“I’ll have someone escort you back to the Court of Judicial Review first. As for your mother’s matter, I’ll find a way to follow up.”

He spoke coldly, then left with Lian Yue in his arms, decisive and resolute, just as he had dismissed concubines years ago – affection remained, but there was no lingering attachment.

Wuyan smiled and asked, “If I said that in my heart, you are more important than Lian Yu, would there still be no possibility between us?”

Huo Chang’an’s figure paused. Lian Yue was uneasy, trembling slightly as she stared intently at her husband. Huo Chang’an held her tighter before turning back to speak.

“If you had said this when you first entered the residence, I think even if I wasn’t overjoyed, I would have been extremely happy. Do you know why I insisted on bringing you back? Because I thought that seeing everything I have now, you might become jealous, and as long as you were willing to love me, we could be together again. But it turns out some things, once they’re in the past, are simply in the past.”

“I’ve discovered that I cannot live without Lian Yue. To me, you are finally just… nothing more than this.”

Wuyan felt suffocated. This was perhaps the first and only time she would speak her true feelings – not for her mother, not because of Lian Yue, but purely for herself.

Something churned violently in her heart, the piercing pain almost drowning her. She tried to stand straight, not showing a trace of weakness before him. She didn’t need his sympathy born of pity.

Pingping and Zhu Xin both looked at everything before them with some shock, suddenly understanding that the past between these two was probably never as simple as Wuyan had described.

Uncle Liang remained angry, looking at her coldly. He had personally witnessed how long Huo Chang’an had suffered heartbreak, how many times he had become disheartened.

But Aunt Liang sighed. She still couldn’t bring herself to hate this woman. However, the Marquis had made his decision. No one could change the Marquis’s decisions.

Wuyan didn’t cry or speak. She watched Huo Chang’an finish speaking, glance at her indifferently once more, then turn away again.

He seemed unwilling to say even one more word. The spirited young general of years past had become this brooding, cold man.

Back then, she had been too young after all, owing him a proper farewell. Now, no matter how much she hated – hated that he believed Lian Yue, hated that he had finally let her go completely – she still wanted to watch him leave, to repay what she had owed him years ago. It wouldn’t be a waste of their deep love.

His robes swayed as their figures grew more distant. Wuyan suddenly wanted to rush forward regardless of everything, to tell him they could start over, to say that years ago, it wasn’t only he who was wrong – she was wrong too. To say that all these years, she had never truly let him go.

But in the end, she still didn’t move.

Even if he knew, he might feel some sympathy, but she couldn’t accept love born of sympathy.

“I’m sorry,” Zhu Xin said quietly.

Wuyan smiled. “You haven’t wronged me. The ones you’ve wronged are Huo Chang’an and yourself.”

Before leaving, she bowed to Aunt Liang in gratitude. Aunt Liang couldn’t help sighing again.

Pingping and Zhu Xin had expected her to make a huge scene, but were surprised by her calmness. They stood there, momentarily stunned.

Wuyan returned to her room to wait. Soon enough, Chang Ying Qiang came over, saying he was following the Marquis’s orders to escort her away.

Wuyan thanked him and followed him to the back courtyard. Chang Ying Qiang was also surprised by her attitude, glancing at her several times.

As the carriage was about to leave the residence, Lian Yue came over.

She said, “Deputy General Chang, I have a few words I’d like to speak privately with Miss Wuyan.”

“Yes,” Chang Ying Qiang agreed, respectfully stepping aside.

Lian Yue’s phoenix eyes smiled as she leaned close to Wuyan’s ear, speaking softly: “Wuyan, I came to tell you definitively – that was indeed a trap. Forcing you, and forcing Huo Chang’an too. I know he has feelings for me, otherwise how would he let me conceive his child? Look, among all his past women, has he ever let anyone bear his offspring? I will be with Chang’an… for a lifetime of peace. As for you, just as I was once jealous of you, grow old alone.”

Wuyan’s lips also moved to her ear: “Princess Imperial, do you believe that stolen things never last?”

Lian Yue replied disdainfully and coldly: “I don’t believe it.”

Arriving at the Court of Judicial Review, Chang Ying Qiang dutifully intended to escort Wuyan inside, but she politely declined: “Thank you, but it’s unnecessary. I hope the General will one day don armor again and defend our homeland.”

Chang Ying Qiang was somewhat stunned. Seeing she was about to enter, he suddenly called after her as if feeling guilty: “Does the Miss have any words for the Marquis? This humble soldier could relay them.”

Wuyan shook her head, walked a few steps, then paused: “What I said to the General is also what I wanted to say to him. Let it be. Thank you.”

Chang Ying Qiang was stunned again, slowly nodding.

The gatekeeper welcomed her in. She had the servant close the door, and her tightly strung nerves finally relaxed. She spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood and collapsed to the ground.

The servant was greatly alarmed and shouted loudly: “Master! Something’s wrong – Madam has fainted!”

Su Zhen was changing clothes in her room, preparing to enter the palace to find Lian Yu, when she heard the commotion outside. Startled, she rushed out in panic.

Tieshou and the others in the hall had already heard the news and come out, carrying the person. Meeting each other, Su Zhen saw Wuyan’s deathly pale face and her heart nearly stopped. She grabbed Little Zhou: “Quickly examine her.”

Little Zhou was remarkable – these past days she had actually healed Wuqing’s leg halfway. Now Wuqing no longer needed crutches and could walk slowly.

Hearing this, she immediately nodded: “Quickly put her on the bed.”

Tieshou did as instructed. Little Zhou placed her hand on Wuyan’s wrist to feel her pulse, then quickly lifted her eyelids to examine them carefully. Finally, she wiped some blood from her clothes and sniffed it.

Everyone held their breath nervously. Su Zhen asked anxiously: “How is it? Is there serious harm?”

Little Zhou slowly covered Wuyan with a blanket, then turned to face everyone, her brow somewhat furrowed: “Her qi and blood are in chaos, clearly caused by anger attacking the heart, injuring her heart and liver. But this isn’t ultimately a serious illness – as long as her mood improves, there should be no major problem. However, there’s a faint layer of dark qi floating in her yintang area, which is somewhat strange. But observing her blood color, it doesn’t seem like poisoning.”

Everyone was confused by her words. Su Zhen was frantic: “So is there something wrong or not? Is she poisoned or not?”

Little Zhou shook her head: “Don’t you also understand some medical principles? Based on the symptoms, there should be no poisoning, but to be cautious, I’ll look through medical texts later. For now, let me go get some medicine to brew.”

“Good!” Su Zhen breathed slightly easier, but her suppressed anger flared up: “I’m going to find Huo Chang’an to see what he did to make someone look like this ghost.”

“We’ll go with you,” Tieshou and Zhuiming were also filled with righteous indignation.

Wuqing frowned and stopped them: “Instead of going there to cause trouble, one of you should enter the palace to find His Majesty and ask him to send an imperial physician for diagnosis, while another stays here to watch the patient.”

The two were rebuffed, knowing he was right, and agreed.

He said to Little Zhou again: “I’ll go with you to get medicine first, then come back and research medical texts together. More people means more strength.”

Little Zhou looked at him coldly, but this time didn’t object.

The corner of Wuqing’s mouth curved upward slightly.

Su Zhen patted Wuqing’s shoulder: “Indeed, concern clouds judgment. You think most thoroughly. Then let’s not delay – we’ll split up.”

“Huaisu, don’t go.”

Su Zhen was about to leave when a weak voice came from the bed. Everyone was startled to see Wuyan struggling to sit up: “Don’t go.”

Su Zhen quickly went to support her, also asking everyone to leave first.

After they left, Wuqing went to take Little Zhou’s hand. Zhuiming and the other laughed loudly, but were scared off by Little Zhou’s fierce glare. Little Zhou said coldly: “Don’t touch my hands. Whatever you touch me with, I’ll chop off.”

Wuqing raised an eyebrow slightly, then suddenly reached out to embrace her: “Then chop up all of me.”

“You!” Little Zhou was furious.

When Su Zhen left, Wuyan had already fallen asleep again from exhaustion, her face pale as paper with deep tear stains under her eyes. Su Zhen’s heart ached, but Wuyan’s words prevented her from seeking out Huo Chang’an.

She had said that if Su Zhen went to find him, she would immediately die in front of her. She told her to continue doing whatever she should be doing.

Since she had once painstakingly let go of Li Zhaoting, what right did she have to decide Wuyan’s choices? Even though they weren’t like her and Li Zhaoting, even though she felt they were heartbreakingly pitiful.

She entered the palace to see Lian Yu.

Lian Yu was working in the imperial study. Having just dealt with the great disaster, new administrative policies proposed by Li Zhaoting were beginning to be implemented. These days Lian Yu had an enormous amount of matters to handle. He seemed somewhat tired, having removed his boots and half-reclining on a soft couch, his intelligent features showing a trace of languidness that was quite noble and compelling.

Su Zhen’s mood improved at the sight.

Seeing her arrive, the palace attendants tactfully withdrew at Ming Yanchu’s signal. Lian Yu heard the sound but kept his gaze on the memorial, his lips moving slightly: “Come here and massage my legs.”

“In your dreams,” Su Zhen scolded.

Despite her words, seeing her beloved working so hard, and since Su Zhen was now authorized to handle wrongful conviction documents from various regions and didn’t need to attend court daily, they couldn’t see each other every day. Feeling sorry for him, she walked over and sat at the foot of the couch, seriously massaging his calves. After all, she used to massage her father’s shoulders and back frequently. As for Li Zhaoting, he was a godlike existence she wouldn’t dare offend.

After massaging for a while, she heard Lian Yu’s breathing become slightly heavier as he commanded: “Come sit up front.”