Chapter 82: Love Debt
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.
"A'Yao."
Shu Yao originally wanted to tease a few more words, but she was so scared by the glance Li Qiubai gave her that she quickly shut her mouth.
As for her own imperial sister’s temper, she did not know if others understood or not. Anyway, she, as the younger sister, grew up with her since childhood, so she naturally understood very well.
Even though this person is squinting her eyes and smiling slightly while looking at her now, who knows if she is holding back some bad idea in her heart again?
Shu Yao quickly admitted defeat, stopped while she was ahead, and did not dare to tease the Young Master anymore. She pulled Shen Lingyun along and leaned on the window, pointing at the large flower lanterns on the flower boats that the Young Master had been watching for a long time. She asked, "Lingyun, let us look at these flower lanterns below too. Which one do you like?"
Shen Lingyun naturally saw through such a clumsy attempt to change the subject and could not help but glance at her.
"A'Yao, I did not expect you to be so well-behaved in front of Her Highness."
Shen Lingyun never expected that just one look from the Princess could make this person immediately put away her playful nature and become proper and obedient.
Even though she knew that the relationship between these two was certainly not ordinary admiration, she still could not help but say this sour remark.
Unfortunately, no matter how sour Shen Lingyun felt in her heart, the words she spoke were still as cold as always. Because of this, Shu Yao did not immediately catch the deeper meaning in Shen Lingyun’s words and only stared at her in a daze.
Fortunately, Shen Lingyun did not deliberately wait for Shu Yao’s response. After speaking, she leaned on the window with her and looked at the flower lanterns below. She asked with an unclear meaning, "If I like a certain kind, can you give me that kind?"
How could that be hard to say?
It was just giving a flower lantern!
For Shu Yao, as long as no one asked about her relationship with her imperial sister, anything was easy to talk about.
Feeling guilty, Shu Yao did not immediately realize the meaning behind giving someone a flower lantern during the Flower Lantern Festival. She agreed right away, "Alright, whichever one you like, just pick! I will buy it for you later!"
Li Qiubai, watching from the side, only smiled without speaking. She had no intention of reminding Shu Yao and simply sat up straight. After putting some distance between herself and the Young Master, she turned to look at the silly girl beside her, who was now feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. She continued the unfinished conversation from earlier.
"Oh, it seems the Young Master has not only said this kind of thing to me. So, everyone has heard it before... What, is our Young Master starting to take an interest in women now?"
Hearing this, Meng Chang'an had no choice but to take her eyes off the two troublemakers and nervously glance back at the Princess’ expression.
Although the Princess was smiling at this moment, the Young Master still felt that she could not possibly be as happy as she appeared. She quickly defended herself, "Bah! What interest or not? How could I be such a shallow person?"
After speaking, to prevent the Princess from overthinking, the Young Master quickly leaned close to her ear while the others were not paying attention. She lowered her voice and awkwardly explained, "Besides, it is not like I am interested in just any woman. It just so happens that I am interested in you…"
Otherwise, with so many beauties in Bloodflame Sect, how could it have taken meeting the Princess for her to realize it…
Li Qiubai was slightly stunned, and real amusement finally surfaced in her eyes. Even her gaze toward the Young Master became increasingly heated because of these words.
To the Princess, it was rare to hear this person speak so straightforwardly about her feelings, and it was no different from a love confession.
If not for the fact that there were too many people around and the setting was inappropriate, the Princess would have surely cupped the Young Master’s cheeks on the spot and leaned in to give her a proper reward.
Unfortunately, at this moment, the Princess could only suppress her thoughts. The boldest move she could make was secretly holding the Young Master’s hand under the table, hooking her fingertips, and teasing her palm. Watching the person beside her grow redder at the ears, the Princess licked her lips, chuckled softly, and responded, "Such a slick tongue. I wonder who you learned it from."
Who else could she have learned it from besides the Princess?
Seeing the Princess in a good mood, Meng Chang’an finally felt a little relieved. She could not help but curl her lips into a smile and met the Princess’s gaze openly. "What, so only the officials can set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps?"
At the same time, the Young Master’s hand hidden under the table gradually tightened, clasping the Princess' palm firmly, not giving her a chance to continue playing.
She held on so tightly that the Princess could not break free.
With no other choice, the Princess only glared at her before letting her be.
Fortunately, Shu Yao and Shen Lingyun were leaning against the window, carefully picking and choosing among the flower lanterns outside. They seemed unaware of what the two of them were doing. Meanwhile, Yuechu was being exceptionally well-behaved, keeping her head down and quietly eating her food.
If not for the identical knowing smiles on their faces, Meng Chang’an might have actually believed they had seen nothing at all.
But since no one spoke up to interrupt, did it not mean that none of them minded?
With that thought, the Young Master unconsciously straightened her back a little more.
Mm, it was just holding the Princess' little hand. Nothing inappropriate about that.
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.
The meal did not take long. No one wanted to waste this beautiful day simply admiring the view from Linyuan Tower. So, after finishing their meal and resting briefly, the group left the private room and headed downstairs.
Unlike the reserved silence of the private upper floor they had reserved, the first floor of Linyuan Tower was bustling with noise, no different from any ordinary tavern.
Meng Chang'an, still as confident as before, held the Princess' hand and walked forward under the excuse of protecting her. The others saw this and smiled knowingly.
Unfortunately, the Young Master's good mood did not last long. Before she could even step out of Linyuan Tower, someone called out to her.
"Mister He, please stay a moment."
Meng Chang'an paused slightly and looked up in the direction of the voice, just in time to see a woman walking towards her.
The young lady had a delicate appearance. While not a peerless beauty, she could still be considered a beautiful woman.
From the woman's clothing and appearance, she did not seem like an ordinary woman from the martial world. Instead, she appeared to be a graceful and well-bred young lady from a noble family.
Meng Chang'an could not understand why this person had called her, and she felt uneasy in her heart, fearing that her identity might be exposed in public, causing unnecessary trouble. The Young Master stiffened and looked toward the Princess as if seeking help.
Could this be some past love debt that her elder brother had left for her to settle?
However, the Princess remained indifferent, only raising an eyebrow slightly, signaling the Young Master to handle it herself.
Meng Chang'an could not help but frown.
How can this be good…
While the Young Master, Meng Chang'an, was worried, the person had already walked up to them and stopped two steps away, before speaking, "It has been a long time since we last met. Mister He seems much more cheerful than before."
Upon hearing this, the others following behind, including Shu Yao, nearly nodded in agreement.
Was it not true? After all, throughout the journey, when the Young Master held hands with the Princess and exchanged looks, her smile had nearly reached her ears. How could she still maintain the calm and elegant demeanor of He Changping from before?
She looked like a little fool.
If an acquaintance saw them, they would surely notice something unusual.
Meng Chang'an could not figure out the exact relationship between her elder brother and this woman before her, so she cleared her throat and tried to adopt the calm and composed demeanor of her elder brother, smiling as she replied, "I suppose it is just that happiness brightens the spirit."
Hearing such a perfunctory response, the woman before them not only did not question anything but instead smiled and casually glanced at the Princess beside her, who was holding hands with the Young Master. She then said, "That is true, you both should indeed be cheerful. It has been some time since your wedding, yet unfortunately, I have not been able to get away these past few days to visit and deliver my congratulations. I truly apologize for that."
Her words made it sound as though she was very familiar with her elder brother, but Meng Chang'an had never seen this person before. Reluctantly, she could only force herself to engage in small talk, replying, "Miss, you are too kind. As long as the thought is there, there is no need for formalities."
After saying this, the Young Master met the woman's meaningful smile.
For some reason, Meng Chang'an felt that this woman's smile carried an unspoken implication as if she had already seen through her false identity.
Feeling guilty, the Young Master quickly squeezed her other hand, hoping that the Princess would say something to help ease the situation.
At this moment, the Princess, who had been quietly standing beside the Young Master, finally slightly curled her lips and spoke to help resolve the awkwardness.
"May I ask what brings you here today, Miss? Could it be that you came just to offer a few words of congratulations?"
The Princess unexpectedly pointed out the visitor's intention so directly, causing the woman to be stunned for a moment.
Since it had come to this, she decided not to continue pretending with this "Mister He" and immediately withdrew her playful smile. She respectfully performed a curtsy to the Princess.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I am Su Zian, daughter of a guilty official, and I have come to pay my respects."
This time, the Young Master was left stunned.
What, could it be that this person came for the Princess?
Recalling the earlier conversation, during which the person occasionally glanced at the Princess, Meng Chang'an became more certain that her guess was likely right.
She had thought that it was the Princess' beauty that attracted this person's gaze just now...
It turns out it was because of the Princess' identity...
Unlike the Young Master Meng's surprise, the Princess remained calm, as if she had anticipated it, and with an unclear meaning, she asked: "Oh? The daughter of a guilty official? I wonder which noble family's young lady you are?"
"My father, Su Sheng, is the Governor of Yuzhou. He is currently locked in the city prison." Su Zian still maintained the posture of the earlier salute, but after a slight pause, she self-mockingly added: "Perhaps... he will soon be the former Governor of Yuzhou."
Thus, the Princess slightly raised her hand, signaling Su Zian to be at ease.
"So it is Miss Su, then. If that is the case, did you come today specifically to seek justice for Lord Su?"
In just a few short sentences, the Princess had shifted the passive situation that Young Master Meng had been in during the conversation with Su Zian, effortlessly taking control of the initiative. This made Su Zian feel like she was being led by the nose.
If it were in the past, Su Zian would have been quite displeased in such a situation.
But now, not only was she not angry, she actually felt quite pleased, even smiling as she replied, "Your Highness misunderstands. My father is guilty and deserves his punishment. What grievance is there to be sought?"
After saying this, without caring how the Princess would react, Su Zian took a small step forward, directly moving beside the Princess in front of Young Master Meng, leaning close to the Princess' ear and whispering, "However, I have always been narrow-minded. I cannot stand seeing others, who are equally guilty, roam free while only my foolish father bears all the blame. That is why I have come today to report to Your Highness."
The way the two of them whispered to each other appeared quite intimate.
Unfortunately, the others could not hear what Su Zian had whispered to the Princess.
Young Master Meng, who had been in a very good mood, immediately darkened her face upon seeing this.
Author's Note:
Young Master: Yes, I am sour!
The new character is a ruthless person. Don’t doubt that it is because I haven’t updated for so long that you all have forgotten about them~
I hope that the comments after the update, are not all about urging for the next update, with eyes wildly hinting!
