Xiao Zhian's Cat Taming Battle
The word "change the dressing" was like a pebble dropped into water, creating ripples and bringing Lin Huaiyin back to her senses.
The palace was filled with the smell of ambergris, not the stench of dead rats.
She was walking on a gilded carpet, not rotten straw.
The person sitting on the couch in front of her was the Crown Prince who was overseeing the country, and was definitely not the white-clad prisoner in Lin Huaiyin's memory.
He is not himself.
Lin Huaiyin was startled to realize that she had confused her past and present lives, and immediately averted her gaze.
She was Shen Congyun's wife, and she couldn't afford to be disrespectful when meeting the Crown Prince.
Lin Huaiyin knelt on both knees and bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject, Shen Lin, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live a thousand years."
She prostrated herself in utmost respect.
Xiao Zhian's eyes were dark, his hand froze in mid-air, unable to utter the words "No need for formalities".
He arranged everything, using the pretext of worshipping the gods of mountains and rivers to design this grand procession. He disregarded the distinction between ruler and subject, and summoned her to his side not to see her kneel or hear her call him "Your Majesty."
She was injured because of him, and he had a responsibility and a duty to separate her from Chen Congyun, protect her, and take care of her personally.
Xiao Zhian devoted himself to Lin Huaiyin, protecting her with the heart of a crown prince.
He thought she would like it, and he looked forward to her meowing and curling up on his lap to heal her injuries.
Her performance certainly reflected this.
She looked at him with deep affection as soon as she came in, and murmured his name, as if she had been looking forward to meeting him countless times in her heart.
But her mood changed as quickly as ever; she could withdraw her affection in an instant and kneel down without him even having time to help her up.
Doesn't her wound hurt when she performs such a grand gesture?
If you insist on being strong, you can't show weakness or rely on him even a little bit.
Xiao Zhian didn't want to talk to her anymore. She was stubborn and her words were not pleasant to hear.
He preferred her instincts.
Her instincts are what truly define her.
So Xiao Zhian got up and went over, spreading his arms to pick her up horizontally.
Lin Huaiyin was kneeling properly, dignified and obedient, when suddenly Xiao Zhian scooped her up, like a little calf being snatched into the mouth of an eagle, her eyes wide open like copper bells.
What's wrong with His Highness the Crown Prince?
Lin Huaiyin was terrified, opening her mouth only to immediately cover it again!
Just a wall away, Shen Congyun was right outside...
The older brother is outside too...
All the civil and military officials, princes and ministers were outside...
And there were imperial guards, with wolf ears...
What if someone overhears...
Lin Huaiyin covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make even the slightest strange sound.
Knowing this about her, Xiao Zhian strode confidently toward the soft couch and, just as he had cleaned her wounds yesterday, had her straddle his waist.
However, Xiao Zhian made a mistake; he hadn't expected that things would be different today.
Last night, Lin Huaiyin's life hung by a thread. He was terrified and his mind was free of distractions. Now, he was wearing only a thin undergarment, his outline already faintly visible. Lin Huaiyin sat on him and twisted and turned, moaning softly in his ear. He was caught off guard, his mind exploded, and his blood boiled.
In an instant, Xiao Zhian's body temperature soared.
Lin Huaiyin blushed.
The pose was too ambiguous, and because of the hem of her skirt, it climbed high up to her thighs. She saw that her legs were wrapped around Xiao Zhian's waist, and she could clearly feel Xiao Zhian's hot, throbbing body. Her earlobes were red as blood.
This is too embarrassing, I'd better run.
Lin Huaiyin suddenly stood up.
Xiao Zhian pressed her back down, and let out a muffled groan the moment they made contact. Lin Huaiyin was so embarrassed that she wanted to punch him to death, but he acted as if nothing had happened. He picked up the bowl, stirred it, blew on the spoon to cool it down, and fed it to her lips.
"Good boy, drink your medicine."
He fed her medicine, looking very serious, but his ears were red, his voice was suppressed, his Adam's apple bobbed, and waves of heat were throbbing inside him.
It's just administering medicine, why do you have to use this position?
Lin Huaiyin was extremely embarrassed and reached out to snatch the bowl and drink it all in one gulp, but Xiao Zhian wouldn't let go and even looked up at her fiercely.
Lin Huaiyin was afraid of him and dared not move. She could only obediently open her mouth to swallow the medicine and ask him, trying to make conversation, "Your Highness, what kind of medicine is this?"
"Antidote."
Xiao Zhian spoke very quickly.
He tried with great difficulty, but lacking experience in this area, he couldn't control his reaction. He could only continue Lin Huaiyin's words and try to remain calm: "Because you ran away last night, the imperial physician can only determine what kind of poison you have by examining me and then prescribe an antidote."
"Oh?" Lin Huaiyin looked Xiao Zhian up and down: "Your Highness is injured too?"
“I didn’t,” Xiao Zhian shook his head.
Lin Huaiyin looked suspicious, indicating that she couldn't make sense of it—if you weren't injured, what kind of poison could you have been poisoned by?
"I was cleaning your wounds when I accidentally ingested some poisonous blood." Xiao Zhian looked directly into Lin Huaiyin's eyes. "That's why I got poisoned."
"Oh." Lin Huaiyin grinned sheepishly, "Your Highness has gone to so much trouble. Actually, this kind of thing should be done by Xuan Ge. He is definitely more experienced than you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhian paused with his right hand, withdrew the spoon from Lin Huaiyin's mouth, swallowed it himself, narrowed his eyes, and asked, "Then do you want to know how I cleaned the wound?"
He asked, a strange smile playing on his lips.
Lin Huaiyin was immediately enveloped by a cold aura.
I have a feeling I'm about to get my comeuppance.
She was trembling with fear, but Xiao Zhian did not disappoint her. He smiled, took her hands, put the medicine bowl in her hands, and casually put the spoon in her mouth as well.
Lin Huaiyin dared not move any further.
Xiao Zhian looked at her with great interest, his gaze lingering on her. At the same time, he put his arms around Lin Huaiyin's waist, hooked her belt, and loosened the buckle.
"Click".
With a soft sound, Lin Huaiyin panicked and tried to run away, but Xiao Zhian held her hands and said in a cold voice, "Hold on tight, or I will punish you."
This was the first time Xiao Zhian addressed Lin Huaiyin as "I, the Lonely One".
For the first time, he revealed the same mocking yet oppressive look he had given Shen Congyun in prison.
Lin Huaiyin was both shocked and frightened. Holding the bowl, she dared not struggle, clenched her teeth, and let Xiao Zhi's fingertips move up and down her skin without daring to make the slightest strange sound.
Xiao Zhian slowly and methodically unbuttoned each button and peeled off his clothes piece by piece.
Belts, thin gauze robes with wide sleeves, half-sleeved garments, brocade robes, and gauze shirts.
Xiao Zhian peeled the fabric with ease and pleasure, only stopping leisurely when all that remained was a piece of the bodice.
Except for her lower body, which was still covered by clothes, Lin Huaiyin was dressed in only a few threads, just like yesterday, sitting in Xiao Zhian's arms.
"Yesterday, I did just that, first taking off your clothes and cleaning your wounds and scabs."
Xiao Zhian spoke casually, as if he didn't care at all, but his heart was tightening.
Yesterday's blood-stained clothes and gruesome wounds are still vivid in my mind.
Lin Huaiyin's gasps and pain echoed in my ears.
He never forgot how she bravely rushed towards him and protected him with her frail body.
Xiao Zhian will never forget this.
He picked up Lin Huaiyin, gently placed her on the soft couch, got up, opened the medicine box, moistened the silk handkerchief, and prepared to clean Lin Huaiyin's wounds and reapply the medicine.
However, when he turned his head, Xiao Zhian's pupils trembled, and he stood there stunned.
The handkerchief slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a "thud".
Upon hearing the sound, Lin Huaiyin suddenly remembered that her back should not be shown to others. She put down the medicine bowl and tried to cover herself, but Xiao Zhian hugged her tightly first.
"What happened? Did Shen Congyun do it?"
Xiao Zhian lifted her onto his lap and looked at Lin Huaiyin's back in disbelief.
He was completely unaware of the dim candlelight last night, but now, in broad daylight, he realizes how horrific the scene is.
A girl's back, only the width of a palm, should be smooth and tender, crystal white. How come the skin on her back is rolled up and covered with a black hard shell, as if it has been burned?
What are those dense, swirling scars?
How could she have been hurt like this?
How could it be covered in wounds, with even the foot-long knife wound looking insignificant?
What has she experienced at such a young age?
Xiao Zhian was heartbroken to the point of suffocation.
He held her tightly, wanting her to stop hiding things. He wanted to know her secrets, to know everything about her, and he would never let anyone hurt her again.
Lin Huaiyin felt like he was about to strangle her.
My bones hurt, breathing hurts, my wounds hurt, my whole body aches.
The pain was so real, so intense, so unforgettable, like a spark igniting a wildfire within her, making her desperately want to live.
In his past life, his family was destroyed, he was pierced by ten thousand arrows, and his body was burned by flames.
In the past life, everything was lost, and blood flowed like a river.
The scars on her back are the marks of her fall into hell, a reminder that she must never repeat the same mistake.
She wanted to live, she wanted to fight, and she would never admit defeat.
She couldn't afford to lose this round at Heming Mountain.
Lin Huaiyin opened her mouth with difficulty and pleaded with Xiao Zhian: "Your Highness, please allow me to return to the capital."
"I disagree." Xiao Zhian cupped her face in his hands. "I won't allow you to leave my side even for a moment longer. Tell me what happened, and I'll get justice for you—"
"I beg you," Lin Huaiyin pleaded insistently, "allow me to return to the capital."
"Who do you think you are, a mere subject?"
Even now, he still keeps people at arm's length. Xiao Zhian's eyes turned bloodshot, and his anger surged forth: "You have had intimate relations with me, the Crown Prince. You are my woman. Where you go is up to me."
After he finished speaking, he roughly pressed Lin Huaiyin down onto the soft couch, wiped her wounds, and applied medicine.
Lin Huaiyin's back was shocking, and Xiao Zhian's hands trembled uncontrollably.
Lin Huaiyin was also trembling under his hand.
Xiao Zhian's words echoed repeatedly in his ears, deafeningly loud.
It's over.
One wrong step leads to another, and everything is ruined.
She shouldn't have shown up to save him.
Xuan Ge dared to take His Highness the Crown Prince to a secluded place, so he must have the ability to protect him. She shouldn't be so presumptuous as to rush over and cause trouble.
Afterwards, she should not have disrespected His Highness by sharing a bed with him.
She wanted to be a loyal subject, but she became the source of disaster. Once His Highness the Crown Prince's dangerous thoughts are exposed, Shen Congyun will rise up and attack him. His Highness and the Lin family will collapse and never recover.
what to do.
Lin Huaiyin had a splitting headache.
She must leave, not just now, she must disappear from his sight forever.
Even if he hates her, it's better than now.
Lin Huaiyin closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and said, "This humble woman has not had any physical contact with Your Highness. This humble woman has only used Your Highness's hands. You can wash them clean."
“I will wash my hands, and I even stayed up all night to file my nails short for you.” Xiao Zhian leaned down and whispered in Lin Huaiyin’s ear, “Once you’ve recovered from your injuries, I will make sure to confirm with you whose woman you are.”
"Your Highness, I am the wife of Shen Congyun, the Grand Secretary." Lin Huaiyin said politely and respectfully, "Your Highness asked about the wound on my back. That is a mark left from when I was kidnapped and tortured by the White Lotus Rebels. If my husband had not come to rescue me, I would have been a pile of bones long ago. Your Highness is busy with state affairs, and I have never complained about Your Highness's failure to suppress the bandits. Last night, I just mistook you for my husband, Shen Congyun. I beg Your Highness to forgive my unintentional mistake in the sake of my life to protect you."
Lin Huaiyin racked her brains and came up with every excuse she could think of.
As long as the attacks are concentrated enough, there will always be one that succeeds.
The sound of breathing disappeared from her ears, and the palace fell silent. It was the prelude to a violent storm. Lin Huaiyin closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. No matter how furious Xiao Zhian was in punishing her, she could endure it.
She prayed—he'd better throw her out.
But Xiao Zhian simply picked up the ointment and continued applying it to her.
"If you're going to explain, then just give a clear explanation all at once."
Xiao Zhian calmly listed her crimes: "You shot and killed Zhao Changji, the Minister of War, forged a secret edict, and led the Imperial City Guard to besiege the Erwang Temple. If you don't want to implicate your father and brothers, you should explain the cause and effect clearly, and also explain why you did it in secret instead of giving this great achievement to your good husband."
"At the Shen family banquet, you drugged yourself and the guards, causing them to publicly humiliate the Shen family's daughter. Is this how you repay your good husband?"
"By the way, I also attended the family banquet. The thin membrane hiding the calluses on your fingers was peeled off by my own hands, not to hide it from your good husband. When you were unconscious, you held my hand and called to me. Could it be that you had your eye on my hand then?"
"Yesterday, you attempted to send fragrant soup to the Shen family's daughter in my name. Did you intend to send her to the Eastern Palace, or were you trying to deceive her into believing she could enter the Eastern Palace? What were you planning? Did you discuss it with your good husband?"
"Oh, by the way, the woman in the white cloak you chose. If I hadn't sent people to investigate, her entire family would have been slaughtered yesterday, leaving no trace of their deaths."
"What?!" Lin Huaiyin finally couldn't hold back any longer and sat up abruptly. "What happened to the woman in the white cloak and her family?"
"Hehe." Xiao Zhian looked at her quietly, smiling without saying a word.
Of the 800,000 taels of silver, he received 600,000.
Clearly, neither the high monk nor the fragrant soup could be easily bought with money, so the conclusion points to the fact that the little cat, carrying a silver note, truly wanted to buy, and was determined to buy, the woman in the white cloak.
She didn't care about the Shen family at all; she cared most about that family of three.
Now, she should show him her little belly and meow.
"Your Highness."
Lin Huaiyin begged him desperately.
She was bitter inside. She attacked Xiao Zhian first, but he was as unmoved as a clay idol and even retaliated by defeating her completely.
"Your Highness."
Lin Huaiyin forced a smile, "Please, please, please have mercy."
“Okay, come sit over here.” Xiao Zhian pointed to his legs.
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