Chapter 268: A Blink of an Eye

When Madam Wu stepped into the Prince of Chu’s Residence, the Prince of Chu personally welcomed her.

The young man was dressed in formal attire, standing refreshingly in the summer heat, making people look at him with joy.

Madam Wu was originally reluctant to take on this task, but after interacting with the Prince of Chu two or three times, she developed a fondness for this young man, especially compared to her own good-for-nothing son. Whether it was his appearance or his manners, there was no trace of a prodigal son in him.

What’s wrong with marrying a maid? That’s because the Prince of Chu had no parents and had lived a precarious life until now. Princess Jinyu and the Imperial Consort’s Husband were not people who knew how to raise children. If the Prince of Chu had been born into her Wu family, he would definitely be a graceful young master no less than the Marquis of Dongyang’s Heir.

“Thank you for your hard work, Madam Wu.” Li Yu bowed respectfully.

Madam Wu returned the greeting with a smile, feeling a bit unhappy when she thought of the Madam of Dongyang’s refusal of her proposal.

“That Madam of Dongyang is arrogant. She took the girl in, and it’s just a small effort to recognize her as an adopted daughter, yet she refused,” she said.

Li Yu’s expression was slightly startled: “She refused?” He hesitated for a moment and asked, “Then Young Lady Bai, she…”

Madam Wu thought to herself that Young Lady Bai had also refused at that time, but well, it wasn’t surprising. The Madam of Dongyang’s expression had been strange and sarcastic after Young Lady Bai came out. Even she could see it, and Young Lady Bai, being intelligent, naturally saw it too. She must have known that the Madam of Dongyang looked down on her, so she took the initiative to refuse to avoid humiliation.

“Young Lady Bai wasn’t affected, she was calm and composed,” Madam Wu praised with a smile, and added, “As soon as she entered the door, she asked me why Your Highness hadn’t come these past few days.”

Li Yu’s smile spread in his eyes, with a hint of anticipation: “I can go see her when the betrothal gifts are presented and the wedding date is set.”

Even though they already had a child, he was still so eager to see her. Madam Wu sighed even more. Maid or not, it was not easy to find a soulmate. The Prince of Chu didn’t need to achieve great things in his life.

“You can,” she said with a smile, then called for the maidservants, “I’ll explain to Your Highness what needs to be prepared for the betrothal gifts and the wedding date, and this marriage certificate…”

Li Yu immediately took over: “I’ll ask His Majesty to write it.”

Madam Wu clicked her tongue, this ceremony was really grand.

“The betrothal gifts are all ready, all according to the specifications for a Prince of the First Rank,” Li Yu said with a smile, asking Cai Songnian to bring the gift list for Madam Wu to see, “Madam, please take a look and see if there’s anything else that needs to be added.”

Madam Wu clicked her tongue again after looking at it, sighing, “It’s enough, it’s enough.”

Li Yu handed over another gift list: “This is the dowry that’s been prepared. Madam, please help me take a look and see if it’s presentable.”

Everything was prepared so thoroughly, this was really going to be a grand wedding, Madam Wu thought to herself. The Prince of Chu truly cherished this maid and their child.

Madam Wu also put away her casual attitude and looked at it carefully.

“Even the daughters of noble families in the capital don’t have such luxurious dowries,” she said with a smile.

It seemed that even though the Prince of Chu had been relying on Princess Jinyu and the Imperial Consort’s Husband all these years, he had also accumulated quite a fortune.

This young man was indeed not the prodigal son as rumored.

As an adult descendant of the royal family, associating with him wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Although there’s only one month until the wedding,” Madam Wu said with a solemn expression, “since our Wu family has accepted Your Highness’s request, we will definitely make it a grand and proper affair.”

Li Yu bowed deeply to Madam Wu: “Thank you for your hard work, Madam.”

After seeing Madam Wu off, Li Yu stood on the corridor, his expression a little regretful.

It was a pity that the Madam of Dongyang refused to recognize Ah Li as her adopted daughter. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be great for Ah Li and Zhou Jingyun to be siblings?

However, he let out a breath and a smile spread across his face. In just one month, he would be marrying Ah Li.

From now on, Ah Li would live with him in the Prince of Chu’s Residence.

Li Yu looked at the several eunuchs in the courtyard who were setting up ladders to trim the flowers and trees. Now, the Prince of Chu’s Residence was busy day and night with various repairs and decorations for the bridal chamber.

One month was still too long.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Zhou Jingyun was able to get out of bed and walk around freely.

But Bai Li still followed him cautiously, extending her hand as if he was taking his first steps. Zhou Jingyun found it amusing: “It wasn’t my legs that were injured.”

Bai Li shook her head: “It was your heart that was injured, and that affects your whole body.”

However, seeing Zhou Jingyun walk a few steps with steady steps, she was relieved and helped him sit down on the arhat bed.

“You still need to rest, don’t move around too much,” Bai Li said, turning to call Chun Yue, but found that Chun Yue wasn’t there. Today, the courtyard was also unusually quiet, without Nannan’s laughter and noise.

“Did you forget?” Zhou Jingyun chuckled softly, “Chun Yue went to the Prince of Chu’s Residence with my mother today.”

Madam Zhuang, taking Nannan, the wet nurse, and Granny Xu, had also moved over earlier to familiarize themselves with the environment, so that Nannan wouldn’t cry and fuss on the wedding day because she was unfamiliar with the place.

The wedding day was tomorrow.

According to custom, the bride’s family had to go to the new house to prepare the bed, so the Madam of Dongyang went to the Prince of Chu’s Residence.

Bai Li said with a smile: “I really forgot, Chun Yue told me when she went out.” She got up and took the washed peaches, sat down on the arhat bed, and cut them open with a knife. “It’s here so soon.”

“Actually, it’s been very slow,” Zhou Jingyun said. “He went through the betrothal gifts, setting the date, and all the other steps, then decorated the new house and prepared the wedding banquet. When we…”

He coughed lightly.

It wasn’t appropriate to bring up the past at this time.

It was all fake, and he even compared it.

Bai Li had already raised her eyebrows and continued his sentence: “Indeed, we said we were getting married that night, and three days later, we were in the bridal chamber.” She laughed and forked a piece of cut peach and handed it over. “I didn’t know there were so many steps to getting married.”

Yes, the wedding he gave her was too perfunctory and hasty. Zhou Jingyun looked at the peach handed over to him. The fork was small, held in Bai Li’s hand. If he reached out to take it, there was no place to hold it, so…

He subconsciously leaned forward slightly and took the peach directly with his mouth and ate it.

“Yes, I wronged you at that time,” he said.

Bai Li said: “How can you say you wronged me?” Seeing Zhou Jingyun smile, she said, “You should say you wronged the Marquis’s Heir. At that time, the Marquis’s Heir, for me, gave up his insistence on not marrying for many years.”

Zhou Jingyun smiled: “I was also doing it for what I wanted.”

Bai Li forked a piece of peach and ate it herself, sighing softly: “Time flies, it’s been over a year.” Then she laughed again, “I’m getting married again.”

Zhou Jingyun smiled and suddenly said: “I know not what night it is, but urge the moon to draw near my mirror.”

Bai Li laughed heartily: “Young Master, the wedding procession hasn’t even arrived yet, and you’re already reciting poems urging the bride to get ready.”

As they were laughing and talking, there were soft footsteps in the courtyard. They turned their heads and saw the Madam of Dongyang slowly approaching with Mama Xu and Chun Yue.

“Madam, you’re back,” Bai Li greeted with a smile and went out to meet her.

The Madam of Dongyang looked at the woman who came out of the room briskly, standing on the corridor and bowing with a smile.

“You’ve worked hard, Madam.”

She snorted in her heart.

She had heard their laughter non-stop from outside the courtyard, and now they were still laughing. Both of them were heartless!

“You’re too kind,” she said in a flat tone, “It’s my honor to be of service to the Princess of Chu.”

Bai Li smiled and lifted the curtain: “The Princess of Chu is lifting the curtain for Madam.”

Look at how she casually joked about it, being both sincere and sarcastic. The Madam of Dongyang glared at her and stepped inside. Zhou Jingyun got down from the arhat bed and stood up to bow.

“Oh, Marquis’s Heir, you don’t have to be so formal,” Mama Xu hurriedly helped him up.

He wasn’t filial when he should have been, but now he was pretending to be a filial son! The Madam of Dongyang glared at him and sat down on a chair.

Chun Yue was about to go and pour tea, but Bai Li had already gone herself. She whispered to her, “You’re tired too, go and rest.”

Chun Yue smiled as she watched Bai Li personally serve tea to the Madam of Dongyang.

✿✿✿

“We’ve done everything that needs to be done,” the Madam of Dongyang said. “The Prince of Chu’s Residence will come to welcome the bride tomorrow evening. The Prince of Chu has also arranged for the female relatives who will see the bride off, and the palace maids and eunuchs will come early tomorrow morning.”

Bai Li thanked her again: “You’ve worked hard, Madam.”

The Madam of Dongyang smiled sarcastically: “Not at all, I had people flattering me wherever I went, and I even received a lot of gifts.”

Bai Li said with a smile: “That’s good, Madam shouldn’t have to spend money when you’re already putting in effort.”

Zhou Jingyun asked from the side: “Who from our family will be attending tomorrow?”

The Madam of Dongyang glanced at him: “This is just the Prince of Chu borrowing our place, it’s not our family’s happy event, and we don’t have to handle it, so our relatives and friends don’t need to come. Only our family will be there to make it lively. Also, your aunt will be there. She’s worried about you and wants to support you.”

Zhou Jingyun smiled and said okay.

Okay, okay, okay, he only knew how to say okay. He didn’t even know what was good about it. The Madam of Dongyang glared at him, then looked at Bai Li’s smiling face. She didn’t want to see these two at all.

“Alright, I’m leaving,” she stood up and left.

Mama Xu gestured to Zhou Jingyun and Bai Li not to be so formal and see her off, and hurriedly followed her out.

“How are things over there?” Bai Li asked Chun Yue, “Is Nannan used to it?”

Chun Yue nodded and said: “The Prince of Chu is very thoughtful. The room he prepared for Nannan is almost the same as ours.”

The child didn’t even notice the sudden change of place.

Bai Li was a little surprised, then nodded with a smile: “He is quite attentive.”

Chun Yue hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

“Are there many people there? How is it decorated?” Zhou Jingyun asked from the side.

Chun Yue glanced at him and said: “There are many people, many of the Prince of Chu’s companions came to help. It’s very lively, and the decorations are very festive, with flowers everywhere.”

As a maid of the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence, she had seen many weddings of noble families, but the Prince of Chu’s wedding decorations still dazzled her.

But, wasn’t it supposed to be fake? But the Prince of Chu was so dedicated, she couldn’t see any pretense at all.

It made her feel dazed and nervous, unable to distinguish between real and fake.

Zhou Jingyun smiled: “That’s good, it will definitely be beautiful tomorrow.”

Bai Li glanced at him: “You’re not allowed to go out and watch the excitement. Your injury has just healed a little, and your vital energy hasn’t recovered yet.”

As soon as she finished speaking, it was announced that Zhang Shilin had arrived.

“Why are you here today?” Bai Li asked as she welcomed Zhang Shilin in.

Since Zhou Jingyun’s condition improved, he had been mainly treated by the Imperial Medical Academy, with Zhang Shilin coming to see him every five days.

However, when news of the Prince of Chu’s wedding spread, Zhang Shilin couldn’t help but come over. He had seen the child at Zhou Jingyun’s place, but the maid?

Bai Li pointed to herself and said the maid was her.

Zhang Shilin had his suspicions but didn’t expect it to be true. He was at a loss for words for a moment.

Bai Li then told him that she and Zhou Jingyun were originally pretending to be married, changing their identities because they had no choice, and now they needed to pretend to be married to the Prince of Chu. In short, it was all fake, and she asked Doctor Zhang not to overthink it.

Although Zhang Shilin seemed even more confused, he followed her words and didn’t think or ask any further questions before leaving. He hadn’t come back for half a month, so why was he here today?

“It’s been a while, I happened to be passing by, so I came to see the Marquis’s Heir,” Zhang Shilin said with a smile. As he spoke, he first examined Bai Li’s complexion, then looked at Zhou Jingyun’s.

Zhou Jingyun smiled and extended his hand: “Doctor Zhang, please take my pulse since you’re here.”

Zhang Shilin sat down and took his pulse, then nodded in satisfaction: “The Marquis’s Heir is recovering well, I’m relieved.” After saying that, he stood up. “I’ll take my leave now.”

Chun Yue had just brought the tea, and Bai Li was also stunned: “You should at least have a cup of tea.”

Zhang Shilin said with a smile: “I have another patient waiting, I won’t stay long, I’ll come again another day.” He walked to the door and reminded Zhou Jingyun again, “The Marquis’s Heir can walk around in the courtyard, but be careful not to be exposed to wind or fatigue. You need to recuperate for another half a month before you’re fully recovered.”

Bai Li then said to Zhou Jingyun: “See, Doctor Zhang also said you can’t go out.”

Zhou Jingyun nodded with a smile: “Okay, I’ll remember that.”

Only then did Zhang Shilin leave, and Bai Li followed him out to see him off.

“Doctor Zhang, is the Marquis’s Heir really okay?” she asked.

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Zhang Shilin, remembering the saying “A doctor doesn’t knock on doors,” felt that his behavior was inappropriate this time, and said with a bit of embarrassment: “He’s fine, it’s me who has something. I know that your marriage to the Prince of Chu is fake, but… I’m still worried, worried that something bad might happen between you and the Marquis’s Heir. His current health can’t withstand emotional distress, so I came to take a look.”

He had seen it with his own eyes. The relationship between Zhou Jingyun and Bai Li didn’t seem fake. Watching the person you love marry someone else, being forced to leave the person you love and marry someone else, even if it’s fake, it’s still hard to bear.

Bai Li was stunned, then smiled and bowed: “Thank you, Doctor Zhang.”

“No, no, it was I who was rude,” Zhang Shilin hurriedly said.

Bai Li shook her head: “It was our fault for being so confusing with our real and fake marriage, making you confused, Doctor Zhang. Not only did you not criticize us, but you also cared about us.” After saying that, she bowed deeply again.

It turned out that not everyone in the world would dislike her. First, there was Zhou Jingyun and his family, and then there was Zhang Shilin, who originally had no emotional entanglement with them.

As Madam Zhuang said, the world was full of good and evil. She shouldn’t hate the world and being human just because she encountered evil.

The world was colorful, and being human, one should enjoy it.

Nightfall enveloped the earth, and the lights in the rooms were all extinguished.

Bai Li lay on the arhat bed in the outer room, unable to sleep.

She couldn’t help but think, what was she doing the night before she pretended to marry Zhou Jingyun? What was she thinking? Was she also tossing and turning like this, unable to sleep?

She seemed to have fallen asleep very early.

She seemed to have not thought about anything.

There was nothing to think about, it was fake.

Bai Li turned over and sat up, looking towards the bedroom.

“Zhou Jingyun,” she called softly.

Her voice traveled softly in the night, and a moment later, a voice softly replied.

“What’s wrong?”

Bai Li remained silent.

The voice came again: “Are you hungry? The kitchen must have prepared some late-night snacks, call…”

“No, I’m not hungry,” Bai Li interrupted him.

Zhou Jingyun’s voice paused, then said: “Can’t sleep? Do you want me to read to you?”

Bai Li’s words, which were already on the tip of her tongue, were inexplicably choked back.

There was silence on both the east and west sides in the night.

Just when Zhou Jingyun thought she had fallen asleep, Bai Li’s voice came again softly.

“Zhou Jingyun,” she called softly again, “You know, it’s a fake marriage, right?”

Zhou Jingyun looked at the bed curtains in the darkness, the corners of his mouth curling up.

“I know,” he said softly.