On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Guo Fu bit her lip and twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands on her knees.

The wind blew by, lifting her hair.

"Since Your Highness has already figured it out, there's nothing more for me to hide."

Guo Fu sat there blankly, looking down at the zither.

It seemed as if he was speaking to the zither, and also to Lin Yi.

"When I was eighteen, my parents arranged for me to marry into the family of the Prefect of Hedong. Before the marriage, I had never even seen the man's face. I only knew that he was the Prefect's eldest son and a scholar. But after I married him, I found out that he was a sickly man who could not consummate the marriage, could not have children, and could not even get out of bed on his own. He died less than two years after the marriage, and I became a widow."

That year, I was twenty years old.

Lin Yi frowned.

At twenty years old, she would still be a college student in modern times, yet she suffered so much.

"My husband died, and his family thought it was because I was unlucky and had killed him. The prefect's wife gives me a hard time every day, and the servants follow suit, belittling me and flattering me. I live worse than a lowly maid in the prefect's mansion in Hedong. All I do every day is get scolded and work."

"And then?" Lin Yi asked.

"Later, my brother Guo Ao became an official in the capital and gained some power. When he heard about my experience in Hedong, he felt that the Guo family could not bear the shame, so he sent people to forcibly bring me back to the Guo family."

When Guo Fu spoke of her brother Guo Ao, her expression was complex.

There was gratitude, but also a sense of helplessness.

"My brother took pity on me and gave me a courtyard to live in, where I have everything I need. But..." Guo Fu paused, closed her eyes, "the Guo family is a prestigious clan that values ​​rules and etiquette above all else. My mother was a princess of the previous dynasty, and she considers propriety to be of paramount importance."

"On the first day I returned to the Guo family, my mother had a large stack of books brought in. 'Women's Virtues,' 'Women's Instructions,' 'Women's Admonitions'... My mother said that since I have become a widow, I must uphold the reputation of the Guo family. I cannot show my face in public, I cannot wear bright clothes, and I cannot speak loudly."

"From then on, I was confined to that courtyard, spending my days copying these books and chanting scriptures. I remained chaste for my deceased husband and for the Guo family."

Guo Fu opened her eyes and looked at Lin Yi.

There were no tears in her eyes, only a deathly stillness.

"Now, it has been a full ten years."

Grass.

Lin Yi cursed under his breath.

A girl's best ten years of youth were buried alive by a few lousy books and her so-called reputation.

No wonder her music was so lifeless.

Her lonely and desolate life, spent in quiet contemplation and religious devotion, had turned her into a living corpse.

Guo Fu looked at Lin Yi and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"His Highness asked me if I felt the world was bad. Alas, whether it's good or bad is all fate. I've long accepted my fate. This is how my life will be. So when Young Master Lu asked me to stay that day, I didn't cry or make a fuss. To me, the Guo family and the Prince's family are just about getting through the days, there's no difference."

To be honest, how much suffering is there in the world? Lin Yi is a god of death, and he rarely feels pity.

But Lin Yi really didn't know how to express his thoughts to this woman.

To call it pity? It doesn't seem to go that far.

To say I'm indifferent? But seeing her like this makes me feel bad.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi began to dislike Guo Ao again.

That corrupt official acted respectable in public, but secretly embezzled and broke the law. At home, he even forced his younger sister to live a life of widowhood to save his reputation.

That's fucking hypocritical.

"Sigh..." Lin Yi didn't say anything to comfort him, he just sighed softly.

For a woman like Guo Fu, whose heart was already mostly dead, a few nice words were useless. Suddenly feeling thirsty, she reached for the celadon teacup on the table, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp.

The tea had cooled down, but it still had a pleasant fragrance.

"Why……"

Guo Fu suddenly jumped up from the stone bench, her eyes wide open.

Lin Yi swallowed the tea in his mouth and looked at the teacup.

"What's wrong? Is it poisonous?"

Guo Fu's face instantly turned red all the way to the roots of her neck, and even her fair earlobes were tinged with pink.

She stammered, her voice trembling, "Your Highness... that... that was my teacup."

Lin Yi looked down at the cup in his hand.

"Your name isn't written on it..."

"you……"

Guo Fu bit her lower lip, blushing even more at Lin Yi's shameless remark.

According to the rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, men and women should not have physical contact.

Let alone sharing a teacup, even touching hands while passing something is enough to ruin one's reputation.

This kind of thing is especially serious for widows like Guo Fu, who have been brainwashed by female virtues and precepts for ten years.

In her view, Lin Yi drinking water from her cup was as shocking as being forced to undress in public.

Lin Yi found it amusing.

I thought to myself, who cares about this nowadays? Even if raw rice turns into popcorn, nobody cares, there will still be sycophants willing to take it.

"Oh, I didn't notice." Lin Yi shrugged, casually placing the teacup back on the stone table. His tone was flat, showing no embarrassment whatsoever. "This herbal tea is quite delicious. It's alright, don't be nervous. I'll just send someone to deliver a new tea set later."

Guo Fu stood there, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her heart pounding wildly.

It's been ten years.

A whole decade.

Apart from her brother Guo Ao, no other man had ever been this close to her, let alone drunk water from the cup she had used.

But Lin Yi just happened to act completely indifferent.

Ugh, this man is definitely trying to get my attention on purpose!

Is this the next step for him to take the opportunity to flirt with me?

Are you taking things a step further with me?

Ha, men, they've finally shown their true colors!

"You play the zither very well," Lin Yi leaned back in his chair, "but this zither is just average and doesn't do justice to your skill."

Ok?

Strange, shouldn't he have rushed over and grabbed my hand at this moment, asking me if I wanted to?

Why is it this attitude again?

Guo Fu's mind was in turmoil, and she subconsciously replied, "This zither was brought to Hedong when I got married, and later I brought it back to the Guo family. It has been through many ups and downs and is damaged in a few places, but it has been with me for more than ten years, which is better than others..."

After saying that, she realized she had misspoke and quickly corrected herself: "Oh, no, that's not what I meant. What I meant was... a zither is fine as long as it makes a sound."

Lin Yi shook his head.

"A good horse deserves a good saddle. If you'd like, I can give you a fine zither. I just happened to have a Jiao Wei zither in my storeroom a few days ago... cough... a few days ago I had someone deliver it to you tomorrow."

Guo Fu's eyes suddenly lit up.

The Burnt-Tailed Qin!

That's a legendary zither, with an exquisite tone, priceless.

For someone who loves the piano, this temptation is fatal.

Guo Fu looked up in surprise at Lin Yi, her lips moved as if she was about to refuse.

But I just couldn't bring myself to say "no."

Qingzhu Courtyard lacked nothing, and the people in the Prince's Mansion treated her with respect. The only thing missing was something that made her feel that life was still meaningful.

This instrument is a source of hope.

"In that case..." Guo Fu took a deep breath, stood up, and solemnly bowed to Lin Yi. "This concubine thanks Your Highness for your reward."

Lin Yi smiled and nodded as he saw that she finally seemed to have some life in her.

"Alright, stop with the constant bowing. There aren't that many ridiculous rules in my residence." Lin Yi waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down.

This eased the tension between the two somewhat.

Lin Yi looked up at the sky and tapped the armrest of the wicker chair, saying, "Guo Fu, I know what you want to know. Don't worry, your brother is fine, and your whole family is fine."

Guo Fu could hardly believe her ears.

The dignified regent, who kills without blinking an eye, actually took the initiative to explain these things to me?

"Is what Your Highness said true?"

"I never lie. That fool Guo Ao saw that things were going badly and fled into the palace with your mother and the whole family overnight. They are with Nangong Xiong now and are not in any danger."

Guo Fu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Although she hated Guo Ao for locking her in the courtyard to copy traditional female virtues, he was, after all, her own brother and her only support in this world.

Although her mother, Wanyan Yi, was strict, she was still the one who gave birth to her and raised her.

The whole family survived.

that's enough.

From now on, I will not expect anything anymore.

"On behalf of the entire Guo family, I thank Your Highness for sparing our lives!"

Lin Yi stood up, stretched, and walked over to Guo Fu.

She was still kneeling on the ground expressing her gratitude when she saw Lin Yi approaching, and she raised her head blankly.

Lin Yi smiled and pinched her cheek: "Don't worry, with you here, I wouldn't dare to harm your family."

"Ah..." Guo Fu shrank back.

He still made advances on himself after all!

So, is the next step to grope my breasts? Is the next step to push me down onto this stone table?

Then... what should I do?

Seeing her face flush red and then pale, Lin Yi smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Ah? I...this humble servant, no, I wasn't thinking anything..."

"Hehehe, look how scared you are. Compared to forcing, I prefer women to take the initiative." After saying that, Lin Yi turned around and prepared to leave.

I've already spent enough time in this comfortable place; I can't afford to slack off.

But to his surprise, as he turned around, he saw Lin An sneaking around outside the fence, unsure whether to go in or not.

It seems like there's something they need to discuss with Lin Yi.