Chapter Sixty-Eight: From Husband and Wife to Allies?
A faint "gurgling" sound came from Li Bao'er's abdomen at this very inopportune moment, and it was particularly clear in the quiet new room.
Li Bao'er: "!!!" She froze instantly, wishing she could faint again on the spot!
Li Bao'er cried out in her heart, but no one heard her, no one heard her...
001, who had been secretly observing the two, spoke up at an inopportune moment: [He heard it.]
"Shut up!"
Mu Cenlin clearly heard it, and the lingering gentleness in his eyes was instantly replaced by a helpless smile.
He looked at her, as if she wanted to disappear into the ground, and a slight smile appeared on his lips, which dispelled much of his previous hostility.
"Hungry?" he asked casually, as if the awkward voice from before had never existed. "You haven't eaten much all day, you should be hungry."
Mu Cenlin did not turn around, but raised his voice slightly and instructed the servants waiting outside the door: "Serve the meal. Keep it light and prepare some easily digestible snacks."
A respectful reply and hurried footsteps immediately came from outside the door.
His interruption finally calmed Li Bao'er down a bit.
The temptation of the food temporarily overcame her shyness, but a bigger question arose in her mind. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her head and asked softly, "Your Highness... just now you said you knew who plotted against me... who is that person?"
Upon hearing this, the gentleness on Mu Cenlin's face vanished instantly, and his eyes returned to their cold and sharp state. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing something, before finally deciding to tell Bao'er.
“It’s Kang Ning.” Mu Cenlin uttered the name, his voice filled with undisguised disgust.
“Princess Kangning?” Li Bao’er was taken aback. “Why is she targeting me like this? I have no grudge against her…” She had no recollection of having any interaction with this princess.
They had never even seen it before.
Mu Cenlin glanced at Bao'er: "She's not targeting you, she's targeting the position of Princess Jing. Or rather, anyone who might take that position." He paused: "Kang Ning has always wanted to marry me."
Li Bao'er's eyes widened in surprise. She had never heard of such a thing before!
[Wow! Big gossip!] 001 immediately pulled out some sunflower seeds from his pocket, ready to enjoy the gossip to his heart's content.
Li Bao'er withdrew her consciousness and replied: "You still have the nerve to eat melon seeds? You didn't even know? Do you know you almost caused me to lose my innocence!"
[Ahem... ahem, wrong, wrong. Who would have thought that taking a break to go back to the company to report on the progress would result in someone raiding my base?]
“Very few people know about this matter, limited to a handful of people within the palace grounds.” Mu Cenlin spoke indifferently, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. “The eldest princess, who is also her adoptive mother, is well aware of this, but she has never approved of it.”
"Why?" Li Bao'er asked, puzzled. If Kang Ning truly liked him, why would the Princess object?
Mu Cenlin's lips curled into a cold smile: "Because the eldest princess is much more clear-headed than her adopted daughter. She knows all too well that I was in a difficult situation in the palace back then, with the emperor's heart unpredictable and my future uncertain. She doesn't want Kang Ning to suffer with me. And more importantly... she sees that I am definitely not someone Kang Ning can control."
His voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "So, instead of granting her wish, she secretly used many methods to try to completely destroy me and extinguish Kang Ning's thoughts."
Li Bao'er was horrified. The infighting within the royal family was so naked and ruthless.
"Unfortunately," Mu Cenlin scoffed, "I am a tough guy and not so easily brought down by her. Seeing that she could not shake me, and fearing that Kang Ning would cause trouble sooner or later if she stayed in the capital, she had no choice but to forcibly send Kang Ning out of the palace a few years ago, ostensibly to travel and relax, but in reality to have people watch over her, not letting her return to the capital, and not letting her get close to me again."
He spoke of it casually, but Li Bao'er could imagine the dangers he faced back then and the relentless pressure from the eldest princess.
“I just didn’t expect,” Mu Cenlin’s eyes turned completely cold, “that she would dare to run back on her own, and even on the day of my wedding, using such despicable means. It seems that the Princess has been too negligent in disciplining her all these years.”
As Li Bao'er listened to Mu Cenlin reveal the past schemes and dangers in a cold and indifferent tone, a strange, subtle pain welled up in her heart. She suddenly reached out and carefully covered the back of his hand, which was resting on the edge of the bed.
His hands were cool, with calluses and a sense of strength characteristic of martial artists.
Mu Cenlin was slightly taken aback, but did not immediately shake him off.
“Your Highness,” Li Bao’er’s voice was soft, but it carried an unprecedented firmness, “I cannot change what happened in the past, but from now on… Now that I have taken the position of Princess Jing, I will not allow any woman to hurt you for such a ridiculous reason.”
Bao'er raised her eyes, her gaze clear and earnest, even carrying a hint of protective arrogance: "My husband is naturally someone I should protect myself."
"My husband."
"I will protect it myself."
These two sentences unexpectedly stirred up a huge wave, shaking his very soul!
Mu Cenlin suddenly looked up into her eyes, trying to find a trace of hypocrisy or scheming, but all he saw was openness and honesty.
No one had ever said such things to him before, no one had ever placed him in a position where he needed to be protected. And no one had ever called him "husband" so naturally, and given those two words such weight.
Just then, a maid's respectful voice came from outside the door: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the meal is ready."
Exquisite dishes and snacks were quickly placed on the round table in the room, along with a pot of warmed Heqin wine.
As if reminded of something, Li Bao'er let go of his hand, lifted the quilt and got out of bed. She walked to the table, but did not eat immediately. Instead, she picked up the wine pot and slowly filled two glasses.
Bao'er picked up one of the glasses, turned to look at Mu Cenlin, and handed him one of the glasses.
"Your Highness, this cup of wine is not offered to Heaven and Earth, nor to your elders, nor is it a toast for a wedding ceremony."
Mu Cenlin looked at her, took the wine glass, his gaze deep, waiting for her to continue.
Li Bao'er met his gaze and spoke each word as if making a vow: "I, Li Bao'er, here, with this cup of wine, make a promise to you that from now on, I will never do anything to hurt you again. I know that you married me not out of love. If you have no feelings for me, it doesn't matter if we can't be a loving couple."
These words caused Mu Cenlin's eyes to flicker slightly.
She continued, "But now that I am Princess Jing, I will do my best to be a good princess to you. I will stand behind you and support you in every way I can."
"Furthermore, as you said the other day, on the day of our separation, I will sign the divorce papers immediately and grant Your Highness your freedom."
“This glass of wine,” Li Bao’er raised her glass, her eyes burning, “is to toast our now-established alliance, where we share both fortune and misfortune, yet remain unbound by each other, each leaving room for maneuver.”
After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp.
Mu Cenlin held his wine glass, staring intently at her, watching her fiery and defiant demeanor after she finished her drink, and listening to her shocking declaration.
She even planned out his escape route in advance, and even considered the divorce agreement for him.
"Giving up the position with open arms," "Letting go gracefully," "No regrets"...
These words, like fine needles, unexpectedly pricked him, bringing an extremely unfamiliar and awkward sense of discomfort.
Why is she so eager to sever ties with him? She's even planning their future separation with such calm and thoroughness?
A strange sense of unease rose up, replacing the brief tremor from before.
001 has to complain when she sees this. Didn't he bring up the idea of divorce?
Mu Cenlin didn't speak, but simply tilted his head back and downed his drink in one gulp. Even the wine couldn't suppress the sudden surge of anger within him.
He placed the wine glass back on the table with a rather heavy thud.
He looked intently at the woman before him, who had an air of "I've made all the arrangements," his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "The Princess is indeed... thoughtful and insightful."
These words sounded like a compliment, but carried a subtle hint of sarcasm.
Li Bao'er didn't notice the difference. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief at his approval and even showed a relaxed smile: "Your Highness is too kind. As allies, we should be honest with each other and make things clear beforehand."
Looking at her relaxed expression, as if she had "solved a major problem," Mu Cenlin felt the nameless anger in his chest burn even brighter.
He snorted coldly, no longer looking at her, and turned to walk outside: "Let's have our meal. The food is getting cold; I need to go out and take care of some matters."
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