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Yun Chu lowered his head, his knees moving slightly as Li Yunli grabbed his wrist and pulled him up.
“I had Imperial Physician Zhao stop the medicine you requested. These wounds will heal over time. Don’t be impatient. Even if they leave scars, it doesn’t matter.”
Li Yunli reached out and pulled his clothes back up, wrapping them around his shoulders.
Yun Chu didn’t dare move.
He didn’t even dare to speculate on the meaning behind those words.
Until Li Yunli sighed lightly, as if to bring him back to his senses, and said, “Did you forget why you came here tonight?”
“I…” Yun Chu instinctively responded, his gaze falling on Li Yunli’s face.
He had come to see her under the pretense of serving in bed.
Yet, she had already dressed him back up after he had just undressed.
He hesitated, his hand resting on the belt at his waist, which hadn’t been tied yet.
“If your wounds haven’t healed, why did you come today?” Li Yunli asked, looking at him.
Of course, she knew why Yun Chu had come tonight. A few days ago, when he woke up, she had left his courtyard and hadn’t visited him since.
It was probably out of unease and a desperate need to confirm her feelings.
How foolish. She had already brought him back to the residence—wasn’t that proof enough?
And yet, if he came here to confirm her stance, why was he now too afraid to speak?
Hadn’t he always been quite perceptive before? What was this hesitation?
Li Yunli’s expression was calm. She wasn’t sure what kind of expression she should show to make him understand, nor was she certain whether speaking in this manner would allow him to grasp her meaning and take the hint.
If only he could take the hint, then she could go along with it.
But Yun Chu clearly misunderstood. He hurriedly spoke, “If Your Highness wishes it, I am willing. There is no need for you to hold back…”
“…Hmm?”
Li Yunli frowned slightly.
That wasn’t what she was thinking at all.
Her hesitation made Yun Chu even more uncertain. He clutched his clothing tightly, his lips parting slightly as if he wanted to speak, but he hesitated, waiting for her instruction instead.
Li Yunli turned her head away and let out a silent sigh.
It seemed that if they didn’t have an open conversation about this, this issue would always stand between them, unresolved.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yunli said, “If I ask myself honestly, after living two lifetimes, I believe I have gained enough clarity. I have never been trapped by emotions. Thinking carefully, the only time I ever felt truly passionate was when I was with you in my past life.”
Yun Chu froze completely, standing motionless like a statue.
The past—something he never dared to bring up—she had spoken of it first.
“I have always been calculating, ensuring that everything follows my plans, keeping control of most matters in my hands. In my past life, I seem to have only miscalculated twice—once in Yongzhou, and once with you.”
Li Yunli glanced at him just then, and Yun Chu was staring at her, his eyes filled with broken remorse.
“I was young and reckless in Yongzhou, but with you… why?”
Finally, Li Yunli turned to face him, looking him in the eye.
Her tone held no resentment, nor did her gaze carry hostility, as if she were merely asking about a trivial matter.
Yet, under such a gaze, Yun Chu felt utterly ashamed. He lowered his body, about to kneel, but Li Yunli immediately reached out and stopped him.
“Do not kneel.”
Her voice was firm.
“I want you to stand and speak.”
“It was my own foolishness…” Yun Chu’s voice was strained, his very presence weighed down by guilt.
“It wasn’t that I couldn’t endure Your Highness’s act of playing along, but rather…”
When the Third Prince of Wei was taken out of the imperial prison by Princess Nian’an, the entire court was shaken.
“Back on the battlefield in Wurong, we had already made a private vow to be together for life. I never expected that our nations would go to war, that your kingdom would fall, leaving us with this outcome. I saved your life on the battlefield and told you I would take you out of here. Since you haven’t sought death in prison, I take that as your willingness to come with me. Am I wrong?”
Inside the prison, the young princess had disguised herself as a guard. The first time she saw Yun Chu, she spoke these words.
The fallen Third Prince of Wei scoffed bitterly. “I am now a prisoner, and there is a chasm of national hatred between us. If you dare to save me, aren’t you afraid that once I am free, I will kill you?”
“Would you?” she asked, leaning against the prison door.
“…No.”
She smiled. “I know what you want. I will ensure the emperor treats Wei’s captives well. Your people will be looked after. I never wanted this war, but I will do my best to handle its aftermath properly.”
His eyes flickered. “If that is the case… I am willing to trust you.”
She beamed. “Then wait for me to get you out!”
Youthful promises are often made without hesitation, believing that boundless love can overcome all obstacles, that it can traverse mountains and rivers.
For that promise, they once gave their hearts to each other.
Within two days, Princess Nian’an forcefully took him from the prison.
At first, people assumed this was the beginning of her power struggle with the young emperor. They thought it would lead to political turmoil. But unexpectedly, the princess relinquished all military affairs and indulged in a life of pleasure.
The court worried: If the Third Prince of Wei gained too much favor, if he were given any power, and if he harbored ambitions, what then?
But soon, their concerns faded.
The princess, having grown up in the military, had a volatile temper and was quite unhinged. She treated the Third Prince harshly, often reprimanding him. The servants in the household could all attest to it!
Gossip spread throughout the capital, and the officials felt reassured.
What they didn’t know was that inside the Princess’s estate, in the cold and desolate Plum Residence, every time she punished him in public, she would summon him at night to tend to his wounds.
“This doesn’t even need treatment,” Yun Chu, now a servant, chuckled, looking at his unmarked wounds. “Your Highness has quite the skill—loud but light-handed.”
“That won’t do. I think I might have hit too hard today.” She pulled at his clothing to apply medicine, sighing. “Endure for now. After the new year, I’ll request to move to my fief. There are too many eyes in the capital. Once we’re on my land, we won’t have to put on this act.”
Yun Chu sighed. “Yongzhou is a good place—far from imperial control.”
She laughed. “And it borders Wei. Once my policies take effect, we can take in the displaced people of your homeland.”
But everything changed in Yuanhe Year Two.
As she had planned, the journey to Yongzhou went smoothly. Afterward, she was supposed to leave with Yun Chu for a peaceful life.
But an unexpected flood delayed her for a year, forcing her through numerous life-and-death situations.
During her absence, the servants—imitating her public demeanor—truly mistreated Yun Chu. He endured daily humiliation, always told it was by the princess’s orders.
And then, in that same year, a man named A Si entered the princess’s residence and frequently interacted with Yun Chu.
Love and hate are strange things, growing and diminishing in response to each other.
When love was absent, resentment flourished.
What followed was betrayal, vengeance, and a complete shift in power.
“Do you admit it?”
Yun Chu knelt, tears slipping down his face. “I admit it.”