Lin Mengya felt weary and smelt bit sweaty, and gazed at the vermilion bed curtain, lost in her thoughts.
The events that happened previously, were still lingering in her mind.
Covering her head with the quilt, Lin Mengya felt so much regret that she could have bitten off her tongue.
How stupid she was! She meant to dissuade Long Tianyu from meeting Princess Ming Yue.
But then everything went beyond her control. How did it turn out like this?
Lin Mengya cowered beneath the quilt, feeling a sense of regret and depression.
She fiddled with her fingers, wondering if this was the right time to apologize to Long Tianyu.
"Master, master, are you all right? You scared us to death."
Baiji drew the curtain back, but Lin Mengya, hiding under the quilt refused to emerge from it.
"Don"t worry about me. I"m fine."
Lin Mengya forced a smile, although she was in low spirits. The maids were all concerned about her.
Something must have happened between their master and the prince. They had been acting strangely, recently.
They had been the most lovey-dovey couple in the camp ground. But ever since they returned home, they had been at loggerheads. What could have happened?
These four ladies had never been in love before. How could they understand that when it comes to love, a jealous woman could be really unreasonable.
For the next three days, Lin Mengya shut herself in her room.
"Well, it can"t go on like this! If only Qinghu was here. He was always able to make master happy."
Standing at the porch, the four ladies were worried.
These days, Lin Mengya always felt drowsy. She took very little food and medicine.
One could die of boredom, if the situation carried on like this.
"Sister—sister—"
Early in the morning, Lin Zhongyu left his room, and hurried to the yard.
"Hush, Childe Yu, please be quiet. The master has just fallen asleep."
Baishao grasped his arms and glared at him.
"Sorry, I didn"t know. My good-hearted sister Baishao, please let me in. She has been sleeping for three whole days already. I"m afraid she will turn into a pig if she continues sleeping."
Lin Zhongyu stuck his tongue out and looked at Baishao, appealing to her.
"Well, all right then. Be quiet and don"t wake her up."
Baishao finally gave in. She opened the door and let him in.
Lin Zhongyu thought Lin Mengya would be asleep, but instead, she was sitting at the desk, writing something.
"Sister? What are you writing?"
He walked over curiously and saw that Lin Mengya has already written several pages on rice paper.
"You are here. Come and read my work. What do you think of it?"
Lin Mengya was not the type of person, who would fall into decadence, because of a mere break up.
She had continued to pursue her hobby from college. Everything that happened to Crown Prince in Mount Lingju, was written into her novel, much like a legendary tale.
She might have lost her love, but not her career.
Therefore, she recalled every incident involving the Crown Prince, and had written a wonderful story, in just three days.
"This - is really good, especially the scene, when the prince fled. Sister, as soon as you finish this novel, I will ask my men to distribute it around."
Looking at Xiaoyu, Lin Mengya realized that his power was beyond her imagination.
"It"s not good enough to be published as a book. You need to send people to tea houses, restaurants and other entertainment places to narrate the story."
Lin Mengya sought the best way to spread stories, during the old days. At that time, movable-type printing was just emerging.
Books were limited, and many people were illiterate.
Therefore, the role of a Storyteller was equivalent to the Weibo public accounts, in modern times.
By then, the story would be spread in the capital by countless storytellers, and soon everyone in Dajin would know what the Crown Prince was really like
"It"s all right. Just leave it to me."
Lin Ziyu folded Lin Mengya"s ma.n.u.script, kept it securely, and there was a wily smile on his face.
"Xiaoyu, you are really not going with them?"
Only a few months had pa.s.sed, but the young boy she had met by chance in the street, had become like a stranger to her.
"What was the secret behind Xiaoyu?"
"I only want to be with you, sister. I don"t care about anything else."
Xiaoyu gave a short answer. For him, his sister meant everything to him.
"Well, I respect your choice. I"ve been confined to my room for three days. It"s time to go for a walk."
Her mood lightened, even though she felt that she and Long Tianyu, as an item, was definitely over.
She faked a smile, not letting others see her sadness.
"Master, are you all right?"
Lin Mengya was finally willing to leave her room. The four ladies waited at the door.
They all gathered around and looked at her, worriedly.
Lin Mengya had hidden herself in the room, just to write a story. She did not expect that the ladies would be so worried about her.
It was a good feeling, knowing that someone cared about you.
"Master, this was sent by the prince two days ago. How are you going to deal with it?"
Baiji took out a delicate casket. Lin Mengya found it looked very familiar.
She took it and opened it. Inside, there was a dried, pink flower.
"This was -"
This was the medicinal herb sent by Princess Ming Yue, the other day.
It was also one of the herbs that Lin Mengya was looking for. She had taken a second look at it, that day.
"Did he even notice it?"
"So what was she angry about?"
Holding the box tightly in her arms, Lin Mengya ran out of Liuxin Courtyard.
She had to find Long Tianyu. Her heart felt bitter sweet. If his eyes never looked away from hers, was there still a hope?
"His Royal Highness. Where is His Royal Highness?"
She ran into Long Tianyu"s study in a rush, but found n.o.body there.
Lin Kui was at home. Lin Mengya turned to Steward Deng, instead.
"Princess, His Royal Highness— "
"His Royal Highness left to welcome Princess Ming Yue."
Hearing the gentle voice, Lin Mengya turned her head and saw Baili Wuchen.
"Welcome Princess Ming Yue？What does that mean?"
"That"s impossible." She knew that Long Tianhao did not harbor any feelings for Ming Yue.
"Your Highness, you are a smart lady. You must know what the support of King Ming means to the prince."
She had not seen Baili Wuchen for a long time, and it seemed that he had become more mature.
He was less arrogant now.
His face was handsome, his eyes were calm, cool and deep and hard to read.
He had become even more intimidating.
His harmless appearance was one that hid his deceitful character.
She gripped the box tightly, having failed to find its owner.
"Of course! I understand it. I"m happy for him."
Lin Mengya smiled as if it didn"t bother her.
But there was a storm raging in her heart.
Every time she had these mood swings, her chest tightened and she felt breathless. She didn"t know whether it was caused by the residual poison in her body.
This was not a good sign.
"It is good of you to be so thoughtful. But you look pale. You"d better go back and rest."
Baili Wuchen spoke to Lin Mengya, as if he was very concerned about her. She nodded in reply and left Long Tianhao Qinwu"s Courtyard
"Aren"t you afraid that the prince will punish you for this?"
As Lin Mengya left, Zhu Qiang came out from behind Baili Wuchen.
There was a puzzled look on his craggy face.
The prince had actually gone to persuade King Ming to give up the plan of making him marry Princess Ming Yue.
But, Baili Wuchen had intentionally misled the princess.
"Don"t you think that the prince has mellowed a lot ever since the princess married him?"
He looked at the direction that Lin Mengya disappeared to, a profound and sharp emotion appearing in his eyes, which dissipated in a moment.
"I am an ordinary man; I don"t understand what is going in your mind. But the prince is beginning to unbend and becoming warmer, since they got married. He is no longer like a statue with a heart of stone."
Zhu Qiang was fond of Princess Lin Mengya. Although she was of a high status, she never put on any airs.
The princess was quite different. In the capital, no one could compare with her beauty.
But there was a streak of boldness in her, a typical trait of the Lin family.
"To achieve great things, one must withhold one"s feelings. If His highness wants to achieve his goal, he must not give way to benevolence. Otherwise, it will only ruin everything."
Baili Wuchen said that for the prince"s sake, he would risk his filial piety and was prepared to betray his own uncle.
Only in this way, could they achieve anything great.
The prince had never changed for any single woman in the past. But he changed so much for this woman.
Therefore, it was time for the prince to marry Princess Ming Yue, to reduce Lin Mengya"s influence on him.
"You— you are all too stubborn! But, mark my words. If the prince finds out what you"ve done, you will have to face his thunderous rage! Even as your brother, I"m afraid that I will not help you in this!"
Zhu Qiang left angrily. He couldn"t figure out why Baili Wuchen was always against the princess.
But there was nothing he could do, but to keep quiet.
He could only hope that when the day came, the prince would show him mercy.
Lin Mengya returned to Liuxin Courtyard, from Long Tianyi"s place.
The Medicine casket she was holding on tightly to, was missing. She did not even remember how and where she lost it.
Maybe, this was a message from the G.o.d, telling her to discard the feelings that shouldn"t be there.