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

So Lin Zhiyao stood up, leaned against the door, and listened to the sounds outside.

"The murder... might have been... related to the Prince of Jin before his death..."

The two people outside had clearly gone far away, and Lin Zhiyao could only hear a few whispered words. But just those few words made her suddenly open her almond-shaped eyes wide.

He felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

……die?

Lin Zhiyao's face turned pale instantly, and she swayed as if about to collapse.

She turned and rushed out the door.

Qingwu had already positioned herself by the door at some point, her hands lowered and her brows furrowed, yet she firmly blocked the way.

"Miss……"

Qingwu lowered her voice, "It's windy outside. You're not feeling well, so you shouldn't go out."

Lin Zhiyao looked up at her, the panic in her eyes still lingering, but a thin layer of hostility had already surfaced: "Get out of the way."

Qingwu did not move.

Lin Zhiyao reached out and pushed her shoulder.

Qingwu swayed as she was pushed, but she didn't take a single step back.

Lin Zhiyao's knuckles turned white as she used considerable force. Qingwu, being just a palace maid, dared not be rough with her. She staggered half a step as Lin Zhiyao pushed her, her shoulder hitting the door frame with a muffled groan. Yet, she remained sideways, wedged in the door crack, refusing to move aside completely.

"Qingwu!" Lin Zhiyao's voice trembled hoarsely, "Get out of my way!"

"Miss." Qingwu still had her eyes downcast, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "The Ninth Prince didn't say you could leave."

Lin Zhiyao's hand stopped.

She slowly turned her head.

Shen Jin stood by the porch of the small courtyard, his fox-like eyes half-closed as he looked over, his expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Lord Shen..."

Lin Zhiyao's eyes reddened, and her voice choked with sobs, "You knew about my father's matter all along, didn't you?"

Shen Jin's voice was neither loud nor soft: "I just received the letter this morning."

Lin Zhiyao stared at him, the tears welling in her almond-shaped eyes trembling slightly, but not falling: "So why did you have someone stop me like this?"

Shen Jin raised his eyelids to look at her, his fox-like eyes reflecting the candlelight, and asked in a deep voice, "What can you do outside?"

Lin Zhiyao's throat bobbed, but she didn't answer. She clenched her sleeve tightly, her knuckles turning white, and after a long while, she squeezed out a sentence through her teeth: "He is my father."

"I know."

Shen Jin walked closer to her, his pace neither fast nor slow. "If you wish to keep vigil, I will have a mourning hall set up in the mansion. Whether you kneel or cry, I will accompany you."

He stopped in front of her, raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs by her ear, his fingertips brushing against her pale earlobe: "But if you want to leave this door and return to the Lin residence, I will not let you."

Lin Zhiyao turned her head away from his fingertips, her eyes reddening.

Shen Jin's hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then slowly withdrew and tucked into his sleeve.

He turned his head and instructed Qingwu, "Prepare hot water and clean clothes. Miss Lin is frail and has suddenly experienced such emotional ups and downs. Wipe her body to prevent her from falling ill."

Lin Zhiyao grasped his fingertips, "Can't you really let me go back for a bit?"

Shen Jin stared at her hand that was gripping his fingertips for a moment, then finally pulled his hand away. "No."

He paused, then added, "Things haven't been peaceful in your household these past few days. Your visit would be pointless and might even cause more trouble."

After saying that, Shen Jin turned and left.

Lin Zhiyao stayed where she was.

She pursed her lips and remained silent.

What could possibly happen at the Lin family's residence? They're just a once-prosperous family that's fallen on hard times.

Who would harm them?

Lin Zhiyao's eyes were slightly red, and she felt dejected, but with Qingwu staring at her, she couldn't say anything more and could only be led to take a bath.

……

Shen Jin kept his word.

When Lin Zhiyao came out after cleansing herself, the offerings for worship had already been set out outside.

Lin Zhiyao felt a chill in her heart.

They actually dared to burn paper money in the palace.

She gained a deeper understanding of just how powerful Shen Jin truly was.

Lin Zhiyao knelt in the mourning hall, her knees pressed against the cold blue brick floor. In front of her was the temporary memorial tablet, on which the ink of the words "The Spirit Tablet of the Late Father Lin Gong, whose given name was [name]" was still wet, written by Shen Jin himself.

She stared at those few lines of text for a long time, her eyes dry, but not a single tear fell.

The paper money burned in the copper basin, turning into grayish-white butterflies that floated upwards with the steam before quickly falling back down and landing on her skirt.

Qingwu knelt outside the door and did not come in.

Lin Zhiyao reached out and stirred the embers in the basin. The firelight illuminated half of her face, revealing the undried tear stains and the red, wet corners of her eyes.

She clearly heard the young eunuch say the word "murdered" and mention the Prince of Jin...

How could my father, a down-on-his-luck scholar who no longer held an official position, be associated with the Prince of Jin?

Unless, someone wants to use the father's death to frame someone.

Lin Zhiyao paused, the coolness of the copper basin seeping into her fingertips.

She suddenly remembered Shen Jin's expression that day. He stood under the porch, looking at her against the light, and told her in a calm tone that things had not been peaceful in the mansion these past few days, as if he had known that something bad would happen, or rather... as if her father's death was just a move in a game.

She stood up, her knees numb, and leaned on the offering table to catch her breath.

On the offering table were several plates of fruit, which she had instructed Qingwu to prepare, and a pot of wine.

Lin Zhiyao filled three cups and poured them in front of the basin. The wine seeped into the ashes and emitted a spicy aroma.

Tears rolled in too.

Lin Zhiyao said in a low voice, "Father, your daughter is unfilial. I will investigate and find out the truth."

After she finished speaking, she drank the last glass of wine. The wine rolled down her throat, bitter and astringent.

Lin Zhiyao put down her wine glass, turned around and walked out of the mourning hall, brushing past Qingwu at the door.

Qingwu stood up and followed, asking, "Miss, where are you going?"

"I need some fresh air." Lin Zhiyao didn't turn around, her steps continuing. "Don't follow me, I want to walk alone."

Qingwu paused and hesitated for a moment.

In the end, they stopped, only following from a distance, not getting too close.

Lin Zhiyao walked east along the corridor, turned two corners, and stopped in a secluded corner where no one passed by.

She leaned against the vermilion pillars, looking up at the gray sky, her heart taut with tension, almost on the verge of snapping.

Shen Jin must know the inside story about her father, but he is unwilling to tell her, so she has no way of knowing.

Most importantly, what about his brother? If their father's death was related to the Prince of Jin, and his brother is now in court, can he still protect himself?

Lin Zhiyao clenched her sleeves tightly, her fingertips digging into her palms.

I can't stay here any longer; I have to leave. I need to see my brother at least once and find out what happened.

But this seemingly ordinary side hall hides countless eyes watching her from the shadows.

When Shen Jin is not around, Qingwu is his shadow; when Shen Jin is around, she is inseparable from him. Moreover, this is in the palace, and escaping... will probably be even more difficult than last time.

When Lin Zhiyao returned to the side hall, it was already completely dark.

Qingwu lit the candles and set out dinner on the table, all of which were her favorite dishes.

Lin Zhiyao sat down, picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of food, and swallowed it without tasting it.

She needed her energy, she needed to keep everything looking normal...

It must not reveal the slightest abnormality.

As Lin Zhiyao thought this, the effects of the alcohol slowly rose, making her vision dizzy and her cheeks flushed.

After the meal, Qingwu cleaned up the dishes.

Lin Zhiyao leaned against the window, opened the book of poems, but her gaze was fixed on the view outside the window.

The evening breeze blew in.

The effects of the alcohol seemed to have sobered me up a bit.

But she was still drunk.

Lin Zhiyao's vision was blurry, but she could smell a familiar, cool fragrance.

Shen Jin has returned.

"The wind is so cool."

Shen Jin wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Let's not even think about catching a cold, okay?"