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墨書 Inktalez
Nangong Nuo snapped back to reality, her face dark as she walked out. She could finally chuckle and get a good night's sleep.
Now awake, her mood remained just as bleak. Falling into Nangong Nuo's hands, escaping seemed unrealistic.
After leaving the palace, only a few days of peace had passed, but everything that followed demonstrated Nangong Nuo's immense power, capable of using the Government to track her down. Only such methods could leave her with nowhere to hide. Sigh, with her limited strength and cleverness, she could evade today but not tomorrow; resisting Nangong Nuo was akin to striking a rock with an egg.
Thinking back to the small forest where Yun Kong had refused to fight and left her alone made her furious. At a critical moment, he turned coward; she had thought he was highly skilled.
Sigh, in these times, damn it, no one could be relied upon.
The man who claimed to like her was more interested in the secrets in her mind;
The monk who vowed to save her from peril chose to escape when it mattered most;
...
Mei Shuang approached the window and stared outside for a while.
After the heavy rain, everything appeared fresh; the air was filled with the scent of grass and a faint floral fragrance. This floral scent reminded Mei Shuang of the days spent at Lin Residence, evoking memories of Jujube Cake. These days of wandering outside had left her unable to eat or sleep well; thinking of Jujube Cake made her mouth water.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the half piece of calligraphy written by Lin Yuan, flipping it over and over as she looked at the characters. She thought that this was the only young man who cared about her well-being; if it weren't for him, she might have ended up in the underworld. However, Yun Kong was clever enough to know all this.
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard a small voice from outside, "Lin Shoutong?"
"..." Mei Shuang looked out in surprise. "Who?"
Lin Tian'er glanced around to confirm no one was present before lowering the branches that concealed herself and straightening up. "Lin Shoutong, it's me."
“Lin Tian'er?” Mei Shuang widened her eyes, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you...” Lin Tian'er gestured for Mei Shuang to move aside, then lifted her skirt, supported herself on the window frame, and jumped onto the windowsill. After entering, she dusted off her hands and looked outside anxiously, complaining, “I didn’t expect to have to climb in like a thief in my own home...”
Mei Shuang was even more surprised, “In your house? This is Lin Residence?”
After confirming that there was no danger outside, Lin Tian'er turned back and carefully examined the astonished Mei Shuang, smiling, “What did you think? They say life goes in circles; who would have thought we’d end up back here? I told you not to leave back then, but you wouldn’t listen. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’ve become a shadow of your former self after being out these days...”
Lin Tian'er always liked to joke around. Although her words were somewhat harsh, they were also true. Mei Shuang felt a mix of embarrassment and discouragement, “So, I never really escaped from Lin Residence, huh?”
Lin Tian'er casually walked over to the table and sat down, unconcerned, “That’s not quite it. To us at Lin Residence, you’re just a little servant; you can come and go freely. But for some people, it’s different...”
When Mei Shuang realized that Lin Tian'er flaunting her calligraphy skills was the source of this trouble, she suddenly found Lin Tian'er incredibly annoying. She wondered how disaster had struck so quickly; now she understood where it all began.
However, it was too late to say anything now. Mei Shuang was too tired to deal with the meddlesome Lin Tian'er.
Seeing Mei Shuang looking dispirited, Lin Tian'er knew she might be silently cursing her. Suddenly intrigued, she leaned in and whispered, “Lin Shoutong, tell me honestly, what’s your background? Why does even Lord Xu from the provincial government seem wary of you?”
“What Governor Xu, I don’t know him,” Mei Shuang replied lazily. She was particularly annoyed with Lin Tian'er. If it hadn’t been for her insisting on coming to Lin Yuan to be a servant, none of these troubles would have happened.
Noticing Mei Shuang’s attitude, Lin Tian'er realized she was upset and said, “Actually, I know a little bit. You’re from the capital city. Oh, could it be that you’re the daughter of some noble family who ran away from an arranged marriage? Was that charming man last night your fiancé?”
Combining this with what she had seen last night with Lin Yuan, she tried hard to imagine.
Mei Shuang was stunned by her analysis; what kind of sign was this that she could see everything?
“Don’t just stand there with your mouth open,” Lin Tian'er said proudly but then seemed a bit regretful. “If it weren’t for that stone thrown by Yuan'er, I bet he would have... ah ah, forget it! I didn’t see anything...”
Mei Shuang was dumbfounded.
So that stone was thrown by Lin Yuan?
She recalled something and asked, "Where is Young Master Lin?"
Lin Tian'er grinned mischievously and said, "He got into trouble and dared not show his face. He has already hidden away. He sent me to check on you to see if that man had succeeded."
Mei Shuang felt touched yet somewhat amused. "Thanks to Young Master Lin, no, not at all..."
Lin Tian'er scrutinized Mei Shuang's face. When Mei Shuang felt confused, she nodded and said, "It seems there really is nothing; otherwise, Yuan'er would be crying his eyes out... I guess—"
At this point, she lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "You don't like him, do you? That's why you disguised yourself as a man to escape the marriage?"
"..." Mei Shuang was speechless.
Lin Tian'er thought she had guessed correctly and looked Mei Shuang up and down again, clicking her tongue. "Lin Shoutong, now I wonder how I didn't see things as clearly as Yuan'er did back then. You know, on such a hot day, you covered yourself up like you're hibernating. I really thought your health was poor; Yuan'er used to be infatuated with that daughter of the Gardener's Family, but after spending a few days with you, he completely forgot about her. He would rather stay in the study with you every day than go out to meet the daughter of the Gardener's Family. It shows that this little rascal has long seen through your situation..."
Mei Shuang couldn't be bothered to respond to the rapid-fire remarks from Lin Tian'er; let her speculate all she wanted.
"Is Young Master Lin alright?"
Nangong Nuo, who had been hit by a stone out of nowhere, certainly wouldn't let it go easily.
"What happened?" Lin Tian'er finally changed the subject. "This is my home; I'm familiar with it..."
Alright then, Mei Shuang felt relieved and suddenly remembered the article Lin Yuan wrote titled "Security Strategy," so she handed over half of the text in her hand. "Did Young Master Lin write this article himself?"
"What?" Lin Tian'er said, puzzled. She took a look and exclaimed, "What a good article! I have to say, Lin Shoutong, even though the time spent with Yuan'er was short, his writing has improved a lot. Even Uncle praised him greatly for this piece."
Mei Shuang pondered for a moment and asked, "Has your Lin family always been named Lin?"
Lin Tian'er replied curiously, "What else would our Lin family be named?"
"Oh..."
Just as Mei Shuang was about to say something, Lin Tian'er suddenly tilted her head slightly, raised her finger to her lips, and whispered, "Shh... someone is coming. I have to go..."
Mei Shuang panicked, "What should I do?"
"If you don't want to go with him, I'll find a way to rescue you later," Lin Tian'er said as she nimbly slipped out of the window.
As soon as she left, the door opened, and Nangong Nuo entered with a gloomy expression.
Upon entering, he saw Mei Shuang focused on singing softly to herself by the window:
"Don't look at me just yet
My face is about to explode from blushing
It's nothing really
I absolutely won't admit that I like you
What should I do? It feels sweet yet sour
Loving you secretly is both joyful and lonely
What should I do? Love cannot be spoken of
You're so annoying for not helping me
How can you smile like that and outshine the sun?
Even more beautiful than me
Though I can't resist, life goes on
One day it will be your turn to go crazy for me
Why? Why?
Did you have to appear so unreasonably?
You made me lose all my little dignity and grace
Stay close to me but don't get too close
How close is close enough?
I'm doomed, I'm doomed
I feel like I'm about to lose myself completely
What should I do? It feels sweet yet sour
Loving you secretly is both joyful and lonely."
Nangong Nuo quietly listened as Mei Shuang finished singing, her previously gloomy expression gradually softening.
After Mei Shuang sighed upon finishing her song, she turned around and "just happened" to notice Nangong Nuo entering. She shrugged and remained silent.
Nangong Nuo approached Mei Shuang, gazing at her for a while before speaking, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Who is this song for?"
Mei Shuang turned away, pretending to be indifferent. "What do you think?"
Nangong Nuo seemed to enjoy this interaction; he gently turned Mei Shuang to face him. After a long moment, he casually asked, "Do you want to return to the palace?"
"......"
Mei Shuang looked up in surprise. Up close, she could see her own reflection in Nangong Nuo's eyes, which had faint dark circles, suggesting he hadn't slept well the previous night.
Mei Shuang quickly pondered in her mind—was this pressuring her to make a choice?
"What do you mean?"
Mei Shuang continued to think about whether he was forcing her to decide.
"Nothing much. I’m just asking if you want to go back to the palace," Nangong Nuo replied with a hint of impatience.
"This...?" Mei Shuang was confused.
His tone and attitude clearly indicated that he was pressuring her to make a choice—essentially asking if she wanted to return to the palace with him. The key question was whether she would be able to leave once she went back.
Mei Shuang lowered her gaze and remained silent. She had sung that song out of desperation, fearing that if Nangong Nuo came in and asked who she was talking to, she would need an explanation. Yet now it seemed she had inadvertently trapped herself. Nangong Nuo must have misunderstood.
"Return to the palace, return to the palace..." Mei Shuang hesitated, "There are so many people in the palace; one more person doesn't make a difference..."
"What if the Empress Dowager issues an edict for you to return?"
"......"
Mei Shuang's eyes widened in shock, and then she thought, wait a minute, didn't the Emperor say when she left the palace that the Empress Dowager had no objections?
"Hmph, dear Zhao Prince, you mustn't use the Empress Dowager's name to make your case..." Mei Shuang bluntly exposed Nangong Nuo.
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