Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu showed a satisfied expression and said, "I believe you."
Chang Lili smiled sweetly and held him tightly without letting go.
A sly glint flashed in Meng Yuxiu's eyes: "In that case, you should tell Xiao Lingshou as soon as possible to stop sending things over so often. It will make people suspect that the Crown Prince and I are forming a faction, which is not good for either of us. Besides, my general's mansion has everything, so he doesn't need to worry about it."
Chang Lili abruptly released her grip and sat up straight. She stared at Meng Yuxiu for a while before slowly saying, "You've really hidden your true colors well!"
Meng Yuxiu raised his head slightly and said, "I'm just stating a fact."
Although it was essentially a reason used to put Xiao Lingshou down, it wasn't entirely unfounded.
Moreover, we are at a critical juncture right now, and when we will participate in the third test depends on Meng Yuxiu's arrangements.
She immediately adopted a docile expression and nodded, saying, "I think that makes sense. It was my oversight, and I will definitely pay attention to it in the future."
Meng Yuxiu looked up at her with some surprise and a questioning gaze, and Chang Lili immediately added, "I promise!"
Then, looking at the books that hadn't been moved from the table, Chang Lili picked one up, frowned slightly, and began to read it seriously, oblivious to everyone around her.
Meng Yuxiu glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "How is it? Have you finished reading these books?"
Chang Lili felt that his question was very subtle. If he said that he had seen enough, it seemed too immodest. If he said that he was still far from enough, it didn't seem right either.
She frowned more deeply, and after thinking for a while, she said hesitantly, "Well... how should I put it? I have indeed read most of these books, but I don't know if that's enough to deal with the trap array."
After she finished speaking, she nervously looked at Meng Yuxiu's face, waiting for his answer.
“Preparation is never enough; these kinds of things are impossible to guard against,” Meng Yuxiu said with a distant gaze.
Chang Lili's disappointment was evident. Hearing this, she realized she still needed to study more books. But as time went on, she felt that the wait was endless. She was always worried that Meng Yuxiu would change his mind, and that her mother-in-law would change her mind later.
She was staring at her book, absentmindedly, and didn't notice that Meng Yuxiu had turned to look at her, his gaze calm and gentle, filled with doting affection and helplessness.
He sighed and said, "But we can't keep preparing like this forever. We'll go to the trap array in three days."
Chang Lili suddenly turned her head and looked at Meng Yuxiu, somewhat disbelieving her ears.
"real?"
"Are you scared?" Meng Yuxiu asked gently.
The latter shook his head vigorously, dropped the book in his hand, and almost jumped up, his laughter filling the entire courtyard.
"No, not at all. I just never thought this day would actually come. Good heavens! Learning mechanical arts is something I never even dared to dream of before. I'm so lucky! First, I became a blacksmith, something I've always wanted to do, and now I'm going to learn mechanical arts. It's like a dream!"
She was so happy in front of Meng Yuxiu that she danced with joy.
Meng Yuxiu was filled with worry. The question he asked earlier was less about Chang Lili and more about himself. He was afraid that the person in front of him might be in danger.
Sometimes he wondered if taking such a desperate gamble was the right thing to do.
But seeing Chang Lili's heartbroken expression, he felt he wouldn't regret his decision. No matter what happened in the future, he would stay by her side, just so that this smile wouldn't disappear from her face.
Inside the kitchen, the mother-in-law stood by the kitchen door, holding a bowl of ginger soup.
The ginger soup in her hand was no longer scalding hot. She had been standing there for a long time. She had been living in unease these past few days, but looking at Lili's carefree expression, she felt that perhaps this was fate.
Only by doing what you want to do can you truly be happy in this life, so how could she bear to stop her?
The mother-in-law turned and went back to the kitchen, put down the ginger soup in her hand, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and murmured, "You must protect her and keep her safe!"
Deep within the palace, Xiao Lingshou sat at the table, staring blankly at the thin letter in his hand. The handwriting was very messy, even crooked and difficult to decipher.
Even though it was only a few lines of text, it took Xiao Lingshou quite a while to finish reading it.
The smile on his face, as if the frost and snow were melting away, was something he himself was unaware of.
But the next moment, his expression turned cold.
Memories from many years ago flooded back; he couldn't remember the last time he had spoken to someone so familiarly, let alone corresponded with them.
When was the first time he was assassinated? He couldn't remember anymore. He only remembered that at that time, he was young and ignorant, and was still crying and grieving for the early death of his younger brother.
The long sword that should have pierced his small body instead pierced the empress's shoulder, and the instigator of this assassination was the biological mother of the prince who died young.
The reason she was so desperate to kill Xiao Lingshou was supposedly because the early death of her child was caused by the Empress.
At that time, Xiao Lingshou was filled with fear and despair.
Before he could recover, traps designed to kill him sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
In utter despair, after experiencing all of this, he finally became indifferent to everything and could deal with it with ease.
And all of his younger brothers and sisters either had difficult births or did not live past their teenage years.
He still remembered his younger sister, Princess Mingjing, the little girl who always pestered him to call her brother, who ultimately died in the prime of her life.
He knew everything that was going on, and he had even questioned his mother, asking if Mingjing, a girl, could pose a threat to his position and compete with him for the throne.
The Empress's cold reply chilled him to the bone. He thought that Mingjing was too close to him and wondered what kind of scheme she was plotting. He also said that the Emperor doted on her so much that he even let Mingjing study with him and refused marriage proposals from other countries without hesitation. He wondered if the Emperor might be thinking of making Mingjing the Crown Prince.
Xiao Lingshou once thought his mother had gone mad. Perhaps what she said was true, but had she ever asked him if he really wanted to step over corpses to ascend the throne?
During those dark and hopeless days, he was filled with thoughts of escaping, and the only time he felt at ease each day was when he was learning martial arts from his master.
His master was assigned to him by his father when he was young to teach him martial arts.
As Xiao Lingshou grew up, the Emperor's affection for him diminished day by day, turning from initial fondness to indifference.
And finally, that nightmarish day arrived as scheduled.
His master's longsword pierced his chest, and he stared in disbelief at the man before him who had always had a kind face.
A teacher for a day is a father for life. This person had been by his side like a father since he was a child, but why, why now do they want to kill him?
The man's eyes showed neither sorrow nor joy, only tranquility... tranquility...
"As long as you live, more people will die," he said expressionlessly, as if he were talking about someone else's grudges, making it all seem trivial.
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