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

When Chu Shiyu heard the words "Your father wants Qin Hao to change his surname to Chu", it was as if he was struck by a silent thunder!

He froze instantly, a wave of shock surging in Ruifeng's eyes! His father actually wanted to make such a decision for Qin Hao... He had no idea!

In a flash, many overlooked fragments were instantly connected!

When Liu Rusi was in the capital, although she was busy at the women's medical clinic, she maintained a peaceful state of mind in balancing her career and life.

But soon after he left the capital for the Northwest War Zone, she seemed to have been ignited! First, she convened a medical conference in a hurry, proposed all kinds of shocking ideas, and then asked him to go to the dangerous Mobei battlefield to serve as a military doctor!

He had always thought that she cared about the war and wanted to make use of her own abilities... but it turned out that the source of her fighting spirit was to resist his father's irresistible decision!

The huge shock and concealed anger almost broke the dam of reason!

"Why didn't you tell me!" Chu Shiyu almost roared, his voice hoarse with shock and anger, and filled with the frustration and confusion of being excluded by the person he loved deeply.

He couldn't help but stand up. His tall figure was oppressive. Ruifeng's eyes were anxious and excited. "Why didn't you tell me when you encountered such a difficult problem? Let me help you solve it!"

Faced with his stormy questioning, Liu Rusi didn't dodge, nor did she calmly analyze or comfort him as usual. She simply raised her head slowly, and her almond-shaped eyes, always gentle and firm, were now filled with tears.

Crystal clear tears rolled in her eyes, about to fall, reflecting the gray sky in the wilderness, revealing a fragile sadness that Chu Shiyu had never seen in her before.

She did not answer his question "Why didn't you tell me?", but asked him in a voice so soft that it was almost blown away by the wind, yet so clear, with tears in her eyes:

"You do not want it?"

She tilted her head slightly, and tears finally slid down her cheeks, leaving cold wet marks. Her gaze pierced straight into the depths of Chu Shiyu's pupils, which were constricted due to anger.

"Chu Shiyu...you also want Qin Hao to change his surname, right?"

"Otherwise..." She paused, a hint of bitter self-mockery in her voice, as if stating a fact she had long known but was unwilling to admit, "Why would you let people spread those rumors among the people? Saying that he is your lost son?"

"No one knows a son better than his father..." Liu Rusi's tearful eyes fixed on him, as if she wanted to penetrate all his disguises and excuses, reaching the deepest corner of his heart that even he himself didn't dare to delve into. "Your father... knows you very well. He simply put into practice... what you wanted to do but couldn't do."

"boom--!"

Liu Rusi's light yet weighty words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely crushing Chu Shiyu's attempt to conceal his true intentions!

Every word was like a sharp lancet, accurately peeling off his most secret and most unrevealed thoughts!

Yes... He had spread those rumors... Liu Rusi's status as a widow, with a child that wasn't his, meant they were destined to face immense resistance in their relationship! What better way to silence the rumors than using the "Prince Duan's lost child" as a pretext? He told himself it was a temporary solution, a way to protect...

Yet, he never dared to ponder, or perhaps he deliberately avoided his inner desires. While using these rumors to protect them, deep down, was there truly... a hidden longing? A longing for that exceptionally intelligent child, the one he couldn't help but want to be close to, to legitimately bear his last name? A longing for their relationship to be a story of beauty, celebrated by the world?

His father's eyes saw through him... He saw through his conflicting feelings of wanting to do something but not daring to, feeling ashamed of Liu Rusi and her son! And why would his father hesitate? He bypassed him and privately made a request to Liu Rusi and her son! Using his supreme power, he turned Chu Shiyu's secret, wavering thoughts into a cold and powerful reality!

"You've always minded, right? You mind that I'm married and have children, and that I have a child that doesn't belong to you."

Liu Rusi said calmly that people always want something complete, the best, and pure, whether it is emotionally or physically... In fact, it is not just men. If women have the right to choose, they will also prefer someone who has never experienced a romantic relationship.

What's more, Chu Shiyu was a prince of noble birth? Even though he had suffered hardships in his childhood, it only made him more domineering and possessive. From his actions when he burned down the entire Firewood and Charcoal Department of the Imperial Household Department due to lack of charcoal, it can be seen that it was an aggressive and tyrannical desire that he could not obtain and no one else could have...

No matter how much he loves himself, human nature cannot be completely eliminated.

"I..." Chu Shiyu wanted to retort anxiously, "I don't mind"...

But why wouldn't he mind?! He'd been madly bothered from the start, but his mind had suppressed it! How many times had he envied Qin Lie for possessing her first, purest love! He hated the fact that she'd endured the agony of childbirth, giving birth to a child not shared with him!

"Since you know everything! Then why are you telling me now!?"

At this point, Chu Shiyu would rather not know anything! Not discovering the missed, unchangeable past! In this way, at least he would not realize that there are so many irreparable regrets in fate!

Liu Rusi raised the corners of her tear-soaked face, but she looked extremely vulnerable and helpless, crying out, "Because I have no confidence..."

Instinctively, the flames of anger that had turned into shame melted away easily at her cries. Chu Shiyu's anger faded, turning into heartache for her. His Adam's apple rolled, and he wanted to immediately soothe her with the softest voice, but he couldn't find his voice for a moment, so he could only ask muffledly, "What... no confidence?"

"Even if I try my best, I may not be able to defeat your father..." Her voice was choked with sobs, and every word was filled with a heavy sense of powerlessness. "If you are added to the list, I really have no confidence..."

Her words were very soft, but they sounded like thunder in Chu Shiyu's ears!

"What do you mean by 'plus me'?! Am I so unbearable in your eyes?!"

Chu Shiyu was anxious and angry. He squatted down and held her shoulders, swearing his feelings: "I, Chu Shiyu, will never stand against you! I will never become your enemy! My greatest wish is that you stay by my side safely! How could I turn my back on you just because of these established past events and such a trivial matter?!"

Liu Rusi's tearful almond-shaped eyes met his, but she didn't respond. Instead, they were filled with a deeper, almost desperate plea: "You know how important Qin Hao is to me... You also understand your father. This is not just a matter of changing the surname..."

"If I really let go... and let Qin Hao change his surname to Chu, what will he become in the future?" Her voice was trembling with fear!

Taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping away her tears, Chu Shiyu gradually calmed down and came to her senses. She didn't really think that he would help his father confront her, but she wanted him to put aside all those messy things and help her protect the child to whom her life depended...

The grievance, unwillingness and anger have not completely dissipated, and the despair, fear and anxiety in the dream of the previous life are still noisy... At this moment, his heartache for her is even more overflowing, and there is also the joy that has just risen. She is asking him for help, and the feeling of being needed makes him happy.

The awkwardness in his heart finally turned into a heavy sigh.

He sat back beside her, pulled her cold body into his arms and hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head, and said in a muffled voice: "What should I do with you..."

The wilderness wind howled between the two of them until Liu Rusi's sobs gradually subsided and Chu Shiyu's chaotic mood finally settled.

He temporarily suppressed his turbulent emotions, focused his mind on the issue at hand, and asked, "What kind of agreement did you make with Father?"

Chu Shiyu also figured out the key point. His father did not simply want a child with the surname Chu, but he knew very well what it meant to be a child of the Chu family... Liu Rusi must have realized this as well, which is why she rose up in resistance so resolutely.

But he knew very well that his father's decisions were unquestionable. Simply relying on his service as a military doctor in the northwest, even with the merit of saving Prince Kang, would not be enough to change his father's mind. There must be a deeper plan behind this.

Liu Rusi leaned in his arms and briefly recounted how she used the "medical blacklist" as a starting point to sell the emperor its value in monitoring local tyrants, and how the emperor finally promised that if she made great contributions on the Mobei battlefield, he would establish a medical department in addition to the six ministries and appoint her as a minister.

"You actually went to surrender to the Emperor?!" Chu Shiyu's anger surged after hearing this. He unconsciously tightened his arms, feeling annoyed at being excluded. "Why would you rather deal with the Emperor on your own than tell me?!"

"Isn't surrender the best way? After all, this is not a zero-sum game of life and death." Liu Rusi's voice was nasal but extremely clear and calm.

"The Emperor's starting point is to plan for the future of Daxia, which is not wrong. What I am rebelling against is only the fact that Qin Hao changed his surname. What I seek is to find a position of 'harmony but difference' within the Emperor's heavy responsibility for the rise and fall of the world, so that the Emperor can see the value I can bring, which is greater than Qin Hao's changing his surname. I can also have a foothold to withstand the unknown storms."

Chu Shiyu groaned, then understood her thoughts. Who in the world could be a direct enemy of his father? Not even himself. This was an undeniable fact.

Liu Rusi didn't tell him, probably because she was afraid that he would confront her in a tougher way, which was also his usual style... Liu Rusi knew him very well.

And the path that Liu Rusi chose herself... Chu Shiyu calmed down and thought about it, and had to admit that this was indeed a very wise and feasible way to "save the country in a roundabout way" in the current predicament.

When she relied on her achievements and abilities to reach the unprecedentedly high position of the Minister of Medicine, wielding power and becoming a force that could not be ignored in the court, she naturally had more room for maneuver.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Chu Shiyu couldn't help but blush, a hint of genuine doubt in her voice. She had led the doctors in treating the wounded in two battles with great efficiency, achieving a far higher survival rate than ever before. Her medical prowess was unquestionable. Add to that the undeniable achievement of saving Prince Kang's life from the clutches of the King of Hell, and the position of Minister of Medicine should be secure—as long as the emperor kept his promise, and he always kept his word.

"Don't make trouble." Liu Rusi raised the corners of her lips slightly, with a hint of ridicule, and spoke bluntly.

"You!" Chu Shiyu was instantly irritated again, feeling like a child being accused of mischief, "How did I mess up?!"

"Hmph," Liu Rusi chuckled twice, then stopped laughing, her expression serious and calm. "There's no need for you to do anything right now. I only ask one thing—don't cause any more trouble."

She paused, looking directly at him. "I understand your original intention of wanting to protect me. I'm still frightened by being held hostage yesterday... After all, only by staying alive can I protect everything I cherish and start a new possibility with you."

Liu Rusi stated her feelings in a frank tone, "But I cannot become your weak spot, and I certainly cannot interfere with the Emperor's grand plan using the last Crown Prince as a pawn because of me. This could not only ruin all the plans I've put so much effort into, but could also... bring about a catastrophic disaster!"

Chu Shiyu understood instantly! She was accusing him of ignoring Seriguleng's dying body and insisting on rushing in to question and argue! A wave of anger surged in his heart, and he was so angry that he was speechless for a moment, unable to find the words to refute.

"Now that I think about it, your almost pathological attachment to me... must have been an obsession from your previous life, right?" Liu Rusi went straight to the point. She had analyzed many times before where Chu Shiyu's feelings and obsession with her came from. Although there were many reasonable possibilities, none of them were enough to fully explain it. Now she finally understood.

Chu Shiyu fell silent. He had previously attributed his intense desire for control and protection to Qin Lie's influence, but now he realized that obsessive desire to protect him was deeply rooted in his own heart. Qin Lie's "feelings" might have simply softened his hardened stance. But now... he understood, and he still wanted to follow through on his vow.

"If conditions permit, I can accept you staying with me."

Liu Rusi compromised, then said solemnly, "But the world is unpredictable. There are always things we need to deal with individually... For example, if the river in Xingzhou City burst its banks, how could I have escaped unscathed if you hadn't separated from me and led others to repair the dam? Are you going to take me with you to face the raging waves?"

Ruifeng's eyes widened a little...

Liu Rusi suddenly added playfully, with a fearless smile in her eyes: "But you know... I am willing to face danger side by side with you."

"I won't allow it!" Chu Shiyu interrupted her fiercely, his voice firm and resolute. How could he let Liu Rusi face such danger?

Liu Rusi smiled without saying anything, glanced at the darkening sky... and stood up and said calmly: "Okay, let's go back and eat. We haven't eaten all day."

Chu Shiyu hurriedly pulled Liu Rusi up, fearing that he would let her starve due to his negligence!

He hurried back to the barracks in the deepening dusk.

At dinner, Liu Rusi finished her meal first at Chu Shiyu's request. Afterwards, she picked up the bowl and chopsticks and carefully fed Chu Shiyu, whose right hand was wrapped in thick gauze.

Although Chu Shiyu felt a little uncomfortable, the joy of being favored outweighed everything else, and he happily enjoyed this warmth.