Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 30

I still need to inform Lu Ai before leaving the palace.

When Lu He arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the room was brightly lit. She never announced her visits when seeing people, and the palace maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation were well aware of this rule.

But today’s matter was particularly important, so Lu He had Qiu Ling dismiss all the attendants outside. The vast bedchamber was left with only three people.

It was already late at night. Lu Ai, with her hair down, was about to retire for the evening when Lu He, this unexpected guest, arrived a step too late. Lu Ai had always been afraid of her elder sister and suppressed her fear, softly calling out, “Imperial Sister.”

Lu He did not respond. She sat at the desk outside, flipping through the memorials on the table before speaking in a stern voice, “I will be heading south tomorrow. You must diligently manage court affairs and avoid neglecting your duties for trivial pursuits.”

Hearing that her elder sister was leaving, Lu Ai’s eyes lit up, but she dared not show her joy too openly. She simply made her usual promise, “Please rest assured, Imperial Sister. I will not disappoint your expectations.”

Verbal assurances did little to ease Lu He’s mind. As an emperor, Lu Ai was passable, but Lu He was not satisfied with that.

In the past, her worries stemmed from her poor health, but now, unburdened by physical ailments, Lu He could continue to watch over the Rong Dynasty.

Closing the memorial, Lu He, for once, felt like having a chat with this unfamiliar younger sister.

“Do you think I am too harsh?”

It was a statement of fact, not a question seeking an answer.

Lu Ai was terrified. Her interactions with this elder sister were always brief, but tonight seemed different.

She had never wanted the throne, but refusing it would mean certain death. Power, desire, justice she wanted none of it. Her wish was simple: she just wanted to live.

She dared not voice her true thoughts and instead lied again, “Imperial Sister worries too much. As the ruler of a nation, these are all necessary.”

It was a lie that could be seen through at a glance. Lu He sneered, “Tell me the truth.”

The mocking tone made Lu Ai tremble uncontrollably. She helplessly glanced at Qiu Ling but then remembered who she was facing. Not wanting to cause trouble for Qiu Ling, she turned away and chose honesty, “Yes, but my wishes are of no importance to you, are they?”

Her calm voice was filled with accusation. Qiu Ling desperately tried to catch Lu Ai’s eye, but the latter paid her no attention.

After a moment of struggle, Qiu Ling knelt beside Lu He and kowtowed, “Your Highness, Her Majesty is still young. Please forgive her.”

The emperor could not bear to see Qiu Ling like this and had no choice but to set aside her resentment and apologize to Lu He, “I spoke out of turn just now. Please punish me, Sister.”

It was a touching scene of loyalty between master and servant, but unfortunately, Lu He was unmoved.

Her patience with people was limited, and she had no intention of punishing either of them. She turned and left with a flick of her sleeve.

Walking all the way back to the Hall of Nurturing Nature, she found Qing Niao waiting for her when she stepped inside.

“Did you go to talk to your sister?”

Lu He sat down casually and nodded with a noncommittal “Mm.”

Qiu Ling paid no mind to her aloofness. Anxiously, she asked, “Do you know that Lu Weiying has disappeared?”

Lu He responded with another indifferent “Mm.” Her attitude drove Qing Niao to near madness. As a trusted confidante, Qing Niao knew full well that Lu Weiying was no easy opponent Ling Fu had most likely been poisoned by her.

“That little girl is dangerous, do you hear me? Don’t tell me you still want to keep her as a backup for the future?”

Lu He finally showed some emotion, narrowing her eyes irritably. “I have no such intention.”

Qing Niao truly didn’t understand. She paced anxiously back and forth in the hall, occasionally glancing at Lu He. Seeing that the other showed no intention of acting, she finally couldn’t hold back: “If you go after her now, there’s still time. The shadow guards said she was taken northward she just set out, so you can still catch up.”

After enduring this stream of nagging, Lu He finally looked at her, but her gaze held a probing curiosity. “Why are you so concerned about her? She’s just a princess who hasn’t long left the cold palace.”

Qing Niao was taken aback by the question and sighed. “My intuition is sharp, I sense she’s trouble.”

Lu He stared at her for a long while before speaking slowly, “Ever since returning to Rong City, I’ve noticed many unusual things like Ling Yue, and just now, the Lu Weiying you mentioned.” She paused briefly, then added with a smile, “And you.”

In truth, it wasn’t just these people. Lu He felt she herself was strange too. Whenever she was with Ling Yue, she would unconsciously feel happy, wanting to tease her, and disliking it when the other kept too much distance.

None of this should be happening. Thirteen years ago, she had indeed met Ling Yue once Ling Yue was only five at the time, speaking with childish innocence.

That was their only meeting, separated by thirteen years. She shouldn’t have such special feelings for Ling Yue.

She waited for Qing Niao’s response.

Qing Niao stood still. She knew Lu He was clever, but she hadn’t expected her to uncover the issue so quickly. All she could do was force a bitter smile. “What’s so strange about me?”

Given their long-standing friendship, Lu He naturally trusted that Qing Niao meant her no harm. She lowered her head and opened a book on the table, but her eyes were cold clearly, reading was just a pretense. To reassure Qing Niao, Lu He explained, “I intentionally let that girl go.”

Hearing this, Qing Niao grew furious. She strode forward and snatched the book from Lu He’s hands, exclaiming anxiously, “Why did you let her go?”

Lu He calmly retrieved the book but didn’t open it, simply setting it aside.

“Lu Weiying used Ling Fu’s life as a bargaining chip to seek refuge in the Northern Kingdom. I can’t figure it out either. She’s a princess, and a clever one at that. She should know that staying in Rong Dynasty is her best option.”

Qing Niao didn’t care about any of that. She just wanted to bring the girl back. Since Lu He didn’t want to handle it, she would go herself. After all, neither Lu Weiying nor she knew martial arts.

Just as she stepped out the door, Lu He called out, “Come back.”

Qing Niao snorted coldly and tried to leave again.

Lu He said calmly, “Don’t you know what the Northern Kingdom is like? She won’t survive there.”

The Northern Kingdom was truly a barbaric land. Even if Lu Weiying had some cleverness, she would need real strength to make those people listen to her. Without martial arts, her first steps would be extremely difficult.

Of course, Lu He wasn’t so arrogant as to leave it at that she had made backup plans.

Under the moonlight, two figures rode swiftly on horseback, one far ahead of the other. The rider in the back was Lu Weiying.

Lu Weiying wasn’t skilled at riding, and the urgent journey through the night was so bumpy it made her terribly nauseous.

“Urgh!”

The person leading Lu Weiying in their escape grew increasingly impatient. She turned her head and snapped, “How many times have you thrown up now? Do you even want to escape? I don’t want to die in a foreign land.”

Lu Weiying’s face turned pale. Summoning her strength, she quickened her pace and repeatedly apologized, which finally quieted the grumbling Northerner.

For the rest of the journey, she dared not vomit again, afraid of provoking the other’s disdain.

After running for their lives all night, Lu Weiying found the sunlight unbearably harsh.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, a sharp, twisting pain struck her lower abdomen. Too weak to hold the reins, she tumbled from the horse.

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