With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

Beneath the straw mat was a layer of tung oil cloth, which was waterproof and kept the corpse dry. Cutting open a corner of the cloth, one could see that the corpse was tightly wrapped in coarse black linen, making it impossible to discern its original appearance. Only a medicinal smell could be detected.

Pei Jinxuan lowered his head, wanting to tear open the oilcloth to see clearly, but Lin Ci hurriedly covered it up again.

"The medicine is wrapped in the cloth and cannot see the light of day." Lin Ci said while covering it with his hand, as if afraid that if he was too slow, the contents inside the cloth would leak out.

"Your husband has passed away, why are you still using medicine?" Pei Jinxuan thought for a moment, "To preserve it?"

"To bring the dead back to life, we must first ensure that the body does not decay." Lin Ci slowly covered the body with the oilcloth and said sadly, "The people of Zhangjia Village killed my husband and only gave him a straw mat to wrap his body, leaving his body to rot in the wilderness. I had no choice but to wrap him in a hundred kinds of medicine, cover him with tung oil cloth, and sink him into the icy lake, using the yin energy of the icy water to transform the essence of the herbs and protect his body."

"So what's next? How can we bring him back to life?"

"What happens next... I can't tell you." With that, Lin Ci smiled and gently brushed the water droplets off the oilcloth.

Pei Jinxuan did not pursue the matter further. He ordered his guards to find a coffin in Zhangjia Village, put the body inside, and load it onto the carriage. He also found a set of dry clothes for Lin Ci to change into.

Before getting into the car, Pei Jinxuan stopped Lin Ci and handed her a chased copper hand warmer, saying, "The water's cold, don't catch a chill."

Lin Ci looked up at him, her eyes shimmering like a pool of spring water, full of tender affection.

She was looking at someone else through him.

Pei Jinxuan was unaware of the deeper meaning behind it. He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to guess what the woman was up to. She had been as cold as ice just now, but now she was full of affection.

Trying to use underhanded tactics? Ha, how naive.

After Lin Ci got into the car, A Mo gestured to Pei Jinxuan: "She cannot be trusted."

Pei Jinxuan glanced at the carriage and said, "But she's a smart woman; she knows what she should and shouldn't do."

**

The group left Zhangjia Village under the cover of night, burning the village to the ground before they left.

Lin Ci and Song Xuan's corpse rode in the same carriage. She was afraid that the thin coffin would be broken by the jostling, so she was next to each other whether she was awake or asleep.

After a bumpy five-day journey, we arrived at Puzhou Ferry.

Pei Jinxuan ordered that they rest at the official post station for one night and take the ferry the next day.

By this time, dusk had passed, and heavy snow began to fall again, making it much colder than the previous days.

"Ah Mo, you must be tired from your journey. Bring me a few pots of warm wine to warm yourselves up," Pei Jinxuan said as he took out his money pouch and tossed it to Ah Mo.

Amo accepted the gift with both hands, expressed her gratitude, and then gestured: "She said it's cold and she needs blankets."

Pei Jinxuan turned around and looked around, but did not see Lin Ci.

"Where is he?"

Amo gestured again: [Station.]

Pei Jinxuan nodded and walked straight to the stable.

Lin Ci was inside picking out hay for the horses to get through the winter; her slender figure stood out conspicuously in the dusty stable.

As she picked through the hay, she said, "I'll lend you some hay for my husband. I'll return it to you when I come back."

Lin Ci bent down, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a pair of deerskin boots. She knew it was Pei Jinxuan, so she deliberately turned away.

"I heard from Amo that you wanted a quilt." Pei Jinxuan got straight to the point. He knew Lin Ci had seen him and had no interest in playing childish games with her.

"Hmm." Lin Ci deftly bundled the hay into a bunch. "Since we don't have blankets, we can make do with some straw."

As she spoke, Lin Ci picked up the pile of straw and walked toward the carriage where the coffin was placed.

Pei Jinxuan blocked her way. Lin Ci was slightly taken aback, then quickly took a half step back and hugged the dried grass to her chest.

"Is there anything else, Prince Jing'an?" Lin Ci asked softly, her eyes lowered. She had already guessed Pei Jinxuan's identity, so she didn't beat around the bush.

Pei Jinxuan scrutinized her closely, noticing that her fingers were purple from the cold and her nose was a little red. He worried that she would freeze to death before reaching the capital, at which point his forbidden technique would be gone.

Pei Jinxuan took off his silver fox fur coat and handed it over.

"This place is sparsely populated, and the people live on bedding. Take mine first, and I'll find you some warm clothes later."

Lin Ci suddenly looked up, quite surprised. She hesitated for a moment, put down the hay, took a step back and bowed deeply before accepting it with both hands.

The leather was smooth and glossy, with a subtle warmth and a delicate fragrance; it was something she had never seen before.

My master once said that some good things are poisonous and should not be touched, such as... power.

Lin Ci returned to the carriage and carefully covered Song Xuan's coffin with Pei Jinxuan's fox fur coat, inch by inch, just as she used to tuck him in. Then, she placed dry grass at the bottom of the coffin and pressed down every protruding stalk.

"That way you won't be cold." She smiled at the coffin. "We'll move you to a better place when we get to the capital."

After saying that, she sat down by the coffin, pressing her face against the wood as if it were against his shoulder.

The wheels rolled over the gravel, making her sway back and forth. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

In her dream, she and Song Xuan sat in a bamboo hut, picking herbs from a basket according to the illustrations in a medical book. She wasn't as clever as Song Xuan, and after picking for a long time, she only managed to find a few wild grasses.

Master has arrived. Lin Ci was startled, but Song Xuan was quick-witted and helped her throw away the weeds and then spread the herbs he had picked over, averting a disaster.

The master asked in a low voice, "Who will be the one to test the medicine today?"

Before Lin Ci could speak, Song Xuan stepped forward, his small body standing tall like a bamboo shoot.

He held his master's hand, turning back every few steps, his eyes bright and piercing, as if he had a lot to say.

Lin Ci knew he couldn't speak because he was mute and could only use gestures.

Lin Ci wanted to chase after him, but his feet seemed to be welded to the spot, unable to move.

She could only watch helplessly as Song Xuan walked further and further away until he disappeared into the mist.

Lin Ci wanted to call out to him, but it felt like someone was choking her.

In her dream, she also became mute, just like him.

"Ah Xuan!"

Lin Ci finally managed to scream with all her might. When she woke up, her clothes were soaked with cold sweat. She looked around blankly, half of her soul still in the dream. She only slowly came back to her senses when she saw the coffin.

The bone-chilling cold seeped into my internal organs, making even breathing painful.

Lin Ci clutched her chest, hunched over, and wailed silently.

With a "whoosh," the carriage curtain was lifted. An untimely ray of light shone in.

In a daze, Lin Ci saw Song Xuan carrying a lantern, looking at her with concern.

She burst into laughter through her tears and involuntarily went to embrace him, but just as she was about to hug him, she snapped back to reality.

The person in the lamplight is not Song Xuan.

Her hand froze in mid-air before she abruptly pulled it back.

Pei Jinxuan was stunned.

He vaguely heard someone calling "Ah Xuan" just now, so he took a lantern and came to investigate. As a result, she rushed over but then retreated, as if she had been burned by something.

Is this a case of playing hard to get?

Hmph, he's seen plenty of women like that!

In that instant, Pei Jinxuan felt a surge of disgust. He deliberately raised the lamp higher, wanting to see what tricks she was up to, but the light shone on her face clearly, without revealing any hint of ambiguity.

"I didn't know it was you, I'm so sorry." Lin Ci lowered her head and hid her face in the night.

Hearing this, Pei Jinxuan didn't get angry but laughed instead, "Would it be more rude to someone else?"

Lin Ci pursed her lips and remained silent.

Pei Jinxuan glanced up unintentionally and caught a glimpse of a body covered by a coffin lid in the carriage, like a person lying in the dark. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the body covering was none other than his own silver fox fur coat.

Pei Jinxuan looked at the coffin, then at Lin Ci, and gritted his teeth.

"Hehe, you've made good use of what I gave you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Lin Ci felt her cheeks burning, but a gust of cold wind quickly cooled them down.

After that, Lin Ci never saw Pei Jinxuan again. Usually, only A Mo would come over, and Lin Ci would give him some food and supplies as Pei Jinxuan instructed.

About half a month later, they finally arrived in the capital.

As Lin Ci disembarked, she saw Pei Jinxuan, dressed in a black brocade robe, with an outstanding figure and handsome appearance that was hard to look away from.

If Song Xuan were alive and healthy, he would be just as radiant.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, Lin Ci's eyes reddened and her nose stung with tears.

Pei Jinxuan saw this and thought to himself: He's only been neglected for a few days, why is he crying in front of me?

He gave her a cold glance, then mounted his horse, leaving her stranded at the ferry crossing.

The coffin was placed on an oxcart and covered with a black cloth.

Lin Ci followed the oxcart and swayed all the way to the back gate of Prince Jing's mansion, where she saw the old nanny leading two maids waiting in the distance.

The old woman was fifty years old, wearing a snow-gray satin-lined cotton jacket with dark blue trim. Her hair was neatly combed, and she had a robust and round figure. Standing at the back gate of the Prince's Mansion, she looked like a stone pillar.

As soon as the oxcart stopped, the old woman stepped forward, bowed, and greeted her with a smile, saying, "This old servant's surname is Qian. From now on, I will take care of your daily life, madam. Suwen and Siqi are your maids in your room. Just tell them what to do."

"Thank you, Granny Qian." Lin Ci treated her with courtesy and politeness.

Granny Qian then said, "Now that you've arrived, Madam, please come with me to the flower hall. The Prince has been waiting for quite some time."

Lin Ci smiled and said, "Please ask you to pass on a message for me: I will go to see him after the things in the carriage are settled."

Suwen and Siqi, the two maids, looked at each other and then examined the wooden box behind the oxcart.

"The prince didn't say anything about what to settle down." Siqi was young and outspoken. As soon as she finished speaking, she earned a glare from Suwen.

Granny Qian still had a smile on her face, "This old servant will make the arrangements right away, Madam, please wait a moment..."

"Bang!" A loud noise interrupted Granny Qian's words.

Everyone was startled and turned around to see a large cat, resembling a small leopard, leaping onto the coffin.

This cat has black and copper coin patterns all over its body, wide-open blue eyes, and a collar with bells around its neck; it is a very rare-looking cat.

The leopard cat seemed to sense something hidden under the cloth. It lowered its head and sniffed hard, and frantically pried at the cloth with its paws. In just a few moments, it managed to tear a hole in the black cloth. Then, the leopard cat forced its head into the hole.

"Get out of here!"

Lin Ci picked up a stone and threw it, hitting the leopard cat squarely on the hind leg. The cat screamed and jumped off the coffin, hissing at Lin Ci.

"Don't touch him!"

Lin Ci picked up another stone, glared angrily with her phoenix eyes, and her hands trembled.

Just as he was about to throw it over, a figure flashed out from behind the door and scooped the leopard cat into his arms.