L'amour sous les étoiles lointaines

Chapitre 41

"As long as 'she,' Ke Luoqizhen, is here, you will ensure the safety of the Eastern Region." Su Shaochu said, making a promise to Ke Luoqizhen. "Now you want to deal with the Eastern Region and the Demon Church. To resolve this promise, you will allow a conspiracy to take shape, treating the killing of these people as a game. As long as the development goes in the direction you want, because everything is under your control."

That night, when Zhu Yu released her, he whispered in her ear: "My dear brother, do you want to know the true face of Ke Luoqizhen? This prince is thoroughly enjoying the mysterious drama in the Eastern Region."

“Young Master Ai, it’s a pity you think that way.” Zhu Yu, who was in front of the zither, stood up and waved for someone to remove the zither and incense burner. “It’s just a pity that I’m not a god and can’t possibly foresee all these things. I can only say that if Ke Luoqi Zhen had no ulterior motives, this matter would not have unfolded. I was just going with the flow.”

"Going with the flow, they conveniently pushed Ke Luoqizhen's life away!" she sneered.

“Whether it’s Ke Luoqizhen or Xuan Hongzhai Cheng, I, the prince, am quite fond of this person.” Zhu Yu’s tone was unusually melancholic. “But I can see that his heart is weary. Ran Liuxuan Hong’s assassination attempt was a path to death he deliberately paved for himself.”

"Using a bunch of lives to pave your own path to death!" Su Shaochu sneered coldly. "How is this any different from personally killing a bunch of people? Is the only difference that you don't get the blood on your own hands? As expected of someone the Third Prince would admire."

“Young Master Chu truly cherishes life. Instead of worrying about others, you should think about yourself!” Zhu Yu reminded her. “Once you accept my zither, you are not allowed to leave. When do you intend to fulfill your promise?”

"You can't accept rejection, can you?"

"Are you planning to stand outside the pavilion and talk to me like this?"

What's the use of having your heart outside the pavilion while your body is inside?

"Having a body is enough to win someone's heart; this prince will make sure you leave one thing behind."

"The Third Prince remains stubborn and refuses to let go!"

"You started this game, and after you stirred my emotions, you expect me to let go!" Zhu Yuru's eyes, though seemingly smiling, held a hint of coldness. "Young Master Chu, do you remember what I said: those who make me invest my feelings, or even toy with me, will suffer terrible consequences!"

What's the price for letting go?

"Why don't you tell me how I can win you over? How can I make you stop keeping me at arm's length?"

Su Shaochu closed his eyes, and after a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "Perhaps my thoughts and views about you are different from before, but in the end, I can't tell myself that my feelings for you are love. Can you force me to change these things?"

“I know very well what my obsession with you is!” Zhu Yu said firmly and resolutely, “I want you, Su Shaochu, more than any rare treasure in the world. I would say that no treasure in the world is as precious as you, Su Shaochu. What I want, I will never lose, nor will I allow anyone else to touch even a fraction of it. Before your feelings for me turn into love, I can give you time to adapt, but not indefinitely. Remember, you are not allowed to play evasive games with me again.”

Zhu Yusuo looked at the face that had hardened because of his harsh words, and couldn't help but soften her voice.

"I can't bear not seeing you, and I can't bear having you right in front of me but not being able to touch you."

Zhu Yu reached out his hand, but saw Su Shaochu outside the pavilion subconsciously take a step back, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.

"Shao Chu, the title of Third Prince's Consort will grant you anything, and it will be of no benefit to the Su family. As long as you accept me, I will grant you any condition."

He gently appealed to her emotions and reason, hoping she would stop keeping her distance as she entered the pavilion.

"I know you won't be swayed by power, but there are too many things in life that you can't decide from birth. As a member of one of the four great families, your family is destined to be caught up in the power struggles of the court. Since that's the case, why not seize what you can get?"

“Third Prince, your love, Zhu Yu, is too heavy to accept; but to refuse it will bring disaster.” She shook her head and said resolutely, “It is only a pity that I am unfortunate in my youth and cannot bear the favor of the royal family.”

Facing the person who was about to turn and leave, Zhu Yu called out in a deep voice.

"Su Shaochu!"

"What, does the Third Prince intend to punish Shao Chu for resisting and offending the royal family?" She stopped but did not turn around.

"Would you care?" He desperately wanted to pull her back and stop her from leaving, but he knew that would only push her further away. "As long as you come over and personally bring me this glass of wine on the table, I will not hold your defiance of the royal family against you."

"That's all?" Su Shaochu turned to look at him.

Yes, that's all.

Looking at the stone table and chairs between them, the white jade wine pot and white jade cup, and Zhu Yu standing with his hands behind his back, a subtle atmosphere was brewing in the space between them.

Seeing Zhu Yu's earnest gaze fixed on her, Su Shaochu felt a mixture of a smile and a sigh.

She knew what this step meant. As a noble prince of the imperial family, he had humbled himself for her, just so she could get closer?!

"Third Prince, you knew Ke Luoqizhen's true colors, yet you still used cruel methods to kill all of Ran Liuxuanhong's people. This is the distance between us. The past may be forgiven with time, but I really can't convince myself that you are someone I can get close to."

She stepped back and bowed her head, creating the distance between a commoner and a member of the royal family, and said again, "I am young and unfortunate, and cannot repay the favor of the royal family."

A deep, chilling aura enveloped Zhu Yu's eyes. Watching the departing figure, he picked up the small white jade cup on the table, drank the bitter wine in one gulp, and then crushed the cup in his hand!

"Since you will never get close to me no matter what, I will have to use the means you least want to use to get close to you, my dear Shao Chu!"

***Exclusively produced by Fengmingxuan*** ***

"Wow, this is the biggest butterfly I've ever seen."

A pretty girl dressed in a light green silk dress and adorned with precious jeweled hairpins cheered, happily showing off a large butterfly she held to those around her.

"Nonsense, I'm more likely to be arrested."

Another girl with the same appearance, wearing a yellow satin dress, was also excited. She pushed the butterfly in her hand directly onto the nose of the girl in green, startling her so much that she screamed and dropped the butterfly she had caught.

"You...you're bullying me like this, I'm going to tell Dad."

"Then I'll tell Young Master Su to tell her to ignore you from now on!"

"Young Master Su wouldn't do that. You're the one she'll ignore from now on!"

The twin sisters were arguing and saying that the other was wrong, when just then a flying shadow floated over their heads!

"Wow, an even bigger butterfly—"

She immediately discarded her spoils and chased after her new discovery, completely ignoring the group of maids and guards behind the mountain who were frantically searching for her.

He had just stopped the carriage at the request of the two noisy princesses, but in the blink of an eye, the person had disappeared. How was he going to explain this to the Third Prince?

On the grassy slope, the two sisters, Wuyou and Wuchou, chased after beautiful butterflies while bickering and pointing at each other, trying to scare away the butterflies they wanted.

At that moment, a horse-drawn carriage slowly passed by on the slope, and the wind lifted the curtain.

"Young Master Su!" Wuchou called out upon noticing.

"Where?" I've been cooped up in the Buddhist temple for so long, I haven't seen Young Master Su.

Inside that carriage.

The horse stopped at the edge of the grove of trees ahead, where about twenty servants dressed in identical, neat robes stood on either side of the carriage, each with a solemn expression.

Wuyou and Wuchou were both skilled in light footwork, and they immediately leaped away, hiding in the bushes next to the carriage to spy on it.

The carriage door was not open, but conversations could be heard coming from inside.

"I entrust this matter to you, Your Highness."

Sure enough, Su Shaochu's voice came from inside the car. The two sisters, Wuyou and Wuchou, immediately gave each other a gesture and a look that said, "It really is Young Master Su."

“Why should Bingyue be so polite?” Another man in the carriage said in a deep, gentle voice, “Besides, these are all my people from the Eastern Region. They have been wrongly used by good people. How can I bear to see them wandering in a foreign land? It is my responsibility to take them back to their hometown and give them a proper burial.”

"On behalf of the deceased, Bingyue thanks the eldest prince for his leniency."

"You rarely ask for favors, is there nothing else that I, Xiao Wang, can do to help you?"

“Meng Yansi is no simple man. Please be careful of him, Your Highness.”

"The Moxi Cult has been evil for too long, and the Eastern Region royal family has long intended to eliminate the evildoers. Keluoqizhen originally intended to cooperate with my royal family, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned."

Speaking of the deceased Xuanhong Zhai Cheng, Su Shaochu's heart remained heavy.

"The appointed time will come for you, King. I hope you will not forget your promise from back then. The first female pharmacist of Nanyuan Shaoqu has passed away, and the little swordsman is unwilling to respond to this matter. Now, only you can make the decision. I hope you will not disappoint me, Bingyue."

Su Shaochu inside the carriage seemed to remain silent.

"Back then, when I asked you, you remained silent, and now you still remain silent." The man sighed softly. "I never wanted to put you in a difficult position, Bingyue, but the promised date is not only something I look forward to, but also something the Eastern Royal Family looks forward to."

Su Shaochu sighed helplessly, then said, "In mid-autumn, I will personally go to the Eastern Region to complete the wedding ceremony."

"Xiao Wang will give you a grand welcome."

Hidden in the bushes, the two sisters whispered amongst themselves as they eavesdropped.

"Young Master Su is going to the Eastern Regions in mid-autumn!"

"What does 'completing the wedding ceremony' mean?"

"It's just getting married!" The older sister, Wuyou, tapped her younger sister on the head and scolded her for being stupid.

"But Father said that Young Master Su can only marry him!" Wuchou covered her head and glared at her.

"That's right! If Young Master Su marries someone else, he's no longer ours!"

"I don't want to! Young Master Su belongs to Father and us!"

The two sisters looked at each other, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the situation. A thought flashed through their minds simultaneously, and they shouted to each other, "Quickly tell Dad!"

"What are you saying?!"

A smiling voice joined them.

"They say Young Master Su is going to get married to someone else!"

Worry-free and carefree turned around and called out in annoyance, only to see a familiar face standing behind them with a smile on her face.

"Young Master Su, Young Master Su—"

The two sisters immediately jumped up joyfully, each grabbing one of her arms and clinging to her tightly. When they saw the other doing the same thing, they immediately started pulling and whining at each other.

"Young Master Su, please ignore Wuyou!"

"Don't pay any attention to Wuchou!"

As if seizing a treasure, the two stretched out their arms and wrapped them around Su Shaochu's neck, showing that they were the ones being pampered.

"Okay, okay, sweetie, I'll take care of both of you and love you both, don't fight."

Four pink arms wrapped around her neck, and Su Shaochu could only soothe the two little heads that were vying to cling to her left and right shoulders.

"Wuyou just scared me with a butterfly!"

"Don't worry, you're using my father to threaten me!"

She started complaining to Su Shaochu about the other party's grievances.

When faced with these two girls tattling on each other at the same time, the best approach is to both appease them and shift the focus.

"Weren't you two supposed to be at Qianruo Temple for fifteen days? How come you're here?" It hasn't even been ten days yet.

"It's so boring there! There's no Young Master Su, and no father either!"

"Yeah, we can't play, and we can't eat meat!"

This time, they all spoke at once, pouring out their grievances.

"Haha, poor two girls." Su Shaochu patted their heads. "Don't say a word about what you just saw or heard. I'll play with you for the next two weeks. You can eat whatever you want and play whatever you want."

"real!"

"You're not lying!"