Chapter 43#

What is called an all-embracing love is nothing but a shocking conspiracy about a power struggle. Chapter Number: 728220y#

The General’s residence.

Gu Yueze was drinking sulkily in his room. Having been defeated by Chu Tan yet again filled him with extreme unwillingness. He hadn’t expected that even with so many men—all elite soldiers his father had left him—he would still fail.

His initial contempt and disdain toward Chu Tan had now completely transformed into fear and dread. He couldn’t help but think: the first two times, he had lost his hair and his fingers.

And next time, what else would he lose?

Hatred surged in Gu Yueze’s eyes. His once handsome features had already twisted. He swallowed a cup of wine bitterly. At worst, it was just a life—he had been on the battlefield since he was thirteen. Was he really afraid of a criminal slave’s revenge?

“Yueze, you were too reckless this time.” Rong Yue rushed over upon receiving the news. The moment he entered, he saw Gu Yueze dead drunk.

He closed the door, stepped forward, and snatched the wine cup from Gu Yueze’s hand, his face anxious. “How dare you be so bold, leading men to assassinate Rong Yu? Don’t you know how formidable Chu Tan is? With him around, how could you possibly touch Rong Yu?”

Gu Yueze was already burning with hatred, and hearing Rong Yue speak of Chu Tan with such certainty—as if confirming Gu Yueze was inferior to him—only enraged him further. He slammed the table hard. “Right, Chu Tan’s formidable, and I’m just trash! I can only have my head shaved, have my fingers cut off—can’t I even fight back?!”

The bowls, dishes, and wine pot on the table rattled from the force of Gu Yueze’s slap, crashing to the floor in a cacophony of shattering pieces.

And Rong Yue stood amidst the wreckage, looking at Gu Yueze with disappointment. This former Young General Gu, once so dashing and spirited in his fine clothes and swift horse, was now utterly unrecognizable.

Seeing the look of utter disappointment in Rong Yue’s eyes, Gu Yueze suddenly felt a surge of panic. He wrapped his arms around Rong Yue’s waist and said miserably, “I’m sorry, Erlang. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you. I only wanted to vent your frustration at the start, to teach that Rong Yu a lesson. I never imagined things would come to this.”

Gu Yueze’s heart suddenly welled with endless regret. If he hadn’t shot that arrow at the horse back then, hadn’t driven Rong Yu off the cliff, or had simply apologized properly when the Crown Prince brought him to the Rong residence—would everything have taken a different turn?

Would he not have been mocked by everyone, and had his bright future ruined over this?

Gu Yueze buried his face in Rong Yue’s waist, muffled sobs escaping him.

Rong Yue’s gaze softened. He returned the embrace, holding Gu Yueze. This was his lover from his past life—he couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.

“Have you told the Crown Prince? Does he know you took men to kill Rong Yu?”

Gu Yueze shook his head. “No.”

How would he dare tell the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince had long since ordered him not to lay a hand on Rong Yu. If he learned of this, punishment would be inevitable.

Rong Yue gripped Gu Yueze’s shoulders and said sternly, “Come with me to see the Crown Prince right now. The Grand General isn’t here; only he can help you now.”

“Are you afraid Chu Tan will take revenge on me?” Gu Yueze sneered. “He won’t come. I slashed him once—he’s probably somewhere licking his wounds right now.”

“You slashed him?” Rong Yue’s face paled slightly. He muttered, “That man repays every grudge. You’ve wounded him this time—he will never give you another chance to strike.”

“Next time? Next time I’ll coat my blade with deadly poison and make sure he dies without a doubt.” Gu Yueze’s eyes were vicious, hatred and malice interwoven, having clearly declared Chu Tan his mortal enemy unto death.

“You!” Rong Yue looked at Gu Yueze, who was nearly consumed by obsession, and let out a deep sigh. His brows were heavy with worry.

“Erlang need not worry.” Gu Yueze held Rong Yue. “My father is General Zhenyuan. He wouldn’t dare kill me—otherwise, my father would never forgive him. Once Father returns victorious, I’ll tell him that this damned slave attacked me from behind. Then, along with that detestable Rong Yu, not a single one of them will escape. The Emperor will punish them too. I’ll make sure they die without even a place for burial—to take revenge for you and for me.”

Gu Yueze’s tone was resolute, yet his eyes were somewhat vacant. It was hard to tell whether these words were meant to comfort Rong Yue or himself.

Before his father had departed for war, he had warned him repeatedly: in the capital, do not stir up trouble. Emperor Yuanjing was getting old and increasingly paranoid, even beginning to suspect the loyal ministers who had served him through a lifetime of warfare.

Meanwhile, Rong Yue’s own thoughts were churning as well.

He hated Chu Tan just as much—but his hatred was matched by terror.

After being reborn, he had considered revealing Chu Tan’s true identity. That way, the Emperor would surely send troops to hunt him down. While Chu Tan’s wings were still young, cut him down utterly in the cradle—then none of those things from his past life would ever repeat.

But he was also deeply wary of the Emperor. Emperor Yuanjing was so suspicious that if he learned of this, he might well suspect the Rong residence, which had taken in Wei Jingtan, of having divided loyalties. Then the entire Rong household—father, mother, and himself included—would not escape unscathed.

But unless the Emperor himself issued the decree, other insignificant little tricks couldn’t do a thing to Chu Tan, and in the end, they would only drag him into trouble.

Rong Yue was lost in thought for a moment, then lowered his head and stroked Gu Yueze’s hair.

Looking back at those final days of his past life, he realized that what was called an all-embracing love was nothing but a shocking conspiracy about a power struggle.

That devil Wei Jingtan had toyed with all of them in the palm of his hand. And in the end, for some inexplicable madness, he had not only destroyed the four of them but himself as well.

But Rong Yue still remembered that in his past life, even when he was being tortured to death by Wei Jingtan, Gu Yueze had still protected him with unwavering devotion.

Given a second chance, he could not let Gu Yueze down.

“Yueze, I will help you.” Rong Yue murmured softly.

——

Rong Yu’s party traveled ten days by land before finally boarding a ship bound for Yangzhou.

Rong Yu was generous with his spending and chartered an entire ship. But Rong Yu, who had never been on a ship in his past life, didn’t know he was prone to seasickness. The moment he boarded, he vomited everywhere.

This sent Moshu into a panic. “How can this be? The young master was never seasick before!”

Seeing Rong Yu’s pallid, colorless face, Moshu frantically grabbed the physician traveling with them. “Do something!”

The physician was also sweating profusely—not because of Moshu, but because of Chu Tan standing nearby, his gaze cold as frost, his expression so terrifying that he looked ready to kill the physician if he failed to cure his master.

The physician wiped his sweat and, trembling, pulled out a small packet of ginger slices from his medical box. “Please, young master, hold a slice of ginger under your tongue, and combine it with massage of the Neiguan acupoint. That should ease the seasickness.”

Moshu quickly handed the ginger to Rong Yu, but Rong Yu turned his head away. The smell of ginger made his stomach churn even harder—he only wanted to vomit more.

“Young master!” Moshu stomped his foot in anxiety, but no matter how he pleaded, Rong Yu refused to open his mouth.

Chu Tan spoke coldly, “Will the ginger really help?”

The physician nodded hurriedly. “Yes, ginger warms the stomach and stops vomiting…”

Before he could finish, Chu Tan snatched the ginger from Moshu’s hand. With one hand he gripped Rong Yu’s chin, pried open his lips and teeth by force, and shoved the ginger slice inside.

The movement was so swift that no one could react. Rong Yu’s mouth was instantly flooded with the pungent, spicy taste of ginger. His eyes went wide, tears squeezed out from the sting. He stared at Chu Tan in disbelief, never expecting the man to be so bold as to force-feed him.

Chu Tan closed his mouth for him. “Even if you want to curse at me, young master, wait until you’ve stopped vomiting and have the strength to do so.”

With that, he moved behind Rong Yu, lifted him up, and set him on his lap. His arms encircled him from the front as his hands pressed and massaged the Neiguan acupoint on Rong Yu’s wrists.

Seeing the two like this, Moshu left the cabin with the physician, his expression complicated, giving them some space.

Rong Yu was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but the man had gotten behind him and trapped both his arms, leaving him unable to move. He opened his mouth to spit out the ginger, but before he could do so, Chu Tan noticed and pinched his lips shut with two fingers.

Rong Yu felt like steam was about to erupt from the top of his head. He was utterly mortified.

But after struggling in Chu Tan’s embrace for a good while, he suddenly realized that his vomiting really had lessened—no longer the world-spinning dizziness he’d felt when he first boarded.

Rong Yu settled down, though his eyes still burned with fury.

After the better part of an hour, Chu Tan studied Rong Yu’s complexion and asked in a low voice, “Is the young master feeling better?”

Rong Yu stared at him darkly, then suddenly took the ginger slice from his mouth and flung it at Chu Tan’s face. “You’ve gotten bold—daring to force me!”

Chu Tan raised an eyebrow, caught the slice, and then, staring straight into Rong Yu’s eyes, ate it piece by piece. His gaze was audacious, a curve forming on his thin lips. He didn’t look like he was eating ginger—more like he was eating something else entirely.

“Disgusting!” Rong Yu shot him a fierce glare, then burrowed into the blankets and turned his back, not wanting to see that shameless face any longer.

But immediately, the bed dipped, and a hot, hard chest pressed up behind him, arms circling him tightly.

“Chu Tan!” Rong Yu roared. For Chu Tan to still dare touch him at a time like this was no different from stroking a tiger’s backside.

Furious, he tried to pry Chu Tan’s hands away, struggling and jabbing his elbow backward. Then he heard the other man let out a muffled grunt, a pained groan escaping him.

Rong Yu stiffened. He turned around and saw Chu Tan’s brow furrowed in a frown, his hand clutching his chest—right where the blade wound was.

Rong Yu’s eyelid twitched. He quickly pulled open Chu Tan’s clothes and saw speckles of blood seeping through the white bandage.

“The wound split open.” Rong Yu took a deep breath. “I’ll have the physician come re-bandage it.”

“No need.” Chu Tan pressed down on his hand. “Just let me hold you and rest for a while, and I’ll be fine.”

Rong Yu paused, then slowly narrowed his eyes.

Chu Tan’s face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead. He said weakly, “It’s just a little pain. I can endure it. Would the young master let me sleep here? The bed in my cabin isn’t as comfortable as yours.”

Rong Yu: “…” Did Chu Tan really think he was a fool who couldn’t see through all this?

Fine. Rong Yu closed his eyes and silently permitted Chu Tan’s sneaky arm snaking around his waist.

The young man fell asleep quickly, and before long, his breathing evened out.

Rong Yu raised a hand, his fingertip lightly tracing the deep contours of Chu Tan’s brow and eyes, tracing the hidden weariness there.

Every night after Gu Yueze’s ambush, because he feared the enemy might not give up and would come back for another attempt, Chu Tan had kept his blade in hand and stood guard at the door, never having a single restful sleep.

Now that they were on the ship—the entire vessel filled with their own people—there was no need for such vigilance. He could finally sleep soundly.

Rong Yu clutched Chu Tan’s lapels, found a comfortable angle in the crook of his arm, and sank into a deep sleep as well.

【Author’s Note:】

What do you say we do a boat shake in the next chapter? Otherwise this journey would go to waste, hehehe.