Chaos Of Beauty

ꦼ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ

CHAPTER 10: A Fright At The Dead Of Night (Part One)

The spring days are lengthening out, the plants and trees grow full of verdure. The oriole’s cry comes jie-jie, [our wives] go in crowds to gather the white southernwood.[1]

“Spring days may be lengthening, but the days are still pa.s.sing by,” Gui Wan mumbles seemingly smiling, lightly turning her head, she sees the person approaching and asks: “[Older] Brother, what brings you here?”

The approaching person has a very ordinary face, together with his decent looks, virtually no one would have thought that the two people sat opposite one another were actually biological siblings. Yu Yan He laughs, his ordinary face looking upright and honest, “Before setting off on a long journey, I wanted to come see you.”

Gui Wan laughs, revealing not the slightest bit of surprise, under her eyes was fleeting trace of loneliness as she leisurely asks: “Must you really have to leave?”

Hearing her words hold such sorrow that cannot be hidden, Yu Yan He receives a slight shock, he firmly nods his head twice, expressing his own resolution, before turning to once again call out: “Gui Wan……” Turns out, the following words, he could not even bring himself to say, sorrow washes over him, such emotion on his guileless face, appears particularly heartfelt. To leave Gui Wan all alone in this Capital City, he has too much to apologise for, yet the words are unable to leave his mouth.

“I understand,” Interrupting him from further speaking, Gui Wan’s lips hooks up into a sweet smile, saying: “What I don’t understand is, why did Brother choose Jin Yang City?” That is clearly the Empress’ hometown……she does not want to tread into the deeper meanings behind this, because she has a hunch that amongst them, there is a reason that will make her heart tremble.

“……The Empress is in a very difficult situation right now, Gui Wan.” A simple sentence, yet it felt like thunder in spring, loudly striking the ground.

Knitting her brows together, Gui Wan faintly says: “That has nothing to do with Brother.” Her heart rejects this conversation topic, a sort of long absent feeling of unwillingness once again rises within her.

“How could it not, Gui Wan, you clearly know how problematic the current situation is.” Just thinking of his un-fateful older sister’s days in the palace, his guilt would spread out boundlessly, mother’s face once again appearing before him, the mother who has never once given him an ounce of love, the gentle words said before her death, he shall never dare to forget.

Gui Wan tightly presses her lips together, not saying a single word, when thinking back to the conversation with Lou Che in the tent, her heart will suddenly feel sour, she does not want to become enemies with him, in terms politics, how scary of an enemy he is; in terms of feelings, to become enemies with him, how difficult and painful it will be for her……suddenly thinking of something, she asks in surprise: “How did Brother know of the Empress’ ident.i.ty?”

“When mother pa.s.sed away, I already knew.” Yu Yan He face appears miserable again.

“Brother,” Gui Wan’s chest rises and falls along with her voice, attentively looking at that unpretentious face, she reminds: “The world is a man’s world, the back palace is a woman’s back palace. This is not a problem you can intervene with.”

“Traditionally, the back palace and imperial court are closely linked together, right now, Consort Ying’s arrogance has already grown too insufferably powerful, just how long can the Empress’ seat be protected, one year, two years……or is it ten years?”

Gui Wan says nothing, absentmindedly looking at the person in front, her heart feeling heavy. After a long moment of silence, she is still indecisive, exactly how is she to choose? No matter what choice is made, they all seem to be wrong, every choice will later be regretted, to weaken Consort Ying’s power, is easier said than done, what about Lou Che? Questions forms in her mind, one after the other, the building pressure causing her to start panicking.