Chapter 103: Getting Greedy
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.
What Shu Yao said was full of grievance.
After Shen Lingyun heard it, the anger that had been burning in her chest in the first place, could not bear to continue burning.
“You.”
After letting out a soft sigh, Shen Lingyun finally pushed Shu Yao’s head away just a little, then held up her chin and whispered, “Let me take a look.”
Looking closely, that one eye which was shown outside the mask, really was like she said, a little red and swollen.
“You really cried all night?”
Shu Yao did not dare to move around either. She just stayed obedient like this and let Shen Lingyun play with her face. She only blinked her eyes and guiltily told the truth, “Not really. I cried for a little while then fell asleep.”
Now she finally knew to tell the truth?
The little princess who almost made her lose control from anger just now, at this moment, was obediently lifting her head and looking up at her like this.
That pair of wet eyes looked like she felt wronged and uneasy.
Moreover, in that one eye, all it reflected was her face.
The more Shen Lingyun looked, the softer her heart became.
Afraid that she would give in first because of this soft-heartedness, Shen Lingyun only gently tapped her swollen eyelid, then tightened the corners of her mouth and coldly spat out,
“Serves you right.”
After hearing it, Shu Yao surprisingly did not get angry. She even foolishly smiled.
“Mm, I deserve it.”
She just held down Shen Lingyun’s hand and rubbed against her warm and soft palm, then softly said, “Do not be angry anymore, alright?”
Shen Lingyun did not push her away. She just let her hold her hand like this, and only said in a tone that was hard to read, “What, clearly last night you said, even if I blame you, get mad at you, or even ignore you, it is all fine. Then why do you now want me to not be angry? Li Shuyao, are you being too greedy?”
To Shu Yao at this moment, Shen Lingyun not pulling away was no different from allowing it.
She stared straight into Shen Lingyun’s eyes and answered with a smile on her lips, “This is called greedy? I can be even greedier.”
The little princess’ burning gaze was already making Shen Lingyun’s heart feel hot.
When she noticed the distance between them getting closer and closer, she actually even felt a bit of expectation.
“Oh? What do you want to do?”
The voice that was always cold and clear now had a bit of hoarseness in it.
Right now, the distance between their lips was less than half a finger. As their breaths mixed together, the scene had already become very romantic.
Shen Lingyun did not dodge. She just lowered her eyes and quietly looked at Shu Yao, silently waiting for her next move.
The little princess’ loud heartbeat was hitting against the surface of Shen Lingyun’s heart again and again, stirring it up so much that she could no longer stay calm.
It was a pity that the one who wanted to push her luck still did not dare to go too far in the end.
She wanted to use her actions to tell Shen Lingyun how greedy she was. But when she leaned close to Shen Lingyun just like she imagined in her heart, she still did not dare to truly do something disrespectful to a beautiful lady.
The kiss that was supposed to fall on Shen Lingyun’s lips only lightly landed on her cheek.
Like a dragonfly touching the water, the contact broke as soon as it touched.
When the cold mask brushed against Shen Lingyun’s cheek, it actually cooled the heat in her heart a little.
Since she did not get the kiss she had expected, Shen Lingyun could not help but turn her head a bit and quietly hid her disappointment. She only purposely put on a stern face and said, “You really are pushing your luck a little.”
That look, one glance could tell it was not her truly angry expression.
Knowing that the crack between them seemed to have a new turning point, Shu Yao could not help but curl up the corners of her mouth. She leaned back a little and sat obediently beside Shen Lingyun, then softly coaxed her.
“Alright, I know I was wrong. I thought you were silently allowing me, so I dared to offend you. Then next time, I will wait for you to ask me first before I kiss you again…”
But before Shu Yao could finish her sentence, Shen Lingyun had already covered her mouth.
“What nonsense are you saying?!”
She glared hard at Shu Yao. “Who allowed you? And also, who wants to ask you to kiss again!”
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 all, what she felt in her heart was one thing, but having someone say it out loud was a different matter.
Even someone as calm as Shen Lingyun could not help but get angry out of shame.
It was rare to see her beloved act this way with such a little temper. Shu Yao almost could not hold back the joy in her heart.
But it was a pity that the situation between them now was worrying, and this place was not a good spot for making up either. So Shu Yao did not have the heart to keep teasing her. She quickly shook her head and mumbled under Shen Lingyun’s hand, admitting her mistake, “Mm mm… I was wrong mm…”
Seeing her behave so obediently, Shen Lingyun finally let her go. She kept a straight face as she opened the carriage window to check the situation outside.
However, there were many skilled guards around the carriage. They knew that even if the two of them had wings, it would still be hard to escape. So even if someone noticed their small sneaky movements, no one cared.
Besides, other than them, there were also many people secretly watching.
The Prince of Yu ignored all those open and secret gazes. He let the imperial manor’s soldiers clear the way and swaggered back with the carriage through the busy streets and returned to the Prince of Yu’s manor.
By the time Li Qiubai rushed back to Yecheng under the escort of Jinwei Camp led by Ying Siling, the Prince of Yu had already “invited” Shu Yao and Shen Lingyun into the backyard of the Prince of Yu’s manor.
“Your Highness, the Prince of Yu still refuses to see any guest…”
On the way back to the city, when Li Qiubai got the news that Shu Yao and Shen Lingyun were taken away by the Prince of Yu, she immediately sent someone ahead on a fast horse to deliver the visiting card* to the Prince of Yu’s manor. But back then, the reply from the Prince of Yu’s manor was that if the Princess did not even come in person, then she was clearly not showing respect to the Prince. So of course, the Prince of Yu’s manor would not open the door.
*拜帖 (bài tiě) refers to a formal letter or invitation, often used in traditional Chinese culture to show respect, announce an important visit, or request an audience.
Later, when Li Qiubai entered the city, she came straight to the Prince of Yu’s manor. Who would have thought she would still be turned away at the door.
Hearing the report coming from outside the carriage, Li Qiubai could not help but pinch her brow, feeling weary as she said, "I understand, go back first. Leave two people behind, and have them deliver the visiting card every two hours."
At this moment, the Princess' carriage was still parked at the gate of the Prince of Yu's manor. The servant outside, hearing the Princess' orders, immediately went to make the arrangements. However, Young Master Meng, who was sitting in the carriage with the Princess, could not remain as calm as the Princess.
Meng Chang'an directly grabbed her sword and grunted in displeasure, "What is the point of sending another visiting card? That old man is clearly making things difficult for you. We have been waiting here for two hours already, and he still has not opened the door. Why should we still be polite? I would rather take people in and bring them both back!"
"Nonsense."
Li Qiubai pressed down on Young Master Meng's wrist, forcibly pulling her to sit by her side. She then carefully took the sword from her hand and placed it aside, explaining patiently, "Since you know he is deliberately making things difficult for me, then how could you not know that he is well-prepared this time? Right now, the Prince of Yu's manor is filled with experts inside and out. If you rush in recklessly and fall into an ambush, getting hurt, what would you have me do?"
"I..."
After hearing the Princess' words, Young Master Meng hung her head in frustration and muttered, "Am I really useless? I cannot even be of any help..."
Upon hearing the news, the Princess only changed her expression for a moment. After that, she managed to maintain her usual calm demeanor, methodically arranging everything.
Even so, it was still not hard for Meng Chang'an to see that the Princess must be worried inside.
She felt sorry for the Princess and naturally wanted to help.
However, upon thinking carefully, she suddenly realized just how useless she was.
She was not as clever as her elder brother, not as capable as Ye Wuyou, not as thoughtful as Yuechu, and not as helpful to the Princess as people like Lin Xingyang...
It seemed that besides her martial skills, she had nothing else of value.
But, in this place full of experts, relying only on her own strength, her brute force was of no use.
The more she thought about it, the more discouraged Young Master Meng became.
Seeing her expression, how could Li Qiubai not guess what this silly girl was thinking at this moment?
The Princess helplessly smiled, then turned her head and lightly leaned on Young Master Meng's shoulder.
"Who said you are useless? As long as you live well and stay by my side, not letting me be a widow at a young age, I will already be content."
Meng Chang'an was embarrassed by this joke-like statement, her face turning red, but in the end, she could not help but curve her lips into a smile.
Just that light-hearted remark was enough to soothe the accumulated frustration in Young Master Meng's heart.
She no longer entertained impulsive thoughts and obediently followed the Princess back to Qingyang Clan.
When they returned to Qingyang Clan, the people Li Qiubai had sent out earlier had already returned. They were now gathered in the conference hall, waiting for their arrival.
"Your Highness, you have finally returned."
The first to speak was He Changping. He did not waste time with formalities and directly approached the two women walking side by side. In a lowered voice, he said, "As you suspected, the group returning to the capital was indeed followed by a group of tailing people, but they were nothing more than a few petty tricks. Just some people from small sects, not much to worry about. Our people had not yet made a move when the Prime Minister's men had already taken care of them. I am not sure if the Prince of Yu intentionally allowed them to return to the capital, or if he plans to leave his experts in the city to focus on dealing with us…"
Following He Changping, Ye Wuyou spoke up as well. "You were right. It is not just that group. Last night, the Prince of Yu did send out a few people to several of the city's more chaotic areas. Although the people from the Prince of Yu's manor did not leave the city, after that, people from those areas did leave. They may have used different city gates, but they all went in the same direction: the Kingdom of Qi."
At present, the Kingdom of Qi was aggressively recruiting soldiers. Considering the timing of the Prince of Yu’s actions, it was not hard to guess that he had sent those people as a message to them.
Originally, they had the upper hand last night. With this development, however, the slight advantage they had gained seemed insignificant.
In the span of a single night, the situation had changed drastically.
The expressions of everyone were solemn.
"Do not worry."
Li Qiubai reassured, patting Ye Wuyou’s shoulder. She then slowly made her way to the main seat and sat down. Turning her gaze to Yu Jin, she asked, "What about Lin Xingyang? How is it going over there?"
"Everything went smoothly with Young General Lin. Shi Hongzhang has been cooperative due to the poison in his body," Yu Jin replied, then hesitated before asking, "But Your Highness, most of the soldiers we brought from the capital have been assigned to follow Young General Lin. Now, with the situation in the city like this, we have very few people available on our side. This may put you at a disadvantage."
With the small number of people they had, if they dared to confront the Prince of Yu head-on, they would likely end up with nothing more than a pile of bones.
Yu Jin, the head of the guards at the Princess' Manor, was uncertain how to assess the overall situation. To him, nothing was more important than the safety of the Princess.
Now that the soldiers under the Princess’ command had been sent out of the city, these martial artists from the jianghu were not as reliable as his own people. He could not help but feel a sense of anxiety.
"If we do not do this, how could the Prince of Yu be at ease?" Li Qiubai said with a deep meaning in her smile. She then turned to He Changping and instructed, "Prepare some fine gifts. Later, go to the Ying family manor in the name of the Prince Consort and make a grand gesture to thank Miss Ying for saving our lives."
He Changping was momentarily stunned. After realizing the deeper meaning behind the Princess’ words, he could not help but smile as well. He quickly exited the council hall, rushing to carry out Li Qiubai's instructions.
The commotion they caused last night had been too loud. News of the Princess' assassination attempt had already spread throughout the city among the officials.
Now, with the Prince of Yu's major actions today and the Princess' return to the city under the protection of the Jinwei Camp, it was hard for anyone not to think about the situation.
Currently, the conflict between the two sides was something that all the officials and factions in the city were closely watching. Everyone was waiting, observing, and waiting for the right moment. At such a critical time, no one dared to openly choose sides.
Who would have thought that the Prince Consort would have the audacity to visit the Ying family manor in the evening, especially in such a delicate situation? This act caused many to become restless.
