Lin Yanxi looked at Jiang Mingsheng and said, "At least the Black Talisman realm. That day in the pit, you unleashed your potential and used a Purple Talisman with the soul ring on your hand."
"Talismans are ranked: Yellow, Blue, Red, Purple, Black, Gold. Although Purple Talismans are only one realm away from Black Talismans, many people can never bridge that gap in their entire lives."
"However, your talent is extremely high. Optimistically, it might take five or eight years!"
Lin Yanxi was somewhat stunned. Five or eight years? Was he kidding!
"But he only has a month."
After a moment of silence, she asked, unwilling to give up, "Are there any other ways?"
Jiang Mingsheng slowly shook his head and said, "He cannot be injured again this month. You should use the power of Talisman Masters to alleviate the coldness in his body. Perhaps, that can buy him more time."
Shen Muzhou leaned against the bed. The features on his profile were sharp and defined, his eyelashes long and slender. His eyes were lowered blankly, lost in thought.
He seemed to have heard nothing of the near-desperate conversation just now, his face devoid of any emotional fluctuation. After a long while, he said softly, "You two, leave first. I have something to say to Lin Yanxi alone."
Xiao Liu and Jiang Mingsheng left, closing the door behind them.
Lin Yanxi stood a few steps away, momentarily dazed. Their relationship shouldn't have been like this, merely transactional, to each other's benefit.
Even if a sliver of affection arose, it would be in the face of a common fate, a shared enemy, a mere moment of empathy.
But for some reason, after learning his cold illness had worsened and he had less than a month left, all her thoughts about him were of his goodness.
How many times had he stood in front of her to shield her from blows? How many times had he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away without hesitation when she was in trouble?
And on the day they first met, the frail, melancholic youth leaning against a tree, telling her, "Walk towards the moon, and you will find your way out of this forest."
At that time, she had intended to abandon him.
She was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "There must be another way."
"Come here," Shen Muzhou beckoned her.
Lin Yanxi shuffled her feet, inching closer to his bedside. Shen Muzhou suddenly reached out, firmly gripped her wrist, and pulled her into his embrace.
She let out a startled cry, "Ah."
And then she was in his arms. She struggled, and in the quiet room, only the rustling of their robes could be heard. He held her tightly.
He embraced her tighter and tighter, greedily inhaling the sweet, maidenly scent that clung to her. After a long while, he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Walls have ears."
She immediately stopped struggling, content to be held in his arms. Did he mean there were spies in the Prince Mu's manor?
Who dared to infiltrate the Prince Mu's manor? This place was guarded by people from the Dark Night Division everywhere.
"Do you know who it is?"
"I know."
"Then why not eliminate him?"
"If I eliminate him, another spy will still infiltrate. It's better to let him watch."
Her small head rested on his shoulder. As he lowered his head to speak, his lips brushed against her ear, a cool breath tickling her earlobe, making her heart tingle too. She shivered.
He chuckled inexplicably. It was true there were spies in the manor, but his courtyard was heavily guarded. Even if those few spies had infiltrated the manor, they could only reach the front hall.
The little girl was so easily fooled. A little scare, and she obediently nestled in his arms, too afraid to move, not suspecting a thing.
In her past life, after Shen Muzhou was imprisoned, the Crown Prince, unhindered by the Prince Mu's faction in court, had quickly consolidated his position by winning over supporters. Soon after, the Emperor died, leaving many unanswered questions.
Many had suspected the Crown Prince, but there was no proof.
In this life, everything was happening too soon.
Lin Yanxi shifted closer, leaning towards his ear. She covered her mouth with her small hand and whispered, "You mustn't let the Crown Prince and outsiders know your current condition. If the court is unstable, the Crown Prince will become even more reckless."
As her moist lips moved and she spoke, her warm, sweet breath brushed against his ear. His gaze fell upon her slender waist. He clenched her skirt, resisting the urge, and then pushed her away.
His heart was pounding violently. Something was boiling deep within him, surging towards his heart, disrupting his breathing.
Lin Yanxi tilted her head, confused, and asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. He pulled at the corner of the blanket and said, "No."
"Is your cold illness acting up badly? Are you cold again? I'll help you cover up." As she spoke, she reached for his blanket.
Shen Muzhou quickly pressed the blanket down with his arm and said sternly, "No need. Unmarried men and women should not touch. Don't you know that?"
She pouted and sat obediently on his bed, muttering, "So proper."
He reached out and tapped her small head, saying, "What nonsense are you muttering?"
She bared her small, white teeth, like a young beast baring its fangs. Seeing the lack of color on his porcelain face, his illness so severe, she decided not to argue with him for now.
The room fell silent. Lin Yanxi took a breath and said, "I want to move into the Prince Mu's manor."
Shen Muzhou stared at her face without speaking. She felt a little awkward and coughed, "Ahem, I mean, your manor is so large, just give me a courtyard to live in."
He reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling, "What else? You were thinking of living with me? What are you thinking about all day?"
Lin Yanxi's face flushed at his words, and she hurried to explain, "I, I have talismanic power that can suppress the coldness in your body and prevent outsiders from noticing anything unusual. Moreover, I can also learn talisman techniques from my master frequently, and perhaps make a breakthrough, so I can use Black Talismans to cure your illness."
He remained silent, his peach blossom eyes, like crushed stars, fixed on her, a smile of unknown meaning on his lips.
She stood up angrily and said, "Don't you appreciate good intentions! If you don't want it, then forget it!"
With that, she turned to leave. The moment she turned, he grabbed her wrist again and pulled her into his embrace.
"What are you doing! Didn't you say unmarried men and women shouldn't touch?" she struggled softly.
He said weakly, "My cold illness is acting up severely right now. Warm me up."
"You..."
The tips of her ears turned red, and she was too embarrassed to look at him. What did he mean by "warm me up"!!!
Strange.
Although she was reluctant in her heart, she obediently leaned against him, letting him hold her.
---
Grand Tutor's Manor.
Early in the morning, just as Lin Ze returned from court, an imperial decree arrived from the palace.
The messenger was still Eunuch Li. Due to the previous unpleasantness when Lin Ze refused to accept the imperial decree for a marriage proposal, he was rather annoyed.
He covered his face with a pinky finger, glared at Lin Ze, and snorted, "An imperial decree from His Majesty."
The Lin family knelt on the ground.
"The second daughter of the Lin family is spirited and passionate..."
He spoke at length, the gist of which was that Lin Yanxi's temperament was not steady enough, and the palace and the Prince's manor were full of elaborate rules and ceremonies. He feared that she might cause trouble with her demeanor after marriage, and therefore, from this day forward, she would reside in the Prince Mu's manor to learn proper etiquette by the Prince's side.
Lin Ze was furious and defended her, "How is my daughter not well-mannered? She is one of the finest young ladies in the capital! If the Prince Mu's manor has so many rules, then she doesn't need to go!"
Lin Yuan snorted at this. Madam Xu quickly pulled her, signaling her to remain silent. She didn't know what was happening to her recently; her temperament had become increasingly capricious and peculiar.
Even if she was dissatisfied with Lin Yanxi in the past, she would never show it openly.
Lin Ruoyan also protected her elder sister, muttering softly, "Exactly. The Prince Mu's manor is so cold and lifeless, it's not as comfortable as our home."
Although she had never been to the Prince Mu's manor, the entrance was heavily guarded, and there wasn't even a red lantern.
This was just a charade staged by Shen Muzhou for her to move into the Prince Mu's manor, but it also showed that His Majesty doted on him greatly. Lin Yanxi was deeply touched. Her father and younger sister would always stand by her side and support her.
The Grand Tutor's manor was her strength and her weakness.
Eunuch Li found it most troublesome to deliver imperial decrees to the Grand Tutor's family. He had no intention of getting entangled with them further and said coldly, "The message has been delivered. If the Grand Tutor has any dissatisfaction, please enter the palace to see His Majesty and discuss it."
"Oh, and this is an invitation to the Empress's flower viewing banquet. She specifically instructed that the second and third daughters of the Lin family are to attend together."
Lin Yanxi glanced at Chestnut and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch. This subject's daughter accepts the decree."
Chestnut took out two gold leaves from his sleeve and stepped forward to greet Eunuch Li. As he received the invitation, he subtly handed over the gold leaves. Eunuch Li pinched the two gold leaves hidden in his sleeve, revealing a satisfied smile.
"Alas, I see that only the second daughter of the Grand Tutor's manor is quick-witted." He sarcastically dropped this remark and, surrounded by a few young eunuchs, got into the sedan chair to return to the palace.
Lin Ze immediately stood up from the ground and pointed at the departing carriage, roaring, "This is too much! My daughter is not yet married, can he still force Zhao Zhao to the Prince Mu's manor?"
Lin Yanxi supported Lin Ze, gently stroking his back to calm him down. "Father, the oral decree is not entirely unreasonable. Since I am to marry the Ninth Prince, I will inevitably have dealings with the palace. If I truly cause trouble in the palace due to my lack of etiquette, it would put the entire Grand Tutor's manor in danger."
"Learning the palace rules at the Prince's manor earlier might not be a bad thing."
He frowned. He understood the logic, but he couldn't bear to hear anyone say anything negative about his precious daughter. "This, going to the manor, the food and everything, how can it be as casual and particular as at home."
She comforted him, "If I don't enjoy living there, I'll come back. He can't tie me to the manor, can he?"
Lin Ze's worried gaze swept past her, glancing at Tangchao behind her. After some hesitation, he grumbled, "It seems there's no other choice."
Lin Ruoyan had already forgotten about her elder sister entering the manor. She took the invitation from Chestnut and excitedly opened it.
It was an exquisite, gilded invitation, made of the finest green sandalwood paper, carefully perfumed, quite elaborate.
"Sister, I can go to the palace to play too." She had been so bored confined to the manor these past few days, unable to see the Crown Prince. Going to the palace meant she could see the Crown Prince.
Lin Yuan and Madam Xu stood in a corner. From the arrival of Eunuch Li to his departure, they had been completely ignored. Even Lin Ruoyan was invited to the Empress's banquet, but no one mentioned her.
She clutched her handkerchief tightly, her gaze resentful. She stamped her foot and walked away with a sullen expression. Madam Xu quickly followed, afraid she would do something rash.
"What are you angry about? It's just the imperial palace, you've been there before."
As soon as Lin Yuan entered the room, she smashed all the porcelain vases to the ground. "That was when Lin Yanxi was foolish, and I went in her stead! These things have never belonged to me."
"Mother, didn't you see how excited Lin Ruoyan was?"