Три мандариновые утки и полторы пары

Глава 23

"Um, how do you determine whether someone is provoking you or courting death? What are the criteria?"

"Seeing how happy I am." Is there even a need to ask? Zhu Yu ran his fingers through the flowing silk hair on his shoulder. "These Zifei Shuangyue have been stealing tributes and running rampant in the capital for a long time. They even dared to snatch the rare pearl right in front of me. What use are they in this world, so recklessly provoking me?"

"So what if he's accused of a few crimes by Zi Fei Shuang Yue? If he's not caught in a month, he might be accused of even more serious crimes; if we still can't catch him, he might commit all sorts of crimes—burning, killing, kidnapping, and looting—all by himself!"

"Does having more crimes help in catching someone?" If you can't catch someone, no matter how many crimes you pile on them, they won't come out on their own!

"No, but this will make me happy."

"Yes, yes, the Third Prince is indeed not fond of abusing his power and influence. He is magnanimous and broad-minded, far beyond what I can match!" Su Shaochu nodded repeatedly, completely understanding.

"This prince is magnanimous and easy to control. He doesn't like to make enemies or hold grudges. Even if something happens, he can forget about it almost instantly."

"Is that so?" Su Shaochu rarely drew out a long tone outside of the usual melody.

"In the blink of an eye, that person is on their own. I said, in the blink of an eye, past grudges are forgotten." As soon as he finished speaking, Su Shaochu suddenly slid halfway down. "Brother Shaochu, what's wrong?"

"Ah! The Third Prince's magnanimity and demeanor are so 'great' that it makes me feel like I can't hold my liquor." Su Shaochu sat up straight, crossed his arms to steady himself, and chuckled.

A heart that can be both calm and composed! It probably means: a personality that is unpredictable and moody!

"Are you alright, my dear brother? Hold out your hand, let this prince use my inner strength to soothe the effects of the alcohol in your body." Zhu Yu's caring hand immediately reached out to touch the person in front of him.

"It's alright, it's alright." Almost reflexively, Su Shaochu immediately backed away, preventing the other party from touching him again, and stopped reaching out to block the person, fearing that his arms would fall into the same trap again.

"My dear brother's blatant rejection is truly heartbreaking!" Zhu Yu sighed deeply. "When my heart is broken, I lose control of both emotion and reason. My dear brother, please don't blame me for using my imperial authority to oppress you then!"

"How dare I, Shao Chu, offend the majesty of the imperial family? It's just that I'm picky; I can't handle anything too tough or too soft. No matter how people try to persuade me, if I don't want to swallow something, I simply won't!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu burst into laughter, his loud voice spreading like a ripple across the lake. Immediately afterward, the small wine cup beside Zhu Yu on the table shattered!

"My beloved brother's beauty is truly irresistible! Your appearance, your personality, your gender, and even your sharp tongue—in my eyes, you are intoxicating and captivating. We should drink a cup together and get drunk under the moon."

"Why doesn't the Third Prince speak frankly? What exactly is your intention in releasing Shao Chu tonight?" This devilish prince is clearly here to intimidate us; it's definitely not just about helping Lu Mingchao capture Zi Fei Shuang Yue.

"I neither held a knife to your throat nor imprisoned you. My dear brother, you are free to leave whenever you wish. Why would I say I'm letting you go?"

"Your chief steward Yan Pingfei and Feng Yan, who serves the prince, did not accompany me to the Butterfly Maple Garden. This shows that they subdued the Three Profound Swords the moment I left. Unless I achieve the moonlit banquet that satisfies the prince, I'm afraid I won't see the Three Profound Swords intact!"

Zhu Yu clapped his hands, sighing and laughing, "My dear brother is indeed clever and meticulous! But you should know soon enough why you didn't turn back halfway to rescue them!"

"Save three people from Feng Yan? Shao Chu knew he was too weak to be that confident; or else he would cause a scene on the streets of the capital, targeting the Three Emperors' Mansion and the Imperial Guards. What would that be like!" Su Shao Chu shook his head and mocked himself.

"In the end, this matter will still fall into the hands of you, the Third Prince, who is in charge of the safety of the capital. At that time, the extent of the matter will depend on what conditions you, the Third Prince, who does not abuse his power or rely on his influence, will offer. In that case, Shao Chu would better attend this moonlit banquet tonight."

"Alas! Such a peerless talent, you are truly a troublesome person who makes this prince not know whether to have you or destroy you!" Zhu Yu reached out and grasped Su Shaochu's chin; this time, the other party neither flinched nor avoided, only his ethereal eyes showed indifference.

"Since in my beloved brother's heart I am always a treacherous and manipulative person, I have no choice but to see it through to the end. If I can't keep my master's arm, then let's see how the one-armed Three Profound Swords protect my master in the future. That will be a source of amusement!"

"Does the Third Prince truly only want Su Shaochu's arm?" The finger supporting his chin began to caress Su Shaochu's lips. "I thought what you wanted was for Su Shaochu himself to be under your control!"

"My dear brother, you've gone astray this time. I do indeed want you, Su Shaochu. Rather than trying to control you, I want to possess and imprison you. My dear brother is like the Minglan Guqin, rare and hard to find. To obtain the finest orchid in the zither, one must linger in a secluded valley." Zhu Yu stroked her soft lips with her thumb, her expression one of fascination as she carefully examined the serene beauty reflected in her eyes.

"I'll imprison you in a secluded valley, a hidden garden cut off from human habitation. With such a unique person as my plaything, whether I disarm you or break your legs, it's all up to my whims. The imperfection within perfection is the most alluring, especially for a transcendent being like a banished immortal. Stripped of that leisurely ease, tainted with the terrors of the mundane world, you'll surely be even more beautiful!"

"It's a truly chilling and unappealing thought!" Such a distorted mindset is indeed beyond the comprehension of "normal people."

"Having been toyed with every day, both physically and mentally, this prince really wants to see what Su Shaochu looks like when his spirit is broken and his will is worn down!"

The chilling declaration elicited a smile from Su Shaochu, who lowered his gaze and pushed away the hand under his chin with a look of awe.

"As expected, the Third Prince has a penchant for ruining people. However, he still hasn't stated the conditions for Shao Chu to leave Butterfly Maple Garden."

"As I just said, my beloved brother deserves a drink together under the moon." Zhu Yu picked up the last cup of wine on the table.

"Shall we have a drink together?"

"Your lips, Su Shaochu, are the wine cup I desire most."

Su Shaochu stared directly at Zhu Yu without blinking. The conditions were clear: Zhu Yu had to drink and feed Su Shaochu.

"As long as you, Su Shaochu, can get this prince drunk."

"I remember the Third Prince was a heavy drinker and never knew what it meant to be drunk." Now, a single cup of wine can make Zhu Yu drunk?

"My dear brother, I would rather be drunk on love than drunk on wine."

"I'm captivated! Your Highness has such refined taste. For me, even a thousand cups of wine cannot soothe my detached heart." Picking up the wine cup filled with wine, Su Shaochu drank it down in one gulp.

"Sometimes you can't get drunk just because you want to, and perhaps I haven't met anyone who can make me want to get drunk yet, but you, Su Shaochu, just looking at you makes me want to scoop up your intoxicating fragrance (lips)."

Lifting Su Shaochu's proud chin, Zhu Yu leaned down and covered Su Shaochu's lips with theirs, their lips intertwined tightly, leaving no gaps. The warm breath parted Su Shaochu's slightly pursed lips, and the wine inside was slowly sucked away. Su Shaochu kept his eyes downcast, his expression unreadable.

As soon as the wine in his mouth was finished, in a flash, the wine bottle on the table disappeared, and Su Shaochu was no longer in his seat.

"Shao Chu!" Zhu Yu called out, but it was too late to pull him away. He saw that elegant pale yellow figure flip and leap down from the pavilion!

With an elegant and slender figure, she stood on a small rock on the lake, the lake reflecting the lights and the moon's shadow. The shimmering water and light reflected each other, making her seem like a fairy on the water.

"Young love for his younger brother is truly unparalleled, leaving no room for anyone to take advantage!" Zhu Yutian's lips still carried the lingering taste of wine, a hint of unfinished enjoyment in her mouth.

"Third Prince, I have already done my part by sharing a cup of wine with you. I will return the favor with this cup of wine."

Su Shaochu, standing on the lake, raised his voice, picked up the wine bottle, toasted the people in the pavilion, then raised the wine pot high and tilted his head back to receive the poured silvery liquid.

"I have witnessed the splendor of this moonlit banquet. But alas, life is but a fleeting dream, and the world is a place of unbridled freedom. I cannot bear to part with your possessions, Third Prince. I can only advise you to pursue your dreams with a grounded approach and not to indulge in daydreams."

As a burst of energy flew through the air, Zhu Yu caught the wine pot that had been thrown back, holding it firmly in his hand without spilling a single drop.

"Thank you for the hospitality. We are just casual acquaintances, no need for you to see me off. Farewell."

Amidst the interplay of lights and moonlight, a graceful figure leaped onto the water, skimming across the lake's surface before disappearing into the moonlit void, leaving only ripples on the lake's surface.

"Alas! My dear Shao Chu, I forgot to tell you, what I really want to see is your disguise stripped away, a wound slashed across your body, and then Su Shao Chu being drunk by me, sip by sip. Your naked body and blood-stained drunken state would surely be more pleasing to the eye."

Zhu Yu took several sips from the wine pot in his hand, thinking about the taste of the wine he had just tasted with his lips.

"Are beautiful dreams easy to wake from?!" A glint of light flashed, and a chilling smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Who dares to wake me from a dream I don't want to wake from? Young Master Ai, who is it that is still dreaming, unaware of the impending danger?!"

Chapter Five

His face reflected on the water became increasingly blurry, and the large hand pressing tightly against his head made it impossible for him to break free!

He stopped breathing, and as soon as he opened his mouth, more water poured in through his mouth and nose. He frantically flailed his little hands, trying to push away the palm on his head, but only received a stronger force that pushed him into the deep water. The darkness began to distort his remaining consciousness, and his struggles became increasingly weak!

When he was suddenly pulled out of the water, the light shone on his painfully closed eyes, and air entered his nasal cavity again, causing him to cough up the water that had been choked in.

"I thought it was a young master, but it seems to be a little girl!" A lazy, cold laugh rang out, as if revealing a slender figure beneath a damp robe. "And a little fellow with martial arts skills at such a young age."

Her small eyes slowly opened, meeting a pair of cold and beautiful eyes. Before she could react, her neck was suddenly grabbed, and her small body was lifted out of the water!

"Third Prince, please stop!" a woman's urgent voice called out, quickly trying to stop him.

"Shaochu." The soft voice carried a familiar teasing tone. "May I ask if you are saddened by the sight of the lake? You seem so lost in thought."

On the rock pavilion in the back garden of the Lu family, the man who had been leaning on the railing and gazing at the lake in deep thought was brought back to his senses by the woman's voice.

Su Shaochu looked at the exquisite and beautiful face hanging in front of him. The other person lifted his face with a slight annoyance and looked at his eyes. He was clearly caught not paying attention, but he immediately put on an innocent and surrendering look!

"Don't try to be a meditating monk at such a young age," Yan Shanshan said, patting his cheek.

"With the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world before you, even a high monk would be tempted by worldly desires," Su Shaochu replied ingratiatingly.

"Oh really! I hope you mean it. You had the nerve to stand me up a few days ago, and now you're so careless and distracted. It's been a while since anyone disciplined you!"

"Shan, have some sympathy for your little lover outside the wall! He was just trying to go home, but he was caught by the devilish claws of Prince Ying. I was so scared. I thought he was going to be tortured to the point of being nothing but ashes." Su Shaochu immediately leaned his head against her chest, looking pitiful, and hugged her, saying, "It's all Zhu Yu's fault for breaking up a couple of lovers. Your little lover almost became a one-armed man."

"Poor thing! You must have been terrified." Yan Shanshan immediately showed maternal instincts and patted the person in her arms. "But why did Zhu Yu want you to have only one arm!"

"He asked me to give him either my arm or my beloved Shanshan's arms. How could I bear to let him hurt you? Of course, I was the one who sacrificed myself." The helpless tone recounted the danger of that night.

"Oh! Shao Chu." Yan Shanshan patted him again, reluctant to let him go. "But what does that devilish prince want an arm for?"

"He said he wanted to use it to make pills!"

"Alchemy?!" When did Zhu Yu develop this hobby?

"Zhu Yu said he wanted to collect one hundred arms of all kinds of 'beautiful women' to refine a kind of 'Qi-restoring, powerful, and rejuvenating tonic pill'!"

"Hmm, that sounds like a really potent medicine!"

"Of course it's powerful! How could a pill refined from a hundred arms not be potent!"

"Is it... is it for enhancing male virility?" The name sounds very similar. I didn't expect that Zhu Yucai, at his age, would already need to rely on this kind of thing. He really is a person who indulges in excessive sexual activity. But does the arm have any effect on that aspect?

"No, this is for helping you sleep."

"You've already had a powerful rejuvenation treatment, do you still want to sleep?"

"Forged from a hundred arms, its strength is just too great. If you swallow it, your blood will burst from all seven orifices, and you'll collapse!"

"Tch!" Yan Shanshan pushed him away irritably. "I knew you loved to play around. What exactly happened that night?" She walked to the table and sat down.

"To give her a warning, and then have a drink and chat about our... 'dreams'." Su Shaochu had no choice but to sit down at the table with her and serve her tea as Mrs. Lu.

*Pfft*, she almost spat out her tea. "You two... can drink and chat happily, and even... talk about dreams!" Yan Shanshan wiped the tea stains from her lips. These two didn't seem to get along that well! Not to mention Shao Chu avoiding Zhu Yu, even when they sat down to talk, it was all a verbal battle!

"Yes! The Third Prince has an inexplicable love for gardening. He said he wanted to get a rare orchid from a secluded valley, and planned to plant it in a secret cliff where no one would see it. When the orchid blooms, he would slowly pluck a few petals, because seeing an incomplete orchid blooming with its imperfect beauty would bring him complete joy."

Yan Shanshan's face contorted in disgust. "What kind of hobby is this! She's such an unlikable person."

"So I told him that I personally prefer a carefree life and am not very interested in handmade gardening with flowers and plants. Since everyone has different preferences, I can't help him." Su Shaochu leisurely sipped his tea.

"That's it?" That's all.

Su Shaochu nodded. "Yes!"

"Zhu Yu let you go so easily?!" This is really unlike the Third Prince who is "invincible against both men and women, and never looks back after killing the wrong person!"

"We paid a price, but in the end, it was settled with 'a glass of wine'!"

"One drink and it'll be fine!" Yan Shanshan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hmm." Seeing her doubtful expression, Su Shaochu gently touched her nose and said, "The only disagreement was that we had different opinions on our preferences for wine glasses. In the end, he used his glass and I used mine, we toasted each other, and that was the end of it."

"Oh! So that's how it works." Yan Shanshan patted her chest after hearing this, looking relieved, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her lips. "Come on, have some mead I made a month ago. It's brewed with honey. The honey flavor is strong in the first day or two of brewing, and it becomes very clear after half a month. It's a sweet and delicious wine."

Yan Shanshan lifted the sealing cloth from a small jar on the table and poured wine into a small bottle using a ladle.