Lady Lei's eyes, however, remained unfocused.
Pang Wanchun tried to rush forward, but Linlin stopped him with a hand. "She's been controlled by Gu worms."
"What?" Pang Wanchun was stunned. "What is a Gu worm?"
Linlin didn't explain, but looked at the maid. "What else do you want?"
"Wait! If you really release him, I'll release your woman."
"Can."
Linlin looked at Lang Xuan again, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"I'm not afraid," Lang Xuan finally spoke.
She cannot embarrass Yuwen Duo, not at any time!
"Your Highness," she looked at Linlin with tender eyes, "Even if anything happened to me, it was the work of villains, it had nothing to do with good people, and it had nothing to do with you. Being by your side for so long, I've always been very, very happy."
"Shut up!" the maidservant snapped.
She sensed a hint of a tragic love story in it.
Lang Xuan cannot die!
Lang Xuan's expression suddenly changed.
Linlin didn't understand, but she suppressed her anxiety and said to Lang Xuan, "Don't scare yourself, you'll be fine. I'm here!"
Lang Xuan suddenly choked up and said, "If I die, then the Prince should not be sad. He should marry a gentle and virtuous woman to take good care of you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the breathing around her became even more rapid.
--Just now, when she said the first few sentences, I sensed that Lady Lei seemed to let out a very soft sneer.
She wondered if she had misheard, so she continued speaking, going along with what she had just said.
This time, she was certain.
Lang Xuan gritted her teeth and looked at Pang Wanchun, saying, "Commander Pang, I heard people talking today that you're keeping several mistresses outside and even planning to bring them into the mansion. I thought you were going too far. But I never expected Madam Lei to be so fierce. I guess I misunderstood you..."
"Bullshit!" Lady Lei was furious, his hands trembling with rage.
In that split second, Lang Xuan used both hands, her fingers hooked like eagle claws, to simultaneously strike Lady Lei's eyes from behind with all her might.
At the same time, she rammed her head back hard, both avoiding the knife in Lady Lei's hand and attacking her.
Then, taking advantage of the moment when Lady Lei loosened his grip in pain, she forcefully pushed away Lady Lei's arm holding the knife, and at the same time nimbly squatted down.
Linlin stepped forward, grabbed her hand, pulled her into her arms, and took a few steps back.
The guards rushed forward and surrounded the maid and Madam Lei.
Madam Lei, disregarding everything else, launched into a tirade. "Pang Wanchun, you're not human! You favor your concubine over your wife and go around ruining my reputation!"
It turned out that she was faking being bewitched.
Linlin no longer cared about the rest.
He took the frightened Lang Xuan to a nearby room to rest.
Lang Xuan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, we can't stay here any longer. Quickly, let's go back and check on Yanran!"
She couldn't explain why, but she felt very uneasy, as if something might happen to Yanran.
"She's fine. With Cui Xiaoqiu here, take care of yourself first." Linlin reached out and stroked her neck.
There was a faint red mark there, thankfully it didn't break the skin and bleed.
"I always felt that they were using fake Gu worms against me, but maybe they were using real Gu worms against Yanran."
"That's perfect," Linlin said. "We've been waiting for them for a long time."
"But..."
"Trust your man."
Lang Xuan's face instantly turned bright red, and her brain shut down.
He said he was her man.
Although that was indeed the case, when those words entered my brain, it felt as if my entire body was under his control.
"How did you realize that something was wrong with Lady Lei's?"
Lang Xuan regained some of her composure, lowered her head, and said with a flushed face, "Her breathing has changed."
She had seen Yanran being controlled; she had no sense of self at all.
However, Lady Lei's breathing changed in response to his words, indicating that he was experiencing an emotional shift.
That's not right.
Moreover, she scoffed at her own "deeply affectionate confession" to Yuwen Duo, which is clearly not the reaction a happy woman should have.
--All the happy women around her, whether elders or peers, would try to get on her and Yuwen Duo's good side when they saw them.
Lady Lei scoffed, which shows that she didn't actually possess it; she was just jealous!
Therefore, Lang Xuan guessed that she and Pang Wanchun had run into trouble.
To confirm her suspicions, she deliberately fabricated that lie.
As it turned out, she was right.
"I never knew you possessed such skills," Linlin said with a smile.
"Actually, it wasn't there before," Lang Xuan said. "It was only later, after we shared a room, that I started to notice the difference in your voice."
"Wouldn't that mean they could tell I was pretending to be asleep?" Linlin teased.
Lang Xuan blushed even more.
That's absolutely true.
They both pretended to be asleep, but neither of them actually fell asleep.
This is the norm between them.
Listening secretly to the other person's breathing, even it seemed sweet.
"Don't you think," Lang Xuan said, biting her lip, "That the way I spoke was a little embarrassing?"
I don't know if you're ashamed, but I've lost my heart.
Lang Xuan: "!!!"
How can you say sweet nothings so seriously?
Whose heart has been lost?
She's the one who's completely lost her heart!
Lang Xuan said dejectedly, "Was I presumptuous again? I just remembered that you can read lips; I should have secretly discussed it with you first. I'm so stupid... Luckily, I didn't mess things up."
"In this situation, I believe no one handled it better than you. But there's one thing—"
"What?"
"Seeing you defy the Lady Lei made my heart leap out of my chest. I even felt a surge of anger, wanting to grab you and spank you like a disobedient child."
Lang Xuan's face flushed red, and she timidly reached out her hand. "Is it okay to hit someone?"
She'll be so ashamed when she grows up.
Linlin reached out and intertwined her fingers with hers. "No. Not anywhere, no one can touch a single hair on your head, including me. Just next time, wait for me, especially if there's danger. But, my darling, you did a very, very good job."
He leaned in and kissed Lang Xuan's forehead.
Lang Xuan, emboldened by who-knows-where, pressed her lips to his as he released her.
Although she only tried it briefly, she had already used up all her courage.
But someone wouldn't let her go.
Linlin released her hands, placed them on the back of her head, and deepened the kiss.
Yanran: So, family ties can disappear, right?
Didn't you know that the so-called Gu keeper who appeared at Jingjing's full moon banquet was just a diversionary tactic to attract attention?
And she was that unlucky "west".