There were some things Qiao Mu truly did not want to say, yet Xue Gu had instructed her — she absolutely had to say them.

After hesitating for quite a while, she finally said quietly, “Your Highness, actually… actually, Jiu’er was not like this before these past several months. It is because of Your Highness’s presence…”

Zhan Qingcheng’s cold, piercing gaze turned toward her. Qiao Mu felt a surge of bitterness in her heart — if she could avoid it, she would never want to see him suffer.

Yet what Xue Gu said was not without reason. The two of them being together was not a good thing for Jiu’er.

Although Qiao Mu did not know why Jiu’er had been entering the palace so frequently of late, she had a vague feeling it was perhaps connected to the matter of Long Feiyan and the Long family being harmed all those years ago.

Xue Gu had also let slip a few things here and there. In short, Jiu’er’s situation right now was far from safe.

Walking alongside the Ninth Prince, Emperor Qiwen could discover the impropriety between the two of them at any moment. When that happened, if Emperor Qiwen wished to eliminate Jiu’er, there would truly be no way to guard against it.

Their opponent was, after all, the sovereign of an entire nation. If he wanted Jiu’er dead, he had more than enough means to see it done.

Qiao Mu drew a deep breath and could only force herself to ignore the desolate aura lurking in the depths of Zhan Qingcheng’s eyes. She said in a low, steady voice, “Because of Your Highness’s presence, Jiu’er has once again made room for you in her heart, and it is because of this that she suffers so terribly when the Gu Poison flares.”

“If Your Highness could keep some distance from Jiu’er, she would surely not have to endure so much pain. Your Highness, if you truly feel for Jiu’er, then please — stay away from her. Stop tormenting her!”

Zhan Qingcheng said not a single word. The coldness emanating from his body seemed to solidify entirely, as though even the evening breeze around him had frozen in place.

Qiao Mu stood a short distance away from him, yet she could feel it plainly — he was truly cold right now, cold beyond measure.

She lifted her head and looked at his face. There was not a trace of expression on it. The moonlight fell upon his features and seemed to crystallize into a layer of frost upon his skin.

Not a drop of color. As pale as still water.

Qiao Mu’s heart twisted, aching with a pang she could not suppress.

The Ninth Prince possessed just such a kind of power over people — even saying nothing, even doing nothing, with merely a single careless glance full of lonely sorrow, he was enough to make every woman in the world break her heart along with him.

Your Highness… if it were possible, Qiao Mu would willingly pour out everything she had in exchange for even a small measure of happiness for him.

She would even be willing to give up her very life just to bring a single smile to his face.

But she could not. Even if she gave her life, it could not possibly make the slightest difference to the Ninth Prince, much less win from him a smile.

His joy and his sorrow would move only for one person, and that person could never, ever be her.

With great effort, Qiao Mu drew her gaze away from Zhan Qingcheng’s face, as still as water. She drew a deep breath and looked away from him.

Xue Gu could manage to remain calm, but she could not. She truly adored this man before her — every part of him, to the point that as long as he was happy, she would give anything he asked.

Zhan Qingcheng stood exactly where he was, his gaze fixed unblinking upon that window. The wind seemed to lift his long hair and robes, yet at the same time seemed not to move them at all — as though they had never stirred.

Even without looking at him, Qiao Mu’s heart could not stop its aching.

She could not bear to see the Ninth Prince suffer — not even the slightest bit.

At last, she could hold back no longer. “I’ll go check on Jiu’er. Your Highness, please wait here — I will return shortly.”

Inside the room, all sounds from Feng Jiu’er had gone still. Even the muffled groans of pain had disappeared, as though she had already fallen asleep.

Glancing upward, she noticed that without her realizing it, the bright moon hanging high above had gradually begun to sink toward the horizon.

Zhan Qingcheng had been standing in that spot for at least the span of an entire double-hour.

Qiao Mu was about to step inside when a dark shadow swept past her. She let out a soft breath — the Ninth Prince had still not listened to her, and had let himself in.

It was most likely because he knew Jiu’er had already fallen into an unconscious slumber.

By the time Qiao Mu entered the room, everything inside was in utter disarray. Zhan Qingcheng had just lifted Feng Jiu’er from Yanu’s arms, but the bed had been struck apart by Jiu’er’s palm and could no longer be slept on.

Qiao Mu said, “There is a guest room next door…”

She had barely finished the words before neither Zhan Qingcheng nor Feng Jiu’er were anywhere to be seen.

They had gone next door.

Qiao Mu looked at Yanu, and her gaze was immediately drawn to the bloodstains on his arm. “Yanu, what happened? How did you get injured?”

Yanu had only stayed here for a single day, but he was diligent and hardworking — within half a day, both Qiao Mu and Xiao Yingtao had grown fond of their teacher’s earnest and honest new friend.

Yanu treated everyone with respect. Though they regarded him as a friend, Yanu always saw himself as a servant.

That humility made people ache for him all the more.

Qiao Mu went over, intending to look at his wound. Yanu shook his head and gestured that she need not bother.

He glanced toward the door, his face etched with worry. Seeing this, Qiao Mu said gently, “It’s all right — he is a good person. He will not hurt Jiu’er.”

She looked again at Yanu’s arm and sighed helplessly. “Very well. If you won’t let me look at your wound, then please go and tend to it yourself, quickly.”

Tianjitang lacked for nothing, medicines least of all. Qiao Mu easily found the wound-healing powder in Jiu’er’s drawer.

When she turned back, she was startled to find that Yanu was still tidying the room. Her heart lurched with distress, and she caught hold of his hand. “You’re injured like this — why are you still working? Go and apply medicine to your wound at once!”

“Uh…” Yanu pointed at the mess strewn across the floor, showing no intention of leaving whatsoever.

Qiao Mu pressed the medicine into his hand, her expression growing stern. “Right now, you must go and apply medicine to your wound. Or, I can apply it for you.”

She made to reach for the fastenings of his garment.

Yanu was startled — it was evident he was deeply averse to being touched by a young woman, and the sight of him fumbling frantically to dodge away genuinely delighted Qiao Mu.

Having been made to play the villain, having said so many things to drive a wedge between two people who cared for each other right in front of the Ninth Prince, Qiao Mu’s mood had been heavy and oppressive all evening.

Now, with Yanu stirring things up like this, the weight had somehow lightened a little.

“Go and apply your medicine now, will you? If you keep refusing to listen, I’ll strip off your outer robe — and your trousers too…”

Before she had even finished speaking, Yanu looked as though his soul had fled his body in sheer fright, stumbling and staggering as he fled out the door.

Had her mood not truly been so dreadful tonight, Qiao Mu feared she might not have been able to hold back from bursting into laughter. This Yanu — she had never imagined he could be so entertaining.

But the Ninth Prince’s heart was so heavy right now, and she was too consumed with aching for him to have much spirit left for teasing Yanu.

She looked once more at everything around her, and her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the wall separating her from the room next door.

On the other side of that wall — what were they doing? Had her words tonight wounded the Ninth Prince?

She righted an overturned chair and thought of him. Her spirits sank again.

They clearly loved each other. Why, then, could they not simply be together?

And as for all of them — flying the banner of love in the name of caring for those two — in truth, how many times had they already wounded this pair of kindred hearts?