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

Chapter 478: Entrusting it to him

The shadow guard bowed to Lin Rusi, then left through another window.

She intended to close the window before leaving, but as soon as she took a step, the window was closed from the outside.

Knowing that he had turned back to close the window and that it might be needed again later, he didn't close the door.

But as soon as Lin Rusi stepped out of the storeroom, she gave a wink to the guards waiting at the door.

Understanding what this meant, the guard silently threw something the thickness of a silver needle into another spot.

To Lin Rusi, all of this was merely a flash of cold light.

"Go to the study."

"Yes."

The two remained in the study for a long time. When they opened the door again, several unfamiliar servants had appeared outside.

Lin Rusi glanced at the guard out of the corner of her eye and noticed that he also looked confused, so she stopped and stared straight at the group of people.

"Since you're here, don't look at things you shouldn't see."

"Yes, madam, I will follow your instructions."

Lin Rusi didn't speak when she heard this, but instead pursed her lips and looked at a man who walked forward.

He intended to send someone back, but one of his actions made his identity clear.

"You're in charge of this group. Don't let them wander off. I don't want to wake up to find a strange man in my room."

"Don't worry, Madam, I will make sure everything is arranged for them."

The shadow guards initially thought they were to watch over other locations, but they soon realized they were stuck on the edge and had no way to get close to Lin Rusi.

He even went back to report this matter to the emperor.

The emperor, upon learning of this, merely sighed and ordered his men to continue protecting the area and assist whenever there was any disturbance, but to try to avoid revealing their presence.

The shadow guards didn't quite understand why the two were being so arrogant, but they dared not utter a sound and obediently retreated to the outer perimeter of the Crown Princess's courtyard to silently protect the other party.

Three days later.

Still not seeing Li Jingyang return, Lin Rusi couldn't help but look at him.

"What exactly is going on with you? Don't you know anything?"

"It's not that I don't know, but..."

The guard hesitated, then turned to look at the seat next to him.

"Fine, if you're not going to tell me, then guarantee his safety, or else..."

"Rest assured, Master, we will do everything in our power to protect the Crown Prince."

Even though she had received a response from the other party, Lin Rusi still felt something was off and couldn't help but look in the direction where Li Jingyang had left earlier.

"You said I shouldn't go and take a look, just a glimpse from afar would be fine."

The guard wanted to dissuade her, but before he could speak, she interrupted him.

"No, this place isn't safe either. If we really encounter danger, it will definitely cause trouble for Jingyang."

"Madam is wise."

She was even less likely to believe such flattery.

Lin Rusi couldn't help but cover her head with her hands, and then she found a way to have the best of both worlds: to go out and find someone.

But before she could think it through, she heard a child's innocent voice from outside.

"Mother! Mother, snoring."

"What did Changning hear? Why is he snoring?"

Changning couldn't explain it clearly, so he pushed open the door, stumbled over the threshold, and ran quickly toward his mother.

This isn't like any other room; there are quite a few angular things here.

Worried that the child might bump into it, Lin Rusi immediately opened her arms and hugged the child.

But when she tried to stand up, Changning broke free and landed on the ground again, grinning at people.

"What, Changning, do you want to sit on the ground?"

"Mommy loves me, I won't hold you."

Lin Rusi didn't expect that he would care about her so much at such a young age, so she immediately lowered her head and kissed his round forehead.

Oh, and there's this child too; she simply can't leave this place.

Thinking of this, Lin Rusi frowned even more deeply, and tightened her arms as if she wanted to pull the child into her body.

"Tight, stuffy!"

"Did Mother hug you too tightly? Mother apologizes to Changning."

The little guy immediately smiled, raised his head, and kissed Lin Rusi on the cheek.

The next moment, the sound of a child's silvery laughter came from inside the room.

She played with the child until he fell asleep, then her face darkened as she looked at the guards.

"What do you think, sending him to the palace?"

“Since the young master is the emperor’s grandson, it is naturally permissible, but…”

The guard's eyes darted around, but he finally whispered the words "Empress Dowager."

Lin Rusi had already sensed this, and now that it had been pointed out, she knew that this possibility would be of no benefit, so she could only give up and stay in the villa to wait for news.

But after only a few days, those who had been sent out to search for information brought back news they did not want to hear.

"The Crown Prince has disappeared, and his fate is unknown."

The four large characters almost made Lin Rusi faint.

Fortunately, she quickly grabbed her hand and pinched the web between her thumb and forefinger, and then pressed her philtrum, which made her fully awake.

"Where was he last seen? What was the extent of his injuries at that time?"

"This... I don't know. Everyone only saw the Crown Prince riding away on horseback; they know nothing else."

What's the point of this answer? Does it mean she has to accept that the person is already dead?

Lin Rusi's expression changed repeatedly, but finally changed again because of Changning, who was clapping and playing in the courtyard.

"No, we can't leave him alone in that unknown place."

“But the young master still needs someone to take care of him. You can’t send him to the palace; it’s too dangerous for such a child.”

Lin Rusi knew this, of course, and her face darkened even more.

"That won't work, but do you have a better idea?"

"This matter..."

The guards hesitated for a long time, but still disagreed with sending the child, who was unable to protect himself, to the palace.

Lin Rusi didn't give him a chance to react. She ran straight into the study, took a token, and hung it around Changning's neck.

"Changning, no one is allowed to touch this. If anyone bullies you, take it out and go to your imperial grandfather."

"Looking for Grandfather?"

Because the Emperor often came to play with Changning, they recognized each other and nodded vigorously.

Seeing the child's earnest expression, Lin Rusi smiled even more gently and reached out to hug the small child tightly.

Sitting in the carriage, he kept apologizing to the child, which made Changning so nervous that she wanted to cry.

Noticing this, Lin Rusi hummed a lullaby to the child in his ear, and soon the child fell asleep.

"Changning, don't be afraid. Your grandfather will definitely protect you. But you can't bother your grandfather. How about you learn to read more?"

As if hearing her mother's voice, Changning actually moved twice, and her tightly pursed lips broke into a smile.

Having finally arrived at the Imperial Study, I was met with a pair of eyes that looked different from usual.

"Father should already know about our investigation."

"I only knew a moment earlier than you."

Lin Rusi didn't believe it, but Changning didn't say anything, instead patting his thin back.