"Master, I should go back now." After admiring the monk's looks, Chu Yue did not intend to stay.
The monk thought, 'You've just arrived here, and you want to leave? Aren't you going to keep me company for a while?'
But even though these were his thoughts, he refused to voice them.
He did not say anything. He did not even look at her.
Before Chu Yue left, she stopped walking for a moment to say, "Master, my husband isn't actually dead yet. I casually mentioned that he died, but I'm not actually a widow. I'm a married woman."
As she expected, the monk froze.
"Master, I have never regretted my actions. In fact, I treasure these memories a lot. Even if I am going to end up being regarded as a promiscuous woman in the future, I will be content with it." Chu Yue smiled bitterly.
She did not say anything else. Once she finished speaking, she went back.
The monk frowned. He did not like what she said. Why would she end up with that sort of reputation just because of the memories they shared together?
Hence, on that night, he "entered" her dream to demand answers from her.
"I am a married woman, but I fell in love with you, and I want to leave with you. I'm someone who doesn't uphold the ways of a woman. What else am I but a promiscuous woman?" the widow said in a tragic manner.
The monk was silent.
"But I can't be considered to have not obeyed the ways of a woman either, because I do not love him. But I do love you, and you love me as well. We suit each other perfectly," Chu Yue said.
"Who exactly suits you perfectly?" the monk asked while looking at her.
"Master, stop trying to deny it. I know that you like it, but are just stubbornly refusing to admit it. You just insist on making me angry," Chu Yue said.
The monk looked at the woman, who kept speaking in a gentle voice. "Master, if you take only me as your wife, then no matter where we go, even if we end up as a poor couple, I will follow you, and I will not grumble in the slightest."
"Stop trying to lie to me. You said this the last time, but you never fulfilled your promise." The monk might not believe her, but he did like her sweet words.
"When have I ever lied to you? I don't want anything. I don't mind casting aside my status and power for you. You don't know how many things I have given up for you." As Chu Yue spoke, her eyes became red-rimmed.
The monk had not known her background before, but now, he knew. This woman was actually willing to leave with him, a monk who had nothing, instead of being the supreme imperial consort of Prince Qin.
There was no way he would not know just how much she loved him, but she had never told him these things.
"I can put up with everything, but I don't want you to have multiple wives. I don't care about other men, but you have to belong only to me. Otherwise, I would rather go back to that man's backyard and sleep in his arms as well as give birth to his children!" Chu Yue said.
"Stop talking nonsense."
The monk frowned. He found that he could not accept the thought of her sleeping in another man's arms, much less giving birth to his children. These thoughts were prevalent in him even if he knew that the woman in his arms was his nephew's legitimate consort!
When Chu Yue fell asleep, the monk started thinking.
But before he could figure out a plan, people from Prince Qin's mansion arrivedd the next morning.
It came against Qin Heng's expectations, and it was also faster than what Chu Yue had expected.
When the monk heard about it from Yingda, his expression turned as dark as thunderclouds. He came to the mountain and saw Chu Yue sending the people from Prince Qin's mansion away.
The people Prince Qin sent to take Chu Yue back were very arrogant. They acted as if they were doing Prince Qin's imperial consort a favor by taking her back. After all, she was not favored.
They were acting superior to her and showed no respect to her.
This gave Chu Yue the excuse to pull a long face at them. If she refused to go back, the servants could not tie her up and bring her back, anyway.
They had to beg her to go back. If they didn't, she would absolutely refuse to go back.
She knew that Prince Qin would definitely get angry at her and say that she did not know what was good for her, but Secondary Consort Li would naturally do everything she could to bring her back.
Her unwillingness to go back would probably be read as her reluctance to leave the monk.
And it would be the correct guess. Chu Yue was indeed a little reluctant to leave the monk.
She did not know that he was watching her from the shadows, so after everyone left, she immediately went to Longan Temple to look for him.
The monk was waiting for her in the study and cast her a glance when she came inside. Chu Yue pursed her lips and called him, "Master."
"Yes?" the monk answered.
Chu Yue could no longer hold back. With teary eyes, she fell into the monk's arms. "Master, please don't push me away. Please let me stay in your arms for a while? I'll just stay for a short while."
Once she fell into his arms, the monk embraced her, and Chu Yue could no longer hold her emotions. She started crying in his arms.
But she did not say anything. She did not mention anything about Prince Qin's servants wanting to bring her back.
"Master, if I leave, don't look for me. When you become worldly again, you can marry some other woman and let her give birth to your children. At that time, you can marry as many women as you like, and no one will try to stop you again."
The monk knew what she was trying to say.
This time, she managed to chase the people from Prince Qin's mansion away, but Prince Qin's subordinates were not something that a woman like her could fight. The next time they came over, even if she did not want to leave, she would have to go with them.
So the monk let her stay.
On that day, Chu Yue did not return to Shangqing Temple.
Yingda went to talk to Hupo. "Your mistress is very sad today, and she is currently reciting scriptures at the master's place. She will come back tomorrow."
Hupo said nothing about it. It was only par for the course that she knew just how sad her mistress was today.
The servants from Prince Qin's mansion were nothing, so what right did they have to order his mistress around? Even Hupo felt indignant for her mistress.
Her mistress was right. If even servants dared to treat her like this, they would not have a good life if they returned to Prince Qin's mansion.
But Hupo did not worry about her mistress staying for an entire day on the other mountain. She was not even worried about her not coming back at night.
She believed in the master's virtue!
But the master was not that moral of a person.
In the meditation room, even though he made love to Chu Yue on an impulse, he did not regret it.
Even though it was said that if he managed to complete his spiritual training, the Great Feng Dynasty would be able to avoid disasters, he refused to believe that based on his own abilities, he could not lead the Great Feng Dynasty to even greater heights.
"Master, I'm thirsty," Chu Yue said delicately.
Qin Heng immediately poured water for her and helped her up so that she could drink. She drank half of the cup, and he drank the other half. He did not regard the remaining half a cup of water in disdain.