Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 10

The Hall of Diligent Governance was where the emperor handled daily state affairs. Though the current emperor was a mere puppet, the hall still lived up to its name.

At this moment, the emperor sat rigidly before the red sandalwood desk, staring blankly at the stacks of memorials piled atop it. The palace maids standing nearby kept their heads bowed low.

The emperor swallowed with difficulty, set down the brush used for annotations, and turned to look at Lu He beside her. Not daring to show the slightest displeasure, she asked respectfully, “Does Elder Sister distrust me?”

A long silence lingered in the hall, while outside, the snow seemed to grow even more unruly, howling as if trying to force its way indoors.

The emperor’s heart was no less turbulent when rationality surfaced, fear crept in.

Recently, Lu He had released the one confined in the Cold Palace. The emperor immediately felt a sense of crisis. Although Lu Weiying came from an obscure background, in Lu He’s eyes, conventional judgments were nothing but a joke.

Thus, the emperor had been behaving much more cautiously these past few days.

Under immense psychological pressure, her mind tended to wander. She began speculating about Lu He’s thoughts, and the more she pondered, the weaker her legs felt. Fortunately, she was seated.

No one in the hall dared to breathe loudly, keeping their heads lowered in hopes of avoiding entanglement in this conflict.

But they were overthinking it. Lu He was lost in her own reflections, grappling with a perplexing question: why did she constantly feel drawn to the Ling family?

Moreover, the violent turmoil in her mind would settle upon seeing Ling Yue. This sense of peace was something she had lost for far too long.

Yet, being ever cautious, she decided to wait until that quack doctor returned before making any decisions.

If it turned out their scents were compatible and could cure her chronic ailment, all would be well. But if that little girl had ulterior motives and was playing tricks, hmph.

Then again, that girl didn’t seem particularly clever. She might fool others with petty schemes, but she was no match for Lu He.

The maids in the hall had nearly bent their heads to the breaking point, while the culprit, Her Highness the Eldest Princess, was still lost in thoughts of someone.

In assessing Ling Yue this way, she completely forgot her earlier appreciation for her.

Perhaps from all the thinking, Lu He found herself eagerly anticipating the next day’s military examination.

She had ordered the military exam but, due to her health, had not involved herself in its arrangements.

Finally, she lifted her head, sparing the hearts of everyone in the room. “Tomorrow is the final round of the military examination. Are you familiar with the five candidates?”

Cold sweat nearly dripped from the emperor’s brow. Mistaking this for a test, she dared not be negligent, though her hand subtly clenched the edge of the desk.

“As Elder Sister instructed, this examination omits strategy discussions and focuses solely on martial skills.”

Lu He grew impatient and raised a hand to stop her. “Enough. Just tell me who you favor.”

“Wang Lan, the eldest daughter of General Wang, excels particularly in horseback archery.”

After a moment’s thought, Lu He recalled this individual. Compared to Wang Lan, Lu He was more familiar with her mother, Wang Fu.

Wang Fu had risen from humble origins, following the founding emperor in his campaigns from a young age and achieving great deeds. Years of warfare had left her body battered, and she did not bear a child until the age of forty, whom she naturally cherished and raised with utmost care.

Lu He smiled. Wang Fu and Ling Fu had been political rivals for years. Both were military officials, and their names bore a slight resemblance, often inviting comparisons.

Ling Fu was a general who had surrendered from the previous dynasty. The Ling family had been aristocrats for generations precisely the kind Wang Fu despised most. Being constantly compared by busybodies only fueled her resentment.

Influenced by this environment, Wang Lan also harbored intense dislike for the Ling family.

The emperor watched cautiously from the side and, seeing her elder sister’s eerie smile, began to imagine things again.

The animosity between the Ling and Wang families was an open secret. Sometimes, barely moments after court convened, the two would start bickering, which would soon escalate into hurling insults at each other’s younger generations.

Both were fiercely protective of their daughters, and neither could tolerate such provocations. On more than one occasion, the solemn court nearly devolved into a martial arts showdown.

Just thinking about it brought tears to the emperor’s eyes.

She discreetly wiped the sweat from her temple, recalling the Ling family’s second daughter, whom her elder sister had exceptionally arranged to be appointed. From what she knew, this second daughter had no remarkable qualities so unremarkable that even General Wang, in her tirades of insults, often forgot the girl existed.

Had Ling Fu offended her elder sister, prompting this move as a warning?

The more the emperor pondered, the more plausible it seemed. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. Wang Lan was no easy opponent, and General Wang’s doting on her had crossed into indulgence.

But as a mere figurehead, she could do little to intervene. She merely remarked, “Though Wang Lan is brave, she is overly arrogant and acts without restraint. It will be difficult for the second daughter of the Ling family to emerge unscathed from an encounter with her.”

Lu He let out a cold laugh. “Are you concerned for her?”

The emperor’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly denied it. “I meant nothing of the sort.”

Seeing the emperor’s submissive demeanor, the inexplicable anger in Lu He’s heart subsided slightly. This emotional turmoil left her restless. After frowning in thought for a long while, she finally said, “It’s a good opportunity to curb their arrogance.”

With that, she rose and left, taking with her the tension that had filled the hall.

The emperor’s straightened posture slumped. She shook her head helplessly, then suddenly remembered she could summon the Ling family’s eldest daughter to the palace and have her persuade Ling Yue to surrender outright.

This wasn’t just out of pity, she also wanted to win General Ling’s favor.

In a low voice, she commanded, “Summon the eldest daughter of the Ling family to the palace.”

After leaving the Hall of Diligent Governance, Lu He calculated the direction of the Ling residence and began leaping across rooftops. Palace walls and gates were no obstacle to her.

Few ventured out in the snowy weather, especially in this unusually cold winter.

She traveled a stretch further and landed on another rooftop, where the clamor of voices from inside caught her attention. She had intended to leave but paused when she heard a familiar name.

It was a gambling den.

“I’m betting on Miss Wang to win.”

“Me too! She’s the fierce one who single-handedly wiped out a mountain bandit stronghold!”

“I’m not following you all. I’m betting on Wen Yuanyuan.”

“Wen Yuanyuan? Who’s this nobody?”

“I’m betting on Wen Yuanyuan too. When we were on a trade run the year before last, we ran into river pirates, and it was Miss Wen who saved us.”

“Hey, you don’t know Wen Yuanyuan? She’s saved countless people from bandits and never asks for anything in return. They call her the ‘Chivalrous Maiden.’”

Listening from the rooftop, Lu He heard the gamblers gradually split into factions supporting Wen and Wang, with the names of three others occasionally mixed in.

But from start to finish, no one mentioned Ling Yue. On the rare occasions her name came up, it was met with confusion and a hint of disdain.

At the entrance of the gambling den, a little child crouched, sniffling, likely brought there by some irresponsible adult.

For some reason, Lu He felt irritated. She leaped down from the roof and approached the child.

The little girl had curled herself into a round, red bundle. Suddenly noticing a pair of beautiful white embroidered shoes, she looked up, her eyes widening in delight. “A fairy!” she exclaimed.

Lu He was amused but maintained a polite distance, wary of the child’s runny nose.

The child’s voice was drowned out by the raucous noise of the drunkards inside, so no one paid them any mind.

Lu He took out her money pouch, about to toss it near the child’s feet, but under the girl’s innocent gaze, her conscience pricked with a dull ache. Instead, she gently placed the pouch into the little girl’s hand and coaxed, “Do a fairy a favor, and the fairy will grant your wish.”

Inside the gambling den, the factions of the Wen and Wang families were locked in a heated standoff, too engrossed to notice a small child climbing onto a stool and placing a pouch of money on Ling Yue’s name.

The clink of silver against the wooden table, paired with the child’s sweet, milky voice, brought the room to an abrupt silence.

“Ling Yue, one thousand taels.”

The gambling den owner opened the pouch and found that the silver ingots and notes inside added up to even more than a thousand taels.

Shocked, he picked up his child and asked, “Where did you get this money, little one?”

The child sniffled and replied, “The fairy sister gave it to me.”

She pointed outside, but beyond the door, there was nothing but swirling snowflakes.

In high spirits, Lu He hurried toward the Ling residence. At the sight of the familiar walls and courtyard, the corners of her lips lifted involuntarily.

She deftly scaled the wall, slipped through the window just as skillfully, and once again caught Ling Yue on the bed with practiced ease. This time, Ling Yue’s eyes held no fear she had grown accustomed to it.

Ling Yue sat up calmly. “Your Highness.”

“No need for formalities.”

Ling Yue intended to get out of bed but felt something was off, so she remained seated.

She felt slightly awkward. Since her rebirth, she had grown somewhat lazy. In her previous life, most of her time had been spent on the battlefield, nerves perpetually taut. In this new life, she cherished her own time immensely.

Sleep felt like a reward, though she had slept so long her head ached a little.

Leaning lightly against the bedpost, she gazed at the nightmare of her past life and softly asked, “What brings Your Highness here?”

Lu He observed her dazed eyes and disheveled hair each strand seeming to have a mind of its own. Her lips were slightly parted, and her cheeks were plump, like little steamed buns.

In truth, the woman the world saw as a merciless, bloodthirsty demon had a soft spot for adorable things like cats and dogs.

Lu He had once kept a long-haired little dog, but she loved ruffling its head so much that its fur always ended up in a messy state.

The current Ling Yue strongly resembled that scruffy little dog. Lost in the illusion, Lu He reached out and stroked her head, tousling the already messy hair into further disarray.

Ling Yue dared not show anger nor speak out, only lifting her eyes in confusion.

In this reborn life, her once-distant elder sister was taking the initiative to approach her, her former rival was acting strangely, and only Lu Weiying remained as hypocritical as ever.

Having had her fill of petting, Lu He took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her hands with a look of disdain. Then, suddenly leaning in, she lifted a lock of hair from Ling Yue’s neck and gently sniffed it.

Ling Yue’s pupils shook violently.

Was she being teased? Was she really being teased?

Unable to control herself, Ling Yue pulled her hair back, adopting a serious expression. “Your Highness, please don’t, this is improper.”

Lu He laughed at the sight of Ling Yue’s rapidly reddening earlobes. “Aren’t you ashamed to say that?”

Ling Yue froze.

A certain memory resurfaced, and her confidence deflated. “This subject.”

After a long internal struggle, Ling Yue whispered, “If others were to see, it would damage Your Highness’s reputation.”

Lu He looked at her messy head and smirked disdainfully. “Then how about we just kill anyone who sees?”

Ling Yue was startled and instinctively grabbed Lu He’s sleeve, exclaiming loudly, “Your Highness, you mustn’t!”

But in her agitation, Ling Yue failed to notice how close they had drawn though Lu He was well aware.

Without any warning, she maintained her disdainful expression. “Hmph, since when have I ever feared society’s judgment? And when have I ever had a good reputation? You’re overthinking it.”

Lu He had intended to stand up and leave, but she found the other person too amusing to walk away from. Remaining seated, her eyes crinkled with laughter. “I came here today to tell you that if you lose tomorrow, you won’t have to pay with your life.”

Ling Yue’s eyes lit up, and she was about to express her gratitude excitedly, but the next moment wiped the smile off her face.

“However, I placed a bet of ten thousand taels on you. If you lose, you’ll have to repay that money.”

After enjoying the sight of Ling Yue’s shattered expression, Lu He stood up and walked to the window. Turning back, she added, “Also, your shampoo is terrible. Change it.”

With that, she leaped out of the window and disappeared.

After Lu He left, Ling Yue began frantically searching through her purse and jewelry, counting her belongings over and over again with frustration.

In the end, she realized she was still short by nine thousand nine hundred and ninety taels.

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