Capítulo 1706: Chapter 1699: Lin Yu’s Regret

Lin Yu wiped away her tears while confessing, “I was born a woman, and since childhood, I’ve watched my mother living her life under the shadow of Father’s moods. When Father was displeased, he could beat her, curse her! He even flirted with other women, and my mother could only cry!”

Initially, I wanted to break free from these shackles, to escape the lowly fate of women, so I followed General Lin all the way to Jiang Du City through competitions!

But the splendor of Jiang Du City clouded my judgment!

The wealth here, the enchantment, the allure—it’s overwhelmingly intoxicating! Especially…”

Lin Yu spoke while ashamedly clutching at her hem, “Especially Your Highness! A man of such nobility actually accepted me as a concubine, lifting me up as though to the heavens! I thought I would lead a life of wealth and privilege forever!”

But reality was far from her naive dreams.

Her origins had already confined her to a cage; if she wished to rise above and become a phoenix, it would come at a steep price!

She wasn’t a fool; she could see clearly that Your Highness had never truly loved her.

Perhaps it was a fleeting interest, perhaps it was because she bore some resemblance to General Lin.

She was nothing but a substitute!

And how long could such a substitute last?

In the prince’s mansion, she was merely a maid serving Your Highness.

Rather than spend her life as a servant, why not fight for her future?

She had already been fighting for her future and freedom for ten years!

For a moment, the glittering extravagance had blinded her; if she fell into it without escape, it would be self-destruction!

She dared not let herself become a maid; she still had her martial arts skills, she had struggled for ten years, and she wanted to seize the opportunity, rise above her mistakes, and continue fighting!

Lin Sisi listened quietly to her words, without preaching or mocking, merely saying matter-of-factly, “You’ve awakened in time, which is good. But whether you can return to the beginning all depends on luck.”

If Jinling didn’t want to let her go, then she would be destined to a life of servitude.

“Miss Chu, I beg you to help me! You and General Ye can surely save me!”

Lin Yu clung to her legs like grabbing onto her last lifeline.

A life of servitude left her filled with regret!

That was not the life she dreamed of!

Even a caged golden canary was not the life she wanted!

Lin Sisi could only stay with her, waiting for news from Ye Hongru.

When Ye Hongru returned, his face was grim, and he shook his head heavily. “Your Highness Ling Wang said Lin Yu has already entered his mansion and must be sold, passing through government paperwork—which would take at least ten days to half a month—making it impossible to make the imperial exams;

Additionally… he has no intention of letting her go.”

“Why?” Lin Yu cried out, her eyes wide with despair. “Your Highness doesn’t even like me! He’s never spared me a glance!”

“What are you saying? He never favored you?” Lin Sisi was somewhat shocked.

She had thought… that Jinling taking Lin Yu in naturally meant he wouldn’t withhold his attentions.

Lin Yu shook her head violently, biting her lip with frustration. “After Your Highness brought me into the mansion, he handed me directly to Madam Zhao. I haven’t seen him even once.”

“On the day when I went there with General Ye, didn’t he come to see you? And there was news about you being summoned to his chambers.”

At the time, Ye Hongru had been so infuriated he didn’t eat for an entire day.

Lin Yu collapsed onto the ground, drained of all strength. “There was no such thing as being summoned to his chambers. Your Highness made me wait outside his room all night, and the next day, he told me to go back and rest.

Although I haven’t had to work since, Your Highness clearly has no intention to favor me.

The only person on His Highness’s mind is General Lin.”

Lin Sisi’s heart burned as waves of emotion churned within her, “How can you be certain?”

Lin Yu whispered in a soft voice, “That night, even while waiting outside, I could see into Your Highness’s room. Inside, there were portraits of General Lin, along with weapons commonly used by women—swords and whips.

All displayed as though treasures within that room.

I heard from the servants that General Lin’s damaged nine-ringed saber is placed right by Your Highness’s bedside, where he allows no one to touch it and personally polishes it every day.

He said General Lin used to grip that saber tightly every day, and holding the saber is like holding General Lin’s hand.”

Lin Yu spoke with envy glimmering in her eyes, “I once thought that my resemblance to General Lin might make Your Highness willing to keep me as merely a shadow of her.

But after entering the prince’s mansion, I realized just how mistaken I was!

General Lin is the love Your Highness has carved into his very bones, a love that no one can ever replace.

Your Highness doesn’t need anyone to play the shadow of General Lin—her presence lingers everywhere around him.

He will never forget her for the rest of his life.”

Lin Sisi trembled all over, and even though Ye Hongru and Lin Yu couldn’t see her face clearly, they could sense her intense emotional upheaval.

Ye Hongru spoke with concern, “Miss Chu, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No… I’m fine.”

Lin Sisi rubbed her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse. “As for Lin Yu’s matter, try asking Your Highness again for me. I’m heading back to rest.”

Lin Sisi left hurriedly.

Though Ye Hongru and Lin Yu were concerned about her, it wasn’t their place to inquire further.

As Lin Yu was not released from Jinling’s mansion, she had to return to the prince’s mansion; otherwise, she would be guilty of being an escaped servant.

Ye Hongru asked with lingering worry, “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle the tasks when you go back? Won’t it be too exhausting?”

Lin Yu wiped away her tears and shook her head resolutely, reinvigorated. “The chores in the mansion aren’t exhausting; what’s exhausting is that I can’t practice martial arts, can’t live authentically, can’t be the person I want to be!

General Ye, I have let you down in the past, but from now on, I will never betray myself again!

Your Highness cannot keep me trapped forever. Even as a concubine, I’ll continue practicing martial arts every night after returning!”

This Golden Hall examination—if missed this time, I’ll wait another three years!

And if in three years I still can’t leave the mansion, then I’ll wait three more years!

As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep fighting for my own path forward!

Ye Hongru watched her determined figure walk away. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he felt immense pride deep within.

This was the resolute Lin Yu he had cultivated.

Lin Yu quietly returned to the prince’s mansion, expecting that Madam Zhao would notice and give her an earful about rules and discipline.

But her room’s lamp was lit, and the person inside wasn’t Madam Zhao—it was Chu Jinling.

Under the lamplight, Chu Jinling sat holding a scroll, elegant as jade, his features as exquisite as a painting. No portrait of a handsome man could compare to the allure of Chu Jinling in this moment.

Lin Yu pinched herself, and after snapping out of her fleeting daze, she immediately stepped forward to bow before Chu Jinling. “Greetings, Your Highness. This servant has returned late—please pardon my offense.”

“It’s fine. Get up.”

Chu Jinling’s voice at this moment sounded calm and gentle—his usual demeanor towards others.

But Lin Yu couldn’t discern any particular emotion from him.

Within, he was profoundly lonely, a man cold by nature.

Perhaps, it was due to waiting for someone for far too long.

Chu Jinling finished the final page of the scroll and placed the book gently on the table. He tapped the surface lightly and said in a detached tone, “Today, Ye Hongru came to see me, requesting to take you back so you could continue participating in the Golden Hall examination.”

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