Chapter 135 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, 15 Window Decorations
While standing guard late at night, Chao Sheng happened to peek into Lin Jinyuan's room and found him sitting at the table staring blankly at the back of his hand.
The cool moonlight shone on Lin Jinyuan's fingertips, making his hand appear warmer.
Chao Sheng looked away and muttered, "Did His Highness burn his hand while drinking the soup? Why are you staring at me like that?"
The pheasant soup that Lin Jinyuan had ordered earlier was finally served tonight.
Chao Sheng turned to look at the gray-blue night sky and asked, "What should we prepare for the New Year in the village?"
New Year's Eve is just around the corner, but the desolate mountains are devoid of any festive atmosphere.
-
The day after tomorrow afternoon, Yun Chiyi and Zhenzhen sat in the courtyard cutting paper flowers. The sunlight filtering through the bare branches was rather thin, but Yun Chiyi had a thin blanket wrapped around her legs, so she wasn't cold.
Zhenzhen has always been very skillful. A square piece of red paper twirled in her hand and instantly transformed into a lively little bird.
Yun Chiyi glanced at Zhenzhen's movements, wanting to secretly learn some tricks, but the scissors were completely unruly in her hands.
Zhenzhen put down the scissors and examined the shape of the chubby little bird in the sunlight. Seeing that no one was around, she asked Yun Chiyi curiously, "Does Your Highness also think that the people in the manor are very hospitable? The ten days we have stayed here have been no different from those in the Prince's mansion."
Even the simple-minded Zhenzhen sensed something was wrong, but she stopped speculating.
Yun Chiyi couldn't learn how to cut paper flowers, so she simply put down the scissors and gave up. She asked with a slight smile, "Does Zhenzhen prefer the Prince's Mansion or this place?"
Without hesitation, Zhenzhen answered, "Of course it's the Prince's Mansion! That's home!"
Yun Chiyi smiled but didn't reply; to her, everywhere was the same.
She wanted to lie down and take a nap in the sunlight, but a tall and a short figure pressed down on her from behind, interrupting her sleep.
She pretended not to notice Lin Jinyuan approaching, and leaned close to Zhenzhen, holding scissors and pieces of paper as if she were learning a craft.
Lin Jinyuan's gentle and refined voice rang out unhurriedly: "Is Madam learning paper cutting? Which one did Madam cut?"
There were still a few defective cards with missing wings and legs piled on Yun Chiyi's lap. Before she could cover them up, Lin Jinyuan picked one up with his long fingers and examined it closely.
His eyes narrowed slightly, a smile poised to burst forth.
As if in a fit of pique, Yun Chiyi swiftly snatched the paper-cutting back from his hands.
So what if it looks bad? She just sticks it to her window so it doesn't get in his way.
Lin Jinyuan chuckled lightly: "Madam is angry."
Yun Chiyi turned her back and ignored her.
His slender hand touched Yun Chiyi's fingertips and took the scissors from her hand. However, Yun Chiyi held them tightly, and he was afraid of cutting her hand, so he did not forcefully pull them out.
"When I was young, I was playful and learned a little bit of the basics. If my wife doesn't mind, how about I teach you?"
Yun Chiyi turned around with a cold face, staring at his upturned lips without blinking, and then cast a questioning look at him.
Lin Jinyuan said, "I naturally don't know as many styles as Zhenzhen; I only know a few."
Yun Chiyi released the scissors, held the tip in her other hand, and handed it to him.
Instead, he gently squeezed her wrist, and with his other hand, he slipped through her fingers and took the scissors, which she had been holding warm.
Startled, Yun Chiyi finally withdrew her hand from her leg after a long while.
She tucked her hands into the blanket, like a lazy cat, quietly watching Lin Jinyuan fold paper and cut it.
Lin Jinyuan was slow in his work, but he was especially meticulous. His raven feathers hung low, and a thin layer of golden light shone on them. Yun Chiyi's gaze left his handsome eyebrows and eyes and went back to his high nose.
He has the face of a compassionate bodhisattva, but the bones of a demon are inside.
In no time, a rabbit with big, wide eyes was born from his hands.
Lin Jinyuan handed it to Yun Chiyi, who gently pulled off the rabbit's head.
Her eyes drooped, and she looked at Lin Jinyuan with a pitiful expression, as if she was worried that he would blame her.
Lin Jinyuan's expression didn't change at all. He beckoned her to sit on his lap and said, "It's okay, we can just cut another one."
Yun Chiyi gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and sat steadily in his lap.
Zhenzhen, standing to the side, turned her face away in embarrassment.
Lin Jinyuan's breathing also slowed down a beat. At this moment, Yun Chiyi tilted her head back, her clear eyes staring straight at him, asking with her eyes why he hadn't started yet.
She bent her index and middle fingers as she held them up, waiting expectantly for Lin Jinyuan's response.
Lin Jinyuan asked, "Shall we cut out another rabbit?"
Yun Chiyi nodded hurriedly.
She smiled radiantly, and Lin Jinyuan lowered his gaze to kiss the tip of her nose. He smiled slowly, wrapped his arms around her body, and said, "Give Madam a couple more haircuts."
The group spent the entire afternoon cutting paper under the tree. As the sun began to set, they packed up their tools and brought the full basket of paper cuttings back inside.
In the next few days, the villa was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and festive paper-cuts covered the dust on the windows. Everyone was busy decorating the villa, and life was full of joy.
On New Year's Eve, Yun Chiyi keenly noticed that Lin Jinyuan was in a particularly cheerful mood.
He always liked to smile at her, and after the New Year's Eve dinner, he would hold her hand and quietly watch the snowflakes falling from the eaves.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the mountain road was passable, and the group bid farewell to the village and returned to the capital.
The streets were solemn, and pedestrians walked with their heads down, not at all like it was New Year's Day.
On her way back to the mansion, Yun Chiyi overheard a few words exchanged between the system and the person at the tea table. Suddenly, she realized that a major event had occurred on New Year's Eve.
On New Year's Eve, Prince Lin attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince, secretly keeping the imperial robe. After the plot failed, Prince Lin fled.
Yun Chi was completely absorbed in the villa, oblivious to everything around her, enjoying a life of leisure as if she were living in seclusion. At this moment, she had no desire to hear Lin Tingyu's name at all.
However, the outcome for the Prince of Lin changed; he went from being executed on the spot to fleeing.
There was another matter that was different. Yesterday, the Emperor casually uttered a single sentence, and Yun Huai Ren was demoted three ranks. Tomorrow morning, except for the First Lady, who was practicing Buddhism at Jing Ci Nunnery, the entire Yun family would be moved out of the capital and would never be allowed to return without being summoned.
This time, Yun Huai-ren's ability to change his mind based on the wind didn't work.
The emperor didn't find concrete evidence of Yun Huai Ren's collusion with the prince; otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just demoting him.
The next morning, Yun Huai-ren set off and sent someone to summon Yun Chi-yi to see him off. Yun Chi-yi declined, claiming illness, so as not to be associated with such bad luck.
After all, the survival principle of the Prince Cheng's Mansion is to remain uninvolved.
After Yun Huai Ren and Madam Yun left, Lin Jin Yuan called Yun Chi Yi to his study to comfort her and gave her extra money to buy her some things to pass the time.
Yun Chiyi was almost asleep when she left his place. In the afternoon, she took the money and Zhenzhen to the pastry shop to buy some snacks. She bought an extra portion to send to Jingci Nunnery and also wrote a letter to Lan Yihan informing him of the recent changes in the Yun family.
Lin Jinyuan gave a lot of money, and Yun Chiyi bought the most exquisite pastries. Zhenzhen carried her hands full and swaggered out of the shop.
Zhenzhen sniffed the osmanthus cake: "It smells so good! When we get back, I'll brew you and the prince a pot of flower tea. You can eat the osmanthus cake with the prince while you're reading."
Seeing her eyes light up, Yun Chi smiled and said, "Since you bought a lot, you can share a box with the others. I'll give you half a day off when we get back."
Zhenzhen jumped up with joy: "Greetings, Your Highness!"
After she finished dancing, her eyebrows furrowed again: "Oh no!"
Yun Chiyi was startled and shrank back, blinking as she watched Zhenzhen hurriedly panic.
"A box of osmanthus cake was left behind. Your Highness, please wait here for a moment. I will run and fetch it."
Yun Chiyi nodded: "Go ahead, don't rush, be careful not to fall."
Zhenzhen nodded vigorously.
Yun Chiyi sat down at the tea table to rest, and placed the pastries left by Zhenzhen on the table as well.
She ordered the best tea; when people are in high spirits, they must treat themselves to something good to reward themselves for the suffering they have endured in the past.
At the nearby tea table, people were whispering about Lin Tingyu.
"I think Prince Lin has really drunk too much wine and become so bold that he can do such an earth-shattering thing."
"Keep your voice down. You're drinking tea, not wine. Even if Prince Lin is a scoundrel, it's not something you or I can just talk about casually."
"Look at your guts."
The man continued, "And have you heard? Someone is secretly offering a reward of a hundred taels of gold for clues about the whereabouts of the Prince of Lin. This is a great opportunity to make a fortune."
"Do you even have the luck for that? Stop dreaming."
Yun Chiyi listened with great interest, leisurely picking up her teacup, when suddenly a buzzing sound came from her head.
[Host, be careful! There's something wrong with the tea!]
The teacup had touched her lips, leaving a half-lip print. Yun Chiyi slowly put it down, glancing around out of the corner of her eye.
She stood up, and a sudden pain shot through the back of her neck as she heard a soft voice calling her name.
"Madam, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere."
A sharp bell rang out in the air.
[The host has entered a dangerous state; the host may choose to evacuate the instance at any time.]
Yun Chiyi couldn't help but close her eyes as she fell into an unfamiliar embrace.
When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a desolate spider web, a dilapidated roof, and sparse stars.
Yun Chiyi instinctively tried to move her body, only to find that her hands and feet were bound and she was lying on the cold, hard floor.
She blinked and realized that she was in a dilapidated temple.
"Yi'er, you're awake?"
Yun Chiyi turned her head warily, her clear eyes reflecting Lin Tingyu's disheveled and dejected figure.
Lin Tingyu sat on the broken stone pillar, leaning on a knife. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles under them, and his beard covered his chin.
He remained indifferent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Aren't you happy to see me?"
Yun Chiyi moved her legs and slowly sat up, looking at him without saying a word, and stretched out her bound hands.
Seeing that she was neither crying nor making a fuss after waking up, Lin Tingyu hesitated for a moment before untying the hemp rope for her.
Red marks were left on her slender, fair wrists. Yun Chiyi frowned and moved her hands, bent down to untie the ropes binding her feet, and slowly raised her head to scan the surroundings, trying to judge the distance between here and the imperial city.
She was tied up at dusk, and the moon has only just risen, so it shouldn't be too far away.
Then she would have a chance to escape.
She is missing, and the Prince Cheng's mansion is certainly searching for her, but they cannot be relied upon entirely.
Who knows what Lin Tingyu will do to her? We absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die.
Yun Chiyi frowned, gripped her swollen wrist tightly, and her eyes seemed to well up with tears from the pain.
Lin Tingyu put down the knife and asked with great concern, "Did it hurt when you were tied up?"
Yun Chiyi suddenly turned cold, nodded solemnly, and avoided his touch.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
