Chapter 72: If I Wanted To Send Your Daughter To Reunite With You, Would You Hate Me?
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
After hitting her nose with ashes* outside the city gates, Li Xinyi's expression remained unpleasant. Even after returning to the Prince's Manor, her face was still clouded with gloom.
*Snubbed/humiliated/rejected
"Stop."
Just as she was about to walk past the main hall toward the residential quarters in the rear garden, someone called out to stop her.
In the Prince of Yu's Manor, the only ones who dared to speak to her in such a tone were either her elder brother or the master of this manor.
Now that her elder brother was being detained by the Emperor in the capital, the only person who could call her in this manner was naturally the master of this manor, her father.
Sure enough, as Li Xinyi expected, when she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw the Prince of Yu, Li Ruihe, standing with his hands tucked in his sleeves before the white jade pillar.
A four-clawed golden dragon coiled around the white jade pillar, its wide-open mouth aimed precisely at the jade crown atop Li Ruihe's head. This made his already stern face appear even colder and more menacing.
Li Xinyi felt her heart sink. She immediately stepped forward, cupped her hands respectfully, and said, "This child greets Father."
In front of everyone, the Prince of Yu did not say much to embarrass Li Xinyi. He simply said coldly, "Follow me."
With that, he took the lead and walked toward the main hall.
Li Xinyi dared not refuse and could only hasten to follow him.
After passing through the side hall's meeting room and making her way into the Prince’s study, Li Ruihe was already standing with his hands behind his back in front of the desk.
By this time, there were no more bystanders, so Li Xinyi did not hold back. While saluting, she asked, "May I ask what Father has called me for?"
Only then did Li Ruihe turn around, frowning as he looked at his daughter, who was bent over with her head lowered. In a cold voice, he asked, "Who gave you permission to take matters into your own hands and go find her?"
Her?
After a moment's thought, Li Xinyi quickly understood the hidden meaning behind Li Ruihe's words.
She had gone out today specifically to cause trouble for one person. As for the "her" that Father referred to, it was all too obvious who he meant.
She had barely returned to the manor when her father personally summoned her to the study. It seemed her father must have received the news early and had waited for her along the path she would take to her room.
Since he already knew what had happened at the city gates, it was natural for him to also know the humiliation she had suffered in front of Li Qiubai's carriage. In that case, why was he coming to reprimand her over Li Qiubai?
Li Xinyi felt displeased, but she did not show it on her face. Instead, she explained politely, "Father, Imperial Brother is still being detained by that wretched Emperor in the capital, and we do not know if he will return safely. I am truly filled with anger and resentment, so I rashly went to probe Li Qiubai's intentions..."
"Scoundrel!"
Before Li Xinyi could finish her sentence, a scholar's inkstone was hurled at her by Li Ruihe, startling her so much that she quickly dodged.
The inkstone hit the ground, spilling ink everywhere.
After hastily evading the blow, she looked up to meet her father's face, which could not hide his anger.
"You still have the nerve to bring up your Imperial Brother? If you had not lost your composure and acted recklessly at Bai Yun Inn, how would Li Ruiyuan have been forced to detain your Imperial Brother in the capital?"
The Prince of Yu slammed the table in fury and continued to reprimand, "I entrusted you with managing the forces of the martial world because I valued you, not for you to waste your time on petty rivalries!"
It had been a long time since she had seen her father this angry. After being struck with the inkstone, Li Xinyi broke out in a cold sweat. She immediately knelt to the ground, bowed low, and pleaded, "Father, please calm your anger. This child knows her mistake. This time, it was my lack of consideration that caused Imperial Brother to be imprisoned. Now, with such important matters at hand and Imperial Brother absent from Yuzhou, I humbly ask Father to give me another chance to atone for my mistakes and ease Father's burdens!"
At this moment, Li Xinyi's hem was already stained with ink, making a complete mess of her attire. Where was her usual haughty and arrogant demeanor now?
Seeing her in such a rare disarray, the Prince's overwhelming anger finally subsided slightly.
However, he did not let Li Xinyi get up. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, walked around the desk, and leaned back into the armchair behind it.
"I know you have never liked her since childhood, and the He family's marriage arrangement has only made you more resentful toward her. But you must understand, there are far more people in this world who want her dead than just you. Acting so rashly not only benefits those schemers in the capital but also brings disaster upon us, causing unnecessary losses. Such a deal is far too unworthy."
Recalling the setback she suffered this time, Li Xinyi could not help but clench her teeth in secret.
"This child realized her mistake. I will certainly heed Father's teachings from now on!"
Only then did the Prince slightly soften his expression.
"Alright. This matter shall be let go for now. If you dare act so recklessly again in the future, do not blame your father for being heartless."
Li Xinyi let out a sigh of relief.
After a moment, seeing that the Prince of Yu did not show any further signs of anger, Li Xinyi finally dared to believe that his fury had subsided. She mustered up the courage to express her concerns:
"But the Military Governor of Lingnan East Road has always been timid. It took us a great deal of effort to persuade him to conspire with us. If Li Qiubai remains here for much longer, I fear he may waver again..."
“This person is not as simple as he appears on the surface. After all, he has held troops for a long time. No matter how timid a person is, to someone like Li Qiubai, who is a mere newcomer to the battlefield, he would not even be worth his attention,” Li Ruihe raised his hand to rub his forehead, sounding tired. “You do not need to worry about the matter with the military governor. I will handle it. Tomorrow, you should personally go to Qingyang Clan and apologize to that girl. After all, you are of similar age, and if you wish to get along with her, it should be easier.”
Li Xinyi was unwilling, and hurriedly said, “Father, even if I want to get along with her, it does not mean she will welcome me…”
However, the Prince did not show her any leniency and directly pointed out, “Put away your thorns first. You are both young. If you want to get along with her, it is not hard at all. The scenery and local customs of Yuzhou are very different from those in the capital. If you are willing to show her some local hospitality and take her around to enjoy the local culture, she will definitely not refuse.”
“But…”
Before Li Xinyi could finish speaking, the Prince of Yu interrupted her and directly said, "Given Li Ruiyuan's suspicious nature, he will surely have placed spies around her. I do not care what you are thinking inside your heart, but you must put on a good show for me! If something happens to her in the future, I do not want Li Ruiyuan to make you the first target."
At this, Li Xinyi suddenly understood and realized the deeper meaning behind the Prince of Yu's words.
"This child understands, thank you for your guidance, Father."
The Prince did not say much more, casually waving his hand: "Alright, get up, now that you understand, go back."
Li Xinyi did not dare to linger and immediately got up to leave the study.
However, the Prince of Yu still sat there, lost in thought, recalling memories of an old friend.
He wondered how much that child would resemble her once she grew up.
After Li Xinyi walked far away, the Prince of Yu finally snapped back to his senses.
After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately pressed the hidden mechanism on the armrest of his seat.
The bookshelf slowly shifted due to the mechanism, revealing a secret passage for someone to pass through before it finally stopped rotating.
At this, the Prince of Yu stood up, adjusted his robe, took a small flask of wine that had been stored in the cabinet for a long time, and stepped onto the secret path that he had never dared to tread before.
Inside the secret passage, every few steps, a lamp holder with a glowing night pearl was mounted on the wall.
The light from the night pearls illuminated the passage, leading straight into the hidden chamber.
And this secret chamber below, in reality, was nothing more than an empty tomb.
It was an unspoken place, a tomb hidden deep within the heart of the Prince of Yu.
He slowly walked to the tomb, and only when he clearly saw the portrait hanging on the gravestone did the Prince of Yu stop. He raised his hand and gently placed it on the edge of the stone slab, carefully caressing the patterns on the stone. In a soft voice, he spoke.
"You... you left so decisively, leaving no chance for a proper farewell."
"How could you be so foolish, to even believe his lies..."
In the painting, the beauty was dressed in fine clothes, riding a horse in full armor. The posture of her holding the reins and urging the horse made her look both heroic and graceful.
He did not know how long he had been staring at the painting, mocking himself, laughing, and talking to himself. Only when he unknowingly finished the wine in the bottle did he come back to his senses.
Unfortunately, he had only brought that one bottle of wine, which had only made him slightly tipsy, not fully drunk. By the time he realized it, there was no more wine left.
The Prince gave a self-deprecating smile, casually tossing the empty wine bottle aside. Yet, he still could not resist reaching out to gently touch the face of the person in the painting.
The cautious movement was so gentle as if handling a treasure.
But the next words that came from his mouth were in stark contrast to his tenderness.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Tell me, if I wanted to send your daughter to reunite with you, would you hate me?"
The faint chill in his words sent a shiver down the spine.
If at this moment our Young Master Meng were present, she would undoubtedly notice that the face painted in the portrait bore a slight resemblance to her Princess.
Unfortunately, the Young Master was in the Qingyang Clan at the moment, having a headache from dealing with all kinds of questions from Lin Xingyang, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
"No, no, no, no, no! How many times do you want me to say it before you believe it?! I told you that I only came along because of my elder brother! What are you thinking about all day long, you little bastard!"
Perhaps the Young Master’s flushed face at this moment seemed to resemble someone angry and embarrassed, with the embarrassment outweighing the anger.
Upon seeing this, Lin Xingyang did not stop teasing her. Instead, he laughed even more and said, “Oh my, elder sister, you even want to deceive me? Do you know, the night you sneaked into Her Highness’ residence before you left the capital, it was this younger brother who kept watch on the roof for you the whole night? I do not know what the two of you were discussing in that room until late at night, but when you left, your face was all flushed, and you had a smile on your face. What was going on?”
Thinking back to that night before she left the capital, when she had entered the Princess' residence and what had happened with the Princess, paired with Lin Xingyang’s ambiguous smile, the Young Master’s face turned even redder.
“Shut up!”
“I... Hmmp...”
Before Lin Xingyang could finish his sentence, his mouth was covered by the Young Master.
“I warn you, it is fine to say such things in front of me, but if you dare speak nonsense like this in front of Her Highness and make her feel embarrassed, do you believe I will twist your head off right here?”
Hearing this, the young general could not help but secretly laugh.
His elder sister really was naive. She did not stop to think—would the Princess really feel embarrassed? If such questions were brought up in front of the Princess, she would probably not even blush.
Though the Young Master's fierce warning had little effect, Young General Lin still nodded repeatedly, giving face to avoid the possibility of his neck being twisted by her in a fit of anger.
However, before the Young Master could let go of Lin Xingyang, the door to the Princess' room was suddenly pushed open.
“What kind of words does Chang’an think would make this Princess embarrassed?”
Seeing the Princess standing at the door with a half-smile, Meng Chang'an’s heart tightened instantly.
Author's Note:
I was caught by my colleague when I was slacking off at work and writing. After I dropped my vest*, although that young lady doesn't read baihe, she still kept urging me to write. Every time I forgot that I was still an author, she would come and scold me, telling me to think of those poor little cuties at the bottom of the pit. After she urged me to write today, she suddenly said that she hoped my readers would know there is someone like her, so I wrote this piece to properly thank her... (She said that from today, she would come to urge me to update every day for my readers, so I wouldn’t forget to write or stop writing. Obsession: Bitter.jpg)
*got her alter ego found out
