The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 62

Song Luoning glanced at their clasped hands, pursing her lips. “Why are you asking about that?”

Xiao Yu was stunned, blinking. How was she supposed to explain this to the young miss?

Should she tell her that she wasn’t from this world and that their current reality was a novel she had once read?

The young miss would surely think she had gone mad.

After careful consideration, she began, “I’ve been thinking, since Xiao Chengze wants to kill me, he must have aspirations to become emperor. To do that, he’ll need to win over court officials. Most of the civil officials are my father-in-law’s students, so they’ll be difficult to sway. But what if he starts with the military officials? Wouldn’t that be easier?” She hoped this explanation sounded logical enough that the young miss would believe her. Xiao Yu secretly peeked at her.

Song Luoning looked at her without speaking.

Well, what’s with that look? Xiao Yu felt her confidence waver.

After a long pause, Song Luoning finally spoke in a flat voice. “There are so many generals in the capital. Why must it be a general surnamed Li?”

Why?

Because that’s what the author wrote.

Xiao Yu let out a dry laugh. Of course, the female protagonist. She’s sharp, and she’s cut right to the chase.

Was that something she could say?

“Is it inconvenient to say?” Song Luoning raised her eyes.

“No.” Xiao Yu immediately waved her hand, her mind racing. How could I be so stupid? I should’ve just said ‘a general.’ Why did I have to add the ‘Li’?

I’m just asking for trouble.

Seeing Song Luoning staring at her, Xiao Yu’s heart pounded nervously. She had to power through. “It’s not just a General Li. I heard from Officer Liang that there are many generals with that surname in the capital. It was a slip of the tongue.” Yes, it was just a slip of the tongue. Xiao Yu felt guilty, her eyes darting around, terrified that the young miss would press her further.

“I see. It seems I was overthinking it,” Song Luoning said. She was far too astute not to see through the lie, but she didn’t expose her.

“Then, in your opinion, who might he try to win over?” Xiao Yu asked tentatively.

“If it’s a military official…” Song Luoning paused, looking at her with an obscure expression.

Xiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Why is the young miss looking at me like that? Did I make her suspicious again?

The next moment, Xiao Yu nearly fell over.

“There really is one, and his surname happens to be Li,” Song Luoning said.

Oh, great…

Xiao Yu’s heart was in turmoil. How was she supposed to respond to that? The look in the young miss’s eyes was clearly wrong. She felt like crying but had to pretend everything was fine. “What a coincidence,” she agreed, her voice strained.

Song Luoning glanced at her and continued, “This man is Li Deshuang, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards are the emperor’s personal troops. The new emperor has not yet had time to reorganize them. This General Li holds command of a hundred thousand soldiers and is a neutral faction in court. If he can be won over, he can indeed contend with my brother’s Golden Guard. If there’s ever a rebellion…”

A hundred thousand soldiers. Based on the young miss’s analysis, this General Li was very likely the one. Xiao Yu asked, “Are there any other candidates, my lady?”

Song Luoning paused, then followed the logic of Xiao Yu’s previous words. “If we’re only considering generals with the surname Li, he’s the only one who fits the criteria. The others don’t hold any real military power.”

If what the young miss said was true, then this person was indeed the most likely target.

Xiao Yu nodded.

“Luoning once heard my father and brother say that this General Li is an upright man who is only loyal to the emperor. He shouldn’t…”

“That’s not necessarily true. What if it’s for his daughter’s sake?” Xiao Yu realized she had said too much and quickly closed her mouth.

“His daughter?” Song Luoning looked at her, confused.

She had just wanted to pry for some information, but she ended up trapping herself. Xiao Yu touched her nose, not daring to look at Song Luoning. After a moment’s hesitation, she cautiously asked, “My lady, do you believe in ghosts and spirits?”

Song Luoning looked at her with a complex expression. Xiao Yu cleared her throat, feeling guilty. “The truth is, I once had a dream. I dreamt about Xiao Chengze…” She hesitated. “…and you.”

“You dreamt about me? And Xiao Chengze?” Song Luoning asked, her brows furrowed.

“Yeah.” Xiao Yu nodded. “Do you remember I once told you a story?”

Song Luoning said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

Xiao Yu said, “I even asked you, if you were the female protagonist, how would you choose? And you said you wouldn’t choose either of them.”

Song Luoning pursed her lips, seemingly guessing what she was about to say. The look in her eyes was unreadable.

“Actually, I dreamt that you loved Xiao Chengze.” At this, Xiao Yu felt a pang in her heart. She glanced at the young miss and continued, “Then you worked with Xiao Chengze to oppose the emperor. To win over military power, he married General Li’s daughter, and you chose to be the woman behind him.”

“Is that all?” Song Luoning said, her voice flat.

Wasn’t that enough?

Xiao Yu pursed her lips. Thinking about how the original plot had the young miss loving Xiao Chengze, she felt a surge of anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She said irritably, “What do you feel about that Xiao Chengze?”

What do I feel?

Song Luoning pulled her hand back and kicked Xiao Yu’s shin, laughing angrily. “Is that what you think of me?”

After being married for so long, this rascal was still thinking of her like that. Song Luoning was both furious and annoyed, wishing she could just kick the person out immediately.

Xiao Yu winced in pain, gritting her teeth and not daring to make a sound. She looked at Song Luoning with teary eyes, feeling wronged. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just telling you what you asked.”

“So, you’re blaming me?” Song Luoning’s face went cold.

How would I dare? Xiao Yu felt a deep sense of injustice. Everything she said was true, except for the part about transmigrating. How could the young miss just kick her without knowing the full story?

“I told you it was a dream. Look, you even bruised me.”

Song Luoning said in a cold voice, “What you think about during the day, you dream about at night, that’s all.”

“I dreamt it before I even knew you,” Xiao Yu argued.

Before you knew me?

Song Luoning froze, her brow furrowing slightly. She looked at her in a complicated way, trying to discern something from her eyes. After being washed with tears, those eyes were even clearer and brighter. Song Luoning’s expression softened a little. “What else did you dream about?”

“That’s all.” Xiao Yu was annoyed. She lifted the bruised leg and placed it on Song Luoning’s leg. “See what you did to me.”

Song Luoning looked down. She really had acted impulsively. She bit her lip and placed her hand over the spot she had just kicked, her voice unnatural. “Dreams can’t be trusted.”

Can’t be trusted?!

Then why did you kick me so hard just now?

Xiao Yu pursed her lips, wanting to argue, but remembered the pain in her leg. She opened her mouth and said, “I originally thought dreams couldn’t be trusted either, but I didn’t know you or Xiao Chengze back then, and I certainly didn’t know any General Li. Even if it sounds ridiculous, it’s better to believe it than to not, just in case. I think we should still prepare. It won’t hurt.”

Song Luoning pondered for a moment. “My husband speaks wisely. Do you have a plan to deal with this?”

“Of course. We need to stop the marriage between General Li’s daughter and Xiao Chengze,” Xiao Yu said.

“And do you have an idea how?”

“Xiao Chengze has people watching us, so my father-in-law must have people watching him, too. My father-in-law will know who he’s been in contact with better than we do. Why don’t we first go to my father-in-law tomorrow to confirm if it’s this General Li, and then we’ll make a plan.”

Song Luoning hummed in agreement. She hadn’t expected her to have thought of this. And what about the things she had said just now? How much of it was true and how much was false? But one thing she said was right: it’s better to believe it than to not. She couldn’t fully trust this rascal’s words, especially the part where she said…

That bastard! Song Luoning gnashed her teeth, using a bit of force to push the leg off hers. “My husband should head back now. Luoning needs to rest.”

Xiao Yu swayed, steadying herself by placing her hands on the edge of the bed. “Why don’t I stay tonight? We can lie down and continue to discuss our strategy.”

Song Luoning was silent.

Seeing no objection, Xiao Yu boldly lifted the blanket and slipped inside. “Aren’t you tired yet, my lady?” She shifted to the side, giving up the inner part of the bed.

Song Luoning curled her fingers. She knew this person wouldn’t just leave obediently. Ever since that night, the two of them hadn’t had any overly intimate contact. Song Luoning didn’t say a word, she just lowered the bed curtains and lay down on the inner side.

The bed curtains blocked out the bright lamplight from outside. In the dim space, all that could be heard was their rapid breathing. Xiao Yu slowly turned and pressed on top of her. “My lady…”

Song Luoning gripped the blanket tightly. The warmth of their breaths mingled, and it felt hot on her cheeks. As the shadow pressed down on her, she couldn’t help but close her eyes.

A gentle kiss landed on her lips, and both their hearts trembled. After a long while, Song Luoning pushed her a little. “Didn’t you want to sleep? You’re not sleeping anymore?” Her voice was soft and a little coquettish.

Xiao Yu’s heart tightened. She took Song Luoning’s hands and, with a gentle pull, eliminated the space that had just opened up between them.

“Stop messing around…”

Song Luoning’s cheeks were burning. In the darkness, she didn’t dare to look at those scorching eyes, and she turned her face away.

Xiao Yu licked her lips. She knew it wasn’t the right time. If she made a real commotion and the maids on duty heard it, it would just lead to more trouble.

Back at the Prime Minister’s residence, her father-in-law had said they should “lure the snake out of its hole.” Xiao Chengze was lurking in the shadows, and it would be too easy for him to cause trouble, just like what happened in Linyang County. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind that. What they needed to do now was to strike back when he was at his most relaxed, catching him completely off guard.

With that thought, Xiao Yu flipped over and got out of bed. “I’ll go back and sleep.”

Song Luoning looked at her, confused.

Xiao Yu instinctively touched her nose. “I can’t sleep here.” Both of them knew exactly why she couldn’t sleep there. Song Luoning’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she let out a low “Mm,” turning her back to her.

The next day, after breakfast, Song Luoning went to the Prime Minister’s residence. When she returned, she ran into a maid sent by Yuan Niang to summon Xiao Yu. She casually asked a few questions, then dismissed the maid and went to the study.

Xiao Yu was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. Seeing her, her eyes lit up. She immediately got up and went to meet her, taking her hand and holding it in her palm. “My lady, why are you here?”

Feeling the warmth of the hand holding hers, Song Luoning paused. The heat that had subsided last night seemed to flare up again. She turned her face away unnaturally and said to Cui Zhu, “Go tell the kitchen to prepare some snacks. Have the maids stand guard outside. No one is allowed to approach without my permission.”

“Huh?” Cui Zhu was stunned for a moment, then she understood, her face showing a clear sense of realization. My young lady wants to foster her relationship with the young master. No wonder she just sent that little maid away.

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