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

Chapter 54: Success

Li Jingyang tightened his lips, and his gaze toward Dong Xiaoyue became colder.

Dong Xiaoyue glanced at Li Jingyang with lightning speed, then quickly looked away, lowering her head even further and not daring to breathe.

Where is Lin Rusi?

Minister Dong hurriedly instructed the maids in the mansion to bring Lin Rusi out.

Li Jingyang walked to Lin Rusi's side, raised his hand, and helped her down the steps.

"Your outburst almost scared Minister Dong to death."

"Why let that girl get away with something so trivial?"

As long as Lin Rusi mentions the prime minister or his name, even if Dong Xiaoyue had a hundred times the courage, she wouldn't dare to kidnap Lin Rusi and bring her here.

Lin Rusi, however, did the opposite. She first had Dong Xiaoyue kidnap her and bring her here, and then went to great lengths to inform him and Lin Lezheng.

Lin Rusi raised her chin and said arrogantly, "Hmph, that Dong Xiaoyue is a snob."

"If we don't teach her a lesson, how will she know who she is?"

"I'm making such a fuss to show them that I have powerful backers and I'm not someone to mess with."

Li Jingyang raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Lin Rusi carrying a deeper meaning.

"You mean you're willing to accept me?"

Lin Rusi casually hummed in agreement, "Your Highness is my future husband, why would I not accept Your Highness?"

She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking, and her face quickly turned bright red.

She bit her lower lip, avoiding Li Jingyang's burning gaze, and said awkwardly, "Your Highness, please take my daughter away from here as soon as possible."

"I don't want to stay at the Dong residence for even a moment longer."

Lin Rusi was walking too fast and didn't notice the small pit in front of her, so she stepped into it.

Her body began to sway and she fell forward unsteadily.

At the critical moment, a force suddenly appeared in his lower back.

She was stunned for a moment, and the next second, she was pulled into an embrace.

Lin Rusi pressed against Li Jingyang's chest, and through the thin fabric of his clothes, she could hear his strong and steady heartbeat.

Lin Rusi's heart began to pound in unison with Li Jingyang's heartbeat, almost leaping out of her confined chest.

After a while, Li Jingyang's concerned voice came from above, "Are you alright?"

Lin Rusi blinked, abruptly pulling herself back to reality. "No, it's alright."

She pressed against Li Jingyang's chest, her body temperature gradually rising.

In order to prevent Li Jingyang from noticing her strange behavior, Lin Rusi quickly turned her back, not wanting him to see her already flushed face.

Li Jingyang noticed Lin Rusi's flustered appearance and couldn't help but curl his lips into a tender smile.

Lin Le, who was standing to one side, noticed that Lin Rusi was acting coy and weak in front of Li Jingyang. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, Rusi, I have other matters to attend to. I'll have Prince Jinglie escort you back."

Lin Rusi suddenly raised her head, her eyes fixed on Lin Lezheng.

She didn't want to be with Li Jingyang, but Lin Lezheng ignored her and turned to leave.

Lin Rusi wanted to chase after him, but her wrist was suddenly tightened.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned around to meet Li Jingyang's ambiguous smile.

"Rusi, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"You almost tripped while walking just now, be careful."

Meeting Li Jingyang's gaze, Lin Rusi nodded slightly and smiled, "Your Highness is right."

"I will be more careful from now on, and even more careful, so that Your Highness will not have to worry again."

Lin Rusi wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground right now.

Li Jingyang chuckled, reached out, and gripped Lin Rusi's hand tightly. "Let's go."

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Dong Xiaoyu, who had been kneeling on the ground, finally dared to timidly raise her head.

She stared blankly at Li Jingyang's retreating figure, her heart suddenly stopping.

She had never seen such a handsome man in her entire life.

Li Jingyang has a somewhat effeminate appearance, but he is quite masculine, and his every word and action stirs Dong Xiaoyue's emotions.

Even after the person had completely disappeared from sight, Dong Xiaoyue was still in a daze.

When Minister Dong saw that Dong Xiaoyue was still kneeling upright on the ground, he quickly helped her up.

"Why are you still kneeling, child? Get up quickly."

Dong Xiaoyue snapped out of her daze, grabbed Dong Shangshu, and stared blankly in the direction Li Jingyang had left.

"Father, is the man who just called himself a prince the infamous Prince Jinglie, who is said to kill without blinking an eye?"

Minister Dong's face visibly fell.

He frantically covered Dong Xiaoyue's mouth, anxiously saying, "Silly girl, you can't say things like that!"

"Don't mention any more rumors about Prince Jinglie!"

"And you're not allowed to offend anyone again in the future."

"The capital city appears prosperous on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents are surging."

"A slight misstep could offend someone. You must remember what happened today and never repeat it!"

Dong Xiaoyue nodded, but she hadn't actually listened to what Minister Dong said at all.

Now, Dong Xiaoyue's mind is entirely on Li Jingyang.

How wonderful it would be if she could become the future Princess Jinglie.

Lin Rusi is treacherous and cunning; she is completely unworthy of being the Princess Consort of Jinglie.

Dong Xiaoyue began to devise a plan in her mind to seduce Prince Jinglie.

She now needs to make her presence known to King Jinglie and make him remember her, so that she will have a chance to win him over.

Dong Xiaoyue began sending people to inquire about the whereabouts of Prince Jinglie.

Prince Jinglie, Li Jingyang, was a first-rate idle prince in the capital. He spent his days either drinking tea in teahouses, playing with birds, or visiting the Lin residence.

Dong Xiaoxu arrived at the teahouse early, hoping to catch a glimpse of Prince Jinglie.

The teahouse was bustling with people, and she looked around, hoping to find Prince Jinglie among the crowd.

While searching so intently, he bumped into a woman.

"Oh dear, my tea!"

A cry of surprise rang out, followed by a thud as something fell.

Dong Xiaoyue shuddered and took two steps back.

She stared in horror at the elegantly dressed woman before her, her heart skipping a beat.

Princess Lin'an frowned and glared angrily at Dong Xiaoyue.

"Look what you've done to my tea!"

Do you know how precious this tea is?

Dong Xiaoyue looked at the steaming tea on the ground, pouted, and said, "I'll compensate you."

"Tell me, how much is your tea?"

Princess Lin'an's temper flared up as well, and she was very dissatisfied with Dong Xiaoyue's attitude.

"Pay back?"

Her eyebrows shot up, and her gaze towards Dong Xiaoyue burned with fierce anger.

"This is outrageous! You spilled my tea, and all you're thinking about is paying me back?"

Dong Xiaoyue scoffed, "We've already offered you compensation, what more do you want?"

"You were the one who bumped into me because you weren't watching where you were going, and you still act all high and mighty!"

Dong Xiaoyue successfully provoked Princess Lin'an with just a few words, "Heh, how dare you be so rude in front of me!"

"You really don't know what's good for you!"

Princess Lin'an raised her hand and slapped Dong Xiaoyue hard across the face.