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

Xu Qianhui's wrists were held, and half of her body was leaning against the door frame.

Her fingertips went numb with pain, but she didn't struggle anymore.

"Who I'm with has nothing to do with Lord Lin."

Lin Zuoqing stared at her for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: "Who told you to dance under my nose and get involved with my Lin family?"

Xu Qianhui turned her face away.

The former Lin Zuoqing would never have treated her like this.

She was only fourteen when she first entered the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

At that time, Lin Zuoqing was a notorious troublemaker in the capital, who was involved in cockfighting, dog racing, climbing over walls, and skipping school. Lady Fu, the Duchess of the State, would smash teacups three times a day.

But that same person, the first time he saw her practicing etiquette with a teacup in the flower hall, snatched the teacup away and put it on the table.

"Such a beautiful girl should be cherished and pampered, why be so harsh?"

All the servants in the room lowered their heads.

Xu Qianhui was young at the time, but she saw his bright red ears just like the Duchess.

That night, Madam Fu had Xu Qianhui summoned to the main room.

The candlelight was bright, and Madam Fu sat upright at the head of the table, speaking gently.

"Zuo Qing passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve, and everyone praised him as the reincarnation of the God of Literature. However, he has become increasingly outrageous in recent years, and no amount of persuasion can change his mind. Since you get along well with him, you should visit his study more often and try to persuade him to bring his mind back to the right path."

Xu Qianhui lowered her eyes and agreed, and from then on went to the study every day.

Lin Zuoqing, however, still foolishly climbed over the wall to go out.

She tried to persuade him for over a month, but to no avail.

Fu finally lost patience and decided to send her to a country estate.

Before dawn that day, Xu Qianhui went to the main courtyard to say goodbye.

As soon as they reached the corridor, they heard Lin Zuoqing arguing with Fu Shi through gritted teeth inside the house.

"If Mother wants Cousin Ahui to leave, I will never return to the manor. As long as Cousin Ahui stays in the manor, I promise I will never leave the house again, and I will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors one day."

Later, he indeed calmed down and kept the light on in his study every night.

Two years later, Lin Zuoqing became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

On the day of the parade, flowers and colorful silks rained down from the buildings along the long street.

He was wearing a red robe, and he reached out from among the myriad flowers to catch the one that Xu Qianhui had thrown down.

Back then, the young man was full of vigor and ambition, and he only had eyes for one girl.

The person before her, with sharp edges, trampled her into the dust with just a few words.

Xu Qianhui lowered her face, her shoulders feeling cold from the night wind.

"I'll leave once he sobers up."

Lin Zuoqing, however, did not relinquish his grip: "What were you doing in the alley in the south of the city today?"

Xu Qianhui found the question laughable: "Lord Lin, this matter is none of your concern."

"Ha, you think I want to meddle in your affairs? If you weren't with the Lin family now, I'd find it disgusting to even look at you." Lin Zuoqing tightened his grip, pulling Xu Qianhui closer. "You haven't mentioned our affair to him, have you?"

Xu Qianhui winced in pain and finally looked back at him: "Why should I tell him those old, trivial things?"

If I were to tell, wouldn't all the suffering I endured for the sake of healing have been for nothing?

The medicine is really bitter.

Lin Zuoqing stared at her for a long time, then a cold laugh escaped his throat: "You'd better leave cleanly, so I don't hear any gossip about you in the capital."

Xu Qianhui hummed in agreement: "Can you let go now, Lord Lin?"

Lin Zuoqing stared at her for a long time, then snorted coldly and strode away.

The courtyard gate was pushed open and then closed again, letting in the night wind.

Inside the room, Lin Zuo'an's heavy, drunken breath could be heard through the door.

Xu Qianhui murmured, "It seems we need to urge Zuo Anqian to return to Jiangnan as soon as possible."

......

The next day, as soon as it was light, the first thing Lin Zuoan did after waking up was to go to Xu Qianhui's room.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Qingyi stuffing clothes into her bundle.

Xu Qianhui was lying in bed sleeping, her eyelashes still glistening with tears.

"Why are you packing your things?"

The man in green paused, turned around and bowed, trying to hold back, but he couldn't help himself.

"Second Young Master, the Young Master told Miss to get out of the capital last night and never come back. Miss was afraid of implicating you, so she had me pack up before dawn."

Lin Zuo'an's face darkened, and he snatched the bundle from the woman in blue and slammed it on the table.

"Who gave you permission to accept this? Get out."

The woman in green was so frightened that she didn't dare to utter a sound and hurriedly retreated.

Lin Zuo'an sat by the bedside and stayed with her until Xu Qianhui slowly woke up.

"Are you just going to let people manipulate you like this? We don't live in the Duke's mansion, why should you leave just because your brother tells you to?"

"What else can I do? The capital is not a place I should be in." Xu Qianhui pulled the corner of the quilt up to her shoulder, her voice nasal.

"What did you say?" Lin Zuo'an grasped her hand. "In my eyes, you are the best, even better than the Heavenly Palace. If you're really afraid of your brother, we'll move to the west of the city, far away from the Duke's mansion. I won't bring your brother here anymore, okay?"

"Hmm..." Xu Qianhui thought for a moment, then asked, "Zuo An, we'll be going back to Jiangnan at the end of the year, right?"

Lin Zuo'an immediately nodded: "I'll take you back once Father has settled things in the capital. Ah Hui, remember, you are mine, and no one can stop me from marrying you."

Lin Zuo'an's father, Lin Qingyun, was the second son of the Rongguo Duke's family.

Logically speaking, a son born out of wedlock wouldn't have an easy life in a high-ranking family.

The Rongguo Duke's family had few heirs, and although his father was not born to the Fu family, he had not suffered much hardship.

The old lady always favored the eldest son's family. She could ensure the second son's family was wealthy and secure, but she would not allow them to overshadow the eldest son's family.

Therefore, Lin Zuo'an's father was arranged to marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan.

After getting married, he passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). His wife's family spent money and effort to buy him an official position in Jiangnan.

Lin Zuo'an grew up in Jiangnan and only occasionally returned to the capital for a few months.

He didn't actually benefit much from the protection of the Rongguo Duke's mansion.

He was the legitimate son of the second wife and also her only son.

In Xu Qianhui's case, the mansion mostly turned a blind eye.

Whether or not, taking her into the household as a concubine won't prevent the principal wife from entering the family.

Lin Zuo'an was stubborn.

He wrote her a letter of engagement himself, rejected several marriages arranged by his mother, and even released a thousand sky lanterns for her on the banks of the Jiangnan River.

Xu Qianhui always felt that Lin Zuoan must be madly in love with her.

Then she should love him properly.

But fearing that things might change if she waited too long, and even more so that Lin Zuoqing would come looking for her to hold her accountable again, she immediately urged Lin Zuoan to take her to the new courtyard.

After breakfast, the carriage drove out of the courtyard.

The streets were bustling with activity, with vendors selling sugar figurines, flower sellers carrying loads on shoulder poles, and restaurant staff greeting customers one after another.

The carriage moved slowly, and Xu Qianhui hadn't looked at the capital city so carefully in a long time.

When she was in the Duke's mansion, she had to go out with a nanny, and everyone remembered where she went, what she bought, and who she met.

After leaving the capital, she didn't want to think about this place again.

On the long street, several luxurious carriages were parked in front of the Linlang Pavilion.

Surrounded by maids and servants, Madam Fu was leading a young girl to choose jewelry.

The girl was wearing a pale yellow brocade dress and held a gold hairpin in her hand, gesturing with it in her hair.

Lin Zuoqing stood to the side.

He took the hairpin and personally inserted it into the girl's hair.

Through the crowd, Xu Qianhui saw him smile.

Bright, expansive, with the lightness of youth.

She had seen that kind of smile before.

It was the same way Lin Zuoqing used to cling to her lap and beg for a hug before he would continue reading.

Xu Qianhui loosened her grip, and the carriage curtain fell.

Lin Zuo'an noticed this and lifted the curtain to look outside.

Just then, an old woman from the Linlang Pavilion came towards the carriage.

"Second Young Master, what a coincidence! Madam is just picking out jewelry for her and has invited you to join her!"