“I will keep my mouth shut and will never bring you any unnecessary trouble.”

The youth looked at Lin Yuanjin calmly, his voice without the slightest ripple.

No need to feel ashamed, no need to be nervous.

The existence of a shadow guard is nothing more than a pure tool; as long as it is useful, that is enough.

He seemed long accustomed to being treated this way, erasing his own sense of self as much as possible. After all, no one would ever stop to consider whether a blade itself wished to kill.

“Please help me.” Lin Yuanjin placed her hands before her, speaking nervously, her gaze earnest. “I thank you because you saved my life. No matter who you are, you are my benefactor. Saving someone is an act of benevolence and righteousness—it has nothing to do with chastity.”

Even though she did not care about chastity in her heart, she would never say so aloud.

Lin Yuanjin knew that whether it was Cui Yiyu or herself, both were people whose lives were not their own.

Cui Yiyu’s brows stirred slightly, his pupils stilled, his faintly prominent Adam’s apple moving up and down. For the first time, a kind of pure confusion appeared on his delicate face.

As if it were the first time he had ever heard such words—and from the mouth of a woman, no less.

The youth before her was different from the noble heirs Lin Yuanjin had often seen in the past, dressed in wide-sleeved robes. For ease of movement, he wore a dark short jacket, a belt binding his narrow waist, and riding boots on his feet. Though his clothes were plainly simple, when worn by him they inexplicably carried a hint of youthful aggression.

Cui Yiyu was not one of those ordinary, powerless men. Beneath those seemingly simple clothes hid layers upon layers of blades.

He was dangerous, carrying a restrained sharpness and killing intent rarely seen among the powerful and noble. Perhaps because he had been raised since childhood as the Crown Prince’s substitute, constantly imitating the Crown Prince’s words and actions, even his every movement bore a trace of refinement.

After all, whatever the Crown Prince knew, he must know; whatever the Crown Prince did not know, the Cui family would force him to learn.

“I trust you,” Lin Yuanjin affirmed once more.

A faintly cool breeze drifted in, dispersing the lingering scent of incense in the air.

A strand of light slipped through the window crack, stretching between the two of them.

“Yes.” Cui Yiyu lowered his gaze, his chin slightly dipped, and responded respectfully.

He first beckoned to a waiter outside, asking him to find someone to buy two sets of skirts and blouses. He ordered food, borrowed a brazier and a medicine pot, then unpacked the medicinal herbs, checking them repeatedly to ensure there was no problem before moving a stool to the intersection of the window and the door. Sitting with his back to Lin Yuanjin, he ate while brewing the medicine.

After rushing about all this way, Cui Yiyu was not made of steel and iron; he was naturally quite hungry.

Before long, the charcoal fire burned bright red. The herbs tumbled in the darkened hot water, releasing a rich aroma.

The bubbling of the hot water seemed to cover the faint sounds of the girl behind him removing her clothes.

Lin Yuanjin looked at the wounds on her body—no fewer than Cui Yiyu’s—and silently sighed. She first dipped a cloth into the basin of hot water they had just asked for, then endured the pain as she wiped away the mud and gravel from her body.

Cui Yiyu’s chopsticks paused. Listening to the sounds of water behind him and the suppressed intakes of breath, he swallowed his food and called out for two more basins of hot water.

Both deliberately kept their movements light.

The room was extremely quiet, faintly tinged with an unnatural atmosphere.

By the time Lin Yuanjin finished cleaning herself, cold sweat had already broken out three times.

But this was only the beginning.

Though the weather was not cold, it was not exactly warm either. Even with several layers of clothing, Lin Yuanjin could not withstand the suffering of falling from a cliff. Wounds overlapped one after another, bruised and red intermingling, leaving scarcely a patch of uninjured flesh on her body.

Her sprained and dislocated ankle had been set back in place by Cui Yiyu while she was unconscious, and now she could move it normally.

Fortunately, she had protected her vital points, and there had been a horse to cushion her fall. Most of the injuries on her body were superficial, with no fatal wounds.

After Lin Yuanjin had treated all the places she could see,

Cui Yiyu, without waiting for her to speak, first poured the decocted medicine into a bowl, turned around, and placed it within her reach.

Seeing that she had covered her front with clean bedding, leaving only the wounds on her back exposed, Cui Yiyu picked up the tools and sat behind her. His gaze seemed to shrink as if scalded, yet it had no choice but to fall upon the ghastly wounds.

The girl’s snow-white shoulders and back were slender, her waist slightly indented, yet large patches were marked with swelling and blood from being struck by countless sharp stones, as though she had been abused—what met the eye was shocking.

Cui Yiyu moved quickly, brushing aside her damp hair, trying his best not to touch her back with his fingertips. Occasionally, when he brushed against a wound, he could feel her trembling from the pain she could not suppress, and he awkwardly lightened his movements, a certain restraint and helplessness showing in his actions.

He had never before come into contact with women, nor had he ever treated someone else’s wounds.

Lin Yuanjin was in such pain that her fingers dug into the bedding. She clenched her teeth to endure the dense, spreading ache, her tear glands seeming out of control as tears continuously welled up and rolled down her cheeks.

Cui Yiyu finally managed to apply the medicine, pressing cloth strips against her back, then handing them to her, wrapping the wounds back and forth several times. At last, he helped pull her clothes back up, fastening the buttons. Seeing that her wrists were still trembling, he turned to take the medicine on the table that had cooled enough to drink. “I will serve you the medicine.”

Lin Yuanjin’s face was pale. She opened her mouth and drank the bitter medicine. After finally finishing it, her head swam again; if he had not supported her as if he had eyes behind him, she would likely have struck the bedframe.

Cui Yiyu softened his movements, supporting Lin Yuanjin’s back and neck as he laid her onto the pillow.

After the day’s jolting journey, and the effort of tending to her wounds, Lin Yuanjin had exhausted too much strength. Her gaze gradually unfocused. With no strength left, she lay on the bed, only able to hazily watch Cui Yiyu tidying things at the side, and said, “Thank you.”

Cui Yiyu’s body paused. Noticing that Lin Yuanjin’s misty gaze seemed to carry both fear and reliance, he said faintly, “It is my duty. Your Grace need not take it to heart.”

Whether it had been out of urgency or not, what he had done today had already crossed the bounds.

“Rest well. Tomorrow, I will escort you back to the Lin residence.” Cui Yiyu lowered his eyes and turned away, avoiding looking at her again. “Before your marriage, if you have no means of self-protection, it would be best not to go out again.”

“Mm.” Lin Yuanjin looked at the youth’s slender yet upright back, and for the first time in a long while felt a sense of reliable ease. Exhausted in both body and mind, she closed her eyes.

Cui Yiyu kept watch by the bedside, his gaze repeatedly sweeping the surroundings, guarding this small space.

Suddenly, a movement came from behind.

He turned his head and saw Lin Yuanjin with her eyes tightly shut, as if there were tears at the corners. Her body curled unconsciously, her face growing paler, her breathing unsteady. From time to time, her body twitched from pain, her fingertips clutching the quilt tightly.

Whether from pain, a nightmare, or both.

Cui Yiyu suddenly thought of the child he had seen downstairs earlier during the fight—upon witnessing blood, the child had screamed and run crying into its mother’s arms, as if finding shelter.

That was it.

Lin Yuanjin now had nowhere to rely on.

Cui Yiyu did not voice his conjectures.

Lin Yuanjin’s trip to the mountain to offer incense had been a private matter of the Lin family, rarely known to outsiders. If not for the Crown Prince having placed informants within the Lin household, she would truly have died beneath the cliff.

For the imperial family to have just bestowed a marriage, only for the future Crown Princess to be attacked—this was undoubtedly a disregard for imperial dignity. Yet in his eyes, the execution was not thorough enough; it did not seem like the work of someone capable.

It was very likely that members of the Lin family had colluded with outsiders.

But since he would escort Lin Yuanjin back to the residence tomorrow, he would use the Crown Prince’s token to deliver a warning, to admonish and restrain the Lin household so that they would ensure her safety and cause no further trouble.

Cui Yiyu slowly closed his eyes and leaned against the bedside to rest.

He did not know how determined those behind the scenes were to take Lin Yuanjin’s life, nor whether, after he had killed dozens, there were still pursuers. He only hoped that Lin Yuanjin’s body would recover as soon as possible and not affect the grand wedding.

The hazy moonlight drifted through the window paper into the room.

The two welcomed a moment of temporary peace.

Until midnight, Lin Yuanjin awoke with a start, her body drenched in cold sweat. In her blurred vision, she only saw the youth’s back blocking the moonlight. She wanted to speak, but found her throat unbearably dry.

As Lin Yuanjin stirred, Cui Yiyu also opened his eyes. Seeing her breathing uneven, the cold sweat on her cheeks and neck soaking her collar, he rose to pour a cup of tea, supporting her weak hand and feeding it to her sip by sip.

After finishing the tea, Lin Yuanjin did not go back to sleep. She merely looked at Cui Yiyu, her eyes curving into a smile. Even though there was still sweat from the nightmare on her face, her voice sounded as if nothing had happened: “Do you know why His Majesty chose me as the Crown Princess?”

Cui Yiyu suddenly lifted his eyes. He did not answer, yet it seemed Lin Yuanjin had already obtained her answer.

The marriage had been bestowed by the Emperor, and the Crown Prince had also approved of the match.

The imperial family, on one hand, valued that her status was neither too high nor too low; on the other, they valued that she was obedient and compliant, unlikely to cause trouble. Otherwise, they would not have deliberately avoided Lin Weiyin.

Rumors were not entirely reliable. At least, Cui Yiyu did not think that a girl who could discern the truth, was not afraid to dirty her hands, and dared to personally take revenge was dull and rigid.

“My elder sister of the main line, Lin Weiyin, is intelligent and graceful, and has quite a reputation for virtue.” Seeing his silence, Lin Yuanjin sensibly continued.

Perhaps many people had been discussing the bestowed marriage in private.

Resting her chin in her hands, Lin Yuanjin seemed to sigh as she probed, “We sisters have always been close. I wonder what her reaction was when she learned that I met with danger.”

She was lying, but that did not matter.

“Rivalry among sisters within a clan is also common,” Cui Yiyu said calmly.

Having obtained a possible answer, Lin Yuanjin immediately smiled and changed the topic: “What kind of person is the Crown Prince?”

She looked at Cui Yiyu, her gaze tracing inch by inch across his brows, eyes, and figure, as if she were looking at her future husband. Her eyes were bright, filled with the curiosity of a girl who had never been married before.

Cui Yiyu could not recklessly comment on his lord. He had intended to avoid her gaze, but not speaking at all might instead give rise to more trouble.

“The Crown Prince possesses a noble body, is diligent in state affairs, and does not favor… matters of romance and pleasure.” Cui Yiyu’s voice paused abruptly before continuing, “I hope Your Grace will cherish your reputation, value yourself, and take care not to anger His Highness.”

He closed his eyes, his raven lashes like layers of delicate butterfly shadows. He said no more, the gentle moonlight pouring over his shoulder, as if illuminating a gleaming jade mountain.

Lin Yuanjin looked at the youth’s back, filled with curiosity about the Crown Prince, and gradually fell into a deep sleep.