Chapter 76 He's really jealous
Chapter Seventy-Three
As dawn broke, the sun shone brightly.
When Shen Panyan woke up, Lin Xiao was already gone.
She propped herself up from the bed, rubbed her slightly sore left arm, and frowned slightly.
For some reason, she slept very restlessly last night, feeling very hot, as if she were in a furnace. Perhaps it was because the weather was getting hot. Tonight, she insisted that Zhuzhi change her bedding to a thinner one.
At breakfast, Shen Panyan summoned Lin Xiao as she had done the day before. Looking at his calm, respectful and obedient demeanor, Shen Panyan felt as if she had returned to the way she first met him.
Did he figure it out in just one day?
So fast?
Shen Panyan hesitated for a moment, but was afraid that she had guessed wrong. So, in the following days, she deliberately approached Gu Jinyan as before, bringing him pastries, inviting him to enjoy the scenery, practice calligraphy together... and their relationship became extremely intimate.
She knew Lin Xiao was outside. She didn't know where he was hiding, but she knew he could definitely see her.
Not only that, her concern for him was no longer as meticulous as before; she only touched on things briefly and never asked too many questions. When Shen Panyan saw his cold, indifferent, and taciturn appearance, she felt relieved but also couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness.
How could you not be heartbroken if you pushed away the person you love?
She always felt sad and guilty towards him.
Perhaps she was too distracted, because her brush wobbled, leaving heavy ink marks on the characters she had written, making them illegible. Gu Jinyan didn't like sitting quietly at his desk to write or read, but he was only sitting here properly because of Shen Panyan.
Seeing her listless and absent-minded appearance, Gu Jinyan immediately suggested, "Mingyue, how about we go hunting? There are many small animals on the small hill next to Cining Temple. Do you like foxes? How about I catch one for you?"
Shen Panyan came back to her senses, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, then I'll trouble you, Brother Jinyan."
Gu Jinyan raised an eyebrow. "This is no trouble at all. I'll go and have the men prepare horses right away. Mingyue, you can't ride a horse, so how about we ride together in a bit?"
As he finished speaking, he looked at her cautiously.
Shen Panyan: "Okay."
Gu Jinyan was even happier to see her agree.
He really liked her. Ever since he started chasing after her, all his friends laughed at him, saying that he was just desperately trying to get close to her, but the princess wouldn't even give him a second glance.
Now, he really wanted to bring all his cronies over and show them that no one said the princess didn't care about him.
The saying goes, "Sincerity can move mountains," meaning that he would succeed one day.
If things continue like this, his dream of becoming a prince consort won't be far off. With this delighted thought in mind, Gu Jinyan became even more attentive.
The shadows of the trees rustled outside the window.
Things don't always go as planned.
Gu Jinyan had horses prepared and was leading Shen Panyan out of Cining Temple when a servant rushed in to report that the horses, which had been waiting outside, had somehow eaten poisonous herbs and were now suffering from diarrhea and could not escape.
He only had this one horse, and there were no other horses available at Cining Temple. He couldn't very well use the princess's horse, so Gu Jinyan had no choice but to put his hunting plans on hold.
"Mingyue, after we return to the capital in two days, I will hunt another little fox and give it to you."
“Okay.” Shen Panyan nodded, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents.
The two walked side by side. Gu Jinyan said something that made Shen Panyan cover her mouth and laugh. Under the spring sun, the peach blossoms were dazzling and dappled onto the two of them. It was so dazzling that it hurt.
Lin Xiao hid in the shadows, lowering his eyelashes.
Suddenly, he laughed, as if mocking himself.
He couldn't even show his face, not even be His Highness's bodyguard. He could only hide in the shadows and watch her, watching her interact and be intimate with others... Gu Jinyan was truly lucky. With a good identity, he could stand openly by His Highness's side. No matter how much he said, His Highness would still choose him.
He's so lucky, so lucky it's enviable.
The shadows of the trees swayed gently, and the white spots of light flickered slightly as his figure quietly disappeared among the trees.
In the evening, Shen Panyan called Lin Xiao out as usual to have dinner, but Lin Xiao seemed to have disappeared and did not appear for a long time.
Shen Panyan frowned, her heart skipped a beat.
Could something have happened to Lin Xiao?
In the past, whenever he was around, she only needed to call him and he would always appear. Now, he hasn't shown up for so long, and Shen Panyan is really worried.
She immediately became anxious to go out and look for him, but as soon as she stepped out of the room, she suddenly remembered something: she didn't even know where he had gone or when he had disappeared. Where could she look for him?
wrong.
If something happened to Lin Xiao, she couldn't possibly be completely unaware. He had been hiding in the shadows, following her all along. Today was a beautiful, sunny day; if something had happened to him, it would surely have made a fuss.
Did Lin Xiao leave on his own?
Shen Panyan turned around and began searching the room.
If he left on his own, he should have left some message for her.
Not long after, Shen Panyan found a folded piece of paper in her brocade quilt.
She unfolded the paper and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar, crooked handwriting.
So he's alright. That's good.
Shen Panyan read through the text word by word, her expression gradually turning grim.
He said that he was not worth the great price Your Highness paid to get him away from the Emperor, and that he would find a way to leave the Dark Guard Camp and come to her side.
At the end of the letter, he said:
Your Highness, please trust me. I will definitely return to your side.
This time, however, I am no longer His Majesty's secret guard, but yours.
By the end, Shen Panyan was trembling with anger.
This is absolutely ridiculous!!
What was he going to do? He was a secret guard who didn't even have freedom. Unless she took the initiative to ask for it, how else could he leave the secret guard camp?
If he could think of a good way to leave, would he have gone to such lengths to gain his freedom at the cost of his own life?
Shen Panyan suddenly began to regret it. If she had known, she should have been ruthless and driven him away the day he arrived, instead of taking pity on him and retreating again and again, enduring him again and again, and even staying at Cining Temple for a few more days because of it.
Chen Panyan slowly kneaded the letter into his palm with his knuckles.
She was saying that he had always been stubborn, so why was he suddenly so quiet and seemed to have given up and let go? Was it all an act?
She took him from her father not to make him her bodyguard, but to set him free.
Does he even understand?!
Shen Panyan's head was throbbing with anger, and she shouted, "Qingdai!"
Qingdai pushed open the door and came in. "Princess, what's wrong?"
"Have your men prepare a carriage immediately, I'm returning to the capital!"
Qingdai paused for a moment, "Now? But it's already dark, Princess, how about tomorrow..."
"Just go as I'm told! I'm heading back to Beijing right now!"
She had to get Lin Xiao back as soon as possible, before he left the Dark Guard Camp.
"Yes!" Qingdai had never seen the princess so angry before, so she quickly bowed and turned to leave.
Qingdai acted quickly, and in no time the carriage was ready. Zhuzhi had also loaded the things she brought onto the carriage.
Shen Panyan sat in the carriage, barely suppressing her anger, and said, "Let's go back to the capital!"
"Yes, Princess. But shouldn't we send someone to inform Young Master Gu?"
Young Master Gu stayed because of the princess. Is it really appropriate for them to leave without saying a word?
Shen Panyan paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Ignore him, let's go."
Zhuzhi and Qingdai looked at each other, puzzled as to why the princess, who seemed so kind to Young Master Gu during the day, suddenly changed her attitude at night.
However, trying to guess what her master was thinking was a big no-no, so Qingdai Zhuzhi quickly put aside her thoughts and replied, "Yes, Princess."
The moonlight is exceptionally bright tonight; its frosty white glow illuminates the dark road, making it less difficult to walk.
However, due to Shen Panyan's urging, the coachman drove too fast, and the wheels bounced violently. Shen Panyan grabbed the window tightly, feeling dizzy from the jolting.
Seeing her pale face, Zhuzhi quickly advised, "Princess, why don't you ask the driver to slow down? Traveling at night is already difficult..."
"No, faster!" Shen Panyan gritted her teeth, afraid that she wouldn't make it in time.
"It can't go any faster!" Zhuzhi said anxiously, looking at Qingdai, wanting her to help persuade her, but when she saw that Qingdai's face was even worse than the princess's and that she was vomiting so badly that she felt a headache coming on.
However, she soon lost interest in trying to persuade her, as she herself was about to vomit.
They traveled swiftly to the capital, but the city gates were already closed. Shen Panyan quickly had someone hand over her waist token, and after a short while, the heavy city gates opened with a muffled sound, just enough for a carriage to pass through.
"Go to the palace, I need to see my father," Shen Panyan ordered, her face pale.
"yes."
The carriage sped off towards the palace once again.
However, this time they were stopped.
The palace had long since reached the time to be locked, and once locked, no one was allowed to enter; this was the rule.
"Commander Yang, please let me in. I'll only be inside for half an hour. I'll leave as soon as I see my father," Shen Panyan said anxiously.
Commander Yang clasped his hands in a salute and said, “Princess, I really cannot let you in. You know the rules of the palace. Once the gates are locked, no one can enter unless His Majesty summons them urgently.”
"Not even me?"
Even you won't do it.
Shen Panyan was both anxious and angry. If she wasn't allowed to go in, how could she get Lin Xiao back, even if only temporarily?
She had already come up with an excuse: she would say that she had a nightmare at Cining Temple and was filled with anxiety and fear. She just needed to get Lin Xiao over first and stop him, and then she could deal with the rest later.
She took a deep breath. "Yang Zuo, I order you to open the palace gates. I need to see my father!"
“We are on duty, Princess, please do not make things difficult for us.” Yang Zuo remained unmoved.
No matter what Shen Panyan said, whether it was threats or orders, Yang Zuo refused to budge. In the end, Shen Panyan had no choice but to give up.
"If the princess has something to discuss with His Majesty, she can come again tomorrow morning."
Tomorrow morning, tomorrow morning, will she still have time?
Feeling frustrated, Shen Panyan turned and got into the carriage. "Back to the manor."
"yes."
Inside the carriage, Shen Panyan rubbed her temples, her brows furrowed with worry.
"Princess, what happened? You've returned to the capital in such a hurry, perhaps you could tell us, and we'll help you figure out a solution," Zhuzhi and Qingdai advised.
Shen Panyan lowered her eyelashes, her expression hesitant.
Now that she's calmed down, she knows she acted impulsively tonight. Perhaps Lin Xiao's departure was only temporary. Leaving the Dark Guard Camp is not such an easy thing. She was just impatient and focused on appearances.
Shen Panyan slowly exhaled, but she still dared not tell them about Lin Xiao.
She couldn't fully trust them.
"Nothing else, let's go back to the manor."
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