"Your Majesty, do you know why I'm still sitting here talking to you?"
Wei Yun took a sip of tea: "Your Majesty protected Yao Yong, seized Hua Jing, yet I can still sit here calmly. What do you think is the reason?"
Zhao Yue frowned. Wei Yun raised his gaze to meet his: "If not for the goal of destroying Northern Di, I wouldn't be here. I've sacrificed so much for Yao Yong's head—if not for the greater cause of eliminating Northern Di, could I possibly swallow this insult? Every extra breath he takes is an insult to me."
"Wei Yun," Zhao Yue pleaded bitterly, "think of the common people."
"Do you really think I care?" Wei Yun curled his lips: "I've noticed you're just like Emperor Chunde—always using the people as bargaining chips with me."
Zhao Yue fell silent. Wei Yun's expression remained composed and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. Zhao Yue knew clearly that Wei Yun was only giving him two options now.
Either fight Northern Di to the end, or hand over Yao Yong.
But he couldn't possibly surrender Yao Yong at this moment. If he gave up this man, he would immediately lose his leverage against Wei Yun, Chu Linyang and others.
If he didn't hand him over, Wei Yun wouldn't let it go. Civil war would erupt, and the stability he'd worked so hard to achieve would be in jeopardy again.
In the past, he wouldn't have cared—after all, he wasn't the one sitting on the throne. If the country fell, he could simply walk away. But now it was different. He was the one on the throne, his fate inextricably tied to this nation. Wei Yun had nothing to lose, but Zhao Yue couldn't match Wei Yun's current decisiveness.
Zhao Yue stared at Wei Yun: "Wei Yun, by pushing me like this, aren't you afraid of the consequences?"
Wei Yun smiled faintly: "Your Majesty is a wise ruler for the ages, adept at recognizing talent. Surely you understand my demands. As long as my requirements are met, I harbor no rebellious intentions. Your Majesty can distinguish right from wrong—why should I fear any consequences?"
Zhao Yue's eyes flickered, as if remembering something. After a long silence, he finally said: "Let me think about it..."
"I await Your Majesty's reply."
Wei Yun stood up, bowed respectfully, and withdrew after receiving Zhao Yue's permission.
After watching Wei Yun leave, Zhao Yue's expression gradually turned cold. He violently kicked over the table and headed straight for Phoenix Perch Palace.
The Eldest Princess had just seen off Chu Yu and was sitting before her bronze mirror removing her makeup. Seeing her from afar, Zhao Yue's expression softened. He walked behind her, took the comb from her hand, and said gently: "Your Highness, let me."
The Eldest Princess said nothing, allowing him to take the comb.
His expression was tender and doting, just as it had been back in the princess's residence.
"I remember when you first came to the princess's residence, you couldn't do anything. I hadn't planned to make you do anything, but one day you suddenly volunteered to comb my hair. That was your first time combing someone's hair, wasn't it?"
The Eldest Princess gazed at the reflection in the mirror as she slowly recounted the past.
Listening to her words, all the previous fury and violence gradually faded from Zhao Yue's eyes. He responded softly: "Yes, it was my first time. Did I hurt you?"
The Eldest Princess chuckled: "Indeed. No one had ever been so clumsy before."
"Then why did you let me continue?"
"You enjoyed it. What's wrong with indulging you a little?"Zhao Yue's hand paused slightly. After a moment, he gave a bitter smile. "Your Highness saying this truly makes me feel flattered. But I've never known—who exactly is it that Your Highness favors? Me, or Mei Hanxue?"
The Eldest Princess fell silent for a while. Had he asked this back in her residence, she might have answered him truthfully.
It was him she favored. Always had been.
When selecting a consort back then, the reason she chose Mei Hanxue was simply because the first time she saw him, she realized—this person truly resembled her little A-Yue.
At the time, she had no other feelings. It was just that she had always doted on him, and since she had to choose a consort eventually, why not pick one who resembled him?
It wasn’t until later, when he grew up and came to her side—so outstanding, so proud and brilliant—that she vaguely began to realize something. By then, she was already a widow with a child. The best man in her heart when he was young was her little A-Yue; when he grew older, she thought it was the Qin Prince Heir.
Time had deepened her emotions into something fervent and intense, and she never shied away from it. Had he asked back then, she would have answered him plainly. But now that he asked, she no longer wished to give him that answer. After a long silence, she finally said slowly, "A-Yue, I’ve doted on you since you were little."
"Is this the kind of affection I want, Eldest Princess? Do you not understand?"
Zhao Yue spoke calmly. "The Princess has always cared for the younger generation. But I—I cannot bear to remain just that."
The Eldest Princess remained silent. Zhao Yue lowered his head, tilting her chin up to face him, masking the storm in his eyes. "I truly wish to know—where do I fall short?"
The Eldest Princess met his gaze. Zhao Yue stared back quietly. "Your residence has so many male concubines. Why is it that you’ve taken every one of them, yet I’ve never been allowed into your bed?"
"Zhao Yue," she said evenly, "it’s been three years since I last summoned a male concubine to my chambers."
Three years ago was when she first realized she loved him—and the first time she voiced that love to him.
Yet while she remembered this time clearly, Zhao Yue recalled nothing. He chuckled lightly. "But there are still so many men around you, aren’t there?"
"Your Highness," he leaned closer, "today, Wei Yun asked me to send him north to fight the Northern Di. A tiger returning to the mountains—tell me, should I let him go?"
The Eldest Princess said nothing. After a long pause, she finally replied, "No."
Zhao Yue was taken aback. He looked at her in surprise. "Why not?"
"You’ve already said it yourself—letting him go is no different from releasing a tiger back into the wild. Even if it means crippling the Great Chu, we cannot allow someone who poses such a threat to you to live."
Zhao Yue fell silent, his hand trembling faintly. The Eldest Princess gazed into the mirror and spoke calmly. "A-Yue."
"No matter what," her voice was hoarse, "I will protect you."
Zhao Yue’s grip on her hair tightened slightly. Suddenly, he felt as though he were still that young boy, with this elder sister standing before him, shielding him from the storm at all costs.
"I know you don’t believe me."
The Eldest Princess feigned composure, but Zhao Yue could clearly hear the trace of grievance in her voice. "But back then, didn’t I send Little Hua away—even though I loved him so much—all for your sake?"Zhao Yue's thoughts drifted slightly, hazily recalling the time he had stayed at the Eldest Princess's residence and clashed with a favored prince over a kitten. That kitten had been the Eldest Princess's beloved pet since her youth, raised from infancy. To protect him from the prince's bullying, the Eldest Princess had gifted the kitten to the prince as an apology. Not long after, news arrived that the kitten had died. The Eldest Princess hid in her room and wept for an entire day. When she emerged, afraid he would notice, she lied and told him it was just sand in her eyes.
Remembering this, Zhao Yue's heart trembled faintly.
Suddenly, he felt that the current state of Great Chu was much like that kitten back then. The Eldest Princess might say it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care—but if Great Chu truly fell into ruin, torn by internal strife, its people displaced, and humiliated by the Northern Di, she might still hide and weep as she had in her youth, afraid he would see.
He lowered his gaze to look at her, his heart in turmoil.
He feared her tears more than anything, especially when they were shed for him.
After a long silence, he sighed softly, stepped behind her, and embraced her from behind.
"If I really did this, you’d be heartbroken, wouldn’t you? Back then, you protected Wei Yun because you recognized his talent as a general, didn’t you?"
"You used to worry endlessly that Great Chu would send you away for a political marriage, dreaming of the day it could crush the Northern Di." As he spoke, he smiled at her, then leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Little Aunt, I give it to you."
The Eldest Princess froze slightly, as if surprised. She looked up at him with the gaze of a young girl, stirring waves in Zhao Yue's heart.
He stared at her, lifting a hand to trace her lips, his voice rough with emotion.
"I want to serve you well," he murmured, desire coloring his words. "If you’re pleased, I’ll be happy—and I’ll grant Wei Yun his life. How does that sound?"
The Eldest Princess said nothing, as if struggling.
That she weighed him and Great Chu equally in her heart filled Zhao Yue with joy. Suppressing his emotions, he kissed her carefully, his voice hoarse. "Don’t overthink it. This decision—I’ll make it for you."
"Little Aunt, knowing you care for me... it makes me happy."
Still, the Eldest Princess remained silent. She closed her eyes, fists slowly clenching.
The man moved above her, rising and falling, but she bit her lip and kept her eyes shut, refusing to make a sound.
In their most loving days, they had never been like this. Now, though they stood on opposing sides, they were intimately entwined.
Meanwhile, Chu Yu waited quietly in the carriage for Wei Yun.
She pondered the Eldest Princess's earlier words.
"Zhao Yue has always been more swayed by softness than force. I’ll pretend to love him, stay by his side, and wait for the right moment. His intentions are impure—if I indulge him, I’ll inevitably become a notorious seductress. Only when the emperor lacks virtue will you have your chance."
"Zhao Yue is meticulous. If Your Highness approaches him with such intentions but fails to deceive him—"
"I misspoke," the Eldest Princess had said with a bitter smile. "I’m not pretending to love him. There’s no question of whether I can deceive him or not."
If it was real from the start, how could it ever be false?
Chu Yu lowered her gaze, tracing the embroidery on her sleeve—a habit she had unconsciously picked up from Wei Yun. Footsteps approached outside, and moments later, the carriage curtain was abruptly pulled aside, revealing Wei Yun’s handsome, noble face.
Seeing her, his expression softened with relief.
"Sister-in-law," he said gently. "I’m glad you’re safe."
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