Chapter 23 The Feeling of Being Alive
Two days later, jianghu‘s assassination organization Wu Xiao Men was annihilated. Every member was completely eradicated without a trace. Since Zongzheng Wuyou didn’t use his court powers, no one knew how he was able to do such a thing. Regarding the assassination attempt, since Prince Li did not pursue it anymore, it was left as an unresolved case.
Like this, Man Yao lived in Prince Li’s residence, and in a flash, ten days had already went by. Most of the time, Zongzheng Wuyou would seem to be quite cold, as if it came from the deepest part of his bones. At times he would get close to her, but he never crossed the line. He was no longer the Zongzheng Wuyou that would constantly try to test her, so it was not as difficult as she thought it would be to interact with him.
The courtyard she stayed in was called “Aromatic Courtyard.” Every day he would play a round of chess with her and listen to her talk about that world that he was unfamiliar with. He was always so calm, even if she mentioned airplanes and bombs, his face didn’t have any ripples, and he rarely asked any questions.
This morning, the two were sitting in the courtyard evaluating the goods in front of them. It was the highest quality Long Jin tea from the East River, and it carried a very fresh fragrance. She took a small sip of the tea before suddenly recalling something, “Wuyou, that day in the tea garden…why did you order all those fruit teas?”
Zongzheng Wuyou stilled for a moment before thinking, “Do you know that there is a type of tea, no, actually it should be…a beverage. When you drink it, it tastes very bitter, but also a little sweet…the color is also very dark…”
Bitter and sweet, dark color? “Coffee?”
“Co..ffee…?” Zongzheng Wuyou slowly repeated the word, as if he was trying to recall something. After a long time had passed, he nodded his head, “I think…it was called coffee! Before my mother fell sick, she liked to drink it. At that time, I…was only four years old and couldn’t understand why she liked that kind of flavor.” His mother once said, “There’s sweetness within the bitterness, just like life. Even if your heart is bitter, there are still some things that leave behind sweet memories.” He was that sweetness in his mother’s life. But now, he only felt that life was beyond bitter.
Zongzheng Wuyou’s voice carried hints of sadness. He very rarely brought up his mother. Man Yao saw his eyes that were reminiscing and his ice-cold figure that was hiding his pain, and she couldn’t help but feel her heart hurt for him. She heard that Zongzheng Wuyou’s mother, Noble Consort Yun, was once the number one beauty in Lintian. Before she passed away thirteen years ago, she was the most favored in the inner palace, but because later there were conflicts in the court, the Emperor had to take in more concubines to appease the officials, causing Noble Consort Yun to fall into depression. The Emperor of Lintian invited all the famous physicians in the country to treat her, and when three years later, her illness seemed to be getting better, she suddenly passed away.
This man who seemed to be indifferent to everything must have been filled with emotions at one time, right? That’s why he liked to listen to her talk about the modern world, so that he could reassure himself that even though his mother left this world, she was back in her own, living well. How much love did he have for his mother? What type of pain is hiding within his heart to change him into such a cold person?
“Seventh Brother!” The Ninth Prince was waving the folding fan in his hand back and forth, taking big steps towards them before finding a seat to sit down. Seeing Zongzheng Wuyou’s calm expression, he wiggled his eyebrows and laughed, “Hm?! How come you guys stopped talking when I arrived? Li Yue, what were guys talking about just now, you weren’t gossiping about me were you?”
Man Yao gave a small smile, not saying anything. After moving into Prince Li’s residence, they often saw each other, so they were now close to enough to where greetings weren’t needed. Zongzheng Wuyou minded his own business and drank his tea, pretending he didn’t hear anything.
The Ninth Prince didn’t mind that he wasn’t able to get a rise. He lazily poured a cup of water for himself, “Today is the day of the royal army general’s triumphant return, everyone outside is really excited! I heard that fuhuang is preparing to promote him to “Lord Protector General” and let him command the three armies as well as make him a duke. Seventh Brother, it looks like you’ll have to enter the palace again!”
Zongzheng Wuyou leaned against the chair and lazily swept his eyes over, “What does his promotion have to do with me?”
The Ninth Prince: “Of course it concerns you! At that time, two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers were trapped and were about to be annihilated. If Seventh Brother didn’t come up with a strategy to save them, how would he have been able to reap the rewards today!”
Zongzheng Wuyou snorted, his voice slightly mocking, “Even without me, he can also break out and force the enemies to retreat, defeat Beiyi, follow them all the way back to their capital, and still come back triumphantly.”
The Ninth Prince was startled, not understanding, “Are you sure? If he could have done it on his own, why did he ask for help from the court?”
Zongzheng Wuyou lightly sipped his tea, his face indifferent as he spoke in a heavy voice, “If I didn’t do half the work for him, do you think…he would be able to take control of the three armies after winning?”
Man Yao listened to the two talk, not interjecting as she thought in her heart: If that’s true, then that general who is rumored to be brave and unparalleled is actually brave enough to scheme as well. Not only does he know military strategies, he knows how to scheme to obtain control of the armies as well. That way, he can also fail to defeat Beiyi while dispelling the Emperor’s suspicions of him. If the Emperor of Lintian was even a tiny bit ambitious, he would definitely give him control of the army, what a thorough plan! This person was not simple! Zongzheng Wuyou was able to see through this plot even being thousands of miles away and change plans accordingly. Between these two people, if they were to stand on opposite sides one day, who would win?
The Ninth Prince was also an intelligent person. He furrowed his eyebrows, “Fu Chou actually harbored such deep motives! Seventh Brother, you must think of a plan. It would not be good if he obtained those military seals, what if in the future he wants to betray…”
Zongzheng Wuyou’s cold voice cut in, “There are naturally other people who will worry over this!”
The Ninth Prince saw that his face was cold and indifferent and wisely kept his mouth shut. Man Yao picked up the teacup and as she raised it to her lips, the sun’s rays fell on the hand holding the cup. Her long and slender fingers were jade-like, the yellow rays shining upon her light pink nails making them look smooth and bright. It made one want to hide that hand in their heart to protect it. His eyes brightened and without thinking, he held her hand, bringing his face closer to appreciate it better. He gasped, “I just realized that Li Yue’s hands are actually so pretty!”
Man Yao didn’t think much of it since holding hands was quite a normal thing in the modern world. Zongzheng Wuyou’s gaze darkened as he watched the Ninth Prince continue to come closer, his face almost pressing against her hand yet she had no intention of trying to shy away. He raised his head to look at the sky, suddenly feeling that today’s weather was a little stifling, making people’s hearts feel stuffed. He poured a cup of tea and drank it. As expected, cold tea was more bitter than freshly brewed tea. His sword-like brows furrowed, and he set down the cup quite harshly. Man Yao jumped a little, giving him a weird look.
The Ninth Prince didn’t seem to hear it, continuing to look at her hand in deep thought before suddenly speaking, “Ah?! I think that I also saw a woman whose hands was very beautiful as well! Who was it…let me think…”
Man Yao’s heart lurched. Two months ago, he praised her hands when they were in front of Prince Li’s residence’s gate!
(1) Fu Chou is the general’s name.