Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 183 - 165: From Now On, Severing Ties with You
Chapter 183: Chapter 165: From Now On, Severing Ties with You
Chu Garden — Princess Mansion — Imperial Palace — Princess Mansion.
This was Chu Yu’s itinerary on her first day back in Jiankang.
Even though she initially felt wandering and uneasy, almost shy as she approached her home, by the end of the day, Chu Yu could face Hua Cuo’s questioning gaze with a completely calm demeanor.
From the afternoon when Chu Yu entered the palace until her return in the evening, Hua Cuo had been quietly standing at the entrance of the Princess Mansion. Clutching his sword, his proud face seemed unable to suppress some urge, but he continued to wait, waiting for Chu Yu to give him an answer.
Just today, before talking to Huan Yuan, he asked her where Rong Zhi was. At that time, she fell silent for a moment and told him that they would discuss it later. This “later” had extended until now; she talked to Huan Yuan and then immediately entered the palace, not returning until the sun had set.
Autumn days are shorter, and the sun sets earlier than in summer. The afterglow of the sunset was like a blood light, but Hua Cuo felt quite comfortable; he was accustomed to blood, just as he was to the sword, a swordsman’s fate.
When Chu Yu returned, she saw Hua Cuo, radiant in the blood-like glow of the dying sun, dressed in bright red.
As Hua Cuo was about to speak, Chu Yu quickly smiled and waved her hand, “I know what you want to ask, but don’t worry. If there’s something, let’s wait until I’ve had something to eat?”
Few more steps later, she saw You Lan approaching. After bowing, he whispered to Chu Yu, “Princess, the Young Master Xiao who came back with you hasn’t left yet. He’s currently at Liu Sang’s place. How do you plan to deal with it?”
Chu Yu exclaimed with an “Ah”, laughing as she slapped her forehead: she had completely forgotten about Xiao Bie. Upon entering the memorial hall, her own funeral ceremony threw her into fits of laughter and tears, after which her attention quickly shifted to other matters, entirely forgetting Xiao Bie who had come with her.
It wasn’t so much that she was forgetful, rather, she had never really taken Xiao Bie seriously at all.
Chu Yu frowned slightly, remembering the music she had heard in Chu Garden. The qin music was very sad; since people like Huan Yuan thought she was dead, Xiao Bie must have harbored the same misunderstanding. Therefore, his shock upon seeing her had caused him to break a qin string in his haste.
The gatekeeper of Chu Garden had said that Xiao Bie played the qin there to reminisce about someone. It now seemed obvious that this someone was herself.
Compared to her casual regard for Xiao Bie, his feelings towards her were quite earnest and attentive. This asymmetrical relationship in their eyes made Chu Yu very uncomfortable. She and Xiao Bie should have been completely unrelated, but the situation they faced now was all because of Shan Yin’s Princess. The one who could understand Xiao Bie’s music was Shan Yin’s Princess; the one who could point out his mistakes was also Shan Yin’s Princess; the one who was sophisticated enough to appreciate it was still Shan Yin’s Princess, having nothing to do with her, Chu Yu, at all.
However, the person for whom Xiao Bie harbored great concern was long gone.
Chu Yu sighed softly in her heart, asking You Lan a few more questions, then instructed her to fetch something from her room before heading to Liu Sang’s place. As she entered the courtyard, Chu Yu saw two people in the pavilion ahead, with Xiao Bie sitting on the ground and Liu Sang standing eagerly beside him.
Xiao Bie was teaching Liu Sang to play the qin.
You Lan explained the situation to Chu Yu: Today, she had suddenly run back, dismantled the memorial hall, seen Huan Yuan, then hastily entered the palace, leaving Xiao Bie awkwardly behind in the memorial hall, unsure whether to leave or to stay. Later, Liu Sang, having nothing else to do, came to talk to him. Learning he was skilled at the qin, Liu Sang brought over a qin and insisted on being taught, so Xiao Bie then stayed, waiting for Chu Yu.
Liu Sang was the first to see Chu Yu, happily shouting and running over to her, skillfully hugging her arm and rubbing his face against it a couple of times.
Chu Yu casually ruffled his hair, her gaze fixed on Xiao Bie the entire time.
Xiao Bie also looked up at that moment, meeting Chu Yu’s gaze without evasion. After a pause, he said softly, “I’ve composed a new piece recently; would you care to listen?”
Chu Yu smiled, shaking her head. Just then, You Lan hurried over, her steps quick. In her hand was a book wrapped in blue silk. Chu Yu took it, opened it to check, then walked over and handed it to Xiao Bie, “Brother Xiao, this is my parting gift to you.”
His expression suddenly chilled as he spoke, not reaching for the book, but staring at Chu Yu, “What do you mean by this?”
Chu Yu seemed not to notice his cold gaze, her eyes lingering on the blue silk-covered book, “This is my…this is what I’ve written down about the qin music.” This was probably the only thing Shan Yin’s Princess had left for Xiao Bie.
Xiao Bie scoffed coldly, as he pushed the qin away from himself and slowly stood up, saying, “Your Highness, I did not come here repeatedly just to be humiliated.”
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Chu Yu was unmoved, her mind wandering elsewhere, watching herself and Xiao Bie with a detached gaze as she controlled her voice to keep it emotionlessly calm, “If Brother Xiao feels insulted, he is free to leave, Jiankang City is not a place to stay for long.”
Xiao Bie stared at Chu Yu for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter. His laugh was cold as ice, and it seemed as if the frost in his eyes might spill out, “The Princess is absolutely right, Xiao Bie takes his leave.”
After saying this coldly, he swiftly stepped out, passing by Chu Yu.
Xiao Bie was not lacking in pride. Born into nobility, valued in his family, and proficient in refined musical instruments, these three attributes alone were enough for Xiao Bie to be proud of himself. He had only been willing to bow to Shan Yin’s Princess because she stood higher in some aspects and had a greater vision.
As was the case with Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi with their profound connection through ‘High Mountain Flowing Water,’ nearly every qin master subconsciously hoped to find a soul who truly understood them.
Xiao Bie was no exception.
Even if Shan Yin’s Princess had a reputation that shocked and appalled society, she could understand his music.
But if repeated endeavors to connect through music were met with indifferent disregard, and ultimately an evident expulsion, no matter how precious the concept of a soulmate was, Xiao Bie’s self-esteem could not tolerate it.
Jiankang had already become inhospitable, his Zhong Ziqi unwilling to appreciate ‘High Mountain Flowing Water.’ No matter its prosperity, to him, it was but a city full of desolate falling leaves.
Xiao Bie decided he would leave tomorrow.
Watching Xiao Bie’s figure disappear at the door, Chu Yu quietly exhaled. If her memory served right, the historical coup should be drawing ever closer. If Xiao Bie continued to associate with her, it might involve him in danger. It was better to push him away while he was still not implicated.
The others in the Princess Mansion were already too deeply involved with her; they must advance or retreat together, but Xiao Bie was different, still uninvolved and thus could still extricate himself.
This was for the best.
This method might be somewhat abrupt, possibly wounding Xiao Bie’s pride, but Chu Yu did not care much about that.
She was never Xiao Bie’s soulmate to begin with. Cutting the Gordian knot like this was refreshingly decisive, freeing them from future concerns.
Chu Yu patted Liu Sang’s hair, smiling as she said, “Sorry, Liu Sang, I drove away the person who was teaching you the qin. If you still want to learn the qin, shall I find you another qin master?”
Liu Sang pressed his face against the back of Chu Yu’s hand, “If the Princess doesn’t like him, then I don’t like the qin either…” After saying that, he remembered, “Princess, is Brother Rong Zhi… in some sort of trouble?”
Though young, he was not oblivious. Chu Yu coming back alone, avoiding Hua Cuo’s queries, and Hua Cuo’s grim face all afternoon were enough to give Liu Sang a bad premonition.
“Yes, you could just say it outright, why wait any longer?” a somewhat chilly voice from Hua Cuo came from behind, “Is the Princess perhaps afraid of something?”
Yue Jiefei, who had been silently following Chu Yu, felt the intense murderous intent from Hua Cuo and subconsciously gripped the handle of his sword.
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