Chapter 262: Telling Him

Upon learning that the injured person was Zhou Jingyun, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief. At least Bai Li, or at least Bai Li’s body, was safe. After sending a message to Jiang Yun, he left the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence and returned to his own residence.

At dusk, when he heard the servants report that a carriage from the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence had arrived, he assumed it was Jiang Yun with news. He was surprised to see Cai Songnian lead two women in, his expression strange.

“Your Highness, she, she…”

He hadn’t expected her to come in person. He was startled when he saw her in the courtyard.

Before Cai Songnian could finish, Li Yu looked up and saw the woman walking in front. He abruptly stood up, knocking over his teacup.

His eyes widened in shock, then his face lit up with joy.

“Ah Li! Why are you here?” he exclaimed, rushing towards her and grasping her hand, his voice filled with concern and relief. “I was so worried when I heard about the incident last night. They wouldn’t let me in or tell me what happened.”

Zhuang Li smiled. “It’s nothing serious. There was a small accident. I didn’t want you to worry, so I came to tell you myself.”

A smile appeared on Li Yu’s face. He led Zhuang Li to a seat by the hand, then released her.

“Bring us some good tea,” he urged Cai Songnian. “And bring all the best snacks we have.” He glanced at the sky. “It’s almost dinner time. Go see what delicious food we have.” Turning to Zhuang Li, he added, “I don’t know if it will suit your taste. I’ve never paid much attention to the food they prepare.”

He only cared about his food being safe and non-toxic.

Zhuang Li gently tugged at his sleeve. “There’s no need to fuss. I’m not here for dinner.” She pointed to the tea stove. “And you don’t need to prepare more tea. I’ll have what you’re having.”

Li Yu smiled and nodded, then waved to Cai Songnian. “You may leave. Guard the entrance and don’t let anyone approach.”

Cai Songnian bowed and retreated.

Li Yu glanced at the maid standing behind Zhuang Li. He recognized her as the maid who had been constantly by the Marchioness of Dongyang’s side, practically inseparable.

Now he suspected that Zhou Jingyun had used her to keep an eye on Zhuang Li.

Of course, now that Empress Jiang’s ghost had successfully taken over Ah Li’s body, there was no need for surveillance. The maid naturally continued to serve her.

He didn’t ask the maid to leave. He sat down and looked at Zhuang Li with concern. “What exactly happened? How did Zhou Jingyun get injured?”

Zhuang Li replied, “I stabbed him.”

Li Yu was stunned. He had guessed as much, but he hadn’t expected it to be true.

“Did he offend you?” he asked, his brow furrowing in anger.

Zhuang Li shook her head.

Li Yu frowned. “With my status, the wedding preparations will take some time. And to convince everyone, the ceremony must be grand. We can’t rush it. Otherwise, I would have brought you here directly.”

He paused in thought.

“But here’s an idea: Ah Li, you could move out first. I’ll rent a place for you.”

Zhuang Li looked at him. The young man’s eyes were filled with worry and sincerity.

From the moment she entered, he had been openly displaying his emotions.

But his gaze never settled on her. Or rather, even when he looked at her, he quickly averted his eyes.

“Li Yu,” she said, “have you realized that I’m not myself?”

Li Yu’s fingers, hanging by his side, stiffened slightly. He met Zhuang Li’s gaze, feigning confusion. “Ah Li, what are you talking about?”

Zhuang Li looked into his eyes. “Do you find my face beautiful?”

Li Yu gazed at the face before him. Ah Li’s face, as fresh and elegant as the mountains after a spring rain, as captivating as the stars in the night sky, was undoubtedly beautiful.

But he didn’t want to look at that face now.

A wave of resistance welled up inside Li Yu. These past few days, it had taken immense effort for him to look at that face and speak.

He wanted to look away, but her mesmerizing gaze held him captive, pulling him into a vortex. His vision blurred, then cleared.

Before his eyes appeared that two-faced visage.

Li Yu gasped, his back hitting the chair as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” Zhuang Li’s voice rang in his ears. “You’re different from others. You can remain conscious in the illusion, so you can see what others can’t.”

What was she trying to do? What was she trying to do? Li Yu’s ears buzzed. Had his pretense of not recognizing her been exposed?

Was she about to confront him?

A hand reached out and grasped his. Li Yu instinctively recoiled, but the hand, soft yet firm, pulled his hand away from his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been keeping many things from you.”

“I’ve been a monster since birth. I can draw people into illusions, drive them mad, but I also get trapped in illusions myself. I lose control.”

“That night, when I used my powers to kill Li Chengyuan, I alerted Xuanyangzi. He used his powers to suppress me. He couldn’t threaten my life, but he trapped me in an illusion, unable to wake up. This caused the waking me to become someone else, that is, Empress Jiang.”

“As for why I became Empress Jiang, that’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”

“Anyway, Zhou Jingyun knows about my condition. He realized something was wrong and has been trying to wake me up.”

“So he stabbed himself to pull me back.”

Listening to her soft narration, Li Yu’s chaotic thoughts began to coalesce. This was similar to what Bai Ying had told him. His stiff, resistant body gradually relaxed.

Sensing his change, Zhuang Li tightened her grip on his hand.

“Do you remember that time? You thought I was a ghost. During the Lantern Festival, you saw me turn into Empress Jiang, and you came to help me.”

“I had indeed become Empress Jiang then, but my mind was still clear, and with your help, I quickly woke up.”

“This time, the situation is similar, except that my body was severely damaged before, and I couldn’t recover in time.”

“Zhou Jingyun doesn’t know about your special ability, so he assumed you didn’t notice. But I know you. You must have realized it.”

✿✿✿

“Li Yu, you must have been terrified these past few days.”

As she spoke, Li Yu slowly raised his eyes to look at her.

The two-faced visage was gone.

The face before him was pure and gentle, filled with concern and apology.

“I’ve said before that I’m unlucky and that I bring bad luck to those around me,” Zhuang Li said softly. “Not only do I lose control, but I also make you lose control, causing you great suffering.”

Li Yu gazed at her.

“No, don’t say that,” he said urgently, rising to his feet and embracing her. “It’s when you’re not here that I lose control.”

His voice choked with emotion as he held her tightly.

“Ah Li, it’s good that you’re back. It’s good that you’re back.”

Chun Yue, standing beside them, hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head.

She had been confused by Zhuang Li’s words earlier, but Zhuang Li had warned her to ignore them, not to think about them. So she had been fine.

But now she couldn’t help but wonder if the Heir had ever embraced the Young Madam like this.

“After you left, Zhou Jingyun took a dagger and stabbed himself. That’s when I woke up.”

“I had prepared that dagger beforehand. I had anticipated that something might go wrong, so I needed to cut myself with the dagger.”

As she spoke, Li Yu interjected, “To use pain to distinguish between reality and illusion. You told me that before.”

Zhuang Li smiled at him and nodded. “Yes.” She lifted her arm and pulled up her sleeve.

Li Yu saw several scars on her fair arm. He couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch them. “Why did you cut yourself so many times?”

Zhuang Li sighed. “But it didn’t matter how much I cut myself. I didn’t care if my own body hurt.” She smiled. “So Zhou Jingyun decided to stab himself instead, and then I woke up.”

Oh, so she didn’t care if her own body hurt, but she cared about Zhou Jingyun.

“That was close,” Li Yu said slowly, withdrawing his hand and smiling at Zhuang Li. “It’s good that you woke up.”

Then he seemed to remember something.

“Is Marquis Zhou’s Heir alright? I should go see him.”

Zhuang Li smiled. “There’s no need. He’s out of danger. He needs to rest quietly for a while. We can see him when he’s better.”

Li Yu nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.” He added with a hint of joy, “Ah Li, you came to tell me as soon as you woke up. I’m so happy that you care about me so much.”

“Of course. I knew you must have sensed something was wrong,” Zhuang Li said, looking at him with a smile. “So, did you suddenly propose to help me, to marry me, as a way to test me?”

Li Yu chuckled, a little embarrassed. “As expected, Ah Li, you saw through me.”

He sighed, his expression turning serious.

“I didn’t realize you were different on the day I went to the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence. It was on the night Li Chengyuan died.”

He looked at Zhuang Li.

“I was there that night too. I saw two moons in the sky, and then I saw you tear one of them down. And then, I saw that it wasn’t you, it was Empress Jiang.”

So he had been there that night too. Zhuang Li was surprised. Li Yu continued.

“I remembered the Lantern Festival incident and immediately rushed to see you, but Zhou Jingyun wouldn’t let me. I knew something was wrong. I kept watch over the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence, and finally, when Zhou Jingyun brought you out, I rushed to see you.”

Li Yu looked at her, as if reliving that moment.

“As soon as I entered, even though I didn’t see Empress Jiang like I did with the two moons, I could sense that you weren’t yourself.”

That night, he must have witnessed Empress Jiang slashing the millet seed pearl with a knife. Coupled with Li Chengyuan’s death at that time, one could imagine the impact on Li Yu. And Zhou Jingyun couldn’t explain it to him.

Zhuang Li apologized, “I should have told you about my condition earlier.”

Li Yu shook his head. “It’s not your fault. If we hadn’t gone through so much together, I wouldn’t have believed you even if you had told me from the beginning.”

Zhuang Li laughed. “You’re right about that.”

Li Yu smiled too. “It’s true.”

“So about the marriage…” Zhuang Li asked. If it wasn’t a test, then was it really to prevent Princess Jinyu from meddling in his marriage again?

“That was partly the reason,” Li Yu sighed, his voice apologetic. “After all, the incident with Li Chengyuan put you and Nannan in such great danger. I didn’t want to go through that again. Of course, resolving this danger doesn’t solely or necessarily rely on us getting married. The reason I proposed was to have you by my side, and then find a way to bring you back, like when you were a ghost…”

Zhuang Li was amused by his words. Li Yu chuckled too, then continued.

“You told me then that I might not be able to see you, but you would be by my side. And you said that my dreams could help you. So I thought that if we were married, we could be together all the time, and it might help you.”

Zhuang Li smiled and nodded. “I see. Thank you.”

Li Yu shook his head and laughed. “No need to thank me. I didn’t really help. You’re awake now, so I don’t need to help anymore. Otherwise, it would be you helping me.”

He stood up and looked at Zhuang Li.

“I’ll find a way to tell His Majesty that we’re not getting married.”

Zhuang Li shook her head. “No, we’re getting married.”

“Ah Li, don’t worry. His Majesty might be angry, but he won’t kill me…” Li Yu said, then stopped abruptly, his eyes widening. “What did you say?”

He stared at Zhuang Li in astonishment.

He must have misheard!

Zhuang Li looked at him, a gentle smile on her lips. “I said, let’s continue with the wedding as you planned.”