Chapter 381: 360 Xu Ying is not Zhu Zhentian’s wife _1
"Chu Qin, the bed is ready, you can put them down now, it’s quite tiring!" Xu Ying said to Chu Qin with a gentle smile.
"Alright!" Chu Qin complied, gently placing Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun on the bed.
"Then, Auntie, you should go back and take care of Uncle Zhu. I can take care of Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun," Chu Qin said to Xu Ying.
"Wait, Chu Qin, can you come out with me for a moment?" Xu Ying asked, pursing her red lips.
"Alright!" Chu Qin hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun who were sound asleep, and nodded.
Following that, Chu Qin walked out of the room with Xu Ying and entered the adjacent room, which was also filled with a fragrant aroma.
The scent in this room was exactly the same as Xu Ying’s, clearly indicating it was her room.
Chu Qin was somewhat surprised, "Huh, Aunt Xu, is this your room?"
"Yes, what about it?" Xu Ying replied with a slight smile.
"That’s not right, shouldn’t you and Uncle Zhu share a room?" Chu Qin frowned and said.
Xu Ying’s smile vanished, and with a bitter smile, she said, "Because Zhen Tian and I are not actually husband and wife!"
"What!" Chu Qin was shocked and couldn’t wrap his head around it. He asked, "What do you mean?"
"Wangjue Zhentian is my senior brother!" Xu Ying replied, "Chu Qin, aren’t you surprised? People from the Zhu Family have always married into the Dai family, and yet here I am, in the midst of it all."
"...the group..." Chu Qin furrowed his brows and asked, "What’s going on? Are Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun your daughters?"
Xu Ying shook her head, "Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun, along with Zhu Ying, are all Zhen Tian’s illegitimate daughters!"
"What, what is really going on?" Chu Qin pressed on.
"Yes! Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun, as well as Zhu Ying, are the daughters of Zhen Tian and a woman of easy virtue. Chu Qin, you should know that the sole heir of the Ducal Family of the prestigious Xingluo Empire is absolutely not allowed to associate with such a woman," Xu Ying stood up, turning her back to Chu Qin.
"Mhm..." Chu Qin nodded.
"At that time, Zhen Tian was already engaged to a princess of the Dai Family Royal House! When the Star Luo Royal Family learned of the birth of Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing, they secretly murdered their birth mother!" Xu Ying continued.
"The Dai Family Royal House deserved their doom!"
Chu Qin bit his teeth and said.
"Then Auntie, you..." Chu Qin went on.
"Don’t call me Auntie anymore, I have no relation with my senior brother nor with Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun!" Xu Ying said with a smile.
"Then... then how did you become the mother of Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing!"
"Let me explain it slowly! When senior brother learned of Zhu Qing’s mother’s death, he was furious and vowed to assassinate the Star Luo emperor. In the end, his father stopped him and locked him in solitary confinement for a year! After the confinement, the Star Luo Royal Family and the Zhu Family Royal Mansion, mindful of their reputations, still wanted my senior brother to marry the Star Luo Princess! But how could he possibly do that? So, he found me and asked me to play out a drama with him, a drama of a false marriage!" Xu Ying followed up.
"You agreed?" Chu Qin asked, surprised.
"Yes!" Xu Ying nodded with a smile, "Because our family, Xu, is also a great family in the Xingluo Empire, with several Dukes deeply rooted in the empire. Thus, the Star Luo Royal Family was forced to recognize our marriage contract with my senior brother, which was of course a sham! Naturally, the royal household did not marry off that princess, as how could a royal princess become a concubine!"
Chu Qin had an epiphany, as if waking from a dream. However, he quickly frowned and said, "Actually, you’re in love with Uncle Zhu, aren’t you?"
"How did you know?" Xu Ying asked in surprise.
"If not for love, who else would accompany Uncle Zhu in playing out this lie for a lifetime?" Chu Qin said with a slight smile.
"It seems that you’re not only a genius of the Soul Masters world but also a person with outrageously high emotional intelligence and intellect!" Xu Ying said with a calm smile.
"That’s right, at that time, I liked my senior! However, there was another reason I agreed to play this act with him!"
"Hmm?"
"My family, they wanted me to enter into a political marriage too, to marry a son from a prominent family whom I did not like! Rather than that, it seemed better to have a fake marriage with my senior, don’t you think, Chu Qin?"
"Hmm!" Chu Qin nodded. "Then, have you ever considered, really getting married?"
"I suggested it, but my senior rejected it! He said, in his lifetime, he had let down Zhu Yun’s mother, and he did not wish for any woman to be hurt because of him!"
"Chu Qin, do you know? My senior seems very strict with Zhu Qing and Zhu Yun, but he is forced to be so! In fact, he is also against that system!" Xu Ying said. "He opposes the so-called family elimination system and the marriage alliance with the Dai Family Royal House, but he understands a principle, that only by becoming stronger can one truly control their own destiny. The night Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing married into the royal household, he cried alone in his study for a whole night! But there was nothing he could do, it was not something he could control!"
"I didn’t expect Uncle Zhu to be such a person!" Chu Qin sighed. He somewhat regretted beating Zhu Zhentian back then!
"Hmm! My senior is all tough on the outside but tender on the inside, keeping everything inside his heart!"
Xu Ying nodded in agreement.
"Wait a minute, you, do you plan to keep up this fake marriage with Uncle Zhu indefinitely? Also, do Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing know about this?"
"They don’t know! Who would want to tell them such a tragic history, to only add to their worries? Besides, if it were known, there’s no telling what Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing might do to the Star Luo Royal Family! At one point, I planned to carry on this way for my whole life, but recently I’ve found it a bit hard to keep up!"
"Do you still like Uncle Zhu?" Chu Qin asked.
Xu Ying shook her head and said with a touch of self-mockery, "Peoples’ feelings always change! The continuous distance has already extinguished any affection!"
"Well, since that’s the case!" Chu Qin responded, "Ah... Xu Ying, a fake marriage can’t last a lifetime!"
"You think so too?" Xu Ying asked.
"Hmm!" Chu Qin confirmed strongly. "A person should never live a lifetime wearing a mask; what’s the difference between that and being dead?"
"Hmm, you’re right!" Xu Ying nodded solemnly, a new idea seemingly taking root in her eyes!
"But, even if I leave my senior, what then? I’m already past my prime!" Xu Ying shook her head and sighed, "Who would want me!"
Having said this, Xu Ying deliberately glanced at Chu Qin.
Chu Qin, however, slightly frowned, as if contemplating something difficult to decide.
He was thinking about how to perfectly solve Xu Ying’s problem, since he had a quite favorable impression of her and certainly did not want her to stay alone in the Zhu mansion!
But, the thought of marrying Xu Ying off to someone else was immediately dismissed by Chu Qin. What if that person didn’t treat Xu Ying well?
Moreover, discussing marriage is not something to be taken lightly. Xu Ying cannot afford to be delayed a second time!
Even so, Chu Qin still smiled and reassured her, "Xu Ying, you are so beautiful, trust me, I guarantee you that there will be a line of men chasing after you!"
Xu Ying’s spirits lifted, and with a smile she said, "Really?"
"Hmm!" Chu Qin nodded. "I’ve always been good at judging people. I have that much confidence!"
"Then in your heart, what am I like?" Xu Ying asked.
"You’re great!" Chu Qin replied with a smile.
"I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you, Chu Qin. Now you should get going, Zhu Yun and Zhu Qing will be awake soon!"
"Alright then!" Chu Qin nodded, about to leave, when he suddenly turned back, "But wait, Xu Ying, you didn’t want to talk to me just about this, did you?"
