Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 162

Chapter 162 – A Love to the End

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the layered clouds before plunging the world back into darkness.

As Chu Ling climbed into the carriage, he glanced up. The weather was stifling, the kind that often heralded a storm. Rain was imminent.

Traveling at night in such conditions wasn’t ideal, but they had no choice. Shen Yu had sneaked out, and by now, Jun Xuanxiao was likely closing in on the relay station.

“Yu’er, are you certain about your decision?” Chu Ling asked. “Once you return to the clan, you may never see him again. Can you let go?”

Abducting the Empress of Jing was no trivial crime, and with Jun Xuanxiao’s temperament, he wouldn’t rest until every stone was turned to find him. Chu Ling worried that Shen Yu’s youthful indecisiveness might lead to regret, placing not only himself but the entire clan in danger.

Could he let go? Shen Yu felt a deep unease. The path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, but there was no way to retreat.

Jun Xuanxiao—the man he was entangled with in love and hate—was already a part of him, bound by blood and fate. Leaving him felt like uprooting himself, leaving a hollow void.

But what choice did Shen Yu have?

Could he really live alongside the man who had killed his father?

From the beginning, their relationship was a mistake. Fate had destined them to be apart. Even if Shen Yu did not hate Jun Xuanxiao, he could no longer face him.

Shen Yu made up his mind, his voice firm: “Yes.”

Chu Ling nodded silently, and the coachman snapped the reins.

“Hyah!”

Two horses galloped in tandem, pulling the carriage swiftly down the main road. Soon, the rain came pouring down, washing away all traces of hoofprints.

Less than half an hour later, several Imperial Guards arrived at the relay station, with Jun Xuanxiao leading the charge.

“Milord…”

The stationkeeper didn’t recognize Jun Xuanxiao in his dark imperial robes, but he recognized the armored Imperial Guards behind him. Judging by Jun Xuanxiao’s imposing aura, it was clear he was someone the stationkeeper dared not offend.

“Where is the foreign envoy from Koryo?”

“Uh, he left earlier today,” the stationkeeper replied nervously.

Jun Xuanxiao’s eyes darkened. As expected, Shen Yu, with no other connections, would turn to Chu Ling. He had left to follow Chu Ling back to the clan.

A sharp pain shot through Jun Xuanxiao’s heart again. He had worked so hard to change, and Shen Yu had begun to fear him less, yet now…

In Shen Yu’s heart, was he already an irreconcilable enemy?

“When did he leave?”

“About… an hour ago?” The stationkeeper wasn’t certain and was afraid of giving the wrong answer. “His carriage seemed to be heading east.”

Song Qing immediately offered, “It’s only been half an hour. I’ll go and bring Yu’er back.”

Jun Xuanxiao’s first instinct was, of course, to retrieve Shen Yu.

But once he caught up to him, then what? How could he explain the secret memorial?

Take him back to the palace? Shen Yu would never agree, and forcing him would only push him further away. Even if Jun Xuanxiao used his power to compel Shen Yu to return, he knew Shen Yu would never truly accept him again.

Jun Xuanxiao let out a bitter laugh. He had pushed Shen Yu step by step into the abyss, and now he couldn’t face the consequences. The saying “You reap what you sow” had never felt so true.

“Return to the capital. Order the Imperial Guards to stop searching,” Jun Xuanxiao said with a wave of his hand.

Song Qing hesitated. “But Yu’er—”

“I’ll look for him myself,” Jun Xuanxiao interrupted. “Alone. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

Jun Xuanxiao had squandered everything Shen Yu had given him. Now, no matter how much power he wielded, he felt helpless in trying to win him back. He wanted to go alone, just to ensure Shen Yu’s safety. As for forgiveness, he no longer dared to hope for it.

Song Qing stood behind Jun Xuanxiao, silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

“Your Majesty,” Song Qing said, bowing deeply, “I would like to resign as commander of the Imperial Guards and return to the Northern Territories to fight the Xiongnu alongside the Northern Army.”

Jun Xuanxiao turned to look at him. The Xiongnu had been a persistent threat at the northern borders, a constant worry for him.

“This is about your childhood friend, isn’t it?”

When Jun Xuanxiao was still the Grand General of the North, Song Qing had become his trusted confidant. He knew everything about Song Qing’s past, which was why he had never doubted the man’s relationship with Shen Yu. Otherwise, how could he have trusted Song Qing to care for Shen Yu?

Song Qing didn’t respond, his silence an implicit admission.

“Time has passed. He may no longer be alive. Are you still willing to return to the Northern Territories to wait for him?”

Song Qing looked up. “When his entire family was slaughtered, his body was never found. I believe he’s still alive. Even if I never find him, I’ll wait for him in the north—for the rest of my life.”

Jun Xuanxiao asked, “And what about that courtesan? He’s devoted to you.”

Song Qing’s eyes dimmed briefly. He thought he’d choose the courtesan without hesitation, but memories of Hong Lian’s playful banter lingered in his mind, impossible to shake.

“He’s a man of the brothel, fickle and self-serving. He doesn’t have a true heart,” Song Qing said resolutely, though his voice carried a hint of sorrow.

Jun Xuanxiao nodded. “I’ll grant your request. With you guarding the Northern Territories, I’ll have peace of mind.”

He turned away, his gaze fixed in the direction Shen Yu had gone, his brow furrowed with worry.

“Your Majesty,” Song Qing couldn’t help but ask, “why not tell Yu’er… about your…”

“It’s pointless,” Jun Xuanxiao cut him off. “Yu’er would only hate me more.”

Song Qing fell silent.

“You can wait a lifetime for someone who may never return,” Jun Xuanxiao murmured. “Why can’t I do the same?”

Mounting his black steed, Jun Xuanxiao rode off into the torrential rain, disappearing down the road.

After Song Qing returned to the palace, he carried out the Emperor’s decree. Until Jun Xuanxiao returned, the left and right chancellors were to jointly handle state affairs.