Chapter Six: Farewell to the Woman in Red
With her suspicions confirmed, Zhi Yuan’s expression eased slightly as she glanced at the young maid before her and said coolly, “Enough. If there’s nothing else, you may leave.”
The maid lowered her head nervously. “But, Your Highness—”
Zhi Yuan interrupted calmly, “The prince was startled by the assassination attempt. Take good care of him, understand?”
“I-I understand, Mistress...” the maid replied timidly. Then, as if recalling something, she bowed her head even lower and whispered, “If—if the prince were to—if he were to... do something to me...”
“What should you do?”
Hearing this, Zhi Yuan shot her a glance. “If the prince asks you to share his bed, just refuse. If he dares to force you, I will protect you.”
“Oh.”
The maid left anxiously.
Zhi Yuan stood still, staring into the distance silently for a long while. Though her doubts were confirmed, an inexplicable unease lingered in her heart.
After a moment, she suddenly turned and said coldly, “Arrange something for me.”
A breeze stirred behind her, gently lifting the hem of the girl’s skirt.
With an expressionless face, Zhi Yuan said, “Go to the temple where the prince was attacked...”
As soon as her words fell, a faint silhouette flickered behind her. Then all returned to silence.
...
In the room, after sending the maid away, Lin Jiangnian exhaled in relief. He gently massaged his shoulder, still throbbing faintly from the earlier blow.
That young girl at the ruined temple appeared delicate but struck with surprising force!
This debt, Lin Jiangnian made a mental note to remember.
He glanced at the medicinal soup placed by the bed and hesitated before taking it up.
A faint herbal fragrance wafted from the bowl, refreshing the mind. Although he couldn’t identify the ingredients, Lin Jiangnian could tell the medicine was valuable and crafted from rare herbs.
That made sense—this was the Prince of Lin’s mansion, far more lavish than he had imagined.
As for whether anyone had poisoned him...
Lin Jiangnian squinted thoughtfully, then shook his head gently.
Unlikely!
If the medicine had been poisoned to kill him, these people wouldn’t have gone to such lengths with an assassination outside the city.
Of course, it was possible that the maid named Zhi Yuan was testing him.
But if it were a test, refusing the medicine would only arouse more suspicion.
With that in mind, Lin Jiangnian drank the entire bowl. Soon, the medicine’s effects spread through his body, warming him and clearing the lingering heaviness in his chest, leaving him feeling light and refreshed.
He rose and paced the room a few times to confirm his condition had improved and there were no serious issues.
Then, Lin Jiangnian began considering his next move.
For now, he needed to avoid contact with the people in the Prince of Lin’s mansion, especially that maid, Zhi Yuan...
He had a strong feeling she posed the greatest threat to his concealed identity.
Yet he couldn’t understand why this maid, who was clearly just a servant, had shown no respect or flattery towards him, the Prince of Lin’s heir apparent, during their earlier encounter.
Moreover, her attire did not resemble that of a typical servant at all!
Something was definitely amiss.
...
With nothing else to do, Lin Jiangnian wandered thoughtfully around the room. The furnishings and decorations in the heir’s chamber were undoubtedly luxurious, opening his eyes wide.
What surprised him most was a bookshelf tucked in a corner, filled with numerous volumes.
This caught Lin Jiangnian off guard. Rumors outside portrayed the Prince of Lin’s heir as a good-for-nothing. How could there be so many books in his room?
Were they merely for show?
He approached and scanned the titles on the shelf.
His gaze stopped abruptly.
“The Secret History of the Da Ning Court”
“Stealing Jade and Fragrance”
“Plum Blossoms in a Golden Vase”
...
After a moment, Lin Jiangnian realized these rumors might be false.
Perhaps the Prince of Lin’s heir was not illiterate after all... At least, he had a refined taste in literature.
These were treasures!
Lin Jiangnian’s eyes swept down the row and he casually pulled out a book, delving into it with interest.
Vivid, evocative!
With detailed commentary, it drew him in completely!
...
After a brief perusal, Lin Jiangnian returned the book to the shelf. Although curious, as a seasoned reader, these works failed to intrigue him deeply.
His attention then shifted to another section containing several histories, including a copy of “The Laws of the Da Ning Dynasty.”
When he saw its contents, Lin Jiangnian’s eyes brightened.
Newly arrived and unfamiliar with this world, the environment, and the Prince of Lin’s mansion, he needed to quickly gather information and adapt. These books contained the knowledge he urgently required.
...
As dusk deepened, Lin Jiangnian closed the book and replaced it carefully, a clearer understanding dawning within.
After hours of reading, he finally grasped the general political landscape.
As his memories had indicated, this was the Da Ning Dynasty—an unfamiliar, vast unified empire.
Founded a century ago, Da Ning had previously only been nominally unified, with several small states coexisting. Fifteen years prior, Lin Jiangnian’s father, Lin Hengzhong, crushed these kingdoms and achieved true unification.
For this achievement, Lin Hengzhong became the first non-imperial prince of the Da Ning Dynasty in a hundred years.
His prestige and power peaked, influencing both the populace and military deeply. However, the Prince of Lin’s eccentric nature had earned him many enemies among court officials.
Consequently, he had become a source of unease and suspicion to the throne.
In recent years, as the emperor’s health declined and the crown prince acted as regent, voices calling for curbing princely powers grew louder.
These efforts targeted not only Lin Hengzhong but also the Prince of Xu in the north. Unlike Lin Hengzhong’s hereditary title, the Prince of Xu’s position was hereditary by right, granted for ancestral military merit and guardianship of the northern border, passed down through generations.
Now, he too was considered a threat to the dynasty.
Compared to the flamboyant Prince of Lin, the northern Prince of Xu was far more low-key, and the strategic importance of the northern border made any action against him difficult.
Meanwhile, the court continually sought to diminish the Prince of Lin’s military and political influence. Lin Jiangnian, as his heir, was inevitably caught in the crossfire.
“Could those who tried to kill the Prince of Lin’s heir have been sent by the court?”
Lin Jiangnian wondered but found no clear answer.
The Prince and his son had many enemies; countless people wished them harm. With so little information, there was no way to begin an investigation.
He sighed.
...
Never mind—that wasn’t his concern. He was merely an impostor heir struggling to survive, with no capacity to worry about other matters.
Lin Jiangnian scanned almost the entire bookshelf, gleaning only basic knowledge about the Da Ning Dynasty. He still found no clues about the Prince of Lin’s mansion.
He would have to seek information elsewhere. Immediately, the young maid named Xiaozhu came to mind...
She might be a useful contact.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a servant’s voice: “Your Highness, dinner is ready. Would you prefer it brought to your room, or—”
Lin Jiangnian realized he was hungry; he had yet to eat since waking.
“Bring it in,” he said.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Soon, the servant delivered a table laden with dishes, fragrant and colorful. Not delicacies, but certainly more than an ordinary family’s annual fare.
The food tasted good, but Lin Jiangnian had little appetite and ate only enough to fill his stomach. Not knowing the real prince’s preferences, he ate cautiously.
After the meal, servants came to clear the table, followed by several maids who brought hot water to assist him with bathing and changing.
Seeing the several fair-faced, refined maids standing before him, Lin Jiangnian initially wanted to refuse.
But recalling the Prince of Lin’s notorious reputation... would such a noble heir bathe alone?
Clearly not.
Reluctantly, Lin Jiangnian resigned himself to the attentive care of the maids.
What a fall from grace!
...
There was no denying that the Prince of Lin’s life was indulgently lavish and decadent...
Thinking of those blushing, shy maids, Lin Jiangnian suddenly understood the heir’s pleasures!
If his identity were secure, this might have been the perfect life’s pinnacle!
Alas...
He sighed, relieved that he had not seen Zhi Yuan again today.
Apart from her, the other servants seemed deeply fearful of the heir, respectful and wary to approach or speak much.
Moreover, since the heir was unmarried and there was no custom of maids attending him in bed, Lin Jiangnian need not worry about them discovering his secret for now.
Having no close confidants might even work to his advantage.
Returning to his room and closing the door, Lin Jiangnian turned—and suddenly sensed something amiss!
Someone?
His heart tightened as he raised his guard abruptly.
In the dimly lit room’s center stood a round rosewood table, beside which sat a woman.
Her red dress blazed like fire, her demeanor cold and aloof.
She seemed to have been waiting for some time.
She lifted her eyes to glance at Lin Jiangnian, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
“Your Highness, was the service from the maids comfortable just now?”
“...”