Chapter 10 Major Decision

Yes, Kyoto was a place of right and wrong, full of bloody storms, seemingly prosperous, but actually a dirty and unbearable filthy gutter.

In this place, her mother had lost her life.

Her brother, perhaps, had also lost his.

And she, single-mindedly thinking of revenge, thinking that as long as she held the evidence, she could give her parents, give the Yu family justice.

But the truth was, those nearly a hundred lives were ultimately no match for the Emperor's face.

And her brother's life was not as important as the power in her husband's hands.

No, if her brother really lost his life because of this, then from this moment on, the Crown Prince, whom she once regarded as a childhood sweetheart and an important person, would no longer be her husband.

Qing Wu thought that she and Xie Jin Yan were ultimately two different kinds of people.

From the beginning, they were not on the same path.

From the beginning, they probably shouldn't have met.

That night, Xie Jin Yan did not return, and Yu Qing Wu also did not sleep all night.

When she woke up the next day, she still hadn't heard that Xie Jin Yan had returned to the mansion, but many officials' families came to visit. Those marquises' wives and imperial concubines who had looked down on her in the past were all as close to her as sisters.

Even those who had once ridiculed her were now acting as if nothing had happened, either sending jewelry or inviting her to poetry gatherings.

Qing Wu neither accepted the jewelry nor agreed to go to the poetry gatherings.

She just went to the gate tirelessly, waiting for Xie Jin Yan's figure on the deep and wide path again and again.

Finally, at dusk, when the sun was setting, she waited for Xie Jin Yan to return.

His eyes were filled with a triumphant smile, and his deep and stunning face had returned to its usual flamboyant appearance.

When he entered the door, Yu Qing Wu noticed that he had changed his clothes.

As he approached, a smell of perfume wafted into her nose.

This scent was like that on a woman's body.

Heh...

Very good, he had just returned, just regained power, and he had returned to his former纨绔 (wanku - playboy) appearance, and was once again indulging in sensual pleasures.

In the past, he always said that it was all to confuse the public, so what about now? What was it for now?

Qing Wu ridiculed in her heart, but she didn't have the mind to explore these things anymore.

She sat in front of the couch, raised her eyes and glanced at Xie Jin Yan who entered the door, and called out to him, "Your Highness, do you have time now? This concubine has something to ask you."

"What does Shijie (Senior Apprentice Sister) want to ask?"

Xie Jin Yan curled his lips, walked to her side with a lazy attitude, and took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.

Close contact made the fragrance even more pungent.

Yu Qing Wu frowned, enduring her emotions and pushing him away.

"What's wrong, A Wu?"

"My scent makes you uncomfortable?"

Xie Jin Yan was very敏锐 (minrui - perceptive) and immediately noticed the change in Yu Qing Wu's expression.

He smiled, hugged her into his arms again, and kissed her eyebrows, explaining, "I entered the palace last night to discuss matters with Father Emperor, and because it was too late, I stayed there."

"I stayed in the palace all day today. Who knew that when I was taking a nap, a palace maid recommended herself and threw herself into my arms. She was heavily made up, wore a transparent gauze dress in broad daylight, and not only rubbed the scent all over me, but also gave me a fright."

"I was immediately angry and immediately gave her twenty strokes of the staff and sent her to Youzhou. As a result, the maid was beaten and frightened, and immediately told everything, saying that the Qin family sent her here. It was Qin Yi Liu's adoptive father, thinking that Qin Yi Liu was gone, the Shen family and Ning Wang were unreliable, and there were no daughters in the family, so he sent his clan niece into the palace..."

"In short, the old Qin man is really胆大包天 (dan da bao tian - audacious). But now, it is estimated that he is going to be scared to wet his pants. After Father Emperor learned about this, he was furious, and the Qin family's爵位 (jue wei - peerage) is probably not guaranteed..."

"Your Highness, that's not what I want to ask."

Xie Jin Yan was喋喋不休 (die die bu xiu - chattering) speaking, but the woman's clear and cold voice interrupted him.

She raised her eyes, glanced at him lightly, then naturally broke free from his arms, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this concubine wants to ask you, when can this concubine see her brother?"

"Since brother is going to Youzhou on official business, there must be a time limit, right? When can he come back?"

Her tone was gentle, and she tried her best to pretend to be a look that did not question anything.

However, even so, she once again saw dodging and guilt in his eyes.

Even at that moment, the smile on Xie Jin Yan's lips suddenly froze.

After a pause, a forced smile appeared in his eyes again, and he gently replied to her, "This, I'm not sure, after all... I don't know where the eldest son of Ning Wang has fled to. If you want to catch him, the time limit is uncertain."

Is the time limit uncertain?

Or is it uncertain whether her brother is alive or dead?

A mocking smile appeared on the corner of Yu Qing Wu's lips, and she didn't speak anymore.

It was just that her body unconsciously distanced itself from Xie Jin Yan again.

In fact, she didn't expect to be able to ask anything from Xie Jin Yan's mouth.

However, she could read the answer from his expression.

And now, he once again gave her an accurate answer.

"Your Highness, what would you like for dinner?"

Her nails sank deeply into her palm, but Yu Qing Wu finally controlled her emotions.

At least, before the enemy died, she had to control her emotions, and she had to try her best to be a virtuous and thrifty Crown Princess.

After all, Xie Jin Yan was also the kind of person who would take revenge for personal grievances.

If she annoyed him, maybe he would deliberately do something to disgust her.

Wasn't Xie Jin Yan the best at disgusting people?

She smiled, finished speaking, and had already gotten up.

Xie Jin Yan sat on the edge of the bed. In the dim light, his pair of peach blossom eyes were dark and 森 (sen - cold), and the hand hanging between his legs had already clenched into a fist.

But soon, a gentle smile appeared on his face again. He got up and walked towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder while speaking softly, "Eat whatever Niangzi (wife) wants, I'm fine with anything."

While speaking, he suddenly leaned over again and kissed Yu Qing Wu on the face.

The sudden kiss made Yu Qing Wu tremble all over, but she only froze for a moment before returning to her usual expression, and then let Xie Jin Yan put his arm around her and stepped out of the room.

They still looked like an affectionate couple, but Qing Wu knew that she and Xie Jin Yan could probably never go back to the past.

She could forgive him for pushing her into the icy lake due to ignorance in their childhood, and she could also forgive his hurtful affections, but... she could never forgive him for using her brother's life to fight for power.

That was her only relative in this world.

Qing Wu thought that even if she couldn't leave Xie Jin Yan, then in the future, she and him might just be like Empress Zhou and Emperor Jing.

On the surface, they looked like a loving couple, but after that fig leaf was揭开 (jie kai - torn off), what emanated was a foul, extremely dirty smell.

But, she seemed to be as忍 (ren - patient) as Empress Zhou.

So, a month later, after Ning Wang was executed, and his party members, the Qin family, the You family, and those nobles who had harmed the Yu family were all executed, Yu Qing Wu made a major decision.