Chapter 81: The Day of the Incident – Where is the Attendant Going?

Li Yunli was familiar with this kind of guilt but caught onto the key point in his words.

“I don’t remember much. Are you saying that I only became despondent after returning from Yongzhou?”

She had always thought that she fell into despair in the capital because she was not allowed to return to the northern borders after the death of Prince Jin. But Yun Chu, who had been by her side day and night in her past life, said that she was actually full of ambition back then?

If that was the case, what had happened in Yongzhou last time?

Yun Chu glanced at her.

Why was it that of all things, she could not recall his absence from her side?

“Yes, Your Highness. After that, you lost all interest in military affairs and completely abandoned your responsibilities.”

The military reports that were routinely sent to the Grand Princess’s residence became his only source of external military intelligence.

Li Yunli nodded but did not dwell further on the matter. She simply asked, “And then?”

She had fallen into despair, while Yun Chu had been biding his time and gathering strength. And then what?

It was rare for him to bring up these matters, but did what happened next align with what she had read in the original book, Unyielding Aspirations?

“And then…”

Yun Chu took a deep breath, the regret and sorrow in his voice unmistakable, his tone becoming softer and lower.

“I first joined forces with A Si, merging the two White Tiger Tokens and regrouping the remnants of the Wei army, hiding them in the southern border. Then, I allied with Zheng Siyin, who had been secretly training assassins, stirring up turmoil in Chu. Finally, I raised my forces while traveling south with you, leading to a division between the northern and southern factions of the Chu court.”

His gaze remained fixed on Li Yunli, eyes filled with an endless tenderness.

“And then, I imprisoned you by my side and took my revenge, one by one…”

His fingers were ice-cold, afraid to even brush against Li Yunli beneath the covers.

Li Yunli listened quietly as he recounted the revenge she had already read about in the original book, waiting for him to tell her how he had dealt with her personally.

Suddenly, she let out a light chuckle.

Yun Chu closed his eyes, his mind in turmoil, chaotic and panicked.

After a long silence, he finally heard the person beside him speak in a relaxed tone:

“An eye for an eye, cause and effect, karma never fails. Serves me right.”

Yun Chu’s eyes shot open. For a moment, he couldn’t tell who she was referring to.

Li Yunli curled her lips. “So, you repaid everything I did to you in full? Does that mean we settled our debts in our past lives?”

Yun Chu’s lips pressed into a thin line, remaining silent.

No, it could never be settled.

Because in their past life, she had died.

And he was the one responsible for it.

Li Yunli was broad-minded, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t perceptive. Yun Chu’s enduring guilt toward her wasn’t baseless. If their past grievances had already been evened out, then there must have been something else he felt truly guilty about.

The dreams she had seen made it clear—perhaps in the life Yun Chu lived through, she had already witnessed the cause of her past death.

She didn’t intend to dwell on the topic any further. After saying that their debts were settled, she lay back down peacefully.

“Sleep. I have things to do tomorrow. If you have free time, don’t keep worrying about the token—come help me out instead.”

“Alright.”

Yun Chu agreed and lay down as well.

Tomorrow was the day to arrange the details of the spring hunt.

Li Yunli had already made her preparations. She had received the imperial summons and would enter the palace to meet the young emperor. Meanwhile, she also needed to reach out to some remaining military allies.

She had to go to the palace.

—

The Next Day.

After talking late into the night, Li Yunli unexpectedly woke up late. As she hastily prepared to enter the palace, she received good news.

“Your Highness!”

Just as she got into the carriage, she saw several riders rushing toward her, covered in dust from their journey. Leading them was none other than Yi Shui, whom she had sent to Yongzhou earlier.

“You’re back?!”

Her voice lifted, unable to hide her surprise.

“Yes, I have returned, and I did not fail in my mission.”

Li Yunli let out a relieved sigh.

“That’s excellent!”

Last night, Yun Chu had still been worried that they might not succeed. Now, they could finally set their minds at ease!

Her brows smoothed out, and she waved off the customary bowing of the shadow guards.

“I need to hurry into the palace. You all go report back to the Attendant quickly.”

Then she turned to Shi Qi and instructed, “Make sure they are rewarded.”

With that, she climbed into the carriage and set off toward the palace gates.

Today, she was supposed to have entered the palace earlier. If it were just the young emperor summoning her, a delay wouldn’t have mattered.

However, the security of the spring hunt was the responsibility of the capital’s imperial guards. If she wanted to bring her own people, she needed to inform the commander and warn him of potential risks.

Coincidentally, one of the deputy commanders had once been favored by Prince Jin. Li Yunli had written him a letter earlier, knowing he was on duty last night. She hoped to meet him before his shift ended today.

As she sat in the carriage, she suddenly noticed it slowing down.

“What’s going on?”

She set down the items in her hand and glanced out the small window.

They were already in a hurry, so she was getting anxious.

Sixteen, who was riding beside the carriage, lowered his head and reported, “Your Highness, there are too many people ahead. The road seems to be blocked.”

Other officials summoned for the spring hunt were also stuck in the congestion.

To make matters worse, a street vendor’s cart had lost its rope, spilling firewood onto the road. With so many carriages trying to pass, traffic had completely halted.

Li Yunli lifted the curtain and looked ahead before turning to Sixteen. “We’re not far now. Can I get through on foot? If not, give me your horse—I’ll ride ahead.”

Sixteen, sitting high on his horse, surveyed the scene and shook his head. “It doesn’t look possible. There are two carriages side by side up ahead, completely blocking the way.”

“His Majesty summoned us today, but it hardly seems urgent enough to cause such a deliberate obstruction.”

Li Yunli furrowed her brows at her own offhand remark, suddenly feeling uneasy.

—

Yun Chu stood at the entrance of Hanmei Residence when someone approached from the main hall.

When he saw who it was, his eyes brightened.

Yi Shui had arrived, kneeling on one knee in the shadow guards’ salute, presenting a cloth-wrapped package. “Attendant, I have retrieved the item.”

“It’s good that you got it back.”

Yun Chu quickly took the bundle and helped him up.

“Was there any danger on the way? Any injuries?”

Yi Shui and the others shook their heads. “None at all, Attendant. You need not worry.”

Yun Chu ran his fingers over the cloth bundle, feeling the solid, intricate object inside, and finally relaxed a little.

Now, with only a few days left until the spring hunt, if the White Tiger Token was not in Zheng Siyin’s hands, he wouldn’t be able to summon the Wei remnants. That meant he could only use his trained assassins.

They weren’t many. Though they were deadly, there was no need to hold back when dealing with them.

“Good. You’ve worked hard. Go claim your reward.”

But then Yi Shui hesitated before speaking.

“Attendant… You said Zheng Siyin would always carry this item with him, but when I infiltrated his quarters and observed for several days, I actually found it hidden in a secret compartment in his study.”

Yun Chu’s expression changed immediately.

Zheng Siyin was not the type to part with something so crucial.

How could it have been left in a study?

He unwrapped the bundle.

Its texture, color, and weight were identical to the real thing.

But…

“It’s a fake.”