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

Chapter 41: Owe a Favor

Lin Lezheng was even more furious.

He pointed at Si Yu and cursed, "Even at a time like this, you're still spoiling her!"

"She's ignoring the engagement with Prince Jinglie and leaving with another man. Won't she cause chaos in the entire Lin family in the future?"

Si Yu bit her lower lip and glared at Lin Ruqin with a sinister look.

She knew that Lin Ruqin had deliberately brought up the matter of Lin Rusi leaving with a man in front of Lin Lezheng.

But now Lin Rusi is gone, nowhere to be found, so Lin Ruqin can say whatever she wants.

Si Yu could only swallow her resentment.

She didn't dare to reprimand Lin Ruqin in front of Lin Lezheng, so she could only pinch her knuckles hard to relieve her depression.

"Hmph, you can just stay kneeling here!"

"If Lin Rusi doesn't return within an hour, you will kneel here for an hour!"

Lin Lezheng said bluntly.

With red eyes and a pout, Si Yu said aggrievedly, "Do whatever you want with me, my husband."

She cried with tears streaming down her face, looking so pitiful that it was hard not to feel sorry for her.

Lin Le was heartbroken, but the mess Lin Rusi had made was just too big.

If we don't teach her a lesson, what will she do in the future?

Lin Le glanced at Si Yu, snorted, and said nothing more.

Si Yu knelt on the ground and sobbed softly.

I don't know how much time had passed, but it was so dark outside that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Si Yu's legs were numb from kneeling. She frowned, rolled her eyes, and fainted on the ground.

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

"Madam has fainted!"

Lin Lezheng's face darkened as he glanced at the sky.

It's already so late, and she still hasn't come back. Is she going to wait until dawn?

Lin Le's face was tense. "Take Madam away to rest."

"Bring me the whip again."

"When Lin Rusi returns, she'll be dealt with according to family discipline!"

"Yes!"

The servant brought out a long, heavy box.

They also brought over a stool and placed it in the center of the hall.

Lin Le was sitting upright on the stool with a dark face, and took out the cowhide whip from the box.

Lin Lezheng felt very annoyed and regretful.

He regretted spoiling Lin Rusi too much in the past, to the point that she now dared to spend the night with other men.

When she comes back, he must fulfill his responsibility as a father and teach her a good lesson!

As the eastern sky turned a pale white, Lin Rusi yawned and stretched contentedly inside the sedan chair.

Are you hungry?

Li Jingyang asked softly.

Lin Rusi nodded slightly and rubbed her stomach. "I am indeed a little hungry."

Li Jingyang instructed the driver to stop the sedan chair by the roadside and took her to eat some breakfast there.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two continued their journey towards the capital.

Upon arriving at the Lin residence, Lin Rusi bowed to Li Jingyang and expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, for bringing my daughter back."

Li Jingyang chuckled, "Go back quickly, your father and mother must be worried about you."

"Yes."

Lin Rusi glanced at Li Jingyang again, lowered her head, and hurried away.

As soon as she entered, she had her servants block her way.

"Second Miss, Master is waiting in the hall."

Lin Rusi frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.

However, she didn't ask any further questions and followed the servants to the main hall.

From afar, she could see Lin Le's face, which was as black as coal.

Lin Le was sitting upright in a chair, holding a whip in his hand, his face somber as if he were a demon from hell.

She shivered and her face paled.

"Hold her down!"

Lin Le's cold gaze was like a knife, mercilessly scraping across Lin Rusi's face.

Before Lin Rusi could react, two or three servants stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders without saying a word, and forced her to the ground.

A crisp "plop" sound.

Lin Rusi's face contorted in pain, the throbbing pain in her kneecap causing her to involuntarily gasp.

"Lin Rusi, you're becoming more and more lawless!"

"Today, your father will teach you a lesson! I'll show you what's important!"

Before Lin Rusi could recover from the pain in her kneecap, she saw Lin Le, his face dark, raising the whip in his hand.

She closed her eyes in fear, her body trembling involuntarily.

Just when Lin Rusi thought the whip was about to fall on her, there was a cracking sound as the whip struck, but there was no pain on her back as she had expected.

She paused, then slowly opened her eyes.

She didn't know when, but her body was already wrapped in a pair of broad and strong arms.

The whip had just struck Li Jingyang on the back.

In that instant, the fabric on Li Jingyang's back was flipped open, revealing his flesh and blood.

Lin Lezheng was startled, and the whip in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

"Your Highness..."

At this moment, only three words were in Lin Lezheng's mind—it's over!

His legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his face ashen.

Li Jingyang's expression remained unchanged; instead, he looked at Lin Rusi with concern and asked, "Are you alright?"

Lin Rusi stared blankly at Li Jingyang, and asked in a daze, "Your Highness, why did you come in again?"

"Your sachet was left in my sedan chair."

He chuckled and opened his tightly clenched fist, revealing a sachet.

Lin Rusi felt a pang of sadness, and for some reason, her nose and eyes became warm.

Lin Lezheng was even more shocked, never expecting that Lin Rusi was with Li Jingyang.

"Your Highness, I know my crime!"

"I deserve to die!"

He lay prostrate on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf.

Even if Prince Jinglie is a useless prince, it's not his place to teach him a lesson.

If His Majesty were to find out about this, even a hundred heads wouldn't be enough to compensate for the injury on King Jinglie's back.

King Jinglie stood up calmly and said indifferently, "This matter was originally my fault, so the Prime Minister need not worry."

"When I left with Lin Rusi yesterday, I should have sent someone to inform the Prime Minister."

"However, since I spent one night with my betrothed princess, no one should make a fuss about it."

Lin Lezheng banged his head on the ground, trembling as he said, "No, no."

"It was all my negligence that caused the injury to Your Highness."

Li Jingyang's gaze turned cold, his icy eyes sweeping over the faces of those around him. "You'd better not let me hear anyone gossiping about this, or I'll make them pay the price!"

"Yes!"

Lin Le wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, looking worried. He couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling extremely frightened.

Fortunately, Prince Jinglie did not pursue the matter. If he had, the entire Lin family would have been implicated.

Lin Rusi stared intently at Li Jingyang, whose face was gloomy, and a strange feeling arose in her heart.

She doesn't even know how to face Li Jingyang now.

Actually, he didn't need to save her.

She could withstand just one lash.

Now that Li Jingyang has taken the whip for her, wouldn't she owe Li Jingyang a favor?

Lin Rusi dislikes owing favors the most, so how is she going to repay this?