Chapter 15: Urgent Summons Back to the Capital

  Yanling Jun slightly furrowed his brow, his gaze fell on her face but did not evade or yield.

  Two people, four eyes meet.

  Chu Youyang suddenly felt uninterested and put the short blade back into the flute, restoring it to its original shape. He smiled and said, "This thing is indeed cleverly made. As a reward for saving your life, how about giving it to me?"

  Yanling Jun looked at the flute with an unclear expression, then nodded lightly: "Hmm!"

  It seems he attaches great importance to this flute, so why is he being so ambiguous when it comes to giving it away?

  Chu Youyang's heart was slightly surprised, but his face didn't show it. He casually plucked a red leaf from the nearby tree and placed it in his palm.

  Her fingers were slender and fair, with fine lines on her palm. A small leaf placed on top made her skin tone even more luxurious, as if it had a luster like high-quality pearls.

  Yanling Jun's gaze fell on her palm and then quickly moved away without a sound.

  "Are you a Southerner?" Chu Jiu Yang didn't have the time to notice the hint of emotion in his eyes, and suddenly spoke up with a resolute tone.

  Yanling Jun didn't say a word, but falling into Chu Ziyang's eyes was equivalent to tacit consent.

  "After a while, he spoke up, his tone firm: 'I am not your enemy!'"

  Chu Youyang smiled slightly, tilted his head and exchanged a glance with him, shaking his head: "This... is hard to say!"

  A war between two countries is raging fiercely, and she has such an identity.

  Marquis Yanling understood the implication of her words, but fell silent once again.

  Chu Xiangyang admitted that she said those words just to test him, but the man's response really disappointed her.

  Recalling the previous life's Yanling Jun, with long sleeves and good dance moves, everything that came out of his bones was a free and easy demeanor. If it weren't for this appearance and the fact that these things happened too coincidentally, Chu Jiu Yang would have suspected that she had mistaken him for someone else, or that he had a twin brother with a vastly different personality.

  After a few rounds of probing back and forth, Chu Sunyang also knew that saying more would be useless, so he simply asked directly: "Your name, is it convenient for you to tell me?"

  If Yanling Jun is really connected with the powerful families in Nanhua State, then revealing his name would be equivalent to telling Chu Youyang his identity.

  So this question, Chu Youyu never expected him to answer, and indeed it was as she had expected, Yanling Jun's response to her was just his usual silence.

  "Alright! I've accepted your thanks!" With nothing accomplished, Chu Mo Yang let out a sigh and turned around to head back the way he came.

  "Zhuo Rouyang!" Lord Yanling watched her back as she walked away, his expression complex. When she was three zhang away, he suddenly called out to stop her.

  Chu Nan Yang stopped in his tracks, but did not turn back.

  Yanling Jun gazed at her from afar, even if it was just a back view, his expression was still sincere and genuine: "I just don't want to deceive you. Consider this as my debt to you, we have a long future ahead, I will tell you everything you want to know."

  "It's all right!" Chu Yan Yang's lips curled up into a smile.

  She turned around, pointed at him with the flute in her hand, smiled brightly and said clearly: "I won't see you again!"

  She finished speaking and tossed the flute back to him with a flick of her wrist, then turned around and walked away neatly.

  Yanling Jun grasped the flute in his hand, and his feet unconsciously took a step forward, but he eventually restrained himself, tightly clutching the flute and falling silent.

  Chu Youyang walked swiftly along the road, without looking back. He left the maple forest, skirted around the winding wisteria trellis and went straight out of the valley.

  Yanling Jun stood still on the spot all along.

  Juhong saw off Chu Youyang and returned to report back. Seeing his unusual expression, he tried opening his mouth to say, "Master?"

  "Hmm!" Yanling Jun snapped back to reality, and the space between his eyebrows seemed to suddenly be shrouded in a layer of cold iron mask. The atmosphere in front of him also changed dramatically, as if only in an instant, the sharp lines on his face became even more stern and hard.

  Ji Hong was intimidated by his aura and hastily bowed his head, saying: "The Princess of Jiangyang has already left the valley."

  "I see," said Yanling Jun, his tone cold and crisp, no longer as stiff and awkward as before. "Has Yingzi not returned yet? What is the current situation in the army?"

  "Not yet, if Master is in a hurry, I'll go out of the valley to meet her?" said Ju Hong.

  "It's not necessary!" Yanling Jun raised his hand and walked towards the depths of the forest, instructing, "You go prepare the horses, have Shanglan wait here, I need to return to the capital immediately."

  "There's been a big incident in the army, and the situation at court is bound to be turbulent. At this time..." Juhong couldn't help but take a deep breath, "Master returning now would not be advisable."

  "What does the current situation have to do with me? It's not my fault, it's theirs for being too deceitful. This time, I will make them pay interest." Duke Yanling sneered, his tone cold and unyielding.

  Ji Hong knew that this time he was really angry and didn't dare to persuade him again, so he hurriedly followed his orders.

  Chu Youyang had just come out of the valley and immediately issued a gag order, forbidding Zhu Yuanshan and others from mentioning today's events to anyone other than Chu Qifeng. The group returned by the original route, and as soon as they left Lieyan Valley, Jiang Liu came galloping up on horseback, reporting: "Princess, an urgent message has arrived in the capital, and the Duke requests that you return to the camp immediately."

  "What's this urgent news from the capital? Did brother say what it was about?" Chu Nanyang pondered.

  "No." Jiang Liu shook his head. "It's the Crown Prince who is in a hurry to find you, and the Duke of Junwang has put it off, telling his subordinates to ask you to return quickly."

  Chu Youyang didn't dare to linger and led a group of people to hurry back to the military camp, rushing straight to Chu Yian's command tent.

  At that time, Zhu Yi'an and the commander of the army, Huo Guang, as well as Zhu Qi Feng were analyzing the military situation on a map. Hearing her footsteps, he looked up and said: "You go back and pack your things, tomorrow morning we will set out together to return to the capital."

  "Tomorrow morning?" Chu Youyang was taken aback, "Why so urgent? Has something happened in the capital?"

  "I just received news from the capital that next month is your imperial grandmother's birthday and it will be a grand celebration." said Chu Yi'an, stopping at that.

  The queen was fifty-seven years old and it wasn't a milestone birthday, so by rights there shouldn't have been any grand celebrations. Nothing like this had ever happened before in the previous dynasty either.

  Chu Youyang's gaze condensed slightly, and he understood in his heart——

  This matter must be related to the Nanhe Wangfu again.

  "Yes, daughter knows, then go prepare." Chu Jiu Yang said, turning around and exiting the tent.

  The sky outside has entered dusk, with the sun hanging on the horizon, burning a piece of bright and colorful cloud sea, exceptionally charming.

  Chu Liuyang's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of a smile played on his lips.

  Five days later, Crown Prince Chou Yi-an and his entourage arrived in the capital.

  Chu Yi'an went directly to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor, while Chu Xiangyang led a group of attendants and luggage back to the East Palace to settle in. As soon as they turned into the alley, they saw that a luxurious horse-drawn carriage was already parked at the gate.

  Butler Zeng Qi knew they were coming back today and had been waiting at the gate early in the morning.

  "Is there a guest at the prefecture today?" Chu Youyang got off the carriage and asked hesitantly.

  Chu Yi'an's carriage arrived today after a long and arduous journey. By rights, even if someone wanted to pay their respects, they should avoid coming today.

  "It's the young mistress who has returned." said Zeng Guanjia.

  I knew these people wouldn't give up, and before Father even stepped inside, trouble had already found its way here!

  "Has Big Sister returned?" Chu Nanyang's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he stepped forward into the doorway.

  Digression

  My family's Yanling pot feels like a bean sprout, lol~

  Yeah, big sister is getting serious now, and it seems like the battle of wits is about to begin TT