L'amour sous les étoiles lointaines

Chapitre 38

“Xuanhong Zhai Huo, Keluo Qizhen, Meng Yansi…”

Why are all these people from the Eastern Regions suddenly clustered together in the capital? Zhu Yu clearly already knew something, otherwise he wouldn't have whispered those words in her ear last night, and today he even sent someone to deliver a letter. Just a few words were enough to make her frown deeply.

Two days later, I look forward to sharing this mystery with my beloved brother. At that time, I will present you with this precious sword, hoping you will use it wisely.

"A hidden trick?! What scheme is Zhu Yu playing?"

Looking at another letter on the table, she learned that there was news about the person she had asked Fu Yaofeng to contact.

She picked up the ginger tea that the servants had brewed for her. Last night, she returned home in the rain with bright red bloodstains on her clothes and a gloomy expression, which frightened the entire Su family. Her eldest brother hurriedly ordered someone to call a doctor for treatment. After confirming that she was alright, he asked someone to brew a large bowl of ginger tea. Today, he brewed another large bowl, just in case she caught a cold and fell ill.

Her parents and brothers were already worried sick about her, so she downplayed her relationship with Zhu Yu.

"Twins may have the same appearance, but they may not have the same personality, and their likes and dislikes may not be the same, yet they subtly sense each other's presence."

Her usually gentle and quiet face held a hint of curiosity as she pressed him for answers.

"If... twins are destined to be born, but heaven only gives them one body, how can two souls share one body?"

The question was so unusual that she almost burst out laughing, but she still thought about it seriously.

"If God only gave me and Xuechu one body, then I think Xuechu will probably only appear a few times a year. The rest of the time, he'll give way to his brothers who know how to enjoy life!" He'll show his face when there's a fight, and then kick them back after the fight is over.

"One of you is indifferent to worldly affairs and of noble character; the other is determined to indulge in the decadence of the mortal world and pursue depravity. It is indeed possible, as you said, especially since you have always lived for the moment and will not let anyone take away your carefree decadence."

"Thank you so much for repeatedly pointing out how someone is living such a decadent life." Hearing about my own character from someone else's perspective truly makes one sigh at how a young person is wasting their time! "Why are you suddenly asking about these things? There must be a reason!"

Feng Jun'er's gentle and beautiful face smiled mysteriously at her.

“You never explain your own affairs clearly, always leaving me with mysteries, making me guess and think.”

"I like seeing you racking your brains when you're thinking about something; you look more presentable then," she said, pointing to her head with a smile.

"Anyway, that's the only thing you're good at."

"If your words are a compliment, I don't know whether I should thank you!" She only thinks things through a few times a year, so by that logic, isn't she often acting inappropriately?

"Only when there are too many mysteries will you remember me. If I really leave in the future, you will keep thinking about the things we did together, my person, and my words. That's what it means to keep someone in your heart."

"This is another kind of lingering spirit. I hope you live a long and healthy life. I'm not very good at dealing with spirits."

“Jun’er…” Picking up the long flute beside her, she thought of the beautiful woman whose soul had perished. Even though some time had passed, a faint sadness still lingered in her heart.

When she first heard of Feng Jun'er's death, she was shocked. Although she knew that Feng Jun'er had a mental disability and was destined to die young, she was still overwhelmed with sorrow.

Every year, Xuechu would venture deep into Songyan Mountain to retrieve rare red fruits to stabilize her heart condition, but even that couldn't save her young life.

A surge of emotion welled up within her, as if she were beginning to grasp something. She put down her teacup, but then winced in pain as her brows furrowed. The bite mark left by Zhu Yu rubbed against her clothes, causing her to wince slightly in pain.

How should she resolve her conflict with Zhu Yu? In the current situation, even if she brings Xue Chu back, it won't help. The Empress has intervened and given the final order. What should she do?

Zhu Yu was not someone she could let play a second round against; his love and hate were so intense that she dared not act recklessly.

"Sigh, the fortune slips that Shanshan and I drew at the temple last month were indeed accurate. This month is going to be peaceful with danger, dangerous with misfortune, and misfortune with... disaster."

It's best not to overthink the person who will bring her misery and tragedy, because it's obvious who it refers to.

At that moment, a stealthy figure quietly approached her from behind, cautiously extending a hand as if to scare her.

"Mrs. Lu, did you come to see what kind of result you've made of me?"

"Don't say such things. I'm here to visit someone who survived a disaster." A charming laugh rang out as a stunningly beautiful woman sat down in front of Su Shaochu.

"Where did this 'survival of a disaster' come from?"

"Still trying to pretend? The whole capital has heard about what happened between you and Zhu Yu last night!"

Yan Shanshan, the young mistress of the Lu family, was also Su Shaochu's closest confidante. At this moment, she looked at Su Shaochu with a clever and interested smile.

Chapter Seven

"There's already something to spread in just one morning." Rumors in the capital are always incredibly persistent, but she only returned to the Su residence before dawn. How could the news spread so quickly? "How could something that happened in the middle of the night be so fast?"

“Young Master Su, someone’s awake in the middle of the night!” Yan Shanshan’s personal maid, Li’er, came carrying a large bamboo basket. “Ever since the Flower Festival, everyone has been keeping an eye out for changes in the Su residence, the Three Emperors’ residence, and the palace. Sure enough, we’ve caught wind of it.”

"Don't tell me I came empty-handed to visit someone who survived the ordeal. I was so afraid to see you on the verge of death today. Luckily, you only look a little pale." Yan Shanshan said with a concerned and coquettish expression. "I've been so good to you. As soon as I heard you were in trouble, I immediately brought a bunch of nourishing things. This ginger tea won't replenish your energy. What my Shaochu needs right now is to replenish his energy."

She pushed aside the teacups on the table and asked Li'er to set out her own belongings.

"Shanshan, I can't drink..." She had just finished lunch and drunk a bowl of ginger tea. How could she have so much to drink? But then she saw Yan Shanshan smiling sweetly as she approached.

"Shao Chu, are you telling me you don't intend to drink the ginseng tea I painstakingly selected and brewed for so long?" Yan Shanshan smiled brightly, her almond-shaped eyes beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows sharp, yet she asked in a sweet voice, "Let me confirm again, are you saying that our friendship can start to crack? Are you saying that I can take these back and cry my heart out, and who told me to go through all this trouble? Are you saying that we can start with a bowl of ginseng tea and cut ties completely?"

A barrage of questions pressed upon Su Shaochu, her beautiful face radiating a chilling aura that spoke volumes: "If you, Su Shaochu, refuse to drink this ginseng tea, we'll see."

"Drink, drink! With such a beautiful Shanshan working so hard for me, I'm already too grateful to even think about it." Yan Shanshan's temper was anything but ordinary, and Su Shaochu quickly presented a very "happy" and intoxicating drink. "How could I bear to see you sad and in tears? That would be such a terrible sin."

Sigh, why are all the people around her so strong and domineering? Zhu Yu is one, and so is Shan Shan. She can hardly handle the former, and she can only coax and appease the latter.

"And these medicinal dishes that I've painstakingly prepared..."

She pointed to the soup dishes that Li'er took out of the bamboo basket and placed on the table.

"Eat, of course I'll eat it! I'll definitely finish it all. This is Shanshan's gift to me. Who would be so heartless as to say they won't eat it!" They had no choice but to leave it there for now and have the servants finish it after Shanshan left.

"Oh, Shao Chu, it's no wonder I treat you even better than my husband." Yan Shanshan took the bowl that Li'er had served, the strong aroma of ginseng filling the air. "Eat it now and show me. Drink some ginseng tea first to nourish your energy."

He immediately blew on it to cool it down and fed it spoonful by spoonful to Su Shaochu, whose smile was a little stiff.

"Young Master Su, what happened last night? It must have been very dangerous!" Li'er immediately came to her side, her eyes shining with curiosity. "The rumors I heard were quite complicated."

"What did you hear?"

"The rumors of the homosexual relationship between Young Master Su and the Third Prince have spread like wildfire throughout the city. After the Flower Festival, the Empress interfered because Young Master Su is not only a man, but he also had a fling with the night thief Zi Fei Shuang Yue. Even the young master and his wife of the prestigious Lu family, one of the four great families, are entangled in ambiguous relationships with you. You are surrounded by shady affairs between men and women. You are too promiscuous."

Lily recounted these rumors with great enthusiasm, and both mistress and servant were in high spirits.

"To prevent you from hurting the innocent Third Prince, the Empress hopes that Young Master Su can leave him and has ordered that you not enter the palace or get close to the Third Prince; the Third Prince is so infatuated with you that he is heartbroken and keeps his mansion closed all day, drowning his sorrows in alcohol."

When did Zhu Yu become known as a lovelorn prince in the eyes of the people? Where did his usual lewd and wicked nature disappear? And it sounds like she's the one who's unfaithful.

"The news from last night is still fresh!" Yan Shanshan cut straight to the most sensational topic. "Everyone's saying that you were caught by the Third Prince having a secret rendezvous with another lover late at night!"

"I'll have a lover!"

This is bad. If Fu Yaofeng finds out that he has become part of the rumors, given his personality of "a man can be killed but not humiliated" and "a man of integrity cannot tolerate any blemish," it is possible that he will turn his knife on her, the one who caused the trouble.

"How did these things spread?" It's dark and windy, where did so many witnesses come from?

“Old Zhang, who sells late-night snacks at the North Street intersection, saw with his own eyes last night a group of armed guards escorting a magnificent carriage towards the eastern suburbs. He was supposed to close up shop early because of the rain, but he stayed up because of this spectacle,” Li’er said.

"That must have been really tough on him." An old man like him had to watch the entire play on a damp, cold night.

"That's right, Old Zhang even quickly woke up Uncle Wang, who works as a blacksmith two streets away."

"Why wake up the blacksmith in the middle of the night?" After finally finishing the ginseng tea that had been fed to him, Su Shaochu listened in amazement to the origin of the rumors.

"Isn't it just that Old Zhang swore that among the guards protecting the carriage, he saw Uncle Wang's eldest son, who works in the Three Emperors' Mansion?" Yan Shanshan chimed in.

"He specifically told Uncle Wang that he must ask his eldest son what happened."

"And the young ladies of Yuqiong Tower closed early because of the rain. They saw the famous swordsman Fu Yaofeng leading a group of people rushing towards the eastern suburbs from the pavilion. Because of this spectacle, the doors were closed, and they all went up to the high building to observe the situation," Li'er added.

"Where did you hear all this news so early in the morning?"

"Aunt Fu, who delivers vegetables and fruit to the Lu residence every day, and Uncle Liu, who delivers firewood, are familiar with Old Guo, who sells fish at the market."

"Can't you tell there's a connection?" This is related to the string of names they just mentioned.

"Old Guo, who sells fish, knows Ah Cai, the butcher who slaughters pigs. Ah Cai and Old Zhang, who sells late-night snacks at the North Street intersection, have been drinking buddies for many years."

"Oh, it all connects." The first name Li'er mentioned was Old Man Zhang.

"Early this morning, everyone went to Uncle Wang's house, the blacksmith, to find out what was going on. Coincidentally, Uncle Wang's eldest son, who works as a military officer, was home on holiday today, so the young ladies quickly spread the word—"

"Wait a minute." How could there be any pretty girls? Su Shaochu interrupted Li'er's incessant chatter. "It's only morning. The pretty girls at Yuqiong Tower can only see Fu Yaofeng leading the Purple Gold Guards at most. It hasn't even opened for business yet. Where would they get such news?" That's all they can see from Yuqiong Tower.

"Oh dear, Uncle Wang, the blacksmith, had his wife die many years ago. He and Cui Gu from Yuqiong Tower were old lovers. Cui Gu swore that she saw Uncle Wang's second son, who works in the palace, in the Wuwei Army led by Fu Yaofeng from the top of Yuqiong Tower. She wanted to go to Uncle Wang's place early this morning to tell him about it, but everyone was there, and his eldest son, who works in the Wuwei Army, had also returned. So everyone started talking about it."

"It sounds like Uncle Wang's sons are all very accomplished." One works in the palace, and the other in the Three Emperors' Mansion; both are serving as guards.

"After the girls understood the situation, they had something to talk about in the evenings, and the place became lively."

"I have indeed made a significant contribution," boosting the nighttime business in the capital.

"Young Master Su, you've said so much already, what really happened last night?"

"Last night I was at Huafangyuan..."

"So you were meeting your lover at Huafang Garden!" Li'er exclaimed in surprise, covering her cheek, having received this unexpected firsthand information.

"Li'er, don't get caught up in those shallow rumors. If Shao Chu is going to have a lover, he'll have to ask my lover for permission first!" Yan Shanshan spat, turning to warn Su Shao Chu—

"To be clear, I won't mention the big trouble you caused Zhu Yu behind my back last year, but I'd better let me see your lover first. Rumors in the capital never stop, and we're bound to be rumored together. Since it's destined to be rumored anyway, let it be the top story. Don't let it be about an old man selling soy milk and fried dough sticks on the street, a waiter at an inn, or a pretty widow who has lost her husband. Those kinds of versions only circulate among the common people. If the court version can't be spread, then let me have the martial arts version."

Yan Shanshan, the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world, is proud and arrogant. She has been pampered and coddled by everyone since childhood, and even the rumors about her are different from others.

“Well, Brother Fu should be able to handle it.”

"The renowned swordsman Fu Yaofeng, wow! He's now one of the commanders of the Imperial Guards, bearing the weight of the Prince's safety. Now the court and the martial world are both embroiled in this! Excellent!" Yan Shanshan clapped her hands in satisfaction. "And then what?"

"Next..."

Before her stood a master and a servant, their eyes gleaming as they awaited her answer.

"Uh, what do you want to know?" She was too tired to say anything more, so she figured it would be quicker to just answer their questions directly.

"Didn't Zhu Yu take advantage of you last night?" Yan Shanshan asked directly.

"He didn't have time, and besides, he had other purposes last night."

"Tch! I spread such a blatant rumor, I couldn't have used such a strong drug, and he only had ulterior motives." She lamented.

"Shanshan." Shao Chu took her hand, calling her name with great emotion, his gaze filled with deep affection. "Considering our 'steadfast love' over the years, I hope you won't do something so cruel, planning to send me into the tiger's den to be slaughtered."

"Oh, Shao Chu, of course I don't want you to get hurt. I know you're smart enough to handle Zhu Yu and escape safely." Yan Shanshan immediately cupped her face reluctantly. "But Zhu Yu's behavior shows me how much I've done that makes him furious. You know how much I hate him."

"Shan, you'll drive him crazy and kill me!" Her gaze softened further as she gently grasped the soft hand on her cheek. "You don't want your little lover outside the wall to be unable to cross the wall and have those thrilling midnight trysts with you, do you?"