Chapter 240: No Resentment
The palace maids standing in the courtyard watched as the Prince of Chu apologized to Zhou Jingyun, unable to help but feel puzzled.
The palace maids weren’t allowed to leave the residence, so they didn’t see what happened on the pleasure boat. The eunuch beside them explained in a low voice, “Master Zhou went to the pleasure boat and almost got killed.”
His eyebrows twitched with amusement as he continued,
“Master Zhou went to the pleasure boat because of His Highness, so His Highness naturally has to apologize.”
The palace maids suddenly understood. Seeing Li Yu leading Zhou Jingyun into the hall, they quickly exchanged glances and followed, but were stopped by Li Yu as he turned around.
“I’m talking to Master Zhou. You don’t need to serve us.”
The palace maids hesitated. If they weren’t allowed to serve nearby, how could they keep watch? What would they say if Eunuch Wang from the palace inquired?
The eunuch beside them had already responded with a crisp “Yes,” and even tugged at the palace maid’s sleeve. The palace maids had no choice but to also reply “Yes,” watching as the Prince of Chu, Zhou Jingyun, and the maid brought by Zhou Jingyun walked inside.
Why did that maid go in too? Couldn’t she understand the Prince of Chu’s words? Why didn’t Master Zhou stop her either?
“Stop looking,” the eunuch beside them said.
The palace maid still muttered, “Why did Master Zhou’s maid go in?”
“Master Zhou’s maid is naturally different,” the eunuch said with a smile, then lowered his voice, “Are you afraid of not being able to explain to the higher-ups?”
Although they were all assigned from the palace and considered part of the same family, being asked this so directly made the palace maid’s eyes dart around, “What is Little Brother saying? Our higher-up is His Highness the Prince of Chu.”
The eunuch chuckled and raised his eyebrows with a hint of arrogance, “I’m the Princess’s man.”
The palace maid forced a smile, momentarily speechless.
The eunuch didn’t press her further, appearing indifferent. He even instructed her, “If the higher-ups ask, just say that His Highness and Master Zhou are together and don’t want anyone nearby. After all, everyone knows that Master Zhou and the Prince of Chu have an unusual relationship.” He added with a hint of disdain, “Even if they’re plotting, what could they possibly scheme?”
The Prince of Chu was nothing but a prince in name only. His pleasure boat could be sunk by others, and he had to kneel when he entered the Princess’s residence.
A mere loach!
The eunuch yawned, “Since we don’t need to serve nearby, I’m going to catch up on some sleep.”
✿✿✿
✿✿✿
“There are no outsiders now.”
Cai Songnian stood by the window, looking outside and seeing that the eunuchs and palace maids had all left the hall.
“Your Highness, you can speak freely. Our people are guarding the surroundings.”
Li Yu nodded, watching Cai Songnian retreat.
“I found out. Their target this time was you and Nannan,” he said to Bai Li.
Zhou Jingyun frowned, “They were targeting the little princess?”
Li Yu shook his head, laughing self-deprecatingly, “They were targeting me. They saw Ah Li and Nannan as my woman and child.”
Zhou Jingyun understood. Because Li Yu’s marriage was being arranged, he wasn’t allowed to have other women by his side, let alone a child.
“Was it the Princess, or Li Chengyuan?” he asked.
Li Yu’s voice was filled with hatred, “Li Chengyuan.” He stood up and bowed deeply to Bai Li, “This is also my fault, my mistake.”
Bai Li smiled and said, “How can you blame yourself? You’re a victim too.”
Zhou Jingyun also said from the side, “Your Highness, there’s no need to blame yourself.”
Li Yu glanced at Zhou Jingyun, his hands clenching at his sides.
He didn’t need his magnanimity or pity.
“No, this trouble was indeed caused by me,” he said, looking at Bai Li. “It was even guided and anticipated by me. I knew there were rumors, yet I deliberately held Nannan in public, wanting the Li family to see that I had a favored concubine and a child, to make them feel humiliated and back down. But as a result…”
As a result, he hadn’t considered who Li Chengyuan was, hadn’t considered that if Li Chengyuan was humiliated, faced with a Prince of Chu who relied on the Princess, and a favored concubine, he wouldn’t back down, but would only become violent and murderous.
He looked at Bai Li, laying bare his own vile heart for her to see.
“Ah Li, it was my despicable scheme, using you and Nannan, putting you in danger!”
✿✿✿
✿✿✿
Silence fell over the room.
Zhou Jingyun, sitting on the chair, frowned slightly and sighed inwardly, looking at Bai Li.
Bai Li’s expression wasn’t shocked, nor was she angry. She didn’t even frown, only understanding dawned on her face.
“So that’s how it is,” she said, looking at Li Yu. “I don’t blame you. It was my own decision to go to your pleasure boat, and I was the one who had the child brought out. There are advantages and disadvantages. Since I chose the advantages, I naturally have to bear the dangers brought by the disadvantages.”
She looked at him, her eyes clear as water, without any disdain or disgust, just as always. Li Yu’s nose tingled, feeling countless words stuck in his throat. He could only squeeze out a hoarse sentence, “It’s my bad heart…”
Bai Li stood up and walked in front of him, “If you say that, then I also have a bad heart towards you.”
Li Yu was stunned.
Bai Li smiled, “Did I come to your side without any motive? I’m also using your identity to do things.”
She felt a pang of melancholy as she continued.
“If it weren’t for this, that person wouldn’t have been used by me, and maybe I could have escaped unscathed today, but Nannan…”
She had used Li Yu’s identity as a prince to make Shen Qing have hope for her, to obey her orders, which was why he had come to the pleasure boat to look after Nannan.
And that was why he had saved Nannan in this danger.
“From the moment I boarded the pleasure boat and followed you, I knew there would be rumors. Given your identity, I also knew there would be danger. This was my choice. I enjoyed the worry-free life here with you, how can I blame you when danger arises?”
Before she finished speaking, Li Yu, no longer caring that Zhou Jingyun was present, reached out and embraced her.
“Thank you for not blaming me,” he said, choking back tears.
Zhou Jingyun sat up straight in his chair, hesitated for a moment, then lowered his gaze, listening to Bai Li’s voice.
✿✿✿
“Don’t blame yourself, don’t blame yourself.”
“But next time something like this happens, you have to tell me in advance, okay?”
“I can help you analyze the pros and cons and prepare in advance, so we won’t be caught off guard like this time.”
Hearing Bai Li’s words, Li Yu nodded vigorously, “Okay, I’ll remember.” Then he felt it was wrong and shook his head hurriedly, “No, no, there won’t be a next time. I won’t put you in danger again.”
Bai Li laughed and patted his back, “Danger isn’t something we can avoid just because we want to. Come on, we are the victims, stop scolding yourself, scold the evildoers who did this!”
Li Yu was amused, his heart filled with a mixture of sweet and sour emotions. How could there be such a good person in the world, such a good person in his arms…
He reluctantly let go of her.
“Although I know it was Li Chengyuan who did it, there’s no evidence,” he said, laughing self-deprecatingly. “Li Chengyuan even spoke to Princess Jinyu. When I went to tell the Princess, she covered for Li Chengyuan and scolded me for talking nonsense.”
Bai Li nodded, “She has needs from Li Chengyuan, so naturally she has to protect him.”
Li Yu sat down on a chair beside him, chuckling self-deprecatingly, “I originally had nothing, and now even my pleasure boat has been taken away. I know someone is harming me, trampling on me, but I have no power to fight back. If I had known this would happen, it would have been better to remain as Shangguan Fuma’s illegitimate son. At least then I could have gone to the Li family and made a scene without any scruples.”
As he spoke, the bitterness in his heart grew stronger.
In fact, it wasn’t just the pleasure boat that was gone. After regaining his identity, he and Shangguan Fuma were no longer as close as before.
Zhou Jingyun looked at the young man with a smile on his face. In fact, beneath the smile was still the lost, helpless, and anxious face he had seen outside the Princess’s residence.
He said softly, “Your Highness, you may have nothing, but you’ve survived all these years. As long as you’re alive, anything is possible.”
Li Yu looked at him, nodding with a smile, “I understand. Thank you, Master Zhou.” He then looked at Bai Li, “Is Nannan alright? She wasn’t frightened, was she?” He sighed, “She’s only a few months old and has already suffered so much. She’s even more pitiful than me.”
Bai Li smiled and said, “What’s pitiful about it? Whether it’s her, you, or me, we’ve suffered so much, yet we’re still alive. This is a great blessing!”
Li Yu laughed, his eyes sparkling, “Since it’s a great blessing, then we should celebrate. They sank my pleasure boat, but I’ll host everyone at the Prince’s Residence! Ah Li, you and Nannan come back, let’s see if Li Chengyuan dares to come to my Prince of Chu’s Residence to kill!”
Zhou Jingyun wanted to say something, but stopped and looked at Bai Li.
Bai Li nodded, “We should celebrate, but we can’t give Li Chengyuan another chance to kill.”
Li Yu looked at her, sitting up straight, “Ah Li, what should I do?”
Bai Li smiled, “You should go and warn Grand General Li, tell him not to push too far. After all, isn’t his granddaughter still going to marry you?”
Li Yu stood up and nodded, “Okay, I’ll go right now!”
He looked like he was about to rush out the door.
Bai Li smiled and pulled him back, “Wait a minute, don’t go empty-handed. Help me deliver a gift.”
Li Yu asked, “What is it?”
“I’ll make it when I get home and have Master Zhou deliver it to you,” Bai Li said. “The day after tomorrow at the latest.”
Home.
Hearing these two words, Zhou Jingyun raised his hand and touched his nose, the corners of his lips curving upwards slightly. He quickly regained his composure, realizing this wasn’t the time to smile. He hurriedly lowered his lips and turned to the side, picking up his teacup.
Li Yu’s gaze also fell on him at the same time, a flicker of sadness flashing across his eyes, before he quickly put on a smile. “Then I’ll have to trouble Master Zhou.”
Zhou Jingyun said, “You’re welcome, Your Highness.” He glanced at Bai Li, “It’s what I should do.”
What do you mean, “what I should do”? If people outside heard this, there would be more gossip. Bai Li chuckled beside them.
Seeing the amusement on Bai Li’s face, Zhou Jingyun knew what she was thinking and glared at her.
“Are we done talking about business?” he asked.
Bai Li nodded with a smile.
Li Yu was about to say something when Zhou Jingyun put down his teacup and stood up.
“For the sake of Your Highness’s reputation, I won’t stay long,” he said.
Bai Li nodded, “Then we’ll be leaving first.”
Li Yu swallowed the words he was about to say and nodded to Bai Li with a smile, “Okay.”
✿✿✿
✿✿✿
Li Yu personally escorted Zhou Jingyun out of the gate, watching as Bai Li got into the carriage amidst the cheerful clamor of the dandies.
The carriage disappeared from sight.
He pursed his lips, the corners of his mouth drooping.
Why was the business talk over already?
He and she hadn’t even spoken a few words.
But after he told her the truth, she didn’t resent him.
He hadn’t lost her!
That was good, that was good.
The corners of Li Yu’s lips curled up, his eyes sparkling with joy.
Seeing him swing from sadness to joy in an instant, Xue Silang beside him gulped.
He hadn’t read many books, but he had heard countless lyrics sung in brothels. At this moment, a woman’s singing inexplicably echoed in his ears.
“Fearful of longing, yet already longing, with no way to escape it, a hint reveals itself between the brows.” （Note）
Truly… terrifying!
（Note: From 《”Chang Xiang Si · Zhe Hua Zhi,” Ming Dynasty, Yu Yan.）
