Miyata Takejiro wore a rampant smile.
"It's just an arms deal. Do you think the Imperial Army needs another partner like you? You dare threaten me, and I dare kill you too."
Cheng Muyun chuckled dismissively, "You can try. We're just looking for an excuse right now."
Takejiro asked, "What reason?"
Chen Hede walked towards the two men, then raised his hand and pressed down on Takejiro's gun, saying, "The reason for driving the Japanese out of China."
"What?!"
Takejiro's shock stemmed from Chen Hede. It was common knowledge that Japanese people were not welcome here, but someone of Chen Hede's status would never say it out loud.
"He said, 'If you kill me, you're giving the Chinese a reason to drive you out. Do you understand?'"
Cheng Muyun impatiently pressed down on his pistol.
Takejiro was clearly unconvinced. "You're protecting a criminal, and the deceased was a member of the Miyata family. The Imperial Army won't let you off the hook."
"How will you retaliate against me? Kill me? How do you plan to kill me? With a gun, with an arrow, or with the knife you used to commit seppuku?"
Takejiro was completely enraged. "You idiot! Do you think I wouldn't dare to touch you?"
Cheng Muyun walked to the table and sat down. "I'll be waiting anytime. Oh, and just in case you don't understand, I'll be waiting for you to come and kill me."
Finally, amidst Miyata Takejiro's anger, Cheng Muyun turned and left. After Chen Hede had finished handling everything, Cheng Muyun had been guarding Xu Zhuohua's bedside for a long time.
Hu Moli opened the door for Chen Hede.
The room was dimly lit so that Xu Zhuohua could sleep more soundly.
Cheng Muyun knelt on the soft cushion, half-lying on the edge of the bed, with Xu Zhuohua holding his forearm. This position looked very uncomfortable.
Chen Hede stopped. "Aren't you afraid of Miyata retaliating against you?"
Cheng Muyun turned his head, his eyes glowing an unnatural red, like a bloodthirsty beast.
"Don't I have enough enemies yet?"
Chen Hede frowned. "Have you thought about this? What if they can't get revenge on you, but instead target Miss Xu?"
Cheng Muyun struggled to get up and sat on the edge of the bed. Xu Zhuohua hugged him even tighter. Cheng Muyun reached out and gently patted the back of Xu Zhuohua's hand, which made her feel a little more at ease.
The man's eyes were gentle. "If I hadn't protected her, she might have been abandoned by the Xu family long ago."
Chen Hede frowned. "Isn't she the eldest daughter of the Xu family?"
"She is an adopted daughter. She was sent to a nunnery to pray for Miss Zhen when she was twelve years old. She stayed there for six years. If I hadn't proposed a marriage between our children, she might still be in the nunnery of Huian Temple in Dongzhou."
Chen Hede was so shocked by the reason that he was speechless.
When he first met Xu Zhuohua, he even thought she was a spoiled young lady, willful, flamboyant, beautiful, and not shy.
“She grew up in a nunnery? How could that be? She clearly looks… looks…”
“Lively and generous, right?” Cheng Muyun chimed in, “You and I have no idea how much she has suffered to be able to face hardship so calmly.”
"But……"
Chen Hede couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Xu Zhuohua was like a rose growing in barren soil; her beauty made people overlook the poverty beneath her feet.
"But what? She doesn't seem like someone who's unloved at all; she seems spoiled and unruly?"
Chen Hede nodded, then shook his head, "I thought that with so many brothers backing her up and the Xu family as her support, she could act so recklessly."
"She had nothing behind her, so she did whatever she wanted without any scruples, only following her own mood. Isn't that amazing?"
In this day and age, almost no woman would do that.
"Impressive," Chen Hede said softly.
Xu Zhuohua is capable of killing people; he's stronger than many men.
Knowing that she had no powerful backing, Chen Hede suddenly understood how terrifying Xu Zhuohua was.
She killed someone; if no one protects her, she will surely die.
That's why she relies on Cheng Muyun so much.
"You've made so many enemies, isn't that why Miss Xu doesn't want to marry you?"
This was an angle that Cheng Muyun had never imagined.
His brows furrowed slightly, forming a shallow "川" shape between his thick eyebrows. He lowered his gaze, staring at a certain spot, his eyelashes casting fine shadows beneath his eyes. His fingers unconsciously stroked his chin, as if trying to sort out the myriad problems swirling in his mind.
Xu Zhuohua has always tried to make him a good person, probably because she is wary of his identity.
Cheng Muyun has too many enemies, while Xu Zhuohua has no one behind her. The only person she can rely on cannot be dangerous.
"Perhaps." Cheng Muyun sighed softly.
Xu Zhuohua is a lonely person; she needs to think about her future, something Cheng Muyun hasn't considered.
At that moment, he suddenly understood many things.
"If I were Miss Xu, Young Marshal Cheng wouldn't be my first choice either."
Cheng Muyun smiled helplessly, "But isn't our relationship one where you're in the open and I'm in the shadows?"
Chen Hede smiled and shook his head, "Our cooperation can only be this kind of relationship. Who told Liang Shaozun to be such a notorious person, and arms dealing isn't my forte."
Cheng Muyun raised his head, slightly displeased, "I did these things not for fame."
"I know that for the sake of this country's future, you believe we will be invaded and need to prepare in advance, so you want to help those righteous people."
"That's exactly what I was thinking, which is why we were able to collaborate."
Cheng Muyun gave Chen Hede a deep look, "That's good to know."
"Why didn't you tell Miss Xu?" Chen Hede asked.
"There's no need for that. The more she knows, the more dangerous it becomes."
"I'm afraid your secret is about to be exposed."
Cheng Muyun looked at Chen Hede with a puzzled expression, while the man raised an eyebrow and looked at the person lying on the bed.
When Cheng Muyun belatedly turned around, he saw that Xu Zhuohua had woken up at some point and was now looking at him.
Cheng Muyun felt his heart skip a beat, and then, as if to make up for that missed beat, it started beating wildly.
"You're awake?" Cheng Muyun helped Xu Zhuohua up by the shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
Xu Zhuohua did not reply, her eyes fixed on Cheng Muyun.
"Miss Xu was awake just as I came in, wasn't she?"
Xu Zhuohua glanced at Chen Hede, then looked at Cheng Muyun.
The voice was a little hoarse, "You know I'm the adopted daughter of the Xu family?"
Cheng Muyun had no way to avoid it, so he nodded.
"Are you protecting Dr. Lin and those righteous people?"
nod.
Cheng Muyun looked at Xu Zhuohua cautiously. The reason he kept it a secret was because he didn't want Xu Zhuohua to be in danger.
Xu Zhuohua suddenly stood up and hugged Cheng Muyun, "I knew it, history is wrong, what I saw and heard with my own eyes is right."
The man hugged Xu Zhuohua, his body trembling slightly, the sensation spreading into Xu Zhuohua's arms.
"They've wronged you for a hundred years!"
Cheng Muyun was indeed dealing in arms, but he was doing so for the sake of the martyrs who would later rise up in rebellion.
What he is doing is not only a good thing, but also a great deed of immeasurable merit.
It turns out he listened to everything Xu Zhuohua said.
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