Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In the end, Father Emperor did not kill Cao Shun ten times over; in fact, he even had to pretend to be ignorant of the entire matter.

Cao Shun was powerful and had deep roots at the border. The only way to deal with him was to prioritize pacification while slowly clipping his wings and severing his foundation.

To keep Cao Shun steady, the best solution was to decree a marriage between Li Chun and Cao Mingyu.

Li Chun was unwilling.

Having lost face in front of Cao Mingyu, he found himself unable to even look at her again.

Cao Mingyu, meanwhile, was obsessively pursuing Cheng Su.

I heard that after she recovered from her illness, she went to the Duke of An’s Mansion to thank Cheng Su. Though Cheng Su accepted the gifts, he refused to see her. Undeterred, she manufactured various opportunities to “accidentally” run into him, eventually forcing Cheng Su to hide in the military camp, refusing to step foot outside.

My feelings were complicated.

Many noble ladies in Shangjing coveted Cheng Su, but not one of them dared to hunt him down like this.

I hadn’t expected Cao Mingyu to be so bold…

However, the imperial selection was still ruined.

I couldn’t help but wonder: if the incident at the stables hadn’t happened, would Li Chun and Cao Mingyu have smoothly gotten engaged? Married?

Then again, such hypotheses were pointless.

People are the most difficult to manipulate. I cannot account for every accident; I can only observe from the shadows and search for an opportunity.

Three days later, the opportunity arrived.

Taking advantage of Cheng Su’s day off, Cao Mingyu blocked the path he had to take to get home.

However, she didn’t find Cheng Su. Instead, she found Jinzhu.

Jinzhu ordered her people to throw a sack over Cao Mingyu and give her a beating. Once they were finished, Jinzhu declared triumphantly, “Cheng Su is the heartthrob of every woman in Shangjing. Even when he eventually marries and has children, it won’t be to someone like you. Look in a mirror-do you think you’re worthy?”

These words stung Cao Mingyu deeply.

She had grown up on the frontier, exposed to the wind and sun. In terms of delicate beauty, she could not compare to the noble ladies of Shangjing, who were nurtured and refined in a land of wealth.

Unwilling to back down, she fought back against Jinzhu’s people and managed to land several desperate kicks on Jinzhu herself.

This incident caused quite a stir.

Mother Empress was furious and summoned my maternal aunt and Jinzhu to the palace.

After receiving a harsh scolding from Mother Empress, a disheveled Jinzhu came out and glared at me fiercely.

“Li Fuyun, what is wrong with you?”

I was startled, thinking she was just venting her anger on me. But remembering how she had died because of me in my dream, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry.

I asked softly, “What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Let me see, where did Cao Mingyu kick you?”

“You still have the nerve to talk? If it weren’t for you, why would I…”

She glared at me, biting her lip before she could finish the sentence. “What is going on between you and Cheng Su? Do you really not want him anymore? Are you really going to let that mangy dog Cao Mingyu cling to him? Isn’t it disgusting?”

I felt a slight flutter of panic in my heart. “There is nothing between Cheng Su and me.”

“Stop lying!” Jinzhu snapped, exasperated.

“You deliberately spread rumors that Cheng Su is short-lived, you know his private business, and you’ve even exchanged secret tokens with him. How much longer do you intend to deceive me?”

“If you had just admitted it openly, I might have respected you. Acting like this only makes people look down on you.”

“If you’re guarding against me, then you can rest easy. I, Sun Jinzhu, am not so low as to fight you for a man.”

She went on and on. The more I listened, the more ashamed I felt. It took considerable effort to make Jinzhu understand that Cheng Su really was destined for a short life, which was why I didn’t want him.

Jinzhu remained skeptical but finally stopped questioning me.

“If he’s a man you don’t want, I don’t want him either.”

“It’s Cao Mingyu’s lucky day then,” she huffed.

I said calmly, “It’s impossible for her and Cheng Su.”

Jinzhu’s eyes widened slightly, flashing with a sudden, startling joy. “You…”

I nodded. “Father Emperor won’t allow it.”

And neither would I.

That letter between Cao Shun and the Rong State had already sealed Cao Mingyu’s fate.