Mercenary Princess - Chapter 79
Caught off guard, Tuoba Chen was pushed back a few steps by Rong Yue. His body swayed, and the white jade soup dish in his hand clattered to the ground, shattering into pieces. The milky white soup spilled out, thickly forming a narrow stream that meandered down the trembling stone steps...
"Mistress!" Shen Rong shouted anxiously at the small, thin figure running wildly in the distance. Tuoba Chen stepped forward and grabbed Rong Yue from behind, forcibly stopping her from running away.
"Let go of me!!!" Rongyue roared hysterically.
"Mistress, calm down!"
"Calm down my ass!"
"The mistress!"
Seeing Rongyue's ferocious and frantic expression, Tuoba Chen knew that reasoning with her at this point would be pointless. So he simply swept her up and hoisted her onto his shoulder, ignoring her kicks, bites, and scratches, and carried her quickly into the house...
Having vented her anger enough, Rongyue sat silently on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring blankly at the purple tassels hanging from the bed curtains.
With traces of blood still clinging to his face from Rong Yue's scratches, Tuoba Chen tentatively stepped forward and gently sat opposite Rong Yue, carefully observing the silent woman: "The mistress? The mistress?"
He called out for a long time, but Rongyue didn't utter a single word, remaining completely still in her original position. Tuoba Chen's face showed distress, and his long, slender hand rested on Rongyue's shoulder: "Little San, I..."
She sidestepped Tuoba Chen's hand that was on her shoulder, leaving Tuoba Chen's hand awkwardly hanging in mid-air.
Retracting his hand reluctantly, Tuoba Chen sighed helplessly: "I know you must hate me to the core because of your wife..."
The shadow cast by her eyelashes flickered slightly, and as her eyelids lifted slightly, Rongyue's voice was as cold as ice: "Where is Yuyan?"
Rongyue's sudden words made Tuoba Chen raise his eyes, but upon seeing Rongyue's cold gaze, his eyes, which had just brightened, dimmed again in an instant: "She is currently in the Eastern Palace..."
The Eastern Palace, ha, ha, she already knew that, didn't she? What a pointless question! Did she expect an unexpected answer? Hahaha…
Seeing that bitter smile, Tuoba Chen felt even more remorse and pain. He said, almost pleadingly, "Xiao San, stop smiling, stop smiling. If you're hurting, just cry..."
Cry? When did the smile on her face disappear? "Will crying bring Yu Yan back?" Meeting Tuoba Chen's flickering gaze, Rong Yue's eyes turned icy cold. "You know it won't work, right? Since crying won't help, why should I waste my tears?"
"Mistress, I know I've wronged you. You can hit me or yell at me all you want, just please make me feel a little better..."
"What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force... Perhaps, it is fate!"
"You mistress..."
"But this is for the best... at least I can be a real woman again..."
Although he didn't understand the meaning behind Rongyue's words, Tuoba Chen vaguely sensed that she had let go: "Xiao San, have you thought it through?"
Ignoring the surprised look in Tuoba Chen's eyes, Rongyue reached out and stroked the pink hibiscus-embroidered sachet at her waist, an overwhelming sense of loneliness and desolation washing over her...
"Do you think she'll be happy with my brother, the Emperor?"
Tuoba Chen breathed a sigh of relief, raised his face, and solemnly assured her, "Don't worry, Xiao San, my brother is kind, compassionate, and deeply affectionate, and he cherishes old friendships. This morning, as soon as Miss Yu Yan entered the East Palace, my brother was so excited that he couldn't speak. Despite everyone's objections, he insisted on personally getting down to greet her, speaking softly and gently, afraid of frightening her. He was incredibly protective of her..." Suddenly realizing how inappropriate his words were, he quickly stopped speaking and looked at Rong Yue with concern.
Rongyue seemed oblivious, muttering, "But no matter what, he's still a substitute..."
"Perhaps at first I only saw her as a substitute... but it's not impossible for feelings to develop over time..."
"Yes, Yu Yan is so intelligent, so considerate and virtuous. What man in this world wouldn't be moved by such a woman... It's good, it's good. Following His Highness the Crown Prince is not a bad choice. At least, under His Highness's protection, few people will dare to bully her. Unlike me, who is powerless and can only be bullied by others..."
"Mistress, stop talking!" Heartbroken, Tuoba Chen pulled Rongyue, who was muttering to herself, into his arms and gently stroked her forehead with his chin.
"All good things must come to an end. They've all left, scattered, leaving me all alone, utterly alone, gazing at the lonely moon..."
Hearing the desolation in Rongyue's words, Tuoba Chen felt even more pity for her and pulled her into his arms even tighter.
With a bitter sigh, Rongyue pushed away Kaiba Chen's tight embrace, put her feet down, and slowly stood up from the edge of the bed in her cloth boots.
"Your Highness, if you truly feel indebted to me, please take good care of Yu Yan. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have had to leave her home and suffer so much hardship... She's a good girl, she deserves a good home and a good marriage..."
Hearing the parting words in Rongyue's voice, Tuoba Chen was shocked: "Xiao San, don't do anything foolish!"
"Second Prince, you are overthinking it. The Third Prince is just a commoner with no power or influence. How could he possibly cause any great upheaval?"
"You mistress, you know perfectly well that's not what I meant!"
"Your Highness understands. As the saying goes, 'Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are destined for them, but first it will test their minds, strain their muscles and bones, starve their bodies, and empty their spirits.' I don't claim to be a saint who is entrusted with heavy responsibilities. But life is bound to have its share of disappointments, and I consider this a trial from Heaven! So Your Highness can rest assured, I won't do anything rash." Rongyue chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Thinking about it carefully, since I came into this world, I've experienced quite a few storms, tasted all the ups and downs of life! Perhaps one day, Heaven will indeed bestow a heavy responsibility upon me! Hehe!"
Tuoba Chen was astonished: "Xiao San, why do you refer to yourself as a commoner?"
"This humble subject is about to resign from his post and wander the world. If he doesn't call himself a humble subject, what else can he call himself?"
Filled with desolation and loneliness, Rongyue took a deep breath, a proud yet forlorn smile on her face, and slowly moved forward with difficulty on the cold white jade slab...
"Mistress!" A pair of arms wrapped tightly around her from behind: "You're not allowed to leave! Mistress, stay, please don't leave, okay? Please?"
"Not leaving? What are you doing here? Are you feeling sentimental? Are you feeling down?"
"Mistress, life is hard enough as it is, why insist on being so stubborn? You can relax, broaden your mind, and spread your affections. After all, what man doesn't have multiple wives and concubines, who doesn't divide their love into several parts? There are plenty of fish in the sea, why hang yourself on one tree? Mistress, there are countless young ladies of good families in this capital city, many of whom are beautiful and refined. Find an opportunity another day..."
"You'd be better off saying these things to your infatuated brother than to a nobody like me. Ha, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Why are people always so strict with others and lenient with themselves?" Breaking free from Kaiba Chen's grasp, Rong Yue shook her head with a mocking laugh and continued walking forward.
Tuoba Chen felt awkward. He strode forward, blocking Rong Yue's path: "Don't you think about what will happen to Yu Yan if you leave?"
Mentioning Yu Yan, a warm current surged in Rong Yue's eyes: "Staying in the capital is like being worlds apart, longing is futile, unable to see each other, only able to gaze at each other from afar through an empty wall, leaving only sorrow. Now she is the Crown Prince's woman, and men are petty creatures, especially averse to their women thinking of other men. Staying here will give her something to think about. Not saying anything will only arouse the Crown Prince's suspicion. I don't care about the Crown Prince's revenge, a single glance is nothing more than death! But if this causes Yu Yan to dislike the Crown Prince, that is the last thing I want! So, leaving is better for both her and me."
Seeing Rongyue about to leave again, Tuoba Chen said urgently, "Little San, do you think Brother Huang won't hold a grudge against her after you leave? You should know that she is no longer a virgin!"
Rongyue curled her lips into a smile, a smile that was neither affirmative nor negative, but bright and dazzling.
"Little San, think about it. Your brother will inherit the throne in the future. There will be thousands of beauties in the harem. Yu Yan will be all alone, with no one to rely on. For an unfaithful woman to stand firm in this cesspool of the harem, she can only rely on the emperor's love. But beauty fades and love wanes. Moreover, your brother's kindness to her only stems from his lingering feelings for the Crown Princess. If one day your brother realizes this and stops being so infatuated, how do you expect her to survive in the cannibalistic harem? Little San, think about it carefully. Doesn't this make sense?" Tuoba Chen shook her shoulders, earnestly advising her.
Her smile faded, and Rongyue fixed her gaze on Tuoba Chen's face: "You promised this humble subject."