Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 71

"Your Highness is so kind, how can I possibly accept such hospitality?" Yongye bowed with a beaming smile.

Li Tianyou strode forward to support him, and took the opportunity to grasp Yongye's wrist: "I really can't bear to see Yongye go for so long, so let me escort you to the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the city!"

Yongye inwardly groaned, but repeatedly declined, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. I heard that the Crown Prince is already waiting for me at the Ten Mile Pavilion..."

“Isn’t this even better? The Crown Prince, Yongye, and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts and classmates, so we should see each other off together!” Li Tianyou said as he boarded the carriage and extended his hand to Yongye.

Helpless and listless, Yongye gave the order: "Set off!"

As soon as the carriage started moving, Yongye laughed: "Actually, there's nothing to worry about. With so many gifts, the Leopard Cavalry, and the Wind Hero secretly protecting us, Your Highness is really too worried."

Li Tianyou smiled faintly, then suddenly pulled Yongye into his arms. Before Yongye could speak, he whispered in her ear, "You don't know martial arts, you can't beat me."

Yongye was stunned.

If she knew martial arts, she could prove to Li Tianyou that she was the assassin in black. Since she didn't, she could only be pulled into his arms—who told her to pretend to be sickly? Yongye felt a surge of anger, as if she had shot herself in the foot. Her eyes flashed with fury: "Does Your Highness want everyone to know that you have the audacity to disrespect the heir of Prince Duan, the Emperor-appointed Marquis of Yong'an, and the consort of Princess Yuxiu of Chen?!"

Li Tianyou chuckled softly: "You can shout as loud as you want, let everyone know that I made a lewd move on you. Remember when Father saw the slap mark on Uncle's face, he said it was because of physical intimacy. It's still at least an hour to Shili Pavilion. We'll be in the same carriage. What do you think Father will say then?"

Yongye's head was spinning, and the voice that came out of her mouth didn't even sound like her own: "If Your Highness continues to talk nonsense, Yongye will not be polite."

"Father told me, I just felt sorry for you..." Li Tianyou's voice was like a curse, stunning Yongye into immobility. Why would Emperor Yujia tell him? Because he was Emperor Yujia's true heir to the throne? To tell him the whole plan and get his cooperation. Yongye felt she had made a grave mistake. Prince Duan was afraid of deceiving the emperor in the future, so he informed him. She should have stopped it sooner. Once it was over, she would have left, rather than letting Li Tianyou take advantage of her!

“Xiao Ye,” Li Tianyou hugged her, nestling his head against her neck and whispering, “I’m so happy, I’ve never been so happy before. I’ll be waiting for you at the city gate at dawn. I don’t dare go to the Prince’s mansion, afraid that my uncle will be unhappy. He doesn’t seem to like me being close to you…” Li Tianyou let out a muffled groan.

Yongye delivered an elbow strike to his stomach, then nimbly twisted away from him. She didn't use internal energy; her experience from her past life proved that one could kill without internal energy.

Li Tianyou was taken aback, realizing he had used a clever trick, and stopped approaching, only smiling as he looked at her. He took in the flashes of anger, shame, and exasperation on Yongye's face: "It feels so good to hold you in my arms. I've always wanted to, but never dared to. Xiaoye, you said you trust me the most. These past years, you've rejected Qiangwei, and the place you've frequented most is my Prince's Mansion. I understand your feelings. The journey to Chen Kingdom is long, you must return soon. Feng Yangxi promised, and you will definitely keep your word. You will be safe."

"Li Tianyou, if you don't get off the carriage now, I'm not going to Chen Kingdom! To hell with marrying the princess, I'm in a bad mood right now! And stop with the mushy talk! Don't forget, you're my cousin!" Li Tianyou had taken her previous insincere words as evidence that she was attracted to him, and Yongye wanted to smash her head against a wall. She was in a terrible mood, and all pretense was gone; profanities just kept flowing.

Li Tianyou was somewhat surprised, but his smile deepened: "Is this your true nature, Xiaoye? I like it very much. A cousin liking his cousin... what's wrong with that?"

"Stop the car!" Yongye shouted. She had thought that Li Tianyou would just let it go once he found out she was a woman, but she didn't expect that this strange place didn't even know that cousins couldn't marry. A wave of nausea washed over her.

The convoy stopped, and Commandant Lin rode up: "What brings you here, Lord Marquis?"

Before Yongye could answer, a breath surged from behind, and in the blink of an eye, Li Tianyou's hand was around her waist. Yongye closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "How much longer are we going to walk to Shiting? It won't be good if the Crown Prince gets impatient!"

"Yes!" Commander Lin replied, urging the team to quicken their pace.

"Xiao Ye, it's better for you to be angry than when you're sick." Li Tianyou pulled Yong Ye into a tight embrace. Yong Ye wished she could chop off his arms with a knife.

The unfamiliar masculine scent emanating from her back frightened her. Yuepo embraced her, but she only felt warmth. Li Tianyou's embrace sent shivers down Yongye's spine.

"You, let go!" she practically gritted her teeth. For the first time, Yongye lost his temper and wanted to reveal his martial arts skills to give Li Tianyou a good beating.

Li Tianyou chuckled, released his arms, and stepped back to the side, leaning against the soft pillows, gazing at Yongye with his head propped up. His visit to the palace yesterday had been a truly unexpected gain. He had merely remarked that Yongye's health was unsuitable for marrying a princess, to which Emperor Yujia replied, "It's simply a matter of having the Chen Kingdom's princess marry into the An Kingdom."

"What does Father mean?"

"A princess wants to marry my son and disrupt the order of my Anguo court. How can I let her have her way? The heir of Prince Duan, whom I personally bestow the title of Marquis of Yong'an, is worthy of her. However, hmph, she'll marry a female consort! And she'll have to pay a huge dowry!" Emperor Yujia looked very excited, his face flushed with excitement, as if he had been waiting for a long time and finally had a great opportunity.

Li Tianyou was truly stunned. A female...驸马 (imperial son-in-law)? Yongye? A surge of wild joy welled up within him. Yongye wasn't a man! This answer was even more sudden and shocking than learning that he had left the palace to establish his own government office, been granted the title of Prince, and lost his position as Crown Prince. He remained silent for a long time before asking, "Does Father know...?"

Emperor Yujia then realized his mistake and his expression changed drastically. He paced back and forth in the hall for a long time before finally saying in a low voice, "Come with me."

Recalling his secret conversation with his father, Li Tianyou looked at Yongye with a pang of heartache, realizing he had been too hasty in revealing his true identity. He said softly, "I'm sorry I startled you, Xiaoye. If you're not used to it, I'll give you time, okay? You'll eventually have to return to being a woman..."

"roll!"

Li Tianyou's face darkened. He lifted the sedan curtain and beckoned for the guards to bring over the horse. After thinking for a moment, he turned back and said, "You have sacrificed so much; I will never let you down in the future!"

After speaking, he gracefully mounted his horse and followed the caravan.

Who sacrificed themselves for you? Yongye laughed dryly, his head thrown back in grief and indignation. He collapsed onto the carriage, utterly exhausted. He had no energy left to curse; all he wanted was to sleep. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard the sound of horses' hooves. Commandant Lin reported from outside the carriage, "We have arrived at Shili Pavilion. The Crown Prince is seeing the Marquis off."

"Your Highness?" Yongye was in a bad mood.

"What is it?" Li Tianyou asked softly.

"I want to sleep for a while."

Li Tianyou couldn't help but chuckle, his face suddenly radiating joy. Yongye was willing to let him protect her and let him deal with the Crown Prince. This meant she was slowly adapting to and accepting him.

He hadn't been unaware that if Yongye's identity were exposed, perhaps Crown Prince Tianrui would be vying for her hand in marriage. His uncle's power and Prime Minister Zhang's connections were practically a gold mine. Qiangwei didn't want to marry the Crown Prince; when the imperial decree reached the Jing'an Marquis's residence, she made a huge fuss, forcing the Marquis to confine her to await marriage. Rather than marrying someone who didn't want to marry him, it was better to marry Yongye, especially since Yongye's beauty was breathtaking. Even if the Crown Prince already had Qiangwei, there was still Tianxiang. That third prince, far away in Qinhe, was said to be as imposing as the Prince Duan in his prime.

Whether it was his father and uncle's scheme or for the sake of Eternal Night, Li Tianyou was determined not to let anyone know about it. He spurred his horse forward and saw that the Ten Mile Pavilion was heavily guarded. Inside the pavilion sat a figure in bright yellow robes, none other than the Crown Prince.

Li Tianyou carefully observed Tianrui. His face, with its sharply defined features identical to the Empress's, held a sharp edge, unlike his own and Tianxiang's gentle appearance. He smiled and stepped forward to bow: "Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Brother, no need for formalities. Where is Yongye?" Tianrui couldn't stand Tianyou's hypocrisy and affectation, so he frowned, offered a helping hand, and got straight to the point.

Tianyou glanced back at Yongye's carriage and smiled: "Yongye is weak. He's been resting in the carriage for almost two hours since leaving the city. It's rare for us brothers to meet, so let's have some tea and wait for him."

Tianrui snorted, "Such a big shot! I suspect there are assassins in the caravan. Could she have been taken hostage by an assassin?" As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Tianrui with undisguised mockery.

"Yongye was held hostage by my retainers in my residence, and you have no right to laugh at me!" Li Tianyou was already angry, but thinking of the secret conversation in the palace last night, a smile appeared on his face and he quickly covered up the anger in his eyes. He said gently and guiltily, "It is my fault for not disciplining my retainers. Fortunately, Yongye is not seriously injured. Otherwise, I would not be able to bear the wrath of my royal uncle."

Tianrui's gaze was fixed on the convoy, completely ignoring Tianyou's words. With a slight gesture, the Left Guard of the Eastern Palace quickly dispatched a team to meet the convoy. The leading officer shouted, "By order of the Crown Prince, there is a suspected assassin infiltrating the convoy. Everyone, lay down your weapons and proceed only after we have searched them!"

Upon hearing this, Yongye was startled and could no longer lie still. He lifted the sedan curtain, stepped out, and shouted, "Where is the imperial edict?"

The Left Guard Commander exchanged glances, and the officer snorted, "Didn't Marquis Yong'an understand? It's the Crown Prince's name!"

"Come here!" Yongye beckoned to the man with his finger.

The officer trotted forward, while Yongye stood on the carriage shaft. Seeing him approach, he casually picked up the coachman's whip and lashed it down. Caught off guard, the officer was struck squarely by the whip. The tip grazed his cheek, and although the force was weak, it still left a red mark.