Chapter 1700 -1693: Mother, Who Has Visited You?

“And remember, protect your face well. You should first find it pleasing to yourself, rather than worrying whether it might scare others.

Your face is defined by you alone.”

Noble Consort Xiao spoke as she instructed her to carry all the packed items away.

“I sent someone today, Ling’er might enter the palace. If you don’t want to bump into him, then leave the palace now.” Noble Consort Xiao waved her hand.

Lin Sisi picked up the items and left immediately.

After Granny Song saw her off, she returned with a strange expression on her face. “Your Majesty, General Lin just left? Does she truly not intend to see His Highness again?”

Lin Sisi could not possibly be unaware of Lin Yu being taken back to the prince’s mansion.

Saint Ruan has such a loose tongue.

But she’s not bothered by it?

Noble Consort Xiao held her temple and shook her head. “She’s practically a dying person now. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to see Ling’er either. Giving him hope would only lead to greater disappointment in the future.”

“As for this Lin Yu…”

Noble Consort Xiao’s fingers tapped lightly on the chaise lounge, and Chu Jinling’s voice rang out from afar, “Mother, who did you just send away?”

Noble Consort Xiao suddenly straightened her back and sat upright.

When Chu Jinling rushed to her side, she extended her slender jade-like finger and poked his forehead. “Such loud shouting — are you trying to scare your mother?”

“This son wouldn’t dare.”

Chu Jinling crouched in front of Noble Consort Xiao’s chaise lounge, his tone somewhat urgent. “I only noticed Granny Song coming back from the direction of the secret path, as if she was sending someone off?”

“Why? Can’t your mother secretly meet a lover?” Noble Consort Xiao teased him.

Though she was already over forty, “grace and charm” hardly sufficed to describe her.

She possessed the beauty of a youthful maiden and the dignified nobility of a high consort. Even though Chu Mingyuan had long since passed, given her carefree and bold personality, indulging in romance wouldn’t be entirely unthinkable.

“If Mother were truly secretly meeting a lover, could she be so blatant about it?”

Chu Jinling, though over twenty, could still be rendered speechless by his mother’s audacious remarks.

Noble Consort Xiao reclined languidly back onto the chaise lounge once more, arching her elegant brows as she squeezed Chu Jinling’s cheek. “Why not? Nowadays, your mother is addressed as ‘Your Majesty,’ after all. Your father is long dead, and your uncle’s harem is entirely empty.

Back then, your mother spent a fortune constructing this secret path out of the palace — it must be worth its price, right?”

“Could it be that Mother’s recent frailty was caused by sneaking out to meet a lover?” Chu Jinling intentionally teased his mother in return.

Noble Consort Xiao immediately smacked his head with her palm. “Watch as I smack your mouth to ruin it!

If there’s any frailty to speak of, it would be the lover’s! Your mother is doing perfectly fine!”

During the past few weeks, when Lin Sisi had to be nurtured with two bowls of blood every seven days, of course Noble Consort Xiao had felt weak!

Now that there was no need to bleed anymore, she naturally regained her vitality.

But none of this would be shared with Chu Jinling.

Since he had happened upon her, she decisively shifted the topic and began questioning him about Lin Yu’s situation.

Chu Jinling seemed indifferent and merely offered a couple of remarks. “She’s just a concubine’s daughter. This son glances at her occasionally but does not place her in my heart.”

“Is it because her surname is Lin? Are you still thinking about Lin Sisi?”

Noble Consort Xiao sighed deeply, massaging her forehead. “Once, someone brought you a woman modified to resemble Lin Sisi, looking strikingly alike, and you refused her. Why now, with Lin Yu?”

Granny Song mentioned to me that she resembles Lin Sisi only slightly.

Wouldn’t it be that, because her name is Lin, and she knows martial arts, you decided to take her in?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Chu Jinling’s smile was laced with bitterness. “Sisi has been gone from me for so long. I truly miss her. I miss her terribly.”

“You miss her, and so you bring a replacement into your life?

If Lin Sisi were alive, she would rise from the grave to confront you — especially if she knew you brought Lin Yu to the prince’s mansion!”

Noble Consort Xiao, her flawless face now flushed with anger, seemed almost to grumble through clenched teeth.

She had once endured a fickle, worthless man herself — fine.

But the son she had painstakingly raised — how could he begin to tread the same path?

Chu Jinling, finding her anger amusing, looked up earnestly and fixed his gaze on Noble Consort Xiao. “Mother never liked Sisi before, did she? Why are you speaking so much for her now, even wanting to scold your son for her?”

“I feel for the unfairness imposed upon women!” Noble Consort Xiao grabbed a jade ornament and immediately hurled it at Chu Jinling. “Bring Lin Yu back if you want, but stop flaunting it outside!

Lin, your father-in-law, is no easy man. Mourning his daughter while indulging with other women—be cautious lest he picks up his sword against you!”

Having said her piece, Noble Consort Xiao sent Chu Jinling away, not even offering him a meal.

Granny Song fetched another fine piece of jade and handed it to Noble Consort Xiao while massaging her delicate legs. “Your Majesty, please don’t upset yourself too much.”

Noble Consort Xiao bit her lip, “I don’t even know why I’m so upset. Sisi herself never cared about this matter, yet as a woman, the empathy stirs such fury!

If a beloved departs this life and he completely forgets her, moving on to find new love—there’s no fault in that.

But to mourn a soulmate while simultaneously carousing with other women—that sort of vile hypocrisy, shared by men, is unbearable for us women!”

Moreover, Lin Sisi was saved through Noble Consort Xiao’s own sacrifices, nurtured by her blood for so long. Their bond seemed almost intertwined now, tinged with an inexplicable tenderness.

Having missed out on dinner with Noble Consort Xiao, Chu Jinling naturally returned to the prince’s mansion.

Granny Zhao, instructed by Granny Song, sought to gauge Chu Jinling’s attitude toward Lin Yu. Intentionally, she tasked Lin Yu with delivering freshly laundered garments to his dressing room.

Given the hour of Chu Jinling’s return, they were bound to cross paths.

Upon seeing Chu Jinling, Lin Yu’s eyes lit up, “Your Highness!”

Disregarding Granny Zhao’s instructions, Lin Yu hastily rushed forward, carrying the clothes and standing before Chu Jinling.

Out of courtesy, Chu Jinling greeted her faintly, “After arriving at the prince’s mansion, are you adjusting well?”

Lin Yu nodded fervently. “I’m adjusting well! Very well! The prince’s mansion is magnificent and bustling. The food, clothing, housing—everything is far better than I’ve known before. I’ve never seen so much fine treasure!”

Chu Jinling’s expression remained calm, replying, “There’s far more luxury in this world than what you’ve seen. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to discover them.”

“But in the martial trial, you ranked in the top three, earning the chance to compete alongside the other two daughters of generals in the Grand Hall, and to enter the camps as soldiers. Do you truly wish to give that up?”

Lin Yu nearly blurted out that she wanted none of it!

Yet the words caught in her throat, and vivid scenes began flashing through her mind.

From the days of wearing tattered clothes and enduring her emaciated form, she began training in martial arts, which she had practiced for ten rigorous years—

Persevering through bitter winters, scorching summers, never once relaxing her efforts.

She and Ye Hongru, battled their way from the borderlands to Jiang Du City.

She’d eaten countless hardships, survived numerous injuries, her arms even broken twice.

And yet, she had endured.

All her past struggles began resurfacing in her thoughts.

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