"If Ruoyan that girl is the most useless, why are you in such a hurry?" Madam Xu took a deep breath and said.
Lin Yuan shot her a fierce glance and retorted, "She clings to the Crown Prince every day. Before it was Lin Yanxi, now it's her. If this continues, when will the Crown Prince ever welcome me into his manor?"
Madam Xu rubbed her forehead. She naturally wanted Lin Yuan to marry the Crown Prince, but it was obvious the Crown Prince disdained a concubine's daughter. Moreover, Lin Yuan had been returning later and later recently, and she always had injuries.
She began to persuade, "Yuan'er, if you ask your mother, it's fine if you don't marry the Crown Prince. Lower your sights a bit. I think the Prime Minister's manor's legitimate son is very good. He's been chasing after you since he was a child. If you marry him, you'll definitely be the main wife."
Lin Yuan scoffed disdainfully, "The Prime Minister's son is delusional! He's not even fit to carry my shoes."
"Mother, don't worry. I can't do anything about Lin Yanxi, but Lin Ruoyan, I have plenty of ways to deal with her."
As dusk approached, the people in the manor were busy packing things for Lin Yanxi.
Madam Xu and Lin Yuan watched from the side with cold eyes. Madam Xu bit down on a ginkgo nut, cracked it open, and spat out the husk, scattering it on the ground.
Normally, Lin Ze was too busy to be seen, but today, after receiving the Emperor's oral decree, he hadn't left his manor for half the day, busying himself with preparing things for Lin Yanxi.
He had prepared ten large chests, filled with gold, silver, soft goods, bedding, and robes.
She sneered, "Hmph, if one didn't know, they'd think the Emperor was confiscating property! This Grand Tutor's manor is about to be emptied."
Lin Yuan remained silent. She returned to her room, put on a black cloak, and, while everyone in the manor was busy and no one noticed her, she slipped away.
Lin Ze pulled Lin Yanxi aside and said, "Look and see if there's anything else you need to bring. I don't usually bother with these feminine matters, but your mother... is no longer here. I'm afraid I might overlook something and not pack enough."
Both their eyes dimmed when they mentioned Jiang Wan. Lin Yanxi forced a smile and said, "Father, I'm just staying at the Prince's manor for a while, not like I'm not coming back. I've already taken everything I could from my room, what else could be missing?"
Lin Ze smiled and thought carefully. He called out to a servant and said, "Go and bring the young lady's dedicated writing desk as well. You'll definitely need to read and write at the Prince's manor, and that desk was made specifically for your height. It will be more comfortable to use."
Her heart warmed, and she leaned into Lin Ze's embrace like a little girl, cooing, "I want to stay with Father forever."
Lin Ruoyan also pouted beside Lin Ze and said, "I want to stay with Father forever too, and Sister!"
Lin Ze's nose twitched. He was getting old and couldn't bear such scenes. He held back his tears and turned away, his old eyes streaming with them.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan braved the small servant's entrance into the Eastern Palace. She walked a few steps and looked back. The small door was dilapidated, the wood somewhat rotten. After walking twenty to thirty paces forward, the view opened up; the decorations of the Eastern Palace were extremely lavish.
She vowed that one day she would enter the Eastern Palace through the main gate, seated in a sedan chair, with all due ceremony.
The guards of the Eastern Palace led her to the study. As the door opened, she paused and then walked in.
The Crown Prince was half-reclining on a footstool adorned with gold and silver. A whole tiger skin was spread beneath him. He lazily lifted his eyelids and looked at the person before him, frowning, "Why are you here?"
Lin Yuan read the annoyance in his eyes, but she didn't care at all. She leaned softly against the Crown Prince and said, "Can't I miss you?"
He lowered his gaze, staring into Lin Yuan's eyes. She smiled charmingly, her jade hands climbing around his neck, and she proactively brought her small mouth to his, sometimes sucking, sometimes lightly biting and chasing.
She clung to the Crown Prince breathlessly, her voice seductive and alluring, "Punish me."
The Crown Prince's gentle smile changed, replaced by a sinister one, his eyes filled with madness. In this regard, only Lin Yuan could ignite his desires, the deepest parts of him.
About an hour later, Lin Yuan was covered in wounds. There was a distinct red mark on her neck. The Crown Prince's fingertips lightly traced the red wounds on her body, his gaze obsessive and infatuated.
Shen Qingyun said, "The wounds on your body are as perfect as a painting. You are the fairy in the painting."
Lin Yuan endured the pain, forcing a smile, "I want to accompany Your Highness forever."
Shen Qingyun's gaze fixed on her gloomily, and he only chuckled coldly, not speaking.
She pouted coquettishly, "Your Highness, do you really not want me anymore? Have you set your sights on Lin Ruoyan again?"
"In the Crown Prince's heart, any daughter of the Lin family is better than me."
Seeing her feigned anger, he chuckled and rolled over, saying, "Lin Ruoyan, a little girl like her can't please me even a tenth as much as you. But you know, she's the legitimate daughter, and she has the Jiang clan behind her."
Legitimate daughter, again legitimate daughter!
Lin Yuan lowered her gaze, thinking hatefully. She had never been inferior to anyone in her life. She had given what others couldn't, and just because she was a concubine's daughter, she was always a step below.
"The Jiang clan has also fallen."
Shen Qingyun chuckled sinisterly, "What do you know? The Jiang clan may seem to have fallen, but I've heard that the Jiang family possesses an ancient book, and that ancient book holds great secrets."
Lin Yuan wanted to ask more.
Shen Qingyun embraced her body and placed a kiss on her wounds. She flinched, then forced a smile to appease him.
He whispered, "Endure a little longer. When I marry Lin Ruoyan, I'll take you into my manor. You can have anything you want then."
Lin Yuan's eyes darkened, and she remained silent. How much longer did she have to wait!
Seeing her silence, he guessed her thoughts. He smiled and said, "Are you unhappy now? What about the authority to manage the household?"
Lin Yuan's eyes brightened, and she asked, "Managing the household is an internal matter of the manor. Does Your Highness have a way?"
Shen Qingyun lifted her chin and ran a candle inch by inch over her body, "Whether there's a way depends on your performance."
She shivered, suppressing the nausea in her heart, and feigned a seductive smile, "I want to go to the palace's flower viewing banquet too."
Shen Qingyun frowned and said, "Only legitimate daughters can attend palace banquets. You'll only embarrass yourself by going."
Lin Yuan turned her head and pouted, "I want to go! Your Highness is resourceful. This shouldn't be difficult for you."
Shen Qingyun coaxed, "Alright, alright, as you wish."
Lin Yuan was a delicate beauty, and he enjoyed seeing these beautiful women beg for mercy, wail, and be broken under him.
However, for some reason, he suddenly thought of Lin Yanxi, who was always at odds with him, and his hands became rougher.
Lin Yuan trembled with pain, tears streaming down her face. In his eyes, she was at her most beautiful at this moment.
---
Lin Ze personally drove Lin Yanxi and two carts of belongings to the front of the Prince's manor.
Shen Muzhou was already waiting there.
He glanced at Shen Muzhou and said unhappily, "In court... I may have offended you. But that was between you and me. Zhao... Lin Yanxi is staying at your esteemed residence. If there's anything she does that displeases Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for her."
Shen Muzhou's face was pale, and he seemed thinner. He stood tall in front of the manor, his brows cold, a thick black cloak wrapped around him, and he held a hand warmer.
What a strange person, Lin Ze thought contemptuously. If your health is failing, die sooner instead of dragging my daughter down to hell.
Lin Yanxi knew her father's temperament. For him to say this was a sign of submission. He had been upright his whole life, yet now he worried about his daughter being wronged in someone else's manor and had yielded.
Her heart ached, and she said to her father with a wink, "Father, don't worry. I'll be home soon."
After speaking, she winked at Lin Ze and whispered in his ear, "I'm a Talisman Master. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll tear down his manor!"
Hearing that she would tear down the manor, Lin Ze's worried brows immediately relaxed, and he felt happy at the thought.
Shen Muzhou walked down from the steps in front of the manor gate. The usually arrogant and aloof man actually showed Lin Ze a smile. He wanted to appear more approachable.
"Grand Tutor, please rest assured. Lin Yanxi will soon marry me. Whether it's me or the people of the Night Watch, we will not mistreat her. On the contrary, my Prince Mu's manor, like the Grand Tutor's manor, will be her backing and protection."
Lin Ze furrowed his brows and stared at his unnaturally smiling face for a moment. How could someone smile so gloomily, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes?
However, what Shen Muzhou said was impeccable. He still didn't give him a good look and said, "It better be so."
After a few more instructions, he left Tang Chao and Lizi to take care of Lin Yanxi and returned.
After Lin Ze left, Shen Muzhou coughed twice. Lin Yanxi's anxious eyes immediately locked onto him.
He smiled, not the forced smile from before, but a warm and pleasant one. He opened his palm and showed it to her.
"It's just a cough."
Her worried eyes darted around, and she nodded, asking, "Where will I be staying?"
Shen Muzhou turned and walked ahead. Xiao Liu wanted to help him, but he held up his hand, signaling him not to.
Lin Yanxi glanced around. Dozens of guards and servants were watching them. Which of these people were spies?
She turned her gaze back and followed Shen Muzhou's steps.
The Prince Mu's manor gave off a feeling of being very oppressive. Gray and white stone bricks were the main color. Such a large manor had very few plants, feeling cold and lifeless.
The most vibrant thing in the entire manor was the arched bridge underfoot, with a pond beneath it.
"Your courtyard is too gloomy. Such a large pond, and not even a single fish? You should at least keep some lotuses or something."
Shen Muzhou walked ahead and said, "Too much trouble."
He paused and added, "If you like it, I'll have the servants buy some tomorrow."
He had always lived alone and didn't know what kind of residences young ladies liked to live in. Perhaps they liked a lot of flowers and plants, koi, and little yellow birds.
Lin Yanxi said, "No need. I'm only staying here temporarily."
Shen Muzhou stood on the arched bridge and looked back at her. Behind him was the solemn and somber Prince Mu's manor, blending with his sickly and dying self. Lin Yanxi felt as if he might disappear forever with the manor at any moment.
His eyes flickered, then he turned back and coughed twice, saying, "Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he coughed violently, his body unable to support itself. Lin Yanxi rushed forward and hugged him around the waist before he could collapse.
Shen Muzhou was much taller than her and leaned entirely on her. She struggled to support him.
Many servants and guards from the Night Watch in the manor looked at them. Fortunately, their posture was ambiguous, and to outsiders, it looked like they were just hugging.
His body trembled slightly, and his teeth chattered. His cold sickness had flared up again.
In just two days, his cold sickness had recurred so frequently. It had never been this frequent before.
He knew his time was running out.