VBNWDW - Chapter 115

Chapter 115

News of the peace talks arrived seven days later.

Zhong Jueyu intended to cover things up, and the abbot naturally cooperated. The events of that night were thus erased. In just two days, Zhong Jueyu moved back to her own room. Her impatient, almost desperate haste made Luo Yueqing, who had lost her personal furnace, wonder if her sleeping habits were simply too unsightly.

But the only one who knew—Zhong Jueyu—gave vague answers. Sometimes, when Luo Yueqing pressed her, she would just invent an excuse and run off, refusing to say a single word.

Luo Yueqing could only guess and speculate, losing several nights of sleep in her frustration.

But agonizing over it was useless. It was better to just focus on her lessons. Ever since the abbot had agreed to let Luo Yueqing explain the Daoist teachings to Zhong Jueyu, the two of them had to stick together at all times, even during the day.

The sight made Ruan He and Li Shigui, who often came to stand guard, grit their teeth with envy.

However, this rare peace did not last long. Ruan He stood beside Zhong Jueyu and repeated the news once more: "His Highness the Crown Prince has already returned Yuzhou and Yanzhou to Great Chu."

Zhong Jueyu sat in the library pavilion, her eyes downcast, saying nothing.

Even the usually boisterous Li Shigui just stood there silently.

They had known the Crown Prince was mediocre, but they never imagined he could be this incompetent.

This war had been started by Great Chu without provocation. They had slain the old general Great Liang had sent to defend the city, sending tremors throughout the land. At that time, panic gripped the capital, and rumors spread through every street and alley that Great Chu would press its advantage, march on the capital, and unite the world under its rule.

The Emperor, seated on the Dragon Throne, had asked his court officials ten times, yet no one dared to accept the heavy responsibility of leading the army against Great Chu.

In the end, it was the Grand Princess of Great Liang who stepped forward and, before all the civil and military officials, issued a military pledge, swearing she would repel the Chu army.

This showed just how difficult Zhong Jueyu's situation had been at the time. Some noble families had even openly mocked her for overestimating her own abilities.

And yet, she had led them, pushing back Great Chu all the way to Yanzhou. For two whole years, how much effort had Zhong Jueyu and her people expended? How many soldiers had they lost? How many near-death experiences had they endured? Even if His Highness the Crown Prince couldn't grasp the fine details, surely he understood the money and provisions Great Liang had poured into this war?

And now this! He had rushed over in a great hurry, holding both the moral high ground and a strategic advantage, and yet this was the outcome of his negotiations!

Yuzhou and Yanzhou were returned. The reparations amounted to only ten percent more than two years of military expenses. The other clauses seemed advantageous, but in reality, Great Liang was the one losing out.

How could they not be furious about this?

When the two armies were facing off, where was His Lordship the Crown Prince?

Now he pops up to pick the fruits of their labor, and he can't even pick a good one, signing a pile of nonsensical agreements!

Across from them, Luo Yueqing held a scripture and also remained silent. Although Zhong Jueyu had let her stay, it didn't mean she could get involved. She could only listen in bits and pieces.

Li Shigui was the most impatient and couldn't help but speak first. "No matter how much His Highness the Crown Prince disagrees with us, he shouldn't have done this! Setting us aside, how can the brothers who died in battle rest in peace?"

She was so angry she was shaking, her lips trembling.

Beside her, Ruan He clenched her fists. After a long moment, she said, "The news has already reached the capital. Everyone probably knows by now."

Zhong Jueyu remained motionless, still sitting at the desk. Her slender back was ramrod straight, and the veins on the hand resting on the table bulged.

Suddenly, Li Shigui dropped to her knees and cried out, "Your Highness!"

She didn't say what she meant, but kneeling there so rigidly, her eyes filled with indignation and fury, said everything.

They had followed Zhong Jueyu for so long; they knew best how His Majesty and the Crown Prince treated her.

When the Empress was alive, they were a relatively harmonious family. But after the Empress passed away, the Grand Princess began to show her brilliance. The Crown Prince, who could once have been called benevolent, was made to look increasingly incompetent by comparison, and so the siblings grew estranged.

And His Majesty not only failed to intervene but even sided with the Crown Prince. He had to rely on the Grand Princess's talents on one hand, while on the other, a rift grew between him and her.

After so long, how could the two of them not feel heartache for Zhong Jueyu?

If being a loyal minister wasn't an option, then being a powerful one would have to do.

Their thinking was simple. Many civil officials in the court already supported the Grand Princess, and now, more than half the military was their people. Since His Majesty was wary of her, they might as well stand in direct opposition to him.

Luo Yueqing wasn't surprised. She kept her head down, pretending to read, but was actually deep in thought. She knew Zhong Jueyu's character well. She seemed cold, but in reality, she valued relationships and loyalty. She would remember even the smallest kindness, to say nothing of her feelings for her father and brother.

No matter how furious she was right now, she definitely wouldn't agree. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited until Li Shigui was dead, Ruan He was crippled, and she herself had crawled back from the brink of death to finally make her move.

Besides, if she truly had such intentions, she wouldn't have kept a daughter of the Luo Family here. Such matters, of course, required the utmost caution.

What Luo Yueqing was thinking about now was how to make Zhong Jueyu become estranged from the Crown Prince sooner.

If she remembered correctly, in a few days, when the Crown Prince returned to court, a prince from Southern Liang would also arrive and propose marriage to the Grand Princess. His Majesty and the Crown Prince would be indecisive and send the Crown Prince up the mountain to find Zhong Jueyu.

Luo Yueqing's eyes narrowed. At that time, the Crown Prince hadn't just sought out the Grand Princess; he had also tried to find his nominal fiancée. However, the original owner of her body, in order to avoid him, had gone down the mountain the day the news arrived and only returned after the Crown Prince had left.

So what if she didn't leave this time?

While she was pondering, the conversation on the other side had ended. Zhong Jueyu still hadn't agreed; she just waved her hand, dismissing Ruan He and Li Shigui. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only swallow their anger and leave.

The door was closed once again. Sunlight squeezed through the lattice, falling to the floor in shattered patches of light.

Zhong Jueyu lowered her eyes to the tabletop, looking at the grain of the ancient wooden desk, where wormholes and cracks mingled.

On the side of the desk sat a pot of tea and a plate of pastries. The tea was hers; Luo Yueqing found it bitter and only ate the pastries.

The abbot had prepared this study for them. It wasn't special treatment; it was simply the rule at Xuanmiao Temple. After morning lessons, there was a period of rest, after which masters would take their respective disciples to small, private studies for instruction.

Although the two of them weren't master and disciple, their relationship still involved teaching and explaining, so the abbot had requested a room for them as well.

The sound of soft footsteps pulled Zhong Jueyu back to reality.

Her expression was calm, as if she were completely unaffected. She turned her head to the side.

The little Daoist, who had been approaching on tiptoe, was caught in the act. She froze, her doe-like eyes wide as she looked at Zhong Jueyu with an innocent expression.

Her image was reflected in those deep, somber eyes.

Zhong Jueyu didn't speak. The little Daoist pretended nothing had happened, walked to her side, lifted the teapot to pour a cup, and then slowly slid it in front of Zhong Jueyu.

Zhong Jueyu didn't cooperate as she usually would; she just watched her.

The little Daoist glanced at her, then nudged the teacup a little closer.

The tea sloshed, creating brown ripples.

Zhong Jueyu's gaze, however, rested on the other's wrist. It was slender and slightly bony, with a small, round bone protruding at the side, a hint of pearly white visible beneath the thin skin. The pitiful, bruised purple-and-red state from before was gone, but it still possessed a fragility that suggested it could snap with a single twist.

Her gaze shifted to the long, fair fingers. The little Daoist kept her nails trimmed diligently; they looked clean and neat, with a faint pinkish hue. No wonder she hadn't left any scratches, despite how hard she had gripped.

Zhong Jueyu's thoughts strayed for a moment before she snapped back to her senses, silently scolding herself for her wild imagination.

But she couldn't be blamed. Anyone treated like that for two nights would inevitably be affected. Only this person, fast asleep, knew nothing and even whined that Zhong Jueyu disliked her. Zhong Jueyu thought it was a mercy she hadn't kicked her out of bed.

The teacup was pushed to the edge of the desk, but Zhong Jueyu still didn't reach for it.

Luo Yueqing tried another tactic. She reached for the pastries beside them and held one directly to Zhong Jueyu's lips. "Have something sweet," she said.

The little Daoist's method of coaxing someone was truly clumsy. Not only was Zhong Jueyu not placated, she was almost angered into laughter.

Who comforts someone by offering them their own favorite food?

Only Master Qingyue would do such a thing.

The pastry pressed against her thin lips, and a few crumbs scattered unintentionally, clinging to her moist, red lips and refusing to fall.

Zhong Jueyu lifted her gaze to look at her, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of helplessness and annoyance. She just wouldn't open her mouth to take a bite.

The little Daoist had no perseverance at all. Seeing her refusal, she turned her hand around and took a bite herself without a change in expression, as if she'd been eyeing it all along and had only offered it first to comfort the upset Zhong Jueyu.

Zhong Jueyu froze. She wanted to stop her but wasn't as fast as Luo Yueqing, managing only a single word: "I…"

Luo Yueqing looked at her innocently, her puffed-out cheeks moving as she chewed.

The unfinished words were stuck in her throat.

But Luo Yueqing, as if misunderstanding, offered the half-eaten pastry to her again, saying generously, "I've tried it. It's delicious, not too sweet."

Zhong Jueyu pressed her lips together, unable to tell if this person was being deliberate or not. Her expression was so frank, yet her actions were overly intimate.

At least, in the Grand Princess's experience, even married couples rarely did something like sharing a single pastry.

"Jinyan, just try it," the little Daoist said, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. She was still trying to push her sweets, her bright eyes looking at Zhong Jueyu expectantly.

As if possessed, Zhong Jueyu opened her mouth and bit off a small, moist piece.

Perhaps because someone had already taken a bite, the pastry wasn't as hard to accept as usual. It dissolved into coarse crumbs on her tongue, releasing a faint floral fragrance.

"How is it?" Luo Yueqing asked as if seeking praise, practically wishing she had a tail to wag. It was unclear what she was so proud of.

Zhong Jueyu's gaze flickered away for a second. She answered perfunctorily, "It's fine…"

Just when she thought Luo Yueqing would stop there, the girl suddenly sat down on Zhong Jueyu's lap and then, right in front of her, took a bite from the part of the pastry she had just bitten.

The wooden chair wasn't large and could barely fit two people, so it was a bit of a squeeze. Zhong Jueyu instinctively wrapped an arm around the other's waist. She had only meant to keep her from falling, but it felt more like she was pulling her into an embrace.

The little Daoist pretended not to notice and raised her hand to feed her again.

Zhong Jueyu complied, taking another small bite.

A short piece of pastry was eaten with a tantalizing slowness.

In that moment, Zhong Jueyu suddenly recalled that in the palace, a romance between two women was called duishi, or "paired dining." In that case, what they were doing…

Did this count as true paired dining?

Zhong Jueyu took another bite of the pastry, her lips unintentionally brushing against the other's fingertips, leaving a moist trace.

But the little Daoist paid it no mind, eating the rest of the pastry herself. Her fingertips had also touched her own lips.

Zhong Jueyu's gaze darkened. She didn't know how their ancestors had come up with that term, but it was remarkably fitting.

The little Daoist certainly knew how to enjoy herself. After finishing the pastry, she reached for the tea, completely forgetting she had poured it for Zhong Jueyu. She took a gulp and then offered the cup to Zhong Jueyu's lips again. If an outsider saw them, they might suspect something was wrong with Zhong Jueyu's arms.

"To cleanse the palate," the little Daoist added thoughtfully.

Zhong Jueyu raised an eyebrow and obediently took a sip.

After all this was done, Luo Yueqing hooked her arms around the other's neck and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

So this was her way of comforting people.

Zhong Jueyu felt helpless, but she did indeed feel a bit better. She could only say, "Thank you for your comfort, Master Qingyue."

The little Daoist's eyes curved into a smile. "A thank you should be sincere," she said.

Who knew what sneaky little plan she was hatching? Wanting a reward for such a clumsy method.

But Zhong Jueyu said, "For instance?"

"For instance, you could sleep with me tonight," Luo Yueqing said immediately, then complained, "I've been sleeping alone these past two days, and it's not warm at all…"

The smile on Zhong Jueyu's lips froze. She refused without hesitation. "It's already early summer. The wooden bed is narrow. Two people wrapped up together would be unbearably stuffy."

Luo Yueqing's face fell. "Oh," she said, then added sullenly, "Then can we sleep together in the winter?"

"We'll see…"

Outside, a breeze blew past. The verdant mountains rippled like a wave. Fallen blossoms littered the ground, ungathered, as summer lingered on.

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