"I said I would take responsibility for you, I said I would marry you. But that doesn't mean anything. I thought you always knew that." He refused bluntly. Xiao Xiang loved him and did many things for him; he had always known that. He had thought about repaying her, and he even took her in a drunken stupor once.
He wasn't the irresponsible man, so he promised to give her a proper status. He hoped to marry her after falling in love with her, but he couldn't bring himself to fall for her. He never kept his promise, and all he felt for her was guilt.
Xiao Xiang was speechless. She should have expected this day to come, but she never imagined he would fall in love with such a willful and capricious woman. Was it still necessary for her to stay? Originally, she was here to help Shen Jiaxue relay messages, but now, should she continue to stay and help them so they could be together sooner?
She knew perfectly well that she wasn't that great; she could never bring her beloved man together with another woman.
But before she leaves, she should probably do something, otherwise she won't be at peace even after she's gone.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Su Yunmo assumed that the matter had passed again. The imperial physician sent someone to bring the prepared medicine, and Su Yunmo carefully helped her up, using a soft blanket to support her back so that she could lean more comfortably. He personally fed her the medicine little by little, taking meticulous care of her, his eyes unable to see anything else.
Xiao Xiang could only walk away silently.
In fact, Leng Yiqing was already somewhat conscious at this moment. She vaguely heard two people talking intermittently. Everything seemed to be in a dream, floating and unreal.
Su Yunmo poured the medicine down her throat, which she swallowed entirely, just so she could hear their conversation more clearly. Half-opening her eyes, still groggy, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Xiang's forlorn figure and Su Yunmo's concerned gaze.
"You're awake?" Su Yunmo said excitedly.
"Xiao Xiang!" Leng Yiqing didn't pay attention to Su Yunmo. She didn't care how she fell off her horse, nor did she care about her current situation. What she really wanted to know was what kind of relationship Xiao Xiang and Su Yunmo had.
Xiao Xiang, who had only taken a few steps, suddenly turned around and stared blankly at Leng Yiqing. The incident was so sudden that she wasn't sure if Leng Yiqing had heard anything.
"What exactly is your relationship?" she asked directly, voicing the question that had been nagging at her.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Wounds
Leng Yiqing's direct question caught both parties off guard. Su Yunmo was filled with remorse; if Leng Yiqing had known about this and had meticulously investigated, she would have quickly uncovered everything. What should he do then? Could his plan still proceed?
After a brief moment of panic, Xiao Xiang became even calmer and more composed. Wasn't this exactly the outcome she wanted? She smiled but remained silent, only looking at Leng Yiqing with a meaningful gaze.
That was no longer the loyal and hardworking Xiao Xiang she once was. The sorrow in her eyes was something Leng Yiqing had never seen before, and it made Leng Yiqing feel a little uneasy.
“I’m his woman. He doesn’t trust you, so he sent me to keep an eye on you.” She deliberately used such heartless words.
"No!" Su Yunmo wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin. Xiao Xiang had used her reputation to assure Leng Yiqing, so what could she offer to prove herself?
Leng Yiqing tried to calm herself down and asked in a nonchalant manner, "When did it start?"
"A year ago." Seeing Leng Yiqing about to steal her soon-to-be-realized happiness, she was filled with resentment. So now, she would answer every question; she was determined to expose Su Yunmo's hypocrisy right in front of Leng Yiqing. If she couldn't be happy herself, she wouldn't let anyone else be. This had always been her principle.
But Xiao Xiang didn't know that Leng Yiqing was no longer the Leng Yiqing of a year ago. They had completely changed souls. So, what happened a year ago still had anything to do with her? What entanglement did Su Yunmo have with Leng Yiqing from a year ago? He was so gentle; who did he take her for?
One question after another arose, and sorting them out was proving difficult. She knew that relying on only one side of the story was unreliable. She needed to speak with them individually; she didn't want to be used as a pawn, living in such a confused state under the shadow of the deceased Leng Yiqing.
Right now, what she cares about most is Su Yunmo's attitude. She said in a commanding tone, "Xiao Xiang, I want to talk to Su Yunmo alone."
"Silly woman, do you really think you can trust Su Yunmo's words?" Xiao Xiang reminded him unwillingly, not giving him even the slightest chance to change his mind.
"Thank you! I just don't want to only hear one side of the story. Su Yunmo also needs to explain, doesn't he?" Leng Yiqing politely declined her offer.
Xiao Xiang seemed to feel despair. Had she lost this time? Even after betraying her reputation, even after speaking so bluntly, did she still believe him? Not only had she ruined her future, but she had also brought them closer. She was unwilling to accept it, but she could only leave in anger.
The room was so quiet you could almost hear the leaves falling outside the window. No one had the heart to break the silence; they were all afraid that if they did, there would be no possibility left between them.
After a long while, Su Yunmo said calmly, "This is not the place to talk. I'm afraid Zheng Yang will be back soon. I'll take you outside to talk."
Leng Yiqing remained silent. He knew that she had tacitly agreed, so she simply picked him up in her arms, used her lightness skill, and quickly left the Crown Prince's residence.
She nestled close to him, listening to his anxious heartbeat, yet her own heart felt as if it were being clenched. Did she love him? The answer was obvious—no, it was just a faint liking. But why was she so afraid at this moment, afraid that he would reveal some truth she couldn't accept, afraid of suddenly losing him?
Looking around, all the flowers had fallen. Winter was almost here! Su Yunmo sighed, wondering if his heart, which had just awakened, was about to hibernate again. Holding her now felt like holding a thousand pounds. He hadn't felt any affection, so why was he so sad?
After a long silence, Leng Yiqing slowly lay down, gazing up at the gray sky: "Since it concerns Leng Yiqing, it's my business. Let's start from a year ago!" Like someone awaiting sentencing, she was filled with unease.
Su Yunmo sat beside her, his gaze vacant, staring into the distance, his thoughts drifting. After calming himself down, he slowly began to speak: "Your father and I have always had a good relationship. Entrusted by General Leng, I have been taking care of you. Seeing that a year ago, Zheng Yang brought back a woman and devoted himself entirely to her, I was worried that you would be hurt, so I sent Xiao Xiang to help you. It was definitely not what she said about him watching you."
Is it really that simple? But when her father came back last time, she saw that Su Yunmo and he seemed to have a really good relationship. So, does that mean she was just imagining things? He had always been showing concern for her from the perspective of an elder, while she had fallen for him.
"So what about your relationship with Xiao Xiang? Why didn't you tell me for so long? Did the original Leng Yiqing know?" She intentionally or unintentionally compared herself to the original Leng Yiqing, just to find out whether Su Yunmo's attitude towards her was still the same as that of the original Leng Yiqing after all this time.
“Xiao Xiang was very good to me, and I admit that I took her virginity while I was drunk. But I’m willing to take responsibility, I’m prepared to take responsibility. She just wanted too much. Leng Yiqing knows nothing about these things, I promise, because I don’t think she needs to know. Caring for someone doesn’t necessarily mean she has to know.” Su Yunmo said calmly. His gaze gradually returned to Leng Yiqing’s side.
"Xiao Xiang still wants your love, right? But you love Leng Yiqing, don't you!" She appeared so calm, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.
Chapter 35 Facing Oneself
Her calmness touched him, and he was willing to open his heart and tell this woman: "I only have the kind of love that an uncle has for his niece when I'm with Leng Yiqing. I have no other feelings for her. I don't understand love. I don't love Xiao Xiang, and I don't love Leng Yiqing at all."
The truth couldn't be clearer. Xiao Xiang had misunderstood Su Yunmo's attitude towards Leng Yiqing, and her desire for revenge stemmed from her inability to obtain her. But at the same time, she became even more certain of her doubts and Su Yunmo's feelings for her: "I am Leng Yiqing! So, you only have uncle-like affection for me, is that right?" Tears streamed down her face. This love, nipped in the bud, was destroyed before it even began.
Some encounters between people are like shooting stars. Leng Yiqing, deeply infatuated, even wishfully believed that an enviable spark had briefly ignited between them. Now, she should reflect. Time will settle things, and she should allow herself to slowly forget this budding love in the long river of time.
Su Yunmo still hadn't answered her question. Was he pondering how to refuse without hurting her? Or did he simply not want to answer? She dared not look in his direction. The sky gradually darkened, pressing down heavily, making Leng Yiqing feel somewhat suffocated.
“You’re not like her!” Su Yunmo hesitated. This was the first time he had allowed himself to face someone so openly, but he couldn’t ignore Leng Yiqing’s tears. He spoke haltingly.
"Perhaps it's because we're from different generations that you seem so different." He admired her many bold ideas and actions, yet he was also deeply perplexed.
Another question, which he himself could not avoid: "The months you lived in the Prince's Mansion were the happiest months of my life."
"I don't know what kind of feeling it is. But it's a different feeling than when I was with Leng Yiqing. I only know that I can't bear to see you leave," he said firmly.
Hearing this, Leng Yiqing suddenly felt that she and Xiao Xiang were almost the same kind of people. She sneered and said, "I was too greedy. I took advantage of your drunkenness to seduce you, and you almost ended up in my bed. Now I want you to love me. I'm no different from Xiao Xiang."
"No!" Su Yunmo exclaimed, somewhat agitated.
She was somewhat self-destructive, even despising herself: "How long have I been here? How long have I known you? I had someone I loved in the modern world, but we only separated not long ago, and I... I'm the Crown Prince's woman, I'm a fickle woman, what right do I have to love?"
"Enough!" He couldn't let the woman continue.
Ignoring him, Leng Yiqing continued, "Perhaps I don't have any feelings for you at all. It's just a source of comfort when I'm feeling empty and lonely, a dependence when I'm helpless, a habit I've developed since I came here. I'm just overthinking things."
When Su Yunmo received such accurate information, when he heard her say that her feelings for him were just a habit, his heart ached. It seemed that only now did he understand his own true feelings.
"I'm sorry for troubling you! From now on, I will be a good Crown Princess, you..."
“I love you!” he interrupted her self-pity.
The air around them seemed to freeze instantly; Leng Yiqing almost forgot to breathe. She gently closed her eyes, carefully savoring those three words. All along, what he had said to her most often was—"Don't worry, your royal uncle is here." But now he uttered those three words with such certainty—was he promising something? Or was he trying to comfort her?
He gently took her hand and placed it against his chest, so she could feel his sincerity, and said earnestly once again, "I love you!"
Feeling his heartbeat gradually calming down, heavy and strong, brought her boundless peace and gratitude. The wall she had just built around her heart crumbled, and tears streamed down her face. She sat up abruptly and threw herself into his warm embrace. Even though it was only Su Yunmo's side of the story, she stubbornly believed it.
"Wait for me, we'll be together." Their awkward social status and societal judgment became the biggest obstacles between them. But now that she knew of their feelings for each other, she was determined to fight for it with all her might, even if it meant becoming a woman despised by the world.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all this!" Su Yunmo hugged her tightly, feeling a pang of heartache, wishing he could meld her into his heart.
Leng Yiqing gently pushed him away, looked directly into his tender eyes, and asked earnestly, "Will you make me regret it?"
"No!" he replied just as earnestly and decisively.
Her swollen, red eyes stirred a pang of pity in him. He gently kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes and kissed her gently closed eyes. This time, she approached him clearly, and he responded to her with equal understanding. There was no more talk of their drunken revelry from before. Hearts intertwined, tongues entwined, bodies and souls merged. They both sought more courage from each other to face the storms of the future together.
As their clothes gradually fell away, they completely forgot they were outdoors. With the sky as their witness and the earth as their testimonial, they were willing to prove their true feelings to heaven and earth. A cool breeze swept by, and Su Yunmo gently rolled over onto her, shielding her from all the wind and sand. Under the shade of the trees, with the fallen leaves as their witness, she gave herself to him without reservation.
Their insatiable desires, accompanied by wave after wave of pleasure, left Leng Yiqing utterly exhausted. As she drifted off to sleep, Su Yunmo carefully tidied her clothes, picked her up, and flew back to Qingxin Pavilion. He gently placed her on the bed before quietly leaving.
Chapter Thirty-Six: The Green-Hat King
When I woke up again in a daze, there were figures moving in front of me, and a blurry face was facing me. Only the scrutinizing eyes were so sharp and clear.
She subconsciously got up, lifted the covers, and checked herself in the bedding. Thankfully, she wasn't disheveled. Thinking of her earlier indulgence, her face couldn't help but feel slightly flushed, yet she couldn't help feeling comforted by Su Yunmo's thoughtfulness.
"Are you awake?" Su Zhengyang looked at Leng Yiqing with a half-smile.
"What wind has blown by? Why have you gone to all this trouble to wait for me to wake up?" She never missed an opportunity to mock her. Now that she had just cuckolded her so badly, she felt no remorse whatsoever, but rather a sense of smugness. Who says only men can have multiple wives and concubines? This arrogant and conceited man didn't even know how to reflect on his actions.
"What exactly happened just now? Why was it your uncle carrying you back? Where did you go after you came back? Some of the servants in the manor said they saw you and Su Yunmo go out?" He clearly remembered that when he and Jiang Yuelin were practicing riding at the horse farm, he heard that Su Yunmo was carrying her straight into the Crown Prince's manor. He rushed back in a hurry, only to hear that Su Yunmo had carried Leng Yiqing away.
What's wrong with these women? Is it a repeat of what happened at Qingxin Pavilion a few months ago? This woman has humiliated him time and time again, and the silhouette he saw outside Shen Jiaxue's window that day dealt a severe blow to his pride. He, the Crown Prince of a nation, can't even control the women around him. Thinking about it, a surge of anger welled up inside him and rushed to his head.
When he arrived, she was lying there fast asleep, completely unfazed, even in broad daylight. This woman was incredibly arrogant! Wasn't she going to offer him any explanation? Even if he didn't love her, he couldn't tolerate his woman so blatantly cuckolding him. If word got out, he, the crown prince, would lose all face.
"What's it to you?" Leng Yiqing replied coldly.
"Why shouldn't I care? You're still my woman." Su Zhengyang was furious.
"You already said you're divorcing me!" she retorted defiantly.
Su Zhengyang's anger was successfully provoked, and he said domineeringly, "Before I officially divorce you, you must abide by the virtues of a woman."
"If I insist on not listening to you, what can you do to me? Humph!" Leng Yiqing disdained arguing with this kind of person.
"Then I'll teach you how to be my woman, Su Zhengyang's woman!" With that, he forcefully moved forward and pinned her down.
"Get out!" Leng Yiqing roared.
But Su Zhengyang completely ignored her shoving and forcefully tore open her outer garment. Clear hickeys ran from her neck to every part of her body, deeply wounding his pride and knocking him down.
He slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the glaring marks. Leng Yiqing calmly wrapped her coat tighter, pulled the covers over her head, and pretended she hadn't seen anything, that nothing had happened.
"A few months ago, when Su Yunmo brought you back, you two were already together, weren't you?" Su Zhengyang questioned.
"Yes!" Looking at the identical face, Leng Yiqing couldn't bring herself to be so heartless. The only way was to ignore him, not listen to him, and strike him hard to make her heart more resolute and more hardened.
Having spoken, Leng Yiqing silently bid farewell to Su Zhengyang in her heart. Neither the current one nor the one from the modern era would ever again interfere in her life. After this, Su Zhengyang should have sufficient grounds to request the Emperor and Empress to sever their ties.