Chapter 25

Though Ye Suxin did not mention the man’s name, Chu Yi knew she was referring to Xiao Changyuan.
Chu Yi shook his head. “Prince Rui has posted imperial notices in every city and county across the provinces, searching for Xiao Changyuan under the guise of looking for Prince Zheng, but so far, there has been no trace of him. The soldiers have dragged the river where he disappeared, but they’ve found nothing.”
Hearing this, Ye Suxin felt a slight sense of relief.
Even she herself didn’t know whether she was disappointed or relieved.
Leaning her face against Chu Yi’s chest, she asked softly, “Ah Yi, when will you take me away from the palace?”
Chu Yi remained silent for a moment before replying in a low, measured voice, “Xin’er, I don’t want to leave this place.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Suxin abruptly pushed Chu Yi away, her eyes reddening as she said, “You once promised me that once everything was settled, you would take me far away from this place! You said you would take me into seclusion, travel with me across countless mountains and rivers, were all those words nothing but lies?!”
Chu Yi urgently grasped Ye Suxin's hand. “I wasn't lying, but there is something more important I must do.”
Ye Suxin lifted her gaze to him. “What could be more important?”
Chu Yi looked at her and slowly replied, “I must assist Prince Rui in ascending the throne as emperor.”
While Prince Rui searched for Xiao Changyuan's whereabouts, he also spread rumors across various prefectures and counties, stirring discontent among the people toward Xiao Changyuan to build momentum for his own coronation. Chu Yi wanted to support Prince Rui in seizing the throne, to fulfill the ideals he had been unable to achieve in the state of Liang.
Ye Suxin broke free from his grasp, her eyes red as she stepped back repeatedly, her gaze filled with disappointment.
“Is achieving great deeds and rising to the highest ranks of power so important to you?”
Chu Yi said softly, “Xin'er, this is my obsession. Only by grasping it can I let it go.”
Ye Suxin murmured, “If you truly rise to the pinnacle of power and hold great authority in the future, can you really let it go?”
“I can.”
Chu Yi looked firmly at Ye Suxin. “Once I become the chancellor, I will take you far away from here.”
Ye Suxin stared at him blankly, two clear tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
This man, at her most destitute, helpless, and in desperate need of clothing, had given her a garment to cover her body.
At a time when she most needed dignity, he had given her dignity.
That was why she had fallen in love with him, unreservedly, hopelessly, to the point of losing her own dignity.
She was willing to sacrifice everything for his ideals.
Even if he disappointed her time and again, dashed her hopes repeatedly.
She still loved this man, stubbornly and unwaveringly.
“I believe you.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi couldn't help but embrace Ye Suxin, saying with deep emotion, “Xin'er, I promise you, once I achieve great deeds and become the chancellor, I will let go of everything and take you far away to travel across countless mountains and rivers!”
Ye Suxin allowed Chu Yi to hold her tightly as he spoke of their beautiful future.
She still loved him, but she no longer held expectations for him.
All these years, she had been chasing his pursuits, dreaming his dreams.
When he had wanted to assist the Crown Prince of Liang in ascending the throne, she had willingly become a pawn in his hands, helping him achieve his grand ambitions.
She had always looked forward to the day when Chu Yi's dreams would come true.
But Xiao Changyuan's appearance had brutally shattered the beautiful dream she shared with Chu Yi.
It was only then that Ye Suxin lost her expectations for Chu Yi.
Only then did she understand that Chu Yi was not as omnipotent as she had imagined, that he was not always able to strategize and control everything.
That he, too, could lose in a game of chess.
In front of Xiao Changyuan, Chu Yi had been utterly defeated, his forces routed and scattered.
At some point, Ye Suxin began to lose her admiration for Chu Yi.
She began to look up to that even stronger, colder emperor.
That lonely tyrant, that man named Xiao Changyuan.
She would always remember that day, amid the swirling snow, wrapped in a rabbit, fur cloak, standing atop the Moon-Snatching Tower, braving the cold to sing to the immortals in the sky. She sang until her voice grew hoarse and her legs froze, yet she dared not stop to rest.
Because this was Xiao Changyuan's decree.
That aloof emperor, tall and graceful, stood right beside her, the vast sky filled with swirling snow, falling softly.
Xiao Changyuan, dressed in black, stood atop the high tower amidst the flurry of snow.
In his pale, jade, like hand, he held a branch of red plum blossoms he had broken off himself.
The cold emperor lifted his pale, handsome face to gaze at the snow, filled night sky, where dark clouds veiled the moon, his long, thick black eyelashes were coated with a layer of frost.
But the look in his eyes was even colder than the frost covering his lashes.
A single snowflake drifted slowly down from the sky.
He reached out and caught it, his thin lips moving slightly as he uttered a sentence in a voice so low it was almost inaudible.
On the Moon-Snatching Tower, there were only her and Xiao Changyuan.
The snow fell softly, and Xiao Changyuan's voice was quickly swallowed by the wind and snow, yet, Ye Suxin still heard those words.
He said, “She won't return.”
Ye Suxin had always seemed drawn to chasing after the pursuits of the strong.
In that moment, she heard the loneliness in his voice, the despair as if his heart had turned to ashes.
Who was this lonely and powerful emperor chasing after?
Why did his voice sound so cold and solitary?
Ye Suxin fell in love with Xiao Changyuan's pursuit.
Just as many years ago, she had fallen in love with Chu Yi's dream.