100. A Case of Mistaken Identity

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Hua Tao was very pleased; after all, Le Qianxue was finally willing to see Zhan Lianjing. Everything seemed to be on the right track. She quickly went out and approached Zhan Lianjing, saying, “Prince Zhan, the young lady is asking you to come in.”

Even Zhan Lianjing felt a flicker of happiness. After waiting all night, she was finally willing to see him.

Inside the room, as Zhan Lianjing just entered, he saw only Le Qianxue’s back. She sat upright, her long, dark hair partly pinned up, the rest cascading naturally down her back.

It was only the two of them, and it seemed as though they could even hear each other’s breathing clearly.

Zhan Lianjing did not move further forward. He saw Le Qianxue’s slender jade fingers pour a cup of tea for him, then she turned her gaze toward him.

At that moment, Zhan Lianjing felt as if his breath had stopped. It had only been a single night, yet it felt like an eternity.

Le Qianxue sipped the tea and said, “Speak. What is it that you want to say?”

Her tone was so cold that it tore at his heart.

He spoke, “I want to tell you who Yu Yao is.”

Le Qianxue’s eyes flickered as she glanced at him, then she merely laughed softly. “I don’t want to hear.”

Zhan Lianjing was truly defeated by her stubborn temper. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you really going to be this obstinate? Not even willing to listen to an explanation?”

Le Qianxue hesitated, then realized that letting him in was precisely to hear what he had to say. If she didn’t want to listen, then there was nothing more to talk about.

She set down the teacup and said, “Fine, you speak.”

Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but carried an air of indifference.

Zhan Lianjing began, “You’ve probably guessed my background. My parents died early, and it was my master who took me in and raised me. He has a daughter—Yu Yao.”

Le Qianxue had indeed suspected that Zhan Lianjing had ties to the previous dynasty, though he had never openly admitted it. The secrets he kept were revealed to her only gradually.

In fact, it was much the same as Le Qianxue having things she concealed from Zhan Lianjing out of necessity. Since she kept secrets from him, it was only fair to listen to his.

“She is a month younger than me. When I was fifteen, my master arranged a marriage for us,” Zhan Lianjing’s voice was calm, but Le Qianxue noticed a slight tremor beneath his words.

Le Qianxue found it strange—were there things in this world that Zhan Lianjing was so wary of mentioning?

Suddenly, she exclaimed in surprise, “What? You were actually married?!”

She was slow on the uptake; such dullness was uncharacteristic of her.

Zhan Lianjing frowned and shook his head gently. “She did something to me—I couldn’t possibly marry her.”

Le Qianxue’s curiosity deepened. Listening to his tone, she sensed he was suppressing a measure of resentment.

She glanced at him, silently urging him to continue.

Zhan Lianjing went on, “I didn’t like her at the time. But then, I had no one I cared for; marrying anyone seemed the same. So I agreed. However, I inadvertently discovered that she was involved with someone else.”

Le Qianxue’s interest was piqued.

“If she liked someone else, why marry you? Neither of you had feelings for each other, and yet your master arranged the marriage? That’s strange.”

“No. She told my master she liked me,” Zhan Lianjing lowered his gaze. “That year, she kept pestering me, constantly declaring she wanted to marry me. I truly believed she loved me. Until the day I stumbled upon the truth… I realized how deeply she was hiding her secret—she didn’t love me at all, but her lover. Why she insisted on marrying me, I don’t know. But after learning this, I kept silent. Since she was my master’s daughter, I didn’t expose her, only refused to marry her.”

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Le Qianxue pursed her lips. “That’s truly laughable. You were wrong from the start. If you didn’t love her, why agree to the marriage?”

Zhan Lianjing stared at her, sincere. “At that time, I only had one thought: who cares about childish love? Besides, she was my master’s daughter, and we grew up together—a childhood friendship. If it weren’t for meeting you, I might never have understood what it means to truly like someone.”

Back then, he had probably confused those feelings.

When he found out about Yu Yao’s affair, he didn’t feel pain or heartbreak—only relief.

Le Qianxue was taken aback, sensing that his last words were deliberate.

She lowered her eyes, her heart beating a little faster.

Zhan Lianjing snorted softly. “That’s how it is. Between her and me, it was clean. I have no feelings for her; what I have is only hatred.”

“Hatred?” Le Qianxue was puzzled. “But didn’t Haoyue say you cared for Yu Yao? And now you say you have no feelings for her?”

Zhan Lianjing frowned. How could Haoyue say such things?

Still, he couldn’t help but say, “Care? She poisoned me with that bone-deep venom. If I don’t kill her, it’s only out of respect for my master.”

“What?!” Le Qianxue was stunned.

She had wondered who had poisoned Zhan Lianjing—it was such a sinister poison!

But she never expected it to be his junior sister—Yu Yao!

Zhan Lianjing was clearly reluctant to mention this; his expression darkened, heavy with gloom.

Le Qianxue pondered briefly and then said, “But what about that young lady at your residence… didn’t you seek medical help for her? That doesn’t add up.”

It was indeed strange.

Zhan Lianjing was momentarily stunned, then said, “You mean Yun Ge?”

“Yun Ge?” Le Qianxue was confused. “She said her name was Yu Yao.”

At this, Zhan Lianjing suddenly understood. “After Yu Yao poisoned me, she disappeared without a trace. I told my master about everything; he only sighed, feeling he failed as a teacher. I never spread the story, but that girl Yun Ge has liked Yu Yao since childhood. She believes I owe Yu Yao. Also, I told her not to reveal her real name to outsiders, yet she still uses 'Yu Yao.'”

Le Qianxue hummed in acknowledgment. “Now there’s a Yun Ge too…”

Seeing her sour expression, Zhan Lianjing said, “Where are your thoughts going? She is my sister—my biological sister.”

Le Qianxue’s hand froze. She looked at him for a long time, unable to speak.

So it was because of Zhan Yun Ge that all this trouble arose...

Thinking this over, she felt a bit petty.

Le Qianxue was somewhat remorseful. She had been angry with Zhan Lianjing without reason and refused to hear his explanations. Poor Zhan Lianjing had never understood what she was fussing about.

She muttered, “You never told me you had a sister.”

Zhan Lianjing blinked, then said, “I’m sorry. I’m just used to keeping these things to myself.”

This was also due to his identity; if others knew, Zhan Yun Ge would be in danger.

Le Qianxue’s anger dissipated. It was good to have this cleared up. After all, she didn’t want the man she loved to be fickle. No matter how much she liked him, she wouldn’t stay with someone who was divided in his affections.

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Seeing her calm down, Zhan Lianjing moved closer.

Inside the room, he dropped all pretense and sat beside Le Qianxue. Noticing the dark circles beneath her eyes, he thought she must not have slept all night.

He touched her face, smooth and fair, and sighed softly. “I haven’t spoken of Yu Yao because of what she did. I can’t forget. But sometimes I wonder if I’m being selfish. You’ve been studying medicine with Yuan Tianci for some time now—do you know what the bone-deep venom is like?”

Le Qianxue naturally knew, even better than Yuan Tianci.

She didn’t understand why she was so deeply involved.

She looked up and asked, “Then why, knowing this, did you insist on getting close to me?”

Zhan Lianjing’s hand stiffened. His gaze was cold yet held a trace of tenderness. “If only I could control my heart. That’s why I’m asking you now—are you willing to be with me?”

He had always been used to being domineering, never thinking he needed her consent.

But now, facing Le Qianxue, there was a gentle side to him.

Le Qianxue stared at him and said, “You said it yourself—if you could control it, that would be good. But who can control their feelings so perfectly? If that were possible, we’d be gods.”

Zhan Lianjing smiled softly—a rare and pleasant sight.

He tidied her hair and leaned in to press a kiss on her cheek.

His lips were warm; their softness stirred her heart.

Suddenly, she felt a little shy, but she thought to herself that with her medical skills, there must be a way to cure the bone-deep venom. There was still time; no need to rush.

After hesitating, she decided that since Zhan Lianjing had shared so much today, she might as well reveal her own identity to avoid further delays.

“I have something to tell you, but…” Le Qianxue hesitated, “You must keep your temper in check.”

Zhan Lianjing frowned. “What is it? How serious can it be?”

Though his temper was not the best, he wouldn’t do anything to her.

But Le Qianxue’s expression made it seem very grave.

Just as she was about to speak, someone knocked on the door outside, and Haoyue’s voice rang out: “Prince! The young lady suddenly fainted!”

Le Qianxue was startled, and Zhan Lianjing had already stood up, his face pale.

Le Qianxue knew about Zhan Yun Ge’s condition; a sudden faint was never a good sign.

And as a brother, Zhan Lianjing must be extremely anxious.

He turned to Le Qianxue and said, “We’ll talk about your matter later. You go find Yuan Tianci.”