Worry
Just as he was about to launch into a tirade, a cold voice suddenly came from inside the room: "Let them in."
Jiang Yi was stunned. He was there?!
Upon hearing this, the manager stepped onto the stairs, and Jiang Yi stepped aside to make way for him.
After pushing open the door, it was pitch black. By the light of the fire outside, He Lin could be vaguely seen wearing a pure white undergarment, his hair loose, sitting at the table calmly drinking tea.
"Master Zhaobai."
"Um."
"I'm really sorry, but our Prince's Mansion has its own rules. Would you mind if..."
He Lin seemed very easy to talk to: "I understand, Manager Liu, please go ahead and do as you please, don't worry about me."
"Yes, thank you for your consideration, sir."
The steward immediately called several people in to search the house. As the lights were lit, Jiang Yi and He Lin exchanged a knowing glance, and the latter gave her a reassuring look.
After rummaging through the quilt for a while, even lifting the blankets to feel their warmth, Jiang Yi rolled her eyes, somewhat speechless.
On the other hand, He Lin didn't seem to care much, and didn't even glance at him.
"Steward Liu, may I ask what went missing from your Prince's residence?"
The steward clasped his hands together in front of him and chuckled, "Lord Zhaobai, this is putting this old man in a difficult position. Perhaps that thing is just a piece of waste paper to those who don't know the truth, but it is of vital importance to our royal palace."
Jiang Yi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Manager Liu's words were veiled, as if he was testing her.
He Lin smiled and looked up at him: "Oh? Is that so? Then I'm quite curious."
Just then, someone rushed in and whispered something in Steward Liu's ear.
Just then, He Lin's room was inspected. His subordinate stood still and shook his head at him. Manager Liu took a breath and slowly shifted his gaze to He Lin.
"I apologize, Lord Zhaobai, but this matter is of great importance, and we may need to search you and your subordinates."
Jiang Yi's eyes widened suddenly. This is outrageous!
Before obtaining He Lin's consent, the two guards walked towards He Lin and Jiang Yi at the same time.
Suddenly, the person walking towards Jiang Yi shouted and knelt down on one knee with a "thud," startling her so much that she took two steps back.
Looking up, I saw a teacup on the ground that had rolled several times, and He Lin was still in the position of striking someone not far away.
In an instant, all the guards in the room drew their swords and pointed them at him, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
He Lin remained unmoved, slowly withdrawing his hand and smoothing the wrinkles on the gauze. His tone was icy and chilling: "Steward Liu, you are not qualified to search my body. Let your prince come out and see me."
"Hahaha, misunderstanding, misunderstanding!" He took two steps forward to the middle of the room, gestured for them to put down their weapons, and scolded, "What are you doing? Put them away right now! We can't afford to disturb His Highness's distinguished guests!"
Steward Liu turned around and changed his expression very quickly, his face full of fake smiles: "Lord Zhaobai is right, it was my oversight, but our Prince is indeed not in the manor, I'm afraid you've made a wasted trip."
He Lin smiled and said, "There's no need for Steward Liu to trouble himself with that."
"Yes, may I ask how your hands are, sir..."
"You mean this?" He Lin raised his head slightly, his right palm wrapped in gauze, clearly indicating an injury. He said casually, "I encountered a group of thieves on the way here, and I was accidentally cut during the fight."
"Oh, is that so? Should we see a doctor?"
"Thank you, but it's not necessary."
Manager Liu nodded, clasped his hands in farewell, and said, "Yes, I have troubled you greatly tonight. I shall take my leave now."
After saying that, he led his men out of the small courtyard. Even the guards who had patrolled a few days ago were gone. The courtyard felt empty and strange.
Jiang Yi was astonished. He Lin had only exchanged a few words with him, and he had already cleared himself of suspicion? It seemed that Yin Zhaobai's status was not low! He had actually intimidated this group of people.
Outside the courtyard, Manager Liu stopped and looked back, then pointed two fingers forward. One of his men immediately stepped forward.
"Manager Liu."
"Send a message to the Prince, informing him of the loss of the military map. We can't let him ruin the Prince's important plans. The rest of you guard all parts of the Prince's residence. Make sure he doesn't escape."
"yes."
"..."
The room was a complete mess, and Jiang Yi felt a headache coming on just looking at it. She plopped down next to He Lin and stared at him resentfully, "Tell me, where did you go?"
He Lin poured her a cup of tea and placed it on the table, smiling slightly: "I didn't go anywhere. It was too stuffy inside, so I just went out for a walk."
"Ha, do you think I believe that?"
He Lin raised his glass to her: "Whatever you say."
Jiang Yi moved her stool closer to him, reached out and touched a strand of He Lin's loose, jet-black hair, wrapping it around her index finger a few times. It was cool and smooth, and felt really comfortable to touch. She had wanted to do this for a long time.
With her other hand supporting her chin, she looked down at herself and said, word by word, "Don't leave me alone next time, you hear me?"
He Lin answered every question: "I heard you. It's not a good place to stay. Let's pack up and leave tomorrow."
Jiang Yi glanced at him. The theft at the Prince's mansion was indeed related to him. He Lin always had his own ideas and opinions. If he didn't say anything, then she wouldn't ask.
This is the tacit understanding that the two developed along the way.
"oh."
Jiang Yi finally got a chance, but she hadn't had enough of playing with He Lin's hair yet, so she rested her head on her arm and prepared to play with it for a while longer. Who would have thought that he would lean down and kiss Jiang Yi on the forehead.
He then gently brushed a stray hair from her temple with his thumb and whispered, "You've worked hard tonight, thank you. Would you like to sleep with me?"
Jiang Yi was stunned, her mind went blank and she couldn't think straight, as if she didn't understand what was being said. Only her big, bright eyes blinked a few times.
Although she usually flirts with He Lin, when it comes to herself, her heart races and she's actually more flustered than anyone else. After all, He Lin's face is so authoritative that few people can resist the impact of such beauty.
"Um...that, I, I..."
Oh no, I'm stuttering.
Jiang Yi couldn't help but curse herself for being so spineless. He Lin had charmed her so much with just one sentence that she was completely bewildered. "You're such a chatterbox, hurry up and say it!"
"I...I still have something to do. I'll go check on my room," Jiang Yi loosened the long hair tangled in her fingers, chuckled and pushed He Lin away, then gave a dry laugh: "Hahaha, maybe they messed it up too. I'll go tidy it up a bit."
She had barely finished speaking when she turned and ran towards the door as if some ferocious beast was chasing her.
He Lin placed his hands on the table, watching her fleeing figure and chuckled softly.
The courtyard was completely silent, except for the howling of the cold wind. Then, the smile in He Lin's eyes gradually turned cold. Did that old fox Ma Zhang think he could get away with hiding and not seeing anyone? He would not be spared any of his crimes.
...
In the darkness, Jiang Yi tiptoed after He Lin to a low wall and couldn't help but gasp.
"You don't mean you want me to climb up there, do you?"
He Lin's eyes brightened, and he chuckled softly, "Hmm, aren't you quite experienced in this kind of thing?"
After saying that, he squatted down and gestured for Jiang Yi to step on his shoulders to get up.
Before arriving here, He Lin had already taken down the guards outside the courtyard. Now was the perfect time to escape before anyone noticed.
"Following you is truly..."
He Lin raised an eyebrow, and Jiang Yi, seeing this, immediately squinted her eyes, tilted her head, and smiled: "Fun!"
Without delay, she deftly took off her cloak, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it over the wall. Then, she gripped the top of the wall with both hands, placed one foot on He Lin's knee, and the other on his shoulder. Once she was steady, He Lin slowly exerted his strength to stand up.
"Are you sure you can handle this? Um, I think I'm a little heavy."
"Stop talking nonsense."
Okay, Jiang Yi gripped the wall tightly, using both hands and feet to climb over it. Before she could even catch her breath, she watched as He Lin took two steps back and, in the blink of an eye, jumped over the wall.
Jiang Yi was stunned, looking back and forth between the inside and outside of the wall in disbelief, until she was absolutely certain.
Is this the legendary light-footed skill?!
No, he has such good skills, yet he made me climb over the wall in such a sorry state. Why didn't he just fly over with her? Damn it!
He Lin stood outside the wall with his arms outstretched, wanting to catch her. Jiang Yi glared at him fiercely. Although she was angry, she knew that now was not the time to lash out, so she closed her eyes and jumped down in one breath.
The expected pain did not come; instead, she fell into a warm and strong embrace, and a faint, pleasant sandalwood scent wafted into her nostrils. He Lin caught her.
Jiang Yi snorted, pushed the person in front of her, jumped off his arms, picked up the cloak from the ground and wrapped it around herself.
Seeing this, He Lin reached out and tied it for her without saying a word, and Jiang Yi did not refuse.
"After you go through the alley ahead, head north into the dense forest, got it?"
Jiang Yi was taken aback, grabbed He Lin's hand, and asked with a frown, "Aren't you coming with me?"
"No, you go first. I need to go back. I'll catch up with you soon, trust me."
Jiang Yi frowned even more deeply. "You said you would never leave me again."
He Lin smiled and said, "I won't abandon you. I'll just cover their retreat to prevent them from catching up."
Although she was a little worried, Jiang Yi still let him go do his own thing.
"Alright, be careful."
He Lin nodded: "Did you bring the dagger?"
Jiang Yi took the scabbard out of her sleeve; it was warmed up by the clothes she wore.
"Here, do you need it?"
"No need, keep this for self-defense, go on your way."
Jiang Yi gave him a deep look, took the dagger, turned and left, but after only a few steps she suddenly ran back, went up to He Lin, cupped his face and kissed him hard.
The person opposite him was clearly taken aback, but the smile on their lips gradually widened.
"We're in a completely unfamiliar place. If you dare to abandon me and run away, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"
Watching Jiang Yi's retreating figure, He Lin couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and touched the spot where she had just kissed him, then turned and leaped over the wall in a few bounds, heading straight for the courtyard where they lived...
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