Chapter 108

108 I was born to protect my brother, not to govern anyone Part I

Eunuchs and maids had already left under the Emperor’s order. The royal study was quiet. No one uttered a word ever since Ouyang Feilong kneeled down.

Two siblings fixed their gazes at each other for a long while, until Ouyang Hongxian broke the silence first. “Ming-er.”

“Yes, father,” Ouyang Mingxian responded.

“Escort her back first,” he said to his son while his eyes were still on his brother.

“Yes, father.”

Bai Yu curtsied, graceful as usual. Ouyang Mingxian led her out. They both knew that the next words that would be exchanged were not for their ears. And so, they compliantly left, even though they, too, were involved in the matter.

“Rumor has it that he’s a spitting image of the former emperor.”

“Or is it possible that the former emperor has reincarnated?!”

“Nonsense! You think you’ve got ten heads, huh? How dare you gossip about royalty.” It was the Emperor’s personal eunuch who chastised the two maids who were whispering, not realizing Bai Yu and Ouyang Mingxian had left the royal study.

.....

They were lucky that the eunuch had stopped them before she and Ouyang Mingxian passed by. However, with her martial arts skills, Bai Yu could clearly hear them. Her brows furrowed. She was suddenly compelled to turn back and look at the building she had just left.

“Let’s go.” The man next to her calmly said when he noticed that she had come to a halt. “Father and uncle will be the ones to make the decision.”

“Is Your Highness unconcerned in the least?”

“Benwang is not in a position to make any decisions.”

Bai Yu pursed her lips. He was this cold to her, but her heart no longer ached. There was only self-pity. Whether it was Bai Yu in the past or now, she still could not win Ouyang Mingxian’s heart! Fate continued to do its job as well as it had always done.

They stepped into the carriage in silence. Ouyang Mingxian ordered the driver to take them to Yue Mansion without requiring Bai Yu to say anything, so she remained silent. This kind of situation had happened once. He was as distant as ever, and they remained so all the way back, both lost in their own thoughts.

Bai Yu was truly moved by Ouyang Feilong’s kowtowing in front of the Emperor for the war petition. Still, she continued to ponder the Emperor’s answer. She did not want to get ahead of herself and think that he had her best interest in mind, but she was grateful nonetheless. She had come to this world alone, and if she did not have Yue Mei and Bai He, she would still be alone. Today, Ouyang Feilong had firmly shown that she had him too.

Whatever her status was...Bai Yu was not alone right now.

The horse carriage continued until it reached Yue Mansion. Bai Yu waited for Ouyang Mingxian to get out of the carriage first, so he could extend his hand and assist her out of courtesy, but the man sat stock-still. Bai Yu looked at him, puzzled, though she asked nothing and continued to wait in silence.

After a long pause, Ouyang Mingxian finally uttered, “Do you already have someone you love?”

Bai Yu remained silent. Because the carriage was well-insulated and soundproof, he could nonchalantly start the conversation despite already being in front of Yue Mansion.

“You want to marry the man you love. But who is that man?” His brows were slightly pulled together, unlike every other time he had spoken to her with a chilly expression on his face.

“I am sure Wangye already knows that.” The soul of an actress had awakened. Bai Yu smoothly slipped into the character of a villainess. Let her get some revenge on this man who had made her so miserable.

Ouyang Mingxian paused. His sharp gaze coldly stared at her. “Is it Benwang?”

Bai Yu nodded. “It is Wangye.”

Ouyang Mingxian unconsciously relaxed his expression. Bai Yu internally sneered at him before continuing, “I mean it ‘once’ was Wangye.”

“You mean...”

“I already have someone I love. Once, that person was Wangye. But right now...” Her cheeks reddened. “...Right now, it’s someone else.”

“Who?” His voice sounded colder than usual.

Bai Yu smiled broadly until her two dimples clearly visible. “Maybe...it’s Wangye’s father?”

She told an outrageous lie with glee. For Ouyang Mingxian, Bai Yu had always been the power that would never slip out of his palm. However, she was now leaving on her own accord. Even worse, she was leaving him for the man he referred to as his father, the only man Ouyang Mingxian could never defeat, no matter what.. Does your heart hurt, Ouyang Mingxian?!

“The man you love...” His eyes widened. “Is that the Emperor?!”

Bai Yu was still smiling.

“You’re lying.”

True. She was lying. But if she said that it was Ouyang Feilong and not his father, the Emperor, it would never stir the slightest emotion in a man like Ouyang Mingxian.

Ouyang Feilong had always protected Ouyang Mingxian because he was the son the Emperor cared about the most. The only way she could get out of this situation without troubling Ouyang Feilong would be to use Ouyang Hongxian’s name as her weapon.

“Many years ago...” Bai Yu continued, ignoring the freezing cold that emanated from the man in front of her. “...I had to enter the palace and become a royal consort in order to solidify the Bai family’s union with the Ouyang dynasty. That year, I was too ‘foolish’. I was in love with Wangye and did not have an audience with the Emperor. In the end, my second sister, Bai Xue, had to go in my stead.”

Ouyang Mingxian retained his silence, not making a sound of response. The atmosphere seemed to have become colder. The eyes that stared at her were no longer just distant; they now showed confusion and surprise.

“Lately, I have had many opportunities to meet the Emperor...” Bai Yu pretended to smile shyly. “...A woman who has always been spurned by her beloved person now she encounters a handsome and gentle man. Above all, that man stands higher than anyone in the nation. How can I restrain myself?”

“You’re lying.” His voice could freeze even the depths of a person’s heart.

“Has Wangye heard about the fire at Bai De Fei’s palace?” Ouyang Mingxian did not reply. Bai Yu softly laughed.

“It was my doing. She came to the palace in my place... At that thought, I was so overcome by jealousy that I tried to burn the palace down. Does Wangye still think I’m lying-Ah!” Bai Yu cried out. She felt the world spin for a brief moment, then found herself on Ouyang Mingxian’s lap, her waist tightly held by his arm.

His other hand pinched the chin of the woman, who could describe unpleasant things without feeling shame. “Wicked woman.” He gritted his teeth as he increased the force in his grip.

Despite the discomfort of being restrained and pinched, Bai Yu held fast to her wits as she responded to Ouyang Mingxian with the vicious gaze, which she had previously tried to hide from him. “Hmph!”

“Benwang knows that you’re an ambitious woman. Even if there isn’t love, you still have your use, so benwang has always kept you close. Who would’ve known that your ambition knows no bounds!”

Bai Yu internally cheered. Today, she could finally make this ice block burn!

“I was once ‘foolish’, chasing after Wangye for so long. And then Wangye became ‘foolish’ and fell in love with another woman...” She emphasized the word foolish with a sneer. “...Even if I change my mind today, how can it involve Wangye?”

“Shameless.”

Bai Yu laughed. She had heard this word from his uncle until she got used to it. That word had no effect on her in the slightest. Ouyang Mingxian put in more strength in his hand that was pinching her chin. However, she still held onto the taunting smile despite the pain, trying to further provoke Ouyang Mingxian. She put her arm around his neck and nuzzled her body against his, her other hand caressed his strong chest through the black clothes. With her red lips, she used a seductive tone to ask, “Is Wangye regretting letting this shameless woman go?”

“Hmph!” The man, who had tensed up seconds before, now regained his consciousness. “Benwang doesn’t believe that you can change your mind so easily.”

“I’m an easy woman, incidentally.”

Ouyang Mingxian spit out a cold laugh. The anger that was burning in him was extinguished by a thought. “Good.”

He uttered only one word before tightening his embrace, pressing her smaller body into his. Bai Yu tried to push him away but could not resist his strength.

“Mmm!”