Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 396 The Lady's Confession

The following evening, Lin Chen, as usual, went to each room to "busy" himself.

However, today he went to Lan Fenghuang's room first, and Lan Fenghuang wouldn't let him go, and it took her more than half an hour to let him go.

Then there's Yao Yao. This girl has been getting better and better lately. She's been spouting witty remarks for some reason, almost causing Lin Chen to retreat prematurely.

Next was A-Yue. A-Yue was still too shy to speak up. Her face was as red as a boiled shrimp the whole time, and she bit her lip, not daring to make a sound.

But her body language betrayed her; she clung to Lin Chen's neck and refused to let go.

Finally, there were Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang. These two sisters were getting more and more in sync, one on the left and one on the right, working together seamlessly. Lin Chen almost couldn't handle it.

When Lin Chen came out of the double rooms, his legs were a little weak.

He stood in the corridor, holding onto the railing, and took a deep breath.

The sea breeze blew by, cool and salty, making his robes flutter.

Lin Chen stretched his back, his bones cracking twice, and he thought to himself:

This job is not something that just anyone can do.

Lin Chen gave a wry smile, swallowed a Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill, and then turned and walked towards the deck.

The deck was quiet, with the Snow Dragon Riders patrolling.

Groups of three to five, clad in silver armor and white robes, moved silently, like a group of ghosts.

When they saw Lin Chen, they all clasped their hands in greeting. Lin Chen waved his hand, and they continued their patrol.

Lingbo was standing at the bow of the boat again, and Lin Chen had no idea what this woman was looking at or thinking about all day.

Lin Chen walked over and stood next to Ling Bo, resting his hands on the railing and looking at the distant sea.

The sea shimmered, the moon was large, and its light shone down, making the sea look as if it were covered with a layer of silver.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Lin Chen asked.

Lingbo didn't say anything.

Lin Chen didn't care and continued speaking to himself:

"The moon is so big tonight, look, doesn't it look like a pancake?"

Lingbo remained silent.

Lin Chen glanced at her sideways.

Under the moonlight, her profile was as beautiful as a painting; her skin was so white it seemed to glow, her eyelashes were long and slightly upturned, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were pressed into a line.

A breeze blew by, causing her long hair to flutter and brush against Lin Chen's shoulder, tickling him and carrying a faint, cool fragrance.

Lin Chen touched his nose and smiled:

"You really have no sense of conversation. We've known each other for so long, can't you at least give me some face?"

Lingbo finally spoke, her voice clear and cold, like the winter wind:

"You didn't come here to chat."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Then tell me, what am I here for?"

Lingbo didn't answer, and turned away.

The white dress unfurled in the wind, like a blooming white lotus.

Her footsteps were so light, as light as a cat's footsteps on a carpet, almost inaudible.

As she reached the cabin door, she paused, didn't turn around, and said:

"You know it yourself."

Then his figure disappeared from Lin Chen's sight.

Lin Chen smiled and shook his head, muttering, "What do I know? I don't know anything."

Then he turned to look at the other end of the boat.

There was another person standing there—Yama Reikoya.

She stood by the railing, her hands resting on it, gazing at the distant sea, lost in thought.

A gust of wind blew by, causing the hem of her kimono to flutter, revealing a white petticoat underneath, barely concealed.

Lin Chen hesitated for a moment; he should go back to sleep.

He's been busy all night, his legs are weak, he should go back and rest.

But his feet wouldn't obey him and he walked over there.

"Madam, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Shan Lingkongya turned around and saw that it was Lin Chen, her face turning slightly red.

The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, and was particularly noticeable in the moonlight.

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tracing the railing, and whispered:

"I can't sleep."

Lin Chen stood next to her, his hands resting on the railing, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Not too far, I could smell the fragrance of her hair; not too close, so as not to offend her.

"Missing home?" Lin Chen made conversation.

Shan Lingkongya shook her head, then nodded.

Lin Chen smiled and said, "So you've thought about it."

Shan Lingkongya didn't speak, her fingers continuing to rub the railing, one stroke at a time, very slowly.

Lin Chen glanced at her, his eyes flickering slightly, then changed the subject:

"Are you doing well in Dongli?"

Shan Lingkongya was taken aback; she hadn't expected Lin Chen to ask that.

She gave a wry smile, a smile that contained a lot of emotions.

There was helplessness, bitterness, relief, and a trace of indescribable emotion.

"What's good or bad about it? It's just like that."

Shan Lingkongya gazed at the distant sea, remained silent for a long time, and then said softly:

"I entered the palace at the age of sixteen, and it's been twenty-two years. In the beginning, I would miss home, my parents, and my brothers and sisters."

"Later I stopped thinking about it. It wasn't that I didn't want to, it was that I was afraid to think about it. Thinking about it would make me uncomfortable, and I couldn't go back. What's the use of thinking about it if I can't go back?"

Lin Chen listened without saying a word.

Yamarei Sora continued, as if talking to herself:

"He...has many women, and I'm just one of them."

Not the most favored, nor the least favored.

He's just... an ordinary guy. He comes to my room once or twice a month, sometimes not at all.

When they came, they just...did that thing, and left as soon as they were done, without even saying a few words.

Shan Lingkongya's voice was very calm, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.

But Lin Chen noticed that the knuckles of her fingers, which were gripping the railing, were white.

"He hasn't come since Piaopiao came into my life. Nineteen years, nineteen years, no man has touched me."

When she said this, her voice was completely calm, but her face turned red, red all the way to her ears.

Lin Chen turned his head to look at her; in the moonlight, her profile was beautiful.

But there was an indescribable sadness in his eyes, like a deep pool of water, calm on the surface but turbulent beneath.

Lin Chen shifted his gaze to the distant sea.

"Sometimes I think," Shan Lingkongya continued, her voice trembling slightly.

"What would things be like now if I hadn't entered the palace back then?"

Maybe she married an ordinary person, had several children, and did laundry and cooked every day. Although it was hard work, at least... it was her own life.

My life is my own, not someone else's.

No need to live at the mercy of others, no need to be constantly on edge, no need to lock yourself in a cage like a canary.

Shan Lingkongya's eyes reddened, but she didn't let the tears fall.

She took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions.

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then said, "Aren't you out now?"

Shan Lingkong paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Chen.

Under the moonlight, her eyes glistened with tears.

Like a pool of spring water, reflecting the moon, the stars, and Lin Chen's face.

She looked at Lin Chen, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but then she didn't.

Her gaze was complex—it contained gratitude, dependence, and longing.

There was also a primal, instinctive impulse that had been suppressed for nineteen years.

That impulse, like a fire, burned in her heart for nineteen years.

She kept suppressing it, kept suppressing it, until she almost forgot herself.

But tonight, on this ship, on this moonlit night, that fire has reignited.

And it's more prosperous than ever before.