Chapter 71: Skill
Yu Yeqing's tone betrayed no hint of emotion. Although he was asking, he did not seem surprised, nor did he care.
Standing in the doorway with his back to the light, he gazed at Song Hemei for a moment, then looked toward the teacups on the table beside her.
This made her instinctively uneasy, as if she had trespassed into a strange place and touched something she should not have. But Yu Yeqing simply closed the door behind him, shutting out the scorching, blinding sun, and asked in a flat voice, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Song Hemei's hands clenched tightly in her sleeves. The dizziness that had been suppressed by the cold tea surged back over her. She looked at the man before her. Though only a few steps away, she still felt the distance of him sitting high in the courtroom, so far that she could never reach him.
She dropped her gaze, barely steadying her mind, and gave a slight bow. "Lord Yu, I dare not make excuses for my elder brother. But he is nothing more than a commoner. He would never dare to involve himself in anything like consorting with the enemy. During the trial just now, you must have seen that he was concealing something. I believe there must be some unspeakable difficulty. I only beg to see my brother and ask him the truth."
Yu Yeqing stared at her intently. After a moment, he said, "Is that all you have to say to me?"
Song Hemei's breathing grew stifled. Slowly lifting her eyes, she saw his deep, dark gaze.
He took a step forward, and the oppressive pressure of his tall figure grew even stronger. Song Hemei's pupils contracted, and she unconsciously retreated half a step.
Yu Yeqing stopped, not advancing further. His expression dimmed slightly, and he let out a light, self-mocking laugh. "Are you resentful toward me?"
His hand clenched in his sleeve. Even though his palm was already covered in scars, it still ached at this moment.
Song Hemei lowered her gaze again and said flatly, "I dare not. You are acting according to the law. Since it is not a false accusation, there is no resentment to hold. Even if that person is my own brother, I would not dare to hold a grudge in matters of the state."
What right did she have to resent? The one who erred was her brother; the one who harbored foolish hopes was her. What right did she have to resent?
She was only glad that she had never revealed those foolish feelings. Otherwise, she would now be in an even more awkward and humiliating position.
"No resentment?"
Yu Yeqing, ignoring her retreat, closed in another step. "If I have him executed, would you still not resent me?"
Song Hemei's body stiffened abruptly. She raised her eyes to meet his. "Lord Yu, are you speaking out of personal grievance or the law of the land?"
She tilted her head, speaking urgently, which made her already pallid face even whiter.
"If it is the law, this matter has not yet been concluded. Please wait. If my brother's guilt is confirmed, I will not dare to hold a grudge. But if it is due to personal grievance—"
Song Hemei's voice choked. Her long lashes trembled with her accelerated breathing. "The events of that year were caused by me. I cannot let my elder brother bear it alone. My life and death are at your disposal."
Yu Yeqing's chest was clenched with stifled anger, his voice turning rough. "You think I would kill you?"
He was now standing right in front of her. Song Hemei looked up. Though they were so close, the dizziness still made it hard to see him clearly. With the last shred of her rationality, she said, "What I think doesn't matter. Whatever you decide is fine."
She felt as if she were about to fall backward. As her body swayed uncontrollably, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
She blinked, seeing Yu Yeqing's brows tightly knit as his gaze swept over her. "If you are unwell, don't force yourself."
Song Hemei gasped for air. Her reason warned her that this was the government office. Closing the door would already invite gossip, let alone this kind of physical contact.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed against his chest with her hands and lowered her voice. "Lord Yu, please have some restraint."
Yu Yeqing's entire demeanor turned cold. Instead of releasing her, he held her even tighter. "Restraint? Do we need restraint between us?"
His strength was immense. Song Hemei could not break free. She leaned back, but her waist was completely trapped, her lower abdomen pressed tightly against his.
She reached back to pull his wrist, but it was as hard as forged iron. Having no other choice, she simply bent her fingers and pried at his.
That worked. She heard Yu Yeqing let out a muffled grunt, and his grip loosened slightly. But immediately, his other hand seized her wrist that was pressed against his chest, and pulled it behind her back, pinning both her wrists together in one hand.
He rarely hurt her. Whether intentional or just not controlling his strength, Song Hemei felt a sharp pain in her arm and sucked in a breath involuntarily.
Already dizzy from the heatstroke, whether from anger or agitation, it all surged up at once. "If Lord Yu can't tell good from bad, then let's go out like this. Let everyone see—whether more people will accuse me of being wanton, or more will accuse you of abusing your power, forcing another man's wife, deliberately framing, and fabricating charges."
Yu Yeqing's brow twitched violently. "Do you think I can't tell that you're cursing me?"
Song Hemei looked back at him calmly, a faint smile curling her lips. "You misunderstand, Lord Yu. I'm just comparing what people might say. That's why they say rumors are fearsome."
Yu Yeqing's Adam's apple bobbed. He seemed to have no way to deal with her. After staring at her for a long while, he finally relented. "Wait half an hour. Then I'll allow you to see him."
He loosened his grip, but didn't fully release her until he pressed her down into the chair.
He stepped back, raised his hand to straighten his rumpled official robe. Song Hemei had never seen him wear bright colors, but now the creases in the robe that symbolized his status seemed to shatter the unbridgeable distance between them.
After Yu Yeqing straightened his robe, his hand paused in midair as he turned it over to look. The knuckles had obvious red marks. Song Hemei felt a twinge of guilt and looked away, not meeting his eyes.
Fortunately, Yu Yeqing said nothing. She only heard his footsteps receding, the door opening and closing. Only then did Song Hemei relax her stiff back.
She raised a hand to her forehead, feeling very annoyed. When she was in a position where she needed to ask for help, she still couldn't control her temper. It was sheer luck that Yu Yeqing had agreed to let her see her brother.
She sat in the official's chair to collect herself. But in just a moment, there was a knock at the door, startling her upright. "Who is it?"
"In reply, madam, I have been ordered to bring you some mung bean soup."
With that, the door was pushed open from outside, and a matron entered carrying a tray.
Song Hemei rose and stepped forward, taking the mung bean soup with a word of thanks.
She stared at the blooming mung beans floating in the bowl. This was likely prepared for the clerks in the office, but in her bowl, she could see the beans had been crushed a few extra times. Still, she was used to refined fare, and drinking this was hard to swallow. She forced down a few mouthfuls before setting it aside.
She sat back down, resting her forehead on her hand. But her mind was full of her brother's matter, and she couldn't calm down. Half an hour wasn't long, but waiting was still agonizing. When the discomfort from the heat had mostly faded, the door was pushed open once more.
Yu Yeqing had changed back into a plain blue robe. The cold, stern aura had faded considerably, and for a moment, she felt a flicker of disorientation.
In that brief moment, he had already walked in. His gaze swept over the mung bean soup on the small table, and his brow furrowed. "Why didn't you drink it?"
Song Hemei looked at him. "Did you order it brought?"
Yu Yeqing's voice was heavy. "Just because I ordered it brought, you won't drink it?"
His deep eyes glinted with a cold light, making her feel as if the next moment he would force the soup down her throat.
Song Hemei swallowed. She straightened her back and replied, "What kind of question is that? You know I've barely recovered from a cold. The mung beans scratch my throat. What does that have to do with who sent them? Even if the emperor himself sent them, I still couldn't drink it."
Hearing this, Yu Yeqing's expression softened slightly. But his gaze still swept over her face inch by inch, as if examining her complexion, which made her very uncomfortable. "Stop looking. I'm not that frail. Can we go now?"
Yu Yeqing gave a low hum and withdrew his gaze. But then his eyes fell on the mung bean soup left behind. In his mind, he seemed to see her lips touching the bowl, and he felt that the leftover mung beans were as unfortunate as he was, not fated to have her touch. For some reason, he directly picked up the bowl.
Song Hemei couldn't react in time. She saw his thin lips press against the rim of the bowl, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed a mouthful.
"Didn't the office prepare any for you? Why are you drinking mine? Don't tell me you suspect I'm trying to trick you?"
Yu Yeqing's grip on the bowl tightened. His gaze fell on her lips. When he spoke again, his voice was a little husky. "Do you find me disgusting?"
Song Hemei found it utterly baffling. She didn't understand what he was thinking. What did disgust have to do with it?
She didn't even understand—after all this, what exactly did he mean?
If he resented her brother and resented what happened back then, why would he do things that invited misunderstanding? She wasn't foolish enough not to see that he had brought her to this room and ordered mung bean soup because he knew she had heatstroke.
Either cut ties completely, or say clearly whether he wanted to kill or punish her. Why torment her like this?
Song Hemei took a deep breath. The more unclear he was, the more she needed to stay calm. This was a method of self-preservation she had mastered. As long as she appeared indifferent, she wouldn't end up in an awkward position.
She shifted her gaze away from the mung bean soup and, observing propriety, said, "In any case, I won't be drinking any more. Please feel free, Lord Yu."
Yu Yeqing said nothing more. He simply set the bowl aside, folded his hands behind his back, and walked out of the room.
Song Hemei hurried to follow him. He was tall, his stride long, but he didn't walk fast. It wasn't too difficult for her to keep up.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling his form with light and shadow that flickered on and off, making her heart feel stifled as well.
She couldn't deceive herself. This suffocating feeling was clearly because of Yu Yeqing.
The first stirrings of youthful love had rotted through at the root. The stagnant water of three years had finally stirred, only to be doomed to die without fruition. The closer she got to him, the more sorrowful she felt.
She even felt that in this regard, she was worse off than with Shao Wen'ang. At least with him, she could be completely dead-hearted, with no possibility of turning back. But now, she felt both debt and reluctance, unable to even find a reason to resent him.
Whether her heaviness was too obvious, or Yu Yeqing really had eyes in the back of his head, he was inexplicably sensitive to her mood. Just as they were about to reach the prison, he suddenly stopped. "You want him to live?"
Song Hemei halted as well. She looked up at him instinctively. Words of begging wouldn't come, and didn't need to. Her lips moved, but all she could utter was, "He is my own elder brother."
Yu Yeqing's expression turned cold, his tone resolute. "If this case is concluded, no one can save his life. Not even you."
Song Hemei bit her lip. She knew the consequences. Her brother had truly stumbled into a deadly mess.
When she looked back at Yu Yeqing, she curled her lips into a smile and said evenly, "I know. The law is strict and cannot be defied. I also have self-awareness. I don't have the ability to make you turn things around, Lord Yu. I won't cling to you and beg for my brother's life, causing you more trouble."
She looked toward the prison cells. "Should I go straight in? Do you need to search me or anything?"
After a pause, she didn't hear Yu Yeqing's answer. She instinctively turned around and saw him staring at her intently, his eyes lowered.
"Why don't you?"
He stepped forward, his low, hoarse voice almost hypnotic. "How do you know you don't have that ability?"
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