“Your Majesty, why do you think I’m still here talking to you?” Wei Yun took a sip of tea. “Your Majesty protected Yao Yong, and seized Huajing, yet I can sit here calmly. What do you think allows this?”
Zhao Yue frowned. Wei Yun looked up and stared at him intently. “If it weren’t for defeating the Northern Di, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’ve sacrificed so much for Yao Yong’s head. If it weren’t for the great cause of defeating the Northern Di, how could I swallow this anger? Even letting him breathe for one more moment is an insult to me.”
“Wei Yun,” Zhao Yue pleaded, “Think of the common people.”
“Do you think I care?” Wei Yun curled his lips. “I’ve realized that you’re just like Emperor Chunde, always using the common people as bargaining chips when talking to me.”
Zhao Yue remained silent. Wei Yun’s expression was composed and determined, leaving no room for compromise. Zhao Yue knew that Wei Yun had left him with only two options.
Either fight the Northern Di to the end or hand over Yao Yong.
But he couldn’t possibly hand over Yao Yong at this point. Once he gave up this man, he would immediately lose the bargaining chip to balance Wei Yun, Chu Lingyang, and others.
If he didn’t hand him over, Wei Yun wouldn’t let it go. Civil war would be imminent, and the situation he had just stabilized would once again be in jeopardy.
In the past, he could afford not to care because he wasn’t the one sitting on the throne. If the country fell and the rivers and mountains were lost, he could just walk away. But now it was different. He was the one on the throne, and his fate was closely tied to that of the country. Wei Yun, with nothing to lose, could afford to be decisive, but he couldn’t match Wei Yun’s current resolve.
Zhao Yue stared at Wei Yun. “Wei Yun, you’re pushing me like this now. Aren’t you afraid of the future consequences?”
Wei Yun smiled lightly. “Your Majesty is a wise ruler for the ages, knowing how to use people well. I’m sure you understand my requirements. As long as my demands are met, I won’t have any thoughts of rebellion. Your Majesty is not someone who can’t distinguish right from wrong, so what do I have to fear for the future?”
Zhao Yue’s eyes flickered, as if remembering something. After a long while, he finally said, “Let me think about it…”
“I’ll await Your Majesty’s decision.”
Wei Yun stood up and bowed respectfully, and after receiving Zhao Yue’s permission, he withdrew.
After Wei Yun left, Zhao Yue’s expression gradually turned cold. He suddenly kicked the table away and headed towards Qifeng Palace.
The Princess Royal had just sent Yu Ru away and was sitting in front of a bronze mirror removing her makeup. Zhao Yue’s expression softened as he saw her from afar. He came up behind her, took the comb from her hand, and said gently, “Your Highness, let me do it.”
The Princess Royal didn’t speak, allowing him to hold the comb.
His expression was gentle and doting as if they were still in the Princess’s mansion.
“I remember when you first came to the Princess’s mansion, you didn’t know how to do anything. I didn’t intend to let you do anything, but one day you suddenly volunteered to come and told me you wanted to comb my hair. That was the first time you ever combed someone’s hair, wasn’t it?”
The Princess Royal looked at the person in the bronze mirror and slowly recounted the past.
Listening to these words, all the previous violence and anger gradually dissipated from Zhao Yue’s eyes. He softly responded, “Yes, the first time. Did I hurt you?”
The Princess Royal laughed lightly. “Yes, no one had ever been so clumsy before.”
“But you still let me comb your hair?”
“You liked it, and I indulged you. What’s wrong with that?”
Zhao Yue’s hand paused slightly. After a moment, he smiled bitterly. “Your Highness speaking like this makes me feel honored. But I’ve always wondered, was Your Highness indulging me, or Mei Hanxue?”
The Princess Royal was silent for a moment. If he had asked this question back then in the Princess’s mansion, she probably would have answered him honestly.
She had always indulged him, and only him.
Back when she was choosing a consort, the reason she chose Mei Hanxue was simply because when she first saw him, she found that this person resembled her little A’Yue.
At that time, she didn’t have any other feelings. She had always doted on him, and since she had to choose a consort anyway, why not choose one who resembled him?
It wasn’t until later when he grew up and came to her side, that he became so outstanding, with a proud and elegant demeanor. By then, she was already a widow with a child. She vaguely realized that the man she considered the best in her heart was, in his childhood, her little A’Yue; and when he grew up, it was the Crown Prince of Qin.
The years had made her feelings gradually more intense and passionate, and she never shied away from them. If he had asked back then, she would have certainly answered like this. But now that he asked, she was unwilling to give him this answer. So after a long while, she slowly said, “A’Yue, I’ve doted on you since you were little.”
“The kind of feelings I want, doesn’t the Princess Royal understand?”
Zhao Yue spoke calmly, “The Princess has always taken care of the younger generation, but I feel that I’m not content with being just a junior.”
The Princess Royal remained silent. Zhao Yue lowered his head, pinched her chin, and turned her face towards him, hiding the turmoil in his eyes. “I want to know, what’s wrong with me?”
The Princess Royal met his gaze. Zhao Yue looked at her quietly. “Among the many male companions in the Princess’s mansion, why could you touch all of them, but I was never allowed to be your bedchamber guest?”
“Zhao Yue,” she spoke calmly, “I haven’t summoned a male companion to my bed for three years.”
Three years ago was when she first realized she liked him, and also the first time she told him she liked him.
But while she firmly remembered this time, Zhao Yue didn’t remember anything. He smiled lightly, “Aren’t there still many people around you?”
“Your Highness,” his face drew close to Princess Royal, “Today Wei Yun asked me to fight the Northern Di and let him go north. A tiger returning to the mountain, do you think I should let him go or not?”
The Princess Royal didn’t speak. After a long while, she slowly said, “Don’t let him go.”
Zhao Yue was slightly stunned. He looked at her in surprise, “Why?”
“You’ve already said it yourself, letting him return is no different from releasing a tiger back to the mountains. Even if the Great Chu kingdom has to cut off its arm, it absolutely cannot allow someone who poses such a threat to you to survive.”
Zhao Yue didn’t speak. His hand trembled slightly. The Princess Royal looked at the mirror and calmly said, “A’Yue.”
“No matter what,” her voice was hoarse, “I will always protect you.”
Zhao Yue’s hand holding her hair tightened slightly. He suddenly felt as if he was back in his youth, with this elder sister standing in front of him, shielding him from wind and rain at all costs.
“I know you don’t believe it.”
The Princess Royal pretended to be calm, but Zhao Yue could hear a hint of grievance in her tone, “But back then, even though I loved Little Flower so much, didn’t I send him away for your sake?”
Zhao Yue’s thoughts drifted slightly, vaguely recalling that year when he was living in the Princess Royal’s home. He had a conflict with a favored prince over a small cat. That cat was the Princess Royal’s most beloved cat from her youth, raised from a kitten. To protect him from being bullied by the prince, the Princess Royal gave the cat to that prince as an apology. Not long after, news came that the cat had died. The Princess Royal hid in her room and cried for a day. When she came out, she was afraid he would know, so she lied and said sand had gotten into her eyes.
Remembering this incident, Zhao Yue’s heart trembled slightly.
He suddenly felt that the current Great Chu was like that cat from back then. The Princess Royal said it was okay, that she didn’t care, but when Great Chu dies like that cat – with internal strife, people displaced, and the Northern Di humiliating them at will – the Princess Royal might still cry in hiding like she did in her youth, afraid for him to see.
He lowered his eyes to look at her, his heart in turmoil.
He was terrified of her tears, especially when she cried for him.
After a long while, he let out a soft sigh and stood behind the mirror, embracing the person in front.
“If I did this, you would be very sad, wouldn’t you? Didn’t you save Wei Yun back then because you saw his talent as a general?”
“Before, you were always worried that Great Chu would send you to marry for political alliance. You thought about Great Chu trampling the Northern Di one day,” he said, smiling at her and kissing her cheek, “Little aunt, I’ll give this to you as a gift.”
The Princess Royal was slightly stunned, as if surprised. She looked up at him like a young girl, and that gaze made Zhao Yue’s heart surge.
He stared at her, raised his hand to caress her lips, and spoke hoarsely.
“I want to serve you well,” his voice was tinged with desire, “If you’re pleased, I’ll be happy in my heart, and I’ll grant Wei Yun’s request. How about that?”
The Princess Royal didn’t speak. She seemed to be struggling.
He and Great Chu held equal weight in her heart.
This realization made Zhao Yue’s heart fill with joy. He suppressed his emotions and carefully kissed her, saying hoarsely, “Don’t think too much. I’m making this decision for you.”
“Little aunt, you have me in your heart. I’m very happy.”
The Princess Royal didn’t speak. She closed her eyes and slowly clenched her fists.
This person covered her body, rising and falling. She gritted her teeth in silence, her eyes tightly shut.
When they loved each other the most, they were never like this. Now they were at odds, yet intimately close.
On the other side, Yu Ru was in the carriage, quietly waiting for Wei Yun.
She pondered over what the Princess Royal had just said.
“Zhao Yue has always been soft-hearted rather than tough. I will pretend to fall in love with him and wait for the right moment by his side. His thoughts are not righteous. If I go along with his wishes, I will surely become a seductive imperial concubine in the future. When the emperor lacks virtue, you will have your chance.”
“Zhao Yue is meticulous. If Your Highness approaches him with such intentions, what if you can’t pretend convincingly?”
“I misspoke,” Princess Royal smiled bitterly, “I’m not pretending to fall in love with him, so there’s no question of pretending convincingly or not.”
It was real, to begin with, so how could it be fake?
Yu Ru lowered her eyes and touched the patterns on her clothes.
This was originally Wei Yun’s habit, and she didn’t know when she had picked it up. Footsteps were heard outside, and a moment later, the carriage curtain was suddenly lifted, revealing Wei Yun’s handsome and noble face.
Seeing her, his expression relaxed.
“Sister-in-law,” he said gently, “I’m glad you’re all right.”