In this day and age, it’s not people who are afraid of losing face, but people who are shameless.
There was no reasoning with Chu Yunwei.
It was because he was thick-skinned.
He often dodged the issue and changed the subject.
Whatever Su Xiaoqi said, if it wasn't something he wanted to hear, he would automatically tune it out.
He would even steer Su Xiaoqi into saying what he wanted to hear.
However, Su Xiaoqi was not that easy to manipulate.
Thus, the two of them went back and forth, exchanging blows several times without showing any outward signs.
By the end of it, Su Xiaoqi’s face had turned cold.
She stopped speaking.
Because she realized that Chu Yunwei, in addition to being thick-skinned, was also black-hearted.
No matter what she said, he would not agree to let her return to Liang.
There was no point in saying more, so she decided to fall silent and deal with it later.
After all, she couldn't force Chu Yunwei to release her, but she could delay his marriage to her.
A round of verbal sparring ended.
The more Chu Yunwei looked at Su Xiaoqi, the more he liked her.
This sharp-tongued little creature was so much like the kitten he had when he was young and living at the Gu family.
So, he began to talk about it in front of Su Xiaoqi without reservation.
“When it first arrived in my courtyard, it was fierce, baring its claws at everyone it saw.
Later, perhaps it sensed my sincerity towards it, it stopped being fierce and even came to me for comfort.
Su Xiaoqi looked at him, her face already darkening.
Comparing her to a cat? Seriously?
She cursed inwardly, *You’re a cat, and your whole family are cats.*
But she knew that the more she talked to him, the more animated he would become.
There was only one way to provoke him into leaving, and that was to ignore him.
She then turned her head away, no longer looking at him or listening to his words.
Chu Yunwei felt a sense of hurt at her distant and indifferent attitude.
He glanced at her dejectedly, then sighed heavily and got up, intending to leave.
Seeing this, Su Xiaoqi’s heart relaxed, but soon the sound of hurried footsteps was heard from outside.
It was accompanied by an anxious call.
“Young master, someone is here.” It was Guan Pozi’s voice.
“Let them come,” Chu Yunwei said indifferently.
“It’s someone sent by the Lord of the State,” Guan Pozi whispered.
“Oh, who is it?”
“Eunuch Deng.”
“Hmph, it’s him. Didn’t they say the Lord of the State had gone to Liang and was not in our Northern Chu?”
“Yes, that’s what was said, but later, for some reason, the Lord of the State received a letter and suddenly returned.”
“Received a letter? Go get that letter for me.” Chu Yunwei had some suspicions.
He guessed that the letter had likely come from Liang.
Could they have started suspecting him?
But that was impossible.
Su Xiaoqi was transported out of Liang’s borders, and he hadn’t shown his face from beginning to end.
Later, he had obtained permission from the Emperor of Liang before leaving Liang to return to Northern Chu.
He pondered carefully, finding no flaws in the matter, and felt a slight sense of relief.
Meanwhile, the commotion outside was growing louder.
Guan Pozi hadn’t stopped Eunuch Deng, who had barged in directly.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one who came in.
There was someone else, someone who astonished Chu Yunwei so much that his jaw almost dropped.
“Lord… Lord of the State…” Chu Yunwei looked at the man in plain black clothes before him.
He was middle-aged but incredibly handsome, with a well-groomed mustache.
He exuded the charm of a mature man.
This was Chu Yu, the Lord of Northern Chu, who had only lived in others’ mouths.
He was also Su Xiaoqi’s biological father.
His eyes were deep-set, and he looked at Chu Yunwei with an inquiring gaze. His voice was deep and resonant:
“Yunwei, I heard you’ve arrived in Northern Chu. Why haven’t you returned to the capital?
Your father and mother have been waiting for you for a long time.”
“To answer the Lord of the State, this humble subject has been through much turmoil and is a bit weary. I have stopped here to rest.
It’s not too late to return after I’ve recovered.”
Chu Yu looked at him, his gaze sharp and carrying the unyielding authority of a superior.
He pondered, “Are you back alone?”
Chu Yunwei’s heart skipped a beat.
He instinctively wanted to answer that he had returned alone.
But he quickly dismissed the answer.
He first bowed and admitted his fault, saying that he was indeed not back alone.
It was because he had fallen for a woman in the capital of Liang.
He wanted to marry her, so after obtaining her consent, he brought her back.
“Oh, this woman is so remarkable that you’ve broken precedent to bring her back to Northern Chu.
If that’s the case, I must see her.”
Chu Yu gestured for Chu Yunwei to lead the way.
Chu Yunwei gritted his teeth, his heart trembling uncontrollably.
But there was nothing he could do. Standing before him was the current Lord of Northern Chu.
Don’t think that just because he was incredibly handsome, he was a pushover.
In fact, he had gone through far more extreme experiences than Chu Yunwei was currently facing.
However, on closer inspection.
Their experiences were, to some extent, quite similar.
At that time, Chu Yu was just one of many sons of Northern Chu.
Because he had the blood of a Liang woman, he was not well-received in Northern Chu.
The then Lord of the State often overlooked him.
Therefore, after a fierce war between Liang and Northern Chu, in which Northern Chu was defeated, it was required to send a hostage to Liang.
He was chosen without any surprise.
He stayed there for over twenty years.
He went to Liang when he was eight years old.
He stayed in Liang until he was thirty before returning.
Like him, when he left Liang, he took the legitimate daughter of the Duke’s manor with him.
Afterward, he embarked on the path to seize the throne.
Now, he was taking a princess of Liang, and he was destined to walk the same path as he did back then.
This was something Chu Yunwei had long planned.
It was also something he had achieved in his previous life.
It was just that at that time, his luck ran out. Shortly after he seized the Chu family’s empire, he suddenly fell ill and died.
He thought everything had vanished like a bubble.
But it hadn’t.
On a certain day when he was held hostage in the capital of Liang, he suddenly woke up.
He had been reborn.
From that moment on, he began to take preventive measures against the illnesses he might develop later.
Other than that, there wasn’t much else to do.
He just had to proceed as before, with firm resolve, and take care of his health.
For this purpose, he gathered a large number of renowned physicians around him.
The reasons he took Su Xiaoqi were, first, her beauty; second, her status as a princess;
and third, because her medical skills were truly excellent.
In this lifetime, he had already avoided the cause that led to his chronic illness.
Generally speaking, he would not repeat the same mistakes.
But the naturally cautious Chu Yunwei was still afraid. Afraid that he would face an unpredictable future.
Therefore, keeping a highly skilled physician like Su Xiaoqi by his side meant he wouldn’t have to worry about minor ailments in the future.
It was precisely for these various reasons that Su Xiaoqi, despite being captured, still lived in such a large manor and enjoyed a life of luxury.
From time to time, she could even walk around the courtyard to get some fresh air.
Chu Yunwei had even promised her that if she obediently married him, he would often take her out to play in the future.
He would definitely treat her very, very well, better than Shen Yun treated her.
He wouldn’t let her down.
It was better not to mention Shen Yun.
As soon as Shen Yun was mentioned, Su Xiaoqi’s eyes welled up.
She now knew that Shen Yun had not been injured back then.
That incident was purely a deception by the people Chu Yunwei had sent.
She felt relieved but suddenly missed him dearly.
She dreamed that he would come to her and tell her that all of this was just a dream.
When they woke up, they would still be sleeping in their own small courtyard, enjoying the bathing of the sun and the caress of the breeze.
“What, is that not possible?” Chu Yu’s face darkened when he didn’t hear Chu Yunwei’s reply for a long time.
Chu Yunwei thought of a plan almost instantaneously.
He quickly said, “No, no, of course, it’s possible. It’s just that the woman has a rather cold personality, and I fear she might offend the Lord of the State.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Chu Yu raised his hand, signaling Chu Yunwei to lead the way.
Chu Yunwei took a deep breath and started walking.
Su Xiaoqi, inside the room, heard the conversation between the two men in the courtyard clearly.
Her heart clenched tightly for a moment.
She waited quietly, waiting for the arrival of the Lord of Northern Chu.