in-law is trying to be a good person and stand out. Does she think she's more important to Congyun than her mother? What kind of pipe dream is she having?"
If you don't know your own limitations and can't control your mouth, who else should we punish but you?
Thinking this to herself, she felt that Lin Huaiyin had made a fool of herself and deserved to suffer. She just shouldn't have smashed the Buddha statue, which implicated the Shen family and her precious grandson. So she coldly reprimanded her: "What are you meddling in when it's a man's decision? Go back and reflect on your actions!"
"Yes, my mother-in-law is right. I know I was wrong and I will never do it again."
Lin Huaiyin wiped away her tears, knelt down and stood up again. Old Madam Shen had already led the servants away, leaving her only two maids carrying lanterns.
A night breeze rises, and the lanterns sway.
Seeing that they and their mistress were in such a sorry state, the two maids helped them up, one on each side.
One person advised, "Madam, please stop crying and take care of yourself."
One of them said, "Sister, just bear with it. The boiled eggs will be rolling around for a bit, and everything will be fine soon."
The four of them staggered and swayed as they made their way toward Qingyin Pavilion.
Xuan Ge followed closely behind.
His gaze followed Lin Huaiyin and her servant, his mind flashing back to the events of the day.
He figured some things out, such as: there are so many women in the world, why does His Highness favor Chen—no, he favors Miss Lin the Third.
For example, why did Miss Lin, despite being seriously injured, refuse to stay on the ship and insist on changing her clothes, carrying Guanyin, and going to find Shen Congyun?
Of course, there were many more things he couldn't understand, such as that bucket of fragrant soup, which was an utterly undeserved disaster. Xuan Ge racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what his prince was doing.
As for the rest, Xuan Ge wrote them down one by one. He knew that as long as he told his prince about these things, everything would come to light.
Before long, the dark clouds dispersed, and the crescent moon once again hung in the sky above Qingyin Pavilion.
Lin Huaiyin and Yu Li entered the bedroom and locked the door.
The maids of Qingyin Pavilion were busy preparing water downstairs.
Xuan Ge darted in and jumped through the window.
He didn't show himself directly to scare people; instead, he made a commotion from the shadows first.
Hearing the noise, Lin Huaiyin immediately called out to him, "Don't hide, quickly help Yu Li check her feet."
Yu Li had met Xuan Ge at Xiangguo Temple, and she wasn't very afraid when they met again. She felt that Xuan Ge was a very reliable and good person who had helped her find her and brought her Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Although Xuan Ge was more concerned about Lin Huaiyin's injuries, he had to consider that the injury was on her back and it was inconvenient to examine her.
Given the ambiguous relationship between Xiao Zhian and Lin Huaiyin, he didn't dare ask Lin Huaiyin to take off her clothes. He could only hand her a bottle of hemostatic pills first, not daring to look at her face directly.
Lin Huaiyin poured out the pills, propped her chin up, and swallowed them one by one.
Xuan Ge was Xiao Zhi'an's bodyguard commander. According to the usual system of the Eastern Palace, his highest rank was the fourth grade, and his official position was "Liao".
However, because Xiao Zhian had served as regent for many years and his status far exceeded that of ordinary crown princes, Xuan Ge was also appointed as a general and given the official rank of second grade.
General Xuan Ge, a second-rank general, sat cross-legged on the ground, picked up Yu Li's left foot, took off her shoes and socks, and pinched her swollen ankle, feeling the bone inch by inch.
After examining the bones for a moment and confirming that there was nothing wrong with them, Xuan Ge felt relieved. He glanced at the shoes and socks he had casually taken off earlier and suddenly thought of the proper distance between men and women.
A woman's feet are only to be seen by her husband; if outsiders see them, it is considered a breach of chastity.
He was a martial artist, single for thirty years, and the Eastern Palace had never had a female lead. He had no concept of the proper separation between men and women. Now that he had touched the girl's foot, his back was covered in cold sweat. When he looked up, Yu Li didn't pay any attention to him at all. Her eyes were fixed on Lin Huaiyin without blinking.
If the girl doesn't care, then he doesn't care either.
Xuan Ge breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that it was very good; the girl was loyal, single-minded, and excellent.
Just then, a maid knocked on the door to bring water.
Yu Li, limping, made the arrangements, dismissed the maids and chased away Xuan Ge, and went to call Lin Huaiyin.
"Miss, you've taken a bath."
With a gentle touch, Lin Huaiyin's head slammed onto the table with a "thud," and she had already passed out.
"Miss."
Yu Li burst into tears instantly.
Xuan Ge returned upon hearing the sound, threw down a table full of bottles and jars, and calmly directed Yu Li to rescue the person.
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