Are You Lying to Me

"What do you mean by this!?" Su Li struggled, shouting at Prince Ling, then turned to Xiao Zitian, anxiously asking, "Yuanbao, what is he talking about? What do you mean by your real name?"

Xiao Zitian looked at Su Li, utterly unprepared to reveal his identity to her under such circumstances.

His dark eyes stared at Su Li with a troubled expression. She saw none of his usual foolishness; the way he held his sword and spoke seemed like a completely different person.

Someone Su Li didn’t know at all.

Su Li looked at Xiao Zitian, her lips trembling: "You... tell me, what does he mean? Have you been lying to me all along!?"

"I... Ah Li, I never meant to lie to you, but I..." Xiao Zitian spoke, each word feeling like a heavy weight pressing down on him.

"You're just playing with Little Chili's feelings!" Prince Ling suddenly interrupted, speaking rapidly like a volley of bullets: "Little Chili, oh Little Chili, don’t you know that your silly husband is actually the famed War God General of the Great Jin Dynasty, Heir to the Marquis of Weiyuan, Xiao Zitian! He’s no fool; he’s the smartest man in our entire Jin Dynasty!"

Su Li was struck like a thunderbolt, her body swaying as she stared fixedly at Xiao Zitian: "Yuanbao, is what he’s saying true!?"

"It’s true..." Xiao Zitian hurriedly explained, "I never meant to toy with your feelings. Back then, I was injured and lost my memory, my mind incomplete when I met you..."

"But later, when you regained your memory, you still didn’t tell Little Chili the truth," Prince Ling loudly interrupted, "That’s because you remembered you had a mutual-fiancé, Princess Mingyu of Chu! So you didn’t know how to explain it to Little Chili and simply didn’t. You enjoyed Little Chili’s care and warmth, had her do business and earn money for you, and when the time was right, you’d pack up and leave with the silver, marry your beloved Princess of Chu."

"Nonsense!" Xiao Zitian’s anger surged, pointing his long sword: "Don’t think that just because you’re a prince, this general won’t dare to touch you!"

Prince Ling bowed his head, smiling as he lifted Su Li’s chin: "Hear that? He admitted his identity. Little Chili, you should know the emperor has already prepared an edict to grant the War God General Xiao Zitian permission to marry Princess Mingyu of Chu. This marriage is not only a union of mutual affection between General Xiao and Princess Mingyu, but also concerns the diplomatic and military relations between Chu and Jin. Do you really think General Xiao would defy the imperial decree for a mere village woman like you, ruining his promising future? Tsk, though my methods may be underhanded and you may despise me for it, at least I’m honest. Compared to some who hide their betrothal and refuse to tell you, I’m a hundred times better! Tsk, Little Chili, think about it — every night he sneaks away from you, doing who knows what. Can you feel at ease with such a person sleeping beside you?"

"Y-You don’t have to say anymore, I don’t want to hear it..." Su Li’s mind was buzzing; she had never imagined that her husband Yuanbao, whom she trusted with all her heart, had been hiding so much from her.

She had clearly told him that the thing she hated most was being deceived, even if it was so-called well-intentioned deception, which she detested deeply.

But the person closest and most trusted to Su Li was the one who deceived her the most deeply. He had a betrothal! An imperial betrothal, to marry the Chu princess he had long been mutually in love with!

"Ah Li, don’t listen to his nonsense. I won’t marry the Chu princess. My heart belongs only to you. You are the wife Xiao Zitian has chosen!" Xiao Zitian looked at Su Li’s pale face, speaking urgently.

Su Li swayed a few times, biting her lip, her eyes filled with disappointment and caution as she silently stared at him.