L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 86

"Qing'er, don't forget Mo Jun's current identity." Zheng Xuan looked at Ao Xue holding Ao Jun's hand with displeasure and said with a serious face.

"Isn't there no one here? Don't worry, I'll let go of Jun as soon as we leave the backyard!" Aoxue said nonchalantly. She knew her limits, you know? Why don't you trust her?

"You know I'm a woman?" Ao Jun asked Zheng Xuan calmly, as if the matter was none of her concern. She had found it strange from the beginning. Hadn't her brother-in-law always thought she and Xue were lovers, and looked like he wanted to kill her? Why didn't he show any hostility when he saw her again?

"You and Qing'er are really alike, with absolutely no sense of hierarchy." Zheng Xuan was taken aback, then smiled and said, without answering Ao Jun's question. Judging from her manner of speaking, she didn't treat him like an emperor at all, addressing him directly as "you." Was it because she was too arrogant? Or did she simply not believe in hierarchy, just like Qing'er? Although they both exuded an aristocratic air, they never gave the impression of being superior or inferior.

"Xue, did you say that?" Although Zhengxuan didn't answer directly, Aojun could tell from his attitude. She turned to ask Aoxue. She didn't mind that Zhengxuan knew her identity, but she found it strange. Didn't Xue say that she wanted to punish them and make her brother-in-law jealous? Why would she tell him?

"No, no! Humph, he figured it out himself, what a lecher!" Ao Xue gave Zheng Xuan a disdainful look. Zheng Xuan was truly on the verge of tears. What had he said wrong this time? He hadn't said a word!

"Oh, hehe..." Seeing Ao Xue and her husband like this, Ao Jun smiled sincerely. Xue was really happy to have such a loving husband.

"Never mind him, let's go! Let's go see your Crown Prince's tutor's residence." Ao Xue blushed a little and pulled Ao Jun out.

Zhengxuan could only follow behind them with a frustrated look on his face, listening to them talk about things he couldn't understand at all.

Just as they were about to leave the backyard, Ao Jun suddenly turned around and said to the two of them, "Don't tell Jin Xuan that I am a woman." Now that her brother-in-law knew her identity, she was afraid that they would tell Jin Xuan, and then Jin Xuan would definitely be even more determined not to let go. She needed time to consider her feelings for Jin Xuan and Yelü Ying.

"Jun, why don't you want Jinxuan to know? Has something happened between you two?" Aoxue's playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious one. Jun must know Jinxuan's feelings for her, otherwise she wouldn't be behaving so strangely. But why, even though she herself clearly has feelings for Jinxuan, does she not only want to leave the Jin Prince's residence but also forbid them from telling Jinxuan that she is a woman? She was originally planning to tell Jinxuan Jun's true identity later.

"Nothing? Xue, promise me." Ao Jun clearly didn't want to talk about it, and said it lightly, but his tone was so firm.

"Alright, I promise you, I won't tell Jinxuan you're a woman." Aoxue looked at Aojun's resolute face and had no choice but to agree. If Jun didn't want to say something, there was no way she would hear it from her mouth, no matter what. Looking at her weak and listless appearance, she couldn't refuse her request, so Jinxuan, I can only apologize to you.

Ao Jun then looked at Zheng Xuan, who returned his gaze and said, "I cannot bear to see my younger brother suffer." Because of Qing'er's matter, Jin Xuan was already suffering enough. If he were to lose Mo Jun as well, he truly dared not imagine what would become of him.

"Xue." Ao Jun looked at Ao Xue and called out. She knew that only Xue could keep her brother-in-law from telling Jin Xuan.

"Don't worry! I'll convince Xiao Xuanzi not to tell Jin Xuan." Ao Xue said knowingly, knowing that it would take some effort to persuade Xiao Xuanzi.

"Hmm." Ao Jun nodded, and with a heavy heart, stepped out of the backyard and walked towards the front gate.

The three of them left the Prince Jin's residence. Ao Jun glanced at the three large characters of "Prince Jin's residence" and turned away without hesitation: "Jin Xuan, let's separate and calm down!"

Looking at the pure white figure before them, Aoxue and Zhengxuan glanced back at the Prince Jin's residence and sighed helplessly: It seems their love story is going to be difficult!

The Strategist and the Princess: Kyoto Chapter 63 - Junhao's Love

"Ah! I've got it!" Suddenly, the stunningly beautiful woman jumped up and shouted at the young man who was reading a book, and the beautiful scene vanished.

"What?" Ao Jun asked indifferently, her eyes still fixed on the book in her hands, without even lifting her eyelids. In truth, her heart was trembling: Xue must have come up with some new idea; her Prince Fu family was doomed sooner or later.

Sure enough! "Oh dear, what's so interesting about this book?" Ao Xue snatched the book from Ao Jun's hand, forcing Ao Jun to look up at her. Then she continued, "Jun, I've got it! Isn't the back mountain of the manor empty? We can build a 21st-century stadium there. It would be so much fun! Oh, and we can also build a villa where we can live. Oh, and we can also..." Ao Xue rattled off a whole bunch of modern buildings. The more she talked, the darker Ao Jun's face became. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop! Do you want to bring all the buildings from the 21st century here? And do you think my back mountain is inexhaustible, that you can do whatever you want with it?" Ao Jun couldn't take it anymore, her face cold as if she were determined to defend her Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's Mansion to the death. She was right, Xue had been eyeing her Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's Mansion all along. The backyard had already suffered at her hands, and now she wasn't even letting her back mountain go. If she built a stadium, a villa... according to Xue's idea, then her Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's Mansion would definitely become an exhibition hall. People from all over the world would openly and secretly visit her home, and her peaceful life would be ruined.

"Hehe... not really! Let's build a stadium and a villa first, and we can talk about the rest later!" Ao Xue was completely unaware that someone was rapidly cooling down, still immersed in her fantasy, and said happily. She seemed very easy to talk to, and her mind had already begun to draw what the stadium and villa would look like.

"Stop your wild imagination, I won't let you touch the back mountain of my manor again." Ao Jun couldn't take it anymore and poured a bucket of cold water on Ao Xue, directly rejecting Ao Xue's 'suggestion'.

"Ah? No, Jun, please just say yes, okay? Please?" Ao Xue immediately resorted to coquettish tactics, clinging to Ao Jun's arm and swaying it from side to side. No, yes was her dream of over a year—to build a modern, new-style building in Longxuan, this ancient city.

"Not good." Ao Jun said these two words indifferently, then took the book that Ao Xue had just snatched away and sat back down on the swing to read.

"My lord, don't be so heartless! I really miss the 21st century so much! Building this will allow me to remember you, so please grant me this small wish! Okay?" Ao Xue was an unkillable cockroach, how could she give up so easily? If pleading didn't work, she would immediately use the strategy of sympathy. In short, she wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted.

"Why don't you build it in your palace? Besides, isn't your husband the current emperor? There's plenty of space for you to build these things, why are you fixated on my Crown Prince's tutor's residence?" Ao Jun retorted coldly without even raising her eyelids. Didn't she know Xue's tricks? Trying to play the victim, didn't she even consider how noble and powerful her husband was?

"Waaah... You don't know, we time travelers actually had a pretty tough time in ancient times. People were so backward, we didn't know anything, sob sob... That brat Xuanzi, every time I told him we were going to build a stadium, he kept asking and asking! What's a stadium? What's a swimming pool? What's a tennis court?... I couldn't explain it clearly, and if I didn't explain it clearly, he said he wasn't comfortable with it, saying that only I knew how to do these things, and if we were really going to build it, I would definitely supervise the construction myself. The mother of the nation can't be so exposed, and my body wouldn't be able to handle it," he said a whole bunch of things, finally forcing me to give up the idea. Sob sob... I never thought I'd finally meet you, finally someone who's also a time traveler, and you actually... actually... Waaah... I'm so heartbroken." Ao Xue burst into tears and threw herself at Ao Jun, complaining as if she had really suffered a great injustice. Actually, what she said was true, just not as miserable as she made it sound.

"Stop crying, get up, you know how dirty you are?" Ao Jun frowned and tried to push away Ao Xue, who was trying to ruin her new dress. But Ao Xue was like an octopus, clinging to her and impossible to shake off, and she was even threatening to burst her embrace.

"Fine, I'll agree, okay?" For the sake of her clothes, Ao Jun had no choice but to agree to Ao Xue's demand to 'cede territory and pay reparations' in exchange for the clothes.

"Really, I knew you were the best, Jun." Upon hearing this, Ao Xue happily raised her face with a bright smile and kissed Ao Jun's cheek. Her face was clean, without a single tear.

Ao Jun rubbed her head in frustration. She'd been fooled again! Her poor back mountain! "Master, I'm so sorry, I was so naive!"

"Qing'er, what are you doing?" Zhengxuan suddenly appeared under a plum tree with a furious expression, speaking in a voice so cold it sent chills down your spine.

"Xiao Xuanzi, you're here." Ao Xue ran over happily, grabbed Zheng Xuan's hand, and said with great joy, completely ignoring Zheng Xuan's anger. Hehe... She finally got Jun to agree to let her build a stadium, how could she not be happy!

"Hmph, Qing'er, even if Mo Jun is a woman, you still need to be careful. Don't just keep kissing and hugging him like that." Zheng Xuan looked at Ao Xue like this, unable to get angry, and could only remind her again patiently. His tone was still sour. Actually, he already knew from Qing'er that Mo Jun's real name was Ling Ao Jun, but out of habit, he still called him Mo Jun.

It's been half a month since Mo Jun moved from the Prince Jin's residence to the Crown Prince's tutor's residence. Qing'er sneaks out of the palace every day to run here, forcing him to do the same. She can avoid being seen, but as the emperor, he can't hide his every move from everyone. So now the whole court is talking about how favored the Grand Tutor Mo is. What's worse, many officials have seen Mo Jun, and some even suspect he has bad habits, leaving him unable to explain himself. This Mo Jun is really heartless; she hasn't seen Jin Xuan even once in half a month. No matter how many times Jin Xuan comes to see her, she always finds an excuse to avoid him, making him and Qing'er very anxious. But they can't tell Jin Xuan Mo Jun's true identity, and they don't know what Mo Jun is avoiding. Every time he sees Jin Xuan looking so lost, he feels sorry for him.

"Don't worry! Apart from Jun and me, there are only a few servants in the entire Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's residence. They don't usually come back here anymore," Ao Xue said nonchalantly.

"You!" Zhengxuan affectionately tapped Aoxue's nose, and Aoxue leaned on his shoulder with a happy expression.

Zhengxuan turned his head and said to Aojun with a serious expression, "Jindi came to see me again today, and you still refuse to see him?"

"No time." Ao Jun turned her head coldly, looking at the distant horizon, and said indifferently. For the past two weeks, she knew that Jin Xuan had come to see her every day, but she had always avoided him. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, but that she was afraid. She was afraid that giving him hope would only bring him more painful despair in the end. So, until she had thought things through, she wouldn't see him, but her heart had never forgotten him.

"No time? I see you're always so free! I don't know what happened between you two, or why you're avoiding him, but I will never allow anyone to harm Jinxuan." Zhengxuan said with a cold smile, his sharp eyes staring directly at Aojun, an aura of natural imperial power pressing down on her, making her tremble involuntarily.

Ao Jun continued to gaze at the sky, but his eyes were so empty. He didn't say a word to Zheng Xuan's words, just stood there quietly, as if he wanted to merge with heaven and earth.

"Jun, Jinxuan really, really loves you. I know that you also have feelings for Jinxuan in your heart. Otherwise, you, a love idiot, would not be so determined to avoid Jinxuan. Since you both have feelings for each other, why do you have to torture each other like this? What are you being so stubborn about?" Aoxue rushed to Aojun and turned her face, which was gazing at the sky, back to ask the question she had been wanting to ask for the past two weeks.

For the past two weeks, she's watched Jun repeatedly turn Jinxuan away. When she asks why she won't see him, Jun always responds with silence. But after each Jinxuan leaves, she's heartbroken for days, which is very unusual for someone as rational as her. Why run away when she's clearly in love? No matter how she tries to subtly probe, she can't get the crux of the problem out of Jun. She won't say anything, and even if she wanted to bring them together, she wouldn't know where to begin. Seeing them like this makes her and Xiaoxuanzi miserable every day, especially after Jinxuan leaves. They always sigh. As for resolving their issues, it seems only the one who tied the knot can untie it.