âDoes the emperor know that she was sold into the Yunxiang Brothel?â Zhuo Junliâs lips curled into a sinister smile as he lifted his eyes, which gleamed with a bloodthirsty, demonic light.
âWho?â
Chu Yihanâs grip on his teacup tightened, unaware of this matter.
This was the first time Zhuo Junli had told him!
Initially, he had only heard that Zhuo Junli was engaged to the daughter of Su Xinlan, Ye Zhenzhen!
He had asked Zhuo Junli if this was of his own free will, and if not, he was willing to assist him.
But Zhuo Junli hadnât said he was unwilling.
Latter, Ye Zhenzhen harmed Su Yingxue, and he killed Ye Zhenzhen. Zhuo Junli remained indifferent and did not come to him because of it.
He had always thought that with Zhuo Junliâs intelligence, even if his beloved Yun Sijin was of low birth, merely a wretched young girl they both casually saved, he could surely keep her safe.
Yet unexpectedly, Yun Sijin was sold to such a place.
Zhuo Junli took a deep breath, poured himself another cup of tea, and then slowly said, âIt was her birth parents.â
âHer birth parentsâ¦â
Chu Yihan recalled that they were a couple seeking wealth through selling their daughter, impoverished yet with many children, extracting every ounce of value from each daughter for the sake of survival.
When they had encountered by chance, it was because they saw Yun Sijinâs pitiable plight that they decided to buy her.
At that time, Zhuo Junliâs identity was not yet known, still a wanderer, he beseeched him to take Yun Sijin back to the princeâs mansion to be a maid, and he agreed.
For those two years, Yun Sijin led a good life and was also a very dutiful and proper young woman.
He was happy to bring the two together.
Unexpected, Leng Yi found Zhuo Junli.
Chu Yihanâs gaze grew cold, âEven oneâs birth parents, who are the hardest to part with, cast a shadow Sijin will not be able to escape in this life.â
âNo, she escaped it, theyâre dead,â Zhuo Junli laughed, his laughter bordering on hysteria.
âYou killed them?â
âYes, they committed a grave crime, and I, as the son of the Prime Minister, of course, had to apprehend them with the hand of the law⦠and then I personally beheaded them, freeing Jinâer from any future worries,â he explained.
The harder Zhuo Junli laughed, the redder the corners of his eyes became, turning into a fragmented desolation, âBut Jinâer hates me, calling me her fatherâs murderer. She would rather stay in that filthy place than give me another chance.â
His story was just like that, shallow and pitiful.
Unwitnessed and uncared for.
If Chu Yihan hadnât asked, this matter would have remained hidden in his heart forever.
âIâll redeem her and give her a status, fulling your wish,â said Chu Yihan, his eyes as deep as the abyss, putting aside their ruler and subject relationship, Zhuo Junli was his close friend.
He would not watch him suffer this torment.
âThereâs no need, doesnât the emperor understand Jinâer? That tenacity makes marrying her harder than reaching the heavens. Every time I take a step up, she steps back further away from me,â he said.
The laughter of Zhuo Junli carried a deep mockery, âOnly if I keep retreating, keep degenerating, do I have the chance to see her, to look at her more.â
âSuch folly!â Chu Yihan stated bluntly.
Zhuo Junli, an unparalleled talent and son of the Prime Minister, held a privileged status.
Yet Yun Sijin, already in the brothel, could no longer even be considered a clean woman.
How could he stoop?
And how could he be with her?
What he could facilitate, he still refused to accept.
âEnough, the emperor has his own concerns to consider! The separation between me and Jinâer is one thing, but your situation with your beloved Su Yingxue doesnât seem to be any better, does it?â