Chapter 64: Reconciliation
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 Ye Wuyou pushed open the door and entered, the Princess had already draped an outer robe over her shoulders and was seated by the table.
Unlike the soft and affectionate manner she showed earlier while nestled in the Young Master's arms, the Princess displayed no hint of weakness before others. Even in such a severely injured state, she still managed to sit upright at the table with her back straight.
Looking at her like this, she seemed no different from usual, still maintaining that dignified and steady demeanor. Aside from her pale complexion, there really was no sign of anything unusual.
Ye Wuyou had merely glanced a few times at the Princess, yet immediately received a guarded look from the Young Master, who was standing nearby, attentively pouring water for the Princess.
“Tsk, Chang'an, why are you staring at me like that? I just looked at Your Highness a few times, and you look as if you are about to eat me up—is that really necessary?”
Without any formality toward the two, Ye Wuyou teased the Young Master as she walked over to the table and sat confidently across from the Princess. She pointed at the empty cup in front of her, raised an eyebrow, and commanded the Young Master, “Be a good little sister and pour your sister-in-law a cup of tea as well!”
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, Young Master Meng's face darkened on the spot.
If it were any other time, Meng Chang'an would not have bothered with Ye Wuyou's manner of speaking. But for her to say such words in front of the Princess, given the subtle relationship between the two, it fell on the Young Master’s ears as nothing short of a provocation.
After all, the Princess was still, in name, her elder brother’s legally wedded wife.
And Ye Wuyou was the one who disrupted the Princess’ grand wedding.
“Ye Wuyou! Do not go too far!”
The Young Master's protective stance was overly obvious, and upon hearing it, the Princess couldn’t help but smile. She took the initiative to pour a cup of water for Ye Wuyou and, with a playful tone, said, “Sister-in-law, please.”
Seeing the Princess' faintly smiling expression, Ye Wuyou couldn’t help but shiver.
Upon hearing this, Meng Chang'an was also momentarily stunned.
The Princess’ straightforward response made Young Master Meng feel a twinge of guilt.
Before Ye Wuyou could continue teasing this silly girl, the Princess raised her hand, gently squeezed Young Master Meng's palm, tilted her head, and looked at her slightly flushed cheeks, chuckling as she said, “Wuyou and I still have a few things to discuss. Would you like to go rest for a while?”
Young Master Meng frowned slightly.
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.
Such an obvious hint, how could she not understand it?
Meng Chang'an always had great self-awareness. Although she did not know what the Princess and Ye Wuyou could possibly talk about, since the Princess' intention to avoid the topic was so evident, how could she continue to stay and disturb the Princess?
“Then I will go out first.”
After saying this, she glanced at Ye Wuyou with vigilance and continued, “I will wait outside. If anything happens, remember to call me.”
Li Qiubai curved her lips and chuckled, “It is fine, you can rest assured and go back. Do not worry.”
Her Highness actually trusted this person so much?
Young Master Meng pouted unhappily but did not say much. She also did not linger, only softly responded with an "Mm" before turning to leave the Princess' room.
Meng Chang'an's protective attitude made Ye Wuyou secretly laugh. After she left, Ye Wuyou feigned anger and said, “Look at this ungrateful little girl, it is really excessive. She guards me like I am a thief!”
Hearing this, Li Qiubai's eyes sparkled with amusement. She simply replied to Ye Wuyou with two words: “As deserved.”
The implication was that Chang'an indeed did a great job by doing this.
Ye Wuyou had never seen the Princess display such a soft demeanor. At this moment, the tenderness and affection in the Princess's eyes surprised Ye Wuyou greatly.
After rolling her eyes in disdain, Ye Wuyou said, “Tsk, are you even speaking like a human? I worked hard to serve you, and you treat me like this!”
Knowing Ye Wuyou's playful nature, Li Qiubai did not engage her further. Instead, she calmly asked, “How have the arrangements been made?”
Thus, Ye Wuyou finally ceased her teasing. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to the Princess' ear, whispering, “The news has already been spread. Lin Xingyang has taken the ambush team to pursue them. All the fish that slipped through the net have been caught. Now, all parties only know that you are seriously injured and your life and death are uncertain. For the time being, they will not hear anything else.”
Thus, the Princess finally satisfiedly curled her lips and asked in a calm voice, “Have the spies traveling with the list been dealt with as well?”
“Do you not trust me to handle things?”
After saying this, Ye Wuyou glanced at the Princess again and scoffed, “Tsk, it is you. Clearly, you could have retreated unscathed, yet you still ended up torturing yourself like this.”
Li Qiubai's expression remained unchanged as she replied in a calm voice, “Who knows if there are still spies hidden in the dark? A false act must be made real to seem more credible.”
After saying this, Li Qiubai paused for a moment before lowering her gaze and adding, “Furthermore, I certainly cannot allow my sister to be harmed because of me again.”
“Heh, you actually know how to care for your younger sister.”
Ye Wuyou said ambiguously. “Do you not know? When that girl Chang’an saw you injured, she looked as if she went crazy. You actually dared to let it happen.”
After vividly recounting everything that occurred while the Princess was unconscious, especially detailing the Young Master’s extreme reaction when Shen Lingyun was unwilling to save her, Ye Wuyou stopped speaking and waited for the Princess to respond.
However, the Princess did not appear to be guilty or distressed as Ye Wuyou imagined. She still maintained her calm demeanor, squinting her eyes while holding the edge of the cup, and asked with a smile that was not a smile, “If so, then why did you not take action at that time, causing her to worry for nothing? If this Princess remembers correctly, among the guards you brought from Wushang Palace, there should be many skilled in medicine, right? How could not a single person dared to pull out a mere arrow?”
At this moment, Ye Wuyou truly felt what it was like to lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot.
Li Qiubai rarely put on airs in front of her. Now, with this sudden ‘This Princess’, she could not help but shiver in fright.
Before Ye Wuyou could respond, the Princess squinted her eyes and continued to ask, “So, why did you deliberately make her worry?”
Faced with the Princess' question, Ye Wuyou lost her playful mood. She immediately forced a smile and said, “Why do you speak so formally? This must be a misunderstanding. How could I deliberately make her worry?!”
After speaking, Ye Wuyou hurriedly changed the subject and asked, “I see your injuries are quite serious. Why not stay at Baiyun Inn to recuperate for a few days?”
The Princess never showed any sign of weakness in front of Ye Wuyou, no matter how serious her injuries were.
The Princess merely glanced at Ye Wuyou without saying much else. She only stated, “If we delay any longer, it will be too late. If everything is arranged, let us set off tomorrow.”
Ye Wuyou originally wanted to persuade a few more times. However, seeing the Princess' determined and serious demeanor, and considering the current situation, Ye Wuyou said nothing further. She continued to report to the Princess about the events of the past few days and various movements.
Meanwhile, the Young Master remained unaware of the situation inside the room.
She did not know if, after her departure, the Princess and Ye Wuyou could still coexist harmoniously inside. She could not help but worry. After all, the relationship between the Princess and Ye Wuyou in front of others did not seem like one that could be peaceful.
The Young Master hesitated to leave and continued to linger outside the door.
Her unintentional display of anxiety made Yuechu, who stood at the door, secretly laugh. The young girl was about to tease a few words when she was interrupted by a cheerful laugh nearby.
"Why, are you worried that Wuyou will do something to Her Highness?"
Following the laughter, Meng Chang'an turned to see He Changping approaching with his sword in hand. For a moment, she could not help but exclaim in surprise, "Elder brother? Why are you here?"
He Changping smiled without speaking. After getting closer, he even patted the Young Master’s head and continued to tease, "Look at your frown. Do not worry, Wuyou would not dare to bully Her Highness."
However, these words fell into Meng Chang'an's ears as no different from protecting someone.
The Young Master furrowed her brows and was about to speak when she heard He Changping gently say, "You, do not just worry about others. How is the injury on your arm?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Chang'an was momentarily stunned.
The pain in her arm was nothing compared to the pain of seeing the Princess lying in a pool of blood.
The wound had long been treated with medicine and wrapped up. Even the Princess had not noticed that she had been injured, yet it had caught her elder brother's attention.
Upon thinking about the resentment she felt toward her elder brother, Meng Chang'an could not help but feel guilty.
She turned her head away awkwardly and lowered her eyes to respond, “It is already nothing serious. Do not worry, elder brother.”
He Changping could see through the change in Young Master Meng's expression. After all, they were twins, so it was not difficult for him to guess what she was feeling at the moment.
With a helpless smile, He Changping said, “Let us go. How about we drink a few cups together?”
Meng Chang'an frowned, “This...”
Before Young Master Meng could refuse, He Changping continued, “Wuyou will absolutely not harm Her Highness in the slightest. Trust your elder brother, alright?”
After all, they were siblings connected by blood. Even though they had not spent much time together, the inherent closeness could not be erased.
Although Young Master Meng still harbored some grudges and resentment towards He Changping, she softened a bit when faced with his gentle gaze. She turned back to Yuechu and instructed, “Yuechu, I will be back soon. Remember to keep a good watch over Her Highness.”
Upon hearing this, Yuechu readily replied, “Young Master, go ahead in peace!”
After receiving Yuechu's response and not seeing any uneasiness in Yuechu, Meng Changan followed He Changping out of the corridor outside the Princess' room with peace of mind.
Along the way, Young Master Meng did not say much. She merely kept her head down, playfully kicking a stone as she walked.
Seeing the silly girl's distant demeanor, He Changping, who had silently followed her, was not angry. Instead, his eyes were filled with affection.
Since Young Master Meng remained silent, He Changping took the initiative to bring it up, “I heard that Wuyou accompanied you the whole way. She is known for being playful; I wonder if she has bullied you?”
Meng Chang'an paused slightly in her steps. In a daze, she let the stone in front of her boot be kicked ahead. Until the stone eventually fell to the ground, she did not go after it to continue kicking.
This time, Young Master Meng could no longer hold back her doubts. She turned around to look at He Changping and forced a calm tone to ask, “Then what is your relationship with Wuyou?”
He Changping did not intend to hide anything from Meng Chang'an. He sighed softly and then replied openly, “If not for those changes, Wuyou and I originally intended to get married.”
Upon hearing her elder brother personally admit this, Young Master Meng couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
At that moment, she could not suppress the resentment and grievance in her heart and murmured, “If so, then why did you still want to marry Her Highness?”