Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 200 - Volume 5 Secretly Repairing the Plank
Chapter 200: Volume 5, Chapter 180: Secretly Repairing the Plank Road
Chapter 200: Volume 5, Chapter 180: Secretly Repairing the Plank Road
A carriage brazenly entered the Princess Mansion.
A carriage sped out of Jiangling City.
A carriage slowly made its way towards the capital, Jiankang.
And a carriage, silently, crossed the boundary line between Southern Song and Northern Wei.
The scattered waves of emotion, turbulent or tender in their hidden flows, followed their separate paths for various reasons and desires, and one of these currents had now reached Chu Yu.
The carriage Tian Rujing was in only stopped once it was inside the Princess Mansion. After stopping, a pair of guards immediately surrounded it, standing around the carriage, and the one who approached next was Prince Consort He Ji.
He Ji looked at Tian Rujing oddly, unable to understand why he would visit Chu Yu at this time. He recalled how Tian Rujing had walked side by side with Chu Yu out of the Imperial Palace yesterday, and thought of the rumors that had been circulating some time ago, saying that Lord Heavenly Master had already lost his virtue to the Princess, and for a period, Tian Rujing indeed frequented the Princess Mansion…
Thus, He Ji grew even more puzzled. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see anything about Chu Yu that was worth Tian Rujing’s devoted service, and he seemed to be there willingly, not coerced…
Do people from another world truly have such peculiar tastes?
Even if he was very unwilling to give Chu Yu the satisfaction, with He Ji’s status, this was as far as he could go. He was ordered by Liu Ziyue to guard Chu Yu, to limit her activities to within the mansion and not to harm her. If anything happened to Chu Yu, whether she was injured or ran away, he would likely be the first to suffer the consequences.
He also could rely on the power he held to block some outsiders, but Tian Rujing carried far more weight in front of the Emperor than he did. Forcibly stopping him would only make him lose face, so it was better to offer this act of goodwill.
Of course, Tian Rujing was allowed to enter and see Chu Yu, but the carriage had to be left under their supervision to prevent Tian Rujing from helping Chu Yu escape.
He Ji politely explained the difficulty of defying the Emperor’s orders, but Tian Rujing seemed as if he hadn’t heard and continued with an indifferent expression, not even nodding his head in acknowledgment. He left the carriage and walked on his own towards the path leading to the Inner Garden.
Having visited the Princess Mansion many times before, he did not need anyone to lead the way.
Facing such obvious contempt, a flash of fierceness quickly crossed He Ji’s face, only to be concealed behind a courteous smile in the blink of an eye.
Tian Rujing paid no attention to what thoughts He Ji might have. He was contemplating another matter in his heart. After parting with Chu Yu in the Imperial Palace yesterday, he thought that was the last time he would see her, as Chu Yu despised him greatly. In the Princess Mansion, they had even less chance of interacting, but unexpectedly, this morning, Yue Jiefei came looking for him, inviting him on Chu Yu’s behalf to visit the Princess Mansion when he had the time.
Tian Rujing had been granted permission not to attend court, and while he usually entertained the invitations from the concubines in the palace, upon hearing that Chu Yu wanted to see him, he immediately cleared his schedule of all other affairs. Before leaving, he even changed into a newly made suit of clothes.
He hadn’t gone to any particular lengths; it just happened quite naturally. As he approached her residence, although he hesitated a bit, he suppressed all emotions beneath a calm exterior.
They met outside the courtyard of Chu Yu’s East Upper Pavilion, where she was leaning casually against the door, arms folded, looking relaxed and at ease.
The pose was not overly elegant, but when Chu Yu did it, it seemed very attractive.
Seeing her, a subtle warmth rose in his heart. Tian Rujing was about to step forward when a phrase involuntarily sprang to mind:
“…Tian Rujing, you are truly cruel. What you are doing is ten times more cruel than killing me directly.”
These words caused Tian Rujing to unconsciously pause in his steps, and then, breath by breath, his heart and lungs began to ache. This pain had been occurring frequently since he had made his decision, only this time, the once-hidden pain was becoming much more pronounced.
She would die, just as recorded in the Heavenly Book; in the not-so-distant future, she would be ordered to take her own life. At that time, he would never see her again, never hear her voice, nor would he have so much turmoil of emotions ever again, nor would he be… so severely affected.
To notice someone’s thoughts, to speak awkwardly like the ordinary people of this world, saying things of no use, to uncontrollably miss someone, to have his mood swayed by her.
Because of her, he became like a person.
This was something Tian Rujing already knew, yet certain emotions, no matter how gentle, could not shake the cruel fate and the deeply rooted sense of duty.
He had made his choice.
Seeing Tian Rujing had come, Chu Yu put down her arms, walked over with a smile, and easily crossed the distance between them where Tian Rujing had stopped, “You’ve finally come, I thought I would have to wait at least half a day.”
Her smile was gentle, and her brows showed no sign of the anger and sorrow from the day before, which took Tian Rujing by surprise: How could she seem like a completely different person overnight?
At this moment, he heard the sound of digging coming from Chu Yu’s courtyard. Looking beyond her shoulder, he saw several young, strong men wielding hoes, vigorously excavating a patch of open ground in the courtyard.
Noticing his gaze, Chu Yu smiled and said, “I’ve thought it through; instead of waiting to die in misery, it’s better to enjoy the limited time I have. I’ve ordered several pits to be dug around the mansion to build fish ponds.” She paused, and her smile suddenly dimmed, “I don’t know whether the fish will live longer or I will…”
Although her freedom was restricted, it was still easy to dig a fish pond in her own courtyard or build a couple of pavilions for amusement.
Tian Rujing was silent. He naturally understood what Chu Yu meant, but as the one who had caused this situation, he didn’t know what to say.
Chu Yu was dejected for a moment, then quickly flashed a smile again. She reached out, took Tian Rujing’s hand, and said, “That’s settled, then. Let’s talk somewhere else; it’s too noisy here. Let’s find a quieter place.”
She led Tian Rujing out of the East Upper Pavilion, heading straight for the West Upper Pavilion. After their rift, Tian Rujing never imagined he could still have such intimate moments with her. Caught by surprise, he let her lead the way, and by the time he came to his senses, they were already in an abandoned empty residence.
This was where two of Shan Yin’s Princess’s concubines used to live. After Chu Yu had cleared most of it out, it became vacant. However, because someone regularly cleaned it, it was still very neat and clean.
After entering the house and lighting the incense, the maid withdrew. Chu Yu then looked at Tian Rujing very sincerely: “I want to discuss something with you. I taught you those characters, and you still owe some tuition. I wonder if you’d be willing to make an exchange. After all, I’m about to die now, and in this situation, there’s no way for me to escape… Let me die with some understanding, at least.”
Tian Rujing was shocked, “You mean…”
The plea in Chu Yu’s eyes grew more intense. She looked at him earnestly, “I want to know what will happen in the future. Since I am a dead woman walking and can’t do anything, you might as well indulge me. Let me know the whole story, what happens before and after my death.”
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In Chu Yu’s courtyard, laborers continued to dig vigorously, the noise was loud and raucous, but beneath her bed in her room, there was a similar, softer sound.
Digging, digging, digging.
Hidden under the bed, in the dark mouth of a hole, a dark figure swung the hoe with all his might.
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Yesterday, a friend told me that I’ve started tormenting my readers—actually, I don’t think this counts as inflicting pain, as long as Chu Yu hasn’t collapsed, as long as she is still strong and holding on, then it’s not torment.
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.
This is just a path; some parts are smooth and wide, lush and verdant, others are rough and full of hardship, making the journey more difficult.
When I wrote the title for the fifth volume in the document, my body shivered, perhaps also because the weather has turned cooler recently. From the first volume, I have been looking forward to writing this one. This is probably the darkest moment before dawn, the silent muteness before the song of exultation, the sinking and struggling, the clash and slaughter, the choices or beliefs, the heartful or heartless—in the instant before their utmost bloom.
It might not be easy to express these things, but I will give it my all.
