Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 61

It was a strange dream. Ling Yue’s dreams had always been recollections of her past life, with the exception of the unknown woman at the graveside everything else could be traced back to her memories.

But yesterday’s dream was about events that had happened to the Grand Princess.

Treating a dream as reality seemed absurd, yet Ling Yue felt certain it was something that had truly occurred in her past life.

Before dawn, Ling Yue rose early. She practiced swordplay in the courtyard and returned to her room to polish her beloved spear when the time was right.

After polishing it, she carefully wrapped the spear in silk. Now that she was no longer impoverished, she didn’t have to use torn old clothes as wrapping as she once did.

Once the wrapped spear was stored away, Ling Yue felt a pang of regret. Compared to her past life, this life was almost excessively peaceful. Though she yearned to display her talents as she had before, it was still better for there to be no war.

Ling Yue left her home and rode her horse all the way to the Meridian Gate, where several officials were already waiting. Her eyes immediately found Wang Fu in the crowd.

Wang Fu, of course, noticed Ling Yue as well. Knowing that Ling Yue was a favored figure in the Grand Princess’s circle, she couldn’t help but scrutinize her each time they met.

The young woman didn’t seem bothered, carrying herself with ease and wearing a gentle smile. That smile was different from Ling Fu’s, Wang Fu could still distinguish sincerity from pretense.

Seeing Ling Yue’s poised demeanor, Wang Fu couldn’t help but think of her own foolish daughter and ended up feeling somewhat irritated.

Ling Yue was engaged in conversation with someone. Countless officials in the court sought to curry favor with her, and the current one was no exception, insisting on treating her to a meal.

Ling Yue declined with a smile.

Gradually, more people gathered at the gate. The officials arranged themselves in orderly rows, and the chatter died down.

Before long, the Meridian Gate opened, and Ling Yue followed the crowd of ministers inside.

“Long live the Emperor! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!”

“Rise, my esteemed ministers.”

Ling Yue stole a glance at Lu Ai seated on the throne and couldn’t resist comparing her to Lu Weiying from her past life. In contrast, Lu Weiying’s presence had been far less imposing.

After her observation, Ling Yue blended into the crowd and began idling.

Lu Ai listened to the ministers’ reports, all of which were trivial matters. Distracted, she scanned the officials below and accurately spotted Ling Yue loafing.

The other woman’s eyes were vacant, her mind clearly wandering far away.

“The imperial harem stands empty. We implore Your Majesty to consider this matter soon!”

Hearing this, Lu Ai felt annoyed. Her expression darkened. “We will discuss this another time!”

Her previously calm mood soured instantly. Lu Ai signaled with her eyes, and the eunuch Sun Gonggong beside her announced loudly, “If there are no further matters to report, the court is dismissed!”

Ling Yue snapped back to attention. She hadn’t expected to get off work early today, which was quite a pleasant surprise. However, her delighted expression did not escape Lu Ai’s notice.

Lu Ai paused mid-step. “General Ling.”

Suddenly called upon, Ling Yue froze. “Your servant is here.”

“Accompany me.”

The eyes of the entire court instantly focused on Ling Yue, making her feel somewhat uneasy.

Ling Yue didn’t know what awaited her, but truth be told, she wasn’t particularly afraid of the Emperor. After all, in her past life, this very person had stood against her.

They walked through the palace for a long time in silence. Ling Yue watched the Emperor’s back, her thoughts drifting hazily to memories of her previous life.

In her past life, she hadn’t always resolutely chosen Lu Weiying. She still remembered the year Rong City fell, forcing the emperor to flee the palace.

The northern invaders pillaged and slaughtered in Rong City, staining the ground red with blood. Perhaps out of compassion, Lu Ai, who had initially escaped, turned back.

At the time, Lu Weiying was vying for power, and their troops were already depleted. Returning now would mean certain death.

Ling Yue also urged Lu Weiying to abandon the struggle and deploy troops to assist, but the latter turned pale and nervously claimed she had lost her military tally.

Back then, Ling Yue was stationed in the south and had only been temporarily summoned to Rong City. She had no troops under her direct command.

However, the soldiers still recognized Lu Weiying’s authority. Ling Yue continued to persuade her, but when it became clear she couldn’t sway her, Ling Yue mounted her horse and rode off alone to rescue Lu Ai.

Fortunately, the generals were on good terms with her. Though hesitant, they were eventually persuaded by Ling Yue.

In hindsight, she should have realized it then: why did those generals remain inactive when the emperor was in danger?

By the time Ling Yue arrived at the scene, she saw Lu Ai on horseback, holding high the Lu family banner. The bright yellow flag was splattered with bloodstains as Lu Ai roared at the enemy, “The Emperor of Rong is here!”

This suicidal act successfully drew the enemy’s attention. She charged desperately toward the city gates, clearly intending to lure away the bulk of the enemy forces.

Had Ling Yue not arrived in time, Lu Ai would likely have lost her life prematurely.

Ling Yue closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her gaze held a newfound respect.

For some reason, her memories were growing clearer. No longer fixated solely on hatred and resentment, she began recalling many long-forgotten events.

As she walked, she arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From a distance, she spotted Ling Ya, who smiled warmly at her.

It was only then that the emperor spoke, “Go and chat with your elder sister.”

The emperor simply wanted to offload her burdens. She walked over to Ling Ya, deftly took the rabbit from her arms, and left without a backward glance.

Ling Ya seemed accustomed to her deliberate aloofness. She stepped forward and took Ling Yue’s hand, saying, “How about a walk with me?”

It had only been a few days, but Ling Ya’s complexion had improved noticeably. Ling Yue couldn’t help but feel happy for her.

“Of course, I’ll listen to whatever my elder sister says.”

So the two walked, one slightly ahead of the other. Ling Ya seemed more talkative than before, chattering about the scenery on Mount Wufu one moment and complaining about the boredom of palace life the next.

Ling Yue listened quietly, occasionally responding.

Ling Ya felt apologetic. Having been confined to the palace to recuperate, she had left all manor affairs in Ling Yue’s hands.

She sighed wistfully, “If only I could recover faster.”

Ling Yue worried that her impatience might harm her mood. Qing Niao had said her illness required calm and rest.

“Elder sister, there’s no need to rush. These matters are nothing to me.”

Ling Ya pondered for a moment, realizing that haste wouldn’t help, and couldn’t resist gossiping: “I heard you confessed your feelings to the Eldest Princess?”

Where did such rumors come from?

Ling Yue denied it, “No, I didn’t.”

Ling Ya laughed, “You didn’t deny having feelings for the Eldest Princess.”

Only then did Ling Yue realize the flaw in her earlier response. Stubbornly, she insisted, “Elder sister, you’re overthinking it.”

“Just call me sister.”

“Sister.”

Ling Ya hadn’t expected her to be so compliant and couldn’t help but laugh.

Yet she still felt uneasy. It wasn’t the right place to speak openly in the palace, who knew if the Eldest Princess had eyes and ears everywhere, even where she couldn’t see?

At the emperor’s side, Ling Ya learned many royal secrets, but the more she knew, the more she understood the terror of the Eldest Princess.

The palace was chaotic back then, and no one paid attention to a child whose mother had passed away early. Yet, it was this neglect that gave the Eldest Princess the opportunity to grow.

She watched as the people in the harem harmed one another, learning every trick from them, and in the end, she put all those tricks to use.

Eventually, the once-noisy palace fell into silence.

The emperor said the Eldest Princess was adept at disguise, she could feign any demeanor. This made Ling Ya deeply worried, fearing that her only younger sister might be deceived.

She glanced sideways. Under the sunlight, Ling Yue’s eye color was particularly striking, and with her clear, innocent gaze, she appeared utterly guileless.

This only intensified Ling Ya’s anxiety. She swallowed hard, wanting to say something but feeling she had no right to.

Ling Yue might not listen to her, and from a practical standpoint, the Eldest Princess had helped them a great deal.

But Ling Yue had her own questions. She felt Ling Ya and the emperor were a bit too close.

Unable to hold back, she asked, “Sister, do you like His Majesty?”

Ling Ya, lost in her thoughts, nearly choked on her own saliva. She retorted with the same question, “Where did you hear such rumors?”

“I guessed.”

Ling Ya felt embarrassed, especially since two palace maids were following behind them.

She turned to look, the two young maids showed no reaction.

With a stern expression, Ling Ya said, “Don’t speak nonsense.”

Perhaps because she had the Eldest Princess as a powerful ally, Ling Yue was much bolder than in her previous life.

Ling Yue stared at Ling Ya’s face for a long time before finally replying dismissively, “Oh, I see.”

After walking a bit further, Ling Ya’s complexion began to pale, and she had to stop. “I need to go back.”

Seeing her discomfort, Ling Yue grew worried. She escorted her elder sister to the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and waited until Ling Ya’s color returned before daring to leave.

Before parting, Ling Ya gifted her a hairpin, saying it was a birthday present.

Ling Yue looked at the hairpin, a slight smile curling her lips. On her way out, she passed by the main hall and noticed the door was locked, but the windows were slightly ajar.

Almost as if guided by some unseen force, Ling Yue peeked inside.

She had assumed the emperor was reviewing memorials, but instead, he was holding a book with a rather peculiar title.

Ling Yue couldn’t believe her eyes. She rubbed them and looked again, but the result was the same.

His Majesty was actually reading a forbidden book!

With an extremely complicated mix of emotions, Ling Yue made her way to the Hall of Nurturing Nature.

From afar, she spotted Qing Niao and Yun Li hanging from a tree. The two of them waved at her as if she were their savior.

“Aunt Yue, save us!”

“Ling Yue, help! I can’t get down!”

Ling Yue’s exasperation reached a new peak. She leaped up and rescued both of them, then couldn’t resist asking, “Did you go bird-saving again?”

“How did you know! You’re too clever for your own good.”

Ling Yue glanced at the bird’s nest in the tree, large and conspicuously placed.

She suddenly felt like ignoring Qing Niao. If not for her rebirth, she would never have known that her savior from her previous life had such a personality.

Looking up, she saw the Eldest Princess leaning against the doorway, her smile as enigmatic as ever.

Ling Yue was reminded of the dream she had the night before. Though the face was the same now, it offered no answers to the doubts in her heart.

Rebirth meant starting everything anew, how could the Eldest Princess of this time possibly know the answers?

Seeing Ling Yue’s troubled expression, the princess initially thought someone had wronged her. Suppressing the sharpness in her eyes, she maintained her gentle smile and asked, “What brings you here today? Have you come to complain to me?”

Complain?

Ling Yue suddenly recalled the emperor secretly reading forbidden books. After a moment’s hesitation, she ultimately chose to keep it to herself.

Shaking her head, she replied, “His Majesty summoned me to the palace, so I thought I’d come see you, Your Highness.”

This answer pleased the princess greatly. With a warm gesture, she said, “Come in then.”

Only after the princess turned around did Ling Yue notice her cascading dark hair was tied up with a red hair ribbon.

Ling Yue quickly realized it was her own hair ribbon. Though it was just a small matter, her heart fluttered with unexpected delight.

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