layer upon layer

“Your Highness is mistaken,” Zhao Youyi said calmly, creating some distance between them. “Our relationship as cousins ​​is thousands of miles apart. It would be very improper for me to address Your Highness as brother or sister.”

Hearing her distant words, Chu Chanyin stood there stunned. "When have we ever been so formal with each other?"

“Your Highness, I thought about it last night, and it’s better to draw clear lines in some relationships,” Zhao Youyi said, looking up at him with unblinking eyes, “especially between you and me.”

Their relationship? Their relationship was never exactly innocent from the start. They tacitly accepted the ambiguity between them, as if they could continue living in a daze as long as they didn't break through that barrier.

But as soon as someone breaks this balance, they can no longer maintain the facade of peace.

"A-Wan, don't push me away." Chu Chanyin reached out and grabbed her sleeve, then lowered his head slightly to look at her.

His complexion was probably inherited from his mother; despite years of fighting on the battlefield, he remained fair-skinned. Now, with his eyes slightly red as he looked at her, no one could resist him.

Zhao Youyi neither pushed him away nor made him let go. After a long silence, she sighed silently, "Brother Huai Cong, you always manage to easily exploit my weaknesses."

Chu Chanyin couldn't help but smile bitterly. Did he have a hold on her weakness? Clearly, he was the one who couldn't do anything about her.

The boat docked at the ferry terminal. The conversation that day ended without any resolution. The group disembarked and arrived in Wanzhou. Originally, in order to avoid attracting attention, the two planned to pretend to be a married couple, just like they had in Yunzhou. However, after that unpleasant conversation, their relationship became awkward, and they naturally had no mood to play the role of an intimate couple.

So when Ying Jiu and the others called Zhao Youyi's wife, Chu Chanyin spoke up for the first time to stop them, saying, "Just call her Miss. In the next few days, my cousin and I will address each other as brother and sister."

Zhao Youyi smiled slightly, "Cousin, what are you saying? We are siblings."

Upon hearing this, Chu Chanyin paused for a moment, then pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes, what my cousin said is true."

After disembarking, the group went straight to the inn. Zhao Youyi sent his men out to inquire and learned that Wanzhou had recently become a trading hub between the two countries. The Southern Barbarian army had then used the pretext of welcoming the princess to station troops in the city. The people were talking about it, and the city's literati pointed directly towards the capital and cursed the tyrannical emperor for bringing disaster to the country.

Zhao Youyi frowned as he listened. "What exactly does this dog emperor want to do! First, he signed a treaty that humiliated the country and ceded its sovereignty, then he poisoned meritorious officials, and now he's allowing the southern barbarian army to garrison the border. The situation is so chaotic now, I'm afraid even if a god descended to earth, he couldn't save the Jin Kingdom."

Chu Chanyin walked in from outside the door and said calmly, "My people sent word that things are in chaos in the capital. Imperial Censor Liu and others have been demoted and exiled to Lingnan for opposing trade."

"Then it must be near Virginia," Zhao Youyi said, no longer bothered by his previous unusual behavior; business was more important now. "How are the Gu family?"

Chu Chanyin unconsciously observed her expression. "The Gu family is a royalist faction and has a marriage alliance with the Song family, so they naturally agree."

"A marriage alliance? When did the Gu family become related to the Song family by marriage?" Zhao Youyi recalled carefully. She had a good memory and had never heard of this before.

"It was around the time we left Yunzhou that the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree ordering Gu Zeyu to marry the third daughter of the Song family," Chu Huaicong said.

The Gu family had always been a neutral party and never participated in factional struggles. Moreover, she remembered that the third daughter of the Song family had a fiancé. How could she suddenly marry Gu Zeyu?

"The Empress Dowager urgently needs to stabilize the court's power; this marriage is merely a pledge of allegiance to the Gu family." Seeing her displeasure, Chu Chan sighed and said.

Zhao Youyi thought of Gu Qiyu. In the struggle for power, the voice of women's resistance can never be heard. What if one day Gu Qiyu also becomes a victim of the struggle for power?

First there was Princess Yulang, and now there is Lady Song. Those in high positions of power reap the benefits, while innocent women are sacrificed for the rest of their lives.

It seems we need to speed things up, otherwise more innocent people will get involved.

"Does my cousin think there's a high chance of persuading the Liu family to rebel?" Zhao Youyi rubbed his temples, feeling a rare headache.

Chu Chanyin keenly noticed her movements but did not ask any questions. "When the Emperor and Empress Dowager intended for the Liu family's daughter to marry in place of him, I sent someone to find Liu Feng'an. He was decisive and said that with a tyrannical ruler in power, it is natural to rebel, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven."

“Liu Feng’an achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination at a young age. I have read his articles, and they are indeed substantial. He is not someone who seeks fame and fortune.” Zhao Youyi, having lived in the capital for a long time, naturally had a deeper understanding of the people there than Chu Chanyin. “In fact, the Liu family’s wife’s learning is no less than Liu Feng’an’s. If he could get help from both of them, my cousin would be even more powerful.”

This was the first time the two had openly discussed the matter of rebellion. Zhao Youyi had thought that Chu Chanyin would have some different feelings about it, since it was no secret in the capital that the King of Chu was eyeing the throne and plotting to usurp it. Unexpectedly, Chu Chanyin acted as if he had heard something completely ordinary, as if he was not the one with wolfish ambitions in the rumors.

However, after nearly two months of getting to know him, Zhao Youyi not only did not sense his desire for power, but also subconsciously regarded him as an ordinary rich young master... No, that's not right, after all, how could an ordinary young master who was pampered and spoiled do housework for her?

Thinking about this, Zhao Youyi belatedly realized that he had forgotten something very important: why was Chu Chanyin sent to Yongliu Manor back then, and when did he return to the Prince's Mansion? How has he been doing all these years?

Zhao Youyi silently observed him, the image of the thin little boy in her memory gradually merging with the person before her. "Cousin, I can't remember much from my childhood. When did you leave Jiangzhou? How were you doing after returning to the Prince's Mansion?"

The topic changed so quickly that even the King of Chu, who had seen many storms, was taken aback and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Chu Chan smiled gently, his tone very soft. "It's just something from the past. If you can't remember it, then don't think about it."

Zhao Youyi sensed the evasiveness in his words. Given their current awkward relationship, her best course of action would have been to make a few witty remarks and let it pass. However, looking at his fake smile, she inexplicably felt the urge to say something provocative and see if he would show any different emotions.

“Cousin, if you don’t want to laugh, then don’t.” Zhao Youyi stared straight into his eyes, as if a sharp blade had been drawn, capable of easily piercing through all his pretenses.

Chu Chanyin's expression turned cold. He stared at her for a moment, "Since you don't remember, why do you want to know now? After all, I'm not an important person to you."

Otherwise, why would she remember everyone else but forget about him?

This was the first time in so long that she had seen such a cold expression on Chu Chanyin's face; he seemed more like a living person than a bodhisattva.

"I...I don't know either." She couldn't give an answer to this question either. "If you're willing, we can recapture those memories, or create a new future."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and in the end, Chu Chanyin gave in. He smiled and said, "When the world is at peace, if you want to regain your past memories, I will help you."

"Cousin, can you tell me about your situation?" Zhao Youyi looked at him earnestly.

"Not long after you and Brother Nianling left Jiangzhou, I was brought back to the Prince's Mansion. As for how I'm doing..." Chu Chanyin's smile remained gentle. "I am my father's legitimate son, so I can't possibly be doing badly."

His smile was so gentle, like the softest moonlight, yet it felt so cold on people. In fact, Zhao Youyi also felt that if the late King of Chu had truly felt a shred of pity for him, he wouldn't have stayed in Jiangzhou for so many years.

If there's a chance, we should still ask someone close to him.

Zhao Youyi didn't say anything more, considerately steer the conversation back to Wanzhou, "I'll go and meet with Min Guo tomorrow."

“I will go with you.” Since it concerned Zhao Youli, as a friend he naturally wanted to know what kind of person the traitor was, and as Zhao Youyi’s nominal husband, he had to go along as well.

“No need,” Zhao Youyi was about to refuse when she saw the unquestionable look in Chu Chanyin’s eyes. After thinking about it again, since they were going to infiltrate the military camp, it would be good for the two of them to look after each other.

“Then let’s go together.” Zhao Youyi turned around, picked up his sword, and said with a determined look in his eyes, “I have already ordered people to spread the news in both states that the emperor and Min Guo were plotting to poison my brother. I am going there to take back the Zhao family army.”

Chu Chanyin approached her and patted her shoulder, silently conveying strength, "Cousin, you are skilled in both literature and martial arts, and you will surely win the hearts of the army."

“Cousin, don’t you think I’m being too arrogant?” Zhao Youyi was puzzled by his unconditional trust and support. “After all, my brother opposed me going to the battlefield back then.”

“Brother Nianling is only worried from the perspective of an elder brother that the swords on the battlefield will hurt you. If I were in the same position, I would naturally disagree, but…” Chu Chanyin’s eyes were burning, “Cousin is not a weak woman raised in seclusion. I believe you can make a name for yourself.”

Zhao Youyi couldn't help but chuckle softly, "If I were really a delicate woman raised in seclusion, would my cousin think that I would be confined to the inner quarters for the rest of my life?"

"Of course not. The outside world is the world, but isn't the inner world also the world?" Chu Chanyin's mind flashed with the image of his mother's back, and a strange emotion welled up in his heart. "I think that no matter what my cousin is like, she is the best."

“It’s not easy being a woman in this world,” Zhao Youyi said, her eyes fixed on him. “If only there were more sensible people like you, cousin, in the world.”

“But there is more oppression from those in power and authority in this world, and there is still too little I can do.” Zhao Youyi gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

“It might be difficult to do it alone, but you still have me by your side.” Chu Chanyin reached out and touched her head. “I know you are worried about Princess Yulang. Don’t worry, when the time comes, you and I will go together to rescue the princess and we will definitely ensure her safety.”

Zhao Youyi's thoughts went beyond that. After the kidnapping of the bride, there would inevitably be a tough battle with the Southern Barbarians, which was why she was so eager to take back the Zhao Family Army. However, war requires not only weapons but also food. Last year, a heavy snowfall in Shenjing and several nearby states destroyed countless crops, and she had to find a way to solve the problem of food supplies.

She voiced her concerns, and Chu Chanyin pondered for a long time after hearing them: "Actually, I proposed a collaboration to Brother Nianling. If the Zhao family army and the Chu family army attacked the capital together, success would be just around the corner. However, Brother Nianling is a loyal subject of the emperor. Although he did not directly point out my wolfish ambitions, he still gave me a good scolding."

At that time, Chu Chanyin proposed a bolder cooperation, stating that if Zhao Youli was willing, he could support Zhao Youli as emperor. After all, who was emperor was not important to him, as long as the people could live in peace and the world was at peace. Zhao Youli was intelligent from a young age and loved the people like his own children. At that time, his nephew was still young, and whether he could become successful in the future was still unknown. Rather than letting his nephew take the throne, it would be better to let the people's beloved General Zhao become emperor.

Zhao Youli believed at the time that the Great Jin Dynasty could still be saved. Moreover, the Zhao family had been generals for generations, and the ideals of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism were deeply ingrained in their bones. He even wanted to persuade them a few more times, but unexpectedly, things turned out differently...

“Brother…he may seem unserious, but he’s actually quite old-fashioned.” Zhao Youyi shook his head with a smile. “If he knew I was plotting a rebellion with you, he’d probably be so angry his hair would stand on end.”

The loyalty to the emperor, ingrained in the Zhao family for generations, ultimately ended with her.