Chapter 31 Going Up the Mountain [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Sharing honor and disgrace, husband and wife as one.
Just as Liu Shiyu was about to throw a heavy punch, Xu Luchuan nimbly reached out and grabbed her upper arms tightly.
The two stared at each other, Liu Shiyu frozen in place, but Xu Luchuan suddenly said to her in a deep voice: "Purple Gold Inkstone".
"What purple-gold stone inkstone? What are you talking about?"
Xu Luchuan's inexplicable remark left Liu Shiyu puzzled.
Seeing that she had stopped throwing punches at him, Xu Luchuan slowly released her upper arm and explained, "Since Emperor Gaozu forbade Shaoyuan from mining privately, the purple-gold stone inkstones of Yongzhou have become rare treasures. They can even be worth a thousand gold pieces."
"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. Tell me, is such a precious inkstone worth the weight of a thousand pieces of gold worth the risk someone would take for it?"
Liu Shiyu was enlightened by Xu Luchuan's words; she understood everything, yet she still stubbornly replied before speaking:
"not worth."
"A person should not live solely for profit. If one harms others for profit, it is a sin that cannot be washed away even after countless lifetimes."
Xu Luchuan nodded in agreement. He understood that Liu Shiyu's words were not directed at him, so he smiled and said, "So, it's time for everything to come to an end."
"The old woman just mentioned Hidden Stone Mountain. She said that Hidden Stone Mountain is rich in purple gold stone. However, the mountain has been closed since the eighth year of Tianying, and no one has dared to set foot there since. Therefore, no one knows what the situation is like in Hidden Stone Mountain after this earthquake in Shou County."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu seemed to understand something. "So, it's very likely that person escaped during the chaos of this earthquake?"
Xu Luchuan didn't respond further. All of this, seemingly intricately connected, was ultimately just their deduction. They needed to verify and uncover everything one by one.
But now, he is just waiting for her command.
“Now that we have a direction, let’s set off.” Liu Shiyu turned away, her eyes dimming from the dazzling light of the sky. Xu Luchuan grabbed her arm one last time. “If you want to investigate on your own, you can’t rely on the county government to alert them. But that would mean facing unknown dangers. Are you really sure?”
Liu Shiyu turned around and suddenly grasped his palm.
"Aren't you still here?"
Xu Luchuan felt a slight flutter in his heart as she held his hand. It wasn't that Liu Shiyu was truly timid; rather, it was as if he was questioning himself. But Liu Shiyu ultimately smoothed away his unease.
But he still pretended to brush her hand away and said, "We are birds of a feather, but when disaster strikes, we fly away separately. You should pray for your own good fortune."
As Xu Luchuan spoke, he walked towards the dark path. Liu Shiyu followed behind him, and it took her a long time to react before she came to her senses: "Oh? Does my lord mean... that we are husband and wife? Then my lord will share my glory and my shame, we are one as husband and wife?"
The two walked casually to the carriage, and Lian Yue stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "Your Highness, Right Supervisor."
"Lian Xing, have they arrived?" Liu Shiyu immediately stopped smiling when he saw Lian Yue. Lian Yue took out her bone flute but didn't play it. "They've arrived. What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Liu Shiyu turned to look at the thatched hut in the distance and instructed, "We're going to Hidden Stone Mountain. Have Lian Xing and the others secretly accompany us. You stay here and keep an eye on that person. If anything happens, remember to go to the county government office to find Liang Cheng."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Upon receiving the order, Lian Yue immediately blew the bone flute, and as soon as the flute music ended, three or four graceful figures quietly moved across the ruins.
Seeing this, Lian Yue went to give him further instructions.
Xu Luchuan paid no attention to their conversation and turned to mount his horse. But as soon as he was settled, Liu Shiyu lifted her skirt and walked to the front of the horse, craning her neck to look up.
Xu Luchuan looked at the furtive Liu Shiyu and questioned, "What are you doing?"
"I wonder if your horse can carry me? I'm very light! I should be fine riding with you!" Liu Shiyu smiled shyly, holding the horse's bridle tightly with one hand while tentatively rubbing the horse's head with the other.
After she withdrew her dark, calloused hand and examined it, she couldn't help but feel disgusted...
Ugh, so dirty! Why doesn't this person bathe the horse? Oh, horse, you've suffered so much following him...
After watching Liu Shiyu perform this series of strange actions, Xu Luchuan finally couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have a carriage? Why are you riding with me?"
"Of course it's because the carriage is too conspicuous, and besides, I can't ride a horse, so I can only ride with you."
Liu Shiyu spoke with absolute certainty, leaving Xu Luchuan with no choice but to compromise.
Liu Shiyu, fearing he might change his mind, quickly extended her dirty hand to shake his. But when Xu Luchuan pulled her onto the horse and released her hand, he saw that his palm was stained black by her hand, and immediately gritted his teeth and called out, "Liu! Shi! Yu!"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Liu Shiyu sat down in front of Xu Luchuan upon hearing the voice, looking up and glancing left and right. Finally, her gaze fell on his dark palm, and she couldn't help but laugh loudly, "I say, my lord, you should wash the horse!"
Seeing Liu Shiyu's gloating expression, Xu Luchuan retorted, "Liu Shiyu, you asked for this."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Luchuan, without waiting for Liu Shiyu to prepare, picked up the reins and galloped towards Yinshi Mountain with her on his back.
"Xu Luchuan..."
"Could you... please..."
"I was wrong... I was really wrong..."
Liu Shiyu, on the jolted horse, was filled with regret, but the thunderous hooves drowned out her voice. In her eyes, the green mountains rose and fell, and the forest mist swirled. The countless pleas for mercy in her heart turned into trembling sighs when she finally spoke.
Little Green! I swear, I really swear! I will never touch your horse again.
...
After traveling about twenty or thirty li, they were approaching Hidden Stone Mountain when Xu Luchuan finally slowed down his horse. But by then, Liu Shiyu had already fallen into his arms, dazed and confused.
Xu Luchuan glanced down at the person in his arms, then smiled and said nothing.
Finally, upon reaching the foot of Hidden Stone Mountain, I reined in my horse and let out a long sigh.
Xu Luchuan casually called out "Liu Shiyu" and then dismounted.
But to everyone's surprise, she didn't wake up and just fell straight down against him. Xu Luchuan quickly caught her, but Liu Shiyu still didn't wake up. She just leaned her upper body against Xu Luchuan's shoulder and sat motionless on the horse.
Having no other choice, Xu Luchuan called out again, "Liu Shiyu, wake up."
Liu Shiyu finally reacted. When she slowly opened her eyes and found herself swaying precariously on the horse, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my god, what's going on?" As she spoke, she suddenly reached out and hugged Xu Luchuan's neck, afraid that she would fall off the horse.
Xu Luchuan wanted to push her back, but she hugged him so tightly that he didn't know what to do.
"Let go, and I'll push you back onto the horse."
"I don't want to, I'm scared."
Liu Shiyu refused to let go, so Xu Luchuan sighed helplessly, reached out and pulled her down from the horse. Once she was safely on the ground, Xu Luchuan released her.
But for some reason, Liu Shiyu still clung tightly to him.
"You can let go now," Xu Luchuan reminded her. Liu Shiyu peeked out from his arms. "Are you getting down?"
Xu Luchuan helped his forehead.
The person before me is even afraid to dismount; how will she face the formidable enemy to come? Yet, the fearlessness she displayed in the court and in the thatched hut didn't seem feigned...
Xu Luchuan felt that sometimes he really couldn't understand her.
Feeling reassured, Liu Shiyu stepped away from Xu Luchuan's embrace. Looking up at the stream, she smiled and said, "Let's go wash our hands by the stream."
Before Xu Luchuan could answer, she lifted her dress and ran towards the stream.
Squatting down by the stream, Liu Shiyu dipped her hand into the water, feeling the coolness of nature. The scenery soothed her soul, and for a moment, Liu Shiyu seemed to understand why the late emperor had been so obsessed with nature in his twilight years, even to the point of neglecting his empire...
But it was ultimately a mistake. Between gain and loss, one must always make a choice.
Liu Shiyu gazed at the silent stream bottom, watching the colorful light and shadows reflect on the back of her hand, all the filth carried away by the murmuring water. Suddenly, spots of purple appeared faintly before her eyes, and her gaze seemed to receive a response.
"Little Green, come and see what this is!"
Drawn by Liu Shiyu's call, Xu Luchuan came to her side. He then bent down and looked in the direction Liu Shiyu was pointing, and spotted a few scattered brownish-purple pebbles lying at the bottom of the stream.
“It seems our deduction was correct.” Xu Luchuan washed his hands and stood up briskly, picking up his sword. “Let’s go, let’s go up the mountain from here.”
"Um."
Liu Shiyu stood up and agreed, and the two of them went upstream side by side.
Lian Xing led Bai Chuan and Gui Hai through every secluded spot, but their eyes were always fixed on Liu Shiyu and Xu Luchuan. The three of them silently followed them into the distance.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rose in the woods.
Lian Xing lightly stepped through the woods, sword in hand, eyes closed, listening intently to any unusual movements around him. His sword was ready to be drawn in an instant.
"No, this isn't right. There's one more person in the southeast."
Baichuan and Guihai, swords drawn, cautiously surveyed the surroundings, only to see a few new leaves falling from the trees in the southeast. They were surprised, but not bewildered. Where Lianxing was, victory was assured.
They simply went along with it.
The forest fell silent, but Lian Xing calmly sheathed his sword and opened his eyes. He spoke in his usual way.
"No rush, wait. Let's kill them all together."
[Author's Note]
The phrase "The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for profit" first appeared in the pre-Qin text *Six Secret Teachings*. It later appeared and circulated in Chapter 129, "Biographies of Merchants," of *Records of the Grand Historian* by Sima Qian, a famous historian and writer of the Western Han Dynasty.
The phrase "Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately" in the text comes from a folk proverb.
The inscription on the small stele reads: Baichuan and Guihai are the two friends who guarded the secret passage to the tavern. The tavern is closed (there was hardly anyone there anyway), and the owner is away on a business trip.
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