I hope you all had a merry christmas and wish you a happy new year! Here"s double chapters as thanks for sticking with me!
Shen Qingzhi, the war G.o.d of the Southern Song Dynasty.
In the next few days, Chu Yu caught wind of rumors regarding this Shen Qingzhi.
He was the Southern Dynasty"s Guardian. Because of him, Princess Shanyin"s father could become emperor, and Liu Ziye could retain his position. He excelled at war, having won almost every battle, and although he was past eighty, his mettle remained unchanged with age.
Before, she had only rumors to go on, but seeing Shen Qingzhi in person was vastly different. His majestic aura was impressive; a single look had left her helplessly oppressed. This kind of atmosphere was honed from countless wars on the battlefield. No one could be his match unless they had been through similar ordeals.
Chu Yu had never before seen someone like him, even in her past life.
The servant who ran errands to and from the Princess"s Palace – Shen Guangzuo, together with Shen Shenzhi, were both Shen Qingzhi"s distant relatives. It was a pity their relations were too far apart, else she could have made use of them.
Chu Yu waited for Shen Qingzhi and the young officer to leave the street. Once they were out of sight, she recollected what the young officer had said. "What"s going on with that curfew he mentioned?"
What the curfew referred to was the prohibition of anyone venturing outside after a certain time. It was usually instated during martial law under special circ.u.mstances as a security measure.
Yue Jiefei lightly stretched himself before replying. "I alerted the authorities so they could investigate your a.s.sa.s.sination incident. It appears they"ve established martial law at night. Also, patrols have been set up after the recent murder of an innocent happened in the city."
Chu Yu had no objections knowing the reason for the curfew was because of her. The curfew itself would not significantly impact civilian life. Once nightfall hit and the lights were out, the common folk would be at home tending to their children, with no spare time for wandering out late at night.
Chu Yu was unaware of the curfew as she had always returned to the palace before evening, till today of all days.
"How much longer will the curfew last?" Remembering w.a.n.g Yizhi"s lazy manner of walking, curiosity took over and she tried mimicking a few steps. However, it wasn"t the same without the feel of the wooden sandals and she soon reverted back to herself.
Yue Jiefei stared at her feet weirdly. "I am not entirely sure as the matter is now handed over to local authorities. But based on past routine, it should take about half a month."
"Oh, let"s accompany me for a walk then, I haven"t taken a stroll like this in ages."
The night was ink black by the time they returned to the palace. Besides the patrol guards, everyone else was deep in silent slumber. Chu Yu continued on towards her room, until she reached the intersection between the east and west chambers, and spied a person"s silhouette.
Huan Yuan was still wearing his hat and robes, standing alone in the west chamber"s entrance. His figure appeared a little forlorn, the lantern he held shining a faint twilight glow on half of his handsome features, while throwing the other half in cold shadow.
His expression was written over with some kind of worry, confusion clouding over it and something more – too lost in the dark for Chu Yu to see.
Chu Yu walked up to his side and noted his lack of response, as if staring into s.p.a.ce. She chuckled and reached out to tap him. "Why are you still awake?"
She had merely gently tapped him, but did not foresee his violent reaction. In a heartbeat, Huan Yuan lurched back from her, slapping harshly at her hand. Staggering backwards, he realized he was looking at Chu Yu and his expression soon turned to regret.
Chu Yu pretended nothing was wrong as she shook her smarting wrist. It may already have started swelling but she controlled her countenance, choosing to smile at Huan Yuan instead. "It"s already late so why aren"t you sleeping?" The time was ten at night - not exactly late for modern night owls, but way past the bedtime hours of medieval people who typically didn"t have as much nightly activities.
She meant it as a casual question, but did not expect Huan Yuan"s mystified expression. Finally, after a long pause, he looked away while mumbling a response. "I was tired from attending to work all day and decided to take a stroll. I didn"t expect to run into your highness here. Why is the princess back so late as well?"
Chu Yu smiled as she replied, telling him she had lost track of time when visiting a new friend, but refraining from saying who.
After a day without rest and walking on foot back to the palace, Chu Yu could feel the exhaustion seeping through her bones. She yawned and patted Huan Yuan"s arm without a second thought. "You should go rest up too, staying up late won"t be good for the body." Being much taller than her made it hard for Chu Yu to reach Huan Yuan"s shoulder, so she settled for patting his arm instead.
The early summer nights weren"t cold and wouldn"t drive a person sick; even still, standing around would lure mosquitoes.
Slowly, leisurely, the young woman in men"s garbs ambled into the east chamber, leaving Huan Yuan to stand unmoving in his original position, his state of mind wavering like flickers of light from his lantern.
Warm were the night winds, though the darkness brought a tinge of cold.
Huan Yuan remained rooted to the floor in a daze, then turned around for the west chamber, a strange sensation in his heart. Why had he stood there for so long?
Even with all of mankind"s intelligence, the answer eluded him.
The very next morning, Chu Yu gave herself an off day. She sent You Lan to tell Rong Zhi she had lost the fragrance sachet and bade him to make a few more.
With You Lan gone and no one else to intrude on her, Chu Yu comfortably rolled into her covers, preparing to drift back to sleep.
She didn"t know how long she had slept, but the second time she woke, daylight was shining brightly outside. It was around twelve noon when she finally got up and dressed herself for lunch.
What came with her lunch was a gift placed in an exquisite brocade box and accompanied with a letter. On it, in a script lively as an ethereal dance of dragons and phoenixes, were the words "A small token of mine, for Brother Zichu"s kind acceptance."
The sender had signed off as w.a.n.g Yizhi.
Curious, Chu Yu opened the box to find a pair of gleaming wooden sandals the color of deep mulberry.
She recalled asking w.a.n.g Yizhi where he had his sandals made just yesterday. She had forgotten the little detail herself, yet he had remembered.
Chu Yu immediately took off her shoes and placed her feet into the sandals. They adhered to her feet perfectly, the sensation smoothly cool on her soles and seeming to spread a warmth from within.