I Want to Marry You

"Girl, everything's alright over there now."

Xiruo said something.

Lin Yunwan saw it herself, nodded, and said, "Let's go."

The master and servant went down from the attic together.

Qi Lingheng also returned, and they met in front of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Lin Yunwan felt that the Prince didn't need to come; it was far too polite.

"Your Prince."

She curtsied.

Qi Lingheng nodded, glanced at A Fu and Xiruo, and said, "I have something to say to you, young lady."

The two of them left and closed the door to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Lin Yunwan had no idea what the Prince wanted to say to her. Was he going to tell her about Lingxiang? Prince knew it even without him saying it. What she could think of, the Prince must have thought of too; he wouldn't say anything pointless.

So it's not Lingxiang's fault.

"Your Prince, what do you wish to say to me?"

Lin Yunwan simply asked him directly.

Qi Lingheng took a step closer, looked into her eyes, and said, "You saw everything just now?"

Lin Yunwan paused for a moment, then nodded.

The Prince's eyes appeared indifferent from afar, but were quite dark up close.

After a moment of distraction, she finally understood what the Prince meant. Just now, in the pavilion, she had witnessed firsthand how he dealt with the fighting scholars. The matter of the Ji Mountain Society would surely spread... and his reputation in Jiangqian would definitely be even better.

"Do you understand now?"

Qi Lingheng asked her.

Lin Yunwan shook her head suspiciously, "Understand what?"

She seemed to sense that what the Prince wanted to say and what she was thinking were not the same thing.

Qi Lingheng sighed softly.

Looking at her like this, I still don't understand.

He then said it directly, "Lin Yunwan-- "

"Um?"

Lin Yunwan frowned slightly.

Qi Lingheng's voice was gentle. "No matter how good Yan Jingzong and the others are, in the end, only I will strike the gavel." He lowered his voice and asked, "Do you understand now?"

This made her even more confused!

Lin Yunwan paused for a moment, then said, "... Your Prince, what do you mean?"

Qi Lingheng smiled helplessly, "Is there anything about me that I'm inferior to them in?"

"Varied--"

Before Lin Yunwan could finish speaking, her heart pounded several times, and the expression on her face gradually became uncontrollable.

Does the Prince mean he wants to marry... her?

Are you kidding me!

"Your Prince, please reconsider your words."

Lin Yunwan frowned, feeling that what the Prince had said was excessive.

She was always grateful to the Prince!

Qi Lingheng grunted and said, "I have thought it over."

Fearing she wouldn't believe him, he earnestly replied, "I should say that I have already thought about it five, seven, and nine times."

"I, the king, wish to marry you."

Lin Yunwan was stunned.

Seeing that she seemed different from him—she never seemed to have entertained any such thoughts— Qi Lingheng felt quite helpless and could only say, "Were you startled? I'm so sorry. You don't need to answer me right now."

Lin Yunwan suddenly didn't know how to face him.

She owed him a great debt of gratitude, and neither she could be unreasonable nor polite to him. Besides, the Prince was not a frivolous person... He didn't seem to be joking!

"Your Prince, I take my leave."

Lin Yunwan bowed her head, bent her knees, and hurriedly left.

"Young lady, why are you walking so fast?"

Xiruo hurried to catch up, only to find that the girl's strides were very large, and she could hardly keep up.

Lin Yunwan was focused on walking towards the Flower Hall; her mind was a bit confused.

If the Prince had told her about the flaws in her scheme today, she wouldn't be so nervous now... How could the Prince possibly want to marry her!

"Yun Wan, you're back?"

Dong Shuangshuang rushed over and whispered to her, "No one from the Lin family is looking for you." She added, "They're playing chess. Do you want to go check on them?"

Lin Yunwan had no interest in watching who was playing chess right now.

"What's wrong with you?"

Dong Shuangshuang held Lin Yunwan's hand and felt it was cold, but how could it be cold in this weather?

When she touched it, she found it was covered in cold sweat.

He took out a handkerchief to wipe Lin Yunwan's hands, looking worried. "Why are you sweating so much?"

Lin Yunwan quickly calmed down. She took the handkerchief from Dong Shuangshuang and gently wiped her hands, saying, "I'm fine. I was worried something might happen in the Flower Hall, so I left in a hurry."

Dong Shuangshuang took her arm and whispered in her ear, "Did you see anything at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion?"

"... I saw it."

She'd seen far too much! The Prince had played along with her the whole time.

I wonder what he's thinking about her right now.

She had no idea what the Prince was thinking! If he wanted to marry her, why was he accompanying her in the attic, picking and choosing those scholars...? What she was doing seemed like a farce.

Lin Yunwan rubbed her temples.

This is such a headache.

I've never felt so embarrassed in my entire life.

Dong Shuangshuang, unaware of the situation, excitedly asked, "Yun Wan, have you seen anyone you like?"

Lin Yunwan a vague answer.

She used to think Yan Jingzong was alright, but now all she can think about is Qi Lingheng's image and what he said to her... He said he wanted to marry her.

Yan Jingzong's image was beginning to blur in her mind.

Dong Shuangshuang sensed that something was wrong with Lin Yunwan and was very worried.

Lin Yunwan really didn't want to bring up Qi Lingheng anymore, so she asked Dong Shuangshuang, "How did you discover the secret of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion?"

There one can glimpse the scholars of the Ji Mountain Society from there; perhaps someone has already done the same thing.

Afraid of being overheard, Dong Shuangshuang pulled Lin Yunwan away before saying, "It's Miss Lu from the Lu family, she's very bold... She secretly went there to see the scholars of the Ji Mountain Society, and was scolded by her elders. I overheard it by chance."

Lin Yunwan: "Of course a young girl would be curious about such things."

Everyone wants to marry a good husband, and everyone wants to choose their own husband.

Unfortunately, marriages are always arranged by parents, and only after marriage do people realize they've married a monster. This is so unfair; men always have multiple wives and concubines, while women are stuck with their entire lives with no way out.

"Shuangshuang, I'm tired. Let's go back and rest."

Dong Shuangshuang also noticed that Lin Yunwan looked unwell, so she went back to the Flower Hall with her and found a quiet place to sit.

The Madam Young Madam of the West Lin Residence took good care of Lin Yunwan, and the young ladies were also willing to talk to her, but she had no interest in making friends at the moment. She excused herself by saying that she was not feeling well and went back with Zheng Shi first.

"Hmph! You said that was the Prince's maternal uncle's Garden, but you didn't find out anything, and there wasn't even a trace of the Prince!"

Once Lin Yunjiao returned home, she lost all sense of propriety in her speech.

Zheng Shi couldn't do anything with her. She had been making a scene for many days, threatening to kill herself, but finally calmed down a bit, and she didn't dare to provoke her daughter anymore.

"How could that not be the Prince's maternal uncle's Garden? Didn't you take a good look at how magnificent that Garden? Even your eldest uncle's Garden can't compare."

That's true.

Lin Yunjiao pouted and said, "What does it have to do with me? I can't marry Prince anyway."

She was raised to be so unruly; her marriages and other weddings were things that young women should never talk about, but she wasn't afraid at all.

Zheng Shi is now a little worried that her daughter will be inconsiderate, and that her husband will get angry if he hears this.

But she couldn't bear to say anything harsh.

Finally, he sighed and said nothing.

Lin Yunjiao felt this trip was incredibly boring; she felt like she'd been tricked out of the house by her mother.

She still resents the fact that her mother almost caused her to not be born; her mother is still evasive and unwilling to tell her the truth.

Lin Yunjiao then threw a tantrum. "I never want to go out again! I don't want to see anyone!"

Zheng Shi grew anxious. "How can someone so young and beautiful be avoiding everyone?"

She was also thinking about when she could arrange for her daughter to meet the Prince.

However, she dared not boast casually if she wasn't sure about the timing.

Lin Yunjiao annoyed. She pushed Zheng Shi away and blurted out in a fit of anger, "Unless you can let me see the Prince, you're not going to trick me into leaving the Courtyard again!"

She ran back.

Zheng Shi quickly chased after her daughter, and after much coaxing, she managed to calm her down, but then her daughter became unhappy again.

"That Madam of yours is really something..."

Xiruo shook her head at the sight.

Lin Yunwan also felt that Zheng Shi doted on Lin Yunjiao too much. She said calmly, "Madam loves the Second Miss, but she just doesn't know how to do it properly."

Xiruo said, "Sooner or later, this indulgence will cause trouble."

Lin Yunwan did not deny it.

After returning to the Bixi Hall, she felt much calmer.

As darkness fell, Xiruo advised her to stop practicing calligraphy, saying, "You've written enough today."

Lin Yunwan put down her pen and asked Xiruo, "Has the Wen family mother and son made any moves?"

Wenhai and his mother also went to Ji Mountain Garden; surely they won't leave empty-handed?

The next day, Lin Yunwan heard about Wenhai's situation.

She went to pay her respects to Zheng Shi and overheard Lin Huabin talking to Zheng Shi about Wenhai: "He gets along very well with the scholars of the Ji Mountain Society. I heard they even exchanged articles yesterday."

Zheng Shi wasn't interested in literature, but since her husband had brought it up, she asked excitedly, "Did the scholars of the Ji Mountain Society praise his writing?"

"No, not at all."

Lin Huabin called Wenhai over for questioning last night. He didn't need to ask too much; judging from Wenhai's dejected appearance, he knew that Wen Hai had suffered a setback at the Ji Mountain Society.

The place is full of talented people; how could a scholar from a small county Wenhai possibly get along with them?

Then they mentioned that the scholars of the Ji Mountain Society had gotten into a fight yesterday.

Zheng Shi was terrified. "A group fight? How can scholars get into group fights?"

Lin Huabin didn't take it to heart. "Young people always have their moments of youthful vigor."

"Sir, Madam."

After listening to a few words, Lin Yunwan went in to pay her respects.

Lin Huabin had something to say to her, so he stood up and said gently, "Yun Wan, come to the study with me."

Zheng Shi snorted, and only after they left did she slam her hand on the table. "Why do you have to say things in front of me!"

Of course, the topic of discussion was Lin Yunwan's marriage.

Lin Huabin knew in his heart that Wenhai was just an ordinary scholar, but he still spoke highly of Wenhai in front of Lin Yunwan.

Lin Yunwan wasn't in a hurry to interrupt him.