Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 25

Unlike the last time, the room was now lit, and the Grand Princess had mercifully allowed her to open her eyes. Ling Yue felt that her future dreams would surely become even more thrilling.

Setting aside the future for now, she got out of bed to find her clothes. After finally gathering a complete set, Ling Yue looked at the still-sleeping figure on the bed and felt an illusory sense of being in a dream.

The person with the deepest connection to her in this life was actually her mortal enemy from the previous life. If she could speak to her past self and say, “You marked the Grand Princess twice,” her former self would surely widen her eyes in sheer terror.

The thought of that scene amused her, and Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Her light laughter, however, stirred the sleeping figure on the bed awake.

Lu He sat up, her expression freezing for a moment before she nonchalantly threw off the covers, found her clothes, and began to dress.

Only, her movements were noticeably slower than usual. She slowly walked over and sat down beside Ling Yue. Seeing the other woman too afraid to look at her, she found it amusing.

Reaching out, she cupped Ling Yue’s face, pinching her chin to force her to look up. “Too scared to look?”

Ling Yue had never encountered such a bold Earth Xuan. She felt utterly at a loss.

Fortunately, Lu He released her without further torment, though all tenderness vanished in that instant, reverting to her unattainable, lofty demeanor. “What do you want?”

Ling Yue felt an inexplicable ache, or perhaps it was disappointment. But since the Grand Princess had spoken, this was a perfect opportunity.

She wanted to kneel and plead, but the Grand Princess stopped her, saying only, “Sit.”

Ling Yue obediently sat down, her hands trembling slightly from nervousness.

The scene of Ling Ya’s suicide in her past life was still vivid in her mind. In this life, this elder sister had been exceptionally kind to her. Such a gentle person did not deserve such an end.

Ling Yue pleaded, “I beg Your Highness to summon a divine physician to treat my elder sister.”

The request was not unexpected. Lu He gazed at the top of Ling Yue’s head, lowered her eyes, and lightly tapped the table with her knuckles. “From what I know, you and Ling Ya are not close. Why plead for her?”

Ling Yue nodded emphatically. “I beg Your Highness to grant this.”

Seeing that the other woman was not joking, Lu He found it hard to comprehend. Feeling somewhat weary, she propped her head on one hand. “Do you know of your own origins?”

“I do.”

Lu He was even more surprised. “Oh?”

How could Ling Yue not know her own origins? Her birth had been unwanted.

In Pengzhou, there was a Ke clan, rumored to possess members who could serve as vessels to absorb the impurities of others.

When Ling Ya’s mother was pregnant with her, she suffered physical harm. A wandering Taoist priest happened to pass by and lamented, “The child in the General’s wife’s womb is of noble destiny, but alas, it is plagued by malevolent forces.”

Ling Fu believed the priest’s words and recalled the Ke clan of Pengzhou.

Since the vessel had to be of a similar age, Ling Yue was brought into existence.

Later, Ling Yue was born, but Ling Ya’s health remained frail. Ling Fu blamed Ling Yue, believing she obstructed his path to advancement.

The memory was painful, but Ling Yue paid it no mind. She lifted her head and spoke earnestly, “I know, but that has nothing to do with my elder sister. She knows nothing of it.”

“My elder sister is a good person. I don’t want her to suffer from illness any longer. I beg Your Highness to grant this.”

Lu He half-closed her eyes, lost in thought. Seizing the rare opportunity, Ling Yue grew anxious and pressed, “I beg Your Highness to grant this!”

Lu He seemed somewhat resigned. “Discuss this matter with Qing Niao.”

“Your Highness!”

Lu He, seeing her agitation, explained further, “The Blue Bird is the divine physician you mentioned.”

“Ah?”

Ling Yue was truly stunned. She never would have imagined that the despicable and shameless matchmaker was actually the divine physician.

Due to her past life experiences, she had harbored suspicions, but that heart-shaped prescription had shattered her confidence. In their subsequent interactions, she had found this Doctor Yun to be quite unreliable in many ways.

To think she really was the divine physician.

She had assumed that with so many capable people around the princess, the divine physician must be someone else.

Lu He found her expression quite amusing and felt the urge to tease her, but she lacked the energy at the moment. Abandoning the idea, she smiled and said, “You don’t believe me? But it’s normal to be skeptical. I ended up going mad entirely because of her.”

Ling Yue broke out in a cold sweat and began to wrestle with whether she should let the Blue Bird treat Ling Ya’s illness.

She stammered, “What do you mean?”

After asking, she felt she had overstepped, but then she reasoned that since she already knew so many of the princess’s secrets, one more wouldn’t make much difference.

After all, there were many secrets, but only one life. Knowing more or less was all the same.

Lu He rubbed her temples. “The medicine she prescribed for me suppressed the toxins in my body, but that medicine was also a poison. Taking too much of it would drive a person mad.”

After rubbing her head for a while, it felt a bit lighter. Lu He let out a long sigh, finally sitting up straight, and revealed her condition without reservation: “Actually, both toxins can be suppressed with internal energy. But suppressing them too much without expelling them only turns them into something even more deadly.”

No matter which path she chose, it led to death, yet Lu He spoke of it so lightly.

Ling Yue couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart. Pity might be an insult to someone like her, so she could only remain silent.

She didn’t dare ask how the princess had been poisoned. If even a general’s estate had such dark secrets, how much more so the royal family?

Seeing Ling Yue silent, Lu He continued, “Your wish still stands. I was planning to have the Blue Bird take a look at your elder sister anyway.”

Ling Yue didn’t quite understand. “Why?”

Lu He didn’t mind her asking too many questions. “It’s fine to tell you. I feel my days are numbered. This move is to help Lu Ai win over Ling Fu. But that girl doesn’t know what’s good for her. If the Lu family weren’t short on successors, I’d replace her.”

Lu Ai was the current emperor.

Ling Yue shrank her head, afraid to hear more. Her mind felt like it was about to explode, and some doubts from her past life were also resolved.

In her past life, the princess had been even more elusive than now. After handing power over to Lu Weiying, she had vanished completely and never reappeared, even after the court stabilized.

Lu He was already very tired. “Don’t worry. I’m different from ordinary people. The Blue Bird can only prolong my life using such methods. But Ling Ya is different. You can rest assured.”

Just then, the sound of a lock turning came from outside. The door was pushed open a crack, and someone peeked in furtively.

Finally, she spotted the two sitting properly inside. Seeing Ling Yue glaring at her, the Blue Bird flashed a hint of embarrassment, but she was thick-skinned, and her guilt lasted only a moment.

Pushing the door fully open, the Blue Bird walked over with a grin. “Are you two alright?”

They were fine, just a bit tired.

Ling Yue naturally couldn’t voice her true feelings. Considering she would need to ask for help later and hadn’t suffered any losses this time, she swallowed her anger.

She said dryly, “I may need to trouble Physician Yun to make a trip in the future.”

Feeling guilty about her misdeed, Qing Niao nodded quickly, “Mm, mm, I’ll go with you.”

Lu Huo found the noise somewhat bothersome, and her head seemed to ache again. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but her stomach wasn’t hungry yet.

After a jumble of thoughts, she suddenly remembered the most important matter and felt a bit annoyed. “There’s one more thing. In a couple of days, I’ll be heading south to lead the campaign personally. You and Qing Niao will accompany me.”

Ling Yue hadn’t expected to go to the battlefield so soon. In her previous life, she was still hiding her talents.

Aside from surprise, she felt more excitement, so much so that she was still grinning foolishly even after leaving the palace gates.

Qing Niao, who had returned to the residence with her, lifted the carriage curtain and said somewhat speechlessly, “Do you enjoy fighting wars?”

Ling Yue, seated on her horse, looked down at Qing Niao and explained, “Not exactly. It’s just that with wolves and tigers all around, driving them away will bring stability to Rong Dynasty.”

Qing Niao smiled. If anyone else had spoken such righteous words, she would have found them hypocritical, but coming from Ling Yue, she believed it.

This girl was almost foolishly naive, always seeming to consider others.

Qing Niao asked her with a laugh, “Don’t you have even a little selfishness? For your own sake?”

It was the first time Ling Yue had heard someone say such a thing. She lowered her head and repeated, “Myself?”

Qing Niao let the curtain fall and lay back in the carriage. As if recalling something, she advised, “Caring too much about others will make you lose yourself.”

Ling Yue seemed to ponder this. The horse carried her back to the general’s residence, and after leading the person to Ling Ya, she returned to her own small room.

Truth be told, the shabby room didn’t have much furniture, but Chun Tao hadn’t neglected any of it. The worn stools and tables were polished until they shone.

She was so absorbed in her cleaning that she didn’t notice her young mistress had returned.

Ling Yue didn’t disturb her and waited until she finished tidying up before speaking, “Chun Tao.”

Chun Tao put down the cloth in her hand and exclaimed happily, “Young mistress! Why are you back so early today?”

Ling Yue blushed and skipped over the topic. “I’ll be leaving in a couple of days.”

Chun Tao panicked instantly, “Where are you going, young mistress?”

Since it was somewhat of a secret, Ling Yue couldn’t say. She only instructed her on matters after her departure, “I’ve spoken to my sister. You’ll stay with her for now. She’s different from me, you need to be quieter around her, understand?”

Chun Tao was very reluctant, “Can’t you take me with you, young mistress?”

Ling Yue shook her head.

Tears welled up in Chun Tao’s eyes, and Ling Yue once again didn’t know what to do. How does one comfort someone?

From her past life to this one, her awkwardness had never changed. She could only clumsily repeat the words, “Don’t cry.”

After crying her fill, Chun Tao continued to sniffle. Ling Yue thought she was just reluctant to part with her, and a warm feeling flowed through her heart.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Chun Tao looked worried, “Young mistress, what will you do without me?”

Ling Yue suddenly felt the situation wasn’t right.

As if on cue, Chun Tao began listing her faults the next second, counting them on her fingers until she ran out of fingers.

“The young lady can’t do laundry or cook, is a bit slow-witted, loves sleeping in and having nightmares. It’d be fine if she just dreamed, but sometimes she stays up all night, rarely speaks, and when she does, it’s barely a whisper. She has no taste in clothes and hardly any friends.”

Seeing that the other person was about to continue, Ling Yue quickly interrupted, “Stop!”

Chun Tao finally ceased her verbal assault.

Ling Yue had a headache and sighed, “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself.”

Remembering her days on the battlefield, a smile returned to Ling Yue’s face.

Chun Tao also calmed down. Though still worried, she felt the current young lady was much more reliable than before. Besides, if the young lady wasn’t sharing something, it must be important perhaps related to the Grand Princess.

Recalling the sleep-talking she had overheard outside the window, Chun Tao thought her young lady was walking a difficult path. Yet, being able to love was already an act of courage.

Watching Ling Yue’s joyful expression, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you happy staying by the Grand Princess’s side?”

Ling Yue was taken aback by the question.

At first, she had been fearful, but now her perspective had shifted, the other party wasn’t as terrifying as she had thought.

After a long moment of thought, she gazed at the withered tree in the courtyard and whispered softly, “Mm.”

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