Lu Huaijin curled his lips into a cold sneer, and there was a hint of mockery in his ink - colored eyes.
"I think it's Minister Feng who disregards the law, not this prince."
Minister Feng frowned tightly. "Your subject... Your subject didn't kill anyone!"
Lu Huaijin twirled the pendant at his waist and said slowly, "Feng Yunyun intended to assault this prince. She wanted to assassinate this prince under the pretext of becoming a concubine. If someone says that Minister Feng wasn't behind this, this prince won't believe it."
"Your subject didn't do it!"
"The wound is still there. Does Minister Feng want to take a look?"
Lu Huaijin raised his eyes to look at him. There was a trace of unruly and noble air between his eyebrows, and his tone was also a bit indifferently casual.
Minister Feng's heart instantly turned cold.
He originally thought that coming here today would be a favor to Lu Huaijin, but unexpectedly, he had fallen into the trap Lu Huaijin had set.
He failed to get any benefit but instead got into trouble...
Whether he had given the order and whether his daughter had the guts to kill, he naturally knew.
"Your subject..."
Lu Huaijin sat there quietly, waiting for him to speak.
But Minister Feng didn't dare to say anything now. One wrong step would lead to a complete loss. Whatever he said at this moment would be wrong.
Assassinating the prince was a great crime that could lead to the execution of the entire family...
The hall fell into complete silence.
After a long stalemate, Lu Huaijin picked up the cup in front of him, took a sip of tea, and said in a deep voice, "This prince takes into account that Minister Feng has just lost his beloved daughter and is in great grief. So, this prince will not pursue this matter. What does Minister Feng think?"
What a brilliant move of turning the tables!
Minister Feng's face now alternated between green and white. After hearing Lu Huaijin's words, he had no choice but to bow deeply with his hands clasped and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your magnanimity. Your subject is extremely grateful."
"Si Chen, see Minister Feng out properly!"
Si Chen took the order, stepped forward in front of Minister Feng, and made a gesture of invitation.
Minister Feng nodded slightly, his legs trembling, and followed Si Chen out.
After they left, the hall fell into silence again.
Lu Huaijin sat opposite Lin Wanyu. His gaze slowly fell on her, and there was a hint of complexity in his eyes.
He rubbed his temples, got up, and walked to her side. Just as he was about to tell her to go back to the Huanhua Pavilion first, He Shulan, who was sitting behind the screen, supported Nanny Zhou's hand and stepped out.
"When did Feng Yunyun try to assassinate you? Where were you injured? Have you summoned the imperial physician?"
Lu Huaijin tightened his thin lips. The resentment in his heart dissipated a lot at these concerned words.
"Thank you, Mother, for your concern. It was just a little trick just now!"
He Shulan frowned slightly, seemingly in disbelief. "When did you learn such despicable tricks? You're at a crucial moment now. What's the benefit of offending Minister Feng?"
As she said this, she glanced at Lin Wanyu beside her imperceptibly, and there was a hint of harshness in her eyes.
Lu Huaijin's eyebrows twitched slightly. The anger that had just subsided flared up again.
"Compared to Mother's methods, this is just a drop in the bucket. Thank you, Mother, for your concern. In addition, I've already made arrangements for Wanyu. Please don't be too harsh on her."
After saying that, he walked to Lin Wanyu's side, bent down without hesitation, picked her up, and strode out.
Along the way, the maids and guards in the prince's mansion all stared wide - eyed at their prince carrying a beautiful young woman towards the Yuncheng Residence.
Such an unprecedented thing had happened one after another in recent days.
Some smart servants had already started to plan how to curry favor with this new beauty.
Lin Wanyu was a bit embarrassed. She also thought that being carried by the prince was too ostentatious, so she quickly said, "Your Highness, this maid can walk by herself. There's no need for Your Highness to carry me."
She had already caused so much trouble because of Feng Yunyun. She didn't want to become the target of those concubines again.
Lu Huaijin's jaw tightened. When he heard her soft voice, there was a strange emotion in his deep eyes.
He didn't know why, but he just instinctively wanted to carry her, so he did!
The soft and fragrant beauty in his arms was as light as a swallow. The familiar fragrance filled the air around them, which made his restless heart, which had been in turmoil for a long time, calm down a lot.
After entering the Huanhua Pavilion, Lu Huaijin placed Lin Wanyu on the couch. He stood in front of her and didn't leave immediately.
"If I hadn't arrived in time today, would you have just accepted your fate?"
Lin Wanyu sat there, not daring to move a bit. There was a look of bewilderment in her lowered eyes.
In the moment of desperation just now, she wanted to say that she was pregnant with Lu Huaijin's child. As long as she insisted on it, others would surely take it into consideration. Then, whether they summoned the imperial physician or a doctor, they could at least buy some time.
As long as she could wait for Lu Huaijin...
Lin Wanyu didn't dare to think any further when she thought of this.
Although the person in front of her had an unpredictable temper and always kept people at a distance, she had unconsciously regarded him as a life - saving straw!
However, she would never say such things.
Ever since she was sent to Lu Huaijin's bed, she had already put the matter of marriage out of her mind. She was just a pawn that could be manipulated at will. She had nothing to worry about. But just because she didn't care didn't mean that Lu Huaijin wouldn't have wild thoughts after hearing her plan...
Seeing that the woman in front of him always kept her head down and said nothing, Lu Huaijin thought she was just scared.
"You're still injured. Rest well these days. I'll send some people to guard here. In the future, unless it's this prince who calls you, you don't have to go anywhere."
Lu Huaijin glanced at her, with a complex look on his face, and then stepped out of the door.
Chun Qiao was already waiting at the door. When she saw Lu Huaijin, she quickly knelt down and pleaded guilty. "Chun Qiao failed to protect Miss Lin well. Please punish me, Your Highness!"
Lu Huaijin stood under the corridor with his hands behind his back. A layer of frost gradually covered his eyes. "If anyone else comes to call in the future, you know what to do?"
"Your subordinate knows!"
Lu Huaijin looked down at her from above and then left with Si Chen.
An hour later, just as Lin Wanyu had changed her clothes and was about to tidy up the room, she heard Chun Qiao's voice outside the door.
"Miss Lin, His Highness has sent someone to deliver something."
Lin Wanyu was a bit puzzled. She put down the things in her hand, walked to the door, and opened it.
She saw Chun Cheng leading a line of guards, each holding a tray in their hands, stepping into the room.
"Miss Lin, His Highness has ordered your subordinate to deliver these things. They are a jade flute, a Nanyin pipa, a Jiaowei guqin, twelve sets of clothes, twelve sets of headdresses and jewelry, four maids, and eight guards..."
As Chun Cheng was speaking, the people behind him were putting the things on the tables and the soft couch in the room.
Lin Wanyu looked at these dazzling things and could hardly believe her eyes.
"Did His Highness really reward all these?"
Chun Cheng curled his lips into a smile. After everyone had gone out, he lowered his voice and said, "His Highness has always treated Miss Lin differently. Miss Lin just stay here well. Your good fortune is yet to come!"
Lin Wanyu was slightly stunned. "My good fortune?"
Chun Cheng nodded seriously, and his voice became even lower. "I heard from Si Chen that His Highness has already sent someone to Yangzhou to pick up your younger brother and bring him to the capital. In the future, after your younger brother enters the Wenchang Academy, it won't be long before he becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examination. It's much better than wasting his time in that small school in Yangzhou."
Hearing this, Lin Wanyu could hardly believe it. Her mood was extremely complex, and she didn't know what to say at this moment.
It was naturally a good thing to be able to study in the capital. But she was still struggling in the prince's mansion. If her younger brother came...