Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Yu Zhen felt a confession on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't take his eyes away from the depths of her eyes. They were the color of mature earth, full of life and soul. Her eyes were delicate and expressive, hiding a wealth of emotions that he wanted to interpret.

He traced his thumbs over the indiscernible shapes on her skin, a gesture he had only now found comforting. She didn't seem to mind, leaning closer, patiently understanding his confusion.

Yu Zhen didn't want to be separated from her. He couldn't bring himself to wake up. He had found the greatest joy in his life. How could he lose it? She was his hope and future, someone he couldn't let go of.

He wanted to cherish her, protect her, and keep her from getting hurt. The only way to do that was to take her to Han Jian. Yu Zhen knew that it was selfish for him to take her from her familiar land to a foreign country, but he vowed to protect her for the rest of her life.

"Xueyue," he coaxed, "come with me to Hanjian."

Li Xueyue was speechless. She wanted to go with him, but she didn't want to leave Wuyi. There was still a lot to do, a lot of memories with the Li family, and a lot to leave behind. He was everything she wanted but couldn't have.

She felt her throat tighten, her nose burn, and her eyes fill with tears. She couldn't go with him. Not now.

Li Xueyue had no choice but to part with him. The thought was daunting. Everything inside her screamed to go with him and never lose something as promising as him. She was afraid…she would never love a man as much as she loved Yu Zhen. Pain spread through her chest as she knew she would never have him in her life.

Before they could continue their conversation, a desperate voice called out to the commander. Although the voice was low, both of them heard it above the sound of their accelerated heartbeats.

Li Xueyue broke free and turned her gaze towards the pavilion, trying hard not to let her tears fall. She shouldn't cry, it wouldn't change anything. She pursed her lips tightly, and the pain spread throughout her body when she knew she had to abandon him. She couldn't go to Hanjian with him.

Yu Zhen's eyes softened a little. "Are you okay?"

"Your people are looking for you. Go," she whispered.

Yu Zhen lowered his head and smiled at her gently. "Can you wait for me?"

"Where else would I go?" She smiled.

Yu Zhen's heart tightened when he saw her, which made him feel much more at ease when she should have been more worried about her health.

"You don't have to respond to me now," he said slowly, hoping that she would listen carefully to his words. "I am a patient person, and I am willing to wait."

Although Li Xueyue answered affirmatively, she still nodded. She already knew her answer, but she couldn't say it in her heart. "Would you like to stay in Wuyi for a while?"

Yu Zhen's mouth curled up into a pleasant smile. "Of course." He pulled her cheek. "You stay here, I will come back to find you."

- - - - -

“Let me pass.” Lu Tianbi looked at the row of Han Jianmen guarding the garden gate, and she was furious. She thought, if these soldiers were so unyielding, Yu Zhen would be here.

"The commander is busy right now." A soldier replied in a monotonous voice.

"Well, tell him it's urgent."

"He didn't want anybody bothering him," the soldier said.

Lu Tianbi pursed her lips and looked at Hu Dengxiao, who squinted at the guard.

Hu Dengxiao's lips wrinkled. "Listen, we don't have time for this. Either you let us in, or we force our way in."

"Let them pass." Yu Zhen frowned, his voice cold and stiff.

The soldiers didn't have to be told twice. They stepped aside and separated, making way for Lu Tianbi and Hu Dengxiao to slide past.

"What is it?" Yu Zhen asked, walking to a secluded corner behind a dense bush. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms.

Lu Tianbi handed him a wax-sealed letter with the Hanjian emblem clearly on it. "We received this letter from an envoy who came to see you. I think it is a letter from the emperor."

Yu Zhen's lips thinned a little. Impossible. What else could his father ask him to do at this time? Has the emperor heard about what happened to one of the candidates? He gritted his teeth. Now was not the time for his father to lose his temper.

Yu Zhen took Lu Tianbi's letter and opened the seal. It was clearly the emperor's handwriting greeting him. He cursed inwardly. This was indeed sent by his father.

He read the letter, his mood worsening with each section he read. His eyes widened briefly, then he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it to the floor, pursing his lips.

"Fuck!" He seethed, his fingers curling and uncurling in pure rage. His teeth were clenched, his jaw ticking with every second. How on earth was he supposed to respond to such a ridiculous letter?

Hu Dengxiao bent down, picked up the paper, and crumpled it. "What's wrong?" he asked, sharing the letter with Lu Tianbi.

They read aloud in a quiet voice.

"You have received a lot of support from ministers after seeing your achievements and all you have done for the country. Many of our citizens have praised you as a hero for risking your life to escort the candidates and keep them safe on the journey. You are also regarded as a diplomat, but I question the legitimacy of this. However, I have not wasted any parchment today to brag about your achievements.

I am writing to you to tell you a good news. My will and inheritance were changed yesterday, but you don't care about that, do you? You never care about grandeur and wealth, it always comes before you. You care more about your duty to your country than your family, which is partly what I influenced and instilled in you.

I hope you understand what it would mean for me to change my will and succession. As you know, the position of Crown Prince was never determined, but it was implied to be your elder brother, the eldest prince. Fortunately for you, many ministers and supporters have advocated on your behalf to block my decision to choose the Crown Prince.

I will leave it to you to decide what this letter means.”

The letter slipped from Hu Dengxiao's fingers, and the three of them fell into a long silence. No one knew what to say. No one knew what to do. In the face of such a serious matter, what else could they say?

As Yu Zhen's comrades-in-arms, Lu Tianbi and Hu Dengxiao should congratulate him, but as his best friends, they know this better.

Yu Zhen had never been grateful to the emperor, and he would not start to be grateful now.

The position of crown prince is the dream of many people, but for Yu Zhen, it is a tiresome position. It is annoying to maintain. Many people are watching him and guessing his next move. From the clothes he wears to the people he associates with, nothing goes unnoticed. Such hard work, just to become the emperor.

Hu Dengxiao looked awkwardly at Yu Zhen, who was quiet and had not yet calmed down.

"What should we do now?" he asked.

Lu Tianbi wanted to say the same thing, but she hadn't recovered from her shock yet. Yu Zhen was the crown prince...? This was something she had never thought of. She knew that he despised the position and would rather be the emperor without a long wait.

"Well, first of all, we can wait." Lu Tianbi said. "The letter didn't mention Yu Zhen's return to China at all."

"It didn't mention that he would stay in Wuyi," Hu Dengxiao pointed out, biting his nails habitually.

They both looked at Yu Zhen, who had remained silent and furious. Then they realized that he was not looking at them or the letter. His attention was focused on another person, Li Xueyue.

Yu Zhen is more worried about her than his position in Hanjian. He is worried about what he told her. He said he would stay in Wuyi for a while longer, but now, he can't promise anything.