My Darling, Coax Me.

CHAPTER 63: I Am Full Of Lies And I Am Scheming.

　　Suddenly, a downpour began, soaking the ground.

　　The branches, burdened by the weight of the rain, finally snapped under the pressure.

　　Raindrops on the eaves formed continuous lines, falling onto the ground one after another.

　　The Crown Prince, drunk and claiming to have caught a slight chill, decided to rest at the Xiao Manor for two days. No one else dared to disturb him, except for Xiao Qibai who came to keep him company.

　　In the octagonal pavilion, a chessboard was laid out on a stone table. The Crown Prince, holding the black pieces, was playing against Xiao Qibai, who held the white pieces.

　　Grand Eunuch An, carefully draped a fox fur cloak over the Crown Prince before quietly retreating to stand guard outside the pavilion.

　　Xie Jue placed a piece. Xiao Qibai pondered for a while before making his move. “Your Highness, are you truly suffering from a chill?” he asked.

　　Xie Jue remained impassive. “Yes,” he replied.

　　Xiao Qibai said, “I am deeply grateful to Your Highness for Ah Ling's return. Your Highness's kindness is beyond measure, and the Xiao family has no way to repay it. I don't know much about the past between Your Highness and Ah Ling, but I can guess some things.”

　　He had long suspected that there was affection between the Crown Prince and Yun Ling.

　　“But my grandfather and grandmother are still unaware. Ah Ling has just returned, and they cherish her dearly. I doubt they would have any thoughts of arranging a marriage for her in the short term.”

　　Xie Jue placed another piece. “It doesn't matter. I have the patience.”

　　He was no longer concealing his intention to marry Yun Ling.

　　Xiao Qibai thought that Yun Ling had suffered too much in the past. Now, with the Crown Prince protecting her, it was certainly a good thing.

　　His sister had only just been found; of course, he wasn't willing to part with her. But if his sister could find a good home, he would be relieved for her.

　　As the two were engrossed in their game, a guard suddenly approached to report, “Your Highness, a young lady from the Xiao family wishes to see you.”

　　Xie Jue paused, a young lady from the Xiao family?

　　But Yun Ling was busy at the moment; why would she come over so suddenly? Moreover, it was always him who sought her out; she had never taken the initiative to find him.

　　The guard noticed he hadn't been clear and added, “It is the Second Miss.”

　　Xie Jue immediately frowned with impatience, picked up a black piece, and casually said, “I won't see her.”

　　Guard: “Yes.”

　　Xiao Qibai frowned upon hearing this. What could Xiao Mingrong possibly want with the Crown Prince?

　　His younger sister was still too young and lacked tolerance. If this continued, her temper would be completely spoiled.

　　“Your Highness, please forgive my sister's rudeness. I will certainly reprimand and guide her properly.”

　　Xie Jue responded indifferently, “She should be properly disciplined, at least to understand the order of seniority.”

　　After a moment, he suddenly dropped his chess piece, stood up, and said, “Let's go.”

　　Xiao Qibai was puzzled. “Where does Your Highness intend to go?”

　　Xie Jue: “It's inconvenient for me to see Yun Ling alone. Come with me.”

　　Since she wouldn't come to him, he would go to her.

　　……

　　Xiao Mingrong felt extremely frustrated at not being able to see the Crown Prince, but after a while, she calmed down.

　　She couldn't go around telling people about this; otherwise, it wouldn't only affect Xiao Yun Ling.

　　However, she had finally grasped this leverage, and she absolutely had to vent her anger somehow.

　　——

　　Yun Ling gave the carefully embroidered little bellyband to Xie Jinjia. Xie Jinjia happily accepted it. “Ah Ling, your hands are so skillful! The pattern is beautiful, and this little bellyband feels so soft.”

　　The baby will surely be very comfortable wearing it.

　　Yun Ling smiled and said, “I'm glad you like it.”

　　Xie Jinjia nodded repeatedly. “I like it, I like it very much.”

　　After chatting with her for a while about the baby, Yun Ling asked, “What do you think of Lady Liu?”

　　Xie Jinjia put down the bellyband and pondered for a moment before saying, “Actually, I can't say for sure. She usually doesn't bother me, probably because she's afraid of my husband, and she doesn't put on airs in front of me. But she's quite ambitious. Lately, she's been constantly trying to find a suitable match for Mingrong, hoping to marry her off into a prominent family.”

　　“To be honest, our Xiao family is already considered a prominent family. Why can't Mingrong choose a husband according to her own wishes?”

　　Xie Jinjia sighed at this point.

　　Hearing this, Yun Ling didn't think it was a big deal. Lady Liu was probably resentful that Yun Ling's return had overshadowed Xiao Mingrong.

　　That wasn't a difficult problem to deal with.

　　Suddenly, Xie Jinjia asked excitedly, “What about you, Ah Ling?”

　　Yun Ling was a little puzzled. “Me? What's wrong?”

　　Xie Jinjia touched her belly. “Look, I'm younger than you, and my baby is almost seven months old. Mingrong is starting to look for a husband. What about you? Ah Ling, when are you going to get married? Should we have Grandmother find you a suitable match?”

　　In fact, in the Great Jin Dynasty, Yun Ling was considered quite old for not being married yet.

　　Normally, girls would be betrothed and married at fifteen or sixteen after their coming-of-age ceremony, and Yun Ling was already twenty.

　　Xie Jinjia looked at Yun Ling expectantly.

　　Yun Ling, however, merely pursed her lips, gave a faint smile with a subtle hint of helplessness, and didn't answer.

　　Her marriage had already been decided, without the need for her grandmother's arrangements.

　　Leaving Xie Jinjia's courtyard, she passed a bamboo grove. Without any maidservants in attendance, she walked slowly forward, lost in thought.

　　A bamboo leaf swirled in the air before gently falling to the ground.

　　Footsteps sounded behind her.

　　Yun Ling frowned and stopped. “Is there something else?”

　　Xiao Mingrong hated her calm and composed demeanor; it seemed nothing could disturb her serenity.

　　Yun Ling turned around, looking at Xiao Mingrong's furious face, and said calmly, “Did I not make myself clear this morning?”

　　Xiao Mingrong's face paled, then she suddenly twitched the corner of her mouth. “Oh, you think you're amazing just because you're going to be the Crown Prince's consort? Who are you putting on airs for?”

　　Yun Ling wasn't angered by her sharp and sarcastic words. She said calmly, “I never said those things, and as your older sister, it's only natural for me to teach you some reason, isn't it?”

　　“What are you so proud of in front of me?” Xiao Mingrong was so angry she stamped her foot, her voice sharp. “Do you think I don't know? You were nothing but a lowly cleaning maid, a servant who waited on others!”

　　“My status as a servant was humble, but not lowly,” Yun Ling said. “No matter where I go, earning a living with my own two hands has never been a lowly thing.”

　　“You've been educated, how come you still don't understand such simple truths?”

　　Repeatedly brushed off so lightly, Xiao Mingrong's face contorted with anger. She suddenly shouted, “You act so righteous and virtuous, but I know about your despicable methods!”

　　Yun Ling's brow furrowed, and she stared at her quietly.

　　Xiao Mingrong laughed triumphantly, walking up to Yun Ling. Her red lips parted, and she said word for word, “I know everything.”

　　“When you went to the Cold Palace to serve the Crown Prince, you were up to no good, weren't you? Because you already knew that the then-disgraced Sixth Prince in the Cold Palace would become the powerful Crown Prince!”

　　Yun Ling's pupils constricted.

　　“See, I was right,” Xiao Mingrong became even more triumphant. “Want to know how I found out about such a secret?”

　　She continued, uncaring of Yun Ling's reaction, “When the Sixth Prince was sent to the Cold Palace, he killed many palace maids. Normal people would avoid it at all costs, yet you volunteered to serve him. It's impossible that there's nothing suspicious about it; ordinary people just wouldn't think of it, or dare to think of it.”

　　A confident smile spread across Xiao Mingrong's face. Her eyes locked onto Yun Ling as she uttered a few words: “Your mother, Lin Ling, came from the ancient Lin family of Yunze. She desperately kept a secret, but Father found out.”

　　“The Lin family's ancestors practiced witchcraft and sorcery. Their female descendants, upon reaching adulthood, gained the ability to see the future in their dreams; this ability disappeared after a year.”

　　“You must have dreamt about the Crown Prince's future, that's why you acted so strangely and wanted to enter the Cold Palace, right?”

　　Why was it that no one else was so lucky, but Yun Ling not only volunteered to serve in the Cold Palace but also soared to the heights? After eavesdropping on her parents' conversation outside the room, she understood everything!

　　Xiao Mingrong finished speaking, looking at her with confidence and smugness, waiting to see Yun Ling's panicked expression.

　　Yun Ling was indeed surprised.

　　The Lin family… so there was such a secret hidden.

　　So the reason she inexplicably dreamt of future events was because of the Lin family's ability. Before entering the Cold Palace, she had dreamt of Xie Jue storming into the Palace, and she knew he would be the future Crown Prince. At the time, she was being bullied by Wang Dade and was desperate, so she volunteered for the Cold Palace, seeking protection. She had been terrified that her dreams were coming true, wondering what was wrong with her. Fortunately, she stopped dreaming afterward and felt relieved.

　　The ability to dream of the future was considered ominous in the eyes of the world. No wonder the Lin family kept it a secret, and no wonder they were all waiting for her mother to return to Yunze.

　　“What you said is all true, but so what?”

　　What could she blackmail her with?

　　If it got out, Xiao Mingrong's reputation would also suffer.

　　Xiao Mingrong laughed. “Ha, you can't refute this, can you? If I'm not mistaken, you have been deliberately approaching the Crown Prince with ulterior motives from the beginning. If the Crown Prince knew, would he still pamper you so much?”

　　Yun Ling swallowed hard but said nothing.

　　“The Crown Prince thinks you are deeply in love with him, but in reality, it's just a complete scheme and lies on your part,” Xiao Mingrong continued, her smile laced with malice. “Sister, do you think the Crown Prince knows about your insincerity and pretense?”

　　“You truly are a woman who will stop at nothing. The Crown Prince dotes on you so much; do you have even a shred of genuine affection for him?”

　　Yun Ling should have had plenty of retorts, but in the end, she found herself unable to say a word.

　　It seemed that what Xiao Mingrong said wasn't entirely wrong.

　　For a moment, Xiao Mingrong seemed to have discovered something, her eyes widening in excitement. “Goodness, you're not refuting me! You wouldn't actually just be toying with the Crown Prince, would you? You don't like him?”

　　There was actually such a woman in the world; he's the Crown Prince!

　　A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, strangely carrying a chilling coldness.

　　Yun Ling pressed her lips together and said softly, “Xiao Mingrong, you—”

　　Her words trailed off as she caught sight of Xie Jue in the distance, his face dark and stormy.

　　She didn't know when he arrived.

　　Her brother, Xiao Qibai, stood behind him. His usually calm face had lost its composure; it seemed they had heard everything.

　　Yun Ling turned and silently looked at Xie Jue. She opened her mouth to say something, but her throat felt choked, and no sound came out.

　　He had heard everything.

　　Xie Jue felt his blood rushing wildly, an uncontrollable surge threatening to burst him apart. Yet, without a word, he walked over, forcefully grasped Yun Ling's wrist, and strode into the courtyard.

　　Xiao Qibai tried to stop him. “Your Highness…”

　　Xie Jue's eyes were icy. “No one is allowed to follow, or I'll kill without mercy!”

　　Yun Ling shook her head at Xiao Qibai, who could only stop reluctantly.

　　Xiao Mingrong, meanwhile, was frozen in place by Xie Jue's chilling aura.

　　She had originally intended to report to the Crown Prince, but she hadn't found him and came looking for Yun Ling instead. Unwittingly, the Crown Prince had overheard everything!

　　What was she going to do? The Crown Prince wouldn't kill her, would he?!

　　……

　　In the quiet courtyard, heavily armed guards stood watch, preventing even a fly from entering.

　　Xie Jue's gaze fell upon her.

　　His grip had been too strong; Yun Ling's delicate wrist was already red.

　　His expression gradually calmed, but he continued to scrutinize her.

　　After a long moment, he finally spoke. “I had no idea your Lin family possessed such abilities.”

　　Yun Ling breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “I only found out just now. The dreams I had… they came from the Lin family's abilities.”

　　Seeing that she wasn't denying the dreams, Xie Jue's lips twitched slightly. “What did you dream about?”

　　Yun Ling didn't hide anything; she told him everything about her dreams in detail.

　　Silence fell after her words.

　　Xie Jue was silent for a moment. “So you dreamt that I would become Crown Prince?”

　　“That's right.”

　　Xie Jue: “Anything else?”

　　These things had been hidden in Yun Ling's heart for a long time. She no longer wanted to hide them from him. She had told him so many lies, a heavy burden weighing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

　　Yun Ling looked up. “Initially, to enter the Cold Palace, I also promised Ming Jin Shanggong something.”

　　Xie Jue immediately guessed. “Ming Jin is Zhang Guifei's person. She wanted you to become Zhang Guifei's informant.”

　　“Yes.”

　　“To spy on me.”

　　Yun Ling slowly closed her eyes. “Yes.”

　　A cool breeze blew, lifting the edges of his robes.

　　In the cold wind, he said lightly:

　　“Oh, so you're also a spy monitoring me.”

　　Xie Jue actually laughed, but his smile was colder than a dark abyss.

　　Yun Ling's throat tightened. “When I entered the Cold Palace, I had a precognitive dream. I had ulterior motives. Although I promised Ming Jin Shanggong, I never actually spied on you. But all of this… I have wronged Your Highness. It's all my fault.”

　　“I'm full of lies and schemes.”

　　Xie Jue's tone suddenly softened. “I don't blame you.”

　　Yun Ling's eyelashes fluttered as she stared at him, stunned.

　　Xie Jue's lips curved into a slight smile, his voice soft and tinged with confusion. “But why didn't you refute Xiao Mingrong just now?”

　　His voice was as light as a ghost. “How could you be insincere towards me? How could you not like me, not want to marry me? You should have refuted her, shouldn't you?”

　　Yun Ling's fingers curled slightly beneath her, her gaze fixed on his dark eyes.

　　A glimmer of moisture gradually welled up in her bright, almond-shaped eyes.

　　But she remained silent.

　　Seeing her silence, Xie Jue's eyes showed an unprecedented, unbearable pain, a feeling like his temples were about to split. He walked step by step to Yun Ling, again taking her wrist and pulling her into his embrace. His voice was cold and hard, “Whether it was a deliberate approach, or ulterior motives, I don't care. As long as you tell me you love me, I can forget everything.”

　　He didn't care about the past.

　　He had said it before, regardless of whether she entered the palace seeking his protection or his power, he didn't care from the beginning.

　　The love he had suppressed, the love he had refused to acknowledge, had grown wildly out of control ever since she ran away.

　　This woman, whom he loved to the depths of his soul, he would give her anything.

　　She didn't want to be a Cèfēi, so he offered her the position of Crown Princess, determined to marry only her.

　　She didn't want children now; he was over twenty and childless, and he agreed to wait until she was ready. Even if she didn't want children, he was prepared to adopt one from the imperial family.

　　She said she wanted to return to the Xiao family and asked him to postpone the matter of making her a Crown Princess, and he agreed to everything.

　　As long as she said she loved him.

　　He could overlook anything.

　　Xiao Mingrong's words—’insincere,’ ‘feigned politeness,’ ‘dislike’—echoed in his ears, making him feel as though he were sinking into a cold abyss.

　　It couldn't be.

　　He loved her so much, how could she possibly feel nothing for him?

　　The courtyard fell silent.

　　His arms around her tightened, forcing Yun Ling to tilt her chin and rest against his shoulder—the same forceful, coercive method as always. He was always like this.

　　Yun Ling opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come.

　　Did she love him? Even she herself didn't understand if it was habit or resignation.

　　He was so good to her, breaking his own rules for her, always shielding her, willing to suffer serious injuries for her. She wasn't unmoved. He was both strong and gave her a sense of security she had never known before. No one in this world had ever been so good to her.

　　But what was love? Did she love him, or was she just compromising?

　　But she knew she didn't want to lie to him anymore.

　　She had lied to him too many times over the years.

　　She lied about entering the Cold Palace, saying it was out of gratitude.

　　She lied about escaping the palace, saying she had long admired him.

　　She lied about saving Zhang Ren, saying she had escaped the palace because she didn't want to be a Cèfēi.

　　Should she lie to him one more time, to make him overlook everything, and continue to be his Crown Princess?

　　Xiao Mingrong wasn't wrong; she was being insincere, deceitful, and full of lies.

　　It was all her fault. She was wrong, despicable, and shameless.

　　She didn't want to make any more mistakes.

　　She confessed everything.

　　“I knew from the beginning that you were the future Crown Prince. My loyalty was fake, my affection was fake. From the start, I approached you with a purpose—to serve you, to coax you, to deceive you—all to get what I wanted. I wanted to use you to avoid disaster and avenge my master and my sister. After you caught me, I didn't escape the Palace because I didn't want to be a Cèfēi. My goal was never to be your Crown Princess. I only said that to get you to let Zhang Ren go.”

　　Tears finally streamed down her face, like rolling beads, one after another. Yun Ling closed her eyes, and at the end, she only whispered softly,

　　“I'm sorry.”

　　Those three light words fell, and Xie Jue felt like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't control his hands; they trembled violently. The blood vessels in his brain felt like they were about to burst; his rage was about to erupt.

　　He squeezed her waist tightly, but his voice was forcefully suppressed, calm. “Say it again?”

　　“I agreed to everything you wanted, I followed your every wish, I was more than good to you. Tell me, why won't you even say the words ‘I love you’?”

　　Tears filled Yun Ling's eyes. “I'm sorry, Your Highness—”

　　“Shut up!” Xie Jue could no longer control himself. The veins in his temples throbbed, about to burst.

　　He released her, his eyes bloodshot. He carefully controlled his voice, gently wiping away her tears. “Ah Ling, take back what you just said.”

　　Yun Ling's tears continued to flow, unable to be wiped away. She gently shook her head. “I don't want to lie to you anymore.”

　　“Things have reached this point, not by my own will. You are the Crown Prince, always powerful, always unyielding to refusal, and I have repeatedly deceived and misled you. Between us lies your forceful control, and my deception. How can such a relationship be normal? Now that we've been honest, if we continue, we will only make more mistakes. Why bother?”

　　“But I'm already obsessed,” Xie Jue said, clinging to her hand stubbornly. “How can I let go?”

　　Yun Ling looked at him, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with emotion.

　　Xie Jue hugged her tightly again, burying his head in her hair. His voice was low and hoarse, his suppressed emotions easing slightly. “Ah Ling, don't do this to me.”

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