Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 97
Emperor Ye saw Shen Yu lost in thought again, knowing that his mind must be on someone in the Northern Territory.
“Yu’er…”
Emperor Ye reached out, gently holding Shen Yu’s soft hand. His hand was slightly cold, and the slight distortion in his left hand made Emperor Ye feel heartache. This was the mark left by Jun Xuanxiao, which Shen Yu would carry for the rest of his life. Whenever Emperor Ye saw it, he felt an indescribable sourness.
Just as Emperor Ye touched it, Shen Yu recoiled as if bitten by a snake.
“Are you thinking about Xuanxiao?” Emperor Ye asked disappointedly.
During this period of time, Emperor Ye never pressed Shen Yu about his past, nor did he mention Prince Zhenbei. This was the first time…
Shen Yu didn’t answer, but the darkness in his eyes said it all…
With restrained jealousy, Emperor Ye said, “You don’t need to think about him so much. Xuanxiao didn’t treat you sincerely!”
Shen Yu fidgeted with his palm, not even knowing whether Prince Zhenbei had ever treated him sincerely. How could Emperor Ye know?
“He kept you locked away in a secluded courtyard, not allowing anyone else to approach, not because he saw you as a treasure, but because he was afraid others would find out that you are a descendant of Yunmeng!”
Shen Yu was astonished. How did Emperor Ye know about his mother’s hometown? He had never mentioned it, not even to Prince Zhenbei, because he thought he didn’t care.
“Don’t you know?” Emperor Ye looked at Shen Yu’s surprised expression and realized he had said too much.
“What do you mean by a descendant of Yunmeng?” Shen Yu wrote, this being the first sentence he had expressed to Emperor Ye in so long…
Emperor Ye, finally managing to open Shen Yu’s heart and put aside his grievances, smiled happily.
“Specifically, it’s the Yunmeng Chu Clan. You were originally supposed to be surnamed Chu, not Shen, right?”
Shen Yu shrugged. His mother had never given him a formal name, let alone a surname.
“So you didn’t know either…” Emperor Ye pondered for a moment, then said with relief, “Then you haven’t been to Yunmengze in the southern country, have you? Your hometown is Junshan in Yunmengze. If there’s a chance, would you like me to take you there?”
This was Shen Yu’s long-standing wish. If he could see his mother’s Yunmeng with his own eyes, he had heard it was a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with spring-like weather all year round, unlike the Northern Territory, where everything withered and was covered in snow three feet deep in winter, enough to freeze a person to death…
“With my mother,” Shen Yu wrote…
“Good!” Emperor Ye exclaimed joyfully, “I promise you, I’ll help you get your mother back from Xuanxiao!”
At the thought of his mother’s uncertain fate, Shen Yu’s eyes darkened slightly, and Emperor Ye thought he was thinking about Prince Zhenbei again, secretly regretting mentioning Jun Xuanxiao.
“How did you know I was from Yunmeng?” Shen Yu wrote.
“Oh, do you still remember the night when I first saw you? You were playing with something in your hand called a Luminous Die, a custom unique to Yunmeng in the southern country. I noticed it and became suspicious, thinking that since Xuanxiao kept you hidden so tightly, I had my doubts. Then, later in the cave at Mount Jushan, I saw that you had an extra joint on your little finger, and that’s when I was certain that you were a descendant of the Yunmeng Chu Clan.”
Emperor Ye revealed everything, without hiding anything.
Shen Yu raised his left hand, his fingers longer and more slender than usual, and his pinky slightly elongated. Despite having an extra joint, it didn’t appear awkward or strange; instead, it added to his elegance.
Emperor Ye didn’t mention it, and Shen Yu himself hadn’t noticed it before.
“You see, I suspect that Xuanxiao didn’t accidentally break the bones in your left hand; it was likely intentional. He wanted others to believe that the extra joint was just an old scar, concealing your Yunmeng Chu family’s distinctive feature.”
Shen Yu was puzzled. Why would Prince Zhenbei do such a thing?
Emperor Ye timely changed the subject: “Do you still have that exquisite dice? How about giving it to me? I won’t ask for it for nothing; I’m prepared to give you something in return.”
Shen Yu looked up, meeting Emperor Ye’s eager gaze.
Since Emperor Ye knew about the customs of the Yunmeng people, he should understand what the exquisite dice meant to Shen Yu. Yet, he still made such a request…
“No,” Shen Yu shook his head, refusing.
Seeing Emperor Ye’s hopeful expression, Shen Yu couldn’t be bothered to speculate whether it was genuine or not.
He wasn’t the ignorant child who believed everything people said anymore. The exquisite dice had already been broken. For Shen Yu, there was no second one in the world. He wouldn’t spend so much time carving names again.
Engraving the name of a beloved would lead to mutual affection and becoming a couple? Such sweet nothings meant to deceive naive young men and women, he wouldn’t believe them anymore.
“You’re unwilling? Or have you already given it to Xuanxiao? What virtues and abilities does he have to abandon you like a worn-out shoe? Why do you suffer from such deep feelings for him?” Emperor Ye said disappointedly.
Emperor Ye probably wouldn’t understand. At the age when love was budding, Shen Yu met the Northern King, and he regarded him as everything in the world.
It only took a few short months to fall in love, but it was enough for Shen Yu to think about it day and night.
“I won’t force you. Someday, you’ll believe that I’m sincere.”
Shen Yu heard a faint noise outside the room. Emperor Ye was skilled in martial arts and had excellent hearing as well. His expression turned serious, and he turned his head, asking loudly, “Who’s outside?!”
