After refusing marriage, she was pampered by the prince who acted as a shield.

Chapter 44: The Mysterious Man

She sighed, her smile tinged with helplessness and bitterness.

Lin Ruqin spat out a mouthful of blood, raised her eyes, and looked at Lin Rusi with a forced smile.

"Stop your crocodile tears, Lin Rusi, I don't need your pity!"

She glared fiercely at Lin Rusi, her eyes filled with murderous intent, as if she wanted to devour her whole.

Lin Rusi smiled slightly and looked at her calmly, "You've got it wrong."

"I don't pity you."

She looked at Lin Ruqin's swollen face with heartache and a regretful expression, "You're going to marry the Third Prince Li Zeyan soon."

"What if my face is ruined?"

Lin Ruqin bit her lower lip, feeling humiliated by Lin Rusi.

"Lin Rusi, stop being disgusting!"

Lin Rusi glanced at Granny He and said coldly, "Granny, find the best doctor for my sister. You must heal her face and make sure there is no further damage to it."

Granny He paused for a moment, then nodded and took the crazed Lin Ruqin away.

"Mother, this is why I have endured it again and again."

"What if Li Zeyan marries a disfigured sister, and he flies into a rage and blames us?"

Si Yu thought Lin Rusi's words made a lot of sense and nodded repeatedly.

"It's all my fault for not thinking things through."

"I won't be so impulsive again in the future."

Si Yu took Lin Rusi's hand with a sense of relief, "It's you who's thinking more and more about things."

"I just want you to live a carefree life as a young lady."

They had a very hard life before, so Si Yu didn't want Lin Rusi to suffer any more grievances.

Lin Rusi understood Si Yu's good intentions and smiled gently.

"Mother, your daughter has grown up and will be getting married soon. How can she still act impulsively like before?"

"Alright, I heard from Father that you have been kneeling for a long time. Let me help you to rest."

At the same time, Li Jingyang stood behind the artificial hill, staring intently at Lin Rusi's receding figure.

Lin Rusi handled the affairs of the household very well; it seems that marrying her was the right choice he ever made.

He left the Lin family satisfied.

The sedan chair was traveling on the road when it suddenly stopped.

Xiao Chen's voice came from outside the sedan chair, "Your Highness, are you inside?"

Li Jingyang lifted the curtain, his gaze meeting Xiao Chen's.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Xiao Chen grinned, "I never expected that I would have such a connection with Your Highness. Would Your Highness do me the honor of having a drink with me?"

"Come on up."

"okay."

Xiao Chen climbed into the sedan chair, and once seated, he immediately suppressed his laughter.

"Your Highness, you just came from the Lin residence, didn't you?"

"If I may ask, is the future princess really as vicious and arrogant as the rumors suggest?"

Li Jingyang stared straight ahead at the people and buildings flashing by outside the sedan chair, and instead of answering Xiao Chen immediately, he laughed.

Xiao Chen was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "Your Highness, something's not right with you."

He narrowed his eyes, a sly smile playing on his lips as he leaned closer to Li Jingyang. "Your Highness, tell me the truth, have you fallen for her?"

Li Jingyang glanced at him sideways and said irritably, "Don't talk nonsense."

Xiao Chen laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly, "This subordinate knows his mistake and will not say anything more."

He always thought Li Jingyang would grow old alone, but he never expected that one day he would fall in love with a young girl.

Upon arriving at the Jinglie Prince's residence, Xiao Chen followed closely behind Li Jingyang and went straight into the study.

After closing the study door, Xiao Chen put on a serious expression.

"Your Highness, we have made some progress in the investigation."

“The other party had already realized that we were investigating a corruption case and had been on guard against us.”

"Unexpectedly, the other party made a mistake and before they could hide, their tail was caught by my subordinates."

Li Jingyang narrowed his eyes slightly but did not answer.

Xiao Chen cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and asked, "When does Your Highness intend to close the net?"

Li Jingyang kept his eyes down and said slowly, "No rush."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

"If you want to fish, cast a long line and you'll catch fish."

Xiao Chen nodded slightly.

"Follow my orders and be extremely cautious in everything you do afterward."

"Yes!"

On the surface, Xiao Chen is Li Jingyang's good friend, but in reality, he is his subordinate.

There were many things that Li Jingyang couldn't do himself, so Xiao Chen investigated them for him.

For example, in this embezzlement case, he has been having Xiao Chen act as his assistant to investigate the matter.

"Let's go."

Li Jingyang let out a long breath, "Didn't you come to me to ask for a drink?"

"I've just acquired a bottle of fine Daughter's Red wine, let's go."

Xiao Chen laughed heartily, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The two left the study one after the other and headed straight for the pavilion.

Li Jingyang ordered someone to bring out some Daughter's Red wine, and the two drank and chatted, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

While the two were chatting, a person dressed in black, hiding in the shadows, narrowed his eyes and suddenly leaped onto the roof beam.

His appearance and departure were both completely silent.

However, what the man in black didn't know was that as he left, Li Jingyang glanced discreetly at the direction of the roof beam and caught a glimpse of his departing figure.

After leaving the Jinglie Prince's mansion, the man in black hurriedly slipped into a dilapidated courtyard.

He stood before the rickety door and whispered to the person inside, "My lord."

A deep, husky voice came from inside the room, "Come in."

Having received permission, the man in black walked in, holding his breath.

He knelt on one knee and bowed to the man sitting on the bench, who was wearing a black robe. "My lord, today Prince Jinglie went to the Lin residence first, and then met Xiao Chen by chance on the road. He is now drinking with Xiao Chen at Prince Jinglie's residence."

"Lin Mansion?"

The mysterious man narrowed his eyes, picked up his teacup, took a sip of steaming tea, and asked, "Did he spend the whole night with the second young lady of the Lin family yesterday?"

"That's right, I even took a whipping for the second young lady of the Lin family today."

The mysterious man curled his lips slightly and chuckled, "Interesting."

He didn't believe that Li Jingyang would fall for a woman so easily.

Moreover, the rumored Lin Rusi is the type of person Li Jingyang hates the most, so how could he possibly like her?

She must be putting on an act for him!

The mysterious man was certain.

"Sir, what should we do next?"

The mysterious man's eyes flickered slightly, and his voice turned a degree colder.

"I want to see if he truly has any feelings for Lin Rusi after he's made a move on her!"

The man in black frowned and hesitated, then said, "Sir, shouldn't we reconsider this matter?"

"Lin Rusi is, after all, the Prime Minister's beloved daughter. If the Prime Minister investigates, we're afraid..."

The mysterious man glared fiercely at the man in black. "What, are my orders no longer valid?"

"Just do what I'm told. Why all the nonsense?"

The man in black quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake, "Sir, I know I was wrong, I will take care of it right away."