The court was now rife with intrigues. Everyone wanted to find a powerful backer, and Wang Jinsong was no exception. He had hoped that through this marriage, he could form an alliance with the Prince of Xiang's Mansion. Who would have thought that Lu Huaijin would break off the engagement?
With the crown prince position vacant, several princes were vying for it with all their might. Wang Jinsong had no roots in the capital, so he was forced to take sides. But once he did, one wrong step could spell disaster.
Since he heard about Lu Huaijin breaking off the engagement, he had been extremely worried and didn't carefully consider what Lu Huaijin had said at the end.
"Father!"
"Go quickly and find another doctor to wait in the mansion. And your sister, too. She's old enough and about to get married, but she still doesn't know how to rein in her temper."
Wang Jinsong rubbed his temples tiredly and sighed.
Hearing his father's words, Wang Jingze finally felt relieved. "Son will lead people out to look for one right away."
Wang Jinsong waved his hand and said nothing more, but in his heart, he rekindled hope for this marriage with the Prince of Xiang's Mansion.
...
At the second quarter of the ugly hour, the wind that had raged for half the night finally stopped. The moon emerged again, and its gentle light bathed the capital once more.
Since Lin Wanyu came to the capital, she had never been out. She didn't know where the medical clinics were, so she could only wander around like a headless fly.
But with each step she took, the wounds on her body ached, and it became increasingly difficult for her to move forward.
It was dead silent everywhere at this time. She couldn't even find anyone to ask for directions.
Just as she leaned against the wall of the alley and walked onto the long street, a sudden sound of horse hooves came from afar.
Lin Wanyu immediately felt like she had seen a savior. She propped herself up and walked to the middle of the street, trying to stop the carriage to ask for directions.
But after taking a few steps, she suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground, losing consciousness.
The carriage gradually approached and stopped a few steps in front of her. Chuncheng dismounted and walked to Lin Wanyu's side. At a glance, he was so frightened that he took a few steps back.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted. Lu Huaijin rubbed his temples tiredly and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
Sichen stood on the other side and replied truthfully, "Your Highness, someone has fainted."
Lu Huaijin frowned slightly, and his voice turned colder. "Chuncheng, send this person to the medical clinic."
Just as he was about to put down the curtain after saying this, he heard Chuncheng's voice.
"Your Highness, it's Miss Lin."
Lu Huaijin's fingertips trembled slightly. He looked up at the woman lying on the ground, and some obscure emotions surged in his inky eyes.
Why was she here?
"Carry her in!"
Hearing this, Chuncheng quickly walked to Lin Wanyu's side and squatted down. Just as he was about to reach out to carry her, he gasped when he saw the wounds on her body.
Seeing that he stopped moving, a cold light flashed in Lu Huaijin's eyes.
He frowned and stepped out of the carriage. Chuncheng immediately stepped aside and whispered, "Your Highness, you're still injured. Be careful."
Lu Huaijin lowered his eyes. When he saw the wounds on Lin Wanyu's body, a surge of hostility rose from his body.
The Wang family was really something.
He bent down to pick her up and strode towards the carriage. "Go to the medical clinic."
Sichen didn't dare to delay for a moment. He quickly got on the carriage and drove towards the medical clinic. Chuncheng rode his horse and quickly ran ahead to knock on the door first.
When the carriage arrived at the medical clinic, the clinic was brightly lit everywhere, and the doctor looked sleepy.
"Your Highness."
Chuncheng stepped forward quickly and bowed. "Everything has been arranged properly."
Lu Huaijin walked in expressionlessly, carrying Lin Wanyu in his arms. The doctor felt a chill and a strong smell of blood. Instantly, all his drowsiness disappeared.
"This..."
Lu Huaijin looked up at him, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The doctor's heart skipped a beat. He immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, please follow this humble one."
After a quarter of an hour, the doctor finished feeling the pulse, frowned, and stood up. He reported to Lu Huaijin, "Your Highness, this young lady has stagnation in her internal organs and disharmony between the heart and the spleen. It should be caused by being frightened. This humble one will prepare some medicine for her to take, and after an overnight acupuncture treatment, she'll be fine."
"The difficult part now is the wounds on this young lady's body. This humble one lives alone, and there's no suitable person to apply medicine to her. I wonder if Your Highness..."
"Just go and prepare the medicine!"
Lu Huaijin's eyes darkened slightly. His eyes involuntarily fell on the motionless woman lying there, and his hand on the table slowly tightened.
Chuncheng poured a cup of tea and placed it beside him. "Your Highness, how should we arrange Miss Lin now? Her deed of indenture is still in the Wang family's hands!"
He had followed Lu Huaijin since childhood and knew his temperament very well.
His own highness was the most loyal and affectionate. He probably wouldn't let this matter go easily today. But the Wang family now held Miss Lin's deed of indenture. If his highness forced them to hand it over, he might expose his weakness and be taken advantage of by the Wang family.
It wasn't the right time to fall out with the Wang family yet.
Lu Huaijin didn't say a word. He just sat there quietly.
Not long after, the doctor prepared the medicine and brought it over. "Your Highness."
"I know. You can all go out!"
Lu Huaijin got up and sat down beside Lin Wanyu. He lowered his eyes and looked at the messy wounds on her body. The hostility in his eyes grew stronger.
He carefully tried to take off her clothes. Only then did he notice that Lin Wanyu was wearing a man's cloak, and the piece of jewelry tightly held in her hand was a jade hairpin for a man to tie up his hair.
Lu Huaijin's face turned slightly cold. He took the jade hairpin from her hand and casually threw it into the charcoal basin for moxibustion beside him.
The cloak was also thrown to the ground.
In a moment, Lin Wanyu was only left with a delicate undergarment and underpants.
Her cold and fair skin was covered with mottled whip marks, bloody and shocking.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the anger surging in his heart. He picked up the medicine beside him and began to apply it to her wounds.
When he held her hand, the coldness of her fingertips flowed into his heart through his palm.
Only then did Lu Huaijin notice that there seemed to be some medicine already applied to her arm, but it wasn't bandaged. There was only a thin layer of medicine left, sticking to the flesh and blood.
The jade hairpin, the cloak, the medicine...
This "kind - hearted person" was really extremely meticulous.
Just as the medicine was applied to the wound, Lin Wanyu frowned tightly and timidly whispered, "It hurts..."
Lu Huaijin looked up at her and happened to see her opening her eyes and looking at him tearfully.
Lin Wanyu thought she was seeing things. She was in a daze for a long time. It wasn't until Lu Huaijin skillfully applied the medicine to her and the stinging pain came from the wound that she came to her senses.
"Your Highness..."
When the woman in front of him looked at him pitifully with a dirty face, Lu Huaijin felt as if his heartstrings had been plucked.
"Lie still!"
Lu Huaijin let out an almost inaudible sigh and continued to apply the medicine to her.
Lin Wanyu was much more awake now. How could she dare to let Lu Huaijin apply the medicine to her? She struggled to get out of bed, but was scared into stillness by a look from Lu Huaijin.
"Who beat you up like this?"