The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Xu Qianhui felt a bit itchy when this was mentioned.

Last time I was unlucky enough to run into Lin Zuoqing, but I never expected him to be so crazy.

This time, there can be no more mistakes.

After a long while, not receiving a reply from Qingyi, Xu Qianhui opened her eyes in confusion.

The woman in green had her head down and her face turned to one side, seemingly lost in thought.

"What's wrong?"

The woman in green held the wooden ladle in her hand, her voice muffled: "Actually... it's okay if we don't replenish it, right?"

Xu Qianhui looked at her: "What do you mean by that?"

The woman in green looked evasive and stammered, "Miss, why don't we go back to Jiangnan? I don't like the capital."

Xu Qianhui remained silent for a moment.

She assumed the young girl had been bullied outside that day, sighed, and said earnestly, "Qingyi, we will go back. But you must go with Zuo An, do you understand? If you..."

Before Xu Qianhui could finish speaking, Qingyi turned to look at her and whispered, "But the capital is so prosperous, how could the Second Young Master still have the heart to return to Jiangnan? Today, I even saw him going to Zuixiangju with a girl for drinks."

Xu Qianhui paused, her fingertips resting on the rim of the bucket.

The moisture covered the ends of her hair, making her small face look as pink and tender as spring flowers.

But her heart was ice-cold.

She trusted Qingyi so much that she wouldn't ask for confirmation even a single extra question.

She also figured out why Lin Zuo'an wasn't at the Duke's mansion today, and hadn't even returned to his courtyard.

So that's why the Second Master sent someone to hastily summon him away yesterday.

"What did that girl look like?" Xu Qianhui asked.

"Miss, I shouldn't have spoken up! But those young masters in the capital are bullying us too much!"

Qingyi hurriedly grabbed Xu Qianhui's hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That man almost killed you before. I thought the Second Young Master was a good person, but who knew that after returning to the capital, he seemed to have been possessed by this place and turned into a demon!"

She pleaded, "Miss, let's go back. The capital is no place for a human to live! Once we're back in Jiangnan, we'll find another place..."

The next second, a warm hand covered the back of her hand.

Upon closer inspection, her young lady's eyes were clear and bright, showing no trace of bitterness or resentment.

"Good job, Qingyi. Life is like a journey, and I am but a traveler. I... do not feel sad."

Xu Qianhui patted her blue dress, tilted her head back against the edge of the bathtub, lowered her eyelashes, and sighed deeply.

"I just feel... it's heartbreaking that I liked him so much..."

"Back then, I was a young man in a thin spring robe, riding a horse and leaning against a slanting bridge, surrounded by red sleeves beckoning me from all around."

"That's all there is to it."

After saying this, she chuckled to herself.

The smile was very faint.

It fell into the water and looked like it had shattered.

That night, Xu Qianhui did not hear the sound of the courtyard gate as before.

She no longer hoped for him.

She already has a dog.

However, the person she hadn't expected arrived.

Just after midnight, Qingyi had already gone to bed in the side room. Xu Qianhui put on an outer robe and was about to go for a walk in the courtyard when the window on the back wall was suddenly pushed open.

That path perfectly bypassed the main gate area guarded by Bai Ze.

Lin Zuoqing, his shoulders damp with night dew, was straightening his somewhat disheveled cuffs.

He leaned against the window frame, looking like a thief stealing jade and fragrance.

"What's wrong? You can't sleep if he's not back?"

Xu Qianhui was in a bad mood and didn't want to see him, so she blew out the lamp.

In the darkness, her voice was calm: "I never imagined that Lord Lin, who is so upright and honorable in everyone's eyes, would resort to such despicable acts. If someone were to see you breaking into a woman's boudoir at night, I wonder if Lord Lin's good reputation would still be intact."

"So what?" Lin Zuoqing's voice was unusually lighthearted. "Do you dare tell anyone?"

Xu Qianhui choked.

If she dares to speak out about this, at best her reputation will be ruined, and at worst, she will die.

She didn't care about her reputation.

But she now values ​​her life very much.

She groped her way to the bedside before asking, "What brings Lord Lin here so late at night?"

"Lin Zuo'an is getting engaged to the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor," Lin Zuoqing said bluntly.

So that person... was the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor.

The emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty had only one empress in his harem, and the two had two sons and one daughter.

The second prince was obsessed with medicine and traveled extensively with his master for many years.

The only student of the Grand Tutor was the Crown Prince.

No wonder, no wonder Lin Zuo'an chose her.

What Xu Qianhui couldn't understand was why the Second Master would have the idea of ​​attaching himself to the Grand Tutor's family, even though the Duke was not the old lady's biological son, the Second Branch was nominally only born out of wedlock.

Furthermore, it is rumored that Qin Miaoyun, the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor, is well-educated and sensible, and is a model young lady in the capital. So why would she choose Lin Zuo'an, a son of a concubine?

And this happened so quickly and coincidentally...

Seeing that Xu Qianhui remained silent, Lin Zuoqing continued, "Xu Qianhui, I told you long ago that you cannot enter the Duke's mansion."

His voice grew closer to Xu Qianhui: "You shouldn't have provoked Zuo An back in Jiangnan. You deserve all this."

Xu Qianhui felt Lin Zuoqing's presence stop three steps away from her, and suddenly found it utterly ridiculous.

"Lord Lin, you still haven't said why you came in the dead of night." She neither dodged nor retreated, but instead raised her head: "If you just wanted to humiliate me, that would be rather boring. It's more likely that you couldn't bear to see me hurt."

As she spoke, she stood up and took a step forward, tilting her head back, her warm breath almost hitting Lin Zuoqing's neck.

"But, Lord Lin, you also have a fiancée. How can you be so reluctant to part with me?"

"Xu Qianhui, stop patting yourself on the back." Lin Zuoqing had lost his composure and sneered, "Even if I couldn't bear to part with the dog in front of your door, I wouldn't be able to bear to part with you. You don't deserve it."

"In that case, Lord Lin, please return."

Xu Qianhui turned around, but her wrist was gripped by a strong force.

Lin Zuoqing pulled her close and said, slowly and deliberately, "You... do you still want to stay in the capital?!"

"Why not?" Xu Qianhui giggled. "Zuo An and I have a deep friendship. Even if he were to marry a noblewoman, his heart would still belong to me."

"Xu Qianhui, how could you be so despicable as to willingly become a mistress!"

The angrier Lin Zuoqing became, the happier Xu Qianhui felt.

Ignoring the pain in her hand from being pinched, she retorted, "Who says the Duke's mansion forbids concubines? Have you forgotten how difficult it was for me when my aunt wanted you to marry a noblewoman of equal social standing?"

At that time, Xu Qianhui was ordered to constantly urge Lin Zuoqing to study, while Fu Shi repeatedly warned her not to have any unrealistic dreams.

However, the first time she shared a room with Lin Zuoqing, it was Fu Shi who burned the love incense.

The fragrance that night was so sweet it tasted bitter.

"So..." Xu Qianhui leaned close to Lin Zuoqing, stood on tiptoe, and breathed sweetly into his ear, "Whom am I with, whose mistress am I, and what is my relationship with Lord Lin? I..."

Warm lips silenced Xu Qianhui's unfinished words.

He restrained her hands and pulled her firmly into his arms.

A large hand roamed over his back, sending a chill down his spine.

Xu Qianhui instinctively tried to push him away, but Lin Zuoqing pushed her onto the bed.

Her head hurt a little from the bump, and before Xu Qianhui could rub it, she was suddenly turned around and found lying face down on the quilt.

Her skirt was lifted up, and Lin Zuoqing gritted his teeth and whispered in her ear, "Xu Qianhui, you're still so sensitive. You're really shameless."