L'amour sous les étoiles lointaines

Chapitre 15

This scene made Su Shaochu's eyes flicker.

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, you are badly injured!"

Even though the figure standing in front of them was seriously injured, it gave them an unchanging sense of security!

"The maid's daughter must be brought back to Nanyuan."

Before Feng Chuo'er even got close, her sword aura arrived first. Su Shaochu quickly swung her sword to deflect the attack, but the ordinary blade was no match for Feng Chuo'er's sharp sword aura, and the long blade was instantly broken into three pieces!

"Chuo'er, stop!" Su Shaochu shouted to stop her when she saw that she was about to attack again.

"Brother Shaochu, if you try to stop me from taking the maid's child, I'm ignoring you!"

The scolding had barely faded when she shot forward with lightning speed—

"Ignorant woman, how dare you!"

Before Su Shaochu could make a move, a short blade flew out from Zhu Yu's sleeve, aiming straight for Feng Chuo'er's chest!

"Chuo'er—" The short blade moved so fast that it was too fast to blink, and it was a powerful strike from Zhu Yu. Su Shaochu was horrified!

Unable to dodge the swiftly approaching blade, Feng Chuo'er blinked wide-eyed. With little experience in the martial world, she was stunned and had no time to react in this critical moment. Just a foot away from her chest, a swift light pierced through the air and deflected the sharp blade!

"Chuo'er!" Su Xuechu arrived just in time and caught her as she fell. The sharp blade still struck Feng Chuo'er, but avoided a fatal blow!

Beside them, Yan Pingfei and the Three Profound Swords also stopped their attacks and rushed to their master's side.

"No one... will be allowed to take my daughters away from me. Wuyou and Wuchou will stay in the Three Emperors' Mansion and will not go anywhere else!"

Zhu Yu's eyes were piercing and stern. Only when Feng Yan and Yan Pingfei came to his side did he finally collapse to his knees, unable to hold on any longer!

"Your Majesty...Father—"

"Father—don't die—"

They cried out without worry or sorrow!

"I don't like seeing you cry, you're not allowed to...cry." Zhu Yu still spoke with a commanding tone.

The two girls cried even harder, watching helplessly as Zhu Yu almost collapsed onto Feng Yan and Yan Pingfei, who were supporting him, his face ashen.

"Young Master Su...you killed my father...I hate you..."

"Even Wuchou hates you... Waaah..."

Faced with their tearful accusations, Su Shaochu suddenly took off the gold beads from her ring, put them in her mouth, and went towards Zhu Yu.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Everyone was startled, only to see Su Shaochu cup Zhu Yu's face and press his lips against his.

Zhu Yu, who was nearly unconscious, felt a familiar presence and the pill fed to him, which dissolved in his mouth.

"Third Prince, the Rising Sun Crimson can help you weather this crisis. As long as you get through this moment, with your abilities, the Orchid Red Stone, and the Source of Heavenly Spring and Earthly Burning, recovery will not be difficult." Leaving his lips, Su Shaochu removed the golden needle from behind his neck. Watching his faint breath gradually stabilize, a strange sense of relief rose in his heart.

"Shao Chu!" Su Xuechu called out upon seeing this.

"This is my decision."

Su Xuechu could only sigh silently at the sixth son's impulsive actions.

"Is Dad going to die?"

"Will it be alright? Will Dad get up?"

"He's alright, don't worry." Su Shaochu gave them a reassuring smile.

"I saved you for the sake of Wuyou and Wuchou, hoping you will treat your daughter well and not betray Consort E's deep affection and kindness towards you."

Just as she was about to get up, Zhu Yu suddenly grabbed her wrist and forcefully expelled blood. Zhu Yu coughed up blood again, and Su Shaochu also cried out in pain. She was forced to kneel down on one knee just like him. When she raised her head, she met his sharp and piercing gaze!

"Third Prince—"

"father--"

"Shao Chu—" Upon seeing this, Su Xuechu quickly put down Feng Chuo'er and rushed over.

"What...do you want to do?" Su Shaochu bit her lip tightly in pain, her chest, which was already aching slightly, now felt like it was about to burst.

"Your... internal injuries are real. The power of those two golden crimson leaves is too strong; even Lan Chishi couldn't stabilize your internal injuries in one go... Hahaha—at least one of you is true, right?"

Zhu Yu's appearance, with blood gushing out, was so frenzied that it shocked everyone present!

"Third Prince, for every bit of strength that Rising Sun Crimson exerts, three-tenths of its power is deflected back. Don't use your internal energy lightly... it's better for you."

Su Xuechu had come up behind Su Shaochu, supporting her, her starry eyes darkening.

"Su Xuechu, if you dare to have any rash thoughts, I, the prince, will risk everything, using my last bit of inner strength to counterattack her meridians. Even if I fail to kill her, the sixth son of the Su family will be rendered useless. Do you dare to gamble?"

With Zhu Yu's abilities, he certainly had the capacity to do it. Just look at how he was able to shoot the knife at Zhuo'er even while severely injured; you can tell that his internal strength is profound. It would be difficult for Su Xuechu to save him in the blink of an eye.

"Father, please don't kill Young Master Su!"

"Please, please, neither you nor Young Master Su should die, okay?"

Zhu Yu didn't look at them, but stared intently into Su Shaochu's eyes as she met his gaze. Without turning his head, he said to Yan Pingfei behind him, "Pingfei, if I'm truly not here... report to the Empress and inform her that Wuyou and Wuchou are my daughters. I hope Father Emperor can bestow upon them the titles and ceremonies they deserve, ensuring them a lifetime of wealth and honor. As for their mother, she is merely a woman who has no connection with us, understand?"

"Third Prince, please... let go! There's no need for this." Yan Pingfei knelt beside him and kowtowed.

"Don't defy me now. Remember, their mother is... an unwanted woman. Not a word of this is allowed to get out. I will not allow anyone to mock my daughter, Zhu Yu, for being... an incestuous woman!"

He was absolutely capable of handling any physical harm, but his two daughters were not. He had to first give them status and position, building a wall of power to protect them from such harm.

At this moment, he suddenly wanted to give them everything he had so they wouldn't have to worry or be afraid. Is this what it feels like to be a father? Haha, he never thought that Zhu Yu would one day experience this feeling!

"No, no, Father, we only want you, we only want you..."

"Don't do this... Father, we don't want you to be gone... Father..."

Worry-free and carefree were on either side of him, trying desperately to pull him away, but they couldn't pull their hands off his persistent grip.

"What exactly... do you want to do?"

Zhu Yu looked at her, at her face that was finally facing his again, and asked once more, "Is it... fake? Is it... true?"

"Third Prince!" Su Shaochu was speechless, never having imagined that he would be so persistent in his pursuit of her.

He stroked her cheek with his other hand and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Chu... tell me, with your swordsmanship, you should have been able to... pierce my heart with a single strike. Why couldn't you do it?"

Unexpectedly, he noticed this. Su Shaochu closed his eyes and said, "I just missed!"

"You're lying... because you're not entirely heartless towards me, so... you can't really take my life with one sword, can you?"

Su Shaochu shook his head with a deep sigh.

"Third Prince, the mournful sound of Wulan has faded away. Truth and falsehood are like a broken string on a zither. We no longer have a past or distinguish between truth and falsehood. Let our grudges be settled with this sword on the snowy peak!"

Her words made Zhu Yuzhengzhong laugh, then he gripped her wrist tightly and said, "Do you think you've won? Ha, Shaochu, let's go to hell together!"

A breath slowly condensed on his fingertips. "I have said it before, Su Shaochu, you can only be buried in my arms. I will never let anyone else have the chance to have you—"

"Third Prince, please let go—"

"Dad—no! Let go!"

Feng Yan, Yan Pingfei, Wuyou, and Wuchou all cried out in alarm.

Su Xuechu stretched out her arms and hugged Su Shaochu, whose lips remained pale and who did not utter a word.

"Yu'er, stop!"

The sound that rang out in the snowy night was peaceful and deep. A heavy current of air followed, as if walking on the snow, and slowly enveloped Zhu Yu's wrist that was holding Shao Chu, making him unable to move.

Under the moonlight, a slender yet distinguished man walked lightly towards them. He appeared to be only approaching middle age, yet he had a head of gray hair, a rather heroic appearance, and his bright eyes revealed a sense of composure.

"Hmph!" Zhu Yu scoffed at the newcomer.

"A Mingzong swordsman?!" Yan Pingfei exclaimed in astonishment, unable to believe that a god-like figure from Nanyuan had actually come to the Central Plains.

Feng Yan was also taken aback. The man in the rumors was over sixty years old, but he looked like he was only in his thirties.

"Yu'er, do you know? Your arrival is the happiest time your mother has ever been since she married into the Central Plains." Mingzong came to him and said gently.

"Your existence is the biggest barrier between Father and Mother!" Zhu Yu said coldly.

"Piaoping and I were childhood sweethearts. I once thought that we would spend our lives happily together in Nanyuan. I never expected that she would marry far away to the Central Plains for the sake of her people. This was a blow that I could not bear. After that, I focused on the realm of swordsmanship and no longer cared about worldly affairs."

"Even though she married into the Central Plains, her heart remained in Nanyuan. When her loving father discovered that her mother had someone else in her heart, their tragedy was sealed!"

"Piaoping is both affectionate and kind, but equally, she is incredibly stubborn. Your father, out of suspicion, began to imprison her. Perhaps because she loved her too much and feared losing her, everything she did and said was hurtful. Fueled by your father's jealousy, Piaoping poisoned herself. Given her stubborn nature, she would never bow down, especially when your father insisted that she leave the palace even in death, which made her risk her life!"

The truth behind the saintess's death was so profound that Su Shaochu, who overheard it, couldn't help but sigh.

"Every time your father had her, he shortened her lifespan. By the time he realized it, he was powerless to save Piaoping's life. Especially since Piaoping told him before she died that she had found true love in the Central Plains Imperial Palace. She used her life to tell your father that she truly loved him, and even if she died because of his jealousy and suspicion and his 'love,' she had no regrets."

"You've really distanced yourself cleanly!" Zhu Yu sneered. "If we hadn't discovered your correspondence, your lingering connections, none of this would have happened!"

"Even if Piaoping and I don't have romantic feelings for each other, we are childhood sweethearts. I care about everything for her in the Central Plains. It's all about affection and loyalty. I can only say that your father loves Piaoping deeply, and he also cares about the consequences. He can't tolerate even the slightest imperfection. The past cannot be explained in a few words."

Seeing the lingering anger and resentment in his eyes, the Mingzong swordsman shook his head and sighed, "Your father was filled with grief and guilt over Piaoping's death. Piaoping died because of him, both physically and mentally. He allowed her to return to Nanyuan for burial with the honor of a saintess because he knew that in the Central Plains she would only receive the burial ceremony of a concubine; but in Nanyuan, she would receive the highest honor. From then on, he poured all his love and compensation into you."

Zhu Yu simply stared coldly at him, remaining silent.

"Fifteen years ago, Mei'e's personal maid, Linglong, came to Nanyuan to find me with a letter. From the letter, I learned about the relationship between Mei'e and you, and that you had a child. At the same time, she was suffering from an incurable disease and did not have much time left to live. She asked me to travel to the Central Plains fifteen years later to see if you truly had the heart of a father. I think that when I return to Nanyuan, I will go to Mei'e's grave and tell her, and she will be able to laugh coldly."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu burst into wild laughter. "You know very well that I killed her with one palm. If you want to kill me to avenge the death of the maid of Nanyuan, then you don't need to pretend." The status of Mingzong swordsmen is extremely high in Nanyuan. How could he sit idly by and watch the saintess and the maid die one after another?

"Given the status of the Nanyuan Swordsman, even if you are the son of the Holy Maiden, I should still kill you because you abused your power to defile my Nanyuan maid and ultimately killed her. However, I believe that by killing her with one palm, you decisively ended her suffering from illness and inner turmoil, and at the same time, ended your own confusing relationship."

"I don't have that kind of conscience. As for Mei'e, I'm just tired of her. She no longer listens to me and is always worrying about this and that. I'm fed up with her!"

"You and your father are somewhat alike in handling such matters. Your father wanted Piaoping to receive a noble ceremony and painfully allowed her remains to return to Nanyuan; you also wanted Mei'e to receive the proper maidservant etiquette, so after killing her, you tried to make sure the people in the palace discovered her. Otherwise, if you really intended to kill her to cover your tracks, why not destroy the evidence?"

"Anything else? Do you want to continue saying that I am not a bad person by nature, that I have a kind heart, and that I do good deeds without wanting others to know?" he mocked.

Emperor Mingzong gave a wry smile. "I can't bring myself to say such things. You are by nature playful and sadistic, and quite cruel. You may appear all smiles, but in reality, you are ruthless."

"Finally, you've said what I wanted to hear." He clenched his wrist again, and seeing Su Shaochu's face contort in pain once more, he couldn't help but smile cruelly. "My dear brother Shaochu, although this has been disturbed, it will be soon. Since you don't want to belong to this prince, then die!"

"Mei'e once said in a letter that you are a child who doesn't know how to express 'feelings,' and even always harbors the fear of loss." Mingzong squatted down in front of his tightly clenched hands and said, "Yu'er, so many people love you and so many people protect you, what are you pursuing? With your way of seeking affection, the tighter you hold on, the more you will lose."

"It's not your place to lecture me!" Zhu Yu growled.

"Yu'er, letting go won't make you lose anything. Sometimes, knowing when to let go is a greater gain. You know the difference between giving and receiving." The Mingzong swordsman's warm, thick hand covered Su Shaochu's tightly clenched hand. "Sometimes when you think you've got it, think it's under your control, have you really gotten it? Hasn't Chu'er made you realize this yet?"

"Impossible—how could I, Zhu Yu, possibly not have someone I want—"