As the words faded away, the entire courtyard fell into dead silence.
The wind whistled through the corridors, fluttering Lu Huaijin's robe with a rustling sound.
Just when Chunqiao thought she couldn't escape this calamity, Lu Huaijin stepped down the steps and handed the food box in his hand to her, saying in a deep voice, "Keep it well!"
Then, he strode out.
Si Chen had been guarding at the door. When he saw Lu Huaijin coming out, he immediately followed behind him.
Not long after, two horses galloped out of the prince's mansion one after another. Riding into the night, they headed in the direction of the prime minister's mansion.
The night was as cool as water, and there were fewer people on the long street at this moment.
A quarter of an hour later, Lu Huaijin saw the carriage from the prince's mansion at the gate of the prime minister's mansion.
The carriage slowly came to a halt. Just as the coachman jumped off the carriage and put down the footstool, before he could say a word, he saw a black figure step onto the carriage along the footstool.
Si Chen walked to the side of the carriage shaft and stood there with a cold face, scaring the coachman into standing aside silently.
Wherever Si Chen was, it meant Lu Huaijin was there too!
Lin Wanyu sensed that the carriage had stopped and was just about to get off when the carriage door was pushed open.
Caught off guard, she bumped into the person coming in.
The familiar fragrance made her body tremble. She looked up and met Lu Huaijin's deep, unfathomable eyes.
Lin Wanyu's heart tightened. Her red lips parted slightly, and she instinctively called out, "Your Highness, the heir apparent?"
Looking at the panicked look on her gentle and jade - like face, Lu Huaijin couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in his heart.
"I'm here to pick you up and take you back."
Lu Huaijin supported her waist and led her to sit down on one side. Then he said in a deep voice, "Back to the prince's mansion!"
"Wait!"
Lin Wanyu bit her lower lip tightly and shouted with her head down.
She was about to enter the prime minister's mansion. She couldn't let all her efforts go to waste.
The wind blew in from a small window on one side, making the scented candles on the table flicker slightly.
Lin Wanyu's hands on her lap were wringing the handkerchief. After hesitating for a moment, she looked up at Lu Huaijin.
The moment their eyes met, the determination in her eyes quickly crumbled and fell apart.
"What's the matter?"
Lu Huaijin looked into her eyes. His deep and profound eyes were full of rectitude at this moment.
His deep voice was like a thousand - jin weight, tugging at her heart and making it sink.
Lin Wanyu suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and had difficulty breathing. Her cheeks gradually flushed.
In the dim light, the young woman in front of him had a delicate face. With her lowered eyebrows and gentle expression, she was like a celestial being from the sky, captivating his heart.
The coldness in Lu Huaijin's eyebrows softened a bit. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Lin Wanyu secretly gritted her teeth, clutching the handkerchief tightly. She knelt in front of him and said with a look of determination, "This servant is of humble origin and unworthy of serving Your Highness. Please allow this servant to return to the prime minister's mansion."
As her words faded, the carriage fell into a deathly silence.
A terrifying sense of oppression gradually enveloped Lin Wanyu.
At this moment, Lu Huaijin must think she was ungrateful.
The carriage was not big, and they were sitting close to each other, but Lin Wanyu couldn't feel any warmth from the man in front of her.
Just when she was about to plead with him rationally and emotionally, a hand with well - defined joints pinched her chin, forcing her to raise her head.
"Are you forced by someone, or do you really want to leave?"
The man's fingertips were burning hot, like a branding iron, clamping down on her chin.
Lin Wanyu was afraid of pain. At this moment, the corners of her slender eyes were red, and the blush on her cheeks deepened.
"Your Highness, this servant... this servant thinks she is too humble to serve by Your Highness's side!"
Her eyes were moist, making her look even more charming than before.
Lu Huaijin felt a tickle in his throat. He lessened the strength on his fingertips, rubbed them a few times, and then slowly slid his hand towards her slender neck.
He slowly leaned in and said in a low voice, "Shouldn't it be up to this heir apparent to decide whether you are worthy of serving or not?"
"This servant..."
Lin Wanyu was anxious but didn't know what to say. Her eyes turned even redder, looking extremely pitiful.
Wasn't she just a pawn in the hands of the noble and powerful from the moment she stepped into the capital city?
Then what right did she have to choose!
"If you didn't want to, why didn't you say so when you climbed into this heir apparent's bed that day?"
If she had said she was forced and didn't want to, he naturally wouldn't have touched her!
But she said nothing...
That night, he was also gambling with anger. He was angry that his mother had used such despicable means to force him to submit. He thought that just this once, he would take care of her.
"This servant... this servant..."
Lu Huaijin's face was cold. His phoenix eyes were so dark at this moment that one couldn't see anything in them.
As his words faded, the hand on her neck slowly loosened.
Just when Lin Wanyu thought the man in front of her had grown tired of her and was about to kick her out of the carriage, the next moment, the man's hand pinched her chin again. He leaned in and kissed her red lips.
His deep voice rang in her ear, and his warm breath sprayed on her neck.
At this moment, Lin Wanyu was kneeling on the soft brocade cushion. Her knees still hurt, and her body was constantly going weak. Just as she was about to fall, her hand instinctively rested on his leg.
"Um... Your Highness..."
Lu Huaijin's other hand held her soft hand and intertwined their fingers.
In the cramped space, the air gradually thinned. The air was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, and the faint fragrance of the incense gradually filled her nostrils.
Lu Huaijin's kiss moved down from her red lips, sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully.
The outer robe made of lake silk was torn open, and the thin undergarment was knocked off. Lin Wanyu's fair skin was exposed.
The man stared into her eyes, with desire swirling in his.
Lin Wanyu felt a heat wave surging through her body. She couldn't help but let out a moan...
Lu Huaijin picked her up and sat her on his lap. He reached out and untied the belt around her waist, then pulled at her dress. In the night, her fair legs looked even more alluring...
Just as he was about to punish her, a man's voice sounded outside the carriage.
"Your subject, Wang Jinsong, and his son, Jing Ze, welcome Your Highness, the heir apparent!"
It was the voice of Prime Minister Wang Jinsong.
Lin Wanyu's heart raced. She instinctively backed away, breaking free from the man's restraint. She fell back onto the brocade cushion and, with red - rimmed eyes, pulled the remaining undergarment around her.
"Your Highness, it's the prime minister."
Her voice was very soft and hoarse, and her eyes were filled with panic.
Like a wounded little beast, she showed resistance to those who had intruded into her territory.
Desire burned in Lu Huaijin's eyes. Looking down at her like this, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a cold smile.
He leaned down, hooked his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his arms. Then he kissed her red lips again.
His hot big hand tore open the obstruction in front of him and slowly moved down, finally stopping at her waist and gently caressing it.
Lin Wanyu felt waves of heat surging through her body, but just outside the thin wooden board were the Wang father and son, as well as Lu Huaijin's entourage...
She didn't dare to make a single sound and could only submit to him and let him tease her.