Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 58

The other reeked of alcohol, and Ling Yue naturally knew Lu Weiying was following her. She deliberately walked quickly, trying to shake her off.

Unfortunately, this was the imperial palace. If it were anywhere else, she might not have been able to resist taking action.

“Yueyue!”

Still using that disgusting form of address. Ling Yue stopped in her tracks. Under the moonlight, Lu Weiying staggered over, delighted that Ling Yue had halted.

But she had drunk too much, and her past and present lives blurred together in her mind. She still thought Ling Yue was the same Ling Yue who had once loved her.

She reached out to grab Ling Yue’s hand but was coldly avoided.

Seeing the disappointment on Lu Weiying’s face, Ling Yue couldn’t suppress the disgust in her heart. She realized how blind she had been in her past life.

The emptiness in her hand briefly brought Lu Weiying back to reality. She mumbled, “Oh, everything has changed.”

From that single sentence, Ling Yue understood that the other had also been reborn. However, she still didn’t know why Lu Weiying had been reborn or what the endpoint of this rebirth was.

If the Lu Weiying of this lifetime had no memories of the past, Ling Yue could have viewed the two as separate individuals. But now that it was confirmed the person before her was the same as the one from her past life, Ling Yue no longer needed to consider such distinctions.

Meanwhile, Lu Weiying still couldn’t grasp her own situation. Since her rebirth, she had been hitting walls everywhere. She had thought this was a second chance given to her by heaven, but the person who had killed her had also been reborn with memories. In her daze, she felt as if fate was toying with her.

In her past life, she had struggled from nothing to gain everything, only to lose it all overnight.

In this life, she couldn’t start over as she had before. Ling Yue no longer loved her, Ling Ya avoided her, and when she tried to contact the old officials who had once followed her, they showed no interest in a princess who had emerged from the cold palace.

She refused to accept it. She didn’t want to admit that her past success was because of Ling Yue, yet she couldn’t deceive herself or fool Ling Yue again.

Looking up at Ling Yue’s cold expression, Lu Weiying suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. She slumped to the ground, lost in thought, trying to recall where this familiarity came from.

Finally, it dawned on her. In her past life, when Ling Yue had turned away, she had likely looked at her the same way.

She burst into abrupt, almost manic laughter, then suddenly switched to acting, putting on a pitiful and wronged expression. “I know the general despises me, but I truly have my reasons.”

Seeing that Ling Yue paid her no mind, she acted even more fervently. “If I hadn’t run away, the Grand Princess would have killed me. I know you don’t want to accept it, but the Grand Princess is a master of deception. You mustn’t believe her, General.”

“Enough!”

Ling Yue’s furious shout shattered the night’s silence. She had intended to see how far Lu Weiying would go with her act, but she couldn’t tolerate the other slandering the Grand Princess.

Lu Weiying was taken aback. She had never been yelled at by Ling Yue before, and the shock sobered her up considerably. She stared in disbelief. “You, how dare you?”

Ling Yue sneered. “Lu Weiying, is there anyone in this world more deceitful than you?”

Lu Weiying’s heart tightened. The other’s expression seemed more like self-mockery, and she had seen that same look on Ling Yue’s face before in the flames of their past life, Ling Yue had questioned her with that same self-deprecating tone.

Though the words were different, Lu Weiying couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

She forcibly suppressed the inner turmoil and put on a pitiful expression. “When have I ever deceived you, General? Could it be that you’ve heard something from my imperial aunt?”

Ling Yue found it even more laughable. She looked up at the moonlight, its cool glow gently kissing her cheeks. The evening breeze seemed to carry away the fire in her heart, and Ling Yue regained her calm.

Ling Yue always spoke gently and thoughtfully for others, but it was different when it came to enemies and Lu Weiying counted as one of hers.

She looked at the disheveled Lu Weiying with utter disdain and said, “What are you, that you deserve to be mentioned by Her Highness?”

Lu Weiying couldn’t help but clutch the grass on the ground, nearly tearing the blades apart. Anger, grievance, and resentment surged within her all at once.

Ling Yue was right. In her past life, she had been the emperor of Rong Dynasty, but in this life, she was nothing but a despised traitor.

Yet, seeing how fiercely Ling Yue defended the Grand Princess, combined with their intimate behavior at the palace banquet earlier, Lu Weiying couldn’t help but speculate about their relationship.

At the same time, she began to understand some unanswered questions from her past life, though the conjecture was so bold that Lu Weiying hardly dared to believe it.

Her voice trembling, she stared at Ling Yue’s disgust-filled face and asked, “You like Lu He!?”

Seeing that Lu Weiying had the audacity to address the Grand Princess by her name directly, Ling Yue’s disgust deepened. She rebuked sharply, “How dare you! How dare you utter Her Highness’s name so casually!”

Ling Yue’s reaction only confirmed Lu Weiying’s suspicions. Wide-eyed and incredulous, she stammered, “You actually like her! How could you!?”

Perhaps because her secret had been guessed, Ling Yue grew even more urgently furious. She threatened, “Shut your mouth!”

But Lu Weiying paid no heed to her intimidation, merely staring blankly and repeating, “How could this be? How?”

In that instant, many things from her past life suddenly made sense. She had thought Lu He killed her because she had harmed loyal subjects, but now it seemed the other’s motives were not so noble.

Lu He actually liked Ling Yue and had liked her even in their past life.

In that past life, Ling Yue had been weathered, with a broken hand and blind eyes, her personality dull and cowardly.

How could Lu He have liked someone like that?

Lost in thought, Lu Weiying suddenly laughed through her tears. Under the moonlight, her behavior seemed utterly bizarre. “So that’s it.”

Ling Yue suspected that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to suppress her murderous intent. She warned, “If you dare speak nonsense, I won’t hesitate to kill you right here.”

But such words only provoked Lu Weiying further. As Ling Yue turned and walked further away, she couldn’t help but shout, “Ling Yue!”

Ling Yue didn’t stop, her resolute back seeming to cast off all the past.

And Lu Weiying was part of that past.

The distance between them grew, and Lu Weiying, still under the influence of alcohol, cried out in agony, “Why don’t you love me!?”

Ling Yue’s footsteps suddenly halted. She finally looked back at that wretched remnant of her past.

She remembered the heart-burning poison, the fire that had reduced her to ashes, and Lu Weiying’s disgusted voice in her moment of despair.

Back then, Lu Weiying had said that someone as malicious as her didn’t deserve to be loved.

But who was truly the malicious one?

Ling Yue looked at Lu Weiying now, prostrate on the ground, face full of resentment. What was she so unwilling to let go of?

Ling Yue hadn’t originally intended to drag the Grand Princess into this conflict, but seeing that Lu Weiying couldn’t accept the truth, she decided to lie and play the role of the vicious person Weiying accused her of being.

So she sneered, “Fifth Princess, know your place. You should address me as Aunt.”

Watching Lu Weiying’s face twist with fury brought Ling Yue immense satisfaction.

After a brief pause, she threw Weiying’s own words from their past life back at her: “Besides, you’re hypocritical and fickle, utterly unworthy of love.”

Lu Weiying was momentarily stunned, then her expression shifted to terror.

Seeing the change in her demeanor, Ling Yue had no patience left for pretense. She openly displayed her disgust and made no effort to conceal her murderous intent.

“Ling Yue will never forget the great fire and poisoned wine you gifted me, Your Highness. Today we’re within the palace walls, but if we were outside in some deserted place, you’d best run for your life.”

Lu Weiying was sobered by fear. Under Ling Yue’s cold, sharp gaze, she stumbled backward in disbelief, her attitude completely shifting to panic. “Stay away from me!” she cried.

She scrambled away in the opposite direction, glancing back repeatedly. When she saw Ling Yue step forward, she thought she was being pursued and tripped over her own feet in her fright.

After falling, she struggled back up and eventually vanished from Ling Yue’s sight.

Once the other was gone, Ling Yue gradually calmed down. She knocked her forehead in frustration and muttered with regret, “How could I tarnish Her Highness’s reputation? Ling Yue, you fool!”

Troubled, she left the area, planning to wait for the Grand Princess at the Hall of Cultivation to confess what had happened and beg for punishment.

However, shortly after her departure, a figure emerged from the shadows of the palace.

The Grand Princess gazed in the direction Ling Yue had gone, then looked up at Qing Niao and Xiao Lizi watching the drama from the rooftop.

She couldn’t help but frown. “Get down here.”

Qing Niao looked exasperated. She hadn’t chosen to watch the spectacle Xiao Lizi had said she needed to confess something today, and before Qing Niao knew it, she’d been hauled up to the roof.

Before she could even process Xiao Lizi’s impressive lightness skill, the other panicked and said, “Ah! Mother, I don’t know how to get down!”

Qing Niao felt bitter. Despite her name meaning “Blue Bird,” she couldn’t fly at all. “You think I want to be up here? We’re stuck.”

The night was too dark for the Grand Princess to see their faces clearly. She wouldn’t have noticed them if a small pebble dislodged from the roof hadn’t hit her while she was eavesdropping.

The Grand Princess thought this person must have lost her mind after being reborn. She used to be so normal, what happened?

Though exasperated, she still had to rescue them. Just as she prepared to use her qinggong, Qing Niao teased, “Aren’t you thrilled by what Ling Yue said?”

The Grand Princess’s face darkened. While she was indeed pleased, she didn’t appreciate being teased. So she decided to abandon her conscience, brushed the dust from her shoulder where the pebble had struck, and walked away.

Qing Niao instantly panicked. “Your Highness! I was wrong!”

“Your Highness! Help! Is anyone there?”

Qing Niao shouted for a long time before someone finally brought a ladder.

Qiu Ling watched as the two safely reached the ground and couldn’t resist offering some earnest advice. “Physician Yun, you really should avoid angering Her Highness in the future.”

Seeing Yun Li rubbing her eyes drowsily, Qing Niao picked up the little one. From Qiu Ling’s words, she deduced that the Grand Princess had sent her.

What does it mean to be incorrigible? Qing Niao was the perfect embodiment of it.

Not only did she refuse to acknowledge her mistake, but she was also eager to return and watch the follow-up, cheerfully saying, “Where did the Eldest Princess get angry? She was absolutely delighted!”

Yun Li, half-asleep and groggy, mumbled, “Mommy, why?”

Qing Niao pinched her cheek and then said fiercely, “Go to sleep now. When you wake up, Mommy will settle the score with you! How dare you practice martial arts behind my back.”

Yun Li felt a bit wronged. “I just wanted to protect Mommy.”

Qing Niao’s hand paused, and her tone softened again. “Mm, Mommy knows.”

The night grew deeper as Qing Niao walked back, little Li already asleep in her arms.

Gazing at the child’s peaceful face, Qing Niao looked past her and focused on the lantern-lit path ahead.

Suddenly, she let out a soft sigh, lowered her head, and pressed her forehead against little Li’s, feeling the breath and heartbeat of the young life.

“But Mommy is afraid.”

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