Chapter 40: Who Misses Her?!

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

As the Princess led Young Master Meng up the Xueyue Pavilion, Qiu Sheng happened to have taken his men to the Lin Mansion.

The Lin family, old and young, knelt on the ground, silently listening to Qiu Sheng's decree.

To have Lin Xingyang guard the Princess' residence?

Receiving such a decree suddenly, everyone present had their own thoughts, and Old General Lin couldn't help but feel alarmed.

After Qiu Sheng left, the father, son, and grandson gathered in the study to discuss the events of the day.

"Going to the brothel? Lin Xingyang, ah Lin Xingyang, you really have some nerve."

Seated at the desk, Old General Lin tapped lightly on the table, sneering as he asked, "Would you care to explain your relationship with the Prince Consort? How could you be so close as to frolic with him at the brothel?"

At this moment, Lin Xingyang hung his head guiltily.

Seeing this, Lin Zimu quickly pretended to scold, "It is fortunate that His Majesty did not decide to make things difficult for you. Otherwise, it would have been you accompanying the Prince Consort to the prison today! The capital is not like our province. This is not a place where you can frivolously engage in antics! If you inadvertently incur the royal wrath, perhaps our whole family will be buried altogether!"

It's also fortunate that no one wanted to make a big deal out of Lin Xingyang's actions. Otherwise, if they were to accuse Lin Xingyang of instigating the Prince Consort to visit the brothel, he would undoubtedly face consequences.

Lin Xingyang cautiously glanced up, seeing that Lin Zhenshi's expression was truly unpleasant. He could only ask carefully, "So, according to Grandfather, I am not allowed to go to the Princess’ residence?"

"The decree has been delivered to our home. Do you think it's still up to me whether you go or not?!"

Lin Xingyang shrunk his neck, not daring to argue, simply standing there silently as his irritable grandfather threw scrolls at him. It didn't hurt much anyway.

On the side, Lin Zimu didn't dare to intervene either, sensing that his father didn't want Lin Xingyang to get involved in trouble. He straightforwardly suggested, "If Father really does not want him to go, then let us give this boy a chance to 'accidentally' break his leg. That way, His Majesty will not force him to guard the Princess' residence."

Lin Xingyang: "…"

Is this still his own father?

At this, Old General Lin sneered.

"But he looked quite pleased when he received the imperial decree. If we break his leg now, will he not hold a grudge against us?" 

With that, Lin Zimu turned his gaze to Lin Xingyang, waiting for his response in silence.

Given the current situation and knowing his grandfather's temperament, Lin Xingyang dared not hide anything and had to honestly confess, "Is it not because the Prince Consort happens to be Aunt's favorite godchild since childhood? She rarely comes to the capital, and if I do not take good care of her, how can I face Aunt!"

With that, Lin Zhenshi's expression softened slightly.

After a long silence, Lin Zhenshi spoke again, "So, which child married Her Highness this time?"

While others might not know about the twin siblings, Lin Zhenshi had heard about them long ago.

Without waiting for Lin Xingyang to respond, Lin Zhenshi relaxed and leaned back.

"Never mind, you do not need to say it. It seems that this time, it is definitely the girl."

Seeing that Lin Zhenshi didn't get angry as he expected, and even seemed a bit absent-minded, Lin Xingyang dared to continue, "Then... can this grandson still go to the Princess’ residence as per the decree?"

Asking Lin Xingyang was not a good idea. Lin Zhenshi became even more impatient: "Do you still need to ask me? Hurry up and get ready! Eunuch Qiu said that this time, His Majesty intended for Her Highness to head south. I think your role as her escort is inevitable."

Before Lin Xingyang could happily withdraw, Lin Zhenshi called him back, earnestly advising, "Remember, as a General of the Great Chang Dynasty, you defend the people and the country! You must not lose sight of your duty because of factional disputes! When you go to the Princess' residence, just do your duty properly. Do not act recklessly because of others' idle talk! Whatever happens, you must protect the Princess and the Prince Consort. Do you understand? Do your duty well, and if anything happens, I will take responsibility for you."

Indeed, it was because of his aunt that the old man conceded.

Lin Xingyang didn't say much, just smiled and replied, "This grandson will remember Grandfather's teachings!"

After Lin Xingyang left the study, Lin Zimu asked with concern, "Father, if we let that boy go so easily, it might not sit well with the Prime Minister's side."

Hearing this, Lin Zhenshi just snorted coldly and said, "We must not forget the Prime Minister's past kindness, but some matters are beyond our control. Since His Majesty has decided to send that boy to the Princess’ residence at this critical juncture, it seems that our Lin family cannot avoid involvement. It appears that we are already in a difficult position both internally and externally. In this situation, it seems we can only make more mistakes by intervening. Since the decree has been issued, it is better to let that boy cause trouble on his own, and we just need to watch from the sidelines."

At this point, Lin Zhenshi couldn't help but rub his temples and sighed, "Why did it have to be that girl as the fake Prince Consort?"

To him, even if his daughter hadn't returned home, her goddaughter was still his granddaughter.

The Lin family had always been protective, and since they knew she was Young Master Meng, it was natural for them to defend her.

However, at this moment, Young Master Meng was unaware of the impact her presence had on them.

When Young Master Meng woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

The fiery sensation on her buttocks had eased considerably, and there was a faint coolness as if someone had applied medication.

Only then did Young Master Meng realize where she was.

How come she wasn't lying on Her Highness' body anymore? How did she end up in this bed?

Young Master Meng, who had been lying down for a whole day, only now felt her neck was incredibly sore.

After rubbing her neck slightly and turning her head, she began to survey the furnishings in the room.

Mm, this isn't Her Highness’ bedchamber.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Young Master Meng's eyes. Before she could gather her emotions, the person lounging on the chair at the end of the bed, casually swinging her legs while reading a book, caught her eye.

"Ye Wuyou? What are you doing here?"

At this, Ye Wuyou raised her head from the book, smiling as she asked, "Do you know where you are? And you are asking me what am I doing here? Do you know whose territory you are lying in?"

Seeing it wasn't the Princess, Young Master Meng's eyes betrayed unmistakable disappointment. However, she still tried to maintain a calm demeanor and changed her question: "Oh, then how did I end up here?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Wuyou burst into laughter, her body trembling. She jokingly remarked, "You are wondering why you are here? Well, can you not guess? Of course, it is  because Li Qiubai sold you to me in exchange for your elder brother."

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

At that moment, Meng Chang'an felt a pang in her heart, as if it had been pricked by a needle. It wasn't painful, but it left a sour ache in her chest.

"Nonsense, full of nonsense!" 

Meng Chang'an didn't want to engage with Ye Wuyou any longer. She turned her head away and ignored Ye Wuyou completely.

However, as she turned, Meng Chang'an noticed that she was now only wearing loose undergarments.

Inside the undergarment, the binding cloth strip she used to conceal her female identity was nowhere to be found.

Removing the strip made her feel more comfortable, but Meng Chang'an felt uneasy knowing it wasn't removed by her own hands.

"Who helped me change clothes?"

Ye Wuyou, who had resumed reading, was interrupted once again and had to lift her head.

Meeting Meng Chang'an's slightly stern gaze again, Ye Wuyou couldn't resist teasing.

"Of course, it is your sister-in-law whom you miss the most..."

Ye Wuyou specially prolonged the ending of her voice and paused for a moment. Seeing that Young Master Meng's brows relaxed a little, she smiled and continued: "Me!"

Once those words were put together, they took on a different meaning.

Before Meng Chang'an could even muster a smile, Ye Wuyou's latter remark infuriated her.

“Scram!"

Having successfully observed Meng Chang'an's rapidly changing expression, Ye Wuyou smiled contentedly.

Continuing to swing her legs and flip through the book, she teased, "What? Did you think it was someone else? We are both women, why is it okay for her to change you but not me? Let me tell you, not only did she change your clothes, but she also applied medicine for you! Tsk tsk, such attentiveness! I could not imagine a princess capable of such things!"

Confirming that it wasn't Ye Wuyou who changed her clothes, Meng Chang'an felt a bit more at ease, and her expression softened slightly.

"So where is she? Why am I here with you?"

Ye Wuyou smiled and said, "Did I not already tell you? She sold you to me in exchange for your elder brother. Do you believe me?"

Hearing this, Meng Chang'an just snorted, "I do not believe you!"

Without even lifting an eyelid, Ye Wuyou simply lowered her head and calmly said, "If you do not believe me, why bother asking? Just lie back down obediently; your injuries have not fully healed yet."

Not willing to leave it at that, Meng Chang'an remained silent for a moment before continuing to probe Ye Wuyou, trying to coax some information out of her indirectly.

"What are you staring at so intently?"

Seeing Meng Chang'an trying to continue the conversation, Ye Wuyou closed the book she held and waved it in front of her. She chuckled, "This book was quite hard to get from Ling Xixi, you know? It is about the romance between a rich girl and a female thief. Do you want to read it?"

Meng Chang'an: "..."

After a moment of silence, Meng Chang'an finally managed to say, "Who wants to read that kind of thing?! And why are you even reading that?! That is..."

"It is just a story about love between women, nothing more! Besides, when I saw it, I thought you looked much better than your elder brother, so I wanted to learn a thing or two from this book and maybe make a move on you..."

After flashing a mischievous smile, Ye Wuyou continued, "How about it? Shall we just make do and live together?"

This was the last straw for Meng Chang'an. Without hesitation, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at Ye Wuyou, shouting, "Get out of here!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, what is the big deal? Look at you, all worked up!"

Ye Wuyou casually caught the pillow and teased Meng Chang'an, who was now blushing with anger. "Were you not eager to find me earlier? Now that you have found me, why are you not happy? And also, did you not want to find your elder brother earlier? Now that he has finally gone back, are you happy?"

Regardless of Meng Chang'an's expression, Ye Wuyou stood up leisurely after speaking, and tossed both the book and the pillow back onto the bed, returning them to Meng Chang'an.

"Alright, alright, I will go make some medicine for you. Just lie down obediently. Who knows, once your injury heals, you might have a chance to see Her Highness, whom you miss the most."

Upon hearing this, Meng Chang'an's face turned even redder.

"Who misses her?!"

First, she was angry, then embarrassed.

Ye Wuyou didn't say anything but just smiled meaningfully before leaving directly, locking the door and windows behind her.

Meanwhile, the book that she had been so engrossed in, lay quietly by Meng Chang'an's side.

As Meng Chang'an's gaze fell on the cover, she couldn't help but furrow her brow.

A daughter from a rich family and a female thief from the Jianghu? 

In love?

Meng Chang'an had never seen such a book before. Now, she couldn't help but feel curious and glanced at the pages.

Since she was confined to this room by Ye Wuyou, she thought, why not pass the time by reading a bit?

With this in mind, Meng Chang'an picked up the book and flipped through it.

To her surprise, she quickly understood what this so-called "book" was all about.

Indeed, the treasure in Ling Xixi's hands was not as simple as it seemed!

Author's Note:

I swear, the comments in the previous chapter are the neatest in history. It's almost all "hahaha." People who don't know might think I'm writing some silly story! 

Look at me and my cold humor, only then do you all jump out. This author might really cry with sadness! I've already remembered the ones who laughed the most. If they dare to leave without a message after they finish laughing, I'll... 

(Yesterday I borrowed a colleague's spare phone, and today my phone is fixed. I can update normally from now on!)