At the age of ten, he fell gravely ill—blind, with degenerating limbs that made movement difficult.
Imperial physicians could not determine the cause, so his imperial father sought out his master.
His master had been a renowned traveling physician in his youth. Only after his wife passed away did he enter Huguo Temple.
Not only was he skilled in medicine, but he was also exceptionally gifted in divination and astrology.
Had his master not adamantly refused to enter worldly affairs, his imperial father would likely have bestowed upon him the title of State Preceptor.
His master cast a divination for him, saying he faced a great calamity in his fate and would likely not survive past fifteen if he remained in the palace.
Thus, his imperial father sent him to Huguo Temple. Unexpectedly, he was pursued by assassins along the way.
All his guards and Shadow Guards were killed, and he himself fell off a cliff. At the brink of death, it was Liu Yiyi who saved him.
Seeing the guilt in Xiao Yan’s eyes, Liu Yiyi pouted slightly and said:
“Brother Yan, can’t you just not marry Sister Yue? Yiyi is afraid that once Brother Yan gets married, Yiyi will have no one left, just like today. Yiyi clearly did nothing wrong, yet Sister Yue treated Yiyi that way.”
Recalling the look Lin Zhaoyue had given Liu Yiyi earlier that day, Xiao Yan frowned slightly:
“Brother Yan will protect Yiyi for a lifetime.”
If Lin Zhaoyue truly dared to do anything to Liu Yiyi, he wouldn’t mind…
His eyes narrowing slightly, Xiao Yan lowered his head, concealing the emotions in his gaze. His slender, pale fingers stroked the dog’s fur intermittently.
Some things, Yiyi didn’t need to know.
She only needed to remain pure and happy.
Hei’er, lying on the ground, enjoyed his master’s affectionate strokes and closed its eyes contentedly.
Reassured by Xiao Yan’s promise, Liu Yiyi stopped pressing the matter.
Seeing Xiao Yan comforting Hei’er, she took out the beef jerky she had just bought and placed it before the dog:
“Hei’er, I bought this especially for you just now. Here, eat it.”
Hei’er didn’t even twitch its nose, let alone open its eyes.
Liu Yiyi felt somewhat awkward.
She didn’t understand why Hei’er never warmed up to her. She couldn’t even pet it, and it refused to eat anything she offered.
Except for the flower cake Lin Zhaoyue had brought over yesterday, which it had eaten.
“Hei’er.”
Xiao Yan called the dog’s name, his voice slightly stern.
Recognizing its master’s command, Hei’er opened its eyes and looked at him with a pitiful expression before taking the beef jerky from Liu Yiyi’s hand into its mouth without chewing.
Xiao Yan shot it a sharp glance, and Hei’er immediately shrank back, retreating to a corner of the carriage.
Outside the carriage, the noise remained chaotic. Amid the clamor, Hei’er caught a familiar voice:
“Sister, I want sugar-roasted chestnuts…”
Its ears twitched, and Hei’er immediately sat upright. Confirming that the voice belonged to its newly recognized master, it paid no heed to whether the carriage was still moving. It stood up and dashed outside, leaping from the carriage without hesitation and plunging into the crowd, quickly disappearing from sight.
Its speed was so swift that even Feng Xin, who served as both Xiao Yan’s guard and coachman, couldn’t stop it in time.
“Your Highness, Hei’er has run off.”
“Go find it…”
…
Lin Wan couldn’t resist Lin Zhaoyue’s coquettish pleas. After having her sleeve tugged a few times, she went to buy chestnuts for her.
“Sister is always so good to Zhaozhao.”
Lin Zhaoyue’s words were as sweet as honey, melting Lin Wan’s heart.
“You, you… The smoke is heavy over there. I’ll go buy them. Stay right here and don’t move.”
Lin Wan spoke as if instructing a child.
Lin Zhaoyue nodded obediently, staying exactly where she was without moving. Only her eyes wandered, glancing around.
Suddenly, a large black dog charged toward her from the crowd.
The dog’s fur was glossy, its body pitch-black, its muscles robust and imposing, majestic as a leopard.
It looked terrifying.
Wherever it passed, the crowd automatically parted to make way.
Hei’er?
Lin Zhaoyue recognized it at a glance—Xiao Yan’s dog.
In the past, to win Xiao Yan’s favor, she had even gone out of her way to please his dog.
Every day, she would find new ways to bring it delicious treats and play with it.
At first, Hei’er had been aloof, but after several months, it had grown extremely attached to her.
In her previous life, when she was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, Hei’er was already very old.
It was no longer as agile as it was now, but it would still often sneak through a dog hole to visit her, carrying a chicken leg in its mouth. Later, Liu Yiyi discovered this and had a palace maid beat it to death.
Watching Hei’er bare its teeth and dash toward her, Lin Zhaoyue felt both sorrow and joy in her heart.
Even though she no longer liked Xiao Yan now, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike Hei’er.
While Lin Zhaoyue was lost in thought, Hei’er had already reached her. Its tail wagged vigorously, its front paws tugged at the hem of her skirt, and it grinned, panting with its tongue out, its ears flattened back as it waited for her to pet it.
Lin Zhaoyue crouched down and reached out to stroke its head.
“Hei’er, what are you doing here?”
Hei’er usually followed Feng Xin or Xiao Yan. Lin Zhaoyue looked around but didn’t see either of them.
“Where did this dog come from?”
Lin Wan had never seen Hei’er before. When she saw the large black dog pounce toward her sister, she was startled.
Only when she saw the dog wagging its tail did she relax.
Lin Wan walked over with chestnuts and handed them to her.
Lin Zhaoyue took them and said:
“The Crown Prince’s dog.”
Lin Wan seemed thoughtful, her gaze sweeping around but finding no one.
Hei’er had a keen sense of smell. As soon as it caught the scent of the chestnuts, it knew they were food. Its eyes fixed on the chestnuts, and the speed of its pawing noticeably quickened.
Although Hei’er couldn’t speak, after spending so much time with it, Lin Zhaoyue understood what its every movement and glance meant.
“Want some?”
Whether it understood or not, it pawed at her again.
Lin Zhaoyue peeled a chestnut, giving the first one to Lin Wan and the second to Hei’er.
When Xiao Yan found Hei’er, this was the scene he saw:
The young girl slightly bent over, peeling chestnuts. A few strands of black hair clung to her face, her delicate features as lovely as a lotus flower, her eyes and brows carefree, her red lips slightly curved with an air of innocent charm.
A bright green waistband cinched her waist, making it appear incredibly slender…
His dark eyes dimmed slightly as Xiao Yan called out:
“Hei’er.”
Hei’er’s ears twitched, pretending not to hear Xiao Yan’s voice.
But Lin Zhaoyue heard it. She looked up and saw Xiao Yan.
The man carried an air of noble elegance, his appearance outstanding.
People coming and going couldn’t help but cast their eyes on him, stopping to watch. Soon, a large crowd had gathered.
The young ladies couldn’t resist stealing a few glances before shyly lowering their heads, not daring to look directly.
In such a situation, Lin Zhaoyue guessed he didn’t want to be recognized.
She wiped the smile from her face, bowed slightly, and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, Liu Yiyi, who had followed, ran over breathlessly with a coquettish air:
“Sister Yue… Miss Lin, I didn’t expect to see you out shopping.”
Lin Zhaoyue wished she could kill her right then and there, but she knew now was not the time.
Moreover, she couldn’t afford to reveal any more clues in front of Xiao Yan.
So she curved her lips into a gentle smile:
“Hmm, I didn’t expect to run into you here. It’s getting late, and I was just about to head back to the residence. Please take your time strolling.”
“Yue sister, wait a moment.”
With that, Liu Yiyi ran toward a low-key yet luxurious carriage and returned with a brocade box in hand.
“Although Yiyi doesn’t know where she offended Miss Lin today, if Miss Lin is upset, it must be Yiyi’s fault. Yiyi apologizes to Miss Lin here and hopes Miss Lin won’t hold a grudge against Yiyi.”
As she spoke, she handed the brocade box to Lin Zhaoyue.
When Liu Yiyi raised her hand, Lin Zhaoyue noticed a pair of white jade bracelets on her wrist.
Lin Zhaoyue recognized those bracelets. Two days ago, when she took Liu Yiyi to stroll around Washe, there was a lantern riddle booth where these bracelets were the prize.
A gentleman could win them for his lady by competing in a poetry contest.
Two days ago, she had pestered Xiao Yan to help her win them, but Xiao Yan, unwilling to lower himself to compete, took her to Mingzhu Residence instead and bought her exquisite jade jewelry.
Yet now, those white jade bracelets were adorning Liu Yiyi’s wrist.
Lin Zhaoyue’s hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, twitched slightly.
It seemed the apology was just a pretense. What Liu Yiyi was really telling her was:
Even if she was about to marry into the Eastern Palace, even if she was to become the Crown Princess, Xiao Yan’s true love was still her!
Lin Zhaoyue’s expression remained unchanged as she accepted the brocade box from Liu Yiyi and added:
“Your bracelets are very beautiful.”
After Lin Zhaoyue said this, both Liu Yiyi and Xiao Yan were visibly taken aback.
Liu Yiyi naturally knew about Lin Zhaoyue’s desire two days ago for Xiao Yan to help her win those bracelets. Given her usual temperament, she should have thrown a tantrum.
And once she threw a tantrum, Yan-gege would grow even more annoyed with her.
Liu Yiyi was eagerly anticipating Lin Zhaoyue’s outburst.
Xiao Yan, too, felt a headache coming on.
He had only helped Yiyi win the bracelets earlier because she seemed unhappy. If Lin Zhaoyue now made a scene and demanded them as well, wouldn’t he have to embarrass himself all over again?
Lin Zhaoyue and Liu Yiyi were entirely different when they made a fuss.
At most, Liu Yiyi would find a secluded spot to cry quietly, but Lin Zhaoyue, having been pampered since childhood, would create a huge commotion, ensuring everyone knew about it.
Well, if she truly wanted those bracelets, helping her win them once wouldn’t be such a big deal.
After all, she was his future Crown Princess!
As long as she behaved herself and the Lin family remained compliant, he would naturally grant her everything befitting a Crown Princess.
“If you want them, this humble one—”
Before Xiao Yan could finish his sentence, Lin Zhaoyue spoke up:
“The bracelets suit your complexion very well. Please enjoy your time. My elder sister and I will take our leave now.”
With that, she bowed to Xiao Yan once more and left with Lin Wan, along with her maids and guards.
Watching Lin Zhaoyue’s retreating figure, the man’s dark eyes grew somber.