78. Three Watches Combined

“Indeed, he used to hate you,” Lu Yuner didn’t want to conceal anything and spoke truthfully, then paused slightly, “However… that was only in the past. Perhaps now it’s different towards you.”

Hearing this, Su Bai’s eyes suddenly turned, silently staring at Lu Yuner without blinking. A scrutinizing look surged in her deep gaze. Now that Lu Yuner knew about her relationship with Qingwan, it was enough to show that Qingwan valued Lu Yuner more importantly and specially than she had thought.

The death of his father was an wound that Qingwan could never heal in his lifetime and a soft spot that no one could touch. Even Chen Si, who watched him grow up, Qingwan would not talk to her about this matter.

Initially, Chen Si suggested using Lu Yuner to ease the relationship between her and her son. She had some concerns at first, thinking no one could enter Qingwan’s heart, but unexpectedly, Lu Yuner really could.

Obviously, the subtle changes that occurred in Qingwan when they met at the gate of the prince’s mansion today were nothing but influenced by Lu Yuner.

Su Bai’s eyes were deep with a hint of coldness, she asked seriously: “What did you say to him?”

Faced with the intangible pressure, Lu Yuner was not as nervous as before. Perhaps feeling that the young master Su was behind her, she calmly said: “No matter what your relationship with Anwan is, you are after all Anwan’s birth mother. The blood-connected relationship is something that cannot be severed.”

“Although you don’t interfere in my affairs with Qingwan, I know you care for him, protect him, and don’t allow anyone to hurt him.”

“To him, you are his father’s wife, his mother. He has mixed feelings of love and hate towards you. He is actually very pained inside.”

“I haven’t said anything to Anwan, I just helped him see things from a new perspective. I don’t want him to suffer in pain for long. He has already lost the precious fatherly love, I don’t want him to miss out on your care due to other reasons.”

“Perhaps you are not a qualified mother or a competent wife, but you are a princess who values friendship and has integrity.”

“Anwan is not a person who can’t distinguish right from wrong. Regardless of the past, now you can try to express your explanation to him. I believe he is also willing to open his heart to you.”

Hearing this, Su Bai’s figure stiffened, her eyes narrowed slightly, casting a meaningful glance at Lu Yuner.

Lu Yuner fearlessly met her gaze, “You don’t need to doubt my intentions. The reason I do this is only for Anwan’s sake.”

“This is a knot in his heart, a knot with painful memories. I don’t want him to suffer torment for a lifetime. He needs to be freed, and so do you.”

Lu Yuner continued: “Although Anwan hates you, he once told me that you are his only relative in this world, and also his elder. So… both Anwan and I hope that our marriage can receive your blessing and support.”

Su Bai lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the moisture appearing in her eyes. Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Suddenly she turned her back, her deep voice becoming a bit hoarse, with a tone of uncertainty, “Is what you said true?”

Lu Yuner knew what Yun Qinwang was asking about. She cared about the young master Su’s view of her, and said sincerely: “It’s true.”

As Su Bai turned her back, her moist eyes filled with endless sorrow. A tear suddenly slid down from the corner of her eye. Her tone gradually became long, filled with distant memories: “I am a princess of Yunnan Kingdom. Although Yunnan’s territory is small, it is rich in resources, inevitably coveted by other emperors. However, under the circumstances of the strong preying on the weak, to keep our country stable without war, and for the people to live in peace and contentment, we chose the then most prosperous Great Yuan Dynasty.”

“I was forced to come to the Great Yuan Dynasty as a hostage, and every year we would offer countless gold, silver, and jewels as tribute. I thought the empress of the previous dynasty would keep her promise, but unexpectedly she became insatiable, wanting to expand her territory and take Yunnan for herself, launching a war that plunged our people into deep water and scorching fire.”

“I also became a plaything for their amusement, and almost died in the dungeon. Fortunately, thanks to the current emperor, who was then the unfavored ninth princess, and the court physician Chen Si, they helped me escape the predicament with a fake death and gave me enough silver to survive.”

“I was like a stray dog with nowhere to go, no home to return to. Finally, I hid my identity and eked out a living in the capital. It happened to be the annual Lantern Festival. To commemorate my deceased relatives and people, I released river lanterns by the Liusu River that day.”

“After releasing the lanterns, I left. However, there were many people that day. When passing over the stone bridge, the crowd was particularly crowded. A young man was knocked down and was about to fall into the Liusu River. Seeing this, I instinctively saved him.”

“That young man was called Mu Changyi. He was handsome and gentle, and although he came from a humble background, he was a bit mischievous.”

At this point, the corners of Su Bai’s mouth unconsciously turned up, “After saving him, I hurriedly left. Unexpectedly, he fell in love with me at first sight, secretly inquired about my residence, and ‘accidentally’ encountered me multiple times. Then, in the name of repaying the favor, he repeatedly expressed his care and gave me things.”

Listening to this, Lu Yuner suddenly realized that Yun Qinwang’s experience was very familiar, identical to how the young master Su treated her.

“How could I not know his little thoughts? But my identity was complicated after all. Even if I liked him, I couldn’t give him even simple happiness, let alone his parents strongly opposed it. So I hardened my heart and stopped associating with him, even deliberately moving to a more remote place to avoid seeing him.”

“But he still found me. I remember that night it was raining heavily, suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door. I went to open it and saw him standing at the doorway with an umbrella. He looked thin, much thinner, feeling like he would fall with a gust of wind.”

“The weather was gloomy at that time, misty with rain, and it was raining very heavily. Although he was holding an umbrella, his whole body was still wet from the rain. His eyes were filled with tears, looking at me with a grieved face without saying a word.”

“It turned out that in order to see me, he had run away from home to escape an arranged marriage. That night I confessed everything to him, and we privately pledged to be together. Later, we bought an estate in the countryside to live, and soon after, we had Qingwan.”