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

After returning to her room, Lin Zhiyao did not leave again.

Until it got dark.

When Xiao Tao came in to refill the tea, she saw her holding the box of pine nut candies in a daze, with not a single candy missing from the celadon dish.

Xiao Tao whispered a word of advice: "Miss, at least have some snacks. You didn't eat much for lunch."

Lin Zhiyao put the candy box back on the table, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the crepe fabric of her sleeve, clearly lost in thought.

Seeing that she didn't answer, Xiao Tao tidied up the teacups herself, and while refilling Lin Zhiyao's cup, she said, "Did you see the young master today, Miss? I took a glimpse from afar, and the young master is truly handsome, even more so than in the paintings."

Lin Zhiyao then raised her eyelids.

She actually had a very weak impression of this cousin.

Seven years ago, they hadn't even exchanged a single word. Today, when they met under the eaves, she could barely remember what he looked like, only his fox-like eyes with slightly upturned corners.

But there wasn't a single noblewoman in the capital who didn't know Shen Jin.

He passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and was sent to Jiangnan as a prefect. He achieved the highest performance rating in three years and returned to the capital this year to report on his work. I heard that the Ministry of Personnel has already prepared a memorial for his promotion.

The rumors about him becoming a high-ranking official were circulating widely, and she had heard them several times when she was still a young woman.

Lin Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat, and she casually asked, "When you went to collect your monthly allowance just now, did you hear anything?"

Xiao Tao then began to chatter on: "They say the eldest young master brought back a lot of things from Jiangnan today. He gave gifts to the master and mistress, and everyone in the mansion is saying that the eldest young master will probably be promoted to the Grand Secretariat in the future."

When she spoke of Shen Jin, her tone was filled with undisguised admiration, and she added in a low voice, "I heard that many daughters of officials in Jiangnan want to marry into this family, but the young master hasn't taken a liking to a single one of them."

As Lin Zhiyao listened, she tapped the candy box lid lightly twice with her fingertips, and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

With such a bright future ahead of him, my cousin must know in his heart that her entering the palace is for the sake of the Shen family, and most importantly, to pave the way for him.

My cousin is a smart man; he would never do something so absurd as to ruin his future.

Those ambiguous words spoken in the corridor today were probably just polite exchanges after many years; she was just overthinking it.

Lin Zhiyao picked up her teacup, took a sip, and pushed the candy box to Xiao Tao's side: "You can have it, I really don't have much of an appetite."

She didn't eat much on weekdays, so Xiao Tao didn't think much of it and happily went to eat the candy box.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Lin Zhiyao looked up and saw Chunlan, who was serving her aunt, entering.

She carried an octagonal palace lantern in her hand, her face bearing her usual gentle smile. She gave a proper bow, but stood outside the threshold without coming in, and it was unclear what was going on.

"Miss, the madam has instructed that an instructor will come to your room this evening to explain the rules for entering the palace. You don't need to go out tonight; just wait in your room."

Lin Zhiyao was slightly taken aback. "Instructor?"

Although she was inexperienced in such matters, she knew that there were matrons who would teach her manners before she entered the palace. She thought that this should be done a few days before she entered the palace, so why was it happening so soon?

Lin Zhiyao opened her mouth as if to ask, but Chunlan had already taken a half step back, glanced around the courtyard, and smiled, "I'll lead the people in the young lady's courtyard away first, so that there won't be too many people gossiping and ruining Granny's business."

Lin Zhiyao wanted to ask, but Chunlan only had a mysterious expression on her face, so she could tell that this was not something that could be discussed in detail, so she had no choice but to keep quiet and not ask any more questions.

"The young lady is intelligent; she will find out tonight."

Xiao Tao stood there blankly to the side. Chunlan waved to her, and Xiao Tao glanced at Lin Zhiyao.

Lin Zhiyao felt a tightness in her chest, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything to keep them there, so she just nodded.

Xiao Tao followed Chunlan out, and the courtyard gate was gently closed. She also called away the two maids on duty in the courtyard.

Lin Zhiyao was left alone in the room, so quiet that only the occasional soft sound of the copper bells on the eaves being tinkled by the wind could be heard.

Lin Zhiyao sat back on the soft stool, her fingertips rubbing the cool cup, her heart pounding with anxiety.

What exactly is being taught?

Lin Zhiyao never quite understood the meaning behind it.

He found it difficult to sit or stand still.

Dusk gradually descended.

The entire courtyard seemed to fall silent. Lin Zhiyao stood up and sat down again, picked up her teacup and put it back down, and finally simply walked back and forth in the room a few times with a handkerchief in her hand.

Perhaps it's just about learning the etiquette for meeting the emperor?

She tried to comfort herself, but her heart kept pounding and she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Suddenly, a light appeared outside the paper window, drifting from afar. Through the thin paper, it cast an indistinct, flickering shadow, which, if not for its warm yellow hue, resembled a will-o'-the-wisp.

Lin Zhiyao took a deep breath, clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and stared at the lamp as it slowly approached along the corridor, finally stopping outside the door.

There were three slow, deliberate knocks on the door, but no one answered.

Lin Zhiyao's throat tightened. She cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Is this Granny? Come in."

Her voice, which is naturally soft and sweet, sounded slightly trembling at that moment.

There was still no response from outside the window, but the light from the lantern had shifted.

Slowly move from the side of the door towards the entrance.

Lin Zhiyao stared at the ball of light, her palms sweating, her heart pounding like a drum.

The door was pushed open.

Lin Zhiyao first saw a plain gauze lantern, under which was a slender and well-defined hand with evenly spaced joints. The hand holding the lantern handle was very steady, and the veins on the back of the hand were faintly visible.

Lin Zhiyao looked up along the arm and saw a handsome face whose outline was half-lit and half-shadowed by the light of the lantern.

The fox's eyes were slightly lowered, and the curve at the corner of its eye appeared even more eerie in the candlelight than in daylight.

It was none other than Shen Jin.

He was still wearing the same moon-white robe he had worn during the day, but the silk cloak over it had been removed, and the outline of his shoulders and back appeared tall and distinct in the candlelight.

Lin Zhiyao suddenly stood up, and the handkerchief on her lap fell to the ground, but she didn't pick it up.

The tea was overturned by her movement as she stood up, and the celadon cup hit the table, spilling water that dripped down the edge of the table to the floor.

"Cousin, cousin..."

Lin Zhiyao's voice trembled, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, reflecting the flickering light of the lantern, "How...how did you end up here..."

Shen Jin stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

The door made a soft sound as it closed, as if something had been locked.

He placed the lantern on the table, turned around, and smiled gently, but the smile in his eyes was still a dark and gloomy one, which even the candlelight could not penetrate.

"The instructor had an accident on the way and can't come tonight."

Shen Jin's voice was gentle, as if he were chatting with her casually, "But my cousin's matter can't be delayed. We can't just wait all night for nothing. So, I, your cousin, will have to reluctantly take on this task this time."

The last bit of color drained from Lin Zhiyao's face.

She staggered back half a step, her knee hitting the edge of the bed, and she managed to avoid falling down by bracing herself against the bedpost.

"Does your aunt know about this?" she asked, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Of course," Shen Jin answered frankly, without a trace of lying or bluffing.

The last syllable even carried a hint of amusement as he spoke, taking a scroll from his sleeve.

The scroll was wrapped in plain silk. He slowly untied the ribbon and unfolded half of it.

In the candlelight, you can see two overlapping human figures painted on it, with delicate lines and a harmonious balance of yin and yang postures.

Lin Zhiyao glanced at it only once before abruptly turning her face away, her ear tips turning as red as if they were about to bleed.

Shen Jin unfolded the scroll a little more and walked slowly to her.

He was much taller than her, and his shadow fell over her, enveloping her completely.

Lin Zhiyao had nowhere to retreat.

She could smell the scent of pine mixed with ink on his clothes, even closer than during the day, almost overwhelming her to the point of suffocation.

"Don't be afraid, cousin." Shen Jin looked down at her, his voice lower than before, like a breeze from the eaves at night. "As an instructor, I will naturally teach you everything that needs to be taught."

He placed the unfolded scroll on her lap, his fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushing against the back of her hand.

The heat was so intense that Lin Zhiyao abruptly pulled her hand back, not daring to look down, and helplessly gazed at Shen Jin.

He turned his head to look at her, the smile on his lips lingering, but the depths of his eyes gradually deepened, darker than the night.

A breeze stirred in the courtyard, and the copper bells on the eaves rang out crisply, as if urging something on.

"cousin."

Shen Jin's voice remained gentle and mild. "It's getting late, let's begin."