Chapter 123 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, Part 3: The Princess
The carriage traveled slowly for an hour before arriving at the Yun residence. The entire Yun family came out to greet them. They had never treated Yun Chiyi well in the past, but now that she was a princess, they had to play their part convincingly.
Upon entering the reception room, Yun Chiyi's gaze gently swept over Lin Jinyuan's profile.
Xu Hong said he's lost weight, but where has he lost weight?
He was full of energy, his eyes were full of affection, and he even moved his hands and feet, but he just couldn't walk.
Yun Chiyi took a sip of tea, and suddenly heard someone call her name. She put down her teacup and looked over leisurely.
"Yi'er, the prince said you caught a cold the other day. Are you feeling any better now?"
Lan Yihan pressed one hand on the edge of the table and looked over with concern. Two days after her daughter's wedding, her expression grew increasingly gloomy and lifeless. The people in the Yun family with whom she had the deepest connection were still far away from her.
Facing her mother, Yun Chiyi straightened her skirt, stood up, and bowed respectfully from a distance.
Upon seeing this, Lan Yihan's heart trembled, unable to distinguish between joy and sorrow. It had been several years since she had seen her daughter's gentle eyes since her daughter had injured her voice.
Yun Huai Ren coughed and said, "How could you lose your composure in front of Prince Cheng? The Princess Consort will be taken care of by the Prince's residence, so you don't need to worry about it."
After saying that, he quickly invited Lin Jinyuan to have some tea.
Yao Xuandie chimed in, "Yes, sister, we must not be rude in front of Prince Cheng and his consort."
Lan Yihan looked at the two of them with resentment. These were her own flesh and blood. How could a mother be at ease and pretend nothing was wrong when she heard that her flesh and blood were suffering from illness?
A pair of delicate eyes surveyed everyone in the room, lingering on Lin Jinyuan for a long time. Rumors outside claimed that Prince Cheng was weak and emaciated, but seeing it with her own eyes, she realized it was just a rumor.
Prince Cheng was undeniably handsome, with elegant and courteous manners. Even the hands he held when holding the teacup were exquisitely beautiful, possessing both a slender frame and a refined appearance, without a single flaw.
Her alluring gaze then shifted to Lin Jinyuan's legs, her snow-white robe draped over her body, obediently drooping at his feet.
In an instant, all the shyness in her eyes vanished, and she regretfully withdrew her gaze.
Unfortunately, he was lame.
As she looked down, she saw the faint bite marks on Yun Chiyi's cheek, and her eyes suddenly darkened. Even though Prince Cheng had injured his leg, did that not stop him from doting on his elder sister?
Despite his refined and scholarly appearance, he turned out to be so fierce in his tent that he would bite people for amusement.
That's really interesting.
Yun Shuxue covered her mouth and sneered, then took Yun Chiyi's arm across the table with her delicate hand.
"Sister."
Yun Chiyi cast a strange gaze at Yun Shuxue, causing her to tremble involuntarily for a moment.
She thought for a moment, then remembered that this was her half-sister, spoiled and disrespectful in the Yun family, who used petty tricks to bully the original owner of this body. Yet, the original owner had foolishly helped her secure a good marriage before her death. In the novel, Yun Shuxue married the son of the Minister of Works and had two children in three years. After that, she became increasingly arrogant and domineering, and even deliberately caused the death of the original owner's birth mother. In the end, she was murdered by her mistress and also perished.
Yun Chiyi concealed the coldness in her eyes, smiled slightly, and nodded her chin.
Seeing that she was as unguarded as ever, Yun Shuxue whispered, "Xue'er really misses her elder sister. Could elder sister come to the backyard and walk with Xue'er?"
What's the real purpose of this?
Yun Chi looked at Lin Jinyuan, asking for his opinion.
She didn't want to go, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, but Lin Jinyuan smiled and said generously, "Return to the manor in an hour. If the princess doesn't come back, I can go look for her."
Yun Shuxue smiled innocently: "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Yun Chiyi was helplessly dragged out the door by her.
The backyard is surrounded by artificial hills and swaying flower branches; the path is not easy to walk on.
Yun Shuxue had already let go of Yun Chiyi's hand and walked ahead with a carefree smile. A sweet smile appeared on her lips: "Xue'er should thank her elder sister. If it weren't for the fact that elder sister locked the door outside that day, with my background, how could Young Master Gao have agreed to marry me out of courtesy?"
"Now that my elder sister has married Prince Cheng, it's time for me to get married. Soon, Young Master Gao will come to propose. On the day of the wedding banquet, elder sister, you must come to attend the wedding feast."
Yun Shuxue found the peach blossoms an eyesore, so she casually broke them off and threw them into the pond.
“The Gao family is deeply favored by the Emperor. After I marry into the Gao family, I will definitely remember my elder sister’s kindness and ask Young Master Gao to say a few good words about Prince Cheng in court.”
Yun Chiyi smiled insincerely, saying that Young Master Gao was just infatuated with Yun Shuxue and putting on an act. His so-called gentlemanly demeanor was just a ploy to fool her.
She simply drifted off to admire the flowers and plants in the yard, ignoring Yun Shuxue's incessant chatter.
Suddenly, Yun Shuxue moved closer, her slender fingers pressing heavily on Yun Chiyi's cheek.
“Sister, Xue’er doesn’t know anything about bedroom matters. Why don’t you tell me how Prince Cheng treats you, so I can learn from you?”
Her fingernails were sharp, causing Yun Chiyi to wince in pain. Yun Chiyi stopped walking with a cold look in her eyes, grabbed her hand, and flung it aside.
Yun Shuxue staggered, only regaining her balance by bracing herself against the artificial hill. She said with a smile, "Sister, you're already married, yet you're still so thin-skinned."
She continued apologetically, "Xue'er forgot that your elder sister is mute. No matter how much I beg you, you won't tell."
The infighting in the backyard is always annoying, and Yun Chi regretted coming out with her.
Since she wants to know, there's no harm in telling her.
Yun Chiyi smiled, her bright eyes and white teeth revealing her captivating beauty. She grabbed Yun Shuxue's belt with her jade-like hands and pulled it outwards with force.
"you!"
Yun Shuxue exclaimed in surprise and quickly hugged her dress tightly.
Yun Chiyi stood there innocently, her eyes filled with confusion, as if to say, "Isn't this something you need to know?"
Yun Shuxue angrily said, "Sister, could it be that your fever has damaged your brain?"
She hurriedly ran away, and Yun Chiyi coldly watched her fleeing figure, her tightly furrowed brows relaxing.
Finally, it's quiet again.
The entire Yun family sided with Yun Shuxue and her daughter. Only Lan Yihan truly sympathized with her illness. Yun Chiyi no longer lingered in the backyard. She found Lan Yihan's room with familiarity and wrote a few words with a charcoal pencil, then placed them under her pillow.
She closed the door and came out, and saw a maid walking towards her in the distance. The maid looked at her with suspicion and wariness when she saw her there.
Yun Chiyi hid a hairpin in her sleeve. When the maid saw it, she curled her lips in disdain.
The eldest daughter and the first wife had harbored resentment for many years. Now that she was married, she still stole her own mother's jewelry and gold.
Even after becoming Princess Cheng, she remained petty and incapable of achieving anything significant.
The maid pretended not to see her movements and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, Master sent me to find you."
Yun Chi nodded.
She walked ahead, and as her skirt swayed, a maid slipped a brocade pouch into her hand.
"If you put just a little of this in the incense burner, in time, it will make a person's body as hard as rotten wood."
Yun Chiyi scrutinized her face and saw that the maid was extremely calm and composed.
“If you don’t accept it, the tranquility of the Yun family will probably be ruined. Also, your handwritten letter should be shown and appreciated by the world.”
Who is threatening her behind her back?
“Miss, these are the Second Prince’s words.”
That is, Lin Jinyuan's second elder brother, Lin Tingyu, the Prince of Lin.
The original owner was in love with Lin Tingyu and did not want to marry Lin Jinyuan, but she could not disobey the imperial decree. She cried for several nights in a row. Lin Tingyu vowed that once he ascended the throne, he would take her as his concubine and told her to marry him in peace and wait for his instructions.
The current crown prince is the eldest prince. Lin Tingyu was born with an impetuous nature, and next year he will fail to assassinate the crown prince and be poisoned.
He had close ties with the Yun family. When Yun Huai-ren saw that the situation was not good, he switched his allegiance to the Crown Prince and thus escaped disaster.
But Lin Tingyu couldn't hold back any longer. Did he want to use Lin Jinyuan to sharpen his knife first?
Lin Tingyu was of average appearance, and all he could do was spout empty boasts. He had the ambition of a thief but not the guts to do it.
What exactly did the original owner like about him?
And those cheesy, explicit love letters the original owner wrote, like "I only wish to go to Wushan with Prince Lin and enjoy the ultimate bliss in the world"... If they were made public, Lin Jinyuan would probably forgive her on the surface, but then secretly kill her.
Now, Yun Chiyi has to play along and pretend to be on the same side as Lin Tingyu.
Well, he'll die in a year, so I'll just have to bear with it for now.
But can't he just die tomorrow?
I simply can't stand it.
At the hour of You (5-7 PM), the carriages and horses of Prince Cheng's residence set off.
Yun Chiyi returned to her room, first burying the brocade pouch in the flowerpot soil, then washing her hands and pouring herself a cup of tea to soothe her throat.
She dozed off, resting her chin on her hand, wondering what Lin Jinyuan was plotting right now.
-
Inside the Prince's study, Lin Jinyuan, with a book rolled up in his hand, leaned against a rattan chair by the window, letting the dappled sunlight fall on his legs.
"Your Majesty, the Princess Consort had an argument with Xu Hong today, and then at the Yun family..."
Chao Sheng clenched the note in his hand, his face flushed.
Lin Jinyuan raised his eyes: "So what?"
Chao Sheng's voice was low and seemed to sink into the earth: "...I took off my half-sister's clothes."
Slightly taken aback, Lin Jinyuan's eyes crinkled with a clear smile, but then the corners of his mouth slowly fell back, and a cool, aloof look spread across his eyes.
"Your princess is far too jealous."
Chao Sheng didn't dare to reply; it wasn't his.
Lin Jinyuan placed the book on his lap and asked, "Have you found a doctor?"
When it came to business, Chao Sheng suddenly became energetic: "Reporting to the Lord, we have found him. The assassin trained at Linshui Pavilion is a trustworthy person."
Lin Jinyuan smiled and said, "Go and post a notice that I am looking for a famous doctor to treat my princess. Anyone who is willing to come to me will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold."
The next morning, a notice was posted at the Prince's residence.
Passersby stopped to read it and all expressed their heartfelt admiration.
Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng were a perfect match. Prince Cheng suffered from a leg ailment but never sought out famous doctors from all over the country. Princess Cheng had only been in the palace for a few days when Prince Cheng began to cherish her.
Upon hearing this, Yun Chiyi suddenly dropped the water glass in her hand.
How should we deal with someone harboring malicious intentions?
Should we call a doctor or the King of Hell?
Xu Hong called someone in to clean up the broken porcelain shards. Seeing that she looked worried, she poured her another glass of water.
"The princess is deeply favored by the prince, why are you so panicked?"
Yun Chiyi wanted to retort, but being mute was really not easy, so she could only give Xu Hong a faint look.
Xu Hong was a little distracted: "Back then, the late emperor also sought out famous doctors to treat the Empress Dowager's heart ailment."
She always seems to say that everyone in the royal family is a devoted lover.
Yun Chiyi didn't want her to serve him anymore. Being with her all the time would cause him to suffer from liver and kidney yin deficiency and sleepless nights.
Another day, I'll come up with an idea to have Lin Jinyuan replace him with someone else.
Yun Chiyi had this idea for less than three days. One day at noon, after waking up from a nap, she heard other maids and servants say that there had been thieves in the mansion, and that a lot of things had been sold. Lin Jinyuan was punishing the thieves.
With Xu Hong not by her side, Yun Chiyi sensed something was amiss, so she quickly straightened her clothes and went to the backyard.
From afar, one could see a dark green canopy erected in the courtyard, and a person in a white robe sitting upright in the shadows.
Who else could it be but Lin Jinyuan?
The person they caught was indeed Xu Hong. She knelt under the bright sun, drenched in cold sweat, trembling all over, and dared not look up at the person under the canopy for a long time.
"You say you didn't steal anything, so why did you sneak into the Prince's study?"
The steward of the manor sternly questioned Xu Hong.
Xu Hong bit her lower lip until it bled, but she refused to utter a single word.
How could she dare say that the Empress had ordered her to search for something?
Furthermore, in addition to looking for things, she also took a jade pendant that had been left in a corner. Before marrying the princess, he often wore it, and on several occasions, she had tied it on for him. She wanted to keep it as a memento.
Xu Hong pressed her head to the ground, neither admitting guilt nor begging for mercy.
Lin Jinyuan slowly spoke and ordered, "Expel her from the manor. She doesn't need to pay any compensation."
After gazing into the distance for a moment, Yun Chiyi lowered her gaze, lost in thought, and slowly stepped across the crescent-shaped bridge.
When Lin Jinyuan saw her walking alone, his face darkened and he reprimanded the people around him: "Who disturbed the Princess Consort?"
Yun Chiyi approached, looking at Xu Hong, whose face was deathly pale, with a complicated expression. Xu Hong saw a pair of exquisite brocade shoes come into view, and her hands, which were lying on the ground, tightened secretly.
"Send the princess back to her room to rest."
As soon as Lin Jinyuan spoke, Chaosheng came out from the side and selected several maids to escort Yun Chiyi back.
Surrounded by several maids, Yun Chiyi glanced back at Lin Jinyuan. He noticed her gaze, slowly lifted his eyelids, and smiled gently.
Beneath the layers of disguise, Yun Chiyi sensed a glimmer of murderous intent.
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Author's Note: [Hugs][Hugs][Hugs] I'll be starting to pay for content on October 26th. Thank you all for your support!
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