Waaah, I'm being forced into loving my yandere wife's brain.

Qingwu paused for a moment while tidying the bedding, then replied, "Miss, just as dawn broke, the Ninth Prince sent a message to the clinic... The messenger returned saying that Young Master Lin was in good spirits and had fallen asleep after taking his medicine."

Lin Zhiyao paused for a moment, then nodded.

During breakfast, she still had a poor appetite. Qingwu brought a plate of candied fruit and placed it beside her, saying that the Ninth Prince had asked her to prepare it before he left. It was sweet and not sour.

Lin Zhiyao looked at the plate of candied fruit; the amber-colored flesh was coated with a thin layer of sugar frosting, glistening in the sunlight.

She looked at it for a while before picking one up and putting it in her mouth.

The sweetness of the candied fruit melts on the tip of the tongue.

Lin Zhiyao suddenly asked, "Qingwu, are there any books in this mansion?"

Qingwu was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to ask that.

"Yes, miss."

Qingwu quickly replied, "The study on the east side has a large collection of books. His Highness doesn't usually read those kinds of books, but the bookshelves in the storeroom are full. If you'd like to borrow some to pass the time, I'll go and get you a few."

Lin Zhiyao thought for a moment and said, "I'll go pick it myself."

Qingwu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

She led Lin Zhiyao through two corridors to the east room, which was usually used as a storeroom.

The moment the door was opened, a whiff of aged ink mixed with the scent of wood wafted out.

Sunlight streamed through the gauze curtains of the west window, casting long, slanted bands of light on the dusty floor.

There were indeed many bookshelves, stretching from the floor to the ceiling beams, densely packed with all kinds of books.

Lin Zhiyao walked slowly along the bookshelf, her fingers occasionally brushing against the spines of the books. Looking at the titles, she saw that most of them were serious books, with a few volumes of poetry and vernacular stories sandwiched in between.

She continued walking inside, her gaze suddenly drawn to several yellowed scrolls of manuscripts placed on a low cabinet in the corner.

The cover of the letter was made of ordinary indigo cloth, without a title, and the edges were worn white, as if it had been turned over many times.

Lin Zhiyao's heart stirred slightly. She bent down, picked up a scroll, and opened it. What came into view was a line of extremely neat small regular script with a touch of childlike innocence.

"On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month in the third year of Yuanxi, it was sunny. Today, my master said that my writing strength was still lacking and asked me to practice ten more large characters. I secretly hid a candied fruit in my sleeve and will eat it after I finish practicing."

Lin Zhiyao was stunned.

Although the handwriting was much more naive than what she had seen before, the familiarity with the turns and twists of the strokes made her heart skip a beat.

It appears to have been written by Shen Jin.

She continued scrolling down.

"I met a noble person from outside the palace today. Pine nut candy is better than candied fruit."

The handwriting gradually matured, and the strokes changed from the initial roundness to sharpness, like a knife that had been hidden for a long time and was finally willing to be sharpened.

"On the ninth day of the seventh month of the first year of Yongchang, the weather was clear. Today is the first time I have stood in the court. All the officials below the imperial steps bowed their heads, but not one of them dared to look me in the eye. I suddenly realized that what my master said was true."

"When power becomes too heavy, no one can see your true nature."

Lin Zhiyao flipped to the last page.

That page contained only one sentence, the ink of which was newer than the previous ones, suggesting it had been added recently:

I saw her again today.

There is no name, and no date.

But Lin Zhiyao's knuckles, which were gripping the note, turned slightly white.

She gently closed the scroll, placed it back in its original spot on the low cabinet, took a half step back, stood for a moment, and then turned and walked out of the book pavilion.

When Qingwu saw her come out, she hurried over and asked, "Did you find a book you like, Miss?"

"Um."

Lin Zhiyao held a poetry collection she had just randomly picked up in her hand. "This one will do."

When I returned to the small courtyard where I was staying, the sun was already high in the sky, and the lingering summer heat had caused the hibiscus trees in the courtyard to wilt slightly.

Lin Zhiyao sat on the daybed by the window and opened the book of poems. Her gaze fell on the pages, but she didn't look at any of them for a long time.

The things she had just seen in that scroll of notes were still swirling in her mind: Shen Jin, the young man who would be happy when he ate candied fruit and feel dazed when he reached the pinnacle of power.

He seemed like a completely different person from the vicious and ruthless Ninth Prince she knew.

She closed the book and looked out the window.

In the courtyard, Qingwu was watering the forsythia bushes, and water droplets fell on the leaves, refracting tiny glimmers of light.

Lin Zhiyao placed the poetry collection on the small table, closed her eyes, and saw the bright sunlight outside the window. Even with her eyes closed, all she could see was a scorching white light.

Just like her current mood.

It was a vast, empty expanse, seemingly filled with light, but in reality, nothing could be seen clearly.

They had no idea when night would fall.

*

In the afternoon, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the corridor.

Qingwu strode into the room. "Miss, the Ninth Prince has returned and is in his study. Please come over."

Lin Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat.

She put down the hibiscus petal she was playing with, stood up, straightened her clothes, and followed Qingwu toward the study.

along the way.

Countless thoughts raced through Lin Zhiyao's mind.

Has something happened to her brother at the clinic? Or has there been another upheaval in the court? Or perhaps... Shen Jin wants to tell her something else? Or maybe he wants to do those things again?

The study door was ajar. Qingwu stopped outside the door, bowed, and stepped aside.

Facing Shen Jin, even after spending so much time together, Lin Zhiyao still felt a little nervous. She took a deep breath before pushing open the door.

Shen Jin sat behind a large sandalwood desk, holding a letter in his hand; the sealing wax had already been removed.

He heard the door open and looked up. The deep look in his fox-like eyes softened slightly the moment he saw her.

"come over."

Shen Jin waved to her.

Lin Zhiyao walked over.

Shen Jin placed the letter on the table, tapped it with his fingertip, and suddenly asked, "Did you go to the library this morning?"

Lin Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat, and her eyelashes trembled involuntarily.

Shen Jin knew all her whereabouts, but she had no intention of hiding them.

Lin Zhiyao replied softly, "Yes."

Shen Jin looked at her for a moment, but did not ask what she had seen. He simply pushed the letter on the table forward: "Your brother sent a letter in this morning, which was tucked into the prescription. The people at the clinic didn't notice it and it was just delivered to me."

Lin Zhiyao paused for a moment, then reached for the letter.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she touched the letter. She unfolded it and saw her brother's familiar handwriting, which was a little messier than usual, but it was clearly still written with his right hand.

It seems that it wasn't the hand that broke it.

Lin Zhiyao felt a slight sense of relief.

"To my dear sister, I am well, so please don't worry. The physician Zhao at the clinic is extremely skilled. My wound is being dressed daily, and it's mostly healed. Please take good care of yourself."

The handwriting trembled slightly at the end, as if the wrist was unsteady when writing that part.

Lin Zhiyao stared at the last line of text, her eyes slightly warm.

She hurriedly raised her hand and wiped her eyes.

did not expect.

Shen Jin actually brought her a letter.