These words clearly fell into the exquisite ears outside the garden.

The maid who led Linglong to the dining room glanced into the garden and recognized the garden slave who said this. She was indeed the maid in Shen Qin's willow house in her early years. She hurriedly shouted into the garden: "Where did you come from, you cheap hooves? You dare to arrange your master, so why don’t you get out of here!”

As soon as the words came out, there was an immediate silence inside, and no one dared to say any more.

The maid looked at Linglong's expression and comforted her softly: "Second Miss, please don't take this maid's words to heart. The maid was driven to work in the garden by the eldest lady. She has resentment towards the house. She must be deliberately trying to alienate her." Always paying attention to Linglong's expression.

Linglong's face was pale, and her delicate rhombus lips were completely devoid of blood.

The maid's consolation and the words of the little man in the garden fell on my ears one after another, and the emotions in her exquisite eyes were extremely complicated.

She stood there blankly, forgetting even the severe cold of winter.

Linglong remembered the night of Shangyuan in the year of her wedding, when she and Qi Zhen consummated their marriage for the first time.

That night, she gave him an exquisite dice and asked him if he missed her.

He accepted the exquisite dice and whispered loving words to her in a gentle voice, every word was tender. However, he never wore the exquisite dice, but still tied the green bamboo brocade pouch around his waist.

It's been like this every day for three years.

Linglong was not a fool. She had never doubted the origin of the kit.

Linglong has a memory of Shen Qinliu's embroidery skills, and Qi Zhen's brocade bag looks too much like her sister's embroidery skills.

But Qi Zhen always told her that he and his sister had no relationship between men and women.

Linglong thought that it was probably just a resemblance. After all, her sister's embroidery skills were learned in the Queen's Palace. If Qi Zhen's kit was given to her by the Queen's Palace, it would make sense.

Linglong believed him and suppressed those doubts.

But what if this kit is really a gift from my sister?

Ever since she married into Nanyuan, Qi Zhen had been seen wearing this bag every day for three years. Perhaps he had already worn it in the years before she entered Nanyuan.

What kind of affection made him care about her like this every day for several years.

A few days ago, she gave him the same gift bag. Not only did he take it with him, but he never picked it up. The gift bag is still placed under her pillow to this day.

No matter how ignorant Linglong is of worldly affairs, she still knows that love is the only thing she likes.

So what's the point of discarding it?

Thinking about it, it couldn't be more clear.

She stood in the cold wind for a long time, looking shaky but still holding on.

Snowflakes floated in the sky, falling on the eyelashes of the exquisite hair.

She raised her eyes blankly and reached out to catch the falling snowflakes.

The frost and snow were cold, but they were turned into soft water by the warmth of her palms. Linglong looked at the drops of snow and thought of the people who looked like ice and snow most of the time in her memory.

She thought, ice and snow can still be melted by the warmth of the palm, but why can't that person's heart be warm?

Maybe it's not that he is warm or not, but that she is not the one who can warm him.

So no matter how sincere and loving you are, it is just useless effort.

The maid looked at Linglong holding the snow in her palm and glanced at the time. She was a little worried that Linglong would be late and she would be blamed. She hesitated and reminded her: "Second Miss, Your Highness, Lord Marquis and Madam are all waiting in the dining room. It's here, we have to go there quickly, we can't delay here."

Linglong responded with a warm voice, then walked up to the dining room, covering the snowy water in her palms on the stone path under her feet.

The snow gradually started to snow, and when we walked to the dining room, frost and snow had already fallen all over Linglong's head.

The white snow floating on Linglong's eyes also obscured her sight.

Someone was standing under the eaves of the dining hall and walked over from a distance after seeing Linglong's figure.

The man held an umbrella and walked toward Linglong through the thin ice and snow. Linglong couldn't see his face clearly, but she knew who he was in her heart.

"It's snowing so heavily, why don't you hold an umbrella?" The man holding the umbrella said in a gentle voice, falling on Linglong's ears.

It's Qi Zhen.

While he was teaching her how to hold an umbrella, he raised his hand to brush the frost and snow from her eyes.

The frost and snow were burned by the warmth of his fingertips, staining Linglong's eyes with moisture. Linglong looked at Qi Zhen in front of her, her nose was slightly sour, and she couldn't tell whether it was snow or tears at the end of her eyes.

He was always like this, giving her endless tenderness and love, which made her unable to understand and had a ridiculous dream for three years.

"Does His Highness always treat girls so carefully? He holds an umbrella to brush the snow and is gentle and loving." Linglong lowered her eyes to suppress her tears and whispered with a smile.

Qi Zhen was slightly startled by Linglong's words. He looked at Linglong's expression and was a little confused as to why Linglong said this.

Naturally, Qi Zhen was not so attentive to anyone. Thinking about it carefully, excluding his vague memories of dreams, Linglong was the only one to receive such tenderness and love from him.

He stroked the frosty snow in his exquisite hair and said casually, "What are you talking about? If everyone needs to be treated carefully and tenderly like you, how can I have the time to devote to government affairs?"

Qi Zhen was just talking casually, but listening to Linglong's ears at this moment, it had a different feeling.

Yes, what he has always liked is a lady who is gentle, knows things well and understands etiquette.

But Linglong knew that she was not that kind of girl.

She has a pampered temperament, is reckless and impulsive, has a low family background, grew up in the mountains, and is not considered a lady of the world.

She was not the woman Qi Zhen liked in the first place.

Linglong lowered her eyes, her eyes dim, and said nothing.

Qi Zhen didn't notice her thoughts, raised his eyes to look at the snow, held her wrist and walked to the dining room.

"It's snowing and cold, so hurry in."

Linglong let Qi Zhen hold her wrist and kept up with him, walking forward. Occasionally she raised her eyes and looked at him beside her, but the look in her eyes was different from before.

After more than ten steps, they arrived at the dining hall. The servant waiting outside took the umbrella and put it away. Qi Zhen held Linglong's wrist and stepped into the dining hall.

When Luoxia and Qiushui, who had just met their relatives and friends, came back, they happened to see Qi Zhen and Linglong walking over hand in hand.

Luoxia and Qiu Shui were originally servants of the Hou Mansion. When they returned to the Hou Mansion today, they naturally wanted to meet their relatives and friends.

Just now, Linglong and Shen Qinliu were chatting in the room, leaving Luoxia and Qiu Shui to go find old friends and reminisce.

The two of them originally came back with Linglong having lunch and preparing to go back to the East Palace, but Linglong had been standing by the garden for too long and was delayed. Therefore, when the two maids came back, they happened to catch up with Qi Zhen and

Linglong and Linglong stepped into the dining room.

There were maids waiting in the dining hall. Luoxia and Qiu Shui stopped and waited outside. Through the door of the dining hall, they could see Linglong and others inside.

Qiu Shui was very carefree and paid great attention to everything, so he didn't notice anything was wrong with Linglong.

But Luoxia, on the other hand, could see the difference after just a few glances.

During usual meals, Linglong would always take the trouble to prepare dishes for Qi Zhen, choosing all his favorites. But today, she just sipped the soup blankly, her eyes dim and lifeless, which was not her usual appearance at all.

Luoxia didn't know what happened in this short half day that could make Linglong change so much.

In the dining room, Qi Zhen finally saw something was wrong with Linglong.

"What's wrong? Is the meal not to your liking?" he asked in a low voice.

Linglong was brought back to her senses by his words, she forced a smile, shook her head and said, "No."

Qi Zhen frowned, put a piece of fish in the exquisite bowl, and said: "You eat less for breakfast, so you have to eat more for lunch."

Linglong's eyes fell on the fish in the bowl, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

Look, he has been sleeping with her for three years, but he doesn't know that she never eats fish.

The fishy smell made her feel sick to her stomach, and Linglong smiled with tears in her eyes.

I don't know if it was the fishy smell that made her breath uncomfortable, or it was the pain in her heart.

"What's wrong?" Qi Zhen asked hurriedly with panic on his face.

Luoxia from outside rushed in hurriedly, saw the fish in the bowl, and hurriedly pushed the rice bowl away.

"Young lady can't stand the smell of fish and can't eat fish meat."

Mrs. Hou also reacted and complained: "My wife was negligent and forgot that Linglong cannot eat fish."

Linglong had been absent from the house for three years, and Mrs. Hou had already forgotten that Linglong could not eat fish. Therefore, when preparing lunch, she forgot to order the kitchen to remove the fish.

Linglong's tears fell on the back of Qi Zhen's hand. Qi Zhen thought she was feeling uncomfortable after eating fish. Hearing this, he gave Mrs. Hou a cold look, picked up Linglong and walked out.

"Linglong is unwell, so I took her back first. Thank you so much for your hospitality today." Qi Zhen said thank you, but his voice was cold. I am afraid that not only did he not express gratitude, but he also wanted to accuse him. He was just worried.

Marquis of Ning'an, I didn't say anything directly just now.

Qi Zhen stepped out of the dining room with Linglong in his arms and walked straight to the door of Ning'an Hou Mansion.

It was snowing outside. Qi Zhen hugged Linglong and had no hands to hold the umbrella. He walked in a hurry, and the servants fell behind.

Heavy snow fell on the two of them. Qi Zhen took off his fox fur and covered Linglong's body, covering the whole person in his arms.

Linglong was in Qi Zhen's arms, her vision completely dark, and she was finally able to take off the disguise she had to make.

She leaned against his heart and heard his warm heartbeat in her ears, which was so real and hot.

But Linglong couldn't discern his thoughts.

Did he ever like her?
To be continued...