Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 156
Chapter 156 - An Absurd Possibility
Yun Chu massaged her temples.
She had crafted three identical pendants; if she were to make one for the Prince of Pingxi as well, what on earth would that imply?
However, this sort of matter was impossible to explain clearly to a four-year-old child.
She brought out the remaining piece of raw jade and smiled as she said, "With the leftover jade, I made a set of hair accessories for Changsheng and a jade pendant for you."
"Wow, I love it!" Joy exploded across Chu Hongyu's face, completely driving his father out of his mind. Ecstatic, he declared, "I'll hang this jade pendant right on the practice sword Imperial Grandfather gave me—it's bound to look exceptionally dashing."
The little girl clutched her hair accessories, dancing with excitement.
Yun Chu spoke in a gentle voice, "Changsheng, let me put them on you to try."
This was a set of gem-inlaid, floral-cluster gold and jade hair ornaments, suitable for a young woman who had just reached womanhood. Since the little girl was still small, Yun Chu only pinned two of the floral hairpins into her hair.
Chu Hongyu clapped his hands in delight. "Pretty, Little Sister looks so pretty."
Du Ling looked them over and remarked, "Chuchu, I remember when you reached womanhood, you also wore a floral-cluster gold and jade hair set just like this. The little Princess looks a bit like you wearing them... Especially her eyes—they look just, truly too much like you, as if they were carved from the same mold... No, I can't get over it. The more I look at her, the more I feel that you and the little Princess look alike—her nose, her mouth, her face shape..."
Yun Chu's fingers abruptly paused.
Her mother and eldest sister had also mentioned once that she and Changsheng looked alike.
Now Du Ling was saying the exact same thing.
Not long ago at the hot spring manor, when she had collapsed from accidentally eating wild mushrooms, the Prince of Pingxi had mentioned that Changsheng had also suffered a major incident involving wild mushrooms when she was young.
On a snowy day over four years ago, she had given birth to a pair of fraternal twins.
And in that very same year, the Prince of Pingxi had gained a pair of children.
An unthinkable, surreal notion bubbled up from the depths of Yun Chu's mind.
Could it be possible?
It was far too absurd...
Her hands trembled slightly, completely beyond her control.
Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths in succession, yet she remained utterly unable to calm the surging river of blood crashing against her chest.
"Auntie Yun, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Worry saturated every corner of Chu Hongyu's voice.
Opening her eyes, she found her own face reflected within the child's wide, luminous eyes. In his entire world, it seemed as though she was the only one who mattered...
She forced a smile onto her face and said, "I heard your father say that you and Changsheng were born in the winter. What is your exact birthday? Tell me in advance so I can prepare gifts for you."
"I don't know, hehe," Chu Hongyu blinked his eyes. "I don't want any gifts; I just want Auntie Yun to stay with me on that day."
Yun Chu looked at him fondly. "Then once we reach our destination, go ask your father which day you were born, alright?"
Chu Hongyu nodded vigorously.
It was already autumn now. When the bitterest cold of winter arrived, it would be his and Changsheng's fifth birthday. With their mother accompanying them, this birthday would surely be exceptionally different from all the rest.
Being so young, the two children soon drifted off to sleep amidst the gentle swaying and rocking of the carriage.
One dozed against Yun Chu's lap, while the other rested comfortably across Du Ling's legs.
Du Ling lowered her voice and asked, "Chuchu, you're walking this close to the Prince of Pingxi's Manor—is this the official stance of the Yun family?"
Yun Chu replied, "I am a married daughter; my actions cannot represent the Yun family."
"But will the Empress see it that way?" Du Ling countered. "The young Prince went out of his way to the palace to beg the Empress to issue an imperial edict inviting you along, and the two children even specifically boarded your carriage. This matter can hardly be hidden from Her Majesty the Empress; she will undoubtedly conclude that the Yun family has already boarded the Prince of Pingxi's ship."
Yun Chu looked at her and asked, "Then what about the Du family? And the Ji family? Which ship have they boarded?"
Du Ling sighed. "Neither the Du nor the Ji families wish to meddle in the struggle for the imperial succession. But no matter whose advances you reject, the other side will simply assume you've thrown your lot in with the opposing faction, effectively offending every single prince in the process. My father's stance is to pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince chosen by the Emperor. Whoever the Crown Prince is, that is who the Ji and Du families will rally behind."
Yun Chu shook her head.
In her past life by the time of her death, the Crown Prince's faction had grown weak, relying entirely on the Empress to prop him up. Being replaced was merely a matter of time; once the Crown Prince fell, the Du family would likely...
As someone reborn, her allotted lifespan in her previous existence had been far too short. She only knew which princes had ultimately met their downfall, but she had no idea who had actually ascended to the throne in the end.
Choosing which ship to board was, for her, a fatal gamble with destiny.
One careless misstep, and the entire game would be lost.
"Why are we even talking about this?" Du Ling changed the subject with a wave of her hand. "This isn't something us women ought to be fretting over. Help me check—is there any way to make my hair accessories look even more stunning?"
Yun Chu couldn't help but admire her friend's boundless capacity for lightheartedness. Smiling helplessly, she said, "They're already perfection itself."
"Hanging out with the foremost beauty of the capital, I simply have to pay strict attention to my makeup and styling, lest I be completely eclipsed by you." Du Ling fluffed her hair. "By the way, Du Ying's marriage has finally been settled."
Du Ying's prospective husband was the son of the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, which counted as a very respectable social standing indeed.
Yun Chu racked her brain, but couldn't recall what fate this family had met in her past life. Regardless, whatever outcome awaited her, it was bound to be infinitely better than ending up as Prince Anjing's primary consort.
The two of them continued chatting away like this, wandering aimlessly from topic to topic, until they finally arrived at the vast expanse of Yanshan.
This was royal territory, utilized every autumn for grand hunting expeditions. The mountains had long since been cordoned off as a temporary hunting reserve, with fierce beasts like tigers and leopards driven away, leaving behind only herbivores and small game such as hares and pheasants.
The accompanying servants set about pitching camp, while the masters prepared to commence the hunt.
Yun Chu stood quietly at the very outer edge of the crowd. She simply couldn't understand how these people possessed such boundless energy—after enduring over half a day of rattling carriage rides that left her bones feeling practically jarred apart, how on earth could they still muster the physical stamina to go hunting...
The Emperor sat tall upon a majestic steed and proclaimed, "There is less than a shichen until sunset. With the burning of a single incense stick as our time limit, whoever bags the most game shall receive the imperial reward."
The imperial princes, senior ministers, and scions of noble houses raised their voices in a roaring chorus of enthusiastic support, creating a deeply animated and bustling scene.
Yun Chu spotted Prince Anjing standing directly behind the Emperor, clad in full riding attire and radiating boundless high spirits, while Xie Ping's eyes practically seemed glued to Prince Anjing's form.
She also caught sight of the Prince of Pingxi. Among all the imperial princes, the Prince of Pingxi's presence stood out with striking prominence; while the other princes were scholars—the Crown Prince possessing vast literary erudition, the Second Prince renowned far and wide for his virtue, the Fourth Prince sporting a frail physique, and the remaining princes even younger—
The Prince of Pingxi possessed an upright, commanding stature that struck a balance of rugged robustness rather than crude ferocity, and statuesque magnificence rather than coarse bulk. One could tell at a single glance that he was a man seasoned in martial arts...
Even as she watched him, the gaze of the mounted man suddenly shifted toward her.
She was startled, realizing she had unconsciously stared at the Prince of Pingxi for quite a stretch of time.
Hastily flashing a smile, she gestured vaguely toward the side to signal to the Prince of Pingxi that the two children had already been taken away by their senior matrons.
The corners of the Prince of Pingxi's lips curved upward into a matching smile in acknowledgment.
"Third Older Brother?" The Prince of Gongxi turned to look at him, unable to hold back his curiosity. "I believe this is actually my first time seeing Third Older Brother smile."
Third Brother always wore an icy, frigid expression. Of course, there were times when he smiled, but those were either cold sneers or faint, detached grins that never reached his eyes.
Yet this present smile was unmistakably one born from the depths of his heart, with genuine delight overflowing from the corners of his eyes and brows.