Feng Xin stood behind Xiao Yan when a Shadow Guard appeared and whispered something into his ear. Feng Xin’s expression immediately turned serious, and he jogged over to Xiao Yan, murmuring quietly beside him.
Xiao Yan narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, glanced at Lin Zhaoyue’s retreating figure, and said calmly:
“Return to the palace.”
…
Only after boarding the carriage did Lin Zhaoyue’s tense nerves finally relax.
She casually placed the brocade box given by Liu Yiyi on the seat without even glancing at it.
In the past, if she had encountered Xiao Yan while out shopping, Lin Zhaoyue would have eagerly followed him. Now, acting so differently, Lin Wan attributed it all to Zhaozhao feeling jealous upon seeing the Crown Prince shopping alone with Liu Yiyi.
Seeing Lin Zhaoyue’s gloomy expression, Lin Wan reached out and took her hand, sighing softly:
“Zhaozhao, after all, he is the Crown Prince.”
It was common for young men from ordinary families to have multiple wives and concubines; those like their father, who had only their mother as his wife and no concubines, were exceedingly rare.
Back when Zhaozhao had asked their father to request the Emperor to grant her marriage to the Crown Prince, Lin Wan had asked her: what would she do if the Crown Prince were to marry other women in the future?
At that time, she had enthusiastically declared that she would surely win the Crown Prince’s heart, making him think only of her.
Now, forget about winning the Crown Prince’s heart—she had likely even lost her own.
Lin Zhaoyue understood what Lin Wan meant.
In her previous life, before the Guogong Mansion was raided, Xiao Yan had no other women besides her.
At the time, she had thought that even if Xiao Yan didn’t love her deeply, having her as his only woman would be enough to satisfy her.
Looking back now, she had truly been foolish.
With his beloved by his side, marrying her had merely been the result of his weighing of pros and cons.
Less than a month after the Lin family’s downfall, before the blood on Wu Men Jie had even dried, she was stripped of her position as Empress and imprisoned in the Cold Palace, forced to listen as he welcomed his beloved into the palace.
Clenching her fingers, Lin Zhaoyue let out a breath and said:
“Elder Sister, I know.”
In this life, no matter how many women he had or whom he married, it had nothing to do with her anymore.
All she wanted was to protect the Lin family and avenge the massacre of her entire household…
By the time she and Lin Wan returned home, it was already Hai hour. As soon as Lin Zhaoyue entered the house, she asked the steward:
“Has my father returned?”
“The Guogong returned at Xu hour, but he had some wine and is a bit drunk. He has already retired for the night.”
Hearing that her father had already gone to bed, Lin Zhaoyue had no choice but to set aside the matter of her rebirth for now, planning to discuss it the next day.
After parting with Lin Wan and returning to her courtyard to wash up, Qingzhu finally returned, panting heavily.
“Miss, the Crown Prince just escorted Miss Liu to Wisteria Garden and then returned to the Eastern Palace.”
Wisteria Garden was Xiao Yan’s private residence. After Liu Yiyi arrived in the capital, Xiao Yan had settled her there out of consideration for her reputation.
“Mm, I understand.”
As she spoke, Lin Zhaoyue poured her a cup of tea:
“Have a sip of tea to catch your breath.”
Qingzhu was somewhat flustered by the gesture.
Although her mistress usually treated her very well, pouring tea for her was something she had never done before.
“Thank you, Miss.”
Qingzhu took the cup and drank it down in large gulps.
She was a simple person and couldn’t tell good tea from bad, but the tea poured by her mistress always seemed to taste better than usual.
Watching Qingzhu, Lin Zhaoyue’s red lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.
Qingzhu had followed her since childhood—a loyal servant with a straightforward mind.
Whatever she said, Qingzhu would do.
If she wanted to kill someone, Qingzhu would hand her the knife.
In Qingzhu’s heart, whatever she said or did was always right.
Recalling how Qingzhu had been beaten to death before her eyes in her previous life, her body left without a single patch of intact skin, Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes grew sore.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Lin Zhaoyue’s unusual mood, Qingzhu asked cautiously.
“Could it be that seeing the Crown Prince strolling with Miss Liu today has saddened you? My lady is so wonderful—surely one day the Crown Prince will recognize your goodness. Please don’t be sad.”
Hearing her comfort, Lin Zhaoyue smiled faintly again:
“Silly girl!”
“I’m just happy to have such a good maid as you.”
Qingzhu was simple-minded and didn’t overthink it. Hearing her mistress praise her, she immediately smiled bashfully.
“From today onward, you no longer need to follow the Crown Prince.”
With Xiao Yan’s sharpness, he had long known Qingzhu was tailing him. Everything she learned from Qingzhu was deliberately revealed by Xiao Yan.
Qingzhu was a bit confused; she had been following him for nearly two months straight:
“Huh? No more?”
“No more. From now on, we’ll do something meaningful.”
Qingzhu wasn’t one to dwell on things. Since her mistress said not to follow, there must be a reason. After all, her lady was always right.
“Then, Miss, what meaningful thing shall we do next?”
Looking at Qingzhu’s bright eyes, Lin Zhaoyue smiled mysteriously:
“You’ll find out later. Go rest for now.”
“Alright, let me dry your hair first…”
Only after drying Lin Zhaoyue’s hair did Qingzhu go to rest.
Lin Zhaoyue lay in bed, lost in thought until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep.
Before drifting off, she resolved to visit Huguo Temple the next day to pray.
When she woke, Lin Ruojing had already left for court.
After sharing a meal with Lin Wan and Lin Furen, Lin Furen went off to play cards with other noblewomen, while Lin Wan busied herself with needlework.
Lin Wan preferred tranquility, often spending her time reading, playing the qin, or doing embroidery.
Seeing the mandarin duck pouch in Lin Wan’s hands, Lin Zhaoyue asked knowingly:
“Sister, who is this pouch for?”
Startled by the question, Lin Wan’s needle slipped slightly, and her cheeks flushed:
“It’s for my own use. Who would I give it to?”
“But I see mandarin ducks embroidered on it. Could it be for my future brother-in-law?”
Hearing the term “brother-in-law,” Lin Wan’s face turned crimson:
“What brother-in-law? Don’t speak nonsense, you little rascal. Shouldn’t you be off playing with your friends instead of bothering me here?”
With that, Lin Wan shooed Lin Zhaoyue out of the room and promptly closed the door.
Facing the shut door, Lin Zhaoyue rubbed her nose.
Was it really so embarrassing to embroider a pouch for the heir of Zhong Bo Hou?
Scratching her ear, Lin Zhaoyue tidied up and set off for Huguo Temple with Qingzhu.
Huguo Temple hadn’t always been located here; it was originally situated on Qingcheng Mountain outside the capital, a two-day journey from the city.
When she was eight, her eldest brother and his friends went hunting on Qingcheng Mountain. She insisted on tagging along but got lost in the forest. When she was found, she had fallen into a trap and suffered severe injuries, lying unconscious for nearly half a year. Upon waking, her memories were jumbled, and she forgot many things.
Because of this incident, her eldest brother was punished with family discipline and could only get out of bed after ten days.
Huguo Temple was bustling with worshippers, its long stone steps crowded with people coming and going.
Lin Zhaoyue lifted the hem of her skirt and began ascending the steps.
The steps were flanked by willow trees, sprouting tender green buds, full of vitality.
It made one’s mood unconsciously lift just by looking at them.
Entering the prayer hall, she looked up and saw the enormous golden Buddha statue, hands clasped together, sitting serenely upon a lotus throne, its eyes lowered as it gazed down with compassion upon all living beings.
Whether it was Lin Zhaoyue’s imagination or not, she felt the statue’s eyes and brows bore a somewhat uncanny resemblance to Xiao Yan.
Lin Zhaoyue was startled by her own thought, silently scolding herself a few times. After asking the Buddha for forgiveness, she knelt on the prayer cushion.
With utmost sincerity, she prayed for her family’s safety and well-being.
After kowtowing three times, Qingzhu stole a glance at her young mistress.
Her mistress’s attire was much more subdued than usual. In the past, she mostly wore red clothes, which were very bold and bright.
Today, however, she only wore a white skirt with red flower patterns and a white silk outer garment with a front opening, simple and plain.
Looking at Lin Zhaoyue’s devout appearance, Qingzhu felt her young mistress seemed to be hiding many worries.
Withdrawing her gaze, Qingzhu kowtowed three more times, then sincerely prayed:
“Buddha above, your humble servant Qingzhu lives peacefully. I only ask that my young mistress’s wishes all come true, that she may be happy and carefree for life…”
After they came out, Lin Zhaoyue still didn’t want to go home, so they strolled around the area.
Huguo Temple was situated on Luming Mountain, which connected to several other mountains. The paths crisscrossed, and as Lin Zhaoyue and Qingzhu walked, they tragically realized… they were lost!
“Young mistress, what should we do? We won’t be trapped here, will we?”
Qingzhu said anxiously.
Having lived a second life, Lin Zhaoyue was much calmer now.
The path was paved with stones. Probably because it was far from the temple, the path was not maintained, and many stones had become loose.
Wild grass, seizing a chance for life, sprouted wildly with the arrival of spring.
She carefully observed the surroundings and noticed that the grass had clearly been trampled, and the grass juice was not yet dry—someone must have passed by recently.
“There should be someone over there. Let’s go and ask for directions.”
The two walked forward for a while when suddenly they heard a mournful, agonized cry.
Their hearts tightened. Exchanging a glance, they hurried toward the direction of the sound. However, the scene before them turned their faces pale with fright.
“Ah! Murder!”
Qingzhu, encountering such a scene for the first time, screamed in terror.
Lin Zhaoyue quickly reached out to cover Qingzhu’s mouth, but it was clearly too late.
That person turned around, his clear, deep eyes fixed intently on her.
Xiao Yan!!