Chapter 78: Replica of the Winter Plum – Daoist Wuyou Agrees to Meet

Hearing those words, Yun Chu found himself momentarily at a loss.

He lowered his head slightly, the smile on his lips lingering as he coughed lightly.

Just moments ago, he had learned that she might be in danger. He had returned with the intention of discussing the matter clearly with her. But upon realizing her concern for him, he had let his emotions get the better of him.

Perhaps last night’s intimacy had reassured him somewhat.

“Your Highness, actually—”

He turned his head with a smile.

Li Yunli looked at him. “What? You’re allowed to speak, but I’m not allowed to reply?”

“No, that’s not it.”

The smile on Yun Chu’s lips was hard to suppress. But then he recalled today’s events.

“Your Highness, do you have any leads on Prince Changling?”

He had done too many things in his past life, and he had truly forgotten what became of that man. He only knew that on his path of revenge, Prince Changling had neither been an obstacle nor played any significant role.

Because of this, Li Yunli also had little impression of Prince Changling.

“If he really plans to act during the Spring Hunt, I can simply avoid going.”

Li Yunli nodded, looking at him.

“But there’s no such thing as a foolproof defense. You may dodge the first strike, but not the next. If he harbors murderous intent, he won’t stop at just one attempt. We need to plan ahead. I’ll have the shadow guards investigate. At the same time, we’ll turn the tables on him. This year, I will attend the Spring Hunt—we must seize the initiative and win this round.”

Li Yunli rarely acted without preparation. Ever since arriving in this world, however, she frequently encountered unexpected situations. By now, she had become adept at handling them.

But hearing her words, Yun Chu sighed softly.

As expected, once she knew about the threat, she wouldn’t choose to hide.

Yun Chu said, “I used to think Your Highness was reckless, always willing to throw everything away. You never seemed to care about your own life. But this time, the danger is aimed at you directly. Since avoiding it isn’t an option, I will stay by your side.”

Hearing the first part of his words, Li Yunli thought he was trying to dissuade her. But then she heard the second half and smiled. “Of course you will. Since Prince Changling chose you as his spy, you’ll need to keep up the act and feed me more information.”

Yun Chu thought to himself that Prince Changling’s requests were simple, and he likely had no further plans to discuss with him. However…

He blinked. “Prince Changling wants me to charm Your Highness, to make you fall for me and obey my every word. Can that really be staged?”

Li Yunli’s eyes widened slightly.

“This…” She paused, then saw the teasing smile on Yun Chu’s lips. Feeling an odd sense of competitiveness, she followed his lead. “Why not? I’m not afraid of acting. As long as my dear Yun attendant can put on a convincing performance in public, that’s all that matters.”

Of course, he could pull it off. He had done plenty of such things in his past life—and succeeded.

But now, things were different. Hearing her words, Yun Chu recalled the things he had done in his past life, and a rare sense of embarrassment crept in. He lowered his head, determined to forget.

This time around, everything felt different.

But at this moment, Yun Chu refused to admit defeat. He glanced at Li Yunli and said, “I don’t mind how I appear, but Your Highness has just started building a respectable reputation. You wouldn’t want rumors of licentiousness to spread, would you?”

Yet Li Yunli was in the mood to take this conversation all the way. “And if I don’t care about my reputation? Would my dear Yun attendant dare to flirt with me in front of everyone?”

Yun Chu hadn’t expected her to double down. He hesitated, then finally couldn’t hold back. “Your Highness, are we children bickering?”

Li Yunli paused.

Then the two of them locked eyes and burst into laughter together.

Li Yunli laughed so hard she couldn’t stop.

It seemed neither of them was in the mood to talk about serious matters anymore.

Perhaps intimacy had changed things. After a certain kind of “in-depth exchange,” seeing each other again, any conversation—no matter how far off topic—could turn into playful banter.

It was almost too harmonious.

Li Yunli glanced sideways at the plum blossoms in the courtyard of Hanmei Residence. Many had already bloomed, their subtle fragrance drifting through the air.

She decided there was no need to continue discussing serious matters. The beauty of spring flowers, autumn moons, sunlight, and rain—all were more enjoyable than endless strategic planning.

She gazed at the plum blossoms and idly remarked, “Ji Wenxun will be returning to the capital soon.”

The Ji family guarded the northern frontier, but their residence was in the capital. Each spring, they would return for a short stay.

Yun Chu asked, “Is General Ji coming back? If he’s in the capital during the Spring Hunt, Your Highness will have much less to worry about.”

Li Yunli looked at him.

See? Even when she tried to avoid serious matters, someone was always there to worry on her behalf.

She smiled. “The northern frontier has seen many changes, and General Ji must reorganize his troops. Only Ji Wenxun will return this year.”

Yun Chu had thought Li Yunli brought up the matter for a reason, but it turned out she was simply making conversation. For a moment, he hesitated and could only mumble in response.

Li Yunli chuckled.

Since the topic had come up, she continued.

“If General Ji were here, he would indeed be a great asset. But his presence might also make the cabinet ministers wary of me, the Grand Princess.” She paused, then recalled something. “Speaking of which, you mentioned earlier that our movements in the Western Territory were leaked to Zheng Siyuan by Prince Changling’s people?”

“Yes. They have close ties and frequent correspondence.” Yun Chu replied, “But we were very cautious when entering the Western Territory. Only a few generals knew beforehand. If the information still leaked, it likely means someone close to Your Highness betrayed you.”

Li Yunli nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, she had a rough idea.

“This isn’t urgent. It’s not the main issue. But back then, to return, you handed the White Tiger Token to Zheng Siyuan. Is that a problem?”

Yun Chu hadn’t expected her to bring that up.

From the beginning, they had agreed that those remnants of the Wei army who wanted to live in peace would be spared. But those who rebelled and threatened the people of Chu would be eliminated.

By now, most of Zheng Siyuan’s men were his own trained assassins. Only a few had once followed A-Si in the Wei army.

Yet with the White Tiger Token in his hands, he could rally many former Wei soldiers, and that could change things.

But to Li Yunli, this didn’t matter. If they rebelled, they were enemies to be eradicated.

Yun Chu hadn’t expected her to care about those who had once fought alongside him.

In his past life, they had been her enemies.

He forced a smile. “Your Highness needn’t worry. We have an agreement—I will handle it.”

Li Yunli looked at him. “If I didn’t care, were you planning to rely on Yi Shui to infiltrate Zheng Siyuan’s camp and steal it back?”

“You—”

Yun Chu froze.

Li Yunli continued, “I know exactly how many people you have. Yi Shui is skilled, but even experts can fail. If he can’t retrieve it, will you draw your sword against your old comrades, or will you break with me?”

“I…”

Yun Chu had no words.

“I’ve assigned a few good hands to assist Yi Shui in Yongzhou. The token will be back within ten days.” Li Yunli’s tone softened. “At times like this, there’s no need to act tough. If something can be solved, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

She spoke calmly, offering a solution.

“…Thank you, Your Highness.” Yun Chu had no retort. After a long pause, he finally murmured his thanks, his chest rising and falling. Then he smiled. “Your Highness scolds me, but in the past, you were even more stubborn than I am.”

Only by switching places did he understand the difficulty.

—That afternoon, a servant arrived with a message:

“Daoist Wuyou has agreed to meet you.”