The soft and fragrant body suddenly pulled away. Wang Jingze lowered his eyes and glanced at his sleeve. A hint of annoyance flashed across his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry. It's good that you're all right, miss. It's already deep into the night. I'll ask the maid to take you back to your quarters first. We'll talk about other things early tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, young master."
Lin Wanyu responded and curtsied. She had just taken a few steps with the maid's support when she suddenly felt someone trip her.
Immediately afterwards, the hand supporting her suddenly let go, and she fell to the ground.
The excruciating pain from her wound made her眼前 go black. All the strength in her body seemed to be drained away at once.
"Oh, Miss Lin, why are you so careless?"
The maid pretended to squat down to help her up. She didn't use much strength at all, but her face looked as if she had exerted all her might.
Wang Jingze had already planned to return to his courtyard. Hearing the maid's voice, he turned around and saw Lin Wanyu struggling to get up. Her body was swaying violently.
It was obvious that the maid couldn't support her.
At this moment, Lin Wanyu was in such pain that her whole body was numb. But the more painful she was, the more awake she became.
Just as the maid was about to support her arm, Lin Wanyu brushed her hand away.
"Miss Lin, what are you doing?"
Lin Wanyu hooked her red lips but didn't say a word. At this moment, she was feeling extremely dizzy. Subconsciously, she wanted to lean against the tree beside her to catch her breath. But when she stretched out her hand, she touched soft fabric and a firm chest.
Wang Jingze coughed awkwardly. He gently removed her hand from his chest through his clothes and said in a deep voice, "Let me take you back to your quarters!"
As he said this, he glanced at the maid beside him.
The maid immediately restrained her thoughts and lowered her head, not daring to say a word.
Lin Wanyu seemed to be burned by his hand. She quickly withdrew her own hand, curtsied and said, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."
If she let this maid take her back to her quarters again, she would probably be tortured to death before she even got there.
Wang Jingze couldn't help laughing. "Is there anything else you can say besides this?"
Lin Wanyu was slightly stunned. She lowered her eyes and didn't say another word.
Under the dim light, the young woman's blushing cheeks and downcast eyes were so charming that Wang Jingze thought of many poems, but none of them was sufficient to describe this moving scene.
"By the way, miss, your pipa is still here. I'll ask someone to send it to you tomorrow."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Wanyu's eyes immediately lit up. A smile appeared on her still slightly swollen face.
"Thank you, young master."
Wang Jingze looked at the person in front of him who seemed to come back to life. He was infected by her and couldn't help smiling too.
He was just about to say something else when he saw the person in front of him suddenly fall to one side.
Overnight, all the servants in the Prime Minister's Mansion knew that the usually cold and self - restrained eldest young master had taken a fancy to the maid who had tried out the marriage for the second young lady. Last night, he even carried the maid back to her quarters and stayed there for a long time before coming out.
In Feiyun Pavilion, Wang Yurou was reclining on the couch. Listening to the maid's report, a hint of cunning appeared in her slender eyes.
"Brother has finally been bewitched by that vixen."
Furong snorted. "In my opinion, Lin Wanyu isn't that good - looking. She's not even a fraction as good as the young lady. How could the eldest young master take a fancy to her?"
Wang Yurou raised her eyes and glanced at her, smiling playfully. "If he doesn't take a fancy to her, does he take a fancy to you? I know what you're thinking, but father has already scolded me. Now we can't touch Lin Wanyu. Not only can't we touch her, but I also have to treat her better."
Before dawn today, she was called by her father and mother and scolded for a long time. The gist of their words was that Lin Wanyu was the key to the marriage between the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Prince Xiang's Mansion.
No one could touch her now.
Furong pursed her lips and lowered her head to admit her mistake. "I was wrong. Please don't be angry, young lady. What should we do next?"
Wang Yurou stood up, smoothed her sleeves, and said irritably, "Naturally, we're going to visit Miss Lin."
...
In Changyin Pavilion, Lin Wanyu had slept for a whole night. Near dawn, she had a nightmare. At the end of the dream, she was buried in the fire and her body was completely destroyed.
She suddenly woke up with a start. Looking at the moon - white gauze curtain above her head, she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Miss, you're awake. I'm Ling'er. Let me help you get up!"
Suddenly, a crisp voice came from beside her. It was like a lark in spring, which made people feel much better.
At this moment, Lin Wanyu was sweating all over, as if she had just been fished out of the water. She really needed to change her clothes.
"Thank you, Miss Ling'er."
"You can just call me Ling'er. Let me apply some medicine to you first and then help you change your clothes!"
"Thank you."
After applying the medicine and changing her clothes, when Ling'er was doing Lin Wanyu's hair, Wang Yurou and Furong walked in gracefully.
"Miss Lin, how are you? I was out of my mind before and did such a thing. Father scolded me yesterday and asked me to come today to apologize to you."
Lin Wanyu stood up and looked at the person in front of her warily. She curtsied and said, "Thank you for your concern, Second Miss."
Seeing this, Wang Yurou stepped forward with a smile, supported her to sit down, took the comb from Ling'er's hand, and began to comb her hair.
"Second Miss, this is against the rules. I can do it myself."
"Sit still and don't move. I brought a lot of jewelry today. Just sit still and let me dress you up properly."
After combing her hair, Wang Yurou picked out a few hairpins and hair ornaments from the box held by Furong and put them on Lin Wanyu one by one.
"Look, what a beautiful girl!"
Lin Wanyu was sitting in front of the bronze mirror. Looking at her forehead still covered with medicine, she hooked her red lips.
"Thank you for your over - praise, Second Miss."
As her voice fell, a maid rushed into the room, curtsied and said, "Second Miss, the Crown Prince is here. The master said that the Second Miss should take Miss Lin to the front hall."
Wang Yurou frowned slightly. "I see. Go down!"
After the maid left, Wang Yurou turned her head again, looked at the person in the bronze mirror, and said with a smile, "Miss Lin is so intelligent. When you meet the Crown Prince later, you should know what to say and what not to say, right?"
Lin Wanyu raised her eyes. Their gazes met in the bronze mirror. Lin Wanyu immediately understood the meaning behind Wang Yurou's words.
She stood up and curtsied. "Yes."
Hearing her reply, Wang Yurou's smile grew wider. She walked up to her, held her hand, and said gently, "Miss Lin is so smart. Naturally, you know that if you help the Wang family, you're also helping yourself."
Lin Wanyu didn't believe her words now.
Seeing that she didn't say a word, Wang Yurou patted the back of her hand and continued, "If it succeeds, I'll return your servant contract to you as promised. I'll also prepare a generous reward for you and send you back to Yangzhou."
No one knew why Lu Huaijin had suddenly come today, but this was an excellent opportunity.
Maybe there would be a turn for the better in her marriage with Lu Huaijin!