Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 129 - 119: Just Talking about Romantic Affairs

Chapter 129: Chapter 119: Just Talking about Romantic Affairs

Wang Yizhi, upon hearing this, looked at Chu Yu with surprise and said, “I thought you would first ask me about the private conversation I had with the old man earlier.”

Chu Yu smiled faintly and said, “I have no desire to delve too deeply into the secrets of others. In fact, you don’t have to answer. I know that within the grasp of power, there is no such thing as trust.”

To have climbed to his current position, he had betrayed countless people, hurt countless people, abandoned countless people—too many to count. Wealth and power were woven from bloody bones into splendid garments. Although she was not adept at scheming, how could she not understand after seeing so much before and after her arrival?

Wang Yizhi chuckled without saying a word. Since Chu Yu already understood, he preferred not to waste words disparaging his own great-uncle.

Deception is the norm in the pursuit of self-interest. If everyone were to deal with each other honestly, that would be truly abnormal. He has always enjoyed his freedom, disliking constraint, and has never wished to be entangled in these matters. He wouldn’t have come today if he hadn’t learned that Chu Yu had been summoned by Wang Xuanmo.

Chu Yu, with her shoulders hunched, leaned against the carriage wall and sighed, “It is precisely for this reason that I am reluctant to agree to your great-uncle right away.” A marriage alliance was absolutely out of the question. As for a cooperative agreement, Chu Yu was very uncertain, distrusting both Wang Xuanmo’s stance and his credibility, and she was also unclear about her own feelings.

...

She was unsure whether she should continue to assist Liu Ziyue, that cruel yet naive tyrant.

These past days, the scene of Moxiang’s death replayed in her mind over and over, her dreams stained with blood red. Moxiang’s beautiful features were frozen in shock. Chu Yu knew this was a knot in her heart that would take time to untie. Because of Moxiang, and the four children killed earlier, she could not let go.

She understood the cruelty of royal power, the horrifying extent to which humanity can disappear, but when witness to it firsthand, she still found herself petrified, frightened not just of death but of the ferocious and bloody visage.

No matter what she thought, in the eyes of outsiders, she and the little emperor were firmly bound in the same camp. Liu Ziyue’s interests were her interests; if Liu Ziyue fell, she would also lose power and even be killed.

Dai Faxing was dead, and next, other old ministers in the court who blocked Liu Ziyue’s unrestrained actions would likely be killed. Then, an Imperial Uncle would rebel, assassinate the little emperor, and take the throne for himself.

That rebellious Imperial Uncle, Chu Yu could now roughly guess who it was—it was most likely Prince Xiangdong, Liu Yu, as mentioned in that folk song. If he survived in the coming days, then he would enjoy great fortune.

Chu Yu couldn’t help but ponder whether she should curry favor with the future emperor now, assist him at a crucial moment, so that when the throne changed hands, Liu Yu would remember her kindness and spare her.

However, this idea was extremely unreliable. Not to mention whether the future Emperor would indeed be Liu Yu; even if he were, the world was full of examples of ingratitude. Even if she extended favors first, if Liu Yu turned against her, she feared she would end up more miserable than before.

After much consideration, Chu Yu sadly realized that within the political realm, the only person she could trust not to harm her was Liu Ziyue.

If she supported someone else’s rise to power, she would first face the hostility of Liu Ziyue. The brutal competition for interests within the struggle, and even if successful in the end, whether the new ruler would bite the hand that fed him was an unknown.

If she wished to survive under the guise of a Princess, her best and easiest option was surprisingly to stick with Liu Ziyue and ensure that the despot lasted forever.

This reality filled Chu Yu with revulsion.

Chu Yu sighed deeply once more. Wang Yizhi leaned in, raised a hand to smooth the frown on her forehead, and said with a smile, “Don’t frown all the time, or you will age prematurely.”

Chu Yu instinctively grabbed his hand, looking at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, and asked, “Do you know what your family’s elder is really planning? Which side is he truly on?”

Wang Yizhi helplessly shook his head and said, “I have never been involved in these matters; how could I understand the inner workings?” He withdrew his hand, looked at Chu Yu, and spoke softly, “I really dislike these things. This is probably the first and the last time I will help you in this regard. One piece of advice: don’t trust anyone’s promises in a battle for power.” One must never trust them, for whoever does will lose.

It then dawned on Chu Yu that the man before her was Wang Yizhi, who indulged in the beauties of nature and remained untouched by worldly matters. Asking him all these questions had troubled him considerably. If not for her, the very idea of power wouldn’t even flicker in his thoughts, let alone be spoken out loud.

With this in mind, Chu Yu couldn’t help but say with a sense of guilt, “Brother Yizhi, I’m truly sorry.” Despite knowing his dislikes, she had been asking him all these questions, which was truly to ask too much of him.

Wang Yizhi flashed a smile and said, “Zichu, rest assured, even though I do not like the matters of officialdom, I will not cut ties with those involved just because of my dislike. You are still my Zichu, and I have always been your Brother Yizhi. From now on, we will only talk about poetry and beauty, not about family, nation, or the world. Is that agreeable to you?”

Chu Yu gazed at Wang Yizhi, and after a long while, she broke into a smile and said, “Thank you, Brother Yizhi. Whenever I come to see you in the future, I’ll be sure to bring tea and wine, with my full attention on you alone.” Although difficulties lay ahead, she didn’t know why, but her mood had suddenly lightened considerably. Originally she had been troubled by not knowing how to choose, but now she unexpectedly felt as if there would be a way when the car reached the front of the mountain.

Wang Yizhi also smiled and said, “I will certainly be waiting at any time, fearing only that you won’t come.”

In a moment, their worries dissipated, and they exchanged smiles.

*********************************************

After sending Wang Yizhi back to his home, Chu Yu had her carriage returned to the Princess Mansion. Once Wang Yizhi left, she suddenly felt the atmosphere around her become heavy again.

Still no answer in sight, still unable to see the path forward.

Upon entering the mansion, passing by the junction of the East and West Upper Pavilions, Chu Yu was supposed to head straight for her own residence. But her feet turned, steering her towards the West Upper Pavilion, where she first went to find Huan Yuan.

In the room, both Huan Yuan and Liu Se were busy. Chu Yu paused upon seeing them, slightly taken aback. Though the setting was familiar, the people were different. The trio of the past was now only two. When she occasionally visited in the past, she would hear Moxiang teasing Liu Se in a mocking yet orderly manner. But now, it had become much quieter, and even the air held an undertone of solitude.

Chu Yu called Huan Yuan out to inquire about his social engagements during her absence, and the answer surprised her greatly.

This surprise was a pleasant deviation. During her absence, Huan Yuan had achieved greater success than anticipated. He had become good friends with several scions of the noble families, frequenting their gatherings, and had even met with the heads of two noble families. Although these connections were still superficial, it was only because Chu Yu’s side had yet to truly demonstrate their clear capabilities.

From Huan Yuan’s account, Chu Yu noticed something: although Huan Yuan had made good relations with noble families in Jiankang City, the Wang family was notably absent from his connections. However, today, Wang Xuanmo came directly to her, indicating other families were still unaware of her background, while the Wang family had aimed straight for the principal and made their move.

This indirectly reflected Wang Xuanmo’s shrewd and deep plans.

With a mind heavy with doubts, Chu Yu left Xiu Yuan Residence and headed for Muxue Garden.

The season was approaching autumn, with a trace of summer’s heat still lingering in the air, yet within the bamboo forest of Muxue Garden, all was cleansed away.

Upon entering Muxue Garden and seeing the vast bamboo, Chu Yu suddenly realized how she had come up with the layout for her own Chu Garden: entering to see a forest—wasn’t this an idea borrowed from Muxue Garden?

Step in to see the forest, come into the forest to find the person—a matter of no hesitation. Rong Zhi lay comfortably on the green stone platform within the forest, looking serene with his eyes half-closed. But Chu Yu knew he was not asleep, so she approached and stood beside the platform.

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Soon, Rong Zhi opened his eyes. Without making any move, he simply smiled at her—a smile that unfolded in the shadow of green bamboo, as clear as moonlight on water: “Is there something you need, Princess?”

Chu Yu looked down at him, and after a long silence, she voiced her inner doubts: “Moxiang is dead, yet I never saw you grieve for him.” After all, he had mentored Moxiang for so long.

Although she had been caught in her own troubles earlier, unable to notice any anomaly in Rong Zhi’s behavior, reflecting on it these past days, she couldn’t help feeling a chill for Moxiang: Was he so easily abandoned? Without any lingering attachment or pain?

Rong Zhi continued to smile and said, “Princess, I am not sad. You can call me heartless or you can call me ruthless, but if I were to display grief, that would be laughable and worth of ridicule.”

With a lingering smile, his eyes clear and distinct, reflecting a snow-like indifference: “I, by nature, am a heartless person. The only person I care about now is you, Princess, and you alone.”