Chapter Five: The Elusive Strategist
Li Bao'er was pondering the purpose of Mu Cenlin's series of actions in a daze, and even thought of the man's bad intentions.
Suddenly, the mechanical voice of 001 echoed in my mind.
[Host, according to data analysis, Mu Cenlin has severe mysophobia.]
He might simply think you're too dirty.
"..."
Li Bao'er looked down at herself. She was still wearing the same blood-stained night clothes as yesterday. Although the arrow wound had been properly bandaged by the army doctor, the black cloth was covered with dark blood clots, mud stains, and suspicious pieces of decaying leaves.
Bao'er muttered to herself, "Okay...actually, I also dislike myself quite a bit."
She quietly raised her hand to sniff her cuff, and immediately wrinkled her face at the smell that was a mixture of blood, sweat and rotting earth from a mass grave.
Thinking of the snow-white tiger-skin couch she had lain on while unconscious yesterday, its elaborate furnishings clearly indicated it was Mu Cenlin's private military tent.
What a waste of good stuff!
001 added insult to injury at the opportune moment: [The drool you drooled while you were unconscious even soaked his jade pillow.]
Li Bao'er: "..."
She now completely understood why Mu Cenlin had insisted on bringing her here.
Under Mu Cenlin's gaze, as soon as Li Bao'er's toes touched the pool water, a bone-chilling coldness shot up her spine from her ankles.
This isn't ordinary spring water! It's freezing cold!
Li Bao'er looked closely at the faint blue mist floating on the surface of the pool, and the unmelted ice shards could be vaguely seen underwater. She instinctively stepped back, but tripped over the pebbles on the shore.
Bao'er's teeth chattered; she didn't want to go into the water. "The water's too cold, I can't do it."
Mu Cenlin leaned against the blue stone by the pool, toying with an icicle between his fingers: "What? Does the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion need someone to serve her even when she's bathing?"
The icicle shattered with a "crack" in his palm.
Li Bao'er stared in astonishment at the ice in his hand. This place was too strange. It was clearly not autumn yet, but there was ice here that wouldn't melt. If she soaked in this pool, she would definitely be unconscious for several days.
After she was poisoned, she became extremely sensitive to the cold.
"I……"
"Splash!" She was suddenly kicked into the deep water, and the cold water instantly chilled her to the bone.
So this is what it feels like to be near death.
A burst of white light exploded before my eyes, and my last conscious thought was 001's shrill cry: "Hold on, host! I'm coming!"
Just as Mu Cenlin was about to turn and leave, his heart was suddenly gripped by invisible claws!
"Well……!"
He slammed one knee on the edge of the pool, clutching his heart in disbelief as it throbbed as if it were being crushed, watching the figure rapidly sinking underwater.
Why?
This cold pool was where he practiced his martial arts daily; it was just a bit chilly for him.
Why is she in so much pain?
*
Li Bao'er dreamed that she had turned into a medicinal herb.
Someone came every day to pour ice water on her, and said menacingly, "If you dare to die, I'll plant you at the entrance of the latrine!" This startled her awake.
She found herself in a familiar military tent, but it was empty. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious.
Upon waking, Li Bao'er stared at the tent ceiling and murmured, "001, I think..."
A light screen popped up: "Don't panic, Bao'er!"
[According to Chapter 3 of "The Self-Help Manual," oh dear, this question is beyond the scope of the curriculum QAQ]
Li Bao'er: "..."
Li Bao'er was so angry that she sat up abruptly, but then pulled at her wound and lay back down, wincing in pain.
001 continued its incessant chatter: [Host, perk up! At least for now, it seems the Demon King's attitude towards you has improved due to empathy.]
While you were unconscious, the Great Demon King channeled his internal energy into you.
No wonder she didn't experience the excruciating pain she usually felt when she woke up. Ha, he's still afraid of pain.
The sound of armored guards changing shifts came from outside the tent. In the flickering torchlight, an absurd idea suddenly surfaced.
A sly glint appeared in Li Bao'er's eyes. "001, do you think if I become the Princess Consort of Jing, I can legitimately keep an eye on him and prevent him from courting disaster?"
[Holy crap, this is outrageous!]
No one understood Mu Cenlin's situation better than her; the so-called honor of being a prince was nothing but a facade.
His birth mother, Consort Zhang, was barely clinging to life in the cold palace, while his uncle, Zhang Ling, had gone missing at the border.
The whole capital knew that the Emperor disliked this son, simply because of the feud between Consort Zhang and the Emperor.
The emperor disliked this son, yet he had to rely on his iron cavalry, so he even delayed the marriage.
As the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, she had only the title; she was a sickly person. In addition, her father favored his concubine, and the whole capital knew that Miss Li's courtyard was not even as good as that of a concubine's daughter.
Two people abandoned by the capital, Li Bao'er suddenly laughed out loud, they actually looked quite well-matched.
The Emperor's reluctance to bestow marriage upon Mu Cenlin was simply due to his fear that Mu Cenlin's power would grow too strong and become difficult to control.
She was a perfect candidate, possessing the status but lacking real power in the Prime Minister's residence.
This would not only demonstrate the Emperor's boundless grace and solidify his image of benevolence and appreciation for talent, thus silencing the public's dislike of the Second Prince, but also completely eliminate the potential threat of Mu Cenlin using the marriage to consolidate his power.
Li Bao'er said confidently, "I think it's feasible! Right now, we're the most hated couple in the capital, we're bound to hit it off!"
Now I can be sure that my life is in my own hands.
Well, not really, it's more like it's under my control.
Li Bao'er instinctively reached into her sleeve, then paused, startled. Where was her jade pendant?
Whenever she gets nervous, she touches the jade pendant to calm herself down; it's her precious Abebe!
She remembered that she had put the jade pendant in her sleeve before lunging at Mu Cenlin to shield him from the arrow.
She found her old, tattered and stained clothes in a corner of the tent, but after searching everywhere, she couldn't find the jade pendant.
Li Bao'er stared in disbelief at the mess she had made of the tent.
Frustrated, she ruffled her hair and went out.
The moment Li Bao'er's fingertips touched the tent flap, a long, cold iron spear blocked her chest.
“Miss Li, His Highness has ordered that you are not to step out of this tent,” the soldier guarding outside the tent said in a strong voice.
She squinted at the soldier with the boyish face, then suddenly leaned closer: "Young general, I've lost something important, so I'm going to go look for it."
The soldier's Adam's apple bobbed, but the tip of his gun remained unmoved: "I'm just a soldier, not a general. Please don't make things difficult for me, young lady."
"Then will you come with me?" she suddenly grabbed the other person's wristband.
"Come with me to the mass grave, and I'll tell you something in secret..." Before he could finish speaking, a clear, cold voice came from beside him.
"Miss Li, why don't I accompany you?"
Li Bao'er froze, looking in the direction of the sound.
Xiao Yizhi?
When did Da Lin's most dangerous strategist stand beside her?
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