Chapter 125 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, Part 5: Tears
Lin Tingyu was a man who loved to use his cunning.
If Lin Jinyuan was biding his time and secretly plotting for ten years, then he was making a big show of it, acting like a dissolute prince, preparing to secretly carry out his plans.
But he was half genuinely willing to indulge in sensual pleasures and enjoy worldly delights, so it wasn't entirely unfair of him.
Lin Tingyu told the people who had come to pay their respects to stand up. He laughed heartily and told the two ladies in his arms to choose the fabrics they wanted.
While he was talking to the shopkeeper, Yun Chiyi planned to leave quietly.
The moment I stepped over the threshold, a joyful voice clung to me.
"Sister-in-law!"
Yun Chiyi closed her eyes tightly and turned away with a cold expression.
She had just curtsied in greeting when Lin Tingyu hurriedly helped her up.
"No need for formalities, please get up quickly."
Yun Chiyi stepped back, avoiding his hand.
Lin Tingyu's smile froze. At first, he didn't pay much attention. He fanned himself and said with a smile, "It's been quite a while since I've had a few drinks with my ninth brother. The last time I saw him, he said he always had a headache at night and couldn't fall asleep. I wonder if he's feeling any better?"
Upon meeting, he couldn't wait to ask Yun Chiyi if she had followed his orders.
Yun Chiyi lowered her head, her hands clenching her dress tightly at her sides.
There's a never-ending mess to clean up.
Seeing that she was silent and dared not look up at anyone, Lin Tingyu used his landscape folding fan to block the gaze of others, and lowered his voice, gritting his teeth.
"Sister-in-law, the incense I gave you is a good thing, don't forget to use it."
Yun Chiyi pursed her lips, looking extremely frightened.
Lin Tingyu grabbed her sleeve and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "In just a few days, have you already started to have feelings for someone else? It really breaks my heart. I think about you day and night."
He held onto her sleeve tightly, drawing curious glances from the people in the silk shop.
"Yi'er, do you still remember what we said in the letter? 'I wish you were a spear, and I would be a lotus...' I've memorized so many lines, would you like to hear them again?"
ill……
He is mentally ill.
The original owner of this body was also sick!!!
Yun Chiyi wanted nothing more than to slap Lin Tingyu. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, her face turned frosty. She snatched her sleeve back, lifted the hem of her skirt, and strode out.
Lin Tingyu straightened up and watched her hurried figure disappear into the distance. A few strands of hair from her womanly bun fell down, and the jade hairpin swayed with each step, making him lose himself in thought.
He didn't want to call out to her when he met her here, but when he saw that she was wearing a woman's hairstyle and was accompanied by servants from the Prince Cheng's mansion, he felt uneasy.
Yun Chiyi had already stepped onto the carriage of Prince Cheng's mansion, her skirts brushing against the ground and stirring up a fragrant breeze. Lin Tingyu reached out and grasped at the air, his eyes half-closed in a dark mood.
It was precisely because of her stunningly beautiful and exquisite appearance that he now had the idea of taking a mute woman into his harem.
Her current indifference is probably because she resents him for letting her marry someone else.
Once he has coaxed her to get rid of Lin Jinyuan, he will find a manor to settle her in properly, keep her by his side every day, and let her become the lotus she wants to be.
After getting into the car, Yun Chiyi gritted her teeth, her face ashen, and waited for Zhenzhen to get in.
Zhenzhen lowered her head, not daring to look at her.
Today's matter could be considered a big deal or a small deal, but Lin Tingyu disregarded public opinion and openly made a scene with his sister-in-law in broad daylight, speaking as if they had known each other for a long time.
Yun Chiyi lifted her eyelids and gazed quietly at Zhenzhen.
Zhenzhen's good mood for going out was completely gone. She immediately retreated to a crowded corner and knelt down, afraid that Chaosheng would hear a word. She spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "This servant only saw the princess almost trip, and knows nothing else."
This reaction made Yun Chiyi frown. She didn't want Zhenzhen to be afraid of her, so she decided to distance herself from her.
She reached out and took Zhenzhen's arm, helping the trembling person to sit up.
He then took a piece of pastry from the table and placed it in Zhenzhen's palm, patting her trembling hands.
Even if Zhenzhen keeps her mouth shut, the man outside will tell Lin Jinyuan everything when he gets back.
Zhenzhen knelt down, holding the snacks, too afraid to move.
Yun Chiyi broke off a piece of pastry from her palm and put it in her mouth, smiling at her as she savored the sweet osmanthus cake.
With tears in her eyes, Zhenzhen's gaze shifted from fear and unease to confusion, and soon a look of heartache crept over her.
Rumor has it that Prince Lin is dissolute and has even fought over women from the common people. Given his unusual behavior today, the princess must be afraid of him and must have some reason for it.
Yun Chiyi had no idea that Zhenzhen was putting on a good show. Seeing that Zhenzhen was slowly eating the pastries, she moved some of the delicate dessert plates over to her.
Back at Prince Cheng's residence, Yun Chiyi went back to her room and restyled her hair. Just as the hairpin disappeared into her dark hair, a maid from Lin Jinyuan's room came to invite her to the study to admire paintings.
It's impressive that he came up with such a reason to come over.
Zhenzhen looked at her anxiously, her fingers twisting together, extremely worried.
Glancing into the mirror, Yun Chiyi wiped the lipstick off her soft lips with a handkerchief.
Half an incense stick later, passing through the banana and crabapple trees in the courtyard, Yun Chiyi led Zhenzhen into the study, which was unfamiliar to her.
Lin Jinyuan sat at the desk, a section of his wide sleeves tied up with a ribbon, writing annotations on a book. When the swaying turquoise dress obscured his view, he slowly raised his eyes, smiling warmly with a gentle light.
"I need to speak with the Queen. Everyone else, please leave."
Chaosheng and Zhenzhen went out together, closing the door behind them.
Yun Chiyi was shrouded in damp shadows. She glimpsed a light veil covering the wooden frame behind Lin Jinyuan. He sat in the dim sunlight, looking otherworldly.
He put down his pen and beckoned her over.
She moved forward.
Lin Jinyuan pointed to the spot beside his legs with his finger: "Sit here."
The more he kept his emotions hidden, the more Yun Chiyi knew that a storm was brewing.
With a slight movement in her eyes, Yun Chiyi lifted her dress and sat down. Lin Jinyuan grabbed her sleeve, and she fell into his warm embrace without warning.
She had stepped on his leg, and her body stiffened abruptly. Worried that she might hurt his leg, she hurriedly tried to get up.
He held on tightly, his arms encircling her waist.
Did you have fun going out today?
Yun Chiyi nodded, then slowly shook her head.
At first, Lin Jinyuan squeezed her hand and then pressed his pale lips up.
"Madam doesn't look well. It's as if she's been frightened by something."
As soon as she finished speaking, clear tears fell onto the back of his hand.
The warm liquid slid down the back of his hand, into his wrist, and into his sleeve.
What a great actress.
Lin Jinyuan frowned, then his eyes cleared, and he wiped away her tears.
“Crybaby, stop crying. Second brother is being unreasonable. From now on, just avoid him.”
Yun Chiyi looked at him with a resentful expression. She couldn't speak, but it seemed as if she simply didn't want to.
She turned her head away, sobbing.
A breeze stirred in the courtyard, causing the weeping crabapple blossoms to fall from the branches. Her thoughts drifted as she gazed at the drifting clouds outside the window.
Lin Jinyuan remained silent for a long time, then gently patted her back.
"After you went out today, I had them bring some books over. You might be bored staying at the mansion, so you can use them for entertainment."
So that's why he was writing and making annotations earlier.
Yun Chiyi turned her head and looked at him with red eyes.
Lin Jinyuan put his arm around her, took the poetry collection from the table, and opened it in front of her.
Where did she get the leisure to read poetry? Yun Chiyi pinched one side of the book, closed the poetry collection, sat a little further away, and stared leisurely into Lin Jinyuan's eyes.
Lin Jinyuan asked, "Don't you like it?"
Yun Chiyi pouted: Boring.
This was the first time she had spoken to him. She didn't utter a sound, but he suddenly heard a clear, melodious voice, as if it came from the horizon, ethereal and unattainable.
At this moment, she became bold.
Lin Jinyuan pulled her into his arms again, counting her slender, delicate fingers.
"What does Madam like? Folk love stories, history books, or strange tales?"
Yun Chiyi stretched out her fingers, which he had just kneaded, and solemnly placed them in his palm.
"The first one?"
She nodded.
He added, "These are all fabrications by scholars to deceive people. If Madam is interested, I will have Chaosheng go and look for them."
Yun Chiyi smiled happily, leaned down, and kissed the corner of his lips, a light kiss that seemed both close and distant. After a pause, she gently bit his thin, cool lips with her teeth.
After she finished kissing him, she looked at him expectantly.
Lin Jinyuan smiled but remained silent.
A moment later, Lin Jinyuan laid out the landscape painting he had finished a few days ago and asked for an inscription, while Yun Chiyi sat to the side grinding ink.
"I have found a physician who has traveled the world and is very knowledgeable. He will surely be able to cure the lady's health."
Lin Jinyuan smiled calmly: "I have arranged for him to stay at the mansion. Madam, please rest well tonight. He will treat you tomorrow."
Yun Chi thanked him, but continued grinding the ink without changing her expression.
"Don't tire yourself out, just let the servants do it."
Lin Jinyuan gently grasped her fair wrist, his eyes crinkling with affection, and lowered her sleeve.
Her pulse was shallow and weak, and nothing seemed amiss.
Yun Chiyi left the study, and Zhenzhen, who was guarding the door, immediately came to greet her.
She had been inside for a long time, and Zhenzhen was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. When she saw her come out safely, her heart finally settled back down.
Yun Chiyi slept soundly through the night without any dreams.
The next day at noon, after the doctor finished diagnosing Yun Chiyi, Zhenzhen prepared the medicine and brought it into the room.
She thoughtfully prepared some honey water and placed it aside, so that Yun Chiyi could take a sip to relieve the bitterness.
Yun Chiyi remained calm as she stirred the bitter-tasting medicine and drank it all in small sips.
"Would the princess like some honey water?" Zhenzhen asked her.
Yun Chiyi shook her head, her eyes drowsy and listless. She took a sip of tea to rinse her mouth and then fell asleep on the small couch under the window.
-
The sun was setting in the west; it was already past 1:00 PM.
A figure in a light pinkish-white hue hurriedly pushed aside the banana leaves covering the garden and knelt down with a thud at the door of the study.
"Your Highness! The Princess Consort..."
Chao Sheng came out and scolded, "What's with the recklessness?"
Zhenzhen's almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears. She knelt on the ground and cried out, "Your Highness! After the Princess Consort took her medicine and fell asleep, she woke up vomiting uncontrollably and coughing up blood. She is currently unconscious, and I... I can't wake her up no matter what I do..."
The rustling sound of wooden wheels rolling over the ground grew closer and closer. Zhenzhen felt an invisible abyss pressing down on her, and she lay on the ground, not daring to breathe.
Lin Jinyuan remained silent for a while before his clear voice rang out from above Zhenzhen's head.
"Chaosheng, go and invite Mr. Gao over."
As Chao Sheng was about to leave, he added, "Please ask Physician Li to come over as well, and do it quickly."
Chao Sheng knew in his heart that Lin Jinyuan wanted a prescription that could kill without leaving a trace, one that would leave no room for investigation. Linshui Pavilion had never had any mishaps before, so how could something go wrong in such an important matter?
We still need to invite Physician Li; this Mr. Gao is probably a dead end.
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Author's Note: End of third update [heart emoji]
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