Wei Qiang was having a dream again.

In the dream, strings of firecrackers exploded, and the sky filled with red paper and celebratory coins that covered the bluestone roads of Pingnan City layer upon layer, as children chasing the wedding procession beamed with joy.

But he couldn’t hear any of these sounds.

Prince Pingnan’s mansion was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. Dressed in wedding attire, he moved among the guests offering toasts.

When he toasted the last person, chaos suddenly erupted.

Someone shouted loudly, “Princess Qingyang has ridden out on horseback!”

This was the only sound he could hear amidst all this celebration.

Then he was on horseback, desperately chasing the woman ahead wearing bright red wedding robes.

He knew he had to catch up to her, or else that nightmarish scene would soon appear before his eyes.

She would fall from her horse, her magnificent wedding robes spreading out as she collapsed in a pool of blood.

“Luo’er, Luo’er, stop—”

He had experienced this dream too many times, so much so that even while dreaming, he clearly knew what would happen in each moment.

In the dream, Luo’er was just like that night twelve years ago—hearing him calling from behind, she never turned back.

Even when she fell from her horse and died before Prince Zhennan’s mansion gates, she didn’t look back at him once.

One, two, three…

He knew that in at most three counts, Luo’er would be struck by an arrow and fall from her horse.

He grew increasingly frantic, shouting until his voice was hoarse.

One—

Two—

Three—

In the dream, Wei Qiang was horrified to the extreme, his heart aching as he waited for that scene to unfold.

That sense of helplessness and pain—he had experienced it a thousand times over.

But at this very instant, the slender figure on horseback bravely pressing forward suddenly changed.

She turned her head back.

“Miss Luo—” Wei Qiang suddenly sat bolt upright, his face pale, gasping for breath.

The next moment, he immediately looked toward the person beside his pillow.

That person was still sound asleep, only seeming to have heard some disturbance, slightly furrowing her brow.

Wei Qiang stared unblinkingly at Zhaohua for a good while before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Leaning against the pillow, he recalled the dream he’d just had.

He had begun having that dream intermittently since the night twelve years ago. In recent years it had gradually lessened, only recurring when his emotions were stirred, plunging him back into the nightmare.

The nightmare had never changed before.

No matter how anxious or heartbroken he was, that heart-wrenching scene would play out again and again.

Every nightmare ended with Luo’er falling from her horse, dying miserably before him.

Then he would wake up.

But this time it had actually changed.

Luo’er had turned back, and what he saw… was Miss Luo’s face.

How could it be Miss Luo—

Wei Qiang rubbed his brow, finding it somewhat absurd yet also somewhat understandable.

This was a case of thinking by day and dreaming by night.

Luo’er, Miss Luo—the two faces alternated before his eyes, finally slowly overlapping.

Wei Qiang had lost all desire to sleep. He quietly got down from the bed, slipped on his shoes, and walked outside.

Staring at the doorway where his figure had disappeared, Zhaohua quietly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were filled with extreme shock and horror.

That man had called out for Miss Luo!

He had first repeatedly asked her whether Miss Luo resembled the Princess, then obliquely brought up Xiu Yue, and now he had dreamed of Miss Luo…

It was that dream, wasn’t it?

Over these years, the Crown Prince rarely spent the night in her quarters, but among those few times, there had been one occasion when he had a nightmare.

He had held her tightly in his embrace, intermittently describing the dream’s scenes.

Helpless and vulnerable.

But in her heart there was only cold laughter.

That dream, in her view, was Heaven’s punishment for him.

It would be best if he had nightmares every night, never finding peace.

But now, Zhaohua suddenly felt it was no longer Wei Qiang’s nightmare alone—it had become her nightmare too.

That man had definitely seen the Princess’s shadow in Miss Luo!

Next, was he going to lay his hands on Miss Luo?

He could dream of harming the Princess a second time!

Zhaohua bit her lip hard and silently rose.

She didn’t even put on shoes, walking barefoot across the ice-cold floor tiles.

It was already deep night, everything utterly quiet.

Wei Qiang stood at the entrance to the main hall, gazing outside.

The door had been opened, and the night wind blew in, making his snow-white robe billow.

If an ordinary woman were to see this, she would probably think she had encountered a banished immortal, moved to admiration.

But in Zhaohua’s eyes, this was just an evil spirit wearing human skin.

How could he harm the Princess once and still want to harm her a second time!

“Your Highness, the wind is strong at night—” Dou Ren, who was keeping night watch, bowed at the waist, urging Wei Qiang to return inside to rest.

Wei Qiang didn’t move. He stood there for a long while before finally speaking in a low voice, “Tomorrow when Miss Luo’s cook comes, arrange for someone to keep close watch…”

Zhaohua hid behind the curtain, not daring to get too close. The fragmentary words she could faintly hear were enough to make her heart race with alarm.

She watched coldly as Dou Ren’s figure disappeared from the doorway. That man stood for a while longer, then turned to walk back.

Zhaohua quietly retreated step by step from the main room back to the bedroom, lying back down on the couch.

She heard the soft footsteps drawing closer and closer.

If she had truly been asleep, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to hear such footsteps.

Then that person lay down beside her.

“Yuniang—” the man’s low voice called out.

Zhaohua kept her eyes closed, showing no reaction.

“Yuniang—” the call grew slightly louder.

Zhaohua moved her brow slightly and asked vaguely, “What is it?”

She knew that if she showed no reaction at all, it would instead arouse his suspicion.

When a sleeping person is called, if the voice is slightly louder, they will more or less respond. However, this kind of response is more like an instinct—the next day upon waking, they have almost no memory of it.

And her response indeed reassured the man who had quietly gone out and returned.

That man made no further sound, gently pulling up the brocade quilt to cover himself.

The breathing beside her ear slowly became even and prolonged.

Zhaohua didn’t sleep, nor did she move.

Enduring this torment for who knows how long, she finally quietly opened her eyes.

The window curtains were drawn, making it impossible to sense changes in the light outside.

Zhaohua guessed dawn was approaching.

A new day was about to begin, and this man had already set his sights on the Princess and Xiu Yue.

Even if she was on guard and remained composed when interacting with Xiu Yue, she couldn’t prevent this man from reaching out toward the Princess.

He was now the Crown Prince, and in the future would be the Emperor. Wanting to harm a woman was all too easy for him.

What should she do to protect the Princess and Xiu Yue?

Zhaohua’s eyes opened just a slit as she silently stared at the man sleeping beside her pillow.

He was sleeping so peacefully.

How could he not sleep peacefully? A heartless, ungrateful creature—if he truly had a troubled conscience, he wouldn’t have done those things.

He had once harmed the Princess’s entire family for the position of Crown Prince. Would he show mercy to obtain “Miss Luo”?

Zhaohua gazed at the man so close at hand, her eyes growing colder bit by bit.

Only if he died could the Princess and Xiu Yue be truly safe!

Yes, it would be good if he died…

Zhaohua was first startled by this suddenly rising murderous intent, then gradually calmed down.

Such thoughts—she had actually been having them for twelve years, only previously she hadn’t dared act rashly for fear of failing to protect the bracelet the Princess had entrusted to her.

But now, the bracelet had already been returned to the Princess’s hands.

If she were to eliminate this man, was there anyone in this world more conveniently positioned to act than her?

Zhaohua gently raised her hand and drew the golden hairpin from her hair.