Chapter 12 The Femme Fatale
Yu Wanyin pursed her lips, avoiding Chu Yu's probing, "How could I dislike them? They are my blood relatives. I even spoke up for my third brother just now. He's just a little immature."
Chu Yu could tell that Yu Wanyin wasn't telling the truth, and chuckled silently.
She was still wary of him.
Yu Wanyin reminded them at the right moment, "We've arrived."
Their silhouettes were cast in a dim, yellowish light by the lanterns at the back gate.
Chu Yu's sleeves fluttered in the wind. "Thank you for seeing me off."
He paused for a moment, then spoke again, "Do you remember, ten years ago, when the Northern Chi tribe and Youzhou were fighting, the chaos in Yuanchuan, Yingzhou, was also affected?"
As soon as he mentioned it, Yu Wanyin remembered, "Hmm."
"Unfortunately, ten years ago I was traveling with my aunt when we encountered some trouble."
Chu Yu looked at her and said, "You were still young then."
"Yes, but I am still okay. It's just that many people are displaced. I brought some people back with me, but I couldn't bring many."
Chu Yu's eyes flickered, but he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
It turned out she didn't remember him; to her, he was just one of many people she had brought back under the mercy of her divine heart.
But he still remembers that day, with fireworks everywhere and arrows aimed at them.
From afar, a secluded melody drifts from the mountains, its long notes lingering like celestial music.
The girl dressed in exotic clothing, draped in shimmering brocade, sat on a high platform on the city wall, playing the bili (a type of reed pipe), like a little goddess who had stepped out of an ancient legend.
Her arrival ended the war.
That was the Chang Le music of Shanshan Kingdom, a truce song played when the people of a third country appeared during the war between the two countries to avoid accidental casualties.
She lied to the soldiers, claiming they were her subjects, and took them away.
The soldiers also thought that a six-year-old child wouldn't lie, so they let him pass.
Chu Yu lowered his eyes, but a wildfire was raging in his heart in an instant.
Indeed, how could the little goddess's eyes and heart be limited to only one person?
Yu Wanyin was puzzled as to why he suddenly brought this up. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much." Chu Yu smiled slightly, making up an excuse. "It's just that the Northern Chi have been making moves recently, and there may be a war soon. If you hear any news, don't be afraid."
Yu Wanyin nodded knowingly, "Okay."
She saw him to the door and then went back to her room.
Chu Yu paused at the door and looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.
The moonlight poured down on him, arousing in him intense greed and jealousy, making him want to possess all of the moonlight.
He locked her away in his own little world.
Not a single ray of light should be given to anyone else.
Chu Yu's eyes grew increasingly dark.
Even though she doesn't have only one person in her heart, she's going to become his now.
This bright moon can only be his.
Nobody can have it.
Yu Wanyin finally caught her breath after returning to her room. She sat down and casually took out the letter she hadn't had time to read during the day.
Qing Song poured tea for Yu Wanyin from the side, "Actually, the Prime Minister is quite good to you, Miss."
Yu Wanyin glanced at Qing Song.
Qing Song explained, "It's not because the Prime Minister is my master that I spoke up for him; it's just that I've never seen the Prime Minister treat anyone like this before."
Yu Wanyin smiled, "He helped me, so of course I'll remember his kindness."
But he said things like, "I didn't marry her for financial gain."
Actually, she didn't believe it.
Yu Wanyin had heard these kinds of words many times ever since Old Jiang Hou uttered those erotic words to her at the banquet.
Everyone who comes to see Father says the same thing.
Her father was simply weighing the options: who would allow her to realize her full potential?
If it weren't for the fact that Old Marquis Jiang hadn't died from excessive drinking that very night, her father might have been able to send her directly to the old marquis's bed.
Therefore, Yu Wanyin never looked forward to getting married, nor did she look forward to her future in the Yu family, nor did she look forward to her future life.
She is a caged bird.
My only hope and expectation came from letters from my aunt and elder sister.
Yu Wanyin unfolded the parchment, which was no longer written in Shanshan Mandarin, but in increasingly fluent Chinese characters.
The opening line is "Yaoyao Qingqing".
Qing Song secretly watched her from afar, seemingly unsure whether to ask or not.
Yu Wanyin noticed her gaze, "He's not my lover, so tell the Prime Minister to rest assured. Now that I've agreed to the marriage, I won't be with anyone else..."
Yu Wanyin paused for a moment, thinking of someone for a fleeting instant, but still pretended to be calm and said, "She has entanglements with other men."
Qing Song hurriedly replied, "This servant dares not doubt you, Miss."
Yu Wanyin knew perfectly well that Qingsong came from the Prime Minister's residence, and the Prime Minister was her master. "She is my aunt's elder sister. You may investigate her."
Yu Wanyin's mother came with Princess Shanshan when they were sent on a marriage alliance.
The princess's dowry was distributed among princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials. When she was six years old, her aunt came to Shang'an and said she wanted to take her back to Shanshan.
Her father didn't care and let her leave.
They traveled to Yuanchuan, the border of Yingzhou, and in three more days they would enter the territory of Shanshan.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Kakikawa Rebellion.
I heard that the massacre was caused by a general's betrayal.
They were trapped in the city for half a month and could not get out.
Every day, one sees the carnage and slaughter caused by war, with corpses strewn everywhere.
She hid a group of people in their courtyard, under the name of the Shanshan Kingdom.
Most of them were women and children.
The troops only withdrew after the city had been ravaged and there was nothing left to loot.
Her aunt helped her send the person back to the safer city of Shang'an.
But unexpectedly, after sending them back, she was never able to leave again.
Her father cared about his reputation. After she left, his enemies in the court accused him of abandoning his deceased wife's daughter and mistreating the envoy sent for the peace treaty.
Her father spared no expense in feeding her harmful foods, using the excuse of recuperating to keep her at home.
Yu Wanyin found it laughable.
The people of Yuanchuan are in such dire straits, yet the officials who rely on the taxes levied by the people to oppress them still resort to any means to achieve their own selfish interests.
She doesn't regret it, but feels it was unfair to the people and herself.
The people they relied on and worshipped were actually this kind of group.
Although the medicine her father gave her was not enough to harm her fundamental health, Yu Wanyin was already weak and was bedridden for half a year. Even after recovering, she found it difficult to travel for several years.
She could only communicate with her aunt through letters.
At first, it was my aunt who wrote the letter, but later my elder sister wrote it on my behalf.
Auntie said she couldn't compete with her older sister, so she would occasionally add a sentence or two to her letters as a way of letting her know she was safe.
Actually, their letters were very casual. The older sister would tell her about things on the grasslands, about the goddess, and about their faith.
It seemed to be another world she could never reach, a world of freedom, ease, and peace.
Unlike the Central Plains, which are now engulfed in war.
My aunt said that the new king of Shanshan loves his people like his own children, and the country is doing well.
They asked her how she was feeling and if she wanted to come back so they could go and pick her up.
She probably can't go back.
Yu Wanyin placed the letter aside and asked Qingsong to help her grind ink and write a reply.
Tell them she's getting married.
*
On the eve of her wedding, according to custom, Yu Wanyin was required to go to the front hall to receive her parents' teachings.
In the sweltering heat, Yu Wanyin left the corridor and walked to the front of the main hall, where she sent a maid to report.
The sun was high in the sky, and the maid returned after a long time. "The king is still in the palace. Please wait a little longer, young lady."
Yu Wanyin knew without thinking that this was Nie Shi trying to torment her a little longer before she left. "Isn't Mother still here?"
The maidservant did not respond, "Miss, please wait a little longer. It would be better if both parents were together."
“Waiting is fine, but I’m not well. Standing in the sun for a while will give me heatstroke and ruin tomorrow’s wedding. The Prime Minister will be angry and blame me,” Yu Wanyin said with a smile. “I can’t very well say that it was my mother who gave me heatstroke.”
The maid's face stiffened slightly. "Then, I'll go and ask again."
Yu Wanyin took a deep breath as she watched the maid enter.
Sure enough, the maid came out and invited her in in the blink of an eye.
Madam Nie sat in the hall. Yu Wanyin walked into the room, greeted Madam Nie briefly, and then sat down beside her.
Nie's eyes widened. "You're sitting down already?"
“Aren’t we supposed to wait for Father to come back before giving him a lecture?” Yu Wanyin said calmly. “If Mother wants me to stand like this forever, I can’t stand it.”
Madam Nie was speechless and could only sneer, "Only we family members would indulge you like this. Let's see how you behave when you go to your husband's family. The Prime Minister's residence is not as lenient as ours."
"It's for your own good that I ask you to follow the rules more often."
Yu Wanyin let it go in one ear and out the other, leaning against the side and playing with the string of beads in her hand.
Those were Buddhist prayer beads that my aunt sent along with the letter, saying they could ward off illness and protect the body.
Yu Wanyin loves to wear white, and the Buddhist beads on her wrists and body create an indescribable sense of simplicity and harmony.
Nie glanced over occasionally and saw the beauty leaning against the side, her body as supple as a snow-white tree.
I don't know about men, but every time she saw one, she felt an itch to pounce on him and bully him.
He shattered her aloof and untainted demeanor, and then kneaded her soft and supple body until she begged for mercy and bowed her head.
The more distant and unapproachable she is, the more indifferent she seems to be to everything, the more one wants to break her.
Nie turned her head away, muttering to herself, "a source of trouble."
Yu Wanyin waited in the house for half an hour before Yu Sheng returned from outside.
Yu Sheng was exhausted and covered in sweat. He sat down and drank several cups of cold tea before he could catch his breath.
While wiping his sweat, Nie asked, "What happened? Why are you back so late?"
“What else could it be?” Yu Sheng sighed. “The king ordered us to cooperate with the Imperial Guard to issue documents to arrest the bandits who broke into Shang’an.”
Yu Wanyin's fingers, which were playing with the beads, suddenly stopped.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com