Chapter Forty-Four
"Your Highness, release the arrow." The low, husky voice seemed to drift into her ear from behind her ear, carrying with it the moist, warm breath of his exhaled breath.
Mo Yinghuo gave another soft "hmm," but it was so faint it sounded more like a soft murmur of sleep. Her eyes widened, and she quickly released the bow and arrow, then stepped aside a few paces in an instant, escaping the seemingly nonexistent embrace like a spring.
"Bang!" The black arrow powerfully embedded itself in the center of the stone target. Mo Yinghuo hurriedly turned to the side, her ears turning red. What made her even more flustered was that she realized her heart was pounding like a deer.
It's really getting more and more absurd and out of control.
Zhao Shu noticed that Mo Yinghuo was acting strangely, and not knowing what was wrong, he took the longbow from her and asked softly, "Your Highness, is there something you don't understand?"
Mo Yinghuo: "No... It's a bit cold from the snow. Let's go inside and practice another day."
Zhao Shu hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Mo Yinghuo seemed a little at a loss for what to do, he surprisingly showed a faint smile and nodded, "Alright, Your Highness."
The two walked quietly into the mansion. Suddenly, Mo Yinghuo stopped, looked up at a peach tree in front of his house not far away, and said in surprise, "I remember that the peach blossoms had already withered in winter. How come the whole courtyard is withered and desolate, but this peach tree is blooming so beautifully."
Zhao Shu followed Mo Yinghuo's gaze and said calmly, "Didn't Your Highness say that it's better for flowers to keep blooming than for them to wither?"
Mo Yinghuo rubbed his temples, his cold hand touching Shan's slightly warm forehead. He couldn't help but shiver. Looking at the vast expanse of white, clean, yet suddenly this touch of pink appeared, ethereal and elegant. He couldn't help but think of the peach tree in the yellow sand of the border, and said with a pleasant feeling, "Indeed."
Zhao Shu glanced at her, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.
Mo Yinghuo noticed his change out of the corner of her eye and said with a smile as she walked, "Master Zhao, please feel free to speak your mind. There's no need to hold it against me."
Zhao Shu said softly, "Your Highness, it seems that you've been quite different since returning to the capital."
Mo Yinghuo gave an "Oh," thinking he could brush it off, but before he could speak, Zhao Shu continued talking. Since it was rare for him to speak first, Mo Yinghuo naturally wouldn't interrupt and listened attentively.
"Back when I was at the border, I went to the capital alone twice to meet the Emperor when I had nothing to do. My main purpose was to have him forge the Xuan Tie arrows in advance in case the Shi Ling people suddenly attacked. Once was to identify myself, and the other time was to bring the Xuan Tie with me."
Mo Yinghuo suddenly stopped in her tracks, her heart trembling. "He... is he explaining to me? But... why is he explaining to me?"
When Zhao Shu saw her stop, he also stopped, saying nothing and just quietly watching her.
Mo Yinghuo's cold body inexplicably broke out in a thin sweat, and an embarrassed look hung at the corners of her eyes. Almost a cup of tea's time passed before her lips twitched, and she managed to force a calm smile, saying, "So that's it. I was wondering how His Majesty knew Young Master Zhao."
Zhao Shu: "Your Highness, you were angry about this before."
Mo Yinghuo: "..."
Zhao Shu: "Your Highness."
Mo Yinghuo calmly replied, "That's not true. Who told you that this princess is angry?"
Zhao Shu: "Granny Shen."
Granny Shen is a traitor who eats his own flesh and blood.
Mo Yinghuo smiled unhurriedly, "Why is Granny Shen telling you all this? Is life too leisurely in the manor?"
Zhao Shu: "No, I asked her."
Mo Yinghuo was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "Why..." She suddenly stopped, not continuing the question. Mo Yinghuo suddenly realized something; it seemed that since returning to the capital, not only her, but also Zhao Shu's behavior towards her had changed.
For example, although he still doesn't allow strangers to get close, he doesn't seem to deliberately keep his distance from her anymore; also, he doesn't seem as furious about her transgressions as he was a month ago, and he even said "it's okay" that time; also, sometimes, he even takes the initiative to approach her... Mo Yinghuo couldn't help but recall those vivid and sensual dreams, and she subconsciously took a step back, looking at the man in front of her with a bit of confusion.
Zhao Shu noticed that her expression was unnatural and didn't know what had happened, so he just looked at her with concern.
The two had been standing in the snow for some time. Perhaps Zhao Shu himself had a natural warmth, because the snow did not linger on him. Mo Yinghuo's eyelashes, however, were covered with snowflakes. Combined with the bloodstains on her face from practicing archery earlier, the remaining blush made her look like a peach blossom amidst the whiteness. Her delicate and bright appearance was enhanced by a touch of pitifulness. At this moment, she coldly stared at Zhao Shu, her tone almost questioning.
"Young Master Zhao, did you do something to this princess? Did you do something to her?"
Neither of them knew what the other was thinking, and they stood silently looking at each other.
The ground is white, the wind is cold, and the snowflakes are as large as hands. [1]
Seeing that Mo Yinghuo's black hair was covered with flakes of white snow, Zhao Shu said gently, "Your Highness, let's go back to the house first."
Just then, Zhu Chunhua ran over with an oil-paper umbrella and quickly opened it to shield Mo Yinghuo from the snow. However, he was a little shorter than Mo Yinghuo, and since Granny Shen had asked him to bring the umbrella, he had only grabbed one in his haste, and it was too small to support both of them.
Zhu Chunhua, feeling dejected and embarrassed, tiptoed, holding an umbrella and swaying precariously. She was just a few steps away from becoming one with the falling snowflakes and dancing freely.
Zhao Shu walked over, carefully took the oil-paper umbrella from Zhu Chunhua's hand, nodded to her, and said, "I'll take it."
Zhu Chunhua's small eyes were filled with immense gratitude. She carefully slipped out, handed the umbrella to Zhao Shu, and then, like a nimble snow monkey, darted around and disappeared into the falling snow.
Zhao Shu was tall and upright, so holding the umbrella for her was easy for him. The snowflakes couldn't leave any marks on him. Zhao Shu held the entire umbrella over Mo Yinghuo's head and slowly walked forward.
Mo Yinghuo deliberately pretended to be careless and gently touched Zhao Shu's arm with her shoulder. She felt Zhao Shu's body suddenly pause for a moment, but it was only for a fleeting moment. He returned to normal in an instant, and there was not a trace of anger in his eyes. He did not say anything, but just walked straight with her.
Something must have happened!
Mo Yinghuo became increasingly certain.
"Your Highness, is there something strange that you haven't told me?" Zhao Shu suddenly asked.
Mo Yinghuo lowered his eyes slightly, staring at the slowly moving footsteps on the ground, but remained silent.
Zhao Shu then asked, "Your Highness, did you have a strange dream?"
Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yinghuo suddenly stopped. Zhao Shu hadn't expected the person beside him to stop so suddenly. He had still taken a half step, but his umbrella reacted quickly, moving backward in an instant to block the snow that was about to fall on Mo Yinghuo.
Mo Yinghuo, burdened with unspeakable embarrassment, her eyes reddened, and her hands unconsciously clenched and crumpled her clothes. Suddenly, she felt a little short of breath, and her eyes, filled with fear, unease, and indescribable emotions, slightly lifted, and just so happened to meet those gentle and upright eyes, light as glass. Her heart skipped a beat.
Have we been discovered?
"Your Highness." Zhao Shu called out to her, reminding her that she was staring at him.
Mo Yinghuo quickly looked away, her righteous and indignant questioning vanished. She found herself always having to choke on a few words from this taciturn Nightfall Starman, leaving him flustered and fleeing in a sorry state.
Even though she was the eldest princess and the commander of the Yunzhao Army, she was still a woman. Alas, how could she possibly bear this situation?
Mo Yinghuo stammered in response, "Oh...no, I just have nightmares occasionally."
Zhao Shu frowned: "Are they those northern barbarian demons?"
Mo Yinghuo was stunned for a moment. She remembered that she had never mentioned this matter to him. A cold wind blew by, and she couldn't help but tighten her clothes. She remembered the time in the wormhole when she saw Zhao Shu resting. She was awakened by the cold wind and immediately realized that since she could see Zhao Shu's past, then Zhao Shu could naturally see her past.
Perhaps that's when I found out.
Mo Yinghuo unconsciously tightened her wrist, making a crisp sound from her wrist joint. She nodded and said expressionlessly, "They haven't appeared for almost six years. They probably won't come again."
Zhao Shu: "No."
Mo Yinghuo glanced at Zhao Shu out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the two words he had just uttered seemed to be coming out through gritted teeth. However, when she heard him say "no," she felt that these people truly wouldn't appear again. Mo Yinghuo suddenly felt a clarity in her mind, a strange sense of release she knew was a long-standing ailment.
The two walked a little further. Whether it was because the road was difficult to walk on due to the snow, or because someone intentionally or unintentionally slowed down, Mo Yinghuo felt that the walk from the courtyard back to the house was usually not long, but today it seemed to have taken a long time, as if they had only walked halfway.
However, a short walk and a few words subtly dispelled Mo Yinghuo's recent worries and inexplicable bitterness, quietly melting away the thorn in her heart amidst the blending of white snow and oil-paper umbrellas.
"By the way, Zhao Shu, what was the Emperor's reaction when he first saw you?"
He said there were assassins.
"ah……"
"He was still reviewing memorials late at night when I suddenly appeared in front of him."
Mo Yinghuo's eyes and brows were etched with an unbelievable chill, as if they had been chilled by the snow.
It's truly an act of imperial grace that my brother didn't kill you as an assassin. However, it seems the Imperial Guards can't stand such abilities.
"Then what……"
“I kicked him to shut him up, showed him the letter, gave him a brief explanation, and he believed me.”
"..."
Fortunately, as soon as you arrived, I immediately sent a messenger to inform my brother, the Emperor, of this matter. Otherwise, I don't know if the Imperial Guards would have taken down Young Master Zhao.
Mo Yinghuo secretly rejoiced in his heart.
After walking a few steps, Zhao Shu suddenly reached out and caught three or four snowflakes. The snowflakes fell into his palm and quickly melted. A moment later, a deep, resonant voice, seemingly capable of melting the surrounding chill, softly spoke as he drew closer.
“Your Highness, in interstellar travel, I am always alone, used to being by myself. Day and night, no one speaks to me. I have seen more stars than people, and there is always loneliness everywhere. I don’t know how to get along with others, nor how to express myself. But, Your Highness, if I do anything in the future that displeases you, please feel free to speak. Only by treating each other with sincerity can we last.” Zhao Shu said softly while holding up his umbrella.
He spoke with utmost seriousness, just as he had told Mo Yinghuo under the peach tree that he must never touch his body.
Mo Yinghuo was taken aback. She pursed her cold red lips, nodded, her eyes slightly moist, and said softly, "Okay."
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