Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 115 - 106: The Time It Takes to Drink a Cup of Tea_2

Chapter 115 -106: The Time It Takes to Drink a Cup of Tea_2

Chu Yu’s lips curled up slightly as she cast a glance at the mediocre man and left without a word.

Back at the mansion, Chu Yu then began arranging the affairs of her people. Mo Xiang and Liu Se were indispensable, for without them no one would be in charge of managing the affairs of the Princess Mansion. Meanwhile, Huan Yuan continued to mingle in Jiankang City, engaging with the socialites on her behalf to expand her network.

Liu Sang had been clamoring to go, but Chu Yu had rejected his request, insisting that he remain at the mansion and behave himself. Keeping company with the monarch was akin to accompanying a tiger. Even though this tiger was rather amenable towards her, it did not mean that its fangs wouldn’t bite others. To prevent accidents, Chu Yu did not bring anyone from inside the mansion.

Lastly, there was Rong Zhi.

In the room, Rong Zhi and Huan Yuan were seated on opposite sides, having arranged all the tasks during her absence. It was only at the end, when it came to Rong Zhi, who was by her side, that Chu Yu started to feel troubled.

The more time Chu Yu spent with Rong Zhi, the more unfathomable she found him to be. He seemed adept at everything, nothing ever seemed to trouble him. Whatever she assigned him, he could manage with composure and seemed like an all-purpose chess piece on the board, playing a crucial role no matter where he was placed.

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His overly proficient nature resulted in Chu Yu feeling that whatever task she assigned to Rong Zhi, it would be a waste of his talents. Sometimes, she even felt like she ought to place him in her position, to have him take charge of strategizing and planning, which he would probably execute ten times better than she could.

After some time, Chu Yu finally made a decision and said to Rong Zhi, “You go ahead to my estate in Shan Yin County and prepare everything for me. For the rest, they can be ignored for now.”

Hearing Chu Yu’s words, Rong Zhi did not immediately agree. Instead, he remained silent with a calm expression, a silence that gradually made Chu Yu feel uneasy. She didn’t know what she might have said wrong, so she braced herself and asked, “What’s the matter? Is there a problem?”

Rong Zhi gave a slight smile and said, “There’s nothing to worry about, Princess. I will complete the task you have assigned to me.”

Once he agreed, Chu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Huan Yuan, who was beside her, brought up another matter, “Princess, about the stubborn official who was sent to us half a month ago and still refuses to yield, how do you think we should handle it?”

The West Upper Pavilion within Chu Yu’s estate occasionally had visitors. These were the officials Chu Yu had saved from execution under Emperor Liu Ziyue’s raging blade. All were educated and skilled, saved by Chu Yu under the guise of concubines, to be detained until they agreed to cooperate, whereupon she could begin negotiations.

Previous cases had proceeded smoothly. Once they understood that the Emperor had abandoned them and after frank and open discussions, they all became Chu Yu’s private subordinates, establishing networks for Chu Yu in various locations. However, the individual currently detained was particularly stubborn and hard-headed, refusing to submit no matter what. Whenever someone tried to persuade him, he would erupt in curses and even resorted to hunger strikes on several occasions, causing great difficulty for both Chu Yu and Huan Yuan. With Chu Yu about to leave, Huan Yuan suggested they settle this young fellow’s case, whether to continue his detention or simply let him go, and sought Chu Yu’s direction.

Hearing Huan Yuan’s reminder, Chu Yu also felt a headache coming on. The official’s name was Shi Lei, and he was as his name suggested—his mind was full of hard rocks. Yet, if she couldn’t win him over, she also couldn’t rest easy letting him go.

Just as Chu Yu was feeling torn, she heard Rong Zhi say, “Princess, how about you leave this matter to me?” He spoke with an easy smile, looking quite relaxed and confident.

Although Chu Yu knew he was very capable, seeing his unconcerned expression, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat uneasy and reminded him, “That young man is quite stubborn. Are you sure you want to take this on?”

Rong Zhi responded with a smile, “Princess, leave him to me. It will take only the time of a cup of tea to deal with him.”

Chu Yu found it hard to believe, having seen for herself just how difficult Shi Lei could be. Even if an iron was held before him, he still showed a readiness to face it with valor. What could Rong Zhi possibly do?

The time of a cup of tea was merely about ten minutes—hardly enough to even have a conversation.

Chu Yu frowned and said, “You’re not planning to use torture, are you?”

Rong Zhi smiled mysteriously and replied, “If the Princess does not believe me, just come with me and see for yourself.”

By then, Chu Yu was half-believing and half-doubting. After all, Rong Zhi was not the type of person to brag. He wouldn’t speak confidently about things he wasn’t sure of, but she still followed him out of curiosity, eager to see what he intended to do.

Shi Lei was locked in an empty courtyard, tightly bound and locked inside a room. As someone opened the door, Rong Zhi entered gracefully, and upon entering, he immediately shut the door behind him, leaving Chu Yu and Huan Yuan on the outside.

As soon as Rong Zhi entered, loud cursing emerged from within the room. Despite having starved for two days, Shi Lei’s projection was still strong, and he wasn’t afraid to waste his strength on cursing. Chu Yu and Huan Yuan listened from outside, and after seven or eight minutes, they still hadn’t heard any response from Rong Zhi.

Chu Yu grew increasingly worried on the outside. Although she knew that Shi Lei was bound and couldn’t harm Rong Zhi, the lack of any noise from Rong Zhi for so long was troubling. What if something had happened inside? Just as Chu Yu was about to order someone to break in, Shi Lei’s swearing inside suddenly ceased.

After a moment of eerie silence, he screamed again, his volume several times higher than before. His voice was so loud that Chu Yu couldn’t help but admire it: “You! What do you want to do! Don’t come any closer! If you come any closer, I’ll call for help! No! No! No!”

The tone of his voice was so pitiful, it could make those who heard it shed tears, and the vegetation to share in the sorrow.

Less than two minutes later, Rong Zhi opened the door and walked out casually. His outer garment was open, revealing the white undergarment inside, and he started buttoning up his clothes as he walked, saying, “It’s done, Princess.”

Seeing him in such a state, Chu Yu already had some guesses, but she still couldn’t help asking outright, “What did you do?”

Rong Zhi carefully adjusted his clothing before looking up with a smiling face, “I did nothing. I just took off my outer garment in front of him, and he said he would do anything as long as I didn’t come any closer. Now the Princess can have a peaceful talk with him. I believe he won’t be cursing indiscriminately anymore.”

It was that simple.

Meanwhile, Prince Consort He Ji and Chu Yuan were drinking wine and chatting in a courtyard not far away. Originally, they thought that the Emperor’s words were said in passing, but after a few days, Chu Yuan still received an imperial decree, and was sent over. What surprised He Ji was that Chu Yu just came to glance at Chu Yuan, showed a look of “is that all”, and then she never visited his courtyard again.

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The reason was actually quite simple; though Chu Yuan was a handsome man, he had a beard, and not a short one, flowing elegantly. No matter how graceful and beautiful his beard was, Chu Yu had no love for beards, hence she heavily marked down her appreciation of Chu Yuan’s beauty.

Even if Chu Yu had a thing for beards, with her current disposition, it was unlikely for her to become too close to someone she had just met.

He Ji and Chu Yuan were unaware of Chu Yu’s thoughts. They remained anxious, living and eating together for more than ten days, fearing that Chu Yu might whimsically remember them one night. Fortunately, Chu Yu seemed to have completely forgotten about them, never once coming over. Today was the last day Chu Yuan was ordered to come, and thinking that they would be free the next day, both were somewhat joyful. So they drank wine in the courtyard, and were halfway through when they heard Shi Lei’s miserable screams.

Both of them shuddered, spilling a bit of their wine. He Ji said with a bitter smile, “Chu Gong, we should share a bed tonight,” to avoid a surprise visit from the Princess.

Chu Yuan raised his glass gratefully, “Thank you.”

Some screamed, some disrobed, some rejoiced, some worried, it was yet another sleepless night.