Ojos encantadores - Capítulo 17
"You two think you've figured out 70-80% of the situation and have everything under your control, but you've both overlooked the 20-30% that you haven't anticipated. How will things ultimately turn out?"
Yan Shanshan then pointed at her sternly, as if making a definitive judgment.
"Those who are used to being carefree are most afraid of encountering those who are stubbornly unrepentant. This is the best description of you and Zhu Yu. Zhu Yu's position, personality, and stubbornness—just imagine what kind of person he is!"
"Shan, I've just recovered from my injury and stepped into my home. Don't come here to threaten me so soon." She smiled apologetically, hoping that her childhood friend would give her some warmth.
"You have the nerve to be threatened, but I'm not even in the mood to talk about it. You've taken matters into your own hands, making your relationship with Zhu Yu even more complicated!" Yan Shanshan started scolding, clearly annoyed by her actions lately, which had caused so much trouble for everyone. "From a small grudge, you've dragged it into a tangled mess. If you want to be like a spider spinning webs, don't choose Zhu Yu! He's no fun!"
Ugh! She's not some kind of immortal being, why is she trying to spin like a spider? Shan Shan's insults are really vicious!
"Young Master Su, the Princess requests that you wait a moment longer; she will be back shortly," a palace maid said, bowing slightly behind him.
"Please don't be impatient, Princess. I will wait for her." The master is having a meal with the Emperor, so the Emperor must be chatting with this elder sister of the Emperor again.
"The Princess has ordered me to prepare some simple wine at the 'Elegant Lotus Pavilion,' and I would like to invite you, Fourth Young Master, to come and enjoy the wine."
"Yahe Pavilion?" She frowned slightly, then smiled. "Your Highness is truly thoughtful. Please, maid, lead the way!"
"Yes, please."
The young palace maid smiled and led the way.
"What's your name, palace maid? I don't recall ever seeing you with the Princess before."
Holding a flute and walking with his hands behind his back in the garden, he saw new branches sprouting and flowers waiting to bloom, everywhere a vibrant spring scene.
"This servant is Xiaolian! I only started serving the Princess a few days ago."
"Thank you so much, Sister Lian, I'll walk by myself from now on!"
Politely declining the palace maid's offer to lead the way again, Su Shaochu walked directly to the small pavilion on the rockery path.
"What's meant to happen, can't be avoided?"
Like a resigned soliloquy, she strolled into the pavilion, where she was greeted on a stone table by a glass of wine and an object covered with a yellow cloth.
"Ah! Such a grand and courteous welcome—it only makes one more cautious and apprehensive!"
Su Shaochu lifted the yellow cloth, revealing a zither!
"Wu Lan... a guqin?!" She was stunned by the complete and flawless Wu Lan guqin!
end
"Wu Lan... the strings..." He stroked the strings he had broken for her back then, now perfectly intact, and a myriad of complex emotions welled up in his heart.
"The mournful sound of the orchid has not yet faded; does the thread of affection still remain?"
Zhu Yu's voice slowly came from behind.
"At the cost of his own emotions and body, Shao Chu's brother's attack is indeed several times more ruthless than mine!"
"Emotions?" Su Shaochu didn't turn around, only parted her lips. "Something I never expected, yet the Third Prince Xingzi has spoken of it. It's just a pity that, of all things—emotions and the body—Shaochu only gave one, while you, Third Prince, clearly gave both!"
For her, all she thought at the time was: if this royal demon's preferences were flesh and lust, what was wrong with feeding him those things? As long as she could eliminate this nightmarish person, she would taste what it was like to play with a demon. Such a price was worth it if she could win.
"My dear brother, you have given me your affections, yet I receive no response and you have even toyed with me. The consequences will be terrible." Zhu Yu stood before her, his eyes holding a smile that was not quite a smile, but a hint of fierceness.
"Said by the Third Prince, how could I not believe it?" Su Shaochu agreed wholeheartedly, raising his head to meet his gaze. "However, in this game, who is the manipulator and the manipulated? Third Prince, I do not manipulate others unless they willingly allow themselves to be manipulated; or unless they are someone who has overplayed their hand and ended up falling for it."
"Is a woman's chastity and purity only such a thing for you, my youngest brother?"
"It's quite laughable that someone as lustful and manipulative as you speaks of a woman's chastity." She poured wine from the stone table and said leisurely, "Besides, what harm has this matter done to the Third Prince? You've satisfied your desire for Su Shaochu, the matter of the Holy Maid and the Maid has come to an end, and you've even been allowed to acknowledge your own daughter. Why don't we both end this peacefully?"
Zhu Yu suddenly grabbed her chin.
"If this prince doesn't want things to end so easily!"
He tried to lower his lips, but was met with a cold blast of air.
"Third Prince, please behave yourself in the palace," Su Shaochu reminded him politely with a smile, putting down the empty cup that had spilled wine on his face.
"You intend to pretend none of this ever happened." Her attitude was clear: nothing had ever occurred between them. "It's a fact that I held you, that physical intimacy was real, and your feelings and body can't erase those truths imprinted on you!"
"Feelings are for those I've chosen. For those I haven't chosen, Third Prince, what have you ever taken from Shao Chu?" She shrugged and smiled. "The physical? A fleeting encounter, whether it exists or not depends entirely on how Shao Chu perceives it. For Shao Chu, the sun rises, the dew melts, the goal is achieved, why not treat it all as a dream, a drunken stupor!"
"So ruthless and decisive, truly someone who has moved this prince to the extreme! My beloved younger brother Shaochu." Zhu Yu clapped his hands, both admiring and laughing.
"Shao Chu warned me long ago that the Third Prince's dream will never be realized, because the dream you want is called Su Shao Chu." She poured another cup of wine and toasted him, then drank it down.
"It's a pity that what I've given up will not be taken back." Zhu Yu took the cup from her hand, poured himself a cup of wine, and said, "Before I had you, I only felt novelty and interest; after I had you, I finally made up my mind about one thing: I want you to belong to me, Zhu Yu, for the rest of your life. I want your love and body, Su Shaochu, for the rest of your life. If you think it's a dream, a drunken dream, then I will dream it for a lifetime and be drunk for a lifetime."
"A new challenge?" She raised an eyebrow with interest.
"My beloved brother, the Ice Cicada was born for you, the Cloud Silk continues the melody for you, and I, the prince, will rekindle the Melody of Wulan for you. Are you willing to accept the challenge?" He stroked the strings, the beautiful tone lingering in the ears. "My dear brother, this melody between us has only just begun; how can you possibly back down!"
She looked at him, at the ancient zither, a knowing smile playing on her lips. He wanted to reignite their battle? And this time, his target was her, Su Shaochu's, feelings!
"This glass of wine should be shared with a kindred spirit."
Zhu Yu drank it all in one gulp, then refilled his hand and leaned down to kiss her. This time, she didn't push him away and accepted the wine that touched her lips.
"Sanxingzi, let Shaochu play a tune for you to thank you for the gift of the zither." Not wanting him to push his luck any further, Su Shaochu raised his arm to block his intention as soon as he swallowed the wine.
"My dear brother, if you insist on drawing a line, you'd better be careful." He laughed, his voice full of warning. "If you fall into my hands again, you will never have another chance to escape. Don't blame me for being a heartless devil then." He, Zhu Yu, would definitely take revenge for everything she had done.
A strategy of politeness first, then force; it seems her future days are going to be tough!
"Third Prince, please remember one thing. Shao Chu said that no matter how people try to persuade or coerce you, if Shao Chu doesn't want to swallow something, he will never swallow it."
"Your personality and eloquence are so captivating that they always make me want to devour you."
"Alas! It would be a shame if Shao Chu could soothe your sadistic heart with his music." Always wanting to eat people, what a terrible habit.
The two sat down, lifting their robes. Su Shaochu first tested his voice, then casually asked, "Why did you suddenly want to acknowledge Wuyou and Wuchou, and give them your identities?"
"Consider it a life-or-death situation that changes your mind." In that instant, he deeply felt that there was nothing he could give in time, and no time to build a protective wall. If he were to leave, who could truly protect them?
"How did you manage to change the Empress's mind?" It was impossible for him to reveal who Wuyou and Wuchou's birth mother was.
"I only told the Queen that their mother was from a noble family and was already married. Because of my lust, I defiled her and gave birth to Wuyou and Wuchou. Now that woman is gone, I promised to give her an explanation before she died."
The empress, who was a devout Buddhist, took such dying promises very seriously, believing that breaking them would bring retribution.
"Since they are my own flesh and blood, the Empress has no reason to object anymore."
"You're quite outspoken."
To tell the current empress that he had actually raped a woman, who was also another man's wife, and that she had a child with him, is quite shocking to the empress, who has long been confined to the inner palace and has always believed that her beloved third prince was just a bit unrestrained and playful in his private life. This news is far from the absurd rumors circulating in private.
"She was indeed quite frightened."
When the Empress heard him speak so bluntly, her eyes widened in shock. She needed someone to help her to a chair, unsure how to respond. She wanted to scold him but didn't know what to say, and just kept repeating, "Absurd, absurd."
"Only you would do something like that."
"Doesn't your younger brother appreciate it?"
Su Shaochu did not respond, but simply smiled and plucked the strings of the zither.
In the bright spring light and shadow, accompanied by the sound of the zither, the two people look at each other. Is it a temporary peace? Or the prelude to war? It all depends on their future confrontation.
[The End]
Editor's Note: Please see Rose Kiss 164's "Love Song" - "The Beautiful Woman with the Jade Zither".
postscript
Come on, almost every sequel to a series needs to explain the cause and effect. If you have any questions about the background and characters of the second book of "Wen Qing Qu", "Qing Si Zhi Xian", please refer to the first book of "Wen Qing Qu", "Yao Qin Jia Ren", which tells the origin of the relationship between the Third Prince Zhu Yu and Su Shao Chu.
The next book in the series is titled "Yu Fei Diao" and is also titled "Drunken Dance in the East Wind."
Publication season: Ah… the transition from spring to summer is a great season. [Yes, by season.]
The male and female protagonists are still the same male and female protagonists in this book. Yes, who can blame the author for having endless conflicts with this couple?
Strictly speaking, Su Shaochu had two masters: a swordsman from the Ming Sect for martial arts and the Princess for music and dance. He got along well with the Princess and, having lived on the border for a long time, he regarded her almost as his second mother during his childhood.
Although Su Shaochu is a woman, she has the personality of a young chivalrous man. She always has a confident grasp of things, but she is also a bit mischievous by nature. She has a major weakness in her personality, which can be said to be that she is naturally helpless with a certain thing. This has already been revealed in this book. Let's see which perceptive reader can guess it. If you can't guess it, the next book, "Drunken Dance in the East Wind", will take you there.
The rest of the story will not be discussed in the epilogue; readers can discover it for themselves.
The most heartbreaking aspect of this writing rush was the "non-stop" nature of the process. After finishing my self-made book, *Moonlit Cherry Blossoms*, I immediately moved on to *Strings of Love*. My poor editor and I had to postpone the deadline several times. Thankfully, we finished before everyone's hearts nearly stopped, and now I can finally have a happy and smiling New Year!
I heard that this book will be published at the International Book Fair, and that this is the first time in thirty-five years that Hiday Publishing House has participated in the fair. Thirty-five years! I urge readers to visit the book fair. As is my tradition, I send my best wishes from afar.
Also, the first volume of the fantasy self-made book, "Moonlit Night Cherry Blossoms," has sold out. Please do not purchase any more copies. The first volume will be reprinted only after all four books have been written. Readers who missed the first volume, please wait.
For readers who wish to receive any future information about their self-made books but do not have internet access, please send your name and address to the following post office address. When any self-made book is to be published, we will send you a purchase information. Readers who have already sent their information do not need to send it again, as it has been recorded.
403 Taichung Post Office P.O. Box 65-306
Official website: .tw
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The red walls and narrow paths mean that no matter how fast you run, you can't escape this winding, twisting corridor!
His body was covered in water, leaving a trail of tracks as he ran wildly!
Gasping for breath, the small body of a six or seven-year-old could no longer bear the terrible terror. Where to go? Where was the exit? How could they escape this maze-like place?
Looking ahead, I saw a bend in the road that was different from the red wall, so I quickly braced myself and ran towards it.
Just as she was about to turn into another bend, someone suddenly grabbed her flustered little hand from the side!
"Ah! Let go—let go—"