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

Shen Jin held Lin Zhiyao in his arms, but did not return to any of the mansions.

As they passed through the palace gates, the sky was gradually darkening.

Lin Zhiyao nestled in his arms, her vision filled only with the taut curve of his jaw and a few strands of hair falling down his neck.

Her wrist was still hanging behind his neck, her fingertips resting limply on it, as she gradually recovered from the shock and fear she had just experienced.

"Lord Shen..."

Lin Zhiyao's tear-streaked eyelashes trembled. "Where are we going?"

Shen Jin did not answer.

He lowered his eyes and looked at her deeply for a very short time. His fox-like eyes were dark and unreadable.

Then Shen Jin withdrew his gaze, and the toe of his boot turned the final bend.

Lin Zhiyao's heart trembled slightly.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Lin Zhiyao saw the steps of the Golden Palace right in front of her.

The ninety-nine white marble steps gleamed warmly in the setting sun, yet Lin Zhiyao felt a strange chill and unease creeping into her heart.

The vermilion dragon pillars on both sides of the palace gate support the double eaves, creating an imposing sight.

Shen Jin carried Lin Zhiyao up the steps and then passed through the entire hall.

The soles of the boots echoed crisply on the gold-brick floor, one after another, slowly but surely, reverberating through the deathly silent palace.

Shen Jin lowered his head, his nose almost brushing against Lin Zhiyao's brow.

As the setting sun rose, it illuminated half of his profile. Shen Jin's crimson lips were slightly curved, the curve faint yet carrying a sharp, razor-sharp edge.

"Yaoyao, why do you always like to run away? Is it because I've been too lenient with you, that you need me to keep you by my side every single moment? Hmm?"

Lin Zhiyao looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes still wet with tears, her whole body trembling slightly in his palm.

Shen Jin took a step forward and led Lin Zhiyao straight up to the throne, then placed her beside the dragon throne.

When Lin Zhiyao's feet touched the ground, her knees buckled, and she almost knelt down.

Shen Jin grabbed her waist first, pulling her close to his side.

Lin Zhiyao subconsciously grabbed his arm, only then noticing that Shen Jin raised his hand and pulled a rope from his sleeve.

The rope was silvery-white, shimmering in the candlelight, like a silk rope infused with silver threads, soft yet resilient.

Shen Jin wrapped the rope around his fingers twice, looked down at Lin Zhiyao, and the darkness in his fox eyes finally softened a little, revealing a thin smile.

"Yao Yao".

Shen Jin spoke slowly, his tone low and menacing, "Tell me, since you're so disobedient, shouldn't you be locked up?"

"No, no..."

Lin Zhiyao bit her lip and shook her head, looking flustered. This was the main hall of the imperial palace!

Every day, she has to attend the morning court session... How could she...

Are you tied up here?

Shen Jin remained silent.

He lowered his hand, and the silver rope slipped from his fingers, wrapping around Lin Zhiyao's wrist. The end of the rope was gathered in his palm and tied into an exquisite knot, binding her arm.

The remaining silver ropes hung down, swaying gently, shimmering in the candlelight.

"Well……"

Lin Zhiyao looked down at the silver mark on her wrist, tears rolling down her cheeks, and shook her head slightly.

Shen Jin cupped her face, forcing her to look at him, and kissed away the tears that were wet and red at the corners of her eyes.

"Yaoyao, there are still six hours until the morning court session... You'll do very well, won't you? Hmm?"

Shen Jin tightened the rope in his palm, his voice lazy, his fox eyes deep as ink, yet with a suppressed madness in their depths.

Lin Zhiyao couldn't help but tremble slightly under his gaze.

…………

……

Lin Zhiyao was thus forced to stay in the main hall for three days and three nights.

During the day, she was kept completely hidden behind a curtain, while the emperor, for some reason, had not attended court for the past few days, leaving Shen Jin to take charge of the government.

At night.

She continued to experience things that Shen Jin had never let her experience before.

……

Three days later.

When Lin Zhiyao opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the familiar sandalwood bed in the side hall. The curtains were half-drawn, and the light coming in was no longer the dazzling bright yellow of the Golden Palace.

She changed into clean nightgowns, the material soft and warm, clinging to her sweaty skin.

Lin Zhiyao moved her fingers, and found that her wrist was empty; the silver rope had been untied.

Only a very faint red mark remained on his skin, and after the shackles were finally lifted, he seemed somewhat lost and forlorn.

Lin Zhiyao propped herself up and sat up. Her legs were still weak, and her knees were faintly bruised from the smooth gold brick floor of the main hall.

She seemed slightly dazed.

My earliest memories are still quite clear, but later they gradually became blurry.

She only remembered repeatedly telling Shen Jin that she would behave herself from now on and would not run away again, asking Shen Jin to let her leave the main hall.

She remembered that on that last day, Shen Jin's fox-like eyes shone brightly in the candlelight, as if he were scrutinizing her closely.

Shen Jin whispered to her, "Yao Yao, do you really know you were wrong?"

What did she say at that time?

Lin Zhiyao tried hard to recall, but only remembered nodding, and it seemed that tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on the back of Shen Jin's hand.

It splashed out like transparent candle tears.

There was a noise coming from the door.

Lin Zhiyao looked up and saw Shen Jin standing at the threshold, backlit, the hem of his crimson robe fluttering slightly in the wind.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there.

Lin Zhiyao did not look away, and Shen Jin did not come in immediately.

The two gazed at each other across half a room, tiny dust particles floating in the thin layer of sunlight.

Finally, Shen Jin stepped in first, his boots landing on the blue bricks. He walked to the bedside, reached out and pulled the brocade quilt back up, his gaze falling on the faint red mark on her wrist. "Does it hurt?"

Lin Zhiyao followed his gaze and looked down, then shook her head: "It doesn't hurt."

That's the truth.

Actually, the pain in the past few days wasn't that bad; it was much more comfortable than when the man in black suddenly pulled her out of the carriage that day, and she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

Shen Jin did not ask any further questions.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently held her hands, which were resting on her knees, through the quilt.

His palms were dry and warm, and his thumb slowly rubbed her knuckles.

After a long while, Lin Zhiyao suddenly moved slightly, pulling her fingers out of Shen Jin's palm and instead covering the back of his hand.

Shen Jin looked down at her, and the dark ink in his fox-like eyes softened slightly.

"Lord Shen."

Lin Zhiyao's voice was still hoarse, but soft and gentle. She looked at him tenderly with her almond-shaped eyes, "I...I won't run away again."