Chapter 89 He only wanted to protect His Highness for the rest of his life.
The injury on her hand was still a little sore from the exertion. Shen Panyan's knuckles twitched, and she subconsciously wanted to hide her hand, but she was afraid that he would notice. She gave him a reassuring smile and said, "It's much better now. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
With such a deep wound, how could Her Highness be alright? She must be in so much pain... But right now, all he can do is apologize.
Lin Xiao lowered his eyelashes, his lips tightened, and he remained silent.
Seeing him like this, Shen Panyan didn't know what to say. She sighed and got up, "Take good care of yourself. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
After saying that, she got up and left. Lin Xiao didn't say anything, but just watched her leave the room before turning his gaze away.
*
Worried that Lin Xiao would once again neglect his health as he always had, Shen Panyan had someone keep a close eye on him. Only after Qingdai reported to her for several days that Lin Xiao had been obediently recuperating and had not caused any more trouble did she finally feel relieved.
Because of his severe internal injuries, Shen Panyan had the kitchen staff prepare nourishing soups and send them to him daily.
He has become unusually silent. He answers whatever she asks, either saying that he understands, or that he knows, or he remains silent. Therefore, whenever she faces him, she doesn't know what to say to him. Perhaps it's better this way, as long as he is well and doesn't let her father find out, it's fine to live with him like this for the rest of her life.
As the summer heat intensifies, the cicadas outside the window become increasingly noisy every night, and Shen Panyan lies on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
She had people search for and remove the annoying cicadas during the day, but with little effect. Every evening, the cicadas outside the window would chirp incessantly, carrying the heat of the summer. Therefore, she could only cover her ears and pretend not to hear them until the middle of the night before she could fall asleep. Every day when she woke up, she was listless and dispirited.
Two days later, the cicadas outside the window suddenly stopped chirping.
Shen Panyan thought that the people in the courtyard had caught all the cicadas during the day, and was so happy that she rewarded each of them with an ounce of silver.
The cicadas outside her window stopped chirping, and Lin Xiao's internal injuries finally began to heal.
After receiving instructions from Physician Lin that she could move around freely and no longer needed to rest as before, Shen Panyan often didn't see him anymore.
Sometimes when she went to his room to see him, he wasn't there, but when she called him out, he would quickly appear, kneeling down and saying, "Lin Xiao greets Your Highness."
Shen Panyan sighed helplessly, "Get up quickly. Didn't I tell you that we don't need so much formality between us? You don't need to kneel before me next time."
She told him he didn't need to bow, but Lin Xiao silently rose and said, "Propriety cannot be disregarded."
Shen Panyan felt utterly helpless. She had clearly given him instructions last time, but he would still do the same thing the next time he appeared.
There seemed to be an inexplicable barrier between them.
Shen Panyan couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she had no choice but to go along with him.
As long as he stops torturing his body and stops trying to kill himself, she will follow him.
The medicine prescribed by Physician Lin was very effective. After a few more days, the wound on her hand had almost healed. Fearing that it would leave an unsightly scar, Zhuzhi applied scar-removing medicine to her every day.
That day, Shen Panyan noticed that the scar removal medicine smelled different. The usual scar removal medicine had a pleasant fragrance, but today's smelled bitter. She asked in confusion, "Zhuzhi, has Lord Lin changed the scar removal medicine?"
Her scar removal medication was prescribed by Physician Lin.
"Yes." Zhuzhi smiled. "Today's scar removal medicine was personally delivered by Physician Lin. I was just saying that when Your Highness runs out of scar removal medicine, I'll go to Physician Lin's house again."
"I heard from Physician Lin that this scar removal medicine is an improved version of his, and it will be more effective than the previous one."
Shen Panyan nodded, "Lord Lin has gone to great lengths. When he comes next time, remember to give him a generous reward."
"Yes, Princess."
A few days later, Shen Panyan suddenly discovered that a jade bracelet she had placed in her dressing case was missing.
It was the jade bracelet that Lin Xiao gave her, which she then broke.
After her impulsive act that day, Shen Panyan regretted it. She carefully picked up the broken jade bracelet and put it away, thinking of having someone find a skilled craftsman to repair it. Now the craftsman has been found, but who knew that the jade bracelet had disappeared.
Shen Panyan had her room searched thoroughly, almost digging three feet into the ground, but they still couldn't find the jade bracelet. At first, she thought one of the maids had taken it, but soon she realized that only Zhuzhi and Qingdai were allowed into her room. She had so many jade bracelets; why would they take her broken one?
But besides the two of them, only one other person knew how to take it.
Linxiao.
Could he have taken it?
Shen Panyan hesitated for a moment before calling Lin Xiao out. After he stood up, she looked at him nervously and asked, "Lin Xiao, did you take that jade bracelet?"
Lin Xiao lowered his eyes and answered in a low voice, "Yes, Your Highness."
It really was him.
When Shen Panyan breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't know what to say.
Should we get that jade bracelet back?
But that jade bracelet was a gift from him, which she broke herself. She failed to cherish his sentiment, and no matter how you look at it, it seems she has no reason to ask for the jade bracelet back.
But... after all, it was a gift from him. Shen Panyan bit her lip and after a long while, she finally asked, "Lin Xiao, why are you taking it?"
Lin Xiao said calmly, "This jade bracelet is of poor quality and is not worthy of Your Highness's status."
"Your Highness deserves better."
He spoke so earnestly that Shen Panyan almost burst into tears upon hearing it.
She wanted to tell him that the jade bracelet was of good quality and that she didn't have anything better, but when she looked into his calm and dark eyes, the words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them.
What's done is done. She herself shattered his feelings for her, and now it seems that only a subordinate relationship remains between them.
Shen Panyan felt a dull ache in her chest, as if a large stone was blocking her throat.
She truly regretted it; she regretted breaking the jade bracelet that day.
Seeing that she was no longer speaking, Lin Xiao bowed and said, "If Your Highness has no further instructions, I will take my leave."
Shen Panyan looked at him, opened her mouth for a long time, but didn't know what to say. She could only nod and let him leave.
"good."
As soon as he disappeared, Shen Panyan turned around, but she couldn't hold back her tears, which rolled down her cheeks like a beaded curtain.
"I'm sorry, Lin Xiao..." Her voice was so soft that no one could hear her except herself.
In the days that followed, Shen Panyan never saw Lin Xiao again. It was as if he no longer existed in the entire princess's mansion. As her wedding date approached, she had to keep busy.
The palace embroiderers delivered the finished wedding dresses and shoes to the princess's residence so she could try them on and have them altered if they didn't fit.
Besides that, she also learned from the Crown Prince's birth mother, Consort Xian, how to get along with her husband after marriage, and how to be a wife and mother.
Originally, this matter should have been taught by her birth mother or the Empress, but now that the Empress has been deposed and her birth mother has passed away, the task of teaching her has fallen on Consort Xian.
Consort Xian had always kept a low profile in the palace. After the Empress was deposed, she took over the reins of power in the harem. She was always meticulous and strict in her work, and now, with Emperor Gan Ning's instructions, she was even more focused and serious when teaching him.
Therefore, Shen Panyan not only had to go to the palace every day to listen to the teachings of the Virtuous Consort, but also had to submit her homework after returning home. She could not delay, otherwise she would be punished by copying it three times.
Shen Panyan got up early and went to bed late every day, and within a few days, she became completely listless.
Seeing her like this, Zhuzhi felt sorry for her. While applying the scar-removing medicine to her, she whispered, "Princess, why don't I help you write it?"
"The Consort Xian is assigning more and more lessons. If this continues, you might not be able to endure it before you even get married."
Shen Panyan shook her head. "The Consort Xian is only doing this because she is responsible for me. That's why she has assigned me so many lessons. Our handwriting is different. If the Consort Xian finds out, she will definitely be very angry."
She is the Crown Prince's birth mother and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be the next Empress Dowager. There's a long road ahead, so there's no need to cause conflict with her over such a trivial matter.
However, the amount of homework she assigned was indeed excessive. After finishing her homework, Shen Panyan would carefully copy it again to submit the next day, which often took several hours. By the time she finished everything, it was already late at night.
Shen Panyan was so sleepy that her head was nodding off. The candlelight flickered gently on her body, as if she were wrapped in a warm, soft blanket, which made her even more drowsy. Before she knew it, she had written a word wrong and had to start over.
But she hasn't been sleeping well for several days in a row lately, and she really doesn't have the energy to rewrite it again. Otherwise... she should apologize to Consort Xian tomorrow.
Shen Panyan hesitated for a moment, then continued writing.
Before we knew it, the night had grown even deeper.
She was so tired that after writing the last word, she didn't even have time to get up and go back to bed. She just put down her pen, lay down on the table, and fell asleep without even noticing the ink stain on her nose.
Lin Xiao didn't actually go anywhere. He stayed by her side the whole time, but he remained hidden in the shadows and never showed himself.
Seeing that His Highness was asleep, he crushed the cicada that had appeared out of nowhere and threw it down to prevent it from disturbing His Highness's rest. Then he lightly floated down from the tree and entered her room.
He bent down and gently picked her up, placing her on the bed, and carefully took off her embroidered shoes.
Seeing that His Highness's nose was stained with ink, Lin Xiao turned and left, but soon reappeared in the room.
This time, he had a damp handkerchief in his hand, and he gently wiped away the ink stain on her nose.
Perhaps it was the coolness on her nose that made her feel a little uncomfortable. She shifted her body, her eyelashes fluttering, as if she was about to wake up from her dream... Lin Xiao's movements stiffened slightly, and he disappeared from the room in a flash.
Shen Panyan ultimately did not wake up; she simply turned over.
Lin Xiao remained motionless in the shadows for a long time. Seeing that she had fallen asleep again, he reappeared, thoroughly wiped the ink stain off her nose, lowered the curtain, and turned to leave.
He was about to leave, but his gaze fell on her homework.
Shen Panyan was so tired that she didn't even know what she was writing anymore. She not only made several mistakes, but also left several thick ink stains on her paper. If she handed in her assignment like this, Consort Xian would definitely be angry with her, even if she didn't say anything to her face. She would definitely have to rewrite it all again tomorrow morning.
Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment, then went to her desk.
He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and copied the piece she had written incorrectly again, placing it above him. It was indistinguishable from her own handwriting.
He was naturally good at imitation, and at the royal villa, she taught him to read and write diligently, so he was extremely familiar with her handwriting and it was not difficult for him to write the same characters as her.
After finishing all this, Lin Xiao put away the homework she had written incorrectly and quietly disappeared from the room.
The summer night breeze was silent. Lin Xiao lay on a tree branch, one hand behind his head, his dark hair hanging down, letting the wind blow gently, the leaves rustling, quiet and peaceful.
He held the homework that Shen Panyan had just written and read it word by word.
What kind of nonsense is this? Why does Your Highness have to learn all this... What is it about Gu Jinyan that makes him worthy of Your Highness's treatment?
Lin Xiao tightened his fingers inch by inch and lowered his eyelashes.
The moonlight is exceptionally beautiful tonight; through the dense foliage, one can see the bright, clear moon hanging high in the sky.
The moonlight can illuminate every inch of land, but it cannot reach him.
After all, he could see the bright moon through the gaps in the leaves, but the bright moon could not see him through the gaps in the leaves.
After a long while, Lin Xiao finally folded up her homework again, put it in his pocket, and put it away.
Regardless, unless His Highness consents, he will not allow anyone to humiliate His Highness, including Gu Jinyan, even though he is the imperial consort bestowed by His Majesty.
If His Highness hadn't stopped him last time, he would never have let him live.
Gu Jinyan is really lucky, just because he has a good identity... Lin Xiao suddenly smiled.
Now he has figured it out and no longer cares whether His Highness cares about him or not.
The bright moon should have been hanging high, but he failed to recognize his own status and tried to demand more. Otherwise, His Highness would not have been injured.
Her Highness is kind and forgiving, allowing him to stay by her side. He has nothing left to repay her with but himself.
As long as Your Highness is willing to keep him, he will stay by her side forever, never leaving her until the day she grows old and dies.
He will stay by her side for the rest of his life.
The evening breeze was cool, stirring his robes. Lin Xiao slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.
The next day, when Shen Panyan woke up in bed, she was still a little dazed.
She remembered that she seemed to have fallen asleep at her desk last night, but when she woke up, she was on the bed.
She rubbed her temples, trying hard to recall, but couldn't remember anything.
She was so tired last night that, looking back, she couldn't recall whether she slept on her desk or on the couch, except for the image of her writing. She couldn't remember after thinking for a long time, so she had to give up.
etc.....
Suddenly, Shen Panyan remembered something very serious.
Her studies!
She'll be going to the palace soon to have it checked by Consort Xian. She was so tired last night, I hope she didn't make any mistakes in her homework.
Shen Panyan hurriedly got out of bed and saw that her handwriting from last night was neat and tidy, without any mistakes or scribbles. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called Zhuzhi in to put away her homework. She then changed her clothes and did her makeup. It was time for her to go to the palace.
However, on the way to the palace, Shen Panyan suddenly remembered that she had written a word wrong last night. She was thinking of apologizing to Consort Xian today, but now the wrong word was gone.
Shen Panyan checked the text several times but couldn't find any mistakes. However, seeing that the handwriting was her own, she was immediately confused. Could it be that she remembered it wrong?
"Princess, what are you looking at?" Zhuzhi asked, puzzled, seeing her like this.
"No...it's nothing." Shen Panyan shook her head, suppressing her doubts.
Another busy day passed, and by the time I returned home, the sky was already ablaze with the colors of dawn.
After dinner and a bath, in addition to the perfume, Zhuzhi also gave her some scar-removing medicine to apply.
Shen Panyan's hand injury had long since healed, and the scar removal medicine was almost finished.
However, the scar removal medicine is indeed very effective. The once horrifying wound is now just a faint white mark.
Zhu Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "I never expected that Physician Lin was also an expert in scar removal. I only knew of Physician Xuan for his effective scar removal medicine. If the ladies in the palace knew that Physician Lin also had this skill, they would definitely fight over him."
Shen Panyan smiled and said, "Lord Lin has never liked to get involved in the power struggles in the harem. Don't say that out loud and cause him trouble."
Zhu Zhi made a suffocating gesture, "Even if the princess hadn't told me, I wouldn't have told anyone. I'm not one of those big mouths who would tell everyone everything."
“Yes, bamboo branches are the best.” Shen Panyan smiled.
Zhu Zhi was two years older than her and was always steady and reliable. After thinking for a moment, Chen Panyan asked, "Zhu Zhi, do you want to get married?"
Zhu Zhi was slightly taken aback. "Why did the princess bring this up?"
Shen Panyan smiled at her and said, "I just feel that although you haven't been by my side for long, I can feel your sincerity. So I don't intend to keep you by my side forever. If you and Qingdai meet someone you like, you must remember to tell me. At that time, I can let you leave the manor and give you some dowry."
Zhuzhi blushed at her words: "Princess, I haven't met anyone I like yet. Besides, you are so wonderful, Princess. Being by your side is something many people would rather die for. How could I bear to leave you?"
Shen Panyan: "But you two will get married eventually!"
She sighed, "I'm getting married soon too."
The thought of Gu Jinyan made her brows furrow deeply.
The Consort Xian taught her mostly how to get along well with her husband. She was a princess with a noble status, but a husband and wife should not live according to their social status. Therefore, in front of her husband, she had to put aside her status and get along well with him... Thinking of these things, Shen Panyan felt irritated.
If this marriage hadn't been bestowed by her father, and if the imperial decree hadn't been obeyed, she truly wouldn't have wanted to marry him.
She didn't even intend to let Gu Jinyan step into the princess's residence.
Perhaps Consort Xian saw through her thoughts, so Consort Xian has been telling her these past few days how to get along with the prince consort and that she must not act presumptuously as a princess. This annoyed her even more, but she had no choice but to listen.
Zhu Zhi, who had been by her side, noticed her pale complexion and guessed what was wrong. She said gently, "Princess, you might as well bear with it a little longer. You'll be fine in a few days. Consort Xian was instructed by His Majesty to ensure that you and your husband live a good life, which is why she gave you this advice."
After what happened last time, Zhuzhi no longer thinks Gu Jinyan is a good person, and she feels worried whenever she thinks of him.
He is currently under the control of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and has not been able to cause any more trouble. The Rongguo Duke's Mansion cannot control him for the rest of his life. What if he causes trouble again after getting married? Just thinking about it makes Zhuzhi feel a headache for the princess.
But this was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, and even a princess could not disobey it.
Shen Panyan sighed, "I know."
She was just a little unhappy, but she still completed her daily schoolwork diligently.
As the weather grew hotter and hotter, Emperor Gan Ning decided to move to the Summer Palace, and Consort Xian wanted to go with him. Only then was she spared.
She has already taught most of what she needed to teach, there's no need to keep going on and on.
No longer having to do homework every day, Shen Panyan felt as if the mountain that had been pressing down on her had suddenly disappeared, and she instantly felt relieved.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter. Shen Panyan had originally planned to go to the Summer Palace, but for some reason, she always felt weak and slept in a daze every day, as if she could never wake up. So she didn't plan to go to the Summer Palace and thought that staying in a manor outside the capital for a while would be enough. However, before she could get up and set off for the manor, she suddenly fainted.
Without any warning, even breathing seemed to stop.
Seeing that the person who was perfectly fine just moments before had suddenly collapsed, Zhuzhi immediately widened her eyes, "Princess!"
She frantically reached out to help her, but someone was faster than her. Almost instantly, he appeared, put his arm around her waist, picked her up, and placed her on the couch.
Zhuzhi quickly followed, saying rapidly, "Qingdai, go and invite Madam Lin..."
"I'll go," Lin Xiao interrupted her.
He appeared quickly and disappeared just as quickly. Before the bamboo branch could stop him, he vanished from the spot, causing the bamboo branch to panic.
Lin Xiao didn't bring the princess's waist token, so Physician Lin won't come.
In a panic, she sent Qingdai after them, then stayed close to Shen Panyan, never leaving her side.
When Lin Xiao arrived, Imperial Physician Lin was just about to leave when he suddenly saw the newcomer, and a bad feeling immediately arose in his heart.
"Lin Xiao, what are you doing here again?"
"I've already given the princess the scar removal medicine you gave me last time. Is there anything else?"
Physician Lin both respected and feared Lin Xiao. Last time, when Lin Xiao came to his house to threaten him, he was almost scared to death. But they still had some relationship. Lin Xiao wasn't just threatening him; he also revealed that his son was secretly going to a gambling den, which almost made Physician Lin furious.
Otherwise, Physician Lin would not have readily agreed.
Every time he came, nothing good ever came of it, and sure enough, it did.
Lin Xiao spoke very quickly, picked him up and was about to leave, "His Highness has fainted, you will come with me to the Princess's residence now."
"Princess, wait... don't rush, put me down, I haven't taken my medicine box yet! Medicine box!" Physician Lin shouted.
Lin Xiao frowned and put him down. "Which medicine box is it? Hurry up."
Physician Lin hurriedly went back to his room to get his medicine box. Seeing that he was about to be carried away again, he said anxiously, "Wait, I can walk by myself."
Lin Xiao: "You're walking too slowly."
He didn't give him a chance to refuse at all, and directly hoisted the person onto his shoulder and used his lightness skill to quickly head towards the princess's residence.
When Physician Lin was put down, he felt dizzy and his stomach churned.
"We've known each other for so long, can't you at least show some respect for the elderly...?"
"Stop talking nonsense, quickly check what's wrong with His Highness." Lin Xiao completely ignored him.
When Zhuzhi saw Lin Taiyi being carried back by Lin Xiao, she was so shocked that she didn't recover for a long time. When Lin Xiao mentioned the princess, she hurriedly stepped aside, "Yes, yes, Lord Lin, please take a look at the princess. Her breathing is sometimes strong and sometimes weak..."
Physician Lin's expression turned serious, and he quickly stepped forward to take the patient's pulse.
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Author's Note: Guess what happened to the female lead? [doge emoji]
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