Chapter 51: Yearning
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.
When Meng Chang'an arrived at the meeting place she agreed on with Shu Yao last night, Shuyao, wearing a half silver mask, was sitting at a nearby stall eating plain noodles.
After Meng Chang'an sat down, Shu Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked up at her, and smiled.
"Hey, look at you with that happy face. Did something good happen?"
Something good?
Was having the Princess confess her feelings considered something good?
Meng Chang'an slightly pursed her lips, hiding her smile, and said, "What good news could I possibly have?"
After speaking, without caring if Shu Yao believed her or not, Meng Chang'an raised her voice and called out, “Boss, bring me a bowl of plain noodles too!"
As Meng Chang'an lifted her head slightly, the kiss marks on her neck became fully visible to Shuyao.
Sweeping her gaze over those marks a few times, Shu Yao smiled meaningfully.
The imperial Sister is mighty; she certainly did not disappoint her.
Seeing the deep and unhideable smile on the Young Master's face, Shu Yao, who had sold this person more than once, felt a bit relieved and continued to interact with the Young Master as usual.
"Just look at your disheveled appearance last night compared to your radiant look today. It is truly like two different people."
Young Master Meng felt slightly guilty. After thinking about it, she realized that she had not revealed anything in front of Shu Yao the previous night. She then asked with a justified tone, "Can you act the same when you are drunk as you do normally?"
Well, since Young Master Meng was not willing to say more, Shu Yao naturally would not pry further.
Looking towards the shop door and seeing no one coming out, Shu Yao then took down the wine gourd from her waist, took a small sip, and casually replied, "I have never experienced the taste of being drunk."
To avoid further teasing from Shuyao, Young Master Meng quickly changed the subject.
"Why are you alone? What about Sister Lingyun?"
"There was a young beggar who was beaten half to death for stealing buns. She saw it and is now inside, borrowing a place from the shopkeeper to help set the bones."
Clearly, despite being raised by a poison doctor, she still possessed a compassion that was out of place with the Demonic Sect.
In a world where everyone was preoccupied with their own troubles, only Shen Lingyun still willingly meddled in others' affairs. Having been with her for a long time, Meng Chang'an was used to it and did not say much. She merely nodded slightly, then took out her chopsticks and began eating the freshly served Yangchun noodles.
After a whole night of trouble, she was now extremely hungry.
It did not take long for them to wait. Once Young Master Meng had finished eating both the noodles and the soup, Shen Lingyun, dressed in white, came out of the shop.
She had hired someone to take the injured beggar to a pharmacy under the famous Divine Doctors Sect, and after paying all the necessary compensation out of her own pocket, Shen Lingyun then walked to the table at the stall and sat down.
“Where did you go last night to drink and cause a scene?”
After accepting and drinking a few sips of tea that Shu Yao handed her, Shen Lingyun turned her gaze to Young Master Meng and took a closer look.
Unexpectedly, the usually careless Young Master Meng had actually applied a bit of makeup today!
Shen Lingyun was quite surprised.
Shu Yao smiled subtly and did not point out Young Master Meng’s unusual behavior or the marks on her neck.
But after clearly seeing the conspicuous marks on her neck, Shen Lingyun frowned imperceptibly, her gaze lingering on Young Master Meng’s neck as she directly asked, “What happened? Did someone bully you?”
Only then did Young Master Meng belatedly touch her neck. A flush of red immediately spread across her cheeks.
She could not discern the deeper meaning in Shen Lingyun’s words or guess what she had noticed. Nonetheless, after scratching her neck casually, Young Master Meng composed herself and put her hand down.
“Who could possibly bully me? These are just mosquito bites, very itchy.”
Last night, the Princess had indeed been like an “itchy mosquito,” stinging her all night and making her heart itch unbearably.
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared in Young Master Meng’s eyes. Some changes were obvious to those around her.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Young Master Meng did not know how her appearance looked to Shen Lingyun and Shuyao. Before Shen Lingyun could continue asking, she had already stood up and urged, “Let us go quickly!”
The changes associated with a young girl’s first love were indeed apparent. Especially the smile on Young Master Meng’s face, which she could not conceal, was something that others could easily notice.
Unlike Shuyao’s perceptiveness, Shen Lingyun was somewhat puzzled at this moment.
However, Shen Lingyun had grown up with Young Master Meng as a sister and knew her temperament well. If Young Master Meng did not want to speak, even if she twisted her neck, Shen Lingyun would not press further.
Therefore, despite the many questions Shen Lingyun had, she did not ask more. She simply gave Young Master Meng a cold glance and then called Shu Yao to leave the small stall together.
The carriage was parked by the stone wall not far away. The three of them, traveling light, moved quickly.
After all, Shen Lingyun had no attachment to this unfamiliar place, and Shuyao, who had enjoyed freedom, did not want to return to the cage that once confined her.
Both had no intention of lingering here. For Young Master Meng, the capital was merely a place that devoured people without leaving any bones behind. The longer she stayed, the more troublesome it became, so she naturally did not want to stay any longer.
Moreover, aside from the Princess in the Princess' residence, Young Master Meng had nothing else to miss.
Thinking of the Princess, a faint joy surfaced in Young Master Meng’s heart.
If she wants to snatch away the Princess of a dynasty, how many men and horses would she need to borrow from the master to escape unscathed?
Young Master Meng, who was lost in her thoughts and calculating in her mind, did not notice the unusual sight in the carriage until she got on with Shen Lingyun. Only then did she see the person leaning against the carriage wall inside.
“Ye Wuyou?”
Young Master Meng asked in surprise, “Why are you here?”
In response, Ye Wuyou lifted her eyes and glanced at her.
Seeing Young Master Meng made Ye Wuyou recall her actions from last night and almost smell the stench on herself.
After shaking off the “memorable” scene from her mind, Ye Wuyou sneered and said, “It is because you insisted on having me take you out for drinks last night. I exposed my location, and the eyes that had finally been shaken off are now back on me! Those people all want to catch me. If I do not run now, should I just stay in the capital and be a target?”
“You can run, but you do not need to follow me!”
Having barely escaped Ye Wuyou’s watch, Young Master Meng was displeased to find out that she had followed her. But seeing Shen Lingyun’s calm demeanor, she realized, “Did you agree to this?”
In response, Shen Lingyun nodded and took out a medical book that was always kept in the carriage. She began to read it on her own.
“Indeed, I agreed to take her out of the capital. After we leave the capital, she will serve as our bodyguard to prevent A'yao from exhausting herself on the long journey.”
No matter how the three inside the carriage argued, Shuyao, who was driving, did not plan to ask if they wanted to change their minds. She simply smiled lightly and continued driving toward the city gate.
Fortunately, Young Master Meng was in a good mood, so she did not argue with Ye Wuyou. After weighing the pros and cons, Young Master Meng decided not to say much more. She found an empty spot, sat down, and leaned against the carriage wall to rest her eyes.
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.
After all, they had not yet left the capital. Both she and Ye Wuyou were not in a position to be seen publicly. If they were to accidentally fall into the hands of those Princes, it would undoubtedly cause trouble for the Princess.
Thinking of this, Young Master Meng silently accepted the news that she would be traveling with Ye Wuyou. Moreover, she felt she should help prevent Ye Wuyou from falling into the hands of the authorities to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for the Princess.
Unlike her own disreputable identity as the leader of the Demonic Sect, the token of the Young Master of the Divine Doctor's Sect that Shen Lingyun held would save them from many troubles.
With Shen Lingyun around, the road out of the capital was smooth and unobstructed. Until they passed through the city gate of the capital, they did not encounter any trouble from the soldiers or officials.
After leaving the city gate, Young Master Meng even leaned out of the car window to look back. As she watched the words “Capital" on the city gate grow smaller and smaller, she could not help but become momentarily distracted.
The dust had already separated the scene of the city gate into the distance, and also placed the Princess' residence deep within her heart.
It was as if everything had returned to the beginning, before the incident with Ye Wuyou's kidnapping and before her own marriage arranged in place of her brother.
Yet, the memories engraved in Young Master Meng's heart were now hard to erase.
Young Master Meng had only stayed in the capital for a few days, but her clumsy acting and obvious flaws while pretending to be the Prince Consort had completely disrupted the situation in the capital. Even though she had already left the capital and swapped identities with He Changping, there were still people in the capital who continued to doubt the Prince Consort's identity and would not give up.
But everything that remained was no longer related to Young Master Meng.
Those with intentions had achieved their goal of creating trouble for her. The rest of the matters would be handled by those who had made the arrangements. No matter how big the trouble, it would no longer fall on Young Master Meng.
Although having Shen Lingyun accompany her saved Young Master Meng and Ye Wuyou from many major troubles, Shen Lingyun's presence still brought its share of small inconveniences.
What was originally a two-day journey to cross into the neighboring state was delayed to five days due to Shen Lingyun's frequent acts of saving people and treating illnesses along the way.
