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Chapitre 77

"Mistress, listen to me, I didn't..."

“I know you didn’t mean that. You’re a normal man. You were just acting impulsively that day, or maybe you were possessed, which is why you did such an unusual thing! Isn’t that right? Your Highness, you’ve said it almost a hundred times. I know, I understand, I forgive you, I get it, and I don’t blame you! Is that alright, Your Highness?”

"You're just making excuses for me again! If you really forgive me, then why are you still avoiding me?"

"I...I was just trying to avoid suspicion!"

Tuoba Chen's face instantly darkened: "Avoid suspicion? A clear conscience fears no accusation. We have nothing to hide, so what suspicion is there to avoid!"

"But have you forgotten the shocking things you said in front of the Prime Minister that day? Think about it, your words and actions that day were already suggestive. If we hadn't avoided suspicion, what do you think he would have thought? What would he have thought?"

Tuoba Chen was furious: "So, all you've got is the fear that the Prime Minister will misunderstand! Little San, tell me the truth, what are your true feelings for that Tuoba Jie!"

What... what thoughts...? What kind of thoughts could a man possibly have about another man? Is it normal for someone to ask such a question with jealousy? The answer, of course, is no...

A chill ran down her spine. It turned out that homosexuality existed in every era. Although she didn't despise this group—after all, love transcends age, place, and even gender—the thought of it happening to her still sent a chill down her spine, even though she was a pseudo-gentleman…

With her toes darting outwards, Rongyue cautiously tried to escape from Tuoba Chen's side. Seeing Rongyue's intention, Tuoba Chen narrowed his eyes, took a step to the left to block her path, and braced himself against the wall, trapping Rongyue firmly between the wall and his towering frame.

With her back against the wall, Rongyue's almond-shaped eyes widened: "Second Prince! What are you doing!"

"It's not about what I, Your Highness, want to do, but what are you doing, Mistress! Mistress, is being with me so unbearable for you? Am I so annoying, so repulsive, so unsightly that you can't even say three words before you want to run away?"

Sensing the mournful tone in his voice, Rongyue's desire to escape intensified: "Your Highness, how could you think such a thing? I've never..."

"Little San, stop making excuses. I don't understand. What is it about me that makes you so biased towards Tuoba Jie?"

"Your Highness..."

"Mistress, you tell me! If I don't get to the bottom of this today, I swear I won't rest until I've gotten to the bottom of this!"

"Ah? Prime Minister! Prime Minister, what brings you here?" Rongyue waved excitedly to Tuoba Chen's back.

"Tuoba Jie? Where is he!" Following the direction of Rongyue's finger, he turned his head angrily, but in that instant, Rongyue swiftly struck his pressure points.

Pushing aside Tuoba Chen's tall figure, Rongyue ran away without looking back, disappearing in a flash. Behind her was Tuoba Chen, his eyes wide open, unable to speak, his limbs unable to move...

Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Fourteen: Stealing a Wife

A slender crescent moon, a clear, sharp blade. The thin moonlight gently brushes across the swaying branches of the crabapple tree, transforming into thousands of silver drops and ten thousand silver flowers.

I long to pour out my heart on paper, but my sorrows are overwhelming. I pick up the pen, unsure where to begin. So be it. I put down the pen and sigh softly. My gaze sweeps lightly over the few crabapple trees by the window. A gust of wind stirs, and the petals fall, floating and sinking like a desolate purple rain…

A delicate fragrance of orchids wafted over, and Yu Yan nestled close to Rong Yue, reaching out her slender hand to smooth her furrowed brow: "Husband, is something troubling you?"

An uncontrollable pain flashed across her almond-shaped eyes. Holding Yu Yan's slender, delicate hand, Rong Yue's face was filled with sorrow, reflected in the flickering candlelight, her entire being radiating an aura of utter loneliness…

A few hours ago.

"Second Prince, why did you drag me to this alley? You wouldn't happen to be here to get revenge on me for what happened that day, would you?"

"Mistress, I have something to tell you..."

"I know what you're trying to say. You just want to explain to me that you're sexually normal and don't have homosexual tendencies, right? I've heard it all before! Please, Your Highness..." Rongyue suddenly stopped. Tuoba Chen, completely unlike his usual playful self, now looked serious and solemn, staring intently at Rongyue, his expression revealing undisguised guilt and unease. This sight of Tuoba Chen made Rongyue's heart tighten. As if she had a premonition, her intuition told her not to let Tuoba Chen say anything...

Without giving Rongyue any chance to escape, Tuoba Chen pressed down on Rongyue's shoulder, his starry eyes filled with suppressed self-reproach: "Xiao San, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing to me! This is ridiculous! Get out of my way, I want to go back to my residence!" Rongyue interrupted Tuoba Chen abruptly with a shout. Perhaps even she herself didn't realize that her voice was trembling unseen by others.

He pulled Rongyue into his arms, and murmured painfully, "Xiao San, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'm so sorry, please don't blame me, please forgive me..."

Pounding Tuoba Chen's arm, Rong Yue shouted angrily, "Let me go! Let me go now!"

"Hey mistress, hit me! If it makes you feel better and vents your anger, then hit me as hard as you want!"

"Let me go!"

"Mistress, listen to me..."

...

In the fickle weather of early winter, when warmth gives way to chill, it's hardest to find peace. The cold is like the icy water rising from the river in early winter—cold, chilling, penetrating to the bone, freezing to the heart. The feeling of a cold heart is truly like this; a sharp pain, like a blade formed from fleeting light slicing across the chest…

The cruel words of the Second Prince Tuoba Chen rang clearly in her ears again—

“My brother is a man of deepest feelings. If he had been born into an ordinary family, this might have been a blessing. But being born into the royal family, especially as the crown prince, would surely be a disaster! One wrong move and the country would be thrown into chaos, or even destroyed!”

"Since the Crown Princess's passing, my elder brother has been constantly anxious and sorrowful, with bitterness weighing on his heart. This has led to his illness, and his health is deteriorating rapidly, which is very worrying! The imperial physicians in the palace say that if he does not resolve his inner turmoil, his illness will become incurable, and even the most skilled physicians in the world would be powerless to help him!"

"To alleviate my elder brother's melancholy, Father sent him to the bustling and prosperous Eastern Mausoleum under the guise of handling important matters, but in reality, it was to help him relax. On the other hand, he sent me to travel to various cities to find someone who resembles the Crown Princess..."

“Your wife, Yu Yan, happens to bear such a striking resemblance to the late Crown Princess… On that very day, I sent someone by fast horse to inform Father Emperor…”

"Later, I regretted it deeply and thought of secretly sending someone to find another woman who looked similar to take her place. But when I returned to the capital, my father didn't ask about it for a long time. I thought he was just saying it casually that day, so I didn't take it seriously..."

“But this morning, my brother returned from Dongling, his health was poor, his condition had worsened, and he even coughed up blood! Father was terrified and ordered me to quickly bring your wife, Yuyan, into the palace to serve the Crown Prince and help my brother resolve his inner conflict.”

"Later, I tried my best to persuade him, and finally convinced the Emperor to allow you two to spend one last night together..."

...

The last night, the last night... Why, why should she be handed over like this? Why? Just because they are royalty, and the words of royalty are imperial edicts, and no one can disobey them, everyone must do as they are told? Why!

But then Rongyue suddenly wondered if she was hindering Yuyan's pursuit of happiness. A young and beautiful woman in the prime of her life, yet she was with this fake man, wasting her youth and wasting her life, never enjoying a single day of the rights a woman should have. How could she be happy? Beauty fades in the blink of an eye, youth is fleeting. When she grows old and childless, without descendants, and has never even experienced the pleasures of love, how could she not feel resentful?

Yes, it's time to think about Yu Yan's future. After all, women here aren't like modern women; if a woman isn't married by seventeen or eighteen, she'll become an old maid! She has an unbreakable bond with Yu Yan, a bond born from shared hardships and life-or-death experiences. Along the way, through thick and thin, they've supported and relied on each other, their friendship evolving into familial affection. In short, Yu Yan has become an indispensable part of her life. However, she can't selfishly keep Yu Yan forever. After all, she's a woman, and she can't truly give another woman happiness…

"Yu Yan, have you ever thought about getting married?"