Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 55

It took a long time for Lu Weiying to wake up, but to her, the current reality was no different from a nightmare. Despairingly, she curled up in the corner of the room, at times relieved to be alive, at others convinced that the Grand Princess had spared her only to torment her further. The mere thought of that person sent chills down her spine.

Princess An Yi pushed the door open and entered. Scanning the room, her eyes fell upon Lu Weiying, disheveled and huddled in the corner. Under normal circumstances, she might have felt disdain, but now, she found herself somewhat admiring the other woman’s audacity to stand up to such a formidable figure.

However, the banquet was about to begin, and Lu Weiying’s current state was unacceptable. Approaching her, Princess An Yi crouched down and spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness, “The palace banquet is about to start. Hurry and get yourself together.”

To her surprise, Lu Weiying let out a sharp cry at these words. Clutching her head, she shrank even further into the corner. “No! I won’t go! She’ll kill me!”

The shrillness of the other’s voice made Princess An Yi cover her ears. It piqued her curiosity, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “After all, you’ve only just been released from the cold palace. What kind of trouble did you cause to deserve such treatment?”

How could Lu Weiying dare to tell the truth? She knew her actions were seen as wrong in the eyes of the world, and the person before her was fiercely righteous. If An Yi were to learn the truth, Lu Weiying’s life would become even more miserable, she might even be killed on the spot. So, she lied once again.

Hugging her knees tightly, her disheveled hair hiding her face, she spoke in a pitiful voice, “Perhaps it’s because I tried to contend for power with Imperial Aunt Lu Ai, so she couldn’t tolerate me.”

When she had left Rong Dynasty, she had already revealed her ambitions. She intended to use her memories of her past life to assist the Northern Kingdom, which had promised her that if they successfully conquered Rong Dynasty, she would be granted control over its southern half.

An Yi didn’t dwell on it further. From this perspective, Lu Weiying’s behavior indeed warranted such treatment. She cast a somewhat contemptuous glance at Lu Weiying and urged, “You are now an envoy of the Northern Kingdom. No matter what, she cannot harm you. Get up quickly, or I’ll help you up myself.”

The tone of that last sentence had turned threatening. Lu Weiying knew that if she didn’t act quickly, she would face violence. Reluctantly, she stood up, her hands and feet trembling as she dressed. Staring at her pale face in the bronze mirror, she suddenly began to hallucinate flames seemed to blaze within the mirror, and amidst the fire, someone was screaming curses at her with all their might.

A chill ran through her body once more, and she hugged her shoulders tightly, repeating over and over, “It’s not my fault. You were too foolish. You were the one with a heart as venomous as a snake.”

But though she could deceive many, she found it difficult to deceive herself.

In her youth, she had indeed been captivated by Ling Ya and had secretly admired her for a long time. When Ling Ya took her own life, Lu Weiying had genuinely grieved. But her sorrow was too shallow, and time effortlessly washed away that faint sadness. For a long time afterward, she forgot about it entirely. It wasn’t until the borders were secure and she held great power that she remembered the girl named Ling Ya whom she had once loved.

And so, that one shred of genuine emotion from the past became her justification for slaughter.

Ling Yue’s achievements were too great so great that the people knew only of Ling Yue and not of the current emperor, Lu Weiying. Everyone said that without Ling Yue, she would not have her throne; everyone claimed that she, the emperor, was useless.

Lu Weiying thought of Lu Ai and Lu He. Back then, the people had also known only of Lu He and not of Lu Ai. Though she was no puppet emperor, she found herself in the same predicament as Lu Ai had once been. Fortunately, she was not Lu Ai, so she crafted a pretext of deep affection for herself, venting years of resentment in that great fire.

Often, as she watched Ling Yue’s hurriedly departing figure, she would remove her mask and repeatedly ask herself: Was it really love?

No, it wasn’t love, just pure exploitation and hatred.

Everything had been proceeding perfectly according to her wishes. She had even taken the opportunity to reclaim the military power from Ling Yue’s hands. But what she hadn’t expected was Lu He’s return, and with that, everything came to an end.

Princess An Yi grew impatient waiting beside her. She slapped the dressing table with a sharp crack and snapped, “You’d better hurry up. I have little patience!”

Startled, Lu Weiying moved faster, but she was so nervous that she couldn’t manage to fasten a hairpin, no matter how she tried. Overwhelmed by frustration, she couldn’t help but long for her past life, the days when she stood behind Ling Yue.

Yes! And Ling Yue! Ling Yue was the most soft-hearted and easily deceived. Although her current status was somewhat awkward, with a little effort, Ling Yue would still help her.

As if she had found a solution, Lu Weiying suddenly felt no more fear. She calmly secured the hairpin and meticulously adorned herself, deliberately applying makeup reminiscent of her past life, believing that this would make Ling Yue turn back to her.

Princess An Yi watched her, puzzled by her sudden composure, and snorted coldly, “See, you can do it. Hurry up.”

With that, she walked out.

Princess An Yi herself was looking forward to the evening banquet. She was quite intrigued by General Ling, who had appeared that day, and thought it would be even better if she could find an opportunity to challenge him. The thought heightened her anticipation.

She stood in the corridor, where the window was open, pausing to gaze into the distance. She could hear the laughter and hawking of the common folk from afar. Though she had intended to return to her room to prepare, she lingered for a long while before suddenly smiling and remarking, “Not bad at all.”

Amid the bustling streets, Wen Yuanyuan was busy questioning Wang Lan for information. She naturally knew who the envoy arriving in Rongcheng was and understood that Ling Yue was accompanying him for negotiations.

Her family was in business, so she was very interested in the prospect of trade with the northern frontier. If this matter could truly be settled, Wen Yuanyuan planned to inform her elders immediately so they could prepare in advance.

But her questions were too detailed. Even if Wang Lan had some dealings with the northern frontier, they were related to battles, how could she know what the enemies she had slain liked to eat or drink?

Wang Lan was troubled. She wanted to help Wen Yuanyuan with her questions, but she knew nothing about what was being asked. She could only grab her hair and slump over the table, exclaiming, “Yuanyuan, stop asking! I really don’t know!”

Seeing that Wang Lan’s hair was nearly torn out from frustration, Wen Yuanyuan realized she had been too demanding and apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Her apology only flustered Wang Lan, who immediately straightened up and said, “No, no, it’s just that I’m too foolish.”

Suddenly remembering that she could ask Ling Yue, Wang Lan grew excited again. “We can just ask Ling Yue about this! Haha, I’m not so stupid after all!”

This person’s emotions were always fluctuating so rapidly, sometimes changing too quickly for Wen Yuanyuan to keep up.

Noticing a smudge at the corner of Wang Lan’s mouth, she took out a handkerchief to wipe it away, then neatly folded the cloth and tucked it back into her sleeve.

Wang Lan waited patiently for her to finish before cheerfully saying, “When we first met, I never imagined we’d end up together. I remember you even said a lot of bad things about me to Ling Yue back then.”

Mentioning the past, Wen Yuanyuan also felt a wave of nostalgia. At the time, she had thought Wang Lan was too reckless and rude, and she despised people like that. She had even wanted to teach her a lesson through a sparring match unfortunately, her skills had fallen short.

She couldn’t help but sigh. In truth, the martial arts examination wasn’t that long ago, yet it felt like an eternity had passed.

But then again, nothing was truly impossible just like the situation between Ling Yue and the Eldest Princess.

It seemed their thoughts had aligned, as Wang Lan suddenly let out a long sigh. “Actually, what’s even more unexpected is Ling Yue and the Eldest Princess. If my mother found out, she’d probably cough up three liters of blood in anger.”

Wen Yuanyuan frowned slightly. “Is it because your mother dislikes the Ling family?”

Wang Lan nodded and sighed again. “Her impression of Ling Yue has improved a lot, but after feuding with the Lings for so long, she still holds some prejudice. Not that she has any say in this matter, though, heh!”

Seeing her gloating expression, Wen Yuanyuan shook her head helplessly. She was troubled first by Wang Lan’s impending departure, and second by the fact that if Ling Yue really ended up with the Eldest Princess, their statuses would be worlds apart. The imperial family had its own rules, and she wasn’t sure if they’d still be able to meet often in the future.

She had already decided to accompany Wang Lan north, but Ling Yue’s situation was beyond her control.

Being naturally more sensitive than most, she couldn’t help but overthink. She asked, “What do you think Ling Yue is planning?”

The name “Ling Yue” had left Wen Yuanyuan’s lips far too many times today so many that Wang Lan couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. She turned her head away in a huff, even letting out an exaggerated snort, as if afraid Wen Yuanyuan wouldn’t notice she was upset.

Wen Yuanyuan immediately understood what was wrong and began soothing her. “Alright, alright. You know you’re the most important to me.”

Wang Lan’s jealousy hadn’t even had time to settle before it was swept away. She turned back to look at Wen Yuanyuan, suddenly moved. “You’re the only one who’s ever been willing to coax me like this, ever since I was little.”

The Wang family had a rather peculiar way of dealing with emotions, if someone was upset, no one would comfort them. Instead, the aggrieved party would run laps outside the city walls until they were utterly exhausted, collapsing into bed and waking up with their troubles mostly forgotten.

The first time Wen Yuanyuan heard about this, she had laughed. Later, she no longer found it funny.

Wang Lan studied Wen Yuanyuan’s face carefully. At first glance, she looked like a delicate woman with no martial prowess. In such chaotic times, someone from a well-off family like hers had no need to involve herself in such dangerous affairs.

Unable to hold back, Wang Lan asked, “Why did you take up martial arts?”

It had been a long time since anyone asked her that. Wen Yuanyuan froze for a moment before reaching out to lightly pinch Wang Lan’s ear, so gently it was more like a caress.

Seeing Wen Yuanyuan’s solemn expression, Wang Lan suddenly felt her curiosity might have been misplaced. She quickly backtracked, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Wen Yuanyuan clenched her fists, her face twisting with unwillingness. “It’s fine to tell you. When I was little, I had a playmate older than me, who often protected me.”

Wang Lan grew more regretful with every word she heard. She thought she had stirred up painful memories for the other person and began imagining the rest of the story, suspecting that the childhood friend had died protecting Wen Yuanyuan, which was why she was determined to become stronger.

Just as Wang Lan was regretting it so much her guts were turning green, Wen Yuanyuan suddenly said angrily, “Every time, she would belittle me, saying I could never be as capable as her in my entire life.”

“I refused to believe it! How dare she look down on me!”

After hearing this, Wang Lan responded slowly, “Huh?”

So that’s how the story unfolded.

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