Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 49

Returning to the general’s manor, Ling Yue was preoccupied with her thoughts. She nearly took a wrong turn on her way back to her room after all, she wasn’t yet familiar with her new quarters.

These past few days had been relatively calm. The Grand Princess had granted her a few days off, and the court’s rewards had yet to arrive. Ling Yue had considered inviting the Prince of Wen and his companion out, but both were quite busy.

Left with little else to do, she practiced martial arts in the courtyard until her clothes were soaked with sweat. After a refreshing bath, she lay down on her bed.

The sun outside was bright. Ling Yue turned her head and saw Chun Tao bustling about. Bored, she abruptly sat up and snatched the basin from Chun Tao’s hands. “Let me do it.”

In less than a second, Chun Tao snatched the basin back. “How could I let the young lady do chores? If you’re bored, you should rest in your room.”

With that, she set the basin aside and began hanging the laundry. Watching her efficiency, Ling Yue couldn’t help but rub her nose awkwardly. She felt somewhat useless, like an idle loafer. Her previous life had been far more turbulent; it seemed she was constantly busy back then.

Gazing up at the clear blue sky, Ling Yue’s stifled mood lightened slightly. She suddenly recalled that the Ling family owned several manors outside the city. Based on her memories from her past life, those manors were rather unruly, each one a troublemaker in its own right.

Although Ling Ya’s status was well-established, her temperament was too gentle. Ling Yue wondered if she had managed to keep them in line.

Determined to check on the manors in the suburbs, Ling Yue eagerly saddled her horse, gathered the estate’s accountant and a few guards, and set off.

In her past life, after both Ling Fu and Ling Ya had passed away, Ling Yue took over the Ling estate. As an unfavored concubine-born daughter, she faced countless slights and disdain. Even though she had achieved numerous merits on the battlefield, it counted for little.

Back then, she not only had to contend with the Ling family’s collateral branches but also suppress the estate’s own rebellious elements. On top of that, the court was unstable, and she had to protect Lu Weiying while desperately resisting pressure from both the northern and southern factions of Rong Dynasty. It was a miracle she hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion.

Honestly, Ling Yue’s hands were itching. She wanted to seize the troublemakers and trounce them as she had in her past life, then drive them out just like before.

But when she arrived at the scene, everyone at the manor was diligently attending to their duties. The minor ringleader who had caused trouble in her previous life was now bowing and scraping obsequiously before her, his fawning demeanor a far cry from the defiant figure in her memories.

Ling Yue spent a long time there but found no significant issues.

Frustrated, she headed back. On the way, the Ling family’s accountant explained, “The eldest young lady also visited once. His Majesty specifically sent Aunt Qiu Ling to accompany her, and those who wanted to stir up trouble were quickly silenced.”

In fact, it wasn’t just Qiu Ling who came, a contingent of the Imperial Guards had also been dispatched. It might have been an overreaction, but the results were remarkably effective.

Hearing this, Ling Yue’s feelings grew even more complicated. She recalled the scene from that morning and couldn’t help but speculate.

Could it be that His Majesty had improper intentions toward her legitimate sister?

Her words that day had been spoken in jest; she never actually thought her sister and the Emperor were involved.

She felt a twinge of guilt, as in her past life, she had supported Lu Weiying. However, she had never intended to kill the Emperor, only to force his abdication.

Yet the Emperor’s life was not long. After stepping down, he died of melancholy. She hadn’t pondered it deeply before, but now, knowing Lu Weiying’s ruthlessness, Ling Yue suspected it was more likely the Emperor had been murdered.

Unable to suppress a shiver, Ling Yue sighed and told the others to return to the estate first, while she herself wandered aimlessly.

After finding a spot to tie up her horse, Ling Yue walked slowly along the riverbank. The further she went, the more unsettled she felt. This life had been too smooth for her so smooth that sometimes it felt unreal, and that feeling was terrifying.

She picked up a stone and tossed it into the river. The stone skipped across the water, leaving ripples in its wake, before finally landing on the opposite bank. Ling Yue threw another one, and it, too, landed on the far shore.

Looking more closely, she noticed fish swimming in the water. Just as she was about to observe them further, the fish sensed danger and darted away, splashing water all over her. Ling Yue smiled wryly.

“Are you General Ling?”

A timid voice interrupted Ling Yue’s moment of tranquility. She looked down and saw a very cute child, about ten years old, wearing a pale blue dress and a bluebird pendant around her neck. The child had a small mole just below the right corner of her lips and was staring intently at Ling Yue.

Ling Yue bent down to meet the child at eye level and spoke kindly, “Yes, what is it?”

Her gentle demeanor put the little girl at ease, and she spoke a bit louder, “I can’t find my mother.”

So it was a lost child. Ling Yue immediately grew concerned and asked, “What’s your mother’s name? Where is she from?”

The girl sniffled, looking pitiful, “My mother’s name is Yun Qing Niao, from Blue Mountain.”

Ling Yue froze, afraid she might have misunderstood. She asked for more details, and everything matched up.

What a coincidence. Ling Yue picked her up and comforted her gently, “I see. Don’t worry, I’ll take you to find her.”

The little girl nodded, wiping her eyes. Her red-rimmed eyes tugged at Ling Yue’s heartstrings, making her feel a bit resentful toward Qing Niao. Noticing how quiet and well-behaved the child was in her arms, Ling Yue couldn’t help but say, “There are many bad people in the world. It’s fine with me, but don’t go off with strangers in the future.”

“You’re not a stranger.”

Ling Yue was taken aback. “Why not?”

She didn’t recall ever meeting the girl before. Could Qing Niao have mentioned her? But had the letter arrived so quickly? Or was the child lying out of fear of being scolded?

“Because everyone on the road was talking about you, saying you’re a good person. So I already knew you before.”

Ling Yue carried her over to her horse and couldn’t help but laugh at the explanation. “I see.”

Holding the child, Ling Yue headed back into the city and went straight to the palace. She finally found Qing Niao napping in a side chamber of the Hall of Cultivation.

Perhaps for convenience, Qing Niao had lain down fully dressed, sleeping so stiffly that the bed looked like a coffin.

As soon as the little girl saw her, she scrambled down from Ling Yue’s arms and threw herself onto Qing Niao, shouting, “Mom!”

That jolted Qing Niao awake. Blinking groggily, she was still confused about the situation but mumbled upon hearing her daughter’s voice, “Huh? Is this dream not over yet? Why do I hear Xiao Lizhi’s voice?”

“Mom! You’re not dreaming look at me!”

Qing Niao took a closer look, and her drowsiness vanished instantly. She sat up in shock. “What are you doing here?”

Xiao Lizhi, no longer as reserved as she had been with Ling Yue, looked quite proud. “I came by myself! Mom, you lied you never came to see me!”

Qing Niao was furious. Before returning to Rongcheng, she had entrusted her daughter to her apprentice, whose family lived in Kecheng. The journey between the two cities involved passing through four towns, traveling by waterway, and crossing mountains far too dangerous!

“Ridiculous! What if something had happened to you?”

Xiao Lizhi was frightened, tears instantly welling up in her eyes as she sobbed, “I didn’t go alone. I traveled with a group of kind people. Please don’t be angry, Mother. I’m here now.”

Qing Niao had intended to scold her, but seeing her cry softened her heart. In the end, she merely checked the girl over with a stern expression, relieved to find her unharmed.

Ling Yue had been standing aside for some time. Seeing that Qing Niao’s expression remained troubled, she couldn’t help but speak up. “Fortunately, the child is safe. That’s what truly matters.”

Only then did Qing Niao notice the other person. “My apologies.”

“It’s nothing. What’s the little one’s name?”

Qing Niao gently stroked her daughter’s hair. The girl seemed exhausted and had already fallen asleep.

“Yunli,” Qing Niao replied after a pause. “Her birth mother loved chestnuts, so she was given this name. Thank you for today.”

Ling Yue casually took a seat nearby. Watching Yunli cling to Qing Niao’s waist, sleeping soundly, she felt an urge to pinch the girl’s cheek but held back, not wanting to disturb her rest.

Withdrawing her hand, she smiled. “She’s an adorable child. What are your plans now?”

Worry clouded Qing Niao’s eyes. With the Eldest Princess’s health improving, she naturally wished to stay close by, ready to intervene if anything went wrong. But now Yunli was here.

Rongcheng was no safe haven. As the Eldest Princess’s confidante, Qing Niao faced numerous risks herself, and she didn’t want Yunli dragged into any of it.

She was torn.

On one hand, she felt this life was different from her past one, that the Eldest Princess could protect them. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to fully trust that.

Having lost so much before, only to regain it now, Qing Niao was terrified terrified that Yunli might leave her alone in this world again, just as in her previous life.

That was why she had sent her daughter to Kecheng in the first place.

Lost in confusion, Qing Niao instinctively held her daughter tighter. “I don’t know, but I think I must send her away.”

Perhaps she held too tightly, or perhaps the girl hadn’t been asleep at all, Yunli suddenly opened her eyes, looking heartbroken. “No! I don’t want to leave you, Mother!”

Qing Niao sighed helplessly, soothing her again and again. “You can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous!”

“Is Kecheng any safer? I had to run away from there!”

Qing Niao was stunned. “What?!”

Yunli, choked with tears, recounted the entire incident. The more she spoke, the darker Qing Niao’s expression grew.

“If I hadn’t escaped in the dead of night, I would never have seen you again!”

Qing Niao never imagined that the apprentice she had taught would harbor such ill intentions even plotting to sell Yunli. Enraged, she slammed her fist against the bed, suddenly overwhelmed by despair.

What was she to do now?

After calming Yunli back to sleep, Qing Niao still had no answers. She buried her face in her hands.

Ling Yue heard her quiet sobs and noticed the streaks of white in her hair. Softly, she reassured her, “Let her stay here. The Eldest Princess is here, and so am I. Anyone who thinks of harming Yunli will have to answer to us.”

Feeling her words lacked weight, Ling Yue added solemnly, “I owe the physician my life. If anyone dares lay a finger on Yunli, I will protect her with everything I have even if it costs me my life.”

The sobbing gradually subsided. Qing Niao lowered the hands that had been covering her face, then turned her head away in embarrassment at her tear-streaked cheeks to look at her sleeping daughter.

“You never owed me your life. That joke is too heavy.”

Only then did Ling Yue remember, it was a matter from their past life. But Qing Niao had saved so many people; she probably wouldn’t recall even if he lied.

Ling Yue smiled faintly. “You saved me when I was young. Perhaps you don’t remember, but I do.”

His lie was clumsy, yet Qing Niao didn’t expose him.

She believed what Ling Yue said, though it stirred some emotion in her.

In the past, she never understood why someone like the Eldest Princess would be so infatuated with Ling Yue. But now, it seemed she understood.

Things from a past life she could easily pretend not to know.

Qing Niao looked up at him and sighed softly. “Please, General, take care of yourself first. Otherwise, someone will fall apart.”

Ling Yue, puzzled, asked, “Who?”

Closing her eyes wearily, Qing Niao replied, “We’ll talk about it another day.”

Seeing her pallor, Ling Yue didn’t dare press further. As he left, he glanced back once more. Qing Niao sat by the bed, humming what sounded like a lullaby.

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