maidservant

The next day, at dawn, Yunshan felt unbearable numbness in her legs. She subconsciously twisted her body a few times. After she recovered, she stood up and opened the door.

The scene in front of her stunned her - Lin Xiao actually fell asleep leaning against the pillar in front of her door.

"Are you... sleepwalking?" Yun Shan was shocked and surprised. She raised her hand and gently patted Lin Xiao's shoulder.

In fact, Lin Xiao woke up the moment Yunshan opened the door.

Years of experience in marching and fighting made him extremely alert to the movements around him.

Seeing Yunshan's confused look, he suddenly felt playful and decided to tease her, so he pretended to be asleep and didn't move.

Seeing that Lin Xiao didn't react, Yun Shan patted him again. At this moment, Lin Xiao fell to the side. Yun Shan screamed and subconsciously reached out to support him.

"Sister, why are you taking advantage of me so early in the morning?" Lin Xiao slowly opened his eyes, looking straight at Yunshan with a bit of mischief in his eyes.

"How could I?!" Yunshan retorted quickly.

But as soon as she said that, she realized that their posture was too ambiguous. Her hands were still around Lin Xiao's waist, and her cheeks instantly became hot.

Lin Xiao looked at her shy appearance, his interest became more and more excited, and he continued to tease:

"Sister, I've never been hugged like this by a woman in my life." After saying this, he sighed softly, pretending to be wronged. "Today, my innocence is gone. You must be responsible for me."

How could this guy suddenly become such a scoundrel!

Yunshan was annoyed for a moment and wanted to hit back fiercely, but when she saw Lin Xiao's seemingly innocent but actually playful look, she seemed to be inexplicably moved and started to think seriously.

After a moment, she raised her head, her expression solemn and her eyes firmly looked at Lin Xiao: "Okay, I'll take responsibility."

Now it was Lin Xiao's turn to be stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything for a moment. His eyes were full of disbelief. He obviously didn't expect Yun Shan to give such an answer.

Yunshan looked at Lin Xiao's stunned expression and couldn't help laughing. The corners of her mouth raised slightly, but a trace of barely perceptible loneliness flashed in her eyes. She said half-jokingly:
"The general is a second-rank commander of the five gates of Kyoto. I am just a lowly female official. I am afraid I am not worthy of him."

Although she said this in a joking tone, it concealed her deepest worries.

Lin Xiao held a high position and great power, not to mention that he had a sister who was a royal concubine. Given his status, if it came to marriage, any royal lady would be a good match for him.

On the other hand, although I am now a seventh-rank medicine director, my position as a female official is limited to the palace. Compared with court officials of the same rank, my weight is much lighter.

Take Li Meng, for example. Although she was an eighth-rank medicine assistant, others still addressed her respectfully as the Third Miss of the Li Mansion. Compared to the daughter of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, her status as a female official pales in comparison and is not worth mentioning.

Moreover, he came from an ordinary family and had no family power to rely on, which would not help Yu Linxiao in his future promotion in officialdom.

When she thought of this, Yunshan couldn't help feeling bitter.

She knew very well that if she really talked about marrying into the Lin family, with her conditions, Lin Xiao's father would most likely sternly oppose it.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Yunshan woke up as if from a dream, and secretly regretted why she blurted out the concerns in her heart.

She lowered her head slightly and shook it gently, as if to shake off those unrealistic thoughts. Soon, she raised her head, a smile on her face again, and said casually, "Look at me, it's just a few jokes, you won't take it seriously, right?"

"No, Yunshan, I never hesitated at all."

Lin Xiao's eyes were burning as he locked onto Yun Shan's, and he said anxiously and seriously,

"You just said you were willing to take responsibility for me. I was so happy that I forgot to respond to you."

He paused slightly, took a deep breath, and then uttered each word solemnly: "Marrying you is what I have always dreamed of and what my heart desires."

Seeing the surprise and delight in Yunshan's eyes, Lin Xiao raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, then said frankly:
"I was just thinking about what obstacles our marriage might encounter." As soon as these words came out, they hit the hidden worries in Yunshan's heart, as if Lin Xiao had seen through her thoughts.

The two of them didn't even notice that Yan Lie was sitting comfortably on top of the crescent-shaped gate in the side courtyard, with one leg hanging casually over the edge of the doorway, his hands crossed leisurely, watching the show with great interest.

The early morning light fell on him, making him look even more cynical.

Lin Xiao seemed to sense something, his heart suddenly tightened, and he became alert in an instant. He subconsciously turned around and met Yan Lie's playful eyes.

"Tsk tsk, they say General Lin has sharp ears and eyes, but it seems he's just so-so. I've been sitting here for quite a while, and you just noticed it." Yan Lie raised a smile at the corner of his mouth, and spoke slowly and teasingly.

When Yunshan heard the voice, her heart trembled. She looked in the direction of the sound in panic and found Yan Lie looking at them with a half-smile.

In an instant, shame surged onto her cheeks like a tide. In panic, she loosened her grip and, without caring about anything else, she turned around and ran into the house, slamming the door shut.

"In my opinion, you people have been living too comfortably."

"During my years in exile, my only concern every day was whether I could survive the next day. How could I care about these things? Parental orders, officialdom struggles—they were all tiring mundane matters."

Yan Lie shook his head and sighed.

"Since they love each other, nothing should be able to stand in their way. Look at Li Mao, how free and easy he is, willing to do anything for love."

He picked up the overnight teacup on the stone table, took a sip, and his words were full of admiration for Li Mao.

"That tea is fine," Lin Xiao wanted to stop him, but found that the whole cup had already entered the wolf's stomach.

The two sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard. Lin Xiao frowned slightly, looking worried:
"Li Mao's courage in marriage is truly admirable."

"But my situation is different from his. I don't want Yunshan to suffer any injustice. I have to think of a comprehensive way to make my father willingly agree to this marriage."

"This way, Yunshan will have an easier time both at home and outside. I don't want her to be criticized behind her back because of this."

Inside the house, Yunshan leaned quietly against the door, holding her breath, listening carefully to Lin Xiao's words. She felt satisfied just to have his thoughtfulness.

(End of this chapter)