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

Chapter 49: Her Little Thoughts

As everyone dispersed, Lin Rusi made a point of observing the expressions on Luo Lan's and Princess Lin'an's faces.

The two of them looked like they'd swallowed flies, their faces sullen and disgusted.

Lin Rusi raised her eyebrows slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her face, which was wrinkled like a bitter gourd.

Only after the person had completely disappeared from sight did Lin Rusi put away her miserable expression.

"Your Highness."

Thanks to Li Jingyang's timely appearance, otherwise he would have had a hard time getting rid of Luo Lan and Princess Lin'an's entanglement.

Just as she was about to thank Li Jingyang for his help, a sweet, yet tentative voice rang out.

"younger sister?"

Lin Rusi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lin Ruqin, dressed in bright colors, walking slowly towards her.

Lin Rusi frowned. Last time, she had put on a sour face and said that Lin Rusi was crocodile tears. Now, however, she was greeting her with a smile.

Strangely, Lin Ruqin didn't have an invitation, so how could she attend the Peach Blossom Banquet?

Just as Lin Rusi was pondering, she noticed Li Zeyan behind Lin Ruqin and suddenly realized what was going on.

It turns out that Li Zeyan helped.

She put on a smile and said, "Sister, when did you arrive? Why didn't you say anything?"

Lin Ruqin stepped forward, smiling, and took Lin Rusi's hand in a warm gesture.

In the past, Lin Rusi would have simply shaken off, but the occasion was different, so she let Lin Ruqin pull her along.

No matter how unpleasant she and Lin Ruqin were in private, they were still family on the surface.

The saying "Don't wash your dirty linen in public" perfectly illustrates this point.

"My sister left early, and I was slow to pack up. I was worried that I would miss her auspicious time, so I didn't remind her."

"But it's enough that the two of us sisters can come to the Peach Blossom Banquet together."

Lin Ruqin linked arms with Lin Rusi, and the two looked like very close sisters.

Lin Rusi felt it was all hypocritical, but for the sake of the Lin family's reputation, she forced herself to continue acting.

"Oh dear, sister, don't stay with the prince."

As she spoke, she created some distance between Lin Rusi and Li Jingyang, saying, "The women are all over there."

Lin Rusi narrowed her eyes, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

There might be something fishy about this.

She needs to be careful.

As Lin Ruqin pulled her towards the women's quarters, Lin Rusi grabbed Lin Ruqin's wrist.

Lin Ruqin was clearly taken aback. She turned around and, after a long while, managed to force a smile onto her face.

"Little sister, what are you doing?"

Lin Rusi said calmly, "Sister, you left too quickly."

A flicker of panic crossed Lin Ruqin's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention."

"Isn't this just a way to quickly become close with the women?"

Lin Rusi secretly grumbled to herself.

She didn't want to have anything to do with those women; it was probably Lin Ruqin who wanted to.

Lin Rusi didn't point it out and continued walking forward, still being pulled along by Lin Ruqin.

As they approached the corner, Lin Ruqin suddenly sped up again without warning.

What is she doing?

Lin Rusi belatedly noticed that a handsome young man was walking towards her from the opposite direction.

Because of the artificial hill, when Lin Ruqin suddenly accelerated, the young man happened to be blocked by the artificial hill.

So that's what she was thinking.

Then just spend some quality time with her.

Just as the two were approaching the young master at an extremely fast pace, Lin Ruqin suddenly let go of Lin Rusi's hand.

"Oh dear, I'm getting a little tired. You keep going, little sister."

Lin Rusi nodded, and just as she was about to take a step, Lin Ruqin took the opportunity to stick out her foot, trying to trip her.

However, what she didn't expect was that Lin Rusi had anticipated her actions.

She pretended to trip over Lin Ruqin's foot and took the opportunity to stomp on it hard.

The pain in her foot made Lin Ruqin scream.

Startled, Lin Rusi stepped back while quickly grabbing Lin Ruqin's hand.

She took the opportunity to pull Lin Ruqin forward while she herself stepped back.

With a cry of pain, Lin Rusi fell to the ground, her face contorted in agony.

Lin Ruqin was pulled into the arms of the young master who was walking towards them by Lin Rusi.

Suddenly, someone rushed over. The young man, caught off guard, instinctively grabbed Lin Ruqin and fell straight to the ground.

Everything happened so suddenly that Lin Ruqin was caught off guard and fell directly into the arms of the stranger.

Her eyes widened, and her brain suddenly lost its ability to think.

Only a few words popped into my blank mind—I'm doomed!

Sure enough, after a brief silence, a burst of laughter followed.

Hearing the mocking laughter that rose and fell, Lin Ruqin's face turned bright red.

She stood up in a fluster, clutching her skirt nervously, her neck, face, and even the roots of her ears burning red.

Lin Rusi, who should have fallen into the arms of a strange man, instead frowned and stood up shakily, supporting her lower back.

"Sister, are you alright?"

Lin Ruqin's expression was unpredictable.

She knew this was Lin Rusi's good show, but she could only suffer in silence and couldn't say anything.

Lin Ruqin forced a smile and said, "It's nothing."

Suddenly, she felt a chilling light.

Lin Ruqin looked up following her instincts, only to be met with Li Zeyan's gloomy eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that something terrible was about to happen.

He intended to embarrass Lin Rusi, but unexpectedly, he shot himself in the foot.

What's next?

Just as Lin Ruqin was at a loss for what to do, her wrist suddenly tightened.

Li Zeyan, his face ashen, strode forward and grabbed her wrist without a word.

He strode away amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd.

Lin Ruqin has not yet married him, but everyone knows that she is the future princess consort.

Now that he has caused such a commotion at the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, he has completely humiliated Lin Ruqin!

Thinking of this, Li Zeyan increased the force in his hand, wishing he could crush Lin Ruqin's wrist bones.

Lin Ruqin frowned, let out a muffled groan, and her already pale face became even paler.

The young master who had been intimate with Lin Ruqin stood there dumbfounded. By the time he came to his senses, Lin Ruqin had already been taken away by Li Zeyan, whose face was dark with anger.

The man, belatedly realizing the mistake he had made, fled the scene in shock.

Lin Rusi, supporting her lower back, limped away in the opposite direction.

She didn't want to mingle with that group of women.

They already disliked her, so Li Jingyang's decision not to infiltrate them was practically making herself a target.

She wouldn't do something that was thankless and exhausting.

Therefore, the most urgent task now is to return to King Jinglie's side.

Lin Rusi had only taken two steps when a smiling voice came from behind her, "Second Miss Lin, where are you going?"

This Princess of Lin'an is clearly doing it on purpose!

Lin Rusi cleared her throat, and when she turned back, her eyes were already red.

She sniffed and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, I just fell and hurt my back. It hurts a lot, so I'm going to find a place to rest."

"I wonder what brings you here, Princess?"