Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Chu Shiyu's tall figure slipped in silently like a cheetah blending into the shadows.

The dim light inside the tent and the tense atmosphere of everyone engrossed in the story perfectly concealed his entrance. His phoenix eyes quickly scanned the room: the messy lab equipment on the floor, a few listeners covered in graphite like "little cats," and Liu Rusi, vividly portraying the "tiger."

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards imperceptibly, then he returned to his usual composure. He raised his hand and made an extremely subtle, yet unmistakable, silencing gesture toward Xia Lian and Dong Xue, who were startled and instinctively wanted to salute.

The two little girls immediately understood and glanced at Madam Liu. Madam Liu also noticed that the prince had arrived, but continued to tell the story without any concern, so they continued to listen with peace of mind.

Chu Shiyu stood quietly in the shadow beside the curtain, his dark robe almost blending into the shadow, only the frost on his shoulders shone a bit of cold silver in the dim light of the charcoal fire.

His eyes were focused on Liu Rusi, listening to her vivid description of how Wu Song dodged the tiger's attack, watching her graphite-stained hands gesture in the air to illustrate the thrilling breakage of the whistle stick, watching her slightly furrowed brows when she talked about the tense parts and the vivid light flashing in her eyes that she herself was not even aware of.

"... When Wu Song saw the tiger rushing towards him, he dodged and hid behind the tiger! It was the most difficult for the tiger to see people from behind, so he put his front paws on the ground and lifted his waist -" Liu Rusi imitated the tiger's movements and twisted her body suddenly. Qin Tao also gasped.

"Wu Song dodged to the side again! When the tiger saw that it couldn't lift him up, it roared, and it was like a thunderbolt in the sky, shaking the hill! It raised the iron rod upside down like a tiger's tail, and cut with one stroke!" Liu Rusi swung her arm back suddenly, imitating the sweeping of a tiger's tail.

"Wu Song dodged to the side again!..." She spoke faster, vividly describing the thrilling, exhausting, and final tragic fight between Wu Song and the tiger.

"...he beat the beast until blood gushed out of its eyes, mouth, nose, and ears! It couldn't move, only gasping for breath!"

After the story was told, silence fell in the tent.

Dongxue still held Xia Lian's hand tightly, while Qin Tao exhaled long and deeply, as if he had also experienced a life-and-death struggle. With a flush of excitement and satisfaction on his face, he murmured, "Wow... so amazing! He's truly a god!"

At this moment, a low and calm voice, like a stone dropped into calm water, rang out in the silent tent: "Well, it's really wonderful."

The sound came without warning! Qin Tao shuddered like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and with a loud "wow," he suddenly jumped up from the ground, almost knocking over the wooden box next to him. He turned around in shock and saw Chu Shiyu, who had been standing in the shadows for who knows how long. His face turned pale and he stammered, "Cousin?! When did you get here?!"

Xia Lian and Dong Xue also bowed quickly, but omitted the greetings, as they never used them in front of the lady.

Liu Rusi, who had just been immersed in the storytelling, came back to her senses and suddenly felt a little embarrassed facing the audience who came in halfway. She was like a kindergarten teacher just now, why did she make so many movements... A slight embarrassment flashed through her heart, but Liu Rusi's face was still calm. She just took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat which was slightly faster due to the storytelling.

Chu Shiyu's gaze shifted from Liu Rusi's face to the frightened Qin Tao. His tone was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure: "I've been here for a while. Seeing that you were listening intently, I didn't disturb you."

He changed the subject, his voice deepening. "Qin Tao, I sent you to check the detailed loss of military equipment for the Northern Third Battalion. Have you completed your investigation? And you have the leisure to come to Madam Liu and listen to 'strange stories'?"

Qin Tao's face instantly fell. The excitement he had just felt while listening to the story was gone. All that was left was the panic of being caught and the pain of facing a boring task. "Cousin...um...I...I'll go right away!"

"Cousin, sister-in-law... I'm going to be busy!" He said as he moved out hurriedly, fearing that Chu Shiyu would add more pressure on him.

"If there is any mistake or omission, we will check the accounts of food and grass consumption more frequently." Chu Shiyu's voice was not loud, but it was like an icy chain, which instantly made Qin Tao grimace in fear!

"Yes! Yes! There will be no mistakes!" Qin Tao almost wailed as he promised. He didn't dare to stay any longer and rushed out of the tent, bringing with him a gust of cold wind.

Xia Lian and Dong Xue also understood the situation very well. They bowed silently, quickly picked up the remaining experimental instruments on the ground, and retreated quietly.

The curtains fell, shutting out the noise and chill outside. Inside the tent, only the faint crackling of the charcoal brazier and the two people sitting in silence remained.

Chu Shiyu then walked over to Liu Rusi and sat down naturally on the ground next to the burlap cloth where she had just been sitting, his posture relaxed. He picked up the most symmetrical-looking pencil lead and played with it between his fingers, his eyes fixed on Liu Rusi's face, which still had a hint of embarrassment and traces of graphite.

Taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping her little face, Chu Shiyu asked softly and concernedly, "Have you finished developing the pencil?"

"Wash it later. It won't get clean." Liu Rusi replied while pressing down the handkerchief. "The refill should be almost done. Next, we'll see what kind of casing to add. In my time, splicing wood was the most common method, but considering the difficulty of the process, I think it might be easier to roll up some used paper."

Chu Shiyu understood the "pencil" she described and nodded, "If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me."

"Well, you're welcome." Liu Rusi agreed without any hesitation.

Chu Shiyu, on the contrary, smiled knowingly because of her unwavering dependence on him. His heart was filled with warmth, and he couldn't help but reach out his hand to hold her in his arms.

Liu Rusi quickly dodged and said, "I'm dirty!"

Chu Shiyu's outstretched hand fell empty, and the warm smile on his face froze instantly, turning into a trace of dissatisfaction and resentment. He glanced accusingly at the person who refused to let him hug him.

Liu Rusi laughed twice at his expression, then snorted softly twice. A hint of insight and ridicule appeared at the corner of her lips, and she asked in a long tone, "Your Highness... Qin Tao always happens to have time to wander over to my place lately... You didn't deliberately leave any gaps to allow him to sneak in, did you?"

Her little secret was exposed! However, Chu Shiyu played with the pencil lead calmly, raised his eyes to meet hers, his deep eyes were calm, as if asking: Why do you say that?

But Liu Rusi, seeing his nonchalant expression, became even more resolute. Without beating around the bush, she leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Are you...trying to use 'desensitization therapy' on me?"

"'Desensitization therapy'?" Chu Shiyu raised his eyebrows slightly. The word was extremely unfamiliar to him, carrying a strange, otherworldly feeling. He certainly remembered that Liu Rusi came from a completely different place, possessing a wealth of knowledge and vocabulary he had never heard of before.

"Yeah." Liu Rusi nodded, organizing her words. "I mentioned allergies to you before. Just like some people will feel uncomfortable and sneeze when they come into contact with pollen. And desensitization therapy is... letting the body come into contact with that thing little by little, step by step, and slowly adapt. Maybe you can overcome that uncomfortable reaction..."

She paused, then continued, "This principle can also be applied elsewhere, especially within the mind... For example, if something makes you feel uncomfortable, afraid, or disgusted, with repeated exposure over time, that intense discomfort will gradually lessen, and you may even become numb... You'll get used to it."

After she finished her explanation, she looked at Chu Shiyu quietly, waiting for his reaction.

Chu Shiyu was silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the rough pencil lead. The light from the charcoal fire danced across his chiseled face, illuminating the deep thought in his eyes. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice, emotionless but filled with earnest inquiry: "Is this method...effective?"

Liu Rusi subconsciously wanted to deny it - in order to get rid of the entanglement of Qin Tao, this "annoying guy", she opened her mouth and wanted to say "It's useless, I will kick him out if he comes again."

But when the words came to her lips, she looked at Chu Shiyu's focused eyes, which were filled with a subtle concern, and suddenly swallowed them back. She lowered her eyes, her gaze fell on her fingers, which were stained with graphite and looked a little dirty, and she was silent for a few breaths.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were calm and peaceful, with a hint of relief and honesty: "At least... now when I see Qin Tao's face, I won't immediately think of Qin Lie like I did at the beginning."

She paused, her voice even softer, as if stating an objective fact: "I found that apart from his face, he looked nothing like Qin Lie. When he was noisy and asking those stupid questions, I just thought... he was just an annoying brat."

Ruifeng Eyes looked at her quietly, and his deep eyes seemed to be able to penetrate her calm appearance, seeing that she was trying hard to change herself, trying to open her heart to accommodate the entry of another person - and this conscious and active "empathy" seemed to be accompanied by subtle struggle and pain.

He opened his lips slightly, as if about to say something, but ultimately remained silent. Wasn't this her "empathy" that he sought? But the fingertips stroking the pencil lead seemed even gentler, with a subtle hint of pity.

Then, he naturally changed the subject, a cunning smile on his face that hinted at mastery. "I just received urgent news from the front. The Oirat royal court... is in complete chaos!"

Liu Rusi's attention was instantly drawn, and her eyes lit up: "Oh?"

“It’s faster than we expected.”

A cold gleam flashed in Chu Shiyu's eyes. "The tribal leaders have unanimously agreed to dethrone the Great Khan... citing 'imprudent decision-making, resulting in heavy casualties among the tribal warriors and a complete loss of prestige.' He is currently being held captive in one of the leaders' camps. They're still vying for control, but they've already been eagerly sending people to contact him, hoping to redeem the captured warriors."

Liu Rusi also revealed a somewhat malicious smile, but corrected herself, "To be precise, they were exchanging eight thousand prisoners for their despised Khan, and another eight thousand for Sun Zhizhao."

Standing up and walking to the still-warm brazier, Liu Rusi picked up a pair of tongs and stirred the ashes, saying quietly, "Their leader, the Great Khan, is on par with a worthless scholar. What pride do they still have?"

The next morning.

Chu Shiyu finished the meeting with the generals of various legions and dealt with several urgent military affairs before returning to the tent to rest.

As soon as I entered the tent, I saw Liu Rusi writing furiously at her desk. In her hand, she held a thin stick made of scrap paper, with a few traces of ink still on it—it must be the "pencil" she had described yesterday.

Liu Rusi felt someone coming in, looked up and glanced, and saw that it was Chu Shiyu, so she naturally lowered her head again, and the tip of her pen moved across the paper, making a rustling sound.

Chu Shiyu quietly approached, his eyes fixed on the paper. While the handwriting lacked the vigorous, rounded strokes of a brush, it was exceptionally clear and crisp, the strokes flowing smoothly without any stagnation. Approval flashed in his eyes, and he nodded, "This pencil looks like it's a success! It doesn't require grinding ink, and it's easy to carry. If it could be mass-produced, it would be very useful!"

"Alas..." Liu Rusi sighed, her pen pausing slightly as she said helplessly, "The difficulty lies in mass production. Just rolling this one took me nearly an hour... If I put it into a workshop, the labor cost alone would be enormous. It's still far from the affordable writing instrument I envisioned, something more affordable for more people."

Chu Shiyu pursed his lips slightly, then said calmly, "Where there's a will, there's a way. Now that it's proven feasible and usable, how to mass-produce it is the next step. Leave this difficult problem to me to find a solution."

Liu Rusi looked up at him, a smile spreading in her eyes: "Okay."

She buried herself in paper and pen again.

"What are you writing?" Chu Shiyu asked curiously, looking at her focused profile.

"Your speech..." Liu Rusi responded without raising her head.

"Speech?" Chu Shiyu was slightly stunned.

"Yes." Liu Rusi's pen kept moving, but her words were clear. "Victory in this battle, in exchange for a more easily controlled Khan, is one of our goals, but not the ultimate goal. I remember you saying you wanted to convince the northern tribes to put aside their pride and initiate exchanges and trade led by Great Xia."

"Now that civil unrest has broken out in Wala and a prisoner exchange is imminent, this is the perfect opportunity to reap the greatest benefits. Why not seize this opportunity to give them a...complete ideological enlightenment?" She changed the pen, and a few powerful words suddenly jumped out on the paper.

Chu Shiyu's eyes had already scanned the contents of her writing. It was eloquent and sharp, the core of which was: "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races?"

Liu Rusi herself was suddenly startled to realize that her pen had stopped moving! She looked up abruptly, meeting Chu Shiyu's penetrating gaze. These words, in this era, especially to a grassland tribe about to be "enlightened," were simply shocking! But Chu Shiyu himself was a top-tier figure among these "kings, princes, generals, and ministers"! The Great Xia court would never allow such thoughts to spread within the country!

"If it's not suitable, I'll change it right away!" Her heart tightened, and she grabbed the paper covered with words and was about to crumple it up...

A broad, warm hand covered the back of her slightly cold hand in time, gently restraining her movements.

Chu Shiyu wore a relaxed and soothing smile and said gently, "No need to change it. This article is for the Wala and the grasslands, not to be disseminated within Daxia. Besides..." He picked up the paper and pointed at the Chinese characters on it. "You wrote it in Chinese, so I still need to translate it into Mongolian. I will then preach to the Wala people in Mongolian. There's a language barrier, and it's not our territory, so what's the problem?"

Liu Rusi pondered for a moment, and the uneasiness in her heart dissipated. A smile spread across her face, with a hint of cunning and self-righteousness in her eyes: "I was just thinking of asking you to translate for me. I know nothing about Mongolian."