Chapter 72: "Cui Lingyao, Are You Stupid?

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: "Cui Lingyao, Are You Stupid?

Cui Lingyao said, "First, with so many people around, gossip was inevitable. The idea of a soul returning in another’s body is too outlandish. I couldn’t reveal my identity under the public eye."

"Second, I had just gone through the ’accident’ of being pushed into the water by your concubine. Seeing you again... my feelings were complicated, to say the least. I couldn’t just show up with an unfamiliar face and a body full of aphrodisiac poison, run to you, and announce that I was your Princess Consort who’d been dead for three years."

’Third, she had returned with a system mission. As long as she was in her right mind, she wouldn’t have revealed herself to him without a proper plan.’

Of course, this was a reason Cui Lingyao would not voice.

She stopped, paused for a moment, and asked him, "Are those two reasons enough?"

Xie Jinbai looked at her and nodded with difficulty. "Enough."

At her mention of the "drowning accident," all his shock, rage, and jealousy had to be temporarily reined in.

In her eyes, he had indeed taken a concubine, and she had indeed been murdered by that very woman.

If the roles were reversed, who could possibly hold no grudges?

Her reluctance to reunite with him was only natural.

Xie Jinbai took a deep breath. "What happened three years ago was my fault. Whatever resentment you hold, take it out on me as you see fit. We are husband and wife. Nothing can change that. Please, come back with me, won’t you?"

Before Cui Lingyao could answer, he added, "As long as you come back, I’ll let everything that’s happened these past few days go. And no one will ever be allowed to mention your verbal engagement to Shen Tingyu again."

’Picking flowers together on a boat, clandestine meetings under the moon, a man and a woman alone in a room at night.’

He could swallow it all, just to pretend everything was fine.

He would never again have to wonder if she had actually developed feelings for Shen Tingyu.

’As long as she comes back!’

Cui Lingyao had no idea that the man before her was starting to see himself as some poor, pitiful soul.

It was a bitter, sour, and miserable feeling.

Hearing his plea, she slowly shook her head. "I don’t want to go back."

Another rejection.

Xie Jinbai’s eyes turned cold as a vicious aura surged in his chest. He was about to press her with a harsh question.

Cui Lingyao spoke first. "This has nothing to do with Shen Tingyu, or any other man. The truth is, I wasn’t happy being your Princess Consort. Since I’ve been given a second chance at life, I don’t want to make the same mistakes all over again. That is the real reason I didn’t want to reunite with you. You don’t need to paint me as some faithless woman who has run off with someone else."

’I wasn’t happy being your Princess Consort...’

The torrent of rage in his chest came to a sudden halt. Xie Jinbai’s mind went blank, leaving him utterly stunned.

"How were you not happy? Was it because of Li Wanrong?"

He said, "There wasn’t a single lie in what I just told you. I never touched so much as a finger of hers. The night she entered the manor, no matter how much I hated you for being so heartless, I wouldn’t dare actually add to your grief. After I saw the guests out, I went straight to your chambers. Don’t you believe me? She’s still alive, her virginity test is still intact. I can take you to see for yourself—"

"I believe you," Cui Lingyao cut him off. "For now, I’ll believe everything you’ve said. But there were many things that made me unhappy. Li Wanrong was just one of them."

’After all, with his temperament, he had always disdained lying.’

’He had already taken a concubine.’

’If he had really slept with Li Wanrong, there would be no need to deceive her about it.’

’Just one of them...’

Xie Jinbai’s gaze faltered.

’It seemed that being married to him for three years had truly allowed her to accumulate a great deal of unhappiness.’

He said, "Tell me what else made you feel wronged. Say it all."

"It’s not a matter of being wronged. It’s just that being a bride in the Royal Family isn’t easy. For the three years we were married, I was so, so tired. I faced immense pressure every day, having to manage every single affair inside and outside the manor perfectly so that I wouldn’t bring shame upon the Royal Family."

Cui Lingyao continued, "To other women from noble families, perhaps this is nothing. But you know I was spoiled at home. My parents and brother never imagined I would marry into the Royal Family. Before you came along, all they hoped for was that I’d marry the second son of a family of equal standing and live out my life as a wealthy, idle lady."

"I’ve never been particularly sensible or clever, and I’m terrible at reading people or situations. I’m too direct by nature. I can’t understand all those subtle hints and veiled words. Most of the time, when I attended banquets, I had to be on my highest guard, treading on eggshells, terrified I’d say one wrong word and someone would seize on it to cause trouble for you."

They were husband and wife; if her words or actions were amiss, he naturally couldn’t escape the consequences.

Xie Jinbai listened quietly the entire time, his expression growing increasingly odd.

"That’s it?"

He looked at her with an expression of pure exasperation. "Cui Lingyao, are you an idiot?"

"...Yes!"

Called an idiot, Cui Lingyao simply accepted it, even nodding as she said, "I’m very stupid. I’m not a capable helpmate, and I’m not good at socializing. I can’t be a good Princess Consort for you, and in the future... perhaps I wouldn’t be a good Empress either."

The Mother of a Nation. Just the thought of such a title made her scalp crawl.

Seeing the distressed look on her face, Xie Jinbai almost couldn’t help but laugh.

He leaned to the side, resting his shoulder against the tree trunk and looking down at her. "Anything else? Keep going."

His posture was almost rakishly casual.

Cui Lingyao shot him a glance and said sternly, "I was young and naive back then. I thought love could conquer all, and I didn’t consider the vast difference in our stations. Just three short years of marriage was enough to wake me up completely. We’re not cut from the same cloth. I can’t handle that kind of pressure, and I don’t have what it takes to be a Prince Consort, or a future Empress."

She had said so much, but all Xie Jinbai heard was that first word: "love."

A jolt went through his entire body.

Like a young boy who had just gotten his most treasured possession, his eyes lit up in an instant. "You’re bluffing, right?"

"I’m not!" Cui Lingyao’s tone was earnest.

Xie Jinbai’s heart soared.

’He knew it! Their two years of courtship and mutual affection before marriage—how could a love like that be the same as an arranged marriage, devoid of any genuine feeling?’

’She must have loved him, too.’

’It was just that after they married, frightened by the ’pressures’ of her new life, she had carelessly set aside that young, sincere love and forgotten to keep caring for him.’

While flowers of joyous surprise were blooming in his heart, Cui Lingyao was still saying, "Every word I’ve said comes from the heart. We were never a good match."

"I’m the one who decides if we’re a match or not!" That was a line that would have once sent Xie Jinbai into a towering rage, but now, he wasn’t angry in the slightest. He just stared at her, his eyes shining brightly.

His gaze left Cui Lingyao a little stunned.

’Why is he trying to be so seductive all of a sudden?’

Xie Jinbai leaned in a little closer. "Have you ever heard the saying ’a husband and wife are one’?"

Before Cui Lingyao could react, he asked another question. "Do you have any idea what my standing is among the court officials, and among the other Princes?"

He added, "Not now. Let’s talk about three years ago."

Three years ago, among all the Princes, he was already the most favored candidate for Crown Prince.

The most powerful ministers at court were all deferential and polite to him. Even those who didn’t scramble to curry favor would never dare pull rank or act conceited in his presence.

His prestige in the military was at its zenith.

He was a titled Prince, held military authority, occupied a vital position at court, and had a host of talented individuals under his command. He was second only to one person and above all others.

Besides the Emperor, he never had to mind anyone’s mood or curry favor with them. Not even the Empress had the power to force him to do anything against his will.