Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 17

It was snowing again, but Ling Yue paid it no mind. She was still suppressing the turmoil of emotions within her, memories of her past life flooding back incessantly. Despite the frigid temperature, she actually felt a wave of heat.

As she walked, she suddenly bumped her head, and a familiar fragrance wafted into her nostrils. She hastily stepped back, flustered. “Your Highness, please forgive my offense.”

Lu He turned around and crouched down, watching her sprawled on the ground. The snow was so cold, and this person truly knew how to mistreat herself.

Rising and bending over, she swiftly pulled Ling Yue up, smiling as she said, “You’re too timid. Am I really that frightening?”

The question nearly made Ling Yue kneel again. She hurriedly replied, “This humble subject did not mean that.”

Lu He released her hand, too impatient to dawdle with her any longer. With a stern expression, she said coldly, “Keep up.”

“Yes.”

Ling Yue brushed the snow off her clothes, no longer daring to let her mind wander. She followed closely behind Lu He.

Lu He intentionally tested her, gradually increasing her speed until she was using qinggong. Though it was strenuous to keep up, Ling Yue gritted her teeth and managed. Watching the leaping figure ahead, she began to feel dizzy.

Even the most patient person would inwardly complain a little, but beyond that, there was also astonishment.

If one overlooked her temper, the Eldest Princess was truly a perfect individual.

Distracted by these thoughts, Ling Yue fell further behind. In her panic to catch up, she slipped and tumbled from the palace wall.

The next moment, she was scooped up by the waist, and she could hear her own heart beating joyfully.

She hadn’t expected the Eldest Princess to turn back. Reflecting on it, from the beginning until now, the other had always held back.

Ling Yue felt embarrassed. She wasn’t used to such intimacy, especially with someone of Di Xuan’s stature. Moreover, in her past life, she had always been the one saving others; in this life, she seemed excessively fragile.

With these complicated emotions swirling inside, a peculiar thought sprang to her mind: she must save the Eldest Princess once to repay her.

No sooner had the idea surfaced than she suppressed it. Her inherently kind nature even made her feel a twinge of guilt.

She scolded herself inwardly: How could she wish for the Eldest Princess to encounter danger? No matter the perspective, the Eldest Princess ought to live a long and prosperous life.

Lu He let go of her just as snow began to fall again. A few snowflakes adorned the dark hair of the young girl before her, yet the girl remained unaware.

This little one seemed to daydream often, who knew what occupied her thoughts all day?

Lu He smiled helplessly and reached out to brush the snow from the other’s hair. But having done so, she found herself confused by her own actions.

Agitated, she tossed the snow in her hand away, her voice cold and indicative of her mood. “Let’s go.”

Seeing Lu He’s entire demeanor screaming “don’t mess with me,” Ling Yue followed nervously.

But why were they walking on the wall?

Stealing a glance downward, she saw a squad of imperial guards in yellow vests passing by in orderly formation.

Ling Yue felt awkward, as if she were a monkey hopping about. Fortunately, the guards adhered strictly to their duties, glancing up briefly before continuing expressionlessly.

Ling Yue breathed a sigh of relief and left the guards behind.

After they had moved away, the last guard in the squad looked back and exhaled deeply, followed by a flurry of gossip and speculation.

Human imagination twisted the ordinary relationship between ruler and subject into unspeakable directions.

Unaware that her reputation was in tatters, Ling Yue only felt that the Eldest Princess’s palace was too remote.

After bypassing countless palaces, Ling Yue finally descended from the palace wall.

Looking up, she saw the plaque inscribed with three bold, flowing characters: “Hall of Nurturing Nature.” Its layout was identical to the Emperor’s Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The difference was that there were far fewer attendants here. Only a few palace maids were sweeping the steps, and upon seeing the Grand Princess return, they set down their brooms and bowed in greeting.

The Grand Princess casually motioned for them to rise.

Suddenly, the hall doors were pushed open from the inside, startling Ling Yue. She stole a glance and saw a woman standing at the doorway, her face beaming with a smile.

Her simple attire was completely out of place amidst the opulence of the surroundings. She wore a headscarf, and the strands of hair visible beneath it were streaked with silver.

How could someone like this be in the Grand Princess’s residence?

The one who had pushed the door open was Qing Niao. She smiled and said, “Xiao He, you’re back.”

Lu He looked at her with disdain and said in a sinister tone, “If you keep wearing these shabby clothes, I’ll throw you into the fishpond.”

Qing Niao’s shoulders trembled slightly, and she replied helplessly, “I’m not used to wearing your fine things. Don’t be angry, come inside first.”

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Ling Yue. When Ling Yue noticed, Qing Niao gave her a friendly smile.

Though Lu He’s face still showed contempt, she didn’t actually follow through on her threat to throw Qing Niao into the fishpond.

Ling Yue followed them inside, her mind in turmoil, unable to calm the storm of emotions raging within her.

She stared in astonishment at the woman in coarse clothing.

This woman had actually called the Grand Princess “Xiao He,” and the Grand Princess hadn’t even gotten angry!

Moreover, Ling Yue felt that this woman’s voice was strangely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Her memories were too jumbled, and she couldn’t immediately recall why the voice felt so familiar. She simply followed them inside and was then offered a seat by the Grand Princess.

Out of respect, Ling Yue refrained from looking around and kept her gaze fixed on the teacup in front of her.

Qing Niao first took Lu He’s pulse and said, “It’s fine.”

Lu He withdrew her hand and glanced at Ling Yue, who was shrinking back like a turtle. She snorted coldly and said, “Take a look at her.”

Ling Yue immediately straightened her back and wisely extended her hand.

Seeing this, Qing Niao found it amusing and said to Lu He, “Why are you scaring her?”

Lu He found the question utterly baffling and frowned at Ling Yue. “Did I scare you?”

Ling Yue shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. “No.”

Satisfied with the response, Lu He leaned back casually and looked at Qing Niao with a smug expression.

Qing Niao was both amused and genuinely pleased.

Ever since she had met Lu He, the other woman had either been in a state of frenzied madness during her episodes, like a cornered beast using fangs and claws to tear apart everything in sight, or she would fall into a lifeless silence after the madness subsided.

Neither of these states frightened Qing Niao as much as another one did.

But this current state was good playfully cunning, teasing others, and showing off her pride in front of Qing Niao.

Under Qing Niao’s intense gaze, Lu He couldn’t help but break out in goosebumps. Unable to bear it any longer, she glared coldly and said, “What are you looking at?”

Qing Niao swallowed her myriad emotions and averted her eyes, placing her hand on Ling Yue’s wrist.

Ling Yue had been relatively relaxed at first, but as Qing Niao’s expression grew increasingly grave, she couldn’t help but tense up.

Sensing her unease, Qing Niao smiled reassuringly and said, “Relax, don’t be nervous.”

Ling Yue calmed down, but the gentle voice only intensified the feeling of familiarity.

A fragment of memory flashed through her mind, and she finally understood why it felt so familiar.

In her previous life, she had been poisoned by enemy forces. The toxin had cost her her eyesight and nearly taken her life.

In the fading moments of her consciousness, she struggled desperately. Someone held her hand and gently reassured her, “Relax, don’t be tense.”

But at that time, even if she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. She later heard from the soldiers in the camp that a wandering physician had saved her.

The person before her now was her savior from her past life.

Seeing this person taking her pulse for so long, Lu He felt a subtle sense of worry. She wanted to speak but feared interrupting, so she shifted from lying down to sitting up, her gaze fixed intently on Ling Yue’s wrist.

The atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat strange.

Qing Niao released Ling Yue’s wrist and asked, “Guard Ling, do you often have dreams?”

Ling Yue was startled. “Yes, I often have nightmares when I fall asleep.”

Qing Niao wore an expression of understanding. After a moment of contemplation, she asked again, “Do you remember the content of the dreams?”

Ling Yue nodded. “I dream of misplaced trust, severed hands, blinded eyes, and being burned to ashes. I also dream of my lonely grave overgrown with weeds after death, with someone placing flowers before the tomb, sipping coarse wine, and softly playing a flute.”

Sitting nearby, Lu He frowned, her eyes filled with confusion.

The nightmares from her past life replayed in her dreams every day. Troubled for a long time, Ling Yue trusted the person who had saved her in her past life implicitly and looked at Qing Niao with hope. “Do you have a way to resolve this?”

Qing Niao smiled confidently. “Don’t worry, it’s quite easy to solve.”

Ling Yue’s eyes instantly sparkled. In her heart, Qing Niao had already earned the title of “miracle healer.”

Feeling excited, she remembered that the Princess was still by her side. She stole a glance and noticed the Princess frowning, lost in thought.

Qing Niao stood up and walked to the nearby bookshelf. On the top shelf lay a stack of rice paper. She took a few sheets, brought them to the nearby desk, and began writing and drawing with a brush.

After setting the brush down, she blew gently on the written paper, then carefully folded it.

Once finished, she returned to her original spot and handed the folded paper to Ling Yue, wearing a mysterious expression. “Open it only after you return. If a second person sees this prescription, it will become useless.”

The shifty-eyed savior before her reminded Ling Yue of the various fake Taoists and monks she had encountered in her past life.

Wouldn’t a prescription still be a prescription even if someone else saw it? Could it be some kind of folk taboo?

Though she didn’t understand, out of absolute trust in her savior, Ling Yue solemnly tucked the prescription into her bosom and seriously promised, “Understood.”

Qing Niao glanced at Lu He, who was still frowning, and reiterated sternly, “Make sure to protect it. No one but you can see it.”

Ling Yue was completely convinced. She nodded emphatically, clutching the prescription tightly in her bosom. “I understand.”

Seeing Ling Yue so compliant, Qing Niao felt quite pleased. She stole another glance at Lu He and, seeing no reaction from her, took charge. “Her Highness brought you here out of concern for your health. Now that everything is fine, you may return to your residence.”

Ling Yue nodded but then hesitated. “What about my official position?”

Qing Niao was taken aback. “Didn’t I just call you Guard Ling?”

Upon being reminded, it seemed that was indeed the case.

Qing Niao grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. “Congratulations, Imperial Guard.”

This was not what Ling Yue had imagined. She thought she would be assigned to the Ministry of War, starting as a low-ranking official.

After the initial shock, she calmed down. Protecting the Emperor or similar duties, she could handle that.

But reality was not as simple as she thought. Qing Niao patted her shoulder with a look of amusement. “You’ll be responsible for protecting the Princess’s safety.”

Ling Yue shuddered.

Did the Princess even need protection?

But the Princess did not refute her.

On the way back, Ling Yue was completely preoccupied with her thoughts, occasionally glancing back and sighing.

When she arrived home, she declined all visitors and sat alone in solitude until nightfall.

Only when it was time to sleep did she set aside her worries about the future.

Taking the prescription from her bosom, Ling Yue sneakily glanced outside. After confirming no one was around, she locked the doors and windows securely. Satisfied that everything was in order, she unfolded the heart-shaped prescription by the candlelight.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she opened it her future peaceful sleep depended on this very moment!

The paper unfolded, and written on it were the words: Marry the Princess.

Ling Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she angrily crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it away.

“Absurd!”

After a long while of helpless fury, Ling Yue decided to let it go for now and get some sleep.

Perhaps because of that prescription, Ling Yue didn’t dream of her past life but of her present one.

In her dreams, the Princess’s shadow was everywhere.

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