Chapter 23 Coveting
The girl was dressed in a light, shimmering gauze, and as she moved, she resembled ripples on a lake.
Her appearance was undoubtedly pure, and her turquoise dress looked particularly cool and comfortable in the summer heat.
She made you want to look at her more often, just to relieve the evening heat.
Yu Heyue spoke, her voice clear and cool like pearls, "Is the Prime Minister here now?"
The guard snapped out of his daze upon hearing her voice, "Yes."
He turned and went inside to report.
But the door was wide open, and as Chu Yu listened to the report, he almost immediately saw Yu Heyue standing at the door.
Whether it was the soup or not, Yu Heyue felt herself getting hot the moment Chu Yu's gaze fell on her.
It felt as if his gaze could burn through you.
After the guards reported, Yu Heyue stepped forward happily and bowed, "Prime Minister, it's so hot today, I've prepared some iced honey pastries to cool you down."
As she spoke, she took two steps forward and naturally handed the item over.
Like an innocent young girl who only cares about sharing what she loves with others.
The girl's fragrance lingered around the table with her movements.
Yu Heyue stopped in front of him and placed the things in her hands in front of Chu Yu.
She could feel Chu Yu's gaze fixed on her.
However, there was something strange about that gaze.
It was even somewhat... eerie.
Yu Heyue thought it was her imagination, and pretended to be calm as she told Chu Yu how sweet and delicious the iced honey pastry was.
Halfway through her sentence, Yu Heyue's heart began to race, and she hurriedly added, "I just gave my sister a portion; she loves it."
Chu Yu lowered his eyelashes and gave a cold laugh, "You like to eat?"
He looked up. "Your older sister seems to be very close to you?"
When Yu Heyue met Chu Yu's gaze, she didn't dare to meet his eyes. "Sisters are always closer, and my elder sister likes me very much."
Upon hearing the phrase "likes me very much," Chu Yu gripped the spoon in his bowl and slowly scooped up the iced honey pastry. "I'd heard before that the second young lady of the Yu family was popular, but seeing is believing. It turns out she likes you just as much."
"Now that I see you and your older sister are so compatible, I feel like an outsider."
Yu Heyue didn't detect the chill in his words.
Still immersed in his words about how likable she was, she was in turmoil.
The young man before me had flowing sleeves that, under the candlelight at night, resembled warm, jade-like jade.
Chu Yu was the young powerful minister whom countless noble ladies had dreamed of being.
Now, having shed his youthful naiveté and gained a touch of maturity, he is even more captivating.
Like many noble ladies, she dreamed of marrying him.
Unfortunately, it was just one step too short.
She whispered a hint, "The Prime Minister and I are family, so we can get closer."
Chu Yu stared at the porcelain bowl, a smile playing on his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
But Yu Heyue didn't notice. She saw Chu Yu smile and took the initiative again, "Prime Minister, you've been busy with military and political affairs lately. Do you have headaches or feel tired? I know a few ways to relieve fatigue..."
When Yu Heyue got to the point of her unease, she brought up Yu Wanyin again, saying, "My elder sister always asks me to help her relieve her fatigue like this."
Chu Yu listened to her words.
The restlessness spread wildly and slowly transformed into murderous intent within him.
"Just how much does your older sister like you?"
She is used for eating, for relieving fatigue, and even for casual conversations in the boudoir.
They even talked about things they had never told him before, and how they had become estranged from him.
Chu Yu was currently insanely jealous.
Why did Yu Wanyin act so politely towards him, like a stranger?
She had no feelings for him, but she did have feelings for this seemingly respectable younger sister.
"Then I'll have to trouble you," Chu Yu said casually. "How would you like to help me relieve my fatigue?"
He thought that Yu Heyue's death would be the best way to relieve his fatigue.
Yu Heyue blushed upon hearing this, "Prime Minister...you may come to my room. I will help you relax tonight."
Chu Yu raised his eyebrows but remained silent.
After saying this, Yu Heyue didn't wait for his reply and took a few steps back before leaving.
This coy, hesitant attitude is the best way to win over a man who has just started to have feelings for you.
Chu Yu watched her figure disappear into the study, then gently raised his hand and overturned the desk in front of him!
The study instantly erupted into chaos with clanging and banging!
The guards immediately held their breath and knelt down to pay their respects.
Chu Yu instructed, "Go."
Hearing Chu Yu's tone, the guard knew what he was being asked to do.
He was momentarily stunned and quickly said, "Prime Minister, this is Madam's sister after all. If Madam finds out..."
"So what if she's my sister?" Chu Yu simply wiped his hands, which were stained by the iced honey pastry, his eyes looking at a dead man. "I kept this sister in the manor because she could keep the madam company while she recuperated. If it weren't for that, I would have killed her long ago."
“Yaoyao shouldn’t have a younger sister, she shouldn’t have parents, she can only have me.”
From the moment he saw the Yu family, he wanted to kill everyone around Yao Yao, leaving them only each other.
Yao Yao can only love him.
Yao Yao can only have feelings for him.
Chu Yu felt a sense of relief from his own thoughts, as if he had shed his usual gentle demeanor. His words were eerie and chilling, making people's hair stand on end. "Even if I kill them all, even if I kill everyone around her, how can Yao Yao be angry with me because of others?"
He said this as he strolled leisurely out of the study.
The guards endured Chu Yu's murderous intent with a heavy heart, filled with fear and dread, but everyone in the Prime Minister's residence knew the price of disobeying this Prime Minister.
Yu Heyue returned to her room with a happy expression, "Help me get ready."
Seeing Yu Heyue's expression, Qiu Rong asked, "Is the Prime Minister coming over?"
"Probably." Yu Heyue wasn't too sure either, and told Qiu Rong about Chu Yu's conversation with her and his reaction.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Rong exclaimed excitedly, "Of course we'll come!"
"Men, if they don't want to, they'll definitely reject you on the spot."
Qiu Rong was overjoyed. "I knew it! Who wouldn't like our girl?"
Yu Heyue's cheeks grew increasingly red, and just then, there was a knock on the door.
"So fast!"
"The Prime Minister must be getting impatient." Qiu Rong urged Yu Heyue to go into the inner room. "I'll go open the door."
Yu Heyue quickly straightened her clothes and took a few steps into the house when she suddenly heard Qiu Rong's scream behind her!
The piercing sound startled a flock of birds, and its echo lingered in my mind for a long time.
Yu Heyue's steps suddenly froze, and a layer of cold sweat covered her back.
She turned around in surprise.
He saw a long sword pierce Qiu Rong's heart.
The guard caught a glimpse of Yu Heyue's gaze and cruelly drew his longsword.
Blood splattered all over the ground instantly!
Yu Heyue's hair stood on end, her eyes widened, still reeling from the sight of Qiu Rong lying on the ground, "You..."
"The second young lady died suddenly in the Prime Minister's residence before her illness was cured."
Yu Heyue was so startled that she retreated repeatedly, but still stumbled and fell to the ground.
The guard, gripping a blood-stained longsword, walked towards Yu Heyue...
*
Meanwhile, in the quiet of the night, the backyard was deserted.
Yu Wanyin sat by the window, marking maps on her desk in the moonlight and candlelight.
This is the road from Shang'an to Shanshan. She wanted to avoid the border of the Northern Chi tribe, so the journey was longer, taking about two or three months.
In addition, Yu Wanyin remembered that there were three checkpoints along the way.
If it's a normal passage, there shouldn't be any problems.
But now it probably involves the Northern Chi tribe entering the pass.
She was unsure whether the Northern Chi tribes could enter the pass, or what their invasion route would be.
Yu Wanyin sat at her desk, deep in thought for a long time.
Thinking back, although she didn't know, Chu Yu did.
Chu Yu has been busy with military affairs with those generals these past few days, so he must be quite knowledgeable about them.
If she wants to know, she can do so through him.
However, this message was ultimately what she used to leave the Prime Minister's residence...
Yu Wanyin was in a dilemma.
She definitely couldn't tell Chu Yu directly that she wanted to leave, but didn't know how.
Yu Wanyin pondered for a moment, then called Qing Song over, "Does the Prime Minister's residence have a library?"
"Yes." Qing Song put down her things. "Why did Madam suddenly ask about this?"
“I’m getting bored with the books here and want to find something more interesting.” Yu Wanyin put her map away in a box, locked it, and stood up. “Take me to the library.”
Qing Song agreed blankly and led Yu Wanyin out the door.
Yu Wanyin did not know how Chu Yu was doing.
But she knew that her father, Yu Sheng, would usually put highly confidential documents that could not be known to others into the library and lock them when he returned from court.
These things cannot be kept in the study. After all, everyone knows what a study is, and if someone really wants to gather information, they can easily find it by targeting the study.
The library, a place one wouldn't normally visit, often holds the most secrets.
Yu Wanyin thought she should go and see for herself no matter what.
If not, then we'll talk about it.
The Prime Minister's library is located deep in the winding, dense forest in the backyard.
The pavilions are towering, half of them hidden in the woods, with winding paths leading to secluded spots, as if they could conceal many things within.
Qing Song carried the lantern to Yu Wanyin's place, but was still somewhat frightened by the dense forest in the dead of night.
There were guards on duty outside the library. Qing Song explained his purpose and the guards let him pass.
Yu Wanyin went inside and lit the candles in the room, brightening the surroundings and dispelling the eerie feeling.
Except for designated servants who are responsible for cleaning, no one else may rummage through the master's belongings without permission.
Therefore, Qing Song simply stood in the main hall of the library and waited while Yu Wanyin went in to look for her.
This made it easier for her to find things.
Yu Wanyin quickly familiarized herself with the layout of the library; the first floor contained all sorts of books.
Even if it were a secret, it wouldn't be kept here; it must be a place that ordinary people wouldn't go.
She went up to the attic.
The attic is divided into two parts: one part is for storing books, and the other part is a tea room where the owner reads.
Yu Wanyin walked through the corridor containing the books and entered the tea room in the pavilion.
The tea room was decorated in a refined and elegant style, which was very much in line with Chu Yu's usual demeanor.
Things here are not organized; some books are just casually placed on the tables and chairs, as if the servants don't come to clean them up, and he has to tidy them up himself.
There was also a pot of tea on the table, indicating that he comes often.
The room was filled with the elegant scent of sandalwood.
Yu Wanyin sat at the table for a while and noticed that there was another private room hidden behind the screen in the tea room.
There were some scattered papers there, rustling in the evening breeze of the attic.
It looks like something was drawn carefully, but the mind is in a state of chaos and haste, and there's no time to organize it.
Perhaps it's a recent military and political map.
Thinking this, Yu Wanyin slowly stepped forward to investigate.
She walked around the screen in the tea room and into the private room, then froze on the spot!
The paper scrolls hanging in the cubicle swayed gently in the wind, revealing the ink strokes with varying shades of light and dark.
But every single one is a portrait of her!
The entire compartment was completely filled!
A strange shiver started climbing upwards from the tailbone.
The evening breeze made Yu Wanyin's hair stand on end.
Stepping into this place felt like entering a hidden, unexplored territory, uncovering someone's secrets.
These things are not even illusions.
From the age of six until today, every move she makes, every smile she makes, is captured on paper!
It was as if someone was spying and coveting from a hidden place, in a morbid way.
She was completely unaware.
Yu Wanyin's steps suddenly felt incredibly heavy, and the image of the owner of this teahouse inevitably came to mind—
Her aloof and cold-hearted husband, and that eternally gentle and warm face.
Yu Wanyin almost thought she was dreaming.
But then, at an inopportune moment, a chilling sound of footsteps rang out behind him!
Each sound pounded on her heart.
Yu Wanyin turned around and saw the man who had appeared in her mind was now standing right in front of her!
The evening breeze in the attic intensified, causing the candle she had lit when she entered to flicker.
The wildly shaking and trembling light and shadow fell on the man's soft profile, making his entire face appear both bright and dark, incredibly mysterious.
He seemed annoyed, "Yao Yao found out."
Yu Wanyin felt weak all over from the familiar voice but unfamiliar tone, and staggered back a step.
Chu Yu noticed her slightly frightened and resistant gestures, and smiled thoughtfully, "Afraid of me?"
Yu Wanyin's back was covered in hair.
She seemed to have accidentally fallen into a lake and seen the turbulent eddies beneath the blue sky and clear water.
They're going to drag her down into this suffocating quagmire!
Chu Yu stepped forward slowly, his footsteps so clear in the dim light of the room that they were chilling. "What are you afraid of me for?"
"I won't hurt you."
His figure drew closer and closer, his shadow reaching Yu Wanyin's feet first.
It was as if an invisible hand had wrapped around her ankle.
She can't escape now.
Yu Wanyin tried to remain calm and asked, "What are these...?"
“It’s you.” Chu Yu didn’t seem afraid that she would know more. “Before we got married, these were the ones that kept me company here.”
Yu Wanyin became increasingly unable to calm down as she listened. "You, you're scaring me."
Chu Yu raised an eyebrow and walked closer until his shadow completely enveloped her. "How could I be trying to scare you?"
“I love you so much,” Chu Yu reached out, his cool fingertips touching her cheek. “Yaoyao, I love you like crazy.”
Yu Wanyin trembled as his fingers became icy cold.
She instinctively turned her head, but there was no way to avoid those fingers, which slid even further down her cheek to the side of her neck. "Why did you think of coming here?"
It was a very gentle caress, but it felt like it was slowly entangling her.
It was so tight that she felt suffocated.
Yu Wanyin desperately wanted to escape the suffocating touch, explaining as she tried to get around him, "I was looking for some books, and accidentally..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked to Chu Yu's side, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Yu Wanyin lost her balance and fell onto the table behind her.
There was still wet ink on the table, and underneath it lay an unfinished painting.
As soon as her form became visible, Yu Wanyin was so startled that she was about to get up when the man pressed her down in front of her.
Chu Yu braced himself against her side with one hand, looking at her frightened and uneasy expression, "What book are you looking for? I'll help you."
How could he speak so gently, even after being exposed and discovered in a room filled with his own evil thoughts?
Yu Wanyin's breathing became increasingly chaotic.
At this point, she could not possibly say that what she was looking for was a map that would allow her to leave him, "some casual books."
"The books for leisure are downstairs," Chu Yu said with a smile, "the books upstairs are all important military and political news."
"Yaoyao, you lied to me."
Yu Wanyin held her breath.
It was as if he could see through all her thoughts.
Chu Yu asked, "What do you want to do?"
Yu Wanyin's mind was in complete chaos, and she couldn't think of any excuse to hide the fact that she actually wanted to leave.
Chu Yu pondered for a moment, "It's something I can't say to me again."
He leaned down. "Can you talk to your sister?"
Yu Wanyin didn't understand what he was talking about. "What does this have to do with He Yue?"
“Heyue,” Chu Yu’s long, slender fingers found her skirt ribbon, “You call me so affectionately.”
Yu Wanyin stiffened at the touch of his fingers and quickly pressed his hand down, "Wait!"
Chu Yu was instantly ignited by this rejection and unfamiliar address, which fueled his restless and irritable state that lasted all night!
His tone remained gentle, "Why are you rejecting me?"
Yu Wanyin was caught off guard when he bit her earlobe, and a strange tingling sensation quickly spread from the point of contact to her entire body.
She instinctively tilted her head back, revealing her slender and delicate neck.
Such easy exposure of weaknesses also makes one an easy target and prey for others.
Chu Yu's fingers slid along the untied skirt ribbon deep into her snow-white waist, gently correcting her, "Yaoyao, you can't refuse me."
"No matter what I do for you, you can't refuse me."
His icy fingertips sent shivers down Yu Wanyin's spine. "Prime Minister..."
Chu Yu probed deeper and deeper, his fingers tightening. "It is my husband. I should be the one closest to you."
Yu Wanyin couldn't bring herself to call out to him at this moment. She caught a glimpse of her own portrait out of the corner of her eye, and her body trembled even more violently than the first time.
This was clearly a prison created by his evil thoughts, with chains everywhere he looked.
She was surrounded and imprisoned from all sides.
He remained calm and composed, as if he knew she couldn't escape, and held her porcelain-like body in his palm, kissing her tenderly a thousand times.
This effortless and controlled gentleness made Yu Wanyin feel as if she were being slowly tortured and torn apart.
Her clothes were torn off layer by layer, each piece crumpled and mangled before finally slipping off her body.
She was the last one.
Her fate was the same as that of every piece of clothing she wore.
But he was still not satisfied, pressing down behind her, "Why don't you call me husband?"
Startled by his sudden possession, Yu Wanyin screamed and then fell silent, frantically trying to hide.
She doesn't like to speak up about these kinds of things.
Chu Yu's anger only grew stronger because of her silence. "Why didn't you call out?"
He grabbed her slender, fragile neck from behind, gently but firmly pressing her against him, making her press close to him. "Do you think we have no feelings for each other?"
"Does this mean there's no emotion involved?"
Yu Wanyin was tightly bound by him, and she felt a suffocating sensation from time to time as her neck was pinched.
Her heart, which had been pounding for so long, was thrown into jerk again by his movements, trembling with his swaying. "No..."
"Then whatever kind of affection you want, I'll give it to you."
"How about I give you everything?"
“Yaoyao…” He buried his face in her shoulder, greedily drawing upon the wellspring of all his absurd thoughts.
The brushes, ink, and scrolls on the table had long since scattered on the floor. Yu Wanyin trembled, every inch of her body going numb. "Prime Minister, please don't..."
"Don't do that, Prime Minister!" he said, displeased with her form of address, his interpretation twisted in a morbid way. "Is that so?"
"Isn't it great to find out that I'm going crazy missing you?"
"No, my husband!" Yu Wanyin's suppressed voice was almost unable to hold back, and she had to call out the title he wanted.
Chu Yu was still not satisfied, so he turned her over.
He looked at Yu Wanyin, whose eyes were wet and red at the corners, as if she had been tormented terribly.
He told her with a mixture of affection and cruelty, "Yaoyao called too late."
Yu Wanyin felt a chill run down her spine. When she looked at herself in the portrait again, she seemed to realize that she, like the woman in the painting, was unable to leave this place.
The moonlight was clear and bright.
The originally elegant tea room was now filled with enchanting fragrances, and the breeze from the attic window stirred the paintings inside.
It makes a whooshing sound.
Chaotic and restless.
Many hanging paintings were overturned and fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone, Rong Si sat atop the towering wall of the Prime Minister's residence, his long legs casually propped up, a jar of wine in his hand, silently overlooking the entire courtyard.
Suddenly, in a fleeting moment, he glimpsed the trembling of light and shadow in the inner room.
A casual glance at the military camp.
I caught a glimpse of the blanket being lifted in the room, revealing a slender ankle, as if trying to break free from something.
Rong Si remained indifferent, and was about to look away when he suddenly met the gaze of the young mistress on the bed, who was crying and pleasuring herself.
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