"You're not doing well."
"Chu Huanting spoke in a declarative tone, as if stating a fact of nature."
"You are not happy."
Su Jun stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at Chu Huan with a cold laugh, "Please, King Zi, respect yourself. Whether I am doing well or not is perfectly clear to me. It is not your place to point fingers and make comments here."
Chu Huan became more certain, "Su Jun, you are angry. You're angry because I hit the nail on the head."
Chu Huan's voice was tinged with a faint smile, as if he had seen the young girl a few years ago. Whenever Su Jun deliberately hid something from him and he guessed the truth, it would be like this.
Chu Huan's constantly furrowed brow unfurrowed, finally revealing a bit of life befitting his age, "Su Jun, you look just like a cat with its fur ruffled."
Su Jun took a deep breath, wanting to refute, but the refutation was intercepted by Chu Huan's insight.
She tightened her face, looking like "keep away from strangers", a very aloof and cold demeanor.
Yet, they knew each other so well, and Chu Huan could see through Su Jun's true nature at a glance.
Clearly, she was angry.
Chu Huan pressed his hand to his lips, coughed lightly twice, but could not hold back the laughter and burst out laughing.
"Chu Huan!"
Considering the officials nearby, Su Jun deliberately lowered her voice, but the anger was still palpable.
This is more like before.
Every time Su Jun was punished with a written assignment by Su Administrator, Chu Huan would take the initiative to complete this punishment on behalf of Su Jun. At this time, if he annoyed Su Jun, she would react just like now, seeming to warn but actually helpless, shouting his name.
It's only at these moments that Chu Huan would hear Su Jun calling his name.
Yeah, this has always been something Chu Huan likes to do.
He likes it when Su Jun calls his name.
Although everyone in the palace knows that the princess consort once had a close friendship with King Qi, back then, they were young and treated each other as friends. Let alone calling each other by name — after all, it's strange to call someone's name out of nowhere when there are only two people together — in reality, they had never even held hands.
Chu Huan realized he liked Su Jun, from the time she got married, to the time of her wedding was less than half a year.
He and Su Jun seem to have opened up to this aspect a little later than usual.
Su Jun, upon hearing Chu Huan's laugh, was even more enraged.
Thank you, there's no more melancholic atmosphere now.
How can she forget the previous meanness of her childhood friend?
Chu Huan walked up to Su Jun, just a step away. Su Jun no longer looked down and avoided making eye contact with Chu Huan. She raised her face, with her ink-black hair, snowy skin, and red lips unadorned, and in two years of growth, Su Jun collided into Chu Huan's eyes.
Chu Huan's heart itched, and the fingers of his hand dangled by his side, twisting as if he was touching the snow-white cheeks in front of him.
"Why did you put on so much powder?"
Chu Huan's gaze circled around Su Jun's cheeks twice. Were fashionable women of the time expected to be heavily powdered?
Chu Huan's side had no women, so he wasn't very familiar with women's makeup.
But he always felt that with Su Jun's splendid beauty, she would be better suited for light makeup. Too much cosmetics would actually detract from Su Jun's beauty.
Su Jun's face stiffened, her back shuddered, thinking that Chu Huan had seen through the truth.
Chu Huan is not a soft and patient person. If he knew... No, it's impossible for him to know.
Su Jun's mind was whirling, while Chu Huan thought it was because Su Jun disliked him, as his words were too light-hearted.
Who would pay attention to a daughter's makeup?
It seems ambiguous.
Chu Huan coughed dryly and reluctantly drew his gaze away.
"I don't mean anything else, just... cough cough, you..."
Su Jun took the opportunity to glare at him, angrily stomping on Chu Huan's foot, "All right, do you think I look bad today?"
"How could that be?! Su Jun is naturally beautiful, even in plain clothing and a simple hairpin, she could stand out among the crowd!!"
Chu Huan's survival instinct prompted him to say a series of good things, finally making Su Jun's mood turn good.
The makeup issue was just dropped.
After all, even if Chu Huan thought as much as he could, he would never have guessed that the crown prince would dare to lay a hand on Su Jun.
With this smile and banter, the estrangement and unfamiliarity between them were swept away, and Su Jun's intention to distance herself from Chu Huan also fell flat.
For a moment, both felt at a loss.
It was a familiar way of interacting, a familiar friend, but a strange identity.
Chu Huan's desires in his heart were growing at an alarming rate. If the crown prince couldn't treat Su Jun well, then he should get out of the way and make room for him.
As for the fact that the crown prince has a concubine, especially since they have been married for two years and the Eastern Palace has only one woman of rank, it cannot be said that Su Jun is being treated unfairly in the court.
But in Chu Huan's eyes, this was far from enough.
His previous retreat was not only because of the emperor's decree but also because he believed that the crown prince was another ardent love of the Chu family.
But clearly, the crown prince is not!
Find the weakness, patiently lurk, strike with a single blow!
On the vast grasslands, every decision is about one's own life, the lives of tens of thousands under his command, and the outcome of the country's military campaigns against outsiders...
This requires wisdom, as well as decisiveness.
Is the enemy really fleeing or just pretending?
Is what lies ahead a rare opportunity or an enemy's trap?
On the battlefield, there is not much time to think about these things, and there is not enough intelligence to make a decision. This requires the decisive action of the commander.
Chu Huan has such qualities.
Chu Huan is known for his daring and unusual tactics, often defeating stronger foes with his own strength, infiltrating enemy camps. Such a person possesses all the qualities of a great general.
Chu Huan is not a person who is weak and hesitant.
In this world, the only thing that can make Chu Huan hesitate is Su Jun.
Only Su Jun can make him willing to retreat into the darkness, suppress all his desires, and silently guard without seeking any reward.
He treasures her so much and cares about her so much.
Cared about it to the point of terror.
He fears that what he offers is not what Su Jun wants, and he fears that he might become the only blemish in her smooth life.
However, these retreats do not mean that King Qi will doubt himself.
He was such a proud and unrestrained person, when he realized that the crown prince did not love Su Jun deeply.
When he sees that Su Jun does not love the crown prince, then he will act decisively.
Yes, Su Jun does not love the crown prince!
They are so familiar with each other.
Two years have passed without seeing each other, only knowing the recent conditions through others' words.
However, once they meet, even just a few formal inquiries about etiquette, even if they have only seen each other three times so far.
Chu Huan has seen that Su Jun does not like the crown prince!
If that's the case, then Su Jun should marry herself to him!
As for etiquette and ceremony?
The only thing that binds Chu Huan is Su Jun, not these things.
Chu Huan took out the Banyan purple copper warming pot from his sleeve. The warming pot had long lost its heat, but thanks to the new owner's care, it was even more glossy than when it was in Su Jun's hands.
Su Jun quickly looked at it and unconsciously reached out to take it, but did not expect to feel the broad hand of a man, with thick calluses on the palm.
Su Jun was thoroughly ruffled, her entire body tense as if drawn tightly.
Chu Huan stepped to the side, using his sleeve to conceal his grip on Su Jun's hand, and said, "Don't worry, they can't see."
Su Jun shook it off, but it didn't come off!
