Chapter 215

Silent.

Deathly silence.

No one spoke.

And in the heart of Yu Lve, who went by the alias Liu Liu, astonishment had already become like rivers and seas, surging without rest——

Red gauze carpeted the ground, the whole city rejoicing.

Red gauze spread on the ground, the whole city celebrates.

At that time, he hid in the crowd, watching from afar as his cousin performed the wedding rites.

At that time, his heart was filled with the rare peace of mind since his country fell and his family perished, thinking……

He thought, after all, his cousin was mild‑tempered and lazy, disliking affairs of state.

If his cousin could live in peace and happiness, then settling in the south and enjoying a lifetime of tranquility would also be excellent.

He need not bear too much, need not recover the lost homeland……

The world, after all, is not the world of one person alone.

If his cousin refuses to shoulder the burden, then let him not shoulder it.

In this world, someday someone capable will take up the burden for him.

Moreover, the person married to his cousin happens to be a remarkably capable young lady.

All kinds of good days await his cousin in the future.

Although the young lady often had Chinu's presence by her side before, Chinu, born a slave, chasing power and influence, was no secret.

However, however……

How could these two be together now?

How could these two be together now?

What about Xiao Ai?

What about Xiao Ai?

If I had known this would happen, I should still have listened to my second brother's words——

【Kill Chinu】

【Kill Chinu】

【This bastard harbors ill intentions, his wavering nature will sooner or later breed rebellion, he will take everything from Xiao Ai…… He ought to be dealt with early!】

A tall, taciturn man blocked the study door.

Outside, the warm sun shone brightly; he was disheveled and exhausted, his face smeared with blood and grime, no one could make out his features.

However, those eyes, uncorrupted and full of lethal intent, remained fixed on Du Shanü……

On Chinu, who stood beside her.

Chinu, who originally had a smile on his lips, met his gaze, and his brows and eyes grew cold inch by inch.

Under normal circumstances, given Chinu's temperament, he would surely have become angry.

Not to mention striking out; even if he caused an uproar shaking heaven and earth, he would still have to quell the anger in his chest.

However, however.

This time, however, it seemed markedly different.

This contest, unrelated to swords and blades, actually ended with Chinu's defeat.

Du Shanü's hand was clearly pressing him down beneath the table, yet Chinu ultimately chose to lower his head and rise, saying respectfully:

"You speak so strangely…… This drawing is hard to make; I, a mere servant, am just lending a hand—what does it have to do with the Wise Lord's husband?"

Everything was quite ordinary.

Ordinary to the point of being unbelievable.

The two who had been cheek‑to‑cheek just before parted without any sign.

He rose, removing himself from the position of husband and returning to the role of servant, all as light and easy as sipping a cup of tea.

Yet, after sharing a bed for so long, Du Shanü could still grasp his meaning——

It amounted to nothing more than 'Yu Baobao's elder brother is no ordinary man; his nature is upright and unyielding—if he learned she had two husbands, he would likely refuse to aid her'; 'This time he returns bearing secrets; even laying his cards bare would be ill‑timed'; 'To outsiders, it looks better that he seduced her than that she favored him, for the reputation sounds nicer'……

After all, saying a thousand, saying ten thousand—

Actually, it was merely planning for her future.

Chinu remains Chinu.

When loving someone, one cannot discern much more.

As long as she fares better, as long as the situation favors her more, let alone his rising now to reclaim the long‑discarded 'servant' self‑title, even if he were to be smashed to pieces…… it would still be acceptable.

Du Shanü lowered her eyes and, with her fingertips, slowly rolled up the drawing before her.

The pages fluttered slightly, faintly drawing out an irrepressible slight tremor.

However, it was only a trace, and it was suppressed.

Du Shanü handed the drawing to the silent Chen Weifang beside her, instructing:

"If there's no kaolin, we can use Fusu white clay to make a refractory crucible."

"I visited the workshop yesterday; this batch of black tungsten ore is out of the ordinary—if we want to temper it, we need high heat; ordinary crucibles for smelting tin easily crack and are useless, so we must use superior material."

"The cost will surely exceed our earlier estimates, but once the tungsten steel is refined, you will know just how worthwhile it is."

Chen Weifang still remained silent.

The refined scholar who had been tugging at Du Shanü's ears and chattering the past two days seemed to have changed as well.

He bowed low, raised his hands above his head, respectfully received the drawing, and retreated to stand beside Chinu.

Both bore expressions of deep respect and humility……

Yet it was mixed with an inseparable aloofness.

His bearing was mixed with the submission of all quarters, yet he lacked even a trace of human presence.

Formerly there were all kinds of affection, playfulness, teasing, and scolding; but now, after being laid bare, they all seem to have turned into fleeting clouds.

Heaven and earth remain as they were; everything lies hidden within.

Du Shanü felt a bit dazed, and uncontrollably recalled that drop of blood that had splashed onto her face before the gate of the Yongzhou Zhoufu Dharma assembly in the past.

Numbness, coercion, unwillingness, fear, power over life and death......

These answers could all be used to describe the present scene.

Yet, they all seem wrong.

If this is an accessory brought by power and influence, if this is the necessary path to attain power and influence.....

And what about her?

And what should she give up?

Du Shanü's hand resting on the table, her fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably once again.

She could not suppress the surging turmoil in her chest, something hard for outsiders to speak of, and even somewhat difficult to utter— a feeling of dread.

Until, the cold-faced man at the door examined her closely for a moment, then spoke in a deep, hollow voice:

"...... Miss Du, since you have already taken the name of the Deposed Crown Prince's burned daughter as your own, you surely understand—if you someday wish to contend for the world, you will inevitably need to borrow the Young Emperor's name, right?"

The late emperor's residual might still remains; in this world, whoever wants the realm finds it hard to surpass that hurdle.

Rather than founding a new dynasty, it is certainly more convenient to borrow the residual might of the Yin Dynasty, issue proclamations to the world, and jointly resist foreign enemies.

In other words, if this Miss Du could someday achieve the accomplishments of her aunt, or even greater, and ascend to that supreme position......

The person she ought to treat well should also be her legitimate husband, Yu Yiai.

Heaven and earth will favor them, and the common people will revere them.

After a hundred generations, they will be buried together, enjoying all posthumous honor......

In short, since she must borrow the Young Emperor's name, she absolutely should not, under any circumstances, again give her proper status to Chinu.

Status, status.

How can these two characters be split apart?

The fallen dynasty's decadence is still fresh before our eyes; no one understands it better than he, the son of a historiographer. An emperor may have an empress of noble birth, whose position cannot be lightly moved, yet also a willful, self-indulgent favorite concubine whom he truly loves— in the end, what state will the court order fall into?

Yu Lve took a deep breath, no longer caring whether his identity would be exposed, stepped back a pace, and cupped his fists, saying:

"Miss Du, please accompany me back to Cang Cheng."

"These past days, I have investigated many things outside; tomorrow is the Hanju Festival, and your husband at home surely misses you as well......"

"Once we return to Cang Cheng, I will relate all that has happened in the outside world in detail."

?? Shasha will go back to Cang Cheng with my fourth older male cousin! Chinu must be left to guard an empty room in Dun Cheng for a while! (I haven't decided how long yet....)

? Earlier, a little one asked why the two capitals were divided? The reason is actually quite obvious: although Yu Baobao and Guai Nunu's relationship is passable, the other people on each side greatly dislike each other..... Yu Baobao is here, Afang can still barely treat him with courtesy, but Chinu over there is completely in a state of being humiliated.....

? The reason Chinu has been in the limelight is actually because he has struggled for every bit of it……

? 【Number one, number one! Thanks for all the votes, little ones!】