Chapter 97: Consider the Horse a Gift from Your King (First Update)

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Wu Qinglin’s unexpected return in the dead of night could only mean that something even more urgent had occurred.

Both young ladies scrambled out of bed immediately.

Lin Yanyao, overwhelmed with anxiety and already deeply shaken by the events of the evening, found her mind sluggish and could only mutter in confusion, “Why has cousin come back at this hour?”

Wu Tan, however, had no time to waste. She quickly dressed and dashed out the door. “Where’s my eldest brother?”

The one who came to deliver the message was Chang Si, Lin Yanyao’s personal maid. Normally, she slept on the outer couch of Lin Yanyao’s room, but tonight, since Wu Tan was staying up with Lin Yanyao, she wasn’t on watch.

Chang Si replied, “The Young Master said it’s inconvenient to enter the back garden at night; he’s in the front hall.”

Lin Yanyao finally snapped out of her daze and hastily began dressing.

“Did he say what’s going on?” Wu Tan asked casually, knowing Chang Si wouldn’t know the full story, but without pausing, she bolted out of the courtyard.

Still concerned for her mistress, Chang Si hurried inside to help Lin Yanyao dress properly.

Meanwhile, Wu Tan headed straight to the front hall, where she immediately saw Wu Qinglin standing there, hands clasped behind his back.

Hearing footsteps, Wu Qinglin turned around.

Wu Tan lifted her skirt and ran inside. “Brother, why have you come back so late? Did something happen at the palace this evening? Or is there a new development with cousin?”

She instinctively glanced out toward the courtyard.

Just then, Lin Yanyao appeared from the back garden, chasing after them.

Wu Qinglin cut to the chase. “Nothing to do with you two. Tonight, when I entered the palace, His Majesty assigned me a mission. I must leave the capital for a few days.”

It was a relief that nothing new had happened with Lin Yanyao.

Wu Tan and Lin Yanyao exchanged a glance, both secretly sighing with relief.

Lin Yanyao asked, “So… cousin, are you leaving tonight without delay?”

It was nearly the third watch of the night by then. If it weren’t urgent, he wouldn’t have come running back to the Lin family at such an hour.

Indeed, Wu Qinglin was in a hurry. After accompanying Tao Renzhi to inspect the imperial guards, Tao Renzhi had returned to the palace to report, and Wu Qinglin came directly here to give a few instructions before returning home to pack and depart.

“Yes, it’s urgent,” Wu Qinglin nodded. He had come mainly because of Lin Yanyao’s situation, stepping closer to her. “Although your uncle and aunt will handle your affairs, it’s clear Jiang Pingzhi is no good. Moreover, with the Princess of Qingyang’s household colluding with him, if things aren’t handled properly, there could be complications. I won’t be in the city these next few days and can’t look after you for now. Just be careful—even if the engagement to the Jiang family is smoothly broken tomorrow, be extra cautious. The Princess of Changping is malevolent. Don’t argue with her. Understand?”

Since the Lin family had gotten engaged a step earlier than the Jiang family, and considering Li Xun’er’s domineering and vicious nature, even if the engagement were broken, she might still hold a grudge and cause trouble.

Wu Tan, having dealt with Li Xun’er face to face, wholeheartedly agreed with Wu Qinglin’s warning. “That’s true. It’s always wise to be wary of that woman.”

“I understand. Thank you, cousin, for coming all this way late at night to warn me,” Lin Yanyao said gratefully, offering a genuine smile.

Indeed, being engaged to someone like Jiang Pingzhi was truly unfortunate and disheartening. But compared to that, her situation wasn’t so bad. Once her grandfather realized the engagement was unreliable, he immediately decided to have it broken off. Her mother and brothers firmly stood by her side, and even her cousin and cousin sister cared deeply for her.

By this reckoning, she was actually quite fortunate.

At that moment, her smile was sincere—free from shadows.

Wu Qinglin saw it, and a flicker of some emotion flashed through his eyes, but he said no more. Instead, he lowered his gaze to Wu Tan. “What about you? Will you stay here to sleep or come with me? While I’m out of the city, stay put and don’t cause any trouble, understood?”

Wu Tan originally wanted to stay because she worried about Lin Yanyao, but now that Lin Yanyao was feeling better, and she herself was troubled over Wu Xun’s situation, plus Wu Qinglin was leaving overnight—she truly couldn’t stay at the Lin residence any longer.

Lin Yanyao understood her thoughts and said immediately, “Tan’er, wait a moment. It’s chilly tonight. I’ll have Chang Si bring you a cloak before you go. Chang Si—”

She called out to her maid.

“Yes, Miss!” Chang Si promptly ran to the back garden and quickly fetched a cloak.

Lin Yanyao personally saw them off at the main gate.

Wu Qinglin had arrived on horseback. Though there were distinctions between men and women, they were siblings, and it was late at night, so there was nothing to be concerned about. Wu Qinglin helped Wu Tan onto the horse, then mounted himself, waving to Lin Yanyao standing under the eaves. “Go inside quickly!”

“Okay! Cousin, take care on the road!” Lin Yanyao replied. The night wind was chilly, so she tightened her collar and went indoors.

Wu Qinglin spurred the horse toward the Hou residence with Wu Tan beside him, riding a bit faster due to the urgency. The cold wind whipped around their necks. Wu Tan wrapped the cloak tightly and asked, “Brother, where are you going this time? Is it far? How long will you be gone?”

“Not too far, about five or six days’ travel round trip. Plus the time needed to handle the affairs… it should be between ten days to half a month,” he answered vaguely. He was leading an imperial mission and had to maintain proper decorum despite their familiarity.

Wu Tan understood the rules and didn’t press further. Instead, she lowered her voice slightly. “But… brother, why did you come here specifically? Did you sense something and think cousin’s engagement break tomorrow might not go smoothly?”

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Wu Qinglin’s eyes showed some worry as he nodded slightly. “Breaking an engagement isn’t as simple as you think. Even if the Lin family doesn’t ask for much and only considers Yao’er’s interests, the Jiang family has other concerns. Behind closed doors, both families can talk things through, but the Lin family has to give an official reason for breaking the engagement. What reason can they find?”

It was not easy to find an excuse. If it wasn’t serious enough, the Lin family would be blamed. If too serious, the Jiang family wouldn’t agree. Although the Jiang family was at fault, when it came to face and reputation—

It was uncertain whether the Jiang family would concede.

Wu Tan, having never managed such matters, couldn’t fully grasp the complexity. Wu Qinglin, however, was well versed in these intricacies.

“So, if uncle and the others go to the Jiang family to break the engagement tomorrow, it’s very likely that Jiang Pingzhi will be eager to agree, but his parents will insist on keeping the marriage?” Wu Tan guessed.

“Exactly,” Wu Qinglin confirmed but said no more.

Wu Tan felt troubled again. “Uncle cares a lot about face. If they really can’t patch things up with the Jiang family, this marriage…”

Even if there was a quarrel, they couldn’t name Li Xun’er directly. She was a royal princess, and the Lin family had no evidence of wrongdoing. Saying such things could even be seen as slander.

Before she finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared riding leisurely from a distant alley.

The moon was high, and the light was bright these days. Wu Qinglin spotted him from afar, though the face was indistinct. But someone suddenly blocking the path at this hour—

They certainly meant no good.

Wu Qinglin’s gaze darkened slightly. His first reaction was to snatch Wu Tan and toss her behind him.

Wu Tan, lost in thought, was startled by being suddenly moved through the air. Her face went pale, and as she landed, she quickly clutched Wu Qinglin’s waist tightly.

Wu Qinglin did not slow down or change course but urged his horse forward with the wind whipping past.

When they were about ten yards from the figure, Wu Qinglin recognized him.

It was a familiar face—

Xiao Yue!

All night, Wu Qinglin had been worried about Wu Tan and Xiao Yue enjoying the moonlight together. Now, inexplicably, Xiao Yue was blocking their way and making trouble. Wu Qinglin’s anger flared.

He had initially thought to confront the intruder if it was hostile. Now knowing it was Xiao Yue—

He had absolutely no patience left.

Xiao Yue’s horse did not stop in the middle of the road. Wu Qinglin ignored him and tried to pass by.

Xiao Yue leisurely waited and, seeing Wu Qinglin pretend not to see him and pass by, didn’t try to block them but playfully called out, “Young Master, are you planning to invite me to your residence again tonight?”

Visiting once in the daytime was already nerve-wracking; a second visit at this hour—

It was obvious what chaos that would cause.

Normally, Wu Qinglin would try to smooth things over for appearances, but now his mind was filled with suspicions about Xiao Yue’s ill intentions toward his precious sister. He snorted coldly and passed by without a word.

He knew that if Xiao Yue came to their residence, the emperor might grow suspicious. But frequent contact would make it impossible to dismiss such concerns.

And Xiao Yue—

He wouldn’t be so reckless as to leave incriminating evidence to make himself a thorn in the emperor’s side.

Wu Qinglin was convinced Xiao Yue was trying to intimidate him and refused to engage. Even if Xiao Yue followed them back to the residence, Wu Qinglin could simply close the door and refuse him.

In Wu Qinglin’s mind, they were all respectable people who should maintain some sense of propriety, but he underestimated Xiao Yue’s malice.

As they passed, Xiao Yue suddenly struck, pulling Wu Tan off Wu Qinglin’s horse.

Wu Tan hadn’t seen him blocking the way. After being abruptly thrown behind by her brother, she was still confused. Hearing the voice and then being pulled out, she screamed sharply.

Xiao Yue, still angry at Wu Qinglin, had only intended to grab her and place her on his horse. Hearing her scream, an idea struck him, and he shifted his grip to set her before himself.

Wu Tan, swinging briefly in the air, was terrified. As she landed, she instinctively clung tightly to the large figure behind her.

Wu Qinglin turned abruptly to see this startling scene.

Xiao Yue looked at him with a provocative smirk, eyes playful and teasing.

Suppressing his fury, Wu Qinglin wheeled his horse around, anger nearly bursting from his eyes, and said icily, “Prince Sheng, don’t you think this behavior is beneath your status?”

Wu Tan, still shaken, buried her face in Xiao Yue’s chest, trembling. Hearing her brother’s words, a sudden clarity struck her. She pulled away sharply and looked up to see Xiao Yue’s lofty face.

Her skin crawled, feeling utterly uncomfortable sitting in his embrace.

Blushing, she hastily pushed at his chest and tried to slide off the horse.

But Xiao Yue was prepared. His arms circled her waist like iron clamps, and she couldn’t budge. Desperate, tears welled in her eyes as she looked to her brother. “Brother…”

Wu Qinglin was almost steaming with rage but was powerless. Xiao Yue held ill intent, and Wu Tan was in his hands. If he tried to snatch her forcibly, she might be hurt.

For the first time ever, Wu Qinglin hated someone to his core yet was helpless. His face darkened, veins bulging, but he took a deep breath and said, “Prince Sheng, let’s keep this brief. We’re in a hurry.”

Xiao Yue was unbothered by the insult, letting Wu Tan struggle against his grip while leisurely saying, “I have no grand purpose. I merely heard that Young Master Wu is leaving the capital on imperial business, so I came to see you off.”

He glanced meaningfully at Wu Tan, provoking Wu Qinglin’s fury.

Who would believe such nonsense? Wu Qinglin retorted coldly, “Your Highness, your intelligence is impressive.”

“Not bad,” Xiao Yue shamelessly replied, ignoring the sarcasm. “Jiangjian is neither near nor far. Young Master, be careful.”

Wu Qinglin, still fuming from the harassment, was momentarily taken aback by the insinuation—he suspected Xiao Yue’s visit was not without deeper meaning.

After a moment’s thought, he suppressed his anger slightly but remained cold. “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

Xiao Yue smiled and said bluntly, “I don’t care about you. I just think you should take care of yourself. Otherwise—” He glanced down at the struggling Wu Tan and continued, “If something happens to you, Second Miss would be heartbroken.”

Wu Tan, uncomfortable and eager to escape, hadn’t paid attention earlier, but now she sensed something from Xiao Yue’s words.

She slowly lifted her head, eyes full of suspicion toward him.

Xiao Yue smiled faintly, then lifted her onto the saddle properly and dismounted smoothly.

“Stop struggling! This horse is yours now!” He patted the horse’s flank and urged it toward Wu Qinglin.

Wu Qinglin watched him thoughtfully.

Noticing his gaze, Xiao Yue met it and raised a brow. “I may not be a good man, but I’m accountable. I play dirty, but for Second Miss’s sake, and considering your character, Young Master Wu, I won’t play those games with you.”

Though his words sounded unserious, beneath them lay much meaning.

Wu Qinglin vaguely understood the implication. Xiao Yue was clear about grievances and favors. Logically, Wu Qinglin should thank him regardless of truth, but the constant mention of Wu Tan made him uneasy. For the first time, he dismissed Xiao Yue coldly.

“Let’s go,” Wu Qinglin said, turning his horse to leave with Wu Tan.

Wu Tan followed, bouncing on the saddle, feeling uneasy. She glanced back.

Xiao Yue still stood there, hands behind his back, his face illuminated by the moonlight. The curve of his lips was clear, but his eyes were deep and distant, without a smile.

Wu Qinglin, troubled, slowed his pace, riding leisurely the rest of the way. Wu Tan kept looking back. Xiao Yue’s figure grew smaller and more blurred until one time she turned and he was gone.

The siblings returned to the Dingyuan Marquis’s residence, where the gates were still open for them since it was so late. Wu Qinglin instructed Wu Tan to inform the matriarch about his departure for official business tomorrow before he went to his room to pack.

A servant took their horses, and Wu Tan slowly ascended the steps toward the back garden.

Xiao Yue’s strange words lingered in her mind. What could they mean? She wandered absentmindedly, and when she returned to Jingchun Study, her two maids, having thought she’d stay overnight at the Lin residence, were already asleep. Thus, they hurried to attend to her in the middle of the night, causing quite a commotion.

Wu Tan slept late and woke late the next day, while the Lin family, Lin Xiucheng and his wife, rose early to hasten to the Jiang family to negotiate breaking the engagement.

Unexpectedly, not only did Mr. and Mrs. Jiang refuse, but Jiang Pingzhi also adamantly insisted on maintaining the engagement.

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Side note:

I think the imperial uncle’s current mindset is probably: I haven’t decided whether to make a move, but I’ll claim it first so no one else can—

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This novel is an original release. Please do not redistribute!

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