Chapter 257: Dispute
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“It’s worth it!�� Jiang Chen was a little worked up as he said, “As long as you can remember our past, it’s all worth it… Back then, you forgot about me because your father forced you to drink the Forgetting River Water. As long as you remember again, we can be together!”
Yuan Shu was stunned and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. “Mu Zhou, actually, my father didn’t force me. I drank the Forgetting River Water willingly. 1 wanted to forget about you.”
Jiang Chen looked at her in disbelief. “So not only did you lie to me, but you also wanted to forget me… Why?”
Yuan Shu smiled bitterly as she said, “Because it’s absolutely impossible for the two of us to be together. You’re very stubborn, so you can’t lead the Yuan Family Army, and 1 already have close ties to the Yuan Family Army. 1 can’t jeopardize the entire Yuan Family Army just to be with you!”
Jiang Chen stared at Yuan Shu in shock for a long time. Finally, he bent down in defeat and even his shoulders were slouched. “When did you start to have this idea?”
Yuan Shu’s heart ached, but she still said, “Do you remember what happened when we were 14 years old? The sand table was no longer enough to satisfy our learning needs, so we simulated a real-life battle. At that time, you and 1 each led 15 people to try to snatch the other party’s food.”
“At that time, in order to obtain the rations, you were very unscrupulous and even sacrificed the lives of your companions. You used five people as bait to lure me into the trap and finally obtained the rations. At that time, I realized that you were a ruthless person who would do anything to achieve your goal. To you, human lives aren’t as important as winning. How can such a person lead the Yuan Family’s army? I can’t hand the Yuan Family over to you, because sooner or later, you will sacrifice the Yuan Family’s army.”
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly. “As expected of General Yuan’s daughter. You already had such thoughts when you were only 14 years old. When 1 saw that you were angry after you lost the competition, I thought you blamed me for not giving in to you and 1 coaxed you for three days before finally appeasing you. It turns out that your anger hasn’t disappeared and you’ve been holding a grudge for many years until now.”
Jiang Chen asked again, “Then have you ever regretted it? Because of what you said back then, you made me become a literary scholar. From then on, 1 started creating chaos in the royal court.”
Yuan Shu didn’t answer for a long time. It was very difficult for her to judge this matter. The Yuan family worked for the imperial court, but the emperor and empress treated her very well, so it was very difficult for Yuan Shu to determine her feelings regarding the imperial court.
She couldn’t be kind enough to say that she didn’t care about being used, because if it weren’t for the pressure of the imperial family, she might have been able to live the life she wanted.
Yuan Shu said, “Actually, from a certain perspective, I’m the same as you. I’m also cold-blooded and heartless. 1 didn’t care what you did in the royal court. 1 only knew that nothing could happen to the Yuan Family’s army. As long as your dirty methods weren’t used on the Yuan Family, 1 could pretend not to know.”
“On the contrary, if there has to be a treacherous official, 1 hope that person will be you. Because you have feelings for the Yuan Family Army, no matter how powerful you are, you won’t attack the Yuan Family Army in the end.”
Jiang Chen sneered. “You’re always toying with people’s hearts. But Yuan Shu, I’ve already fallen for you. I’ve been obsessed with you for so many years, so it’s impossible for me to let go. There’s no royal power, no restrictions, and no Yuan Family Army in this world. You’re still you, and I’m only me. The two of us can abandon everything and live our own lives.”
Yuan Shu hesitated. For a moment, she was indeed tempted. Jiang Chen was right. Compared to that dynasty, this place was more free and unfettered. Wasn’t this what Yuan Shu wanted?
But…
Yuan Shu still refused, “It’s too late. There are always all kinds of barriers between us. In the past, it was the Yuan Family Army. Now, my business is holding me back. Yushu Buyi has just been established, so it’s impossible for me to abandon everything in this world to be with you. That’ll be extremely irresponsible!”
Jiang Chen smiled sadly. “Actually, I’ve already expected your answer. Even though I’ve done so much for you, you’re still thinking about the big picture. However, 1 can’t let you go just like that.. I can’t watch you get married to someone else, especially since this person is my sworn enemy!”