Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

Qingwu tucked the blanket around Lin Zhiyao, then turned and quickly left.

The lattice doors closed behind her, and footsteps echoed along the corridor to the east.

Lin Zhiyao held her breath and waited for about ten breaths.

No one was moving around outside; the only sound was the faint noise of the ice in the ice basin gradually melting and collapsing.

Lin Zhiyao threw off the covers, turned over, and sat up nimbly, showing no trace of her previous weakness.

As her shoes touched the ground, she quickly glanced at the window by the bed. The west window was narrow, and outside was a low wall with half-person-high miscellaneous trees growing at its base, just enough to conceal her figure.

During her afternoon stroll, Lin Zhiyao noticed that behind the low wall was a narrow passageway. Following the passageway north past the kitchen, one could reach the side gate in the northwest corner of the mansion.

Generally speaking, the side door is only for rough entry and exit, the lock cylinder is old, and the door panel is thin.

Without further delay, Lin Zhiyao pushed open the window, lifted her skirt, stepped onto the windowsill, and flipped herself out while bracing herself against the window frame, all in one smooth motion.

The embroidered shoes fell silently onto the muddy ground at the base of the wall.

Because of her family's decline in recent years, she has to do many things herself.

So his body is much healthier than when he was being pampered, and climbing trees and scaling walls is no problem for him.

Although he was a little affected by the heat, he was only a bit weak and it didn't cause any major problems.

Lin Zhiyao crouched down and walked briskly along the wall, her steps light and quick.

As she expected, the side door had a horizontal latch, but it wasn't locked.

It worked!

Lin Zhiyao was overjoyed.

She composed herself, strode forward, her fingers trembling with joy. After fiddling around for a moment, she easily pushed the door open.

Outside the door is a quiet alley.

Fine grass grows in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, and there are voices in the distance, but they are far away.

Lin Zhiyao took a deep breath and squeezed through the crack in the door.

The door panel closed gently behind me with a click, and the latch reattached itself.

Lin Zhiyao stood in the alley, her back pressed against the cold door panel. She looked up at the sunlight, her heart pounding rapidly, yet she finally felt a bit more alive.

They escaped.

Lin Zhiyao ran towards the alley entrance, about to merge into the crowd, when suddenly she saw a tall figure appearing against the light in that bright spot.

Lin Zhiyao froze.

"Where is Miss Lin headed?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a lazy smile, yet it sent chills down Lin Zhiyao's spine.

Shen Jin walked into the alleyway from the backlight, his black robe trailing on the ground. He held a bamboo folding fan in his hand, the fan half-open, obscuring half of his face, revealing only a pair of curved fox eyes.

Three steps behind him, Qingwu stood with his hands at his sides, his head bowed and eyes downcast.

"Lord Shen..."

Lin Zhiyao's throat tightened.

Just a little bit.

Her face was pale as she looked at the crowd that seemed so close yet so far away, her heart filled with fear and her legs were trembling.

Shen Jin closed his folding fan and pressed closer step by step.

Lin Zhiyao was forced to retreat repeatedly until she had nowhere left to retreat.

Shen Jin stopped in front of her. He was more than half a head taller than her, and when he looked down, his shadow covered her entire face.

"The imperial physician said you have internal heat rising and need to rest and recuperate..." Shen Jin's eyelids were thin, and he gently lifted her chin with the fan bone, his crimson lips slightly upturned, "I think you run more nimbly than a rabbit in the hunting ground."

"This concubine..."

Lin Zhiyao lowered her thick eyelashes, not daring to look, but Shen Jin's fingertips had already slid down, replacing the fan ribs, and gently tapped her chin.

Lin Zhiyao could only look up at his androgynous face.

"Since you're so energetic..."

Shen Jin withdrew his hand, turned around and walked back, the hem of his robe brushing against her skirt. "That's perfect. There are more than a dozen memorials impeaching your brother in my study. Come and grind the ink for me and read them to me one by one."

*

Lin Zhiyao was in a daze as Qingwu led her back to Shen Jin's private residence.

I don't know what I'm about to face, but I imagine it will be worse than death.

Soon, she returned to the small courtyard where she was temporarily staying.

Before leaving, Shen Jin tilted his head slightly, revealing only a sliver of his profile and his fox-like eyes, which were lowered as he glanced down at him. His tone was meaningful, "Now that you're better, you shouldn't wear anything too plain, as it's easy to carry away your illness."

After saying that, he glanced at Qingwu again, "When Miss Lin is ready, bring her to the study." Qingwu agreed.

Shen Jin left without looking back.

"Miss, please come with me."

Lin Zhiyao initially did not understand the meaning of Shen Jin's words before he left.

Until Qingwu pushed open the door to the east wing.

Behind the sandalwood screen, on the black lacquered clothes rack, the dozen or so dresses that were there during the day were gone, leaving only a light summer dress hanging there.

The fabric was an extremely thin, smoky-colored light silk, almost transparent. It was cut shorter than a regular ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a very low neckline. Only two thin straps were wrapped around the shoulders, and the back was covered by only a thin piece of silk. The entire dress was made up of just a few pieces of light gauze.

Lin Zhiyao stared at the dress, the color fading from her lips little by little.

"This is……"

"It was ordered by the Ninth Prince."

Qingwu lowered her eyes and said, "He said that Miss looks better dressed like this."

Lin Zhiyao closed her eyes.

Until she had no choice.

Lin Zhiyao raised her hand, her fingertips touching the fabric of the light silk dress, which felt cool and smooth.

"Miss, this servant will attend to you."

Qingwu first led Lin Zhiyao to the bath and helped her undress.

The ties came undone, the fabric slipped down, revealing a dense array of mottled red marks on her shoulders and neck.

Qingwu lowered his eyes, his fingers flying across her body as he cleaned her, dried her off, and finally helped her put on the light silk dress.

A thin strap was wrapped around her shoulder and tied in a loose bow at the back.

The skirt hem only reached the knees, and when she walked, the light silk fluttered, revealing her calves.

Qingwu pressed Lin Zhiyao down in front of the dressing table.

The bronze mirror reflected a pale face, with almond-shaped eyes glistening with water and lips that were slightly white, like a flower bud dampened by rain.

"Miss, you have a good foundation."

Qingwu picked up the snail-shaped ink and carefully applied it to her eyebrows. "This dress suits you very well. Your Majesty has a sharp eye; you spotted it at a glance."

Lin Zhiyao turned her head away, avoiding Luo Dai.

Qingwu paused for a moment, then didn't insist. She changed the rouge box, dipped her fingertip in a little light pink, and applied it to the center of her lips, gently spreading it out.

She then used a comb to gather her long hair, loosely tying it into a bun, and adorned her temple with a trembling red coral hairpin.

The pearl shimmered in the mirror.

Lin Zhiyao felt dizzy from the swaying.

Qingwu brought over the medicine she had just brewed, pressing the rim of the porcelain bowl against her lower lip: "Miss, it's time to drink your medicine."

The medicine was bitter and astringent.

Lin Zhiyao frowned and swallowed.

Qingwu took the empty bowl, then picked up the small porcelain box from the dressing table, dipped her fingertips in a thin layer of lip rouge, and placed it on her lips again.

Her skin was rosy and beautiful.

Qingwu took a half step back, lowered her head and said in a low voice, "Please come in, Miss. The Ninth Prince is waiting in the study."

Lin Zhiyao stood up.

By the time we finished our work, it was already dark outside.

The lanterns under the eaves lit up one after another, and the dim candlelight shone through the gauze, casting a hazy, warm glow on the ground.

Qingwu walked ahead carrying a silk lantern, with Lin Zhiyao following behind, her light silk skirt brushing against her calves.

The night breeze swept through the corridor, brushing past her neck, its coolness seeping into her skin.

Lin Zhiyao pulled her arms together, but couldn't cover anything.

We've arrived at the study.

The black lacquered door was ajar, and warm yellow candlelight shone through the crack.

Qingwu stopped outside the door, bowed, and stepped aside.

Lin Zhiyao raised her hand.

He paused for a moment when his fingertips touched the copper ring, but still pushed it away.

Shen Jin sat behind a large sandalwood desk, holding a square white jade paperweight in his hand, turning it over and over.

His other hand rested on the table, as if he was extremely bored. His fingertips tapped the wooden surface absently. His fingers were long and slender, and his nails were neatly trimmed and had a pale pink hue.

Just as Lin Zhiyao pushed the door open and came in, Shen Jin had just withdrawn his hand and was supporting his chin with one hand.

The candlelight was behind him, its light spilling over his back and bathing half of his silhouette in a warm gold.

A thick stack of letters lay on the table, the paper yellowed and the edges curled, with a dark red official seal affixed to the top of the seal.

Hearing the door open, Shen Jin raised his eyelids.