Volume One, Chapter 10: Are You Really Doing This for My Own Good?

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Night shrouded the city, yet the Marquis’s residence was brightly lit. Liu Xishuang lowered her head, fingers caressing a string of prayer beads, a faint glint of determination flashing in her eyes. “Although the Third Prince is crippled, he is dearly favored by the Emperor. If he truly looks upon Chuyao in a new light, this Marquis’s residence might just climb another rung on the ladder to power.”

“Prepare the lanterns. I’m going to Chuyao’s courtyard,” Liu Xishuang commanded calmly, her tone tinged with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Lin Yanluo, having learned that Lin Chuyao had met with Fang Xiuran and was escorted back by the Third Prince’s men, was so furious that she overturned the teacup on the table.

“How shameless!” she ground her teeth, jealousy burning in her eyes. “Once rejected by the Fang family, and now she’s clinging to the Third Prince! What right does she have?”

Her gaze fixed on the shattered teacup, her hatred almost palpable.

She resented Fang Xiuran’s disdain, Princess Pingyang’s arrogance, and most of all, the way Lin Chuyao’s ugly face could still stir up such turmoil.

“Why does everyone revolve around her? She’s nothing but a hideous freak, a useless burden!” she muttered bitterly, jealousy and unwillingness blazing like a fierce fire in her eyes.

“Miss, please don’t be upset. It’s not worth hurting yourself over this,” a maid cautiously advised.

“Silence!” Lin Yanluo snapped coldly, glaring fiercely. “I’m going to confront her!”

With that, she brushed aside the maid and stormed toward Lin Chuyao’s courtyard.

Inside Chuyao’s courtyard, dim light flickered softly, the atmosphere calm and serene.

“Bang!” The gate was kicked open forcefully. Lin Yanluo burst in, furious, pointing at Lin Chuyao and hurling insults. “Lin Chuyao, you’re utterly shameless! Rejected by the Fang family and now sneaking off alone to meet Fang Xiuran? Don’t you have any sense of decency?”

Lin Chuyao, seated at the writing desk, looked up coolly, a mocking smile curling her lips. “Lin Yanluo, who are you to lecture me?”

She rose, closing the distance step by step, her voice calm but oppressive. “Could it be you still harbor feelings for Fang Xiuran? How laughable.”

Lin Yanluo’s face flushed red, her temper flaring as she stomped her foot. “You’re talking nonsense! I have no such feelings for him!”

“Is that so?” Lin Chuyao sneered, eyes full of derision. “I see only jealousy. Jealous that even with my ruined appearance, Fang Xiuran can’t forget me. And what about you? He doesn’t even spare you a glance!”

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Her voice faltered for a moment, the cold smile deepening. “What’s the matter? Since it was Princess Pingyang who arranged your engagement with your beloved, you dare not confront her, so you come here to vent your anger? Pathetic and ridiculous.”

“You!” Lin Yanluo was incensed, raising her hand to strike Lin Chuyao.

Quick as a flash, Lin Chuyao caught her wrist firmly. The grip was gentle yet unyielding, leaving Lin Yanluo unable to break free.

“Lin Yanluo, I advise you not to lose your temper so easily,” Lin Chuyao said coldly. “Five years ago, you could bully me, but I am no longer the one at your mercy.”

“What do you want, Chuyao?”

A sharp voice came from the doorway. Both women turned to see Liu Xishuang standing there, her face dark, eyes shifting between them.

Upon seeing Liu Xishuang, Lin Yanluo’s eyes reddened. “Mother! Look at her! She’s bullying me!”

Lin Chuyao scoffed, releasing Lin Yanluo’s wrist, voice calm. “Mother, if I hadn’t stopped her, that slap would already be on my face.”

Liu Xishuang frowned slightly, reproach in her tone. “Yanluo, you can’t just barge in and start fights. Chuyao is your sister, after all.”

Gritting her teeth, Lin Yanluo looked unwilling. “Mother, she has no shame, clinging to the Third Prince and ruining our family’s reputation. Doesn’t she deserve to be scolded?”

Liu Xishuang’s gaze flickered subtly as she glanced at Lin Chuyao, then waved dismissively. “Enough, Yanluo. We’ll discuss this another day. You should go back now.”

Reluctantly, Lin Yanluo stomped her foot, shot a hateful glare at Lin Chuyao, and swept away with a flick of her sleeve.

Liu Xishuang turned and closed the door behind her, then looked at Lin Chuyao with a complex expression. “Chuyao, I heard the Third Prince’s men escorted you back today. What exactly happened?”

Lin Chuyao’s eyes were serene, her voice indifferent. “Mother, you worry too much. I just happened to encounter some trouble, and the Third Prince’s men passing by helped me out.”

Liu Xishuang raised an eyebrow, her tone gentle yet probing. “The Third Prince’s status is high. For him to help you without reason is not mere coincidence. Chuyao, if you have some connection to him, tell me. I will help you find a way.”

Lin Chuyao looked at her, a faint mocking smile playing on her lips. “Mother, do you really think a woman like me, with a ruined face and a broken engagement, could have any kind of relationship with the Third Prince?”

Liu Xishuang’s smile stiffened briefly but soon softened again. “Chuyao, don’t belittle yourself. If the Third Prince is willing to help you, it means he sees you differently.”

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“You’re right, Mother,” Lin Chuyao replied calmly, taking a quiet sip of tea. “Unfortunately, it’s just a misunderstanding. The Third Prince does not look at me differently.”

Liu Xishuang stared intently, trying to read something in her expression, but Lin Chuyao’s face was as calm as still water, revealing no hint.

She sighed softly and reached out to stroke Lin Chuyao’s hairline, her voice full of tenderness. “Chuyao, I know you have suffered much. I only worry about you. If there’s a chance, I will help you fight for the best.”

Her fingers pressed slightly, as if testing whether those words could pry open Lin Chuyao’s heart.

Lowering her eyes, Lin Chuyao replied respectfully, “Mother, your words are well taken.”

After Liu Xishuang left, the room returned to silence.

Lin Chuyao sat at the desk, fingertips lightly tracing the rim of the teacup, her gaze drifting through the flickering candlelight, growing distant.

When she was young, Liu Xishuang had loved her dearly—braiding her hair, sewing her clothes by hand, warming her small hands in winter.

But when did that tenderness turn into layers of calculation? Was it that cold night five years ago, kneeling in the snow? Or when she was sent to the Xuan Medicine Valley, those eyes full of reluctant cruelty?

Her fingers trembled slightly as the teacup made a soft, crisp sound against the table, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

She looked out the window; the breeze stirred bamboo shadows, casting mottled light as if past moments intertwined before her eyes.

“Mother...” she murmured softly, a trace of bitterness in her voice. “Do you truly care for me, or is it all just for the Marquis’s residence, for yourself?”

She closed her eyes, suppressing the complex emotions, then forced a faint smile.

Lowering her gaze to the badge in her hand, her fingertips traced its cold, hard engravings, as though drawing strength from it.