Chapter 116 Humility – He Was Greedy.
*
After a long while, Shen Qinglu came out of the house and immediately saw the people waiting outside.
In the less-than-ideal view, that bamboo-like figure was half hidden in the shadows and half visible in the light, like a gentle breeze and bright moon traveling alongside an eerie shadow, making one marvel at its beauty while also fearing its unpredictable nature.
She walked over step by step and stood in front of the other person.
Darkness also enveloped half of her body, just like the other half, half in light and half in shadow. Whether on the surface or in a true sense, they were already one.
Time seemed to stand still, just like the half-light and half-darkness of the scene.
For a moment, no one spoke, but for some reason, she felt no discomfort whatsoever. She even thought to herself that it would be nice if they could continue to respect and love each other.
She wanted to use the incident involving Qin's mother as an opportunity to test the waters. Otherwise, she could have easily gotten Shen Kunyao's help to stop Guan Hu and the others from taking away Qin's mother, who had faked her death.
She was quite satisfied with the result of the test; at least it proved that if she really wanted something, this person would actually help her, and handle it very well.
She believed that a marriage devoid of romantic love, where mutual respect and support were enough.
She didn't say what she had specifically said to Qin's mother, and Mu Hanshi didn't ask either. The two walked out of the Shenwu Camp together, seemingly in perfect sync, but in reality, Mu Hanshi was accommodating her pace.
Her steps were neither large nor fast; if she wasn't deliberately following, how could she have kept pace with him?
They remained silent the entire way until they returned to the Prince's residence.
First, she removed her jewelry, then her hair, and then she took a bath and changed her clothes. After she came out, Xia Chan tactfully retreated outside.
She looked at the man bowing at the desk, her eyes filled with undisguised amazement.
The warm candlelight softened his aloofness, making his handsome features appear dreamlike. Judging from his movements, he was painting, but he didn't know that he himself was a painting.
He heard the noise and looked over at her.
When their eyes met, she smiled.
For a moment, this scene felt strangely familiar.
Her adoptive father was an excellent calligrapher, and she and her brother practiced calligraphy from a young age. She was physically weak and could not be as diligent as her brother, but she would do some of the things a younger sister should do, such as serving tea and fruit.
No matter how light her footsteps were, her brother could sense her arrival, just as he was watching her now. She felt that she must be suffering from lovesickness, or perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her, otherwise how could she feel their eyes meeting?
She forcibly suppressed her pounding heart, feeling utterly ridiculous. To ignore the strange illusion, she took a few steps forward instead of retreating.
On the flat white paper, the drawing wasn't of anyone else, but of her.
The pheasant-adorned robes and crown were exquisitely beautiful and exuded a noble air, and were remarkably lifelike.
She was momentarily at a loss for words, so she made small talk, saying, "You can draw so well without copying people, that's really amazing."
“I don’t need to look at you; I remember what you look like.” Mu Hanshi continued to add to the paper as he spoke, as if it were just a casual remark, without any deep thought or sentimentality.
Only after finishing the last stroke did he put down his pen, wipe his hands, and walk out from behind the desk, step by step.
His unintentional words were like a pebble thrown into the lake of Shen Qinglu's heart, stirring up ripples.
Shen Qinglu seemed to forget to move, watching him approach and letting him take her hand.
The red curtains fell, but instead of a vibrant scene, one slept inside and the other outside.
"You've had a long day, go to sleep," he said.
Shen Qinglu hummed in agreement, facing the inside of the bed and closing her eyes. Her mind was filled with endless waves, one after another, constantly churning her emotions.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she still couldn't fall asleep.
On the contrary, they became more energetic because of the confusion and speculation in their hearts.
She turned around gently, stealing glances at the person sleeping on the outside. After staring at them for a while, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
On the second day of their marriage, some of them did nothing but fall asleep, which shows that they weren't very interested in her. It seems that what they said earlier was just a psychological attack to solidify the marriage.
She felt her thoughts were largely correct, so she turned over again. But even after figuring it out, she still couldn't sleep; her chest felt a little tight, so she simply lay flat on her back. After lying there for a while, she felt even more awake, so she turned to her side again.
The man's voice was extremely low, as if he were talking in his sleep, "Can't sleep?"
She jolted awake and instinctively replied, "I'll sleep, I'll fall asleep right away."
After saying that, he remained motionless, as if to prove that what he said was true.
The space fell silent once more, with only the sound of their breathing.
She didn't turn around, unaware that Mu Hanshi wasn't just talking in his sleep, but hadn't actually fallen asleep at all. His deep, dark eyes were fixed on the back of her head, conveying a sense of danger mixed with a hint of incongruous melancholy.
*
When a married woman returns to her parents' home on the third day after her marriage, her family members must get up early in the morning to prepare.
Gu Ruxu, Shen Kunyao, and their son Shen Changting arrived at the Shen residence before dawn.
The distinguished new son-in-law was making his first formal visit, and the entire family dared not show the slightest disrespect. The whole household was filled with joy, and even the servants walked with an air of elation. It was as if yesterday's farce had never happened, nor had it tainted the house in the slightest.
After the excitement subsided, the women chatted privately, while the men talked in another area.
Shen Linlang looked at her daughter, who seemed to be in good spirits and unaffected by Yu Qingxue's death, and her face was full of relief. She exchanged a glance with Gu Ruxu and then smiled knowingly.
While Shen Linlang was away on business, Gu Ruxu said to Shen Qinglu, "The person you want to see has already arrived in the capital."
Shen Qinglu thought it was timely, but hesitated, "I want to meet him today, but there are many inconveniences right now, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to get away."
A hint of teasing crossed Gu Ruxu's bright face. "The prince's status is extraordinary. Even if you are newly married, he may not be able to stay in the manor with you all the time. If something happens to the Divine Martial Camp, he will definitely not ignore it."
Wise people speak with eloquence, knowing the meaning behind their words and knowing when to stop.
Shen Qinglu's eyebrows curved into a smile, making her beautiful features even more captivating. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Aunt."
When a newlywed woman returns to her parents' home, she should go in and out with her husband.
The couple entered the mansion together, and they left together as well.
Not long after he returned to the Prince's Mansion, someone from the Divine Martial Camp came to invite Mu Hanshi. No sooner had he left the mansion than Shen Qinglu led Xia Chan and the others out the back door.
Ma Er drove the carriage straight to the General's Mansion.
Gu Ruxu had already made arrangements, leading her directly to a secluded courtyard, saying that someone was already waiting for her.
She went in alone. The person inside, who was originally facing the half-open window on the west side, slowly turned around after hearing the sound.
With a slender figure, gray hair, and a face full of wrinkles and the marks of years of hard work, one could still tell from his handsome features that he must have been a handsome man in his youth.
Upon first seeing her, the man's slightly numb and blank face showed a clear fluctuation of emotion, but he quickly returned to normal.
"Are you Su Qihe?" she asked.
"Yes." Su Qihe nodded, his expression shifting again as he asked her, "Are you Yu Qingxue's daughter?"
She shook her head. "No."
Su Qihe seemed to understand, and murmured, "You are her niece, the child who was switched. You look a lot like her."
"I don't want to be like her at all, I hate her!" She slowly walked towards the other person, stopping three steps away. Her dark eyes were filled with indescribable emotions, which gradually became misty.
“Over the past ten years or so, I haven’t been completely stupid; I’ve been lucid at times. You know, during those brief Qingming Festivals, the person I most wanted to see was you.”
Su Qihe was surprised, then gritted his teeth, his jawline clearly visible due to his extreme thinness.
For a moment, it seemed as if he didn't want to see her and turned his gaze away.
She looked very sad, but she was trying to hold back her tears. "I wish you would send someone to take me away. Even if I have to live a life of hardship and hunger, it would be better than staying by Yu Qingxue's side."
"You can't even imagine how difficult it is for exiled criminals. You are the niece of the Shen family. Now everything is alright, which is a blessing from heaven. Don't hold a grudge because of other people's mistakes."
A person in distress advises others not to harbor resentment.
He was once a fine young man from a scholarly family with a good family background and a promising future, but unexpectedly he was caught up in the struggle for the throne and became the son of a disgraced official.
His coarse cloth clothes had been washed until they were white and stiff, but his body, ravaged by hardship, stood straight, like a solitary poplar tree standing alone in a land of endless yellow sand.
Shen Qinglu looked at him and felt only regret.
"You advised me not to harbor resentment, but what about you? Have you ever resented or hated anyone all these years?"
"The Emperor's grace is boundless. I am already grateful for the grace of Heaven and Earth in keeping me alive. How can I have any complaints?"
Seventeen years!
He was used to enduring things, and even when his palms were clenched so tightly that they left deep marks, his face remained numb.
Upon seeing him, Shen Qinglu felt admiration and thought he was a potential collaborator. She became even more grief-stricken, her voice choked with sobs, "I used to resent you, yet I longed to see you again someday. Later, when the truth came out and I was reunited with my mother, free from suffering, I still couldn't let you go. I always wanted to ask you face to face, why didn't you write to me all those years?"
"I……"
“I couldn’t understand it before, but now I do. You have your own reasons that you can’t express.”
His expression changed, and his gloomy gaze suddenly sharpened.
Shen Qinglu neither feared nor avoided the question, looking directly at him. "You probably already know why you came to the capital this time, but you may not know that it was I who spoke on your behalf to my uncle, which is why you are here."
"You?" He narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with both suspicion and shock.
“Someone slandered our Shen family, saying that we used your Su family as a front to secretly ally with the Demon King. Although it was eventually found out that it was malicious slander, I still have doubts in my heart. That’s why I asked my uncle to secretly bring you here under the pretext of testifying.”
The day she left the Shenwu Camp prison and met Gu Ruxu, the first thing she did was ask Gu Ruxu to pass on a message to Shen Kunyao, secretly instructing him to send someone to the Su family's place of exile.
"The rumor also says that the reason your Su family didn't expose our Shen family is because you're worried about having children raised in our Shen family. If we can refute that, then the rumor will fall apart on its own."
Su Qihe turned around, looking like a puppet hanging on by a thread. "If your Shen family needs me to testify about whether there was any collusion, I will certainly do my duty to prove your innocence. But there are some things I don't want to bring up again, and besides, whether I bring them up or not shouldn't affect the final outcome."
Yu Qingxue was beautiful, and he took a liking to her almost at first sight.
During the honeymoon period, he was overjoyed. Even after learning that his wife had someone else in her heart, he was sad and heartbroken, but he never complained.
In his memory, Yu Qingxue was a simple-minded person, her thoughts easily read on her face. Even if such a person did something wrong, it must have been because she was tempted by others.
Now that the person is gone, why add fuel to the fire?
Seeing his attitude, Shen Qinglu knew that he still had feelings for Yu Qingxue.
What a pity.
Yu Qingxue not only failed to cherish it, but also trampled this affection into the mud.
How do you know it won't affect the final outcome?
"My Su family is already guilty of crimes, so where is our morality? There is no need to care about us."
"If I told you that this matter is far-reaching and may be related to the fact that your Su family was falsely accused of being accomplices of the Demon King, would you still refuse to bring it up again?"
"What did you say?" Su Qihe turned around abruptly, his emotions so intense that he looked as if he had suddenly grown thorns.
Shen Qinglu approached him, her dark eyes like the polar night, yet with stars twinkling within them. "I said, as long as you cooperate with me, I have a 50% chance of overturning the case against your Su family."
Su Qihe was skeptical, his mind buzzing.
He looked at the person in front of him. The person was clearly still a teenager, but his words and actions were incredibly mature. He had been trying to win him over from the moment he entered the room.
"You really can..."
"I told you, I'm 50% sure."
He lowered his head and gave a bitter laugh, "You and she are nothing alike."
The "she" in this context refers to Yu Qingxue.
After a long silence, he took a deep breath and said, "I promise you."
*
The Military Affairs Hall of the Shenwu Camp.
Shen Kunyao got up again and poured more tea for Mu Hanshi.
Amidst the fragrant aroma of tea, a city defense map of Donglin City was laid out before them.
Mu Hanshi's jade-like fingers casually traced a spot as he asked Shen Kunyao, "You mean, we should double the number of people here?"
“Indeed, I think that since we are going to increase manpower, the number of people joining the camp this year must also be greater. The number of Shenwu Guards has always been fixed, and if we expand it, I’m afraid there will be opposition.”
Those who opposed it were naturally the Tianwu Guard.
Since the founding of the Great Ye Dynasty by its ancestors, the three Great Guards in the capital have seemingly each performed their own duties, but in reality, they have served to check and balance each other. In particular, the Divine Martial Guard and the Heavenly Martial Guard are one for the people and the other for the emperor.
The people and the ruler are one, yet they complement each other. The saying goes, "The people are like water, the ruler is like a boat." Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; this perfectly describes the relationship between the Divine Martial Guard and the Heavenly Martial Guard. If the Divine Martial Guard expands, it will inevitably disrupt the balance, and how can the Heavenly Martial Guard rely on it?
After Shen Kunyao finished speaking, he cleared his throat, as if his throat was uncomfortable.
Mu Hanshi glanced at him and said, "I know about this matter, and I will mention it to His Majesty."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness." He looked towards the door and secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his attendants appear.
"Is there anything else?" Mu Hanshi asked him.
He quickly waved his hand, "That's all, that's all. It's all my oversight. I've been too busy lately and haven't had time to attend to many things, so I had no choice but to invite Your Highness here."
Mu Hanshi frowned, stood up, elegantly brushed his clothes, and then calmly walked away.
As he left, he casually remarked, "If anything like this happens again, don't bother making trouble for yourself. Just tell me directly."
"Your Highness, you know!" Shen Kunyao slapped his forehead, thinking to himself that this was indeed the case.
He had been on good terms with the Phoenix Emperor since he was young, and had practically watched Mu Han grow up. How could he not know what kind of person this master was? How could his little tricks possibly fool him?
"Please don't blame Ali, she's just afraid you'll be angry."
Mu Hanshi stopped in his tracks but did not turn around. "I won't be angry with her. She will tell me when she wants to. If she doesn't want to, I will pretend I don't know. Don't tell her about this. Let her do whatever she wants."
How could he possibly be angry? If he is angry, it's only at himself. I thought that as long as they were by my side, they were all doing well, no matter what.
However, human nature is inherently greedy; once one has something, one wants something else.
When will his A'Zhu be able to trust and rely on him, just like before?
Shen Kunyao respectfully saw him off, and after he had gone far away, he slapped his forehead and looked up at the sky.
The attendant, who was standing guard outside the door, saw his master slapping his forehead and looking up at the sky, and quickly came over to ask, "General, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it. Did you hear what the prince said just now? Did you sense anything was amiss?"
"This servant heard you." The attendant thought for a moment, then hesitated.
Shen Kunyao crossed his arms and said, "Just say what you have to say, no need to beat around the bush."
"Then this servant will be offended. This servant feels that Your Highness cares a lot about the Princess, but dares not to force it. It seems a bit... humble."
"Humble?"
Shen Kunyao was taken aback.
After a long while, he looked up at the sky again and murmured, "It really seems to be true."
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