Mercenary Princess - Chapter 35
Volume One, Pear Blossom Courtyard, Melting Moon, Chapter Forty-Two: Where is the Daughter-in-Law?
At the critical moment, two strong arms simultaneously encircled her slender waist, pulling her out from under the bed just before the ceiling collapsed.
"Xuyao, what's wrong with you!" Dongfang Lie's face was somewhat angry. He tightened his grip on Rongyue's waist, trying to pull her away from Chu Xuyao's clutches.
"What am I going crazy about? Don't you even look at the mess you've made!" Enraged, Chu Xuyao was equally unwilling to back down. With a forceful pull of his iron palm, he dragged Rongyue a little closer.
The tug-of-war between the two sides directly resulted in the unfortunate victim, Rongyue. Already suffering from internal injuries, the strain of this tug-of-war took its toll on her already weak body. With a painful groan, cold sweat began to pour from Rongyue's forehead, and her delicate body trembled violently.
Seeing Rongyue drenched in cold sweat and pale as a sheet, Dongfang Lie cried out in alarm, "Xuyao, let go! Her body can't take any more abuse!"
"Can't take any more abuse?" Chu Xuyao spat out these words through gritted teeth in a strange tone, his hand tightening around Rongyue's waist. "What does it have to do with me! I wasn't the one who abused her last night!"
"Chu Xuyao!" Dongfang Lie shouted sharply, his piercing peach blossom eyes glaring at Chu Xuyao with a warning look.
Chu Xuyao glared back hatefully, and the palace was filled with a tense atmosphere.
Seemingly sensing the chill emanating from the two tense figures, the surrounding air began to freeze, creating a stifling and oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe...
"Uh, how did the door get broken... Is my royal brother here?"
"His Majesty, he..."
"Hey, I see my brother! My brother! My brother!"
"Young Prince, please stop..."
"Get out of my way, Your Majesty—"
Dongfang Yao! The three people in the palace were all suddenly startled.
Rongyue felt her heart skip a beat, contracting sharply, a strange tension mixed with a hint of anticipation she couldn't quite understand. Dongfang Lie and Chu Xuyao instinctively shielded Rongyue from view; inexplicably, they seemed unwilling to let Dongfang Yao see her.
"Brother...where is Uncle's house?" Having run unimpeded into the palace, Dongfang Yao wiped the sweat from his brow and, panting, urgently asked Dongfang Lie, whose back was turned to him, "Brother, do you know...where is Uncle? If...if my wife comes back and doesn't see Uncle, she'll be angry..."
"Uncle has gone to the border on official business and may not be back for some time. Yao-di, you go back first; your elder brother has other matters to attend to..."
Ignoring Dongfang Lie's order to see him out, Dongfang Yao grabbed Dongfang Lie's upper arm, her tone full of complaint: "Brother, didn't you say my wife would be back in a few days? But I've waited for several days now, why isn't my wife back yet! Brother, are you lying to me again!"
With his back to him, Dongfang Lie tried his best to steady himself, his face full of helplessness: "Brother Yao, how could your elder brother lie to you..."
"But you said the same thing last time, brother! You always say you won't lie to me, but you always lie to me!" Pouting in grievance, Dongfang Yao's beautiful eyes welled up with tears, large drops rolling down her cheeks. "So many days have passed, but why hasn't my wife come back... Brother, do you think my wife... will never come back? She doesn't like me anymore, she doesn't want me anymore, right...? But I love her so much, I haven't done anything wrong, why doesn't she want me, why did she abandon me! Brother, I miss my wife, I really miss her... I want my wife, I want my wife! Waaah—"
Dongfang Lie was moved by Dongfang Yao's aggrieved and pitiful cries. He couldn't bear it, so he turned slightly to the side, took out one hand, and gently patted Dongfang Yao's arm to comfort him, saying, "Good boy Yao, there are plenty of good wives in the world. Your royal brother will find you an even better one tomorrow..."
"I don't want to!" Dongfang Yao suddenly shook off Dongfang Lie's hand, her beautiful, red and swollen eyes wide with shock: "I don't want other women! I only want my wife!"
"Alright, alright, I won't give you any other women, only a wife. Your royal brother will send someone to find you a wife right away. Yao Di, you go back first. As soon as there's news about your wife, your royal brother will immediately send someone to inform you, okay?" Daddy rubbed his temples. This royal brother of his was really hard to deal with!
Wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Dongfang Yao's eyes were full of expectation: "Really, Your Majesty? Can you really find my wife?"
"Don't you believe in your elder brother's abilities? All land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and the entire Eastern Dynasty belongs to our Eastern family. Surely we can find someone! My elder brother has already commissioned painters to create thousands of portraits, which have been distributed to various counties to search for the person depicted in the paintings. I believe that it won't be long before we find your wife..."
"But brother, do those painters capture the likeness?" If they don't, won't his wife misunderstand and think he's with another woman? Oh, then, then his wife will be angry, and maybe she really won't come back!
Just as Dongfang Lie was about to assure him of the court painters' superb skills, Dongfang Yao reluctantly pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper from his chest: "Brother, why don't you have the painters draw according to this style! Make sure they draw it well, and don't paint my wife badly!"
Like caressing a deeply beloved lover, Dongfang Yao's eyes were filled with tenderness and affection. Gently and carefully smoothing the drawing paper, Dongfang Yao meticulously unfolded the folded paper layer by layer, as if holding a priceless treasure. With each layer opened, his gaze grew more tender. Finally, amidst Dongfang Lie's suspicious gaze, a complete drawing appeared before them—
The person in the painting smiles radiantly, revealing two rows of bright, dazzling white teeth. Two shallow dimples appear on her small, slightly immature face, cute and mischievous, brimming with youthful vibrancy. Her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, sparkle like stars; they are neither seductive nor alluring, yet they possess a subtle charm and an untamed wildness that can effortlessly captivate the viewer. Looking at the entire painting, besides black and white, there are no other colors, yet it feels perfectly natural; adding any other colors would be superfluous. The brushstrokes are bold and vigorous, bringing the figure to life with remarkable realism and vividness, making the viewer feel as if they are seeing the real person in the painting…
"So alike, so very alike..." But aside from that smile... Dongfang Lie's expression darkened. In his memory, she had never shown him such a happy and innocent smile. It turned out that her previous smiles weren't from the heart, but merely a polite, reluctant formality...
Unable to resist, Dongfang Lie reached out to touch the beautiful woman in the painting, but just as he was about to touch her face, the 'beautiful woman' suddenly pulled back.
Carefully folding the drawing paper, Dongfang Yao instructed with concern, "Brother, you must tell the artists to be careful and not to damage it! Tell them to hurry up and finish drawing; I need to sleep with it tonight! Sigh, if only my wife could draw a few more for me..."
"Your wife drew this?!" Dongfang Lie stared incredulously at the portrait in Dongfang Yao's hand, and his hand on Rongyue's waist involuntarily shrank back.
Chu Xuyao, who had just come back to his senses from the painting, was also astonished. He lowered his head and looked at Rongyue, who was silent with her head down, in disbelief.
What merits did she possess to deserve such treatment from Dongfang Yao...?
She was so selfish, so wicked, always prioritizing her own safety above all else, never considering the feelings of others. To make her life better and easier, she heartlessly abandoned him! She was the one who gave him false love, and she was the one who left him, yet she found a thousand excuses and countless reasons to ensure her conscience felt no burden or guilt… She left with a light heart, arrogantly assuming that others were just as carefree and indifferent as she was…
It turns out that the only person living a carefree and happy life was her, only that selfish and wicked woman...
Her eyes involuntarily reddened, and a storm raged within them. Large tears streamed down her face, soaking her white blouse and the two different arms that were gripping her waist.
The cold touch made both arms tremble involuntarily, but Rongyue seemed oblivious. She raised her head, her tear-filled eyes filled with a determined look after careful consideration: "Yao..."
As soon as Rong Yue spoke, Chu Xuyao swiftly silenced her by pressing her acupoint, his sharp, eagle-like eyes glaring angrily at Rong Yue, whose eyes were also wide open in fury.
"Brother... I... I think I heard my wife's voice?" Dongfang Yao looked around suspiciously, finally casting his doubtful gaze at Dongfang Lie, who was turned to the side.
"Brother, why are you speaking to me with your body turned to the side? Are you... hiding something?" Standing on tiptoe, Dongfang Yao anxiously peered behind Dongfang Lie, but apart from seeing Chu Xuyao's tall figure, he found nothing.
Quickly restraining the persistent Dongfang Yao, Dongfang Lie coaxed, "Brother Yao, be good and hurry back. Your imperial brother will summon a painter to paint your portrait soon! The sooner the painting is finished, the sooner you can find a wife!"
"But my brother..." Dongfang Yao still craned his neck and strained to look inside.
Fearing that Dongfang Yao might actually see Rong Yue, Dongfang Lie feigned anger and kept a straight face: "Brother Yao, are you disobeying your elder brother?"
Seeing that Dongfang Lie was angry, Dongfang Yao was afraid that his elder brother would refuse to help him find a wife in his anger, so he immediately became anxious: "Brother, don't be angry with me! I'll listen to you, please don't refuse to help me find a wife..."
"Then you'd better listen to me and go back obediently!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go back! I'll go back right away! Then...brother, I'll listen to you, you must help me find a wife..."