Chapter Twenty-Three

ng replaced, yet this one is somehow different” The Fourth Prince paused and turned to look at Li Yun with a curious gaze."Why are you nagging so much Are you trying to annoy me It's just a servant. I...Volume 1: Smiling at the Splendor Chapter 23

The next day, at three in the morning, Cai Lian came to wake Li Yun.

Li Yun was half-asleep and pushed Cai Lian away with a hand, turning over sleepily. "Go play somewhere else; don’t bother me."

Cai Lian looked at Li Yun anxiously. After such a big incident yesterday, she couldn't understand how her mistress could still be sleeping. She had been scared all night long, listening to people coming and going in Feng Side Consort’s courtyard, fearing that the latter would come over to Shallow Moon Pavilion. Now that it was three in the morning and there were no more sounds from the opposite side of the yard, surely Feng Side Consort must have finished dealing with Miss First Rank Lady's matter and might be heading this way any moment now. How could she allow Li Yun to continue sleeping

"Mistress, please get up! It’s already three in the morning; you should quickly go pay your respects to Old Prince Wang for safety’s sake. If Feng Side Consort and Prince Wang come over, you might not be able to make it."

Li Yun pushed Cai Lian away again. "Isn’t it still only three in the morning Don't bother me; I want to sleep a little longer!" This was probably her best night's rest in years.

"Mistress, please! Stop sleeping. You know how vicious Feng Side Consort can be, and Prince Wang doesn’t like you either. If they really come over and prevent you from going to Old Prince Wang’s place, you’ll definitely suffer for it. It was said last night that Feng Side Consort brought all the imperial physicians in from the palace and even alerted the Crown Prince’s residence. We don't know how Miss First Rank Lady's hand is faring! She is Feng Side Consort’s beloved daughter; how can she possibly forgive you after such an incident"

Li Yun was so annoyed by Cai Lian’s incessant chatter that she couldn’t sleep anymore. Opening her bleary eyes, she glared at the maid. "I said there's nothing to worry about! Why are you making such a fuss Come if they come; what’s there to be afraid of"

"Please forgive me, miss. I am only thinking of your best interest! And besides, there was the incident yesterday where the wet nurse was killed. You really should go see Old Prince right away! He will always be on your side; even if Prince and Concubine Feng find you at Old Prince's place, you won't lose out. Otherwise, I am truly afraid!" Cai Lian was about to cry.

"Alright, alright, don’t cry. Fine, I’ll get up. Is that what it takes to make you happy" Li Yun finally gave in. Upon hearing this, Cai Lian immediately brightened up and quickly grabbed clothes, helping Li Yun pull back the covers: "Servant will assist Miss with washing up and getting dressed."

"Hmm!" Li Yun sat motionless on the bed, still unable to shake off her desire for sleep.

Cai Lian was quick-footed as she stripped Li Yun of her old clothes and put on a similarly colored gauzy skirt. She tied up the thin belt and fastened all the buttons before winding a piece of light gauze around Li Yun’s wrist.

Despite finding these things troublesome to wear, Li Yun knew that this was how people dressed in ancient times, so she could only let Cai Lian do as she pleased like a wooden doll while scanning her surroundings.

This room was smaller than Old Prince’s but exquisitely furnished; everywhere one looked there were hints of feminine grace. Incense smoke wafted from the incense burner on a painting hung on the wall, and a screen depicting a hundred birds singing separated both sides of the room. Beneath her lay a bed made of pear blossom wood with pastel purple gauze curtains hanging around it. The door had strings of pearls and jade beads as a curtain, while inside were numerous rare ancient treasures, all top-grade.

Looking at this room gave Li Yun an inexplicable feeling in her heart. She asked Cai Lian, who was busy with the preparations: "Whose idea was it to furnish this place"

"Miss really has overslept if you think that someone else furnished your room; they say you did it all yourself, not even letting the wet nurse help!" Cai Lian looked surprised and couldn’t help but smile. Upon mentioning the wet nurse, her face darkened slightly.

Was it arranged by the master of this body This person has such refined taste. It doesn't seem like her style at all based on what she's experienced since coming here. For example, that arrogant horse. Thinking about this, she asked again: "What about the horse"

"Look, maidservant said Miss was still asleep and indeed Miss was. Of course it’s you! Zhaofeng is someone you never let others touch." Cai Lian looked helplessly at Li Yun who seemed confused. In the past, wet nurses always served Miss with dressing and other things, so she had no idea that Miss would be this confused when waking up. Yesterday in the Mandarin Duck Pool, Miss woke up not remembering anything, and now it's the same again. Thinking about it, could Miss really be like this every time she wakes up This thought made her heart feel much better. As long as Miss is still herself.

Li Yun suddenly came to her senses, half of her sleepy mind chased away, she reached out and rubbed her forehead, "Yes, I was confused when sleeping, I want to sleep again. What should I do" Before the words had fully left her mouth, she stretched out her hand and hugged Cai Lian's waist, sticking her head onto her.

Cai Lian found it amusing that Miss was actually being cute with her. She immediately said: "Miss, quickly wake up! Even if you want to sleep, you can't now. First go see the old王爺[1]. After everything is settled, then you may sleep as much as you like. I promise not to wake you."

"Is that really what you say" Li Yun asked softly, thinking about how she's truly going to become Yun Qianmo since this time waking up wasn't in the Underworld but here.

"Yes, maidservant said so," Cai Lian immediately assured her.

Li Yun then let go of her and stood up.

"Maidservant has already fetched water. After Miss washes your face, I'll comb your hair for you, then we will go to the old王爺[2]," Cai Lian immediately said.

"Hmm!" Li Yun walked to the basin and scooped water to wash her face.

Cailian handed her a handkerchief to dry her face, then Li Yun sat in front of the mirror. Cailian picked up a comb and started brushing her hair.

It was only now that Li Yun saw herself for the first time with this new appearance. There wasn't even a trace of similarity to the familiar face she had looked at for over twenty years. She was probably around fourteen or fifteen, so young and unfamiliar. Her previous face could be considered beautiful, but compared to her current one, it was worlds apart. Although her present face hadn't fully matured yet, its beauty was already evident. No wonder people said she was very pretty yesterday when riding back with Rong Jing. This face truly didn’t fall short of the Lady Yu Ning's looks from the Chancellor’s Mansion.

Yu Ning was indeed a city-beautifying heavenly maiden, but her charm lay in her gentleness and softness; Li Yun also possessed that city-beautifying appearance yet had an extra touch of gracefulness and brightness compared to Yu Ning. Especially the valiant spirit between her brows was even more evident now, making it hard for Li Yun to believe what she saw.

"Miss! To save time, I’ll just do a simple hairstyle for you!" Cailian didn't notice that Li Yun had been lost in thought.

"Alright." Li Yun nodded.

Cailian quickly started combing her hair. Soon enough, the black tresses were transformed into an elegant hairstyle atop Li Yun's head, resembling a blooming flower even though Cailian called it simple. To Li Yun, it was still too complicated to imagine what a complex hairstyle looked like.

It didn't take long for Cailian to finish and she happily said while looking at the mirror: "Miss, I really do think you look more beautiful now!"

"Well, how should I put it" Li Yun asked.

"Although Miss was beautiful before, there was always a gloomy aura around her eyes. And she seldom smiled. Now, the gloominess is gone from her eyes and she smiles more often. She looks completely different inside and out!" Cai Lian spoke sincerely.

"But it's just me after all. How could I tell so clearly" Li Yun gave a faint smile, unable to describe how she felt. If she said she couldn't bear leaving the Security Bureau Yes and no. She simply felt lost. The youngest and most talented general of the National Security Agency was gone, and now she wasn't Li Yun anymore. Apart from her deep-seated memories of this name and those experiences in her heart, there wasn't a trace of Li Yun left within or without this body.

"Miss" Cai Lian noticed that something was amiss with Li Yun's expression, as if she couldn't express her sorrow. She quickly called out softly.

Li Yun collected herself and smiled, saying, "Let's go!"

Cai Lian looked at Li Yun seriously one more time, didn’t find any unusual behavior from Miss anymore, hurriedly nodded, and walked out.

"Cloud Shallow Snow! Come out here! This concubine has to ask you how deep your grudge is against your elder sister that you would disable her hand so viciously" A loud shout suddenly came from outside, followed by a group of chaotic footsteps rushing into the Cloud Pavilion.

Cai Lian's little face changed, and her voice trembled. "Miss, it’s over, Consort Feng is here!"

"So she's here!" Li Yun thought to herself, surprised by how early she arrived.

"Miss, what should we do" Cai Lian was in a panic, spinning around. "From the looks of it, Feng Concubine will definitely not let Miss off easily. You should quickly use your light-foot skills to get to Old Prince Regent from behind! I'll hold them off here."

"It seems we can't even escape through the back door." Li Yun shook her head. Since Feng Concubine had come prepared, she wouldn’t let her leave easily.

"Ah Then what should we do Miss... " Cai Lian was about to cry. She regretted not waking up Miss earlier.

"It's okay! Don't be afraid! Let's go outside and greet Feng Concubine!" Li Yun thought that if something happened, it would happen to others, but not her. In her heart, she silently repeated that from now on, she was no longer Li Yun, but Yun Qianyue. From now on, she must forget the name of Li Yun as quickly as possible; otherwise, one careless slip could bring disaster.

She repeated "Yun Qianyue" to herself twice before calmly stepping out.

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Some readers have said that Li Yun's name isn't very pleasant and urged me to change it quickly. I've been looking for an opportunity to change the name, and finally found one~ Tomorrow is the day Yun Qianyue takes over~ O（∩_∩）O~y, he was in a state of inner conflict.Li Yun didn't rush him; she continued glaring at the Crown Prince with a look of anger, remorse, profound sadness, and disappointment that grew more intense the...