Sheng Jinyu gave a half - smile. The young girl in front of him claimed to be so just and proper, but in fact, she clearly wanted to pry into other people's gossip.
Such a gossiping look, which would seem vulgar on others, somehow looked extremely cute on her.
He covered his lips and coughed, then explained with a smile, "Back then, Shi Aohan's mother already had a fiancé. But she was born delicate and frail, which made people pity her. The Shi family regarded her as a valuable asset and wanted to send her to the capital like her elder sister, to marry into a noble family. By chance, the then - Crown Prince, the current Emperor, went to Qiantang and was targeted by the Shi family. However, since she was already engaged, when the Shi family presented her to the Emperor, they didn't say that she was a legitimate daughter of the main branch but only a daughter from a side branch."
Lu Wanning's eyes widened in surprise. "This... Wouldn't it be exposed sooner or later?"
"What does it matter if it's exposed? As long as the Emperor took a fancy to Shi Fengyun. The Emperor is so amorous. Even though he had a respected Crown Princess, a childhood sweetheart as a concubine, and another affectionate concubine... Well, as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side."
Lu Wanning was slightly stunned and subconsciously looked at Sheng Jinyu. He wasn't looking at her. She didn't know where he was looking, but the mockery in his eyes couldn't be hidden. One of the concubines seemed to be the birth - mother of the late Second Prince, and the other, of course, was Sheng Jinyu's mother.
She called out, "Your Highness, Prince Yu?"
Sheng Jinyu looked at her with a half - smile, raising his eyebrows. "He did it. Can't others talk about it? It was just adding a concubine to the mansion. It wasn't a big deal. But back then, he did a poor job in his duties and almost lost both the imperial power and his life. He survived a near - death experience. Then someone reported that the woman he doted on was already engaged. Such immoral behavior might have cost him the Crown Prince position when he returned to the capital."
Lu Wanning was in a daze for a long time before asking, "And then...?"
"Then he was quite decisive. He immediately wanted to execute Shi Fengyun. Fortunately, the Shi family reacted quickly and sent a daughter from a side branch to act as the woman in love with him, thus resolving the threat of being a bigamist. He took advantage of the situation and brought that Shi girl back."
Lu Wanning quickly asked, "What about Shi Fengyun? Didn't he care?"
Sheng Jinyu shook his head. "A woman who climbed into his bed. How could he care? His previous doting was just a pastime. At that time, the Shi family deliberately concealed the truth. He always thought that Shi Fengyun was also a concubine daughter from a side branch of the Shi family and didn't know that Shi Fengyun was He Chan's aunt."
Lu Wanning understood. Sure enough, imperial power was supreme. In the book, Shi Aohan told the Emperor in detail how affectionate he and Shi Fengyun had been in the past and also expressed her admiration for the Emperor. Presumably, Shi Aohan had entered the palace many times and tried hard, but the Emperor never cared.
Of course, the Emperor wouldn't care. He didn't even know that Shi Aohan was Shi Fengyun's daughter. Moreover, he didn't care about the Shi family, which had already lost all its power.
"Shi Aohan... won't come back?"
Sheng Jinyu replied, "Naturally, she won't. She almost became the Emperor's woman. It's a scandal of great shame. How could the Emperor allow her to appear again?"
"Then..." Lu Wanning asked in a low voice. "Will she be killed?"
Sheng Jinyu looked at Lu Wanning. "You don't want her to die?"
Lu Wanning sighed. "It's not that. I just didn't expect her to... disappear like this. I'm just curious."
Sheng Jinyu remembered what Lu Wanning had said when He Chan deliberately tried to harm her that day. She said that she couldn't watch others die in front of her. No matter what, she couldn't do it.
His hand lifted as if he wanted to caress her cheek, but there were too many people around. In the end, he just took a deep breath and retracted his hand.
Lu Wanning felt a bit shy and didn't know what else to say. After thinking for a while, she asked in a low voice, "Well... Why aren't you curious about why I've always been targeting Shi Aohan?"
"Oh?"
Lu Wanning quickly said, "It's not because of Fu Rongxuan. I don't like Fu Rongxuan at all."
Sheng Jinyu looked at Lu Wanning and smiled slightly. "Okay."
"What does 'okay' mean?"
"I know."
Lu Wanning was confused. "You know? What do you know?"
Sheng Jinyu shook his head. "I know that you don't like Fu Rongxuan, and I also know that you're dealing with Shi Aohan not because of Fu Rongxuan."
Lu Wanning blinked at him. "Then... Aren't you curious?"
Sheng Jinyu couldn't help but gently pat her on the head. "Not curious."
Lu Wanning was a bit unhappy. To him, wasn't he curious about anything related to her?
Sheng Jinyu laughed. "Because I already know what I want to know. There's no need to know the rest."
Lu Wanning looked at him, not quite understanding.
Sheng Jinyu smiled at her. "Those secrets are yours. I never intend to pry into them, no matter when."
Lu Wanning was touched. Her secrets were truly inexpressible in this world. She had also thought that he was so smart. How could he not see that she was different from before and from others? If he asked, what would she say?
But unexpectedly, he didn't even ask.
Lu Wanning frowned and was silent for a while. Then she summoned up her courage and asked him, "Sheng Jinyu, I want to..."
But at the moment she looked up, she got timid again. Since she had traveled to this world, she could act recklessly. But she didn't understand why she always felt guilty in front of him. The amulet was right in her sleeve, but she just couldn't take it out.
"It's just... just... Why do you want to go to war?"
Sheng Jinyu looked at her in confusion. "Fighting for the Great Zhou and its people. What other reason is needed?"
Lu Wanning bit her lip and lowered her head. "My father..."
"Your father has entrusted all matters to me in great detail. Zhaoyang, don't worry. I'm the Prince Yu of the Great Zhou. The soldiers of the Great Zhou are brave and upright. They will never let Mobei take advantage of us."
That wasn't what she meant. "I mean... This should have been my father's duty. Why did you go instead of him?"
Sheng Jinyu didn't answer. He looked at her firmly without shifting his gaze.
Lu Wanning felt her heart pounding. "Is it... because..."
"Yes, it's because of you." Sheng Jinyu's voice was a bit hoarse. "Didn't you say that you've grabbed onto my thigh? If so, I should protect... the Lu family's safety."
Sheng Jinyu shifted his gaze and continued, "Moreover, the Prince of Zhennan is old. For the sake of the Great Zhou's territory, generations of the Lu family have sacrificed their lives, and the number of descendants has decreased. Now, there aren't many heirs in the mansion. Your two elder brothers are on the battlefield, and your father should enjoy his later years in peace."
Such words seemed out of character for the cold Prince Yu. But Lu Wanning just felt warm in her heart. Did he make this decision because of her?
Perhaps because Lu Wanning didn't say anything for a long time, Sheng Jinyu waited for a while and then continued, his tone becoming even gentler. "If you have no other questions, can you listen to me?"
Lu Wanning was stunned for a moment and then nodded. "What do you want to say?"
"Zhaoyang, wait for my return."