Chapter 134 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, 14 Dragon Robes
Heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, and the group was trapped in the mountain villa. On the third day, Lin Jinyuan's cold gradually recovered, and he sat in the house reading a book.
Yun Chiyi would occasionally go for a walk in the back mountain to clear her mind. When she returned, she would notice that there were other people's footprints in the snow on her way there, hidden in places that were not easy to find. This happened every day.
What the hell? Who's following her?
After several days of surveillance failing to detect any suspicious activity by the princess, the guards nimbly jumped down from the tree and went to report the truth to Chaosheng.
Chao Sheng looked utterly bewildered, as if he'd just eaten a bitter melon: "I'll inform the Lord first. You continue to keep an eye on the Princess's movements."
The guards acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Before long, Chao Sheng was already in Lin Jinyuan's room.
Seeing Chao Sheng's solemn expression and his hesitation, Lin Jinyuan slowly put down his book and asked, "What's wrong? Did the guards report that the Princess Consort sent a letter to Prince Lin?"
Chao Sheng shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Lin Jinyuan's expression softened slightly, and he smiled a little: "Then why do you have that expression?"
Chao Sheng asked the question that had been bothering him: "I don't understand. Since the Princess Consort heard that we had learned of Prince Lin's plan, why didn't she inform us? Or did the Princess Consort use some undetectable method that even the secret guards in the manor didn't notice?"
Lin Jinyuan's lips held a faint smile, which turned cold the next moment, his eyes seemingly filled with ice: "Perhaps you are right."
He added slowly, "The plans have changed. Let's spend the New Year on the mountain this year."
Upon hearing this, Chao Sheng's face flashed with surprise.
If it weren't for rescuing the princess, they wouldn't have been trapped in the manor.
Lin Jinyuan picked up the book, turned to a page, and asked indifferently, "Is the embroiderer finished?"
Chao Sheng replied, "I think I'll send it to the villa the day after tomorrow so you can take a look before sending it out."
Lin Jinyuan gently lowered his long eyelashes: "Mm."
After finishing a page, he slowly turned the page with his long finger and said, "Don't keep too close an eye on her, or she'll become suspicious."
Chao Sheng's mind raced before he realized that the person the prince was referring to had become the princess.
Lin Jinyuan said in a normal tone: "Hunt a pheasant and give it to the kitchen. She is weak and cannot afford to get sick at the manor."
Before the princess reveals her true colors, the harmonious scene in the royal palace must not have the slightest flaw; the prince has thought this through very carefully.
Chao Sheng couldn't help but clench his fist and ordered his men to hunt pheasants.
-
The snow has finally stopped, but the mountain roads are still impassable.
Yun Chiyi hadn't brought her storybook with her; she was sitting by the window, staring blankly at the snow scene.
Suddenly, Zhenzhen rushed in through the door. Yun Chiyi turned around and was amused by Zhenzhen's neat and tidy appearance.
She smiled sweetly: "What are you going to do?"
Zhenzhen raised the basket in her hand: "The traps I set a few days ago should have yielded results. I'm going to collect the rabbits."
Yun Chiyi clapped her hands: "I'll go with you."
Zhenzhen was initially overjoyed, but then she made a face and said, "The road is difficult to walk on, Your Highness, please wait."
"If I sit here any longer, I'll get moldy. I'll just stay here and not go up to a high place."
As she spoke, Yun Chiyi stood up, grabbed her cloak, and patted Zhenzhen on the back: "Don't just stand there, let's go."
Zhenzhen exclaimed "Hey!" and happily followed Yun Chiyi, carrying her basket.
"Your Highness, rabbit tastes best when braised."
This girl wanted to eat braised food, and she was subtly hinting at it to Yun Chiyi.
The path behind the mountain had been covered in snowy footprints left by the two of them over the past few days. Zhenzhen skillfully led the way, and when they encountered danger, she reached out to pull Yun Chiyi up.
Yun Chiyi's physical strength has improved, and she doesn't feel tired even after climbing halfway up the mountain.
The trees on the mountain blocked the view, and the road ahead was narrow. Zhenzhen wouldn't let her follow, so Yun Chiyi stood under a tree and waited for her.
You can see Lin Jinyuan's room from here. He rarely goes out since he fell ill. It's cold outside, and it's not good for his legs either.
Yun Chiyi patted Xue down and sat down, silently watching Chaosheng hand him a mahogany box with both hands. She couldn't see what was inside, but she saw Lin Jinyuan reach out and touch it.
The next moment, Lin Jinyuan pulled out a luxurious yellow robe from the wooden box.
Yun Chiyi was looking at him with a smile when suddenly her smile froze on her lips.
Lin Jinyuan unfolded his yellow robe, revealing lifelike dragon patterns. He turned his back to Yun Chiyi and examined the craftsmanship for a long time.
"[Dragon robe? Can you just make something like that out of thin air?!]" the system couldn't help but exclaim.
Yun Chiyi's eyes turned slightly cold. If others saw this, she would lose her head.
In the original storyline, she didn't read a single word about Lin Jinyuan privately making dragon robes.
What exactly does he want to do?
Wasn't the rebellion supposed to happen nine years later?
Yun Chiyi took a deep breath, truly afraid that before she could even successfully win over Lin Jinyuan, he would have already ruined himself.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Lin Jinyuan was able to stand up from his wheelchair and put on the dragon robe with ease. He tried it on and found that the dragon cannon was too big for some reason.
His posture was upright, and he wore a dragon robe. Even from behind, he exuded the aura of a true dragon.
He wasn't lame before...?
Yun Chiyi had been deceived by him for so long, and now, looking back, she couldn't find a single clue.
[My God, he's not a cripple after all! This system should award him an Oscar for Best Actor; he's such a great actor!]
The sound of the system clapping rang in Yun Chiyi's mind.
This man is truly despicable; he tricked her completely. Yun Chiyi couldn't swallow this insult and secretly clenched her hands, cursing him dozens of times in her heart.
Yun Chiyi dared not disturb them. She crouched down and slowly moved forward, groping her way to Zhenzhen.
She was so focused on slipping away that she didn't pay attention to where she was going. When she looked up, she was already lost in the mountains and forests. Zhenzhen's footprints had long since disappeared into the surroundings.
Fortunately, the system guided her, and when she emerged from the forest, she bumped into a panicked Zhenzhen. It was already pitch black, and Zhenzhen's eyes were swollen from crying.
Zhenzhen was carrying two gray rabbits in her basket. Tears streamed down her face, and the basket fell to the ground. "Your Highness! I went back to look for you, but you were nowhere to be found. I was so scared!"
"It's alright. I saw something jump into the woods. I thought it was a rabbit, so I ran after it, but I got lost."
Yun Chiyi's hair was disheveled, her cheeks were stained with dirt, her cloak was torn in four or five places, and she looked ashen. Only her eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of anger hidden between her half-smile and half-smile.
She held her sleeve and wiped Zhenzhen's tears, saying, "Don't cry, let's go back."
Zhenzhen was flattered, then startled again: "My rabbit!"
The rabbit's feet were tied, and even with the basket overturned, it couldn't run fast. It hid under the tree, watching them with trepidation.
"Let's go, come with me to the pot." Yun Chiyi picked up one in each hand and stormed down the mountain.
Zhenzhen blinked her eyes, feeling that the princess was suddenly filled with murderous intent.
When Yun Chiyi returned to the manor, she saw torches burning brightly in the courtyard, searching back and forth. The firelight made her face flush red. She stood there holding the gray rabbit, watching as the five or six servants, along with Chaosheng, all looked over.
The gazes of the crowd seemed to say, "So she was here all along."
Lin Jinyuan looked over with a stern expression. He was sitting in a wheelchair wearing a white fox fur cloak. He saw Yun Chiyi standing under the shadow of the tree with disheveled hair and a blank look on her face. The tenderness in his eyes was something he had lost and then regained.
"Where has the princess gone?"
His voice was clear and melodious, like a spring, yet it sent chills down the spines of the others.
Zhenzhen kept her head down and answered tremblingly, "This servant is going to the woods to catch wild rabbits, and the princess is going to relax with me."
Yun Chiyi nodded in agreement.
Lin Jinyuan spoke slowly: "I understand. You may all leave. I have something to say to the Princess Consort."
Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and was about to leave when Lin Jinyuan called her back.
“Zhenzhen”.
Zhenzhen's face turned deathly pale: "This servant is here."
Yun Chiyi subconsciously looked at him, then moved her feet to block Zhenzhen's figure.
Lin Jinyuan leaned back in his wheelchair, as if he had everything under control. He said slowly, "Prepare hot water for the Princess to bathe and warm herself up."
Zhenzhen quickly agreed, feeling as if she had just escaped from the brink of death.
Yun Chiyi stared at him. It was just a trip to the back mountain, something she did on weekdays. Why did it cause such a commotion tonight?
Yun Chiyi suppressed her doubts, turned around and handed the gray rabbit to Zhenzhen, then pushed Lin Jinyuan back to his room.
Lin Jinyuan took her hand and helped her sit on the round stool. Then, he took a handkerchief and gently wiped the mud off Yun Chiyi's face.
"How did you end up in such a mess, like you're wrestling with a child?"
Yun Chiyi kept her head down and did not respond.
At dusk, when he couldn't find her in the courtyard, Lin Jinyuan's heart wavered for the first time in many years.
If she were to escape and successfully deliver a message to the Prince of Lin, then all his efforts in lying low day and night would be in vain.
This was a risky move, to test which side she was really on.
So far, the results seem satisfactory.
He believed she had simply gone to the back mountain to catch wild rabbits.
Lin Jinyuan took off her hair bun and patiently removed the dry, broken leaves from her black hair by candlelight: "It's so cold up in the mountains, and you're dressed so thinly."
Yun Chiyi reached out and placed her hand in Lin Jinyuan's palm, her eyes wet and looking pitiful. Lin Jinyuan knew that she was just pretending, and after she showed her weakness, the blame that was rising in his throat disappeared without a trace.
Lin Jinyuan gripped Yun Chiyi's icy fingertips and asked, "Cold?"
Yun Chiyi obediently nodded, then sat directly on his lap, buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed softly, as if she was quite frightened by his serious demeanor.
Lin Jinyuan's shoulders tensed up for no reason, and he slowly patted Yun Chiyi's back with both hands.
She hugged him tighter, clinging to him.
Lin Jinyuan was so tightly choked he could barely breathe: "Wild animals roam the mountains, so we should avoid going in there in the future."
Yun Chiyi deliberately prevented him from speaking, tightening her arms around him once more. Her cunning eyes shimmered in the candlelight, and large tears slid skillfully down her cheeks.
Lin Jinyuan felt a slight dampness on his shoulder, and his voice gradually softened: "Alright, I won't blame you anymore. Madam, please wipe your tears. What will happen if your eyes are swollen when you wake up tomorrow?"
He removed the damp cloak from her shoulders and placed it on a round stool to the side: "Madam, please take a bath before having dinner."
Thinking of the image of him speaking coldly to Zhenzhen, Yun Chiyi loosened her arms and bent her fingers to make a gesture, but Lin Jinyuan grabbed her fingertips and held them in his palm.
"I will no longer make things difficult for her. Is my lady now at ease?"
Yun Chiyi pulled his hand and kissed it lightly, tears welling in her eyes, but a slight smile appeared on her lips.
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