Chapter 54: Shura Field
Chu Yi carefully examined the face that was inches away, his surprise growing. He tried to break free from the hand gripping his wrist, but he couldn’t pull away at all. He could only say, “Can you let go?”
The man gazed at Chu Yi’s face, his eyes gradually stinging with tears. He called out tremblingly, “Yi’er…”
For a moment, Chu Yi felt his scalp tingle. He unconsciously replied, “Yes~”
The moment his thoughts returned, he covered his lips with his hand and stared blankly at the man. Could the person before him be the new king of Qianlin? His older brother?
From a distance, Sheng Qianheng saw Chu Yi being held tightly in another’s embrace, and his expression changed drastically! He had only intended to pretend to value the King of Qianlin and come to welcome him, but he had never expected to see such a scene.
He ran forward, pulled Chu Yi back into his embrace, and glared fiercely at the King of Qianlin. Only then did he look at Chu Yi’s unsettled expression and ask, “Were you scared? Are you uncomfortable?”
Chu Yi shook his head slightly, his gaze unconsciously fixed on the man.
Sheng Qianheng pinched Chu Yi’s cheek with one hand, forcing him to look only at him, and warned him silently with his lips, “Don’t… look… at… him!”
The man raised a hand to straighten the slightly messy lapels of his robe, cleared his throat, and said, “Did Gu come all this way just to see you two hugging here?”
Only then did Chu Yi slowly pull away Sheng Qianheng’s hand and remind him in a low voice, “Business is more important.”
Sheng Qianheng looked up, his gaze like a sword, straight at the new king of Qianlin. The two of them looked at each other, and it was as if sparks were flying, capable of igniting a sky-shattering fire in an instant.
The two kings faced off, their unique auras of arrogance like two surging torrents, crashing into each other and creating invisible waves.
Seeing the two of them secretly competing, Chu Yi felt a chill run down his spine. He pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, “Let’s not just stand here…”
Sheng Qianheng immediately took Chu Yi’s hand, intertwining their fingers tightly, and said with a smile, “Zhen has already ordered a banquet to be prepared in the Hall of Preserving Harmony and sincerely invites the King of Qianlin for a gathering.”
The King of Qianlin, Chu Rui, nodded, his gaze fixed on Chu Yi and Sheng Qianheng’s tightly clasped hands. He said coldly, “Gu is very much looking forward to it. But won’t you introduce this person to Gu?”
Sheng Qianheng shifted a step to the right, blocking Chu Yi behind him. He faintly sensed that Chu Rui had come for Chu Yi this time. But he would never allow this to happen.
He casually made something up, “This is Zhen’s Imperial Consort.”
The King of Qianlin, Chu Rui, sighed, tilted his head to look at Chu Yi, and said, “Yi’er, is this how he introduces you~”
Chu Yi gave an awkward smile. He finally understood.
The King of Qianlin was indeed his older brother. Right now, his older brother couldn’t stand his… husband? And Sheng Qianheng was inexplicably hostile to his older brother?
Others had mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts, but he had a brother-in-law conflict?
What was all this? Even if he had no memory of anything related to Qianlin, he couldn’t just let these two continue to be at odds like this.
He licked his lips slightly, feigned a few coughs. For a moment, he didn’t know how to address the King of Qianlin and could only change the subject. “What delicacies are there in the Hall of Preserving Harmony today? Can I go and get a share?”
Seeing his younger brother defending Sheng Qianheng like this, Chu Rui couldn’t continue to give him the cold shoulder. His trip was only to bring Chu Yi back to Qianlin.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Your Majesty to lead the way.”
Chu Yi looked back and gave Chu Rui a slight nod and smile.
Sheng Qianheng, on the other hand, wrapped an arm around Chu Yi’s lower back and leaned close to his ear. “Are you sure you didn’t fall just now?”
Chu Yi lowered his voice to a minimum. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
He looked at Sheng Qianheng’s worried expression and, without needing to probe further, understood that he knew he was a hostage of Qianlin.
It turned out that Sheng Qianheng had hidden a lot from him.
The three of them took their seats in the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Chu Yi had wanted to sit far away from the two of them but was held by Sheng Qianheng and sat side by side with him.
Sheng Qianheng picked up a lot of food for Chu Yi, who ate absent-mindedly.
He didn’t dare to look up at Chu Rui at all. What if he was found out not to be his younger brother? That would be a disaster.
In an instant, the vast Hall of Preserving Harmony was silent, without even the faint sound of chopsticks clinking.
Chu Yi smelled another unfamiliar scent in the surroundings. He thought it must be Chu Rui’s xìnxiāng.
He didn’t understand xìnxiāng and only felt a slight tightness in his lower abdomen, not taking it to heart.
Chu Rui had already sensed through his xìnxiāng that his younger brother was a Kunze. He looked up at the back of his collar, hoping that he had not been defiled by this Da Mo emperor and marked.
Chu Yi felt Chu Rui’s gaze on him and was uncomfortable all over. He looked up slightly and met his gaze, only to immediately lower his head and continue eating.
Chu Rui put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and asked, “Your Majesty, Gu has come this time with a matter to discuss with you.”
Sheng Qianheng’s hand, which was picking up food, froze. He bit his back teeth slightly and asked, “I wonder if the matter the King speaks of is the same as the one Zhen wishes to discuss with the King?”
Chu Rui raised an eyebrow and gestured for Sheng Qianheng to speak first.
Sheng Qianheng took Chu Yi’s hand and said as calmly as he could, “King, Princess Zhaoning was sent by the late king of Qianlin for a marriage alliance. Now that the King is in my Da Mo imperial palace, Zhen intends to have the King take her back to her homeland when you leave. What does the King think?”
Chu Rui let out a soft laugh. “Oh? Your Majesty wants to send Princess Zhaoning back? But Gu also has someone I want to bring back to Qianlin. I wonder if Your Majesty is willing to let them go~”
Chu Yi was instantly drenched in sweat. These two were so direct, not caring at all that he was still sitting there, not avoiding the topic in the slightest!
He raised a hand to rub his temples, feeling a terrible headache.
Sheng Qianheng’s grip on Chu Yi’s hand unconsciously tightened. He looked coldly at Chu Rui. “Who does the King want?”
Chu Rui stood up and slowly walked to their table. He looked at Sheng Qianheng’s furrowed brow and couldn’t help but smile to himself. “The person Gu wants is the one sitting beside Your Majesty.”
Chu Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He pressed his lips together and looked sideways at Sheng Qianheng’s expression. He saw his eyes were half-closed, his brows were already furrowed, and the left hand on the table was clenched into a fist.
Head Eunuch Liu, who was standing on the side, reprimanded, “Insolence! This is the Imperial Consort of my Da Mo! How can the King speak so lightly…”
As the king of a nation, how could Chu Rui be afraid of these things? Even though he was in the Da Mo imperial palace, his elite troops were already ambushing in secret. How could he put himself in danger?
“How ridiculous. This is clearly my Qianlin prince, Chu Yi. How did he become your Sheng Qianheng’s consort? He is a man! Not your appendage!”
Sheng Qianheng slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and looked at the King of Qianlin, Chu Rui. “Chu Yi is my properly married wife and has already been recorded in the history books of my Da Mo. Is the King trying to destroy the diplomatic relations between our two countries?”
Chu Yi looked up at the two of them, their words full of gunpowder. He had no idea how to stop them. From either of their perspectives, neither of them was wrong…
He was Sheng Qianheng’s consort and naturally couldn’t leave the palace. But he was also a prince of Qianlin and should return to Qianlin.
The King of Qianlin, Chu Rui, walked around to Chu Yi’s side, took his arm, and tried to pull him to his side. “The diplomatic relations between our two countries will be maintained by Princess Zhaoning. I must take Yi’er back to Qianlin!”
But in a moment, Chu Yi’s other arm was grabbed by Sheng Qianheng. “Chu Yi alone can maintain the diplomatic relations between our two countries. You can take Princess Zhaoning back!”
Both of them were competing, and neither was willing to give in.
Chu Yi felt as if he were about to be torn apart. He was like an object on display in a shop, for people to choose.
A rush of blood surged through him, and he said sharply, “That’s enough, you two!”
Sheng Qianheng and the King of Qianlin, Chu Rui, both froze, looking at Chu Yi’s flushed face at a loss.
Chu Yi pushed away their hands, took a few steps back, and then said, “I am the Imperial Consort of Da Mo, and also a prince of Qianlin. There is no conflict. What are you two arguing about? Are you going to split me in two, with half staying in Da Mo and half going back to Qianlin?
From beginning to end, you have never asked for my opinion. I am Chu Yi. I have my own thoughts and feelings. I am not someone you can summon and dismiss at will…
I’m tired. I’ll go back to the palace to rest first. Both of you, calm down!”
With that, Chu Yi strode toward the door of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, leaving the two kings in the hall, looking at each other.
The moment he stepped into Jingyang Palace, Chu Yi felt weak all over. He collapsed onto the bed, his thoughts still a tangled mess.
Moshu stood on the side, hesitating for a long time before speaking, “Your Highness, go back to Qianlin with the King.”
Lianfang immediately looked up and patted Moshu’s shoulder. “Her Ladyship is still carrying a child. How can she leave? You should stop adding to Her Ladyship’s troubles.”
Moshu was truly puzzled. “Why must he have children for the Da Mo emperor? Has Your Highness forgotten how the late emperor of Da Mo treated him?”
Chu Yi closed his eyes, and many images of being mistreated by the late emperor as a child flashed through his mind. On the surface, he was the former Crown Prince’s study companion, but behind the scenes, he was often punished by the late emperor to kneel.
It was only when he found out that he was a hostage that Chu Yi understood. It turned out that the late emperor had made him kneel for a whole day and night because he saw that his literary talent was superior to the former Crown Prince’s…
Whenever his literary and military strategies were superior to the former Crown Prince’s, he would be summoned by the late emperor. He had originally thought it was just because he didn’t know the rules and didn’t give the former Crown Prince enough face. Now that he thought about it, it was because he was a hostage, and he didn’t want him to become talented.
But did he really want to leave Da Mo? Leave this Da Mo imperial palace and go to that Qianlin, which he had no memory of at all?
Chu Yi didn’t know what choice to make…
In the Hall of Preserving Harmony
The King of Qianlin, Chu Rui, crossed his arms and questioned Sheng Qianheng, “Yi’er must have suffered a lot in your harem… We in Qianlin have a one-husband-one-wife system. How long did Yi’er have to swallow his anger to accept your Da Mo’s three palaces and six courtyards? I must take Yi’er back.”
Sheng Qianheng knew that the Da Mo imperial family was different from Qianlin’s, but these ancestral rules were not something he could change overnight.
He knew he was in the wrong, but he would never easily give up Chu Yi. “Chu Yi is my wife. Don’t even think about taking him away!”
Chu Rui couldn’t help but laugh, looking at Sheng Qianheng with contempt. “In your Da Mo, only the Empress can be called a wife, right? Now, Yi’er is just an Imperial Consort and can only be called a concubine. I see that your Da Mo has never had a male Empress. Do I need to count the grievances Yi’er has suffered? Now, I am behind Yi’er. He must not suffer any grievances!”
Chu Rui was more than thirteen years older than Sheng Qianheng. His every move had the air of a king, and his aura was firmly suppressing Sheng Qianheng’s.
Sheng Qianheng opened his mouth to refute Chu Rui. The edict for making him the Empress was already prepared, and the ceremony could be held in a few days. But for some reason, he couldn’t utter a single word, as if he were possessed, standing there in a daze. He could only clench his fists and glare fiercely at Chu Rui, with no other choice.
Seeing that the little brat before him had no intention of refuting him other than glaring at him, Chu Rui couldn’t help but feel sorry for Chu Yi.
He asked Liu Deshan on the side, “Which palace does Yi’er live in? Please lead the way.”
Half an hour later, outside Jingyang Palace, Sheng Qianheng and Chu Rui were both standing at the entrance of the bedchamber of Jingyang Palace.
Sheng Qianheng said softly, “A-Yi, I know I was headstrong and didn’t consider your opinion. Can we talk?”
Chu Rui, on the other hand, raised a hand and tapped lightly on the door frame. “Yi’er, we haven’t seen each other in years. Can we have a chat?”
Chu Yi leaned against the chaise lounge, listening to the two of them outside the door, and only felt a headache. He took a silk handkerchief and stuffed it in his ears, pretending not to hear
