Quan Feitong slept quite lightly. When he heard the commotion outside, he immediately turned over and got out of bed. Afraid of waking the person on the bed, his movements were extremely gentle – he carefully withdrew his arm from under her head and covered her with blankets again. He had never been so careful even with himself, but this feeling of loss and recovery… his heart was as if filled with honey.

He sighed, took his outer robe from the couch beside the bed and put it on, then quietly walked out.

The steward was waiting outside the door. Seeing him emerge, he immediately whispered a few words in his ear.

“Oh?” Hearing this, Quan Feitong’s gaze showed both surprise and understanding. “I knew he would definitely come, but I didn’t expect it to be this fast. Where is he?”

“The front courtyard garden.”

“He’s not sitting in the hall?”

“No, and he said it was a request for audience – ‘Lian Yu requests an audience.'”

Quan Feitong’s gaze flickered. “At least he’s still a man.”

“Master, how should this servant respond?”

The steward’s manner was very cautious.

Quan Feitong rubbed his nose. “You can’t handle this person. I’ll go personally. What you need to arrange is Madam’s side.”

“Regarding Madam’s situation…” the steward immediately asked.

“As a man, it’s inconvenient for you to attend to her. Go get your wife to wake her up. Tell her I have official business and will go to the side hall to work first. Have her go to the wine cellar to select a jar of good wine to wait for my return so we can enjoy breakfast together.”

“Master means to take Madam underground?”

“Yes. Lian Yu is the Son of Heaven, and she was someone he ordered beaten to death. He has no justification for searching my residence now. But to be safe, it’s better to hide her first.”

“This servant understands.”

“Very good. If she wants to find me, your wife can bring her to the side hall, but absolutely cannot lead her to the front courtyard, understand? Also, pass down my order – the Prime Minister’s residence is under martial law. News of Madam’s return absolutely cannot leak out.”

“Yes, this servant will handle it immediately.”

Only then did Quan Feitong nod and head to the front courtyard.

“This subject pays respects to Your Majesty.”

In the garden, winter flowers were covered by snow, appearing somewhat desolate, but Quan Feitong hadn’t expected Lian Yu to look even more desolate than these things, covered in wounds all over. He smiled somewhat maliciously in his heart, but this young man’s posture – disheveled yet unmovable as a mountain – made him not dare to underestimate him.

“Let’s dispense with empty courtesies between us.” Lian Yu stared at him, speaking word by word: “I come today not in my capacity as Son of Heaven to see you. Lian Yu only wants to ask one question – is she in your hands?”

“She?” Quan Feitong raised an eyebrow. “This subject truly has no clue and doesn’t understand which person Your Majesty refers to – male or female?”

“Quan Feitong, don’t pretend ignorance when you understand clearly. What person is my sixth brother referring to – how could you not understand?” Behind them, Lian Qin said angrily: “She is naturally Li Huaisu.”

“Li Huaisu?” Quan Feitong made an “oh” sound, then his voice also turned cold. “Your Majesty, haven’t you forgotten that this person is already dead – beaten to death by your personal order?”

The “dead” Suzhen was currently in the wine cellar selecting wine. Beside her, the steward’s wife smiled accompaningly. She suddenly pointed to a corner: “Eh, what’s that? Don’t let it be a rat – if that thing has touched the wine, I dare not drink it anymore.”

“Where? This servant will look. It’s always been clean here, Madam need not fear.” The steward’s wife frowned and stepped forward to look closely. Suddenly her neck hurt, and she fell toward the wine jars.

Suzhen was mid-air in a hand-chop position, catching the woman’s body and saying apologetically: “I’m sorry.”

She glanced around briefly, placed the woman on a pile of straw, then exchanged clothes with her. She also arranged her hair in a similar style to the woman’s, and finally removed the pearl flower from the woman’s hair ornament and pinned it in her own hair.

She pondered briefly, remembering that the woman had just said Quan Feitong was working in the side hall. So she couldn’t go that way – she’d head to the back courtyard. If she happened to encounter the scholarly Ting Yu, though he was a senior she respected, it was better not to meet old acquaintances if possible.

She quickly made up her mind.

Leaving the wine cellar door slightly ajar, she sighed and laughed softly: “Prime Minister, I’ve already quit drinking.”

At this time, the atmosphere in the front courtyard garden was as intense as strong wine, with unusual undercurrents.

“Lao Jiu, don’t speak.” Lian Yu covered his chest and abdomen, slowly stepping forward, his black eyes like lightning. “Prime Minister Quan, if you want to scold harshly or mock, go ahead – I absolutely won’t say a word in return. Lian Yu only asks for one honest answer from you. If she’s not in your hands, I must immediately investigate who captured her and rescue her as quickly as possible. If she falls into the hands of any of her enemies, she’ll be tortured and then killed. Saving people is like fighting fire – I cannot wait.”

Quan Feitong’s eyes indeed gradually showed contempt and mockery. “Your Majesty, during the funeral ceremony a few days ago, this subject personally watched her corpse being placed in the coffin and then buried underground. All the officials and you were present – how could she not be dead?”

“If she truly isn’t dead, I want to ask – what qualification do you have to manage her affairs? You made Gu Xiluo your consort, but what about her – have you ever given her the slightest recognition? When she knew you were her father’s killer and struggled bitterly, crying through nightmares night after night, where were you?”

“Life is short, Your Majesty. Allow this subject to remind you – you were in the palace with Consort Gu.”

“There are no other people here either, so we needn’t speak falsely. Everyone present knows she is still my legally wedded wife. If she truly managed to survive, you should tell me the specific situation so I can rescue her. You don’t have that qualification!”

“Quan Feitong, you’re rebelling!” Lian Qin’s eyes reddened with anger, but after only two sentences, Xuanwu covered her mouth.

Lian Jie and the others didn’t speak – anyone could read the desolation in Lian Yu’s eyes at this moment.

His lips moved slightly, and he indeed smiled. “Yes, I have indeed lost that qualification.”

“I seek nothing else now, nor do I hope for the impossible – that she and I could reconcile. She has suffered too much. I only hope she can live peacefully and happily in this world. Though I abandoned her, this is something I have never betrayed. She is my life.”

“Empty, beautiful words – who can’t say them?” Quan Feitong sneered, the fierce intent in his eyes deepening. “Life? If she is your life, would you be willing to trade your kingdom for her?”

“Your Majesty, if you’re willing to trade it, this subject will tell you.” His narrow eyes curved in a long smile, mixed with hatred.

Lian Yu looked at him, forcefully pressing the torn wounds on his body. Blood flowed steadily from between his fingers, but he said nothing.

“Your Majesty’s love amounts to only this much.” Quan Feitong’s eyes showed an “I knew it” understanding.

Lian Yu stood entirely straight, hard as a mountain, but his features were whiter than the snow filling the garden.

“When she couldn’t bring herself to kill me, it was because she had the world in her heart. I cannot trade the kingdom with you for the same reason. To me, her life is more important than mine, but it cannot outweigh the welfare of all the people in the world.”

“Lian Yu, what you can’t bear to give up is the supreme power of being above all others, having power over life and death!” Quan Feitong clicked his tongue twice and laughed coldly, pointing at him. “Between kingdom and woman, you forced me to choose that day, leaving permanent scars before her. Even if she’s still alive, even if she might say to me ‘Quan Feitong, I don’t blame you,’ there will still be regret in her heart.”

“If she isn’t dead, I really should bring her here today to see what you can actually do for her. You’re even worse than me – I admit what I cannot do, but you insist on speaking grand, righteous words.”

“If you won’t give up your kingdom, what about other things? Since you say today we ignore the ruler-subject relationship, since you say you’re asking me, Murong Liu, then show your sincerity.”

As he spoke, he suddenly walked past him and out, walking out of the residence onto the main street.

Lian Yu said nothing more and followed him closely out of the residence. Lian Jie and the others didn’t understand what was happening, but all felt an ominous premonition and immediately followed.

Day had broken. Outside the Prime Minister’s residence was one of the busiest streets in the capital, with people coming and going, busy with their livelihoods.

Lian Yu glanced around at his surroundings, his eyes smiling. “Killing is just a matter of nodding the head; asking for help should warrant half-kneeling.”

He released the hand covering his wounds and, amid Lian Jie and others’ cries of alarm, under the endless curious gazes of the people, lifted his robe and knelt on both knees.

“I beg you, tell me her whereabouts.”

Seeing this proud enemy finally lower himself below his own height for the first time, Quan Feitong’s gaze sharpened!

People undoubtedly have their hierarchies, but only kneeling to heaven, earth, and parents is an honor that an emperor should enjoy, because he must be responsible for all people and thus deserves this supreme glory.

Suzhen had never seen Lian Yu kneel to anyone. She had never imagined she would witness this scene in her lifetime.

Glory burned to ashes before everyone’s eyes.

She had originally thought that avoiding the back courtyard and the side hall, choosing the front courtyard direction would be least conspicuous, but she hadn’t expected to see the two men confronting each other.

When she heard Lian Yu say he wouldn’t trade his kingdom, she smiled. She had never naively believed he would trade his kingdom for her, and when he said she was his life, she didn’t quite believe it either.

But those dirty, wrinkled clothes still pierced her eyes with pain.

So she followed them out and hid in the crowd to watch.

She remembered that before, when she hated him, she would scold him bloody, would punch and kick him, but no matter how much she hated him, she still couldn’t bear to see him humiliated even a little. No matter how much she hated him, she would still… weep.