A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 198

"That's true."

“Princess, the saying ‘there’s plenty of time’ is true. We’ve caught a turtle for him for now, which should be enough to move him for a while. We can think about other things later.”

“…There’s plenty of time in the future…” Zhao Yu slowly savored these four words, a half-smile on his face.

Mo Yan noticed that something was wrong with her and couldn't help but call out, "Princess, what are you thinking about?"

Zhao Yu smiled calmly: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tipsy. Call them in to help me wash up, I want to rest early."

"oh."

Seeing her pitiful appearance, and wanting her to go to sleep sooner, Mo Yan came out as instructed and called the maid in.

Just then, the banquet in the tent hall ended, and Mo Yan watched from afar as Ning Jin saw Yelü Hongji off, with Zhan Zhao also standing by, seemingly saying goodbye.

Seemingly sensing her presence, Zhan Zhao glanced over subtly. Mo Yan was half-hidden behind a pillar, surrounded by darkness. She knew he probably couldn't see her at all, yet she still stood there, gazing at him with longing, as if meeting his gaze.

She knew perfectly well that the person in Zhao Yu's heart was Yelü Pusa Nu.

But Yelü Pusa Nu died, and Zhao Yu saw how heartbroken she was.

Therefore, seeing Zhao Yu's obsequious flattery towards Yelü Hongji and thinking about Zhao Yu's inner pain made her truly uncomfortable.

Everything before her eyes made her feel weary and bored; all she wanted was to be quietly with Zhan Zhao, never to be apart again.

That night, more than ever, she longed to see Zhan Zhao and speak with him. But she couldn't; she couldn't put Zhan Zhao in danger because of her own willfulness. Strangely enough, before she knew that Yelü Pusa Nu was Zhan Zhao, she might have been able to sneak into the camp at night undetected. But after knowing that he was her elder brother, she dared not try under any circumstances.

After watching them all leave the camp, Mo Yan could no longer see Zhan Zhao's figure no matter how hard she looked. Only then did she reluctantly withdraw her gaze. Because she had been accompanying Zhao Yu, she had not yet eaten herself, so she went to the kitchen tent, found some food for herself, put it in a lacquer box, and intended to eat it when she returned to her tent.

Halfway there, feeling stifled in the tent and unwilling to return, she simply carried her food box and strolled outside the camp. The person she longed to see was Zhan Zhao, but she couldn't go looking for him. Unconsciously, she arrived at the place where Changcun and Zhao Yu had been fishing. It was already dark, and there was no one else there. She found a rock, slumped down, and let out a long sigh.

Just as she was about to rummage for something to eat, she suddenly heard someone cough not far behind her. Startled, she jumped up and looked closely. Sure enough, there was a dark figure leaning against a tree.

Volume 3, Chapter 37

"Are you... a human or a ghost?" She couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

The man laughed and said, "If you're so timid, don't come out at night."

It was Su Zui. Mo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and walked over with the food box. She saw Su Zui holding a wine bag and sitting against a tree, slowly drinking. He didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"Do you want something to eat?" Mo Yan placed the box next to him and sat down beside him.

Su Zui glanced at her, her eyes seemingly filled with melancholy. Without saying a word, she opened the box, picked up a wild duck leg, and began to devour it.

"It seems you're not in a good mood today either. What a coincidence."

Mo Yan took the wine pouch he had put down and drank a few mouthfuls. It was very quiet here, as almost no one would come after nightfall.

The fiery liquor burned as it went down her throat. She smacked her lips repeatedly, then tore off pieces of duck meat and stuffed them into her mouth.

"If you can't drink, don't waste the wine." Su Zui finally spoke, glaring at her, snatching the wine away, her words laced with mockery: "So that I don't have to call someone to carry you when you get drunk."

Mo Yan glanced at him sideways with a grin: "Was it you last time?"

"If it wasn't me, then it could be you?" Su Zui smiled, but a hint of arrogance crept in. He then took a large gulp of wine and remained silent for a long while before asking abruptly, "How is she?"

Who is it?

"Did she drink too much again? Almost everyone in the camp saw her in Yelü Hongji's arms."

Mo Yan then realized that he was referring to the princess, and that his tone was unfriendly, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction with Zhao Yu. "How could you possibly know her predicament?" she said, indignant on Zhao Yu's behalf. "She did all this for the sake of both the Song and Liao dynasties."

Su Zui remained silent, took another swig of wine, and continued gnawing on the duck leg.

"You..." Mo Yan glared at him angrily, "Do you think she's just vying for favor?"

"Isn't that right?" Su Zui smiled faintly, "But what she did was right, very right, very right..."

"But you look down on her!"

"I didn't, I just..." Su Zui shook his head sadly, but couldn't explain why.

Mo Yan was stunned for a moment before tentatively asking, "Are you jealous?"

He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Don't talk nonsense."

"You...like her too?" Mo Yan scratched her ear, puzzled. "You've only seen her a few times, when did you start liking her?"

"I told you to stop talking nonsense!" Su Zui's smile faded, and she raised her voice. "So you're admitting it."

Based on Mo Yan's experience in handling cases, people who become so emotionally agitated are mostly doing so because they feel guilty.

Su Zui glanced at her sideways, his eyes filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe. Coupled with his disheveled appearance, he was quite frightening. Unfortunately, Mo Yan was looking down and rummaging through the food box to eat, so she didn't see him at all.

Mo Yan took out a plate of goose oil rolls, took a bite, and then turned to look at him. At this moment, Su Zui had already lowered his head again, his hand gripping the wine pouch tightly.

Mo Yan asked casually, "When did you meet her?"

Su Zui remained silent. Mo Yan kindly handed him the plate of goose fat pastries, but he blocked it, and several pastries almost rolled to the ground. Luckily, she was quick-witted and snatched them away.

"Even if you don't want to eat it, don't waste it," Mo Yan muttered to herself.

"Hmph...it was probably nine years ago."

"Huh?" Mo Yan was taken aback. "You met her nine years ago. How old was she then?"

"He was probably only eleven or twelve years old."