Chapter 72

Following Lin Ruzhen's gaze, the scene changed, and he saw a man and a woman lying on the snow not far away.

The man was the Dongfang Yan of back then.

His forehead and body were wrapped in bandages torn from gauze skirts, and he had fallen into a coma. His injuries were serious, and he looked like he was about to die.

And beneath him—a thin and small figure was still trying hard to carry the man on her back, struggling to crawl forward.

Her pale face, pitch-black pupils, and bloodless lips were trembling slightly: "We're at the city gate, you just... just hold on a little longer. We... we'll be saved... carriage... save... save..."

She finally couldn't hold on anymore and also fainted in the snow.

The carriage in front started moving again, and the sound of the master and servant talking came from the carriage:

"Young lady, there are two people fainted in the snow ahead; should we save them?"

"Save them? Those two dirty people who look like dead dogs, how do they deserve my fragrant carriage and precious horse?"

"Ah, that seems to be the eldest young lady, Lin Qingyue!"

"Lin Qingyue? Didn't she go to the temple to pray for blessings and not return all night? How did she end up lying in the snow with a wild man? Don't worry about her; it would be better if she froze to death!"

Just as the carriage was about to pass by the two, Lin Ruzhen's gaze glanced outside unintentionally, just happening to see a token that had just fallen out.

On the token, a four-clawed python dragon circled a bright red "Jin" character. That is the totem that only a royal Prince can use!

Jin... could he be Prince Jin?

I heard that the Emperor recently summoned all the Princes to the capital, so Prince Jin should have been assassinated and injured just before arriving at the capital?

Such a good opportunity, how could she miss it?

Thinking of this, Lin Ruzhen was overjoyed and shouted: "Stop the carriage, save him!"

She had people lift the injured and unconscious Prince Jin onto the carriage, and also picked up the token and stuffed it back into his arms.

When the servant asked if they should also save Lin Qingyue,

A look of poison fell in Lin Ruzhen's eyes: "Just let this bitch freeze to death in the snow; that way, this young lady will be the only legitimate daughter of the Changning Hou Mansion!"

The carriage carried the injured Dongfang Yan all the way to the city gate.

When they reached the city gate, Lin Ruzhen deliberately lifted the carriage curtain and shouted loudly: "Prince Jin is injured and his life is in danger; disperse quickly!"

The carriage passed through the city gate quickly and headed all the way to the inner city.

Halfway there, Lin Ruzhen had a sudden whim and ordered: "Don't go directly to the Prince Jin Mansion; take a lap around the city! Lift the curtain wider; I want everyone to see this young lady's righteous act!"

The maid kindly reminded: "But he is already seriously injured; if the curtain is fully lifted, will he catch a cold from the wind?"

Lin Ruzhen said: "Then pile all the quilts on him; as long as he doesn't freeze to death!"

It's not easy to do a good deed, so how can it be hidden?

Just like that, after blowing cold wind all the way and almost dying, Dongfang Yan was sent back to the Prince Jin Mansion after taking a big lap around the city.

It was also because of the knife wounds and the cold that Dongfang Yan was in a coma for a month before waking up.

Even the imperial physician said he almost burned to death, and being able to pick up a life was simply a miracle.

But ridiculously, he regarded Lin Ruzhen as his life-saving benefactor, and after recovering from his illness, he personally went to the mansion with heavy gifts to thank her, and then fell in love with Lin Ruzhen at first sight.

When he left the Marquis Mansion, he just happened to brush past Lin Qingyue.

At that time, Lin Qingyue was thin and haggard, her face lusterless, and the clothes she wore were gray and dusty. He thought she was a maid in the Marquis Mansion, and after a disdainful glance, he left.

And Lin Qingyue realized belatedly that her credit had been stolen.

She grabbed Lin Ruzhen and questioned: "Why did the person who saved him become you? You go with me to Father and Mother and explain clearly, tell them I saved Prince Jin! I even had a high fever for three days and three nights and almost died; how can you make everything your own?"

Lin Ruzhen shook off her hand and sneered: "You say you saved Prince Jin; who believes you? That day, the guards at the city gate saw me save him with their own eyes. The people of the whole city also saw Prince Jin lying on my carriage! And you, you're just jealous, so you want to steal my credit. Neither Father and Mother nor Prince Jin will believe you!"

"You..." Lin Qingyue was so angry she couldn't speak.

Lin Ruzhen's smile gradually turned cold, with only deep resentment: "Lin Qingyue, why did you return to the Marquis Mansion? You should have died in the deep mountains and old forests! But even if you returned, your Father and Mother are mine, and the position of the Marquis's daughter is mine! Even the Prince Jin you saved will be mine alone! And you, you don't deserve to get anything!"

Dongfang Yan, who learned the truth, was full of shock: "How could this be? How could this be!"

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, if he hadn't known that everything in the dream was a reappearance of the real scene, he wouldn't have dared to believe that Zhen'er, whom he regarded as gentle and kind, was actually a liar full of lies, snake-hearted, vicious, and harsh!

He also remembered the "Honest Curse" Lin Qingyue had cast on Lin Ruzhen, and suddenly understood her painstaking efforts!

Lin Qingyue was reminding him to recognize the face of a liar!

Unfortunately...

He couldn't help but slap himself hard.

How foolish, how could I be so foolish?

At this moment, the scene in Lin Ruzhen's dream hadn't ended yet.

The scene changed to the day of the birthday banquet held by Changning Hou Lin Xiao.

That day, Dongfang Yan, who was a Prince, also came to congratulate him in person for Lin Ruzhen's sake. But later he was inexplicably drugged and didn't know how he fell asleep.

After waking up, he found himself and Lin Qingyue disheveled, in the same room, while the door was surrounded by people.

Later, an imperial edict was issued, and he was forced to marry Lin Qingyue.

It was also because of this that he felt he had lost all face, and had always counted this account against Lin Qingyue, thinking she was a woman who snatched her sister's marriage and had a vicious heart.

And now, what did he see?

In the scene, Lin Ruzhen personally handed the tea mixed with medicine to the maid: "Take it to Prince Jin to drink!"

This move shocked even her confidant maid: "Young lady, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing? Naturally, I'm making the raw rice cooked into cooked rice as soon as possible, so I can marry into the Prince Jin Mansion and become the Princess!" Lin Ruzhen stirred her handkerchief, full of indignation.

"Prince Jin keeps saying he likes me and wants to marry me. But it's been so long, and he only talks and doesn't take action. I can't wait anymore; he is now Prince Jin, and I am already climbing high. Before long, when he is made Crown Prince, I, the Marquis's legitimate daughter, am afraid I won't be worthy of him either. So this young lady must strike first!"

After the maid left, Lin Ruzhen sat in front of the mirror and checked again and again whether her makeup was appropriate.

Calculating that the time was about right, she went out, preparing to meet Dongfang Yan and stage a good show of raw rice being cooked into cooked rice.

For this reason, she deliberately didn't bring a maid with her, so as not to get in the way.

But before she reached the hanging flower gate, her sister-in-law Liu Wanqing suddenly appeared and blocked her way: "Sister, where are you going?"