CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: HE REGRETTED IT

This question caught me off guard.

Li Mu’s mind went blank for a moment, and he instinctively said, "What did the Second Miss say?"

Tang Xiaobai pressed her lips tightly, strode forward, and suddenly raised her hand, attempting to tear off the bandage on his head.

Li Mu instinctively wanted to stop her, his hand lifted but then lowered again.

Tang Xiaobai saw his action and lowered her hand as well.

The bandage left his hair messy, and the corners of the young man’s eyes were slightly red, looking somewhat pitiable.

But Tang Xiaobai had no time to pity him, she just felt extremely upset.

Both upset and angry.

There are many clichéd dramas in this world, but what she encountered was not what she thought it would be.

There were no traces at the bottom of the cliff, no serious injuries, no aftereffects of falling into water, he was just standing in front of her, casting aside the bandages that seemed real yet fake, looking more energetic than her.

And his reaction to her first question also gave her the answer.

It wasn’t falling off a cliff and surviving, but faking his death.

The little ancestor she cherished was not as weak and dependent as she had thought, he even had the ability to plan such a dangerous feigned death.

"If you wanted to leave, did you think I wouldn’t let you go? Why use this method?"

The more anxious she was before, the angrier she was upon discovering the truth.

"Was it fun playing the bitter act? Did deceiving me make you happy? Didn’t we agree not to do it again? Where are your promises to me? Where are they!" she questioned harshly, yet tried hard to lower her voice, afraid of being overheard outside.

Even though she was that angry, she was still protecting him.

Li Mu felt a sour and painful sensation in his heart: "Don’t be angry..." He reached out, wanting to touch her, to comfort her, but was met with a fierce slap away.

The back of his hand turned red, burning like it was on fire.

He stubbornly reached for her hand again, softly pleading, "Second Miss, Ah Xiao knows he was wrong..."

Tang Xiaobai turned her body to avoid his hand, sniffling: "Just go!"

"Sister, I truly know I was wrong..." His voice was hoarse as he spoke.

Tang Xiaobai shook her head, coldly said, "Weren’t you planning on faking your death? Why come back?"

"Because I regretted it, I didn’t want to leave." He softly said, reaching for her hand a third time.

This time, Tang Xiaobai did not evade, but looked down at the back of his hand, gently saying, "You should still go."

"I won’t go!" His gaze darkened, holding her hand tightly, his tone somewhat stiff, "I will never leave again, you—" his tone suddenly softening, "don’t drive me away, I only have you left..."

Tang Xiaobai was stunned.

She had thought he was eager to fake his death because he found his sister.

So...where was he going?

"Sister...Xiaobai...don’t drive me away...I beg you..." The young man was still softly pleading.

Tang Xiaobai sighed, "I’m not driving you away, I just think, you really should leave, since you’ve planned it all out, don’t let me delay your important matters—"

He had painstakingly planned a faked death, he must have other arrangements elsewhere.

Maybe to find a way to restore his family, or perhaps take another path.

Since he faked his death and now returned, it’s likely because he knew she was looking for him.

"I don’t blame you, just feel a bit sad you left in such a manner, really...scared me to death..." Thinking of this unbearable day and night, Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but choke up.

Li Mu stepped closer, carefully wiping her tears, "It’s my fault, I really won’t leave, I won’t go anywhere..."

This child can’t understand words!

Tang Xiaobai straightened her face, saying, "Ah Xiao, listen! I am serious! I’m not arguing with you! With your ability, you should go out and make a career, do what you want, you’ve grown up, you shouldn’t and needn’t accompany me all the time!"

His expression gradually calmed down.

"Besides, you’re just leaving to deal with your own matters, we can still write to each other, in the future, you can still come back, though we’ve only been together for a year, I’ve always considered you my—" almost choking back the word "little brother", "good friend!"

Li Mu shook his head, saying, "I will not leave, I can do it here."

As he said this, his expression and tone were all calm.

Tang Xiaobai asked in a daze, "Really?" After jumping off a cliff, did he truly find the secret to success?

Li Mu smiled slightly, nodding, "Really, right here, in front of you, I can do it!"

At the last moment last night, he suddenly figured it out.

If he went to Zhenzhou, Prince Changshan would raise the banner to support the legitimate sovereignty, using the Zhenzhou Army to "escort" him into the capital to overthrow the current regime for the crime of harming the orphan of Emperor Hui Zhao, maybe even considering Emperor Hui Zhao’s death.

Once successfully toppling the current regime, Prince Changshan could be conferred as Regent King for his merits.

But politically, Wang Maozhao would dominate, while the military in the Northwest would be in Tang Shigong’s hands.

The final situation would become a struggle between these three.

And he would become a puppet with no real power, navigating and calculating between these three, finally removing each powerful minister blocking his way.

This was a shortcut sent to him, to preserve himself and act when the time was right.

He had originally agreed, but now he regretted it.

He wanted to choose another path—

...

In the deep of night, Tang Ziqian, clad in dark plain clothes, pushed open Li Mu’s door, slipped inside, and closed the door.

Turning his head, he saw the Crown Prince sitting at the desk, neatly dressed, writing with a brush. It was unclear whether he was writing while waiting or waiting while writing.

Tang Ziqian couldn’t help but gloat, "Xiaobai is making you copy how many times?"

"Ten times," Li Mu merely replied.

Although Second Miss Tang had brought him back, she claimed that his fall was due to breaking the rules and running around recklessly, and thus angrily punished him with confinement and copying the ’Rituals’ ten times.

For a while, Second Miss Tang’s iron-blooded ruthlessness shocked many servants, also earning much approval from the eldest Miss.

Li Mu didn’t mind copying, especially knowing the copied version would be read by the little girl, making him more earnest in his writing, refusing to stop even when Tang Ziqian arrived.

Tang Ziqian waited for a while before he couldn’t hold back, "Your Highness? Crown Prince? Forgive my dullness, could you enlighten me on what game you’re playing at this time?"

He had been holding back since last night.

Last night, when he was still waiting for the news of the Crown Prince’s smooth escape, he suddenly received a notification to take Doctor Feng to the Crown Prince’s Palace.

At that moment, he didn’t want to continue.

What was going on?

Seeing that the Crown Prince was about to be done for, but calling him to bring a doctor forward?

If the notification hadn’t come from a Shadow Guard beside the Crown Prince, he almost suspected the Palace had already prepared the charge of plotting against the Crown Prince for him.

In the end, the Crown Prince was truly "rescued from the gate of hell" by Feng Hua?

What was this? A year of preparation, suddenly deciding not to leave?

Thinking of this, Tang Ziqian suddenly had a bold guess: "Could it be that Your Highness couldn’t bear to leave Xiaobai, so you didn’t go?"

Li Mu’s eyelashes lightly trembled, his gaze lowered, "I just felt that, having been ill for so many years, the Crown Prince should recover—"

(The first Chapter ends here, the next Chapter will open a new Chapter ~)