Chapter 205: Though the heavens and earth are vast, only you are good

Are you lustful?

The answer to this question is perhaps affirmative.

Since Du Shanü broke her fast, she and Chinu have been almost earth-shattering all along.

First, in the county office they were scolded by Afang for making a huge ruckus; then at the Zhoufu inn they broke the bed from sleeping; then, because they were deficient and not receiving tonic, they ended up in the clinic, where the old doctor told her to restrain herself—but she still spent all day cavorting with Chinu......

This resulted in Ruan Jintian peeping and A Chou stirring up trouble.

Whoever comes, they all have to say she is lustful without limit.

But what can be done?

She cannot bear to part with Chinu, nor can she leave Chinu empty.

Du Shanü likes him; Du Shanü is simply very fond of him.

She cannot forget the scant aid she had in her humble beginnings; she also cannot forget the Zhoufu Dharma assembly, when a drop of blood splashed onto her face, and in her heart that faint trace of panic gradually spread and expanded......

To be frank, even if she were stronger, more formidable, and as hard-hearted as stone, there would come a day when dripping water wears through stone.

She is a person.

And as long as one is a person, one will have weaknesses.

Some people conceal their weaknesses well, others poorly, making theirs very obvious.

She, in fact, has never been among those who conceal their weaknesses well.

But she has Chinu.

Thus, when the raging torrent known as the "Red Dust" sweeps in, she can actually barely fend off one or two.

As long as she holds Chinu, even if outside mountains crumble and the earth splits, decay piling up, she can still find the courage to fight to the death.

In other words.......

Perhaps, she is indeed a lustful person.

However, she only lusts for Chinu.

Or rather, she is not lustful; she only lusts for Chinu.

In this world, wheat has ripened countless times; Du Shanü truly wishes to hold hands with someone and sleep together eternally, yet this is the first time.

How......

How does one become lustful?

How......

And will it make Chinu casually say things like "take Ruan Jintian as a concubine"?

"I told you before."

Du Shanü took a deep breath, attempting to speak softly and slowly:

"I say, because you are Chinu, only then will there be an exception for you in this world."

"I say, I am not willing to marry someone just for power, waiting to ascend the throne, then letting various beauties struggle and fight in the cold palace, gradually withering—a cold-blooded emperor."

Perhaps, before her, many emperors have done so.

Perhaps, after her, many emperors will also do so.

But Du Shanü is unwilling.

She has heart, and a soul sturdy enough to temper wind and rain, which will guard her last bottom line for her.

So that she does not utterly degenerate into a monster who, for the sake of seizing power and status—even the world—gradually wears away her humanity.

Today she can take Ruan Jintian for a sum of silver; perhaps someday she will also take silver fields, copper fields for a batch of weapons, a batch of armor......

Perhaps someone will say, isn't that better? Beauties delivered to the mouth, silver delivered to the hand—what reason is there not to eat?

But few know that the harms buried by this method may perhaps far outweigh the benefits.

Everyone wants to take a simple shortcut.

If one could obtain a large amount of resources in a short time, everyone would be willing to give it a try.

But what if, in the future, there is no shortcut to take?

But what if, in the future, someone could emerge from the mire unstained, relying on their own struggle to forge a path?

How should the gaps caused by early reliance on shortcuts, leading to laziness, be made up?

If the lures that entice people onto shortcuts become, in the future, obstacles that intend to divide everything, how should they be dealt with?

And most importantly——

Today, the words that let her accept Ruan Jintian happen to come from Chinu's mouth.

She has said it; she has also said it.

She likes Chinu.

She is very fond, very fond of Chinu.

Even Chinu's jealousy feels like a different flavor, worth savoring slowly......

Even she herself can feel that if Chinu one day leaves her to serve a new master, she will surely be furious, wishing to devour his flesh and suck his marrow.

And now?

Why is Chinu no longer jealous now? Why is he no longer jealous?!

Yu Baobao at least knows she only wishes to share her with Chinu, yet Chinu now instead advises her to openly take in new people?

Du Shanü does not understand.

Or rather, even she herself has not realized that she is the one who hopes Chinu will be jealous.

Du Shanü also swore that when she spoke, she truly intended to speak softly and gently, warm words slowly......

But somehow, Chinu always manages to stir all her emotions; as she speaks, her volume unconsciously rises a bit, and she starts speaking with mixed thrusts and strikes.

Chinu was scolded from head to toe; the chill on his face and body had already vanished.

He also originally wanted to point to the rear courtyard and explain to Du Shanü that he had noticed Ruan Jintian's peculiarity; moreover, with him present, the Wife Master and Ruan Jintian would merely go through the motions in the future, never having any physical contact.

But just as he was about to speak, hearing the Wife Master praise Yu Baobao's goodness, he resentfully said:

"...... Since the Wife Master likes Yu Baobao so much, why does she need to stay by my side?"

Their tempers flared instantly.

Chinu's old scores, starting from when Du Shanü first saw Yu Baobao and chose him as her husband, have been turning over, continuing up to the few days before the wedding, and she also said that she uses the salt and iron of two cities to support Cang Cheng, yet does not transfer the old residence's private troops to Dun Cheng as backup, certainly showing favoritism toward Yu Baobao.

Du Shanü was half-dead with anger, repeatedly shouting, asking him in Dun Cheng what places were still suitable for secretly raising dead warriors, and also asking how many bites he had taken these past days, and how many bites Yu Baobao had taken.

The two argued while pulling at each other, all the way to the side of the study.

Chen Weifang was handling affairs in the study; seeing the two shouting and arguing startled her, she quickly rose to inquire.

As it turned out, not listening was fine; upon closer listening, she discovered that their bickering was merely each blaming the other for not loving enough, and she instantly felt a twinge of jealousy.

Chen Weifang, caught between a rock and a hard place, felt embarrassed and could only smooth things over, saying:

"...... Let's stop arguing, let's stop arguing; with that time, we might as well attend to some proper business."

Liu Liu hasn't returned yet, but just now I received some things he sent back via his messenger; I haven't opened them yet—do you want to take a look together?

Du Shanü, full of anger, upon hearing this cast aside Chinu and entered the room first; Chinu followed a step behind, and upon entering refused to sit beside her, the two positioning themselves at opposite ends of the desk, approaching Chen Weifang from both sides in a pincer movement.

Chen Weifang, vexed by the scene of the two acting like children throwing a tantrum, simply opened the ox-hide paper envelope that Liu Liu had sent back and spread it flat on the desk——

(Map of the Lingnan Two Rivers Dao region【Yongzhou Prefecture (present-day Nanning) area】)

Yongzhou is exactly the 'Zhoufu' that Du Shanü has been mentioning.

In a map two feet square, Yongzhou Prefecture lies at the center, dozens of large and small cities surround it on all sides, and the mountains and rivers are depicted in one seamless stroke.

Du Shanü could even see at a glance the Dun Cheng where they currently are.

However, the strangest thing is that on the left side of the map, there is also a city that is not marked.

Logically speaking, in these times it is extremely difficult to survey by manpower, so mis-marking and omissions are common.

However, this city is different in that a large blot has been splashed red with fresh blood on the city.

The fresh blood is glaring and very conspicuous.

Du Shanü's heart gave a slight start, and she shifted her gaze to the few hastily written numbers below the map——

【Fall, Rebellion】

【Imperial Envoy, killed】

?? Ask: Has Shasha abstained from lust today?

? Answer: No, after the argument we continue.

? (Making the map is really exhausting; I vaguely recall that I chose to write instead of making maps because I didn't want to make maps..... How come writing also requires making maps......)