Eyes Charming

Глава 104

"Haha... So that's how it is, so that's the truth, so everything was fake, so that's what you, Leng Aojun, are like..." Jin Xuan suddenly burst into laughter, saying all sorts of nonsensical things.

Seeing how perfectly in sync the two were, their deep embrace that morning, and how Mo Yueying had tried so hard to stop him from coming in, her words evasive, saying it wasn't convenient for him to come in at this time, and even the housekeeper had hesitated and tried to stop him—it turned out that was the reason! It seems they often do this, behind his back, the two of them have already… Heh, it turns out he's just a fool.

Ao Jun turned around, frowned, and looked puzzled...

Seeing Ao Jun frown, Jin Xuan stopped laughing and gave a cold laugh: "What, am I wrong? It turns out I was never wrong about you. Whether you are a man or a woman, you are fickle, heartless, and fickle. When Yelü Ying was not around, you were with me. Now that he is back, you are going to him, aren't you? Hmph, you said you wanted me to believe you, you said you would give me time. I should have seen through you when you refused to marry me time and time again, shouldn't I? I should have realized it when I saw the way you looked at Yelü Ying in the main hall, shouldn't I?"

"Your Highness, how can you say such a thing? Doesn't that imply that Jun is a promiscuous and lowly woman?" Yelü Ying walked between Ao Jun and Jin Xuan, put his arm around Ao Jun, and said with a wicked smile.

"Am I wrong? You, Ling Aojun, are just this kind of person at heart. Why are you pretending to be so high and mighty in front of me?" Jin Xuan's sharp eyes pierced Yelü Ying's arm around Aojun, and he coldly uttered these ruthless words. Aojun did not flinch from Yelü Ying's embrace, which further provoked him, and the words slipped out without thinking.

With a loud 'smack,' a five-finger mark appeared on Jinxuan's face.

Ao Jun stared coldly at Jin Xuan, gritting her teeth as she said, "Ouyang Jin Xuan, what right do you have to talk about me like that? Do you think you're any better? I'm fickle, that's right, I am fickle, I fall in love with every woman I meet, but I've never hidden the fact that I have two people in my heart from you. And you? Hmph, you keep saying you only love me, how deep your affection for me is, but the moment you turn around, you're hooking up with Cheng Wuying, and now you're here crying 'stop thief!' Ouyang Jin Xuan, I finally see you for who you really are." Jin Xuan's words truly stung her; it turned out that in his heart, she was this kind of person.

"Shut up! You're not allowed to talk about Wu Ying like that!" Jin Xuan shouted sharply, covering his face with his hands, his deep eyes fixed on Ao Jun with a fierce gaze. Seducing? Hmph, Jun, I never thought those words would come from your mouth.

"Not allowed? Ha... What? Feeling sorry for her? Is it seduction or something more polite?" Ao Jun sneered. Xin was in pain: You care about her that much? You feel sorry for her if you say something bad about her, but in your heart, I'm just a fickle woman.

"Wu Ying is innocent, kind, and pure. Don't assume everyone is like you." Jin Xuan coldly replied to Ao Jun's mockery. Wu Ying had been innocent, kind, gentle, and graceful since childhood, but he had wronged her, which had always made him feel guilty.

"If that's the case, then why don't you go find your pure and innocent sister Wu Ying, but instead come to find a fickle woman like me? Are you just being shameless?" Ao Jun's sarcasm deepened, her eyes cold and devoid of any warmth.

Naïve and kind? Even I can see she's incredibly shrewd and not a simple person. I refuse to believe you, the dignified Prince Jin, can't see it. If you can't, there's only one possibility: love. Xue said love can make people blind; even the smartest person can be deceived, only seeing the good in the other person. He fell in love with Cheng Wuying. (Xue forgot to mention that guilt can also blind one to the truth.)

"That's right, I was just being a fool to let down such a good girl like Wu Ying for someone like you." Jin Xuan said coldly, it was unclear whether he was mocking Ao Jun or himself.

"Regret falling in love with me? Regret refusing to marry Cheng Wuying in front of the Emperor?" Ao Jun said coldly, his face turning pale. Although he had believed this to be true ever since he heard what Prince Zhongwu said, he still couldn't bear to hear him say it with his own ears.

"Yes! I regret it, I regret it so much." Jinxuan didn't know why he said such a thing against his conscience, but the words just slipped out. When he saw Aojun's face turn pale instantly, he regretted it, but he was too angry to take back what he had just said.

"Fine, very well. It's not too late to regret it now, is it? Anyway, we're not married yet. Ouyang Jinxuan, I grant your wish. I wish you and Cheng Wuying a long and happy life together, with many children and grandchildren." Ao Jun proudly raised her head and said coldly. Although hearing Jinxuan say that made her feel dizzy and something was about to well up in her eyes, her pride and self-respect did not allow her to show the slightest weakness, especially in front of him. She had to straighten her spine.

"Then thank you for your blessing. I also wish you and Yelü Ying the best." Jin Xuan said through gritted teeth with a gloomy face. He waved his green robe, snorted, and left resolutely.

With each step he took, he felt the distance between him and Jun grew further. Why had they come to this? Just a few days ago, everything was fine. She clearly said she would explain things to Yelü Ying. The most brilliant strategist in the world shouldn't be like this. Jun isn't like this! Why did you suddenly become like this? Or have you always been like this, and I simply didn't understand you? Gazing at the starry sky, his heart cried out, and two lines of tears silently streamed down his face. Who says men don't easily shed tears? It's just that they haven't reached the point of heartbreak yet.

Watching Jinxuan leave the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's residence with difficulty, Yueying, hidden in the shadows, sneered. She tore the paper in her hand into pieces and scattered them upwards. The pieces fell like petals from a fairy's shower, but before they hit the ground, they were blown away by the wind. The paper read: "According to the original plan, close the net!"

After Jin Xuan left, Ao Jun, who had been standing straight, suddenly slumped down on the bed, tears streaming down her face. She gripped the headboard so tightly that her hands bled.

"My lady, come with me." Yelü Ying sat down beside Ao Jun, took her bleeding hand, his eyes filled with heartache, and said firmly. Seeing Ao Jun in such pain, his heart ached too. He wanted to make her happy, to make her joyful, but her happiness should be given to her by him. She couldn't be so heartbroken for another man; her emotions could only be changed by him.

"Yelü Ying, I'm sorry, I can't go with you." Ao Jun turned around, her back to Yelü Ying, and said calmly. For some reason, after Jin Xuan left so heartlessly, her mind was clearer than ever before. It was as if her emotional intelligence had been suddenly developed. She saw love more clearly and understood it better. She was no longer ignorant and naive.

"Your Majesty..." Yelü Ying never expected that Your Majesty would so clearly reject him at this moment. He thought that after being 'hurt so deeply' by Ouyang Jinxuan, Your Majesty would leave with him in despair. Was he wrong?

"Don't speak yet, listen to me. Yelü Ying, I admit I liked you, you've always held a place in my heart, but I love Jin Xuan, always have. I'm a person who keeps my promises, and because of a promise I made to you, I completely confused my feelings for you and Jin Xuan. I didn't know how to choose. But Xue's scheme made me think Jin Xuan was dead. At that moment, I understood my choice. At that moment, I abandoned the promise I had always upheld. At that moment, I saw my own heart clearly. Yelü Ying, I can only apologize to you. Actually, when I fired that shot at you in the Cangliao military camp, my heart skipped a beat and I made a choice. But my reason blinded me. I love Jin Xuan, I love him so much. Even though he betrayed me, even though he betrayed our love, I still can't forget him. I still love him. It's impossible for someone like me to accept another relationship. Do you understand?" Ao Jun poured out all her feelings in one breath, and immediately felt much lighter. Was she really that foolish? She actually fell so much in love with a man who didn't deserve her love, yet rejected such a good, devoted man.

"No, why can't you accept it? Do you still have any hope for Ouyang Jinxuan?" Yelü Ying turned Ao Jun around, shaking her repeatedly, his voice bordering on madness. Ao Jun's words were a huge blow to him. He couldn't believe it. He had done so much, exhausted all his efforts and schemes, only to get this result. What was the point of everything he had done?

"No, after today, I'm filled with despair for him, but I know I can never forget him in this lifetime. Life isn't just about love, so even without love, I can live a good life. From today onward, I, Ling Aojun, will return to being the dashing and carefree Young Master Mo Jun, commanding armies on the battlefield, and I will no longer suffer for love." Aojun stood up abruptly, as if he had come to a realization, and spoke firmly to Yelü Ying as well as to himself. The gloom from before was swept away, and his face shone with confidence and pride.

Such a dazzling and proud ruler gave Yelü Ying a momentary illusion that she was simply not suited to be a mortal. She was originally a free spirit, an outsider to the world. It was he and Ouyang Jinxuan who had forcibly dragged her into this mortal realm, forcing her to experience the seven emotions and six desires of humankind, breaking her wings that allowed her to soar like a roc. He wavered a little. Had he made a mistake...?

"My lord, why are you doing this to me..." Jin Xuan sat on the ground with disheveled hair, holding a wine jug in his hand. He poured the wine into his mouth and roared to the sky. His voice was so sad and desperate. There were empty wine jugs all around him, all of which he had drunk.

"Your Highness, please stop drinking," Yi Tianyi Han said, trying to take the wine pot from Jin Xuan's hand.

They had only been gone a short while, and so much had happened so quickly that they were still reeling from the shock. Was this the same Prince Jin, the once-renowned "Cold-Faced War God"? He was practically a drunkard, having been drinking for a whole day and night, and still drinking non-stop. His hand holding the wine jug was trembling. How could his body possibly take this? No matter how they tried to persuade him, the prince wouldn't listen to a word they said.

"I want to drink more. If I get drunk, I won't have to think about anything... But why am I getting more and more sober the more I drink? I must not have drunk enough. Go, go get me some more wine, go!" Jinxuan took another big gulp, his drunken eyes glazing at Yitian and Yihan, sometimes grinning foolishly, sometimes shouting.

"Don't go! I don't want to... I don't want to see her. Love is always met with indifference, haha..." Jin Xuan shouted at Yi Han, who was about to leave. He didn't want to see her, didn't want to... yet he thought of her constantly, of her every smile and frown, of her thoughtful calculations, of her confident breakthroughs, of her shy and charming demeanor... His heart ached with longing, a pain that numbed him. He wanted to forget, but he couldn't! ... He could only drown his sorrows in alcohol, but that only deepened his grief.

Yi Han stopped and looked at the prince, who was chugging wine and grinning foolishly. He and Yi Tian exchanged a glance, and their eyes reddened. They were heartbroken for their prince, for their strategist, and for their love. They were two people who should have been happy, but things had turned out this way. Whose fault was it? Even the Empress's affair back then hadn't made the prince so devastated. It seemed that their prince was truly head over heels in love with the strategist.

"Your Highness... Your Highness, Miss Mo has arrived." Uncle Zhu rushed in, calling out anxiously even before entering the door. Perhaps their prince could be saved, and they hoped Miss Mo could bring good news.

Seeing the prince lying on the ground, Zhu Bo burst into tears and choked out, "Miss Mo, please come in." Then he gestured for Yi Tian and Yi Han to leave.

Yueying frowned as soon as she stepped into the room. The stench of alcohol made her want to vomit. She kicked a wine jug as she moved, and looking at the jugs scattered on the floor, she gasped: "Heavens! This was all drunk by the Prince alone! How much did he drink?" Following the trail of jugs, Yueying's heart trembled. In her memory, the Prince Jin, who commanded thousands of troops and was cold and confident, now looked like a drunkard, his hair disheveled, his face haggard with stubble, his eyes unfocused and empty. His once firm, tightly pressed lips were now chuckling foolishly as he rambled incoherently. His clothes were open, spilled with wine, and creased, emanating a strong smell of alcohol… Suddenly, a pang of pity struck her. Her brother had actually been very good to her… No, no, she had to get revenge. She couldn't be soft-hearted. Mo Jun had wronged her first; Mo Jun had wronged her…

Constantly telling herself this, Yueying ignored her reluctance and proceeded according to the original plan. She slowly walked to Jinxuan's side, squatted down, grabbed Jinxuan's hand holding the wine pot, and said with a hint of tears, "Your Highness, please don't drink anymore. If my brother sees you like this, he will be heartbroken."

Jinxuan tried hard to clear the mist from his eyes to see who it was. He burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke: "Feeling sorry for you? Hahaha..." He laughed until tears streamed down his face.

“You’ve misunderstood me, brother. She has never betrayed you. There’s nothing between her and Yelü Ying. The reason she stopped you from going in that day was because… because she misunderstood you and Cheng Wuying and was so angry that she vomited blood. We were afraid that if you went in, it would upset her, so we stopped you from going in.” Yueying recounted while crying, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"What? You mean Jun... she vomited blood? What happened?" Yueying's words sobered Jinxuan up quite a bit, and he asked in shock.

Yueying recounted the scene she witnessed with Aojun that day, omitting her conversation with Prince Zhongwu and the entire story of Aojun's immediate vomiting of blood and fainting after returning to the Crown Prince's tutor. With a sob in her voice, she said, "Brother, she has suffered greatly these past two days. She thinks about the Prince every day, brother..." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Jinxuan, who was completely stunned.

"Damn it, Ouyang Jinxuan, what have you done?" Jinxuan slapped his head hard, his face full of remorse. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stumbled to his feet, rushing towards the door while muttering, "Jun...no, I have to find Jun, I have to...she forgive the nonsense I said...Jun..."

"Wait, if you go now, won't that just make her angrier? She's still furious and won't listen to anything I say. She won't want to see you," Yueying said, pulling Jinxuan back.

"What should we do, my lord..." Jin Xuan slumped against the wall, muttering to himself, like a lost child, completely disoriented, his eyes filled with confusion. He had been so angry that day, how could he have misunderstood her like that, how could he have doubted her, how could he have said such things? My lord, she must have been heartbroken by him, she must hate him so much. My lord, but how could you doubt my love for you? How could you doubt my relationship with Wu Ying? My lord...

Yueying seemed to think for a moment, then suddenly turned from worry to joy and said, "Your Highness, you can write a letter! I'll show it to my brother. If she still refuses to forgive you, just write it a few more times until she's willing to see you and forgive you."

Jinxuan suddenly realized something as if struck by lightning. He rushed to the desk and swept all the wine jugs off the floor. He then began to write intently, his face full of tenderness. He did not notice the cold smile on Yueying's lips.

Holding the letter written by Jin Xuan, Yue Ying glanced at it as soon as she left the Prince Jin's residence, sneered, and tore the letter into pieces. "Hmph, entering the gate of my longing, one knows the bitterness of my longing; long longing is endless, short longing is boundless..."

For several days in a row, Jinxuan wrote letters to Aojun every day, which could also be called love letters, but unfortunately, Aojun did not receive a single one, while Jinxuan waited anxiously for Aojun's reply every day.

He finally got what he'd been waiting for...