Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 118
Shen Yu awoke from the darkness just as the door was pushed open, and a blinding beam of sunlight streamed in, rendering his eyes momentarily blind. It took him a while to adjust. His whole body felt weak and sore, not yet recovered from extreme exhaustion…
The person who entered was Jun Xuanxiao, the last person Shen Yu wanted to see at this moment…
“Yu’er, how are you? Are you in pain anywhere?” Jun Xuanxiao quickly walked to the bedside, leaned over, and asked with concern…
Shen Yu looked at Jun Xuanxiao’s handsome face and was dazed for a moment before recalling what had happened before he lost consciousness…
“Where’s my mother?”
Shen Yu signed, and from his distrusting gaze, Jun Xuanxiao could tell he was questioning him…
Jun Xuanxiao couldn’t help but feel stifled, but seeing Shen Yu drenched in cold sweat and looking exhausted, he couldn’t bring himself to blame him.
“I had someone prepare her body and buried her not far from the imperial tomb.”
Seeing Shen Yu lift the covers as if to get out of bed, Jun Xuanxiao immediately stopped him, not allowing him to get up…
“Don’t rush to move around. When you’ve regained some strength, if you want to pay your respects, I’ll arrange a carriage to take you there.”
Shen Yu didn’t move recklessly. He was both physically and mentally exhausted and feared he wouldn’t be able to make it to the grave. A sharp pain throbbed at his temple, and he laughed lightly with a hint of bleakness. He really couldn’t escape Jun Xuanxiao’s grasp. He was so tired of this entanglement.
As silent as ever, Shen Yu’s expressions were the only clues Jun Xuanxiao could read…
“Yu’er, your mother wasn’t killed by me.”
Shen Yu looked at him indifferently, surprised. Ha, when did the all-powerful Prince Zhenbei start offering explanations?
“As long as you find peace in your heart.”
Shen Yu signed. Did it make a difference whether he did it or not? All his grief had been orchestrated by him, and it was too late for an apology…
Prince Zhenbei didn’t understand his meaning and repeated, “I didn’t kill her, nor would I kill an unrelated woman. Yu’er, are you looking down on me?”
“Looking down? The prince really thinks highly of himself. How could I look down on you now? No one in the world would dare look down on you, the mighty Prince Zhenbei who conquers the South and the North and can even seize the throne. How could I dare to despise you?”
Shen Yu signed smoothly, then turned his head away. Now, just looking at Jun Xuanxiao made his heart churn with uncontrollable rage…
“But I truly didn’t kill her! Yu’er, I’m explaining because… because I don’t want you to misunderstand.”
Jun Xuanxiao’s voice turned thick with suppressed anger, exuding authority…
Shen Yu sneered and signed, “Why explain to me?”
Jun Xuanxiao was stumped, then said dully, “Because I care about you!”
Shen Yu’s smile widened, as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world…
“Thank you for your concern, Prince. Since you’ve explained, please leave now.” Shen Yu dismissed him…
Jun Xuanxiao frowned deeply and asked in a low voice, “What do you mean? Do you still doubt me?”
“No.” Shen Yu shook his head and signed, “I understand now. Are you at peace, Prince? You’ve helped prepare my mother’s body; you must feel justified now, right?”
Jun Xuanxiao was provoked to the point where his breathing became heavy, almost as if fire would burst from his nostrils…
“I didn’t do it for peace of mind!”
Jun Xuanxiao stood up irritably and paced back and forth. He suddenly felt a loss for words. How could Shen Yu think of him this way?
“Is the Prince seeking my forgiveness?” Shen Yu’s lips curled in mockery. After a tired wave of his hand, he signed, “Alright, I forgive you. You didn’t kill my mother.”
Jun Xuanxiao sensed something odd about his attitude. But the fact that Shen Yu believed him was already satisfying enough. Before he could rejoice, he saw Shen Yu sign again…
“Given the Prince’s ingenuity, you would surely have kept her alive to use as leverage against me.”
Jun Xuanxiao’s face darkened instantly. He lowered his voice and asked, “Did you overhear my conversation with Emperor Ye in the Jinluan Hall?”
Shen Yu glanced at him coldly and signed, “I would rather not have heard it. That way, I could have believed the Prince once liked me. Even if you grew to despise me later, there was once some affection… That day, I got lost in the palace and stumbled upon the Jinluan Hall. It seems it was fate’s way of awakening me.”
Jun Xuanxiao exhaled a long breath, relieving some of the fire in his chest. In a moment of anger, he had admitted to Emperor Xiao Ye’s words, but they didn’t fully represent his true feelings…
“So you believe that my affection was false and that now I’m using you to uncover the secrets of Mount Jun?”
Shen Yu didn’t answer. Prince Zhenbei, at this point, why bother with such meaningless questions?
“I…”
Jun Xuanxiao grabbed his hair in frustration, messing up his crown…
“Fine, I admit it. I deliberately handed you over to Emperor Ye; it was part of my plan.” Jun Xuanxiao said dejectedly, “But my feelings for you were real! Even if you weren’t a descendant of the Yunmeng Chu clan, I would still have liked you!”
Shen Yu was momentarily stunned. If he wasn’t from Yunmeng, perhaps he and Prince Zhenbei wouldn’t have been separated. But what use was there in saying this now?
Shen Yu signed, “If you say it’s true, then it is. But compared to your grand ambitions, I’m expendable. Why would the decisive Prince Zhenbei waver over a discarded pawn?”
Jun Xuanxiao felt his blood surge, choking him with anger…
“Yu’er, I shouldn’t have treated you like that.” Jun Xuanxiao gritted his teeth and asked, “But can you forgive me? Can we reconcile? I swear I’ll make it up to you. You still love me, don’t you?”
