Chapter 671: Leave
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Niaoniao’s words rendered Shen Zhuo speechless.
Admittedly, he thought too highly of himself, but he didn’t think it was wrong.
Because he was the emperor, the ruler of a country. The entire Dayan belonged to him. He should be above all living beings. This was a privilege given to him by virtue of royal power.
Shen Zhuo was silent for a long time before saying.
“Are you really not afraid of death?”
Yu Niaoniao said frankly, “Of course, I’m afraid of death.”
Shen Zhuo said, “Then why can’t you say something to make me happy? Even if it’s a lie.”
Yu Niaoniao said calmly, “If you want to hear pleasant lies, you can return to the Imperial Capital. With your status, I believe countless people will rush to curry favor. You can hear any lie you want, but a fake is a fake. You know this better than me.”
Shen Zhuo finally could not speak.
Yu Niaoniao said rudely, “I can’t give you what you want. Give up.”
Shen Zhuo was still unwilling to give up. “You weren’t like this in the past. You used to like to pester me and would think of ways to make me happy. You wouldn’t be as cold and heartless as you are now.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “I’ve told you many times that the past is in the past. Now that you’re the emperor of Dayan and I’m the Duchess of Eastern Tang, you have your territory and I have my husband, child, and friends. We’ve long parted ways and there’s no possibility of us interacting.” Empress Dowager Wen had said these words to Shen Zhuo before.
But he wouldn’t listen.
He had been holding on to the last hope.
He hoped that Niaoniao could still soften. He hoped that there was still a possibility of them reconciling.
But now that he was seeing her in person, he realized that reality was far colder than he had expected.
Yu Niaoniao carefully noted the change in his expression. Seeing that he seemed to be considering, she continued to persuade him.
“Xingning City should have been sealed off now. Ah Juan and Guixi must be looking for me everywvhere with their men. If you let me go now, I can pretend that nothing happened and let you leave Eastern Tang.”
Shen Zhuo asked, “What if I don’t let you go?”
Yu Niaoniao emphasized, “Xingning City is only so big. Sooner or later, they will find this place. At that time, none of you will be able to escape.”
Shen Zhuo said, “If anything happens to me here, Dayan will immediately send troops to Eastern Tang.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “Then let’s fight. At most, we’ll fight to the death!”
Shen Zhuo was speechless.
He looked steadily at the woman in front of him.
She clearly did not know any martial arts and had no ability to protect herself, but at this moment, she was unyielding and refused to give in.
Who gave her so much confidence?
Was it Xiao Juan? Or Tang Guixi?
Just as the atmosphere was in a stalemate, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Knock knock!
Shen Zhuo asked, “What is it?”
Wei Liao’s voice came through the door.
“Your Majesty, the troops of the Eastern Tang are searching the entire city. They’re almost here. We can’t stay here for long. For your safety, please evacuate as soon as possible.”
Yu Niaoniao immediately turned to look out the window and saw a large group of people approaching from afar.
Those people were holding torches in their hands. The flames illuminated the night sky which became as bright as day. Even from afar, they could still see clearly.
Shen Zhuo’s eyes never left Yu Niaoniao. “You really don’t want to come with me?”
Yu Niaoniao said without hesitation, “No.”
Shen Zhuo’s voice deepened, and his tone sounded almost threatening.
“Even if I send troops to flatten Eastern Tang, you still won’t come with me?” Yu Niaoniao still shook her head.
The last hope in Shen Zhuo’s heart was completely extinguished at this moment.
The light in his eyes dimmed, and his expression turned cold.
“Do you believe I’ll kill you now?”
Yu Niaoniao looked at him neither servile nor overbearing. “Brother Junzhi, do you really want to kill me?”
Shen Zhuo was silent again.
Brother Junzhi was such an intimate title.
All these years, he had often heard Niaoniao call him that in his dreams. Her voice was sweet and crisp.
Now that he heard her call him that in reality, he only felt strong mockery.
The huge difference between his ideals and reality made him feel as if a piece of his heart had been dug out. He felt empty.
Shen Zhuo knew that he could not bear to kill her.
He had been abandoned by his father since he was born, and his mother was extremely strict with him. The people around him constantly reminded him to remember the responsibility he had taken.
While the other children were playing carefreely, he was learning to endure.
In order to make himself better than the other princes, he had to work twice as hard.
He had been improving since he was young.
His life seemed to have turned grayish-white, dull and boring.
Niaoniao was the only color.
It was also because of this that he especially cherished this hint of color. If even this bit of color was erased, there would be no happy time in his life to remember.
Shen Zhuo seemed to have resigned himself to fate.
“I won’t kill you. Leave.”
Yu Niaoniao could not help but be stunned.
She did not expect Shen Zhuo to suddenly change his mind and let her go.
Happiness came so quickly that she couldn’t believe it.
Shen Zhuo looked at her and laughed at himself. “Why? Can’t bear to leave?”
Yu Niaoniao stood up. “Goodbye!”
With that, she strode towards the door.
Shen Zhuo looked at her quick footsteps and felt even more bitter.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll send troops to Eastern Tang in a fit of anger?”
Yu Niaoniao stopped.
She turned back to the man sitting at the table and spoke calmly.
“You won’t.”
Shen Zhuo asked, “Where did you get your confidence?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “It’s impossible for you to send troops to Eastern Tang for my sake. Brother Junzhi, perhaps you didn’t realize it yourself. Every time you face a choice, you won’t choose me.”
Seeing that Shen Zhuo was stunned, Yu Niaoniao spoke unhurriedly.
“Back in Bashu, my father proposed to you. He wanted to marry me to you. You chose to refuse without hesitation at the time. This is because you were focused on returning to the palace to take back everything that belongs to you.
I’m the extra one in your life plan.”
“Later, in order to make the truth of Imperial Concubine Yue’s murder public, you used me and Juan. You knew it would make me feel bad, but you chose to do it. Because your plan is more important to you than I am.”
“After that, you knew the truth behind my parents’ murder, but you still chose to help the perpetrator. You even blamed me for being willful and reckless. This is because you knew that once the truth is made public, you won’t be able to keep your position as crown prince.”
“Compared to your position as Crown Prince, I seem so insignificant. Every time, you will not choose me, So I guess this time will be no exception.”
“The war between the two countries is not a small matter. You have just ascended the throne and needed to stabilize your status and the hearts of the people.”
“Fighting a war will do you more harm than good. Fighting for a beauty was just a story told by the storyteller. You’re not the kind of person to do such a thing. ”
“Perhaps one day, you will send troops to attack the Eastern Tang, but the goal should be for your own ambition. It can’t be just for me.”
With that, she pulled open the door and walked out without looking back..
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