The Lord Xiang stayed with Lin Luochen for two days to recuperate, but on the third day, her condition not only did not improve, but worsened.
Anxious, Lord Xiang summoned his secret guards, "Return to the capital immediately!"
The guards hesitated, "But my lord, you have an appointment with Prince Li to discuss..."
"I will write a letter immediately, you will deliver it to Prince Li's guards!" Lord Xiang was decisive and gave the order!
In fact, during these three days, Lin Luochen deliberately used some medicine to slow down the recovery of her wounds. She wanted Lord Xiang to feel distressed and see how he would handle the An family.
On the way back to the mansion, Lin Luochen increased the dosage of her medication, making it difficult for her to eat. The An family must be brought down, otherwise her days at home would not be easy!
A woman must be ruthless to maintain her position!
Because arrangements had been made in advance for their return to the capital, they were greeted by the imperial guards upon arrival, who escorted them directly to the palace.
The chief imperial physician came to the side hall to diagnose Lin Luochen. After examining her pulse, he was shocked, "This... who did this? This is clearly an attempt on the young lady's life!"
At this moment, Lin Luochen was indeed very weak, and the physician's words struck a chord with her, so she weakly cried out, "Is it true? Someone wants to kill me?"
After saying this, Lin Luochen looked at Lord Xiang in panic, seeing a complex mix of distress and self-blame on his face.
It was clear that the situation was more serious than he had imagined!
"Don't be afraid, Miss! With me here, your illness can be cured!" The physician, seeing her agitated state, was also surprised by her pulse.
"Luochen, don't be afraid!" Lord Xiang quickly grabbed Lin Luochen's arm to comfort her. Then he bowed to the chief physician, "Please, chief physician, take care of the young lady's illness. She is the future Princess Li!"
This statement by Lord Xiang, on the surface a request, was actually a form of pressure.
Observing his expression, Lin Luochen thought to herself, Lord Xiang is also someone to be wary of!
Taking back her gaze, Lin Luochen grabbed his hand and cried out, "Father! You must speak up for me!"
"I will!" Lord Xiang promised repeatedly.
The main reason Lin Luochen made her condition worse was to force Lord Xiang to bring her into the palace. Once inside the palace, it would inevitably alert the emperor. As a prospective bride of Prince Li, her injury would surely be inquired about. At that time, Lord Xiang would be pushed into the spotlight and would have to handle the matter seriously!
She must give Lord Xiang an explanation, or rather, give the royal family an explanation!
Indeed, this matter alarmed the royal family.
In the evening, a palace maid came to report that the Empress Dowager was arriving. Lin Luochen struggled to get up, dressed neatly, and knelt at the door, waiting for her arrival.
The Empress Dowager, elegant and noble, held a peony-patterned fan in her hand and was followed by ten palace maids and eunuchs, creating a grand procession that exuded a solemn atmosphere.
The Empress Dowager looked at the weakly kneeling Lin Luochen and instructed the palace maid, "Why haven't you helped her up yet?"
According to the original host's memory, the Empress Dowager did not like Lin Luochen, so she had to be careful.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lin Luochen performed a complete courtesy before slowly getting up.
The Empress Dowager nodded and sat in the main seat. She handed the fan to a palace maid and took a furry cat into her arms. She stroked its fur and asked, "How did you sustain such a serious injury?"
Lin Luochen smiled weakly, with a hint of guilt, "It's just a small matter, but it has troubled Your Majesty. It's my lack of manners, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"
This statement made the Empress Dowager's eyes flicker with a different meaning as she looked at her, "Since we last met, you were ten years old. I didn't expect that after a few years, you have grown into a well-mannered young lady."
Lin Luochen's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile as she replied confidently, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager nodded, realizing that the rumors in the streets were unfounded. This girl was not a weakling. She continued to ask, "You say it's a small matter, what happened?"
Lin Luochen thought to herself that she couldn't directly say it was the fault of the An family, as it would reflect poorly on her father's management and expose An's scheme, which might not be in her favor.
After all, in ancient times, the "virtue of women" was a significant barrier!
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It's just that I was worried about my father and encountered bandits on the way, and was seriously injured in a life-and-death struggle. Fortunately, with the grace of the emperor and the treatment of the imperial physician, I will soon recover!"
Lin Luochen's words were seamless, which made the usually suspicious Empress Dowager not believe her, but she did not express any objections on the surface.
"In that case, you can't go out casually in the future." The Empress Dowager instructed the eunuch behind her, "Take more supplements to the Prime Minister's residence and ensure they take good care of her. She is the future Princess Li!"
Lin Luochen knelt again, thanking the Empress Dowager for her grace.
"When will you come of age?" the Empress Dowager asked.
Lin Luochen replied, "I will come of age on the eleventh day of the twelfth month next year!"
"Ah, it's coming soon! The Prime Minister's residence should also make preparations!" The Empress Dowager said as she stood up and walked towards the door.
Lin Luochen performed another deep courtesy before the Empress Dowager left. Watching her departing figure, Lin Luochen thought to herself, the Empress Dowager clearly didn't believe her explanation. Now, let's see how Lord Xiang handles this!
After spending a day in the palace, receiving treatment from the imperial physician and administering some Western medicine herself, her condition improved somewhat, but she was still not fully recovered.
On the third day, Lord Xiang came to take her back to the mansion, and she went to thank the Empress Dowager. Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager was not there.
She saw a figure in a dark green robe, with long hair tied up, standing at the pavilion in the Empress Dowager's palace.
The figure seemed strangely familiar, yet she couldn't recall where she had seen it before.
After bidding farewell to the palace maid, she left. As she departed, she couldn't help but steal a glance at the person's back.
Once she was gone, the man turned around. His eyebrows were sharp as swords, and his eyes were bright like stars, exuding a captivating charm.
"Lord Li, the lady who just came to bid farewell is Miss Lin from the Lin family! According to her age, she will come of age next winter!" reported the personal guard, Qiu Chuan.
Lord Li, Meng Ziyue, snorted coldly. "She is the woman my uncle wants me to marry, not someone I admire! I do not consent to this marriage!"
"But, my lord, this is a marriage bestowed by the late emperor. Even the emperor cannot annul it..." Qiu Chuan said with difficulty.
"Hmph..." Lord Li sneered, squinting his eyes. "If I don't want it, no one can stop me!"
Qiu Chuan sighed. His master was truly domineering!
"I've told you, the day I was ambushed on the road, a girl saved me. She is highly skilled in medicine and has an interesting personality. If I must marry, then..." Lord Li didn't realize that a gentle smile had formed at the corner of his mouth.
Hearing this, Qiu Chuan looked at Lord Li with curiosity, filled with intrigue about the mysterious woman.
Meanwhile, Lin Luochen returned to the mansion with her father.
As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw An Shi and her entire family kneeling on the ground, as if they had been kneeling for a long time.