Chapter 45: Past Memories (VII)

Chu Ling's opening words genuinely startled Jiang Wu quite a bit.

Having already accepted the fact that Bai Su was Chu Ling's younger sister, why did he say something like that? Could it really be that he was taken by her beauty? Yet, looking at the inviolable, dignified demeanor of the man before her, Jiang Wu felt that perhaps she was projecting malicious thoughts onto him.

She remained entirely oblivious to the fact that her damp strands of hair, partially wet sleeves, and slightly parted pink lips—agape in surprise—had planted the most untoward and illicit thoughts in the man's mind.

"What does Your Lordship mean by saying this?"

Hearing her question, Chu Ling did not answer immediately. Patience was the virtue he possessed in the greatest abundance. Therefore, only after the tavern attendant served the tea and he picked up the visibly coarse and poorly crafted teacup did he slowly begin to speak.

"Bai Su... is actually the reigning Grand Princess, Princess Qingyang." Chu Ling raised his eyelids slightly, watching with an unhurried, amused air as the woman opposite him sat speechless with astonishment.

"The marriage betrothal is real, and her flight from it is also real. The intended groom is none other than myself. This time, I have been dispatched under the direct orders of the Empress to search for Her Highness the Princess."

Jiang Wu was indeed profoundly frightened.

She had previously considered that Bai Su's identity might be noble, but who would ever dare to imagine her as a princess? Realizing that the person she had casually addressed day after day as "Sister Jiang" was actually a princess of the realm, Jiang Wu had no idea how to react.

When Chu Ling claimed Bai Su was his sister, Jiang Wu had doubted it. But now that Chu Ling declared Bai Su to be a princess, Jiang Wu had no choice but to believe it.

This man had neither reason nor necessity to fabricate such a tale to deceive her.

Jiang Wu held the teacup on the table, took a tiny sip, and after the initial shock subsided, was left only with a pervasive, lingering anxiety.

Very well, since Bai Su was a princess, there was no longer any need for her to worry about the girl's future.

Yet, what was she to do now that she had heard so many closely guarded imperial secrets?

She cast another furtive glance at Chu Ling. The man, as if fearing she had not been sufficiently terrified, continued speaking: "Before you encountered her, the Princess fell into the hands of bandits."

This much Jiang Wu had already surmised.

"These are imperial secrets that the royal court will never permit to be spoken of henceforth," he emphasized. "Nor is anyone ever allowed to mention them."

The window was wide open, and the wind blew in, sending a fresh shiver through Jiang Wu, whose garments were still damp from the rain.

She understood all too well what Chu Ling's words implied.

This was nothing less than silencing a witness by execution.

Feigning composure, she forced herself to ask, "Since this is a matter of such monumental importance, why would Lord Chu choose to reveal it to me, a mere married woman?"

"You hold a sisterly affection for the Princess, Madam. Had I not told you the truth, I fear you would find no peace in your heart even after I took her away."

These words prompted Jiang Wu to look at Chu Ling anew.

The man still retained his haughty, high-and-mighty air, yet now there was an added sense of upright integrity about him.

Given his status, taking the girl away should have been an effortless endeavor, yet he had patiently waited for the Princess to bid farewell to her family. Even though he had no obligation to disclose any of this to her, he had done so simply to spare her from future anxiety.

She would never have guessed that he could actually be such a kind-hearted man.

Her apprehension eased slightly, replaced in her eyes by a sincere and genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Chu, for considering our peace of mind so thoughtfully. It is we who have caused Your Lordship trouble."

She remained unaware that when her typically distant and cautious gaze suddenly bloomed with emotions resembling trust and gratitude, it made her eyes shimmer with fluid brilliance—inflicting upon the man an agonizing wave of throat-parching dryness.

In truth, even Chu Ling had not anticipated that he would be so acutely sensitive to this woman.

Could it truly be that having never dabbled in carnal desires before, his passions were now arriving with such ferocious intensity?

Though his thoughts churned violently, his outward expression remained completely unperturbed. He lifted his teacup, prudently concealing the very last glint of dark desire lingering in his eyes.

By the time he set the cup back down, Jiang Wu naturally could no longer perceive anything amiss.

"You are too kind, Madam Liang. I am deeply grateful for the care you have shown the Princess during these past few days."

His words reminded Jiang Wu that this man was, as he had stated, Bai Su's—or rather, the Princess's—fiancé.

From what she could observe so far, they seemed a rather fitting match, though the Princess had lost her memories and had no way of recalling why she had fled the betrothal in the first place.

Regardless, it was no longer her affair to manage.

The remainder of their conversation proceeded quite amiably. Jiang Wu promised she would explain the situation to the Princess as soon as possible and persuade her to return to the capital.

When the rain finally ceased, she rose to see Chu Ling out, standing by the doorway and waiting for him to step outside first.

---

However, just as the man reached her side, he suddenly halted.

"Madam Liang."

"Yes?" Jiang Wu hurriedly responded.

As if fearing someone might overhear, Chu Ling drew a step closer. That strange yet pleasant fragrance emanating from him drifted over once more, mingling sharply with the scent of the rain.

"As I mentioned just now," he lowered his voice, "this matter is of the utmost gravity, and no one may ever speak of it again."

A chill ran down Jiang Wu's spine, and she hastily pledged, "This humble woman will never breathe a word."

Seeing that the frown had not entirely vanished from Chu Ling's brow, a swift thought crossed her mind, and she immediately added, "Nor... nor shall I speak of it to my husband."

Whether it was her imagination or not, she fancied that the moment she uttered the phrase "my husband," a flicker of displeasure flashed across the man's eyes. Yet it vanished in a mere fraction of a second, and he promptly nodded. "Very well then."

That must mean he was satisfied, right?

"In that case, Madam Liang, you will need to devise a rather convincing explanation for our meeting here today."

Long after she had walked away, Jiang Wu remained lost in thought over those parting words.

Indeed, meeting so openly would inevitably be difficult to conceal from Liang Qian. Though concocting an excuse to deceive Liang Qian would not be particularly hard for her, the impenetrable gaze the man had fixed upon her as he spoke felt as though he were implying they shared some scandalous secret.

Jiang Wu paused for a moment. She must simply be imagining things, right?

"My love!"

Hearing the sudden call, she looked up to see Liang Qian hurrying toward her in his azure robe.

Brushing aside her lingering thoughts, she focused entirely on the husband who was jogging up to her.

Knowing that Bai Su was Lord Chu's younger sister had already caused him such awkward embarrassment; if he were to ever discover that Bai Su was actually a princess...

At the thought of the expression Liang Qian would wear, Jiang Wu could not suppress a smile.

"My love? What are you smiling about?" asked the man, who had already reached her side, catching sight of her grin.

"I just wanted to smile the moment I saw you." *And unfortunately, he will probably never know Bai Su's true identity,* Jiang Wu mused inwardly.

Liang Qian merely smiled back without pressing further, instead taking the cloak he carried and draping it over her shoulders. "You're soaked through. Why didn't you wait for the rain to stop before heading out?"

"I just wanted to get back sooner, that's all."

Speaking with Liang Qian, Jiang Wu's voice unconsciously softened into a tone of gentle coquetry—something she never displayed before others and was entirely unaware of herself.

Liang Qian smiled silently, watching as she tied the cloak's strings herself.

Just as they were about to set off, her hand was caught in his grasp.

"The ground is too muddy. Let me carry you back on my back."

Jiang Wu's cheeks flushed slightly as she lightly swatted his hand. "I won't! It would be too embarrassing."

"Carrying my own wife is nothing to be embarrassed about," Liang Qian insisted, playfully persisting.

"Who said anything about you? *I* would be embarrassed."

"Does my wife find me a burden?"

Pushing him away playfully, the two of them chatted and laughed as they gradually walked off into the distance.

On a bridge not far away, a carriage had remained parked for a very long time. The driver, not daring to cast roving glances, had waited patiently through the long silence until an order finally issued from within the curtained carriage:

"Let's move."

The rumble of carriage wheels broke the quiet. Chu Ling lowered the hand that had been lifting the edge of the blind, no longer watching the two figures departing hand-in-hand in the distance.

He tapped his fingers rhythmically for a long moment. To let go, or to seize? When Jiang Wu's trusting gaze flashed through his mind, he felt a momentary hesitation.

***

Persuading Bai Su to leave had required no small expenditure of effort.

Unwilling to depart under any circumstances, Jiang Wu had finally resorted to using her own child as an analogy: how frantic would a mother be if her child were to get lost one day? She further promised that she would definitely travel to the capital to visit her in the future, and only through such coaxing did the girl finally consent to go.

Bai Su's departure took place in the dead of night.

To avoid prying eyes and unnecessary chatter, the only ones seeing her off were Jiang Wu and her husband. Liang Qian held a night-lantern, watching as a tear-eyed Bai Su exchanged tearful farewells with Jiang Wu.

"Sister Jiang, you simply must come and visit me!" Bai Su sobbed, burying her face in Jiang Wu's shoulder.

Jiang Wu gently patted her back. "I will, Sister Jiang will certainly come to see you."

Yet what the world would look like by that time, none could know.

She knew that alongside her reluctance to part, Bai Su felt an overwhelming sense of terror. Although she was told she was returning home, she remembered nothing. Furthermore, having been told she was merely Chu Ling's sister, the moment she returned to the capital and abruptly discovered she was a princess, panic and dread would undoubtedly consume her.

Though heartache pierced Jiang Wu's chest, there was nothing she could do.

A maid fitted Bai Su with a veil, and the girl climbed into the carriage, turning her head back every few steps.

Chu Ling had been standing quietly beside the carriage all this time, only stepping forward once Bai Su was safely inside.

"During this period, I must thank the two of you for your care of my sister."

Jiang Wu remained silent; naturally, this was a moment for Liang Qian to handle the social pleasantries.

Liang Qian repeatedly demurred, bowing his head to declare it was nothing.

After exchanging a few more courteous remarks, Chu Ling's gaze inadvertently drifted toward Jiang Wu, who stood quietly beside Liang Qian.

Clad in simple white garments, illuminated by the dim, flickering lantern light, her face was shrouded in a delicate melancholy that made her look remarkably touching and pitiful.

For an inexplicable reason, Chu Ling's heart felt as though it had been snagged by something unseen.

That faint, lingering ache felt almost like reluctance, yet he swiftly brushed the thought aside.

He was not a man lacking in patience; the art of the hunt relied upon stealthy hibernation followed by a single, fatal strike.

Chu Ling never undertook an endeavor without absolute certainty of success.

He produced a personal seal.

"This is my private seal, Lord Liang. Please keep it."

Both Jiang Wu and her husband were momentarily stunned. Liang Qian hastily demurred, "Lord Chu, this is entirely inappropriate."

"It is nothing of the sort—merely a seal for private correspondence between friends. If the two of you ever wish to send letters to my sister, bearing my seal will allow them to be delivered directly. Should you ever encounter any serious difficulties, it will also ensure no one dares to make things overly difficult for you."

Liang Qian still hesitated to accept, but Jiang Wu secretly tugged at his sleeve from behind.

This was, without a doubt, a precious safeguard.

Moreover, attempting to send letters directly to a princess would be sheer fantasy; having Chu Ling as an intermediary made the prospect vastly more feasible.

Realizing his wife's intent, Liang Qian paused briefly and ceased his polite refusals.

Chu Ling mounted the carriage.

Bai Su was still peering out from the rear window of the carriage. Sharing the carriage with her, Chu Ling looked through the gap and caught sight of the couple standing side by side once more.

"Will I... ever see Sister Jiang again?"

A weeping Bai Su asked her "elder brother," though she could not feel the slightest trace of familial warmth from him.

Having already withdrawn his gaze, Chu Ling replied indifferently, "You will."

At that time, Princess Qingyang had no inkling of what those words truly signified; she was merely gladdened by the thought that she might see Jiang Wu again.

Yet, just as she would lament years later:

If she had a choice, she would rather have never crossed paths with this man at all, so that this fateful encounter might never have occurred.

And those two individuals would have remained an immortal couple of blessed harmony.