Change of engagement
Upon hearing this, Li Yin froze completely. Only one word came to her mind: "Run," and she had to run as fast as she could.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the tinder into her other hand. She quickly bent her arm, strained her elbow, and delivered a powerful, merciless blow to the person behind her.
The man didn't dodge, and Li Yin heard a muffled groan. The man actually withstood it. Li Yin was stunned for a moment, and a trace of regret arose in his heart.
But right now, she can't stop; she can't get involved with this person anymore.
Wen Youqing stared straight at Li Yin, his eyes shifting from joy to darkness. He lowered his gaze, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips.
Li Yin, do you really not want to be with me?
Well, unfortunately, I'm going to do the opposite of what you want.
Therefore, he grabbed Li Yin's arm, and Li Yin skillfully shook out a handful of powder with her left hand, which she then sprinkled behind her.
In an instant, conspicuous streaks of dust appeared where the candlelight shone, and the medicinal powder burned her eyes. Wen Youqing's fingers trembled slightly in pain, but she still did not let go.
Several bloodstains suddenly appeared on the man's jade-like face, with bloodstains coming from the corners of his eyes, like tears of blood. His eyes were red, his gaze was lowered, and he stared straight at Li Yin.
When Li Yin turned around and saw him, she was also stunned. This time, she was really frightened by Wen Youqing's reckless behavior. She had no intention of hurting him.
Li Yin moved a little closer and slightly to the side, but Wen Youqing's gaze remained fixed on the spot where Li Yin had been.
This person has an eye injury.
Li Yin knew the effects of the medicine. Right now, Wen Youqing's eyes probably wouldn't recover anytime soon, and everything she saw was just a white blur.
Although she knew this, she still reached out and gently waved her hand in front of Wen Youqing's eyes. When no one reacted, she whispered, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not her."
Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing lowered his eyes, his expression slightly melancholic, his eyelids lowered, but his brows remained unfurrowed.
Suddenly, a drop of warm liquid landed on Li Yin's hand. The liquid was mixed with blood. Li looked down at it. Her expression remained unchanged, still calm, but her heart was in turmoil.
Wen Youqing cried...
Is it pain, or...?
Her first thought was quickly refuted by the next sentence. Wen Youqing said, "I apologize, it was I who was rude and offended you, young lady."
After he finished speaking, he withdrew his hand. Li Yin was no longer troubled, but her heart was troubled. She frowned slightly.
After thinking for a while, she finally sighed and said in a low voice, "Young master, please be more careful next time."
Then she left, but just as she was about to go out, a book fell from above with a "thud" and landed in front of her. The blue cover was covered in dust, and as it fell, the character "Li" could be faintly seen on it. So she picked it up, put it in her sleeve, and walked away.
Just as she took a step away, Wen Youqing looked straight at her, her eyes fixed on the direction Li Yin had left.
He said calmly into the darkness, "Keep an eye on her."
The sadness had faded from his eyes; now, hatred and madness filled them.
He clenched his fist, then released it, and smiled softly as he watched Li Yin's figure disappear. The smile was light and cold, like the chilly wind of the deep night.
Li Yin took a detour and went back, tiptoeing back to her own courtyard.
On the bed, the maid was sleeping soundly. Li Yin quietly sat down in front of the dressing table. She looked at her face in the mirror and reached out to touch it. She was actually a little curious about how Wen Youqing could be watching her in such a dark environment.
She had her back to him at the time, and besides, there were many people who resembled Li Yin, so she shouldn't have been easily discovered.
If there's one easily noticeable detail, it's probably her innermost thoughts. If you knew her innermost thoughts, finding her would be incredibly easy.
But how could someone possess this ability?
She just smiled. She never believed anyone could read minds; it was all just hearsay, nothing real.
She got up and, with the help of the maid on the bed, changed her clothes back. She then gently helped the person to the door before taking out the lifelike mask from the drawer.
She picked up a jar of medicine, gently opened it, poured out the liquid, and then, after a while, placed the mask on her face.
After doing all that, she took out a book from the Royal Academy and placed it in front of her dressing table.
I gently lifted my hand and turned the pages; the paper rustled softly, and the dim, yellowish light flickered and danced.
A soft light fell upon it, illuminating the words "Li Qinglu".
Upon seeing this, Li Yin was startled and became even more curious about this person. What was this person's identity that could be written into the royal archives?
Usually, those included in books are either meritorious officials or high-ranking officials, but she, a mere woman, was nothing at all. Li Yin became curious and eagerly turned the pages.
The pages are yellowed, the binding is poorly done over time, and the footer is worn with various dotted lines.
On the page, the handwriting was neat and legible, and it read:
The Li family had a daughter named Qinglu. When she was born, all the flowers were in bloom, especially the peonies.
With an exceptionally auspicious birth chart, destined for nobility, one is fit to serve the royal family, but will eventually return to the dust of the world.
There are only these few sentences about Li Qinglu, followed by the story of the Li family's property being confiscated.
Li Yin initially thought it referred to the Li family, the family of Li Qinglu's birthplace. However, as she read on, she realized something was amiss; it was referring to her own family.
The Li family originated in Dongzhou and ended in Jincheng. They had a daughter named Yin.
A merchant in the market, selling cloth, had an agreement with He that he would marry her upon leaving his family home.
However, someone added some annotations to the end. Those few lines of writing were sharp yet restrained, which immediately reminded Li Yin of someone.
King Song, Zhao Song.
That person was known for his forbearance; he watched his own mother being murdered with indifference and even praised the murderer.
"The Li family must be eliminated to prevent this great calamity." These words, written on the paper, struck a chord in Li Yin's heart.
The person behind them... was actually Zhao Song, yet they had never met before.
The candlelight flickered greatly, as if blown by the wind, swaying gently, just like Li Yin's heart, rippling with waves.
She lowered her eyes, put away the book, and lay down on the bed.
Sun rises and moon sets, day turns to night, stars scatter, clouds rise. Li Yin opened the door, and before he even saw anyone, he heard a voice say, "Hey, is this fog?"
The man's tone was surprised and curious. Li Yin looked over and vaguely saw a person, Sandiag.
He was dressed in a blue Central Plains style of clothing. He didn't have a scholarly air, but rather a unique charm and youthful spirit. She happily ran over to Li Yin, circled around him a few times, and sincerely asked, "Sister, do I look good in this?"
He spoke so easily, the words slipping out in an instant. But as soon as he finished speaking, he realized something and blushed. He pretended not to care, but his ears turned red, giving him away even more directly.
Seeing how easily this person blushed, Li Yin smiled gently and nodded, saying, "Not bad, he's quite handsome."
Upon hearing this, Santiago smiled happily and gently tugged at Li Yin's arm, saying, "Sister, you have excellent taste."
After saying that, he was taken aback for a moment, and didn't dare to look at Li Yin. He always said things like that, as if it was a habit that he couldn't change for a while.
He glanced at Li Yin, who was still wearing a purple dress, the attire of the Western Frontier exuding a unique charm.
Santiago only saw the person smile gently. The sunlight lingered on Li Yin's hair, leaving a faint glow that added a touch of tenderness. Every smile and frown entered Santiago's heart.
He glanced at her and immediately lowered his head, but his anxiety subsided. He didn't dislike her, and the thought filled his eyes with satisfaction.
He glanced at Li Yin again and said to himself, "This person is also my elder sister, so it's not wrong for me to call her that."
Then, from now on, you'll be my older sister.
Li Yin was unaware of his inner thoughts, but she felt that this person was like a big dog, glancing at her every now and then, looking exactly like someone who was afraid of being abandoned.
After having breakfast, Li Yin and the others were summoned to Mingde Hall by someone sent by Emperor Yingzong of Ming.
Emperor Yingzong of Ming wore a yellow dragon robe with exquisite embroidery that shimmered in the sunlight. He maintained his calm demeanor. Beside him, Wen Lan remained gentle and graceful, adorned with pearl hairpins and eyebrow ornaments, her features exquisite. Dressed in a yellow dress, she was elegant and refined. The two sat together in the high hall, one appearing solemn and the other dignified, much like the peaceful and prosperous land.
Li Yin bowed according to the etiquette of the Western Frontier. Emperor Yingzong of Ming nodded and gently raised his hand.
Li Changde, who was standing to the side, understood and stepped forward with a smile, saying, "Our Great Yuan welcomes everyone's arrival. His Majesty has already accepted our intentions yesterday, and the matter of the marriage alliance remains unchanged. However, His Majesty is getting on in years, so we have changed it to a son from a prominent family. The Wen family is the first among the prominent families. I wonder what Princess Shangya thinks?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yin was naturally alarmed. The replacement was Wen Youqing, and she genuinely suspected that Wen Lan was behind it.
Li Yin didn't think this person was afraid of others vying for favor; rather, he wanted to give all the good things to the Wen family, so that the Wen family would gain more merit.
However, it could be anyone, but it just couldn't be Wen Youqing.
She had finally managed to distance herself from that person, so she stepped forward and said, "I've heard that the Wen family member is of excellent character and appearance. I've heard many people talk about him when I'm out and about. But I've also heard that he kidnapped his fiancée on their wedding day."
At this, she smiled gently and said, "It seems that Young Master Wen's feelings for his wife must be very deep, so I must not separate them."
Upon hearing this, some people were bewildered, some were surprised, and some were indifferent. Their reactions varied, and a silence fell over the crowd.
Emperor Yingzong did not speak, but instead looked at the approaching figure in the distance.
Three soft sounds suddenly came from the doorway. Everyone went to investigate and saw a person dressed in white with a plain white cloth covering his eyes.
The man took a few steps and bowed to Wenlan, saying, "Your Majesty, I am late. I hope you will forgive me."
Li Changde's eyes widened at this sight. He secretly glanced at Emperor Yingzong and, seeing that the man's brows were not furrowed, asked, "Young Master Wen, what happened to your eye? Who injured it? Did they grab it?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing said, "We caught a petty thief, but the man won't admit it."
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