Chu Qiao had never seen Zhuge Yue sleep like this before. From the moment they boarded the ship at Cangzhou, he had lain down and not opened his eyes for a day and a night. He didn’t even know when Chu Qiao entered the room. Yue Qi said that since departing from Zhenhuang, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. After changing to the land route from Xianyang, he hadn’t even closed his eyes. Now he must be extremely exhausted.

Zhuge Yue’s health wasn’t very good. During these days of travel, she had seen him privately taking some black medicinal pills. She had privately asked Yue Qi about it, but he was evasive. Duo Ji knew something about medicine and later told Chu Qiao that Zhuge Yue was likely overworked, deficient in heart blood, and suffering from exposure to cold.

Overworked, suffering from exposure to cold—

Chu Qiao rested her chin on her hand as she sat in the chair. The boat sailed steadily, and the weather was good with no wind or waves. The windows were tightly closed, but through the window paper, she could still see the green mountains and waters that they were passing by.

She remembered that time when she was forced to flee to Bian Tang because of Zhao Chun’er. She and Liang Shudai were bought as slaves by the Zhan family. She had been injured then, and Liang Shudai happily ran out to get food for her. She lay alone in the narrow cabin, looking out at the scenery through the only window. One day it rained heavily, and in her sleep, she heard the neigh of Liuxing. She rushed out in a panic, but the big ship carried her further and further away until she could no longer see the spring shores of Jiangnan entwined with fine rain.

At that time, the Zhan siblings, Zhan Ziyu and Zhan Ziming, were still unknown and destitute. Li Ce was still alive, being the carefree Crown Prince of Tang. Master Wu, Miss Yu, and others were still striving for their ideals. Yan Xun was still her childhood friend and lover, and she was full of confidence about the future, deeply believing that with her strength and the help of like-minded friends, she could contribute to this world full of wounds.

Unfortunately, time is ultimately the most merciless weapon that kills people in this world. Li Ce was gone, Master Wu was killed, Miss Yu died in her arms, and Zhan Ziyu’s ambition killed all his relatives. Those like-minded friends she thought she had weren’t as loyal as she had imagined. Before power and imperial ambitions, many people gradually left her, and even Yan Xun grew more and more distant from her, ultimately becoming strangers.

The kingdom fell, the great cause was abandoned, and ideals turned to ash with the wind, like autumn reeds shaking their barren yellow leaves, mocking past oaths.

Yes, who could remain unchanged? Even the person she was today, was she still the same as before?

She turned her head slightly. Zhuge Yue was still sleeping quietly. He was truly an awkward and stubborn person. Even in sleep, his brows were furrowed. His usually sharp eyes were covered by his eyelids, highlighting his distinct features even more—high nose bridge, thin lips, and clear contours.

They say people with such features are usually cold and indifferent, but he alone was so persistent, so obsessive, stubborn to the point of making one’s heartache.

Zhuge Yue had asked her before if she had such thoughts from the beginning, or if she had a change of heart at the end. Even now, she found it hard to answer this question. The human heart is a very complex thing. When facing something, you might have dozens or hundreds of thoughts, perhaps planning one thing one moment and changing your mind the next.

She thought that she had changed too. If it were the former Chu Qiao, she would probably have stayed in the Tang capital. Even if she couldn’t truly marry Li Ce, she would have remained in the Tang Palace as a guest official to protect Li Ce’s child until adulthood.

However, after experiencing so much, she finally had her desires, things she couldn’t let go of.

The court of Bian Tang was turbulent. The dark undercurrents of a thousand-year-old dynasty were not the sharp edges visible on the surface of Da Xia and Yan Bei, but waves of invisible cold arrows wrapped in layers of intricate plots and warm fragrant winds that could kill invisibly without warning.

Later, she learned indirectly from the old director of the Bian Tang Imperial Medical Institute that the death of Li Ce’s father was also due to Li Ce’s mother.

For many years, she had been trying to kill the Tang Emperor—poison, assassination, every possible means—and several times she nearly succeeded. Yet the old emperor always protected her and never publicized the matter. He had also been angry and resentful, using the Prince of Luo as leverage, holding her family hostage, lavishing favors on other consorts, confining her, and even sending her to the Cold Palace three times. However, he ultimately couldn’t overcome his own heart. In his later years, he dismissed all the palace consorts, keeping only her, caring for her greatly. She also seemed moved by him and gave him a few years of happy and gratifying days.

But in the end, he still died by her hand because he accidentally tasted a mouthful of medicine while feeding it to her and died from poisoning.

Only then did he realize that she had long harbored the intention to die. For years, she had poison in every meal she ate, taking antidotes beforehand, using various strange poisons to break her body apart, just waiting for him to make one mistake and go to the netherworld.

The Tang Emperor ultimately died, dying at the hands of the woman he loved most in his life. Although he guarded against her his entire life, in the end, he was no match for her perseverance and patience. Yet he still couldn’t bear to kill her, only leaving an edict forcing her to leave the palace to worship Buddha, never to set foot in the palace gates again. Outsiders only knew that the emperor and empress had a deep conjugal love, not knowing that the emperor just wanted to protect his only son before his death.

However, such palace secrets were discovered by Zhan Ziyu through Imperial Consort Zhan. After Zhan Ziming failed to assassinate Li Ce, he secretly brought the Empress Dowager out of the temple and sneaked her into the palace. Using this woman whom no one would guard against, he killed Li Ce and also killed the great opportunity for the revival of the Li Tang dynasty.

Empress Dowager Yao committed suicide after hearing of Li Ce’s death. Chu Qiao didn’t know what her feelings were at that time—joy and relief at having avenged a great grudge, or desolation and helplessness at having committed a great wrong? This was a stubborn and extreme woman who had been obsessed with that blood debt for her entire life, killing with her own hands the two men in this world who loved her most. In the last moment of her life, would she laugh with relief?

Perhaps not, after all, while avenging her husband and son, she also killed another husband and son, sacrificing a woman’s entire life from youth to old age for a grudge.

After her death, Empress Yao was buried with Emperor Huizong at Meishan. In life, they were resentful lovers—struggle, scheming, assassination attempts, hatred, entangled in grievances for an entire lifetime. In the end, in that cold and deep underground imperial tomb, they only had each other for company, with no person or force able to separate them again.

Chu Qiao didn’t know what exactly happened back then, nor did she understand how a person’s hatred could be so terrible. But sometimes she would secretly think that perhaps Empress Yao should have had at least a bit of maternal love for Li Ce in her heart. She still remembered that sunny afternoon when the gentle-faced woman frowned slightly and said to her, “He wants to enshrine the Joyful Buddha in the palace. Ah, I really… when you have time, please advise him. After all, he is the Crown Prince of Tang and shouldn’t be too mischievous.”

But the death of the Prince of Luo ultimately destroyed this remaining love. She was finally consumed by the demon in her heart, losing her life in this man-eating royal family.

After Li Ce’s death, the Bian Tang court was unstable, with powerful ministers causing trouble internally and royal relatives eyeing the throne from outside. At that time, Chu Qiao could have used the forces of the capital garrison and the Xiuli Army to eliminate the central army and get rid of the Zhan siblings.

However, if she had done so, the Prince of Jingan and others would never have raised troops. Keeping these princes who commanded their armies would sooner or later be like nurturing a tiger to bring calamity. A newly enthroned emperor most abhors killing without cause. So Chu Qiao went along with the plan, first allowing Zhan Ziyu to usurp power, then eliminating him like lightning, using the momentum of successfully putting down a rebellion and with the support of those with intentions like Sun Di to create the appearance of ascending to the throne, giving the Prince of Jingan and others a banner to raise troops. Only then could she, through the arrangements Li Ce made before his death, capture all the rebel armies at once, resolving the crisis of internal rebellion in Tang for the next twenty years. Twenty years later, Eryi would have grown up and would have enough ability to face the storms that would come.

However, at that time, she may not have truly had the idea of staying in Bian Tang after quelling the rebellion.

That night, Jing Jing roasted two earth melons for her that Zhuge Yue had sent from Qinghai. The taste was fragrant, like a cloud of mist enveloping her heart.

Jing Jing sat on a small stool in the outer room, carefully peeling an earth melon, muttering, “Qinghai must be very cold, why is the skin so thick?”

Her heart suddenly ached, and she once again thought of that cold ice lake, Zhuge Yue’s pale face, and how he wrote repeatedly in her palm: “Live on… live on…”

The human heart is such a complex thing, but no matter how many hundreds or thousands of thoughts you might have, in the end, you can only make one decision. Whether you will regret it in the future or not, at least, she finally followed her own heart for once.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came, and the window was gently pushed open by the wind. The river breeze made the window gauze and curtains sway gently, awakening Chu Qiao from her contemplation. She turned around and saw that Zhuge Yue had awakened at some point and was reclining against the headboard. Dressed in a long white robe, he looked refreshed, his face without its usual coldness, replaced by several parts of peaceful warmth.

Seeing her look over, he beckoned slightly, indicating for her to come over.

She walked over, poured him a cup of tea, and asked, “Did you sleep well?”

“Mm.” He took a sip of tea and said, “If someone hadn’t sneaked into my room sighing, it would have been even better.”

Chu Qiao blushed and looked at him from the corner of her eye, asking, “Are you hungry?”

He nodded and said, “A little while ago, but I’m much better now.”

Chu Qiao stood up and said, “You’ve been sleeping for a day and a night without eating, of course, you’re hungry. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare food for you.”

“No need.” Zhuge Yue suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit down at the edge of the bed, saying, “First, stay with me for a while.”

Chu Qiao smiled and sat down as told.

“I saw you lost in thought for a long time. What were you thinking about just now?” Zhuge Yue naturally held her hand, his palm warm, not letting go again.

Chu Qiao shook her head and said, “Some irrelevant old matters.”

Zhuge Yue had a faint smile on his lips, looking very calm, leaning against the headboard with his eyes slightly narrowed looking at her, saying lightly, “Since we’re idle anyway, let me hear about your irrelevant old matters.”

Chu Qiao looked at him, a hint of playfulness rising in her heart. She frowned slightly, looking straight into his eyes, and slowly said, “I’ve made many mistakes in the past, repeatedly neglecting and owing a person. Now when I think about it, I feel very sorry for him.”

Zhuge Yue was taken aback, not expecting Chu Qiao to say such things at this moment. His eyes stared intently at her, his expression also becoming more solemn.

Chu Qiao continued, “He has always been good to me, but I took this goodness for granted, selfishly occupying the warmth and help he gave me. He saved me from death several times, and over the years, no matter what difficulty I was in, he never left me. He gave me hope in despair, accompanying me through so many difficult days without any demands, while I never thought about what I should give him in return, repeatedly neglecting him.”

Zhuge Yue looked at her, a smile gradually appearing at the corners of his mouth. The calluses on his palm rubbed against Chu Qiao’s fingers.

“Since you regret it now, it’s not too late to repay him.”

Chu Qiao looked at him, her eyes misty, murmuring, “But I’m afraid he’ll blame me.”

Zhuge Yue’s grip on her hand gradually loosened, slowly moving upward. His gaze carried some indulgence and emotion as his hand gently caressed her cheek. He smiled and said, “Who could bear to blame you?”

“Really?” Chu Qiao widened her eyes, asking mischievously, “You think He Xiao won’t blame me? He has followed me for so many years, and I once abandoned him. He’s almost thirty and doesn’t even have a wife or concubine…”

As Chu Qiao spoke, she found it increasingly funny and finally burst out laughing. It was then that Zhuge Yue realized he had been tricked. He pulled her into his arms in one move, pinching her chin, and said fiercely, “Dare to play tricks?”

Chu Qiao laughed and said, “Who told you to be so presumptuous?”

Zhuge Yue looked at her sideways, his eyes pitch-black, carrying a hint of a dangerous aura that only a wolf would have. He smiled mischievously, “Which family raised such an unruly woman?”

“Which family? Isn’t it Young Master Zhuge’s Qingshan Courtyard?” Chu Qiao laughed and said, “Have you forgotten that you volunteered to teach me to write?”

“Oh?” Zhuge Yue deliberately lengthened his voice, nodded, “I did forget. It seems I need to establish some rules for you, to prevent you from being disrespectful in the future.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhuge Yue suddenly leaned forward, his scorching kiss suddenly covering her lips, with a hint of suppressed heat, mercilessly rotating on her lips. The arm around her waist tightened more and more. His cold lips gradually warmed up, lightly knocking open her lips and teeth. With an irresistible force, he slid into her mouth, like a clear spring, yet also burning like coal fire.

He half-closed his eyes looking at her, with unseen deep light hidden in the depths of his eyes. Zhuge Yue suddenly forcefully picked her up and pressed her onto the bed. Chu Qiao let out a surprised “Ah!”, but the tail of her voice was swallowed between their lips.

“Do you understand?”

Chu Qiao glared at him, fiercely wiping her now swollen lips, and said, “Is this your family discipline?”

“Not entirely.” Zhuge Yue smiled lightly, with a hint of arrogance, raising his chin and saying, “There are more intense ways. Would you like to try?”

Chu Qiao narrowed her eyes, looking at this incredibly arrogant man before her, suddenly leaned forward, her eyes seductively hooked onto him, and suddenly licked his lips with her tongue. Zhuge Yue was momentarily stunned, and before he could react, the woman had already ferociously bitten his chin like a small beast.

Zhuge Yue immediately let out a muffled groan, reaching to touch it. Although it wasn’t bleeding, there was already a small row of teeth marks.

“Hmph, don’t think I’m afraid of you!”

Chu Qiao waved her fist threateningly, speaking very arrogantly.

Zhuge Yue flexed his wrist and said, “You little brat, you’ve become more wild over the years. I need to discipline you properly.”

Just as he was about to make a move, Chu Qiao was a step faster. With nimble movements, she jumped away from him, ran to the door in a few steps, and laughed, “Am I a fool? Bye-bye, no need to see me out!”

With that, she flung open the door.

At that moment, several “ouch” sounds suddenly came through as Jing Jing and the others tumbled in, scrambling to get up, their faces alternating between red and white, awkwardly greeting the two of them.

Chu Qiao, the ever-victorious general who had commanded armies of millions, had a crimson face. She frowned as she looked at Jing Jing and Ping An, and was surprised to see Yue Qi behind them. She angrily said, “Yue Qi, they’re being mischievous, but why are you joining in?”

“Hehe, well, I was just passing by, thought I’d call you for dinner, hehe…”

Yue Qi stood up, putting on an “I’m an honest person” expression, nodding as he walked out, smiling and saying, “Please continue, continue.”

With that, he turned and ran out, raising his fist to Zhuge Yue before leaving and shouting, “Young Master! Keep it up!”

Then he left, striding away.

Jing Jing ran over with a grinning face, sweetly calling out “Brother-in-law.” Zhuge Yue was in a great mood and casually took out a finely crafted small dagger with several rubies embedded in it, generously rewarding this sister-in-law who knew how to adapt to the situation.

Seeing this, Ping An immediately followed suit. Since Zhuge Yue had nothing else at hand, he promised that when they reached Zhenhuang, Ping An could choose any good horse he wanted from the stables.

The two happily cheered “Long live brother-in-law” three times. Chu Qiao watched with flaming eyes, thinking to herself, who said Zhuge Yue was rigid and unfamiliar with official customs? His tactics for winning people over seemed quite skillful.

The meal was prepared quickly. Since they were outside and young children were present, it was set up casually, with everyone sitting together to eat. Yue Qi and others inevitably felt somewhat constrained, but Jing Jing, Ping An, Mei Xiang, and others were active participants. He Xiao had become quite familiar with Yue Qi and others over the past few days. Only Duo Ji still maintained a cold, indifferent demeanor, as if his mind was elsewhere. Jing Jing could say ten sentences to him, and he wouldn’t reply to even one.

After the meal, darkness fell. Yue Qi said that they had reached Cangling, and in two more days, they would dock at Hu County. Hearing this, Chu Qiao was slightly stunned. Hu County was very close to Zhenhuang.

The evening wind was strong. She sat at the stern of the boat as the sunset was about to go down, showing half its face between heaven and earth, dyeing the entire river crimson.

Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, she had already spent fourteen years here. Many times when she thought about her previous life, she didn’t know whether she was a modern person who had traveled through time and space, or an ancient person with modern memories. The past seemed like a dream, coming and going in a hurry.

She wondered, since she was able to be reborn here after she died, would Li Ce also continue his life somewhere else after his death? What about Master Wu and Miss Yu, Juan Juan, and Xiaohe? After they died, would they meet each other again, would they remember each other? And Jing Zisu—hopefully she could live in an era with the rule of law and have some happy and comfortable days.

She sat there thinking aimlessly, and gradually her heart opened up. Looking up at the sunset, she seemed to still see Li Ce squinting at her, smiling and saying, “You need to eat more meat, your figure is too poor.”

“What are you thinking about?”

Zhuge Yue’s voice suddenly came from behind. Chu Qiao turned around and saw him in a purple robe embroidered with subtle “fu” patterns. It was a very ordinary garment, but on him, it had a unique temperament, making him look outstanding, clear, and straight.

Chu Qiao stared at him with wide eyes. Zhuge Yue slowly frowned, somewhat uncomfortably saying, “What are you looking at, like a fool.”

With that, he sat down beside her.

Snow-white waves rippled in circles at the stern, birds flew across the sky, the sunset was a bloody red, and the river breeze blew up their clothes. Their sleeves billowed like large butterflies about to take flight.

“Xinger, why did you change your name to Chu Qiao?”

Zhuge Yue asked. Chu Qiao turned her head, smiling and saying, “Because I wasn’t originally Jing Yueer. My real name was Chu Qiao. Later, because of something, I died, and then, um, how should I put it, it’s like what you people call a ghost possession. I possessed Jing Yueer’s body. So after I escaped, I changed my name back.”

Zhuge Yue hadn’t expected her to answer him like this and was stunned, his expression very surprised. After a good while, he murmured, “Then the first time I met you?”

“At that time, I had just possessed the body for a few days and was planning to escape.”

Zhuge Yue nodded, then lowered his head, seeming to be thinking hard about the credibility of this matter.

“Hey, you don’t believe it, do you?”

Now it was Chu Qiao’s turn to be stunned. Such supernatural, far-fetched talk—surely no one would believe it. She remembered telling Yan Xun once when she was young. At that time, Yan Xun was still a young man with pimples and thought she was delirious with a fever. He forced a bowl of medicinal soup down her throat, and after that, she never mentioned it again.

“I believe you.”

“What?”

Zhuge Yue looked at her very strangely, his brow slightly furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I believe? I investigated you. The servants all said that after you returned from that hunt, your personality changed dramatically. I thought at the time that you were frightened, but now it seems your explanation makes more sense.”

Young Master Zhuge very profoundly accepted this even more profound reason. He nodded while saying, “So that’s it. I was wondering, even when I was seven or eight years old, I couldn’t have had your schemes and methods at that time. So you weren’t a seven or eight-year-old child. By the way, before you died, you weren’t seventy or eighty years old, were you?”

Chu Qiao couldn’t keep up with his jumping train of thought and said somewhat blankly, “I was, the the-twenty-seven at that time.”

“Twenty-seven?” Zhuge Yue frowned, somewhat unhappily saying, “That’s already very old. Were you married? Did you have children?”

“No,” Chu Qiao answered honestly, “Where I’m from, twenty-seven isn’t considered very old. Where I’m from, they advocate for late marriage and late childbirth.”

“Where is your hometown? Bian Tang? Da Xia? You seem to have such deep feelings for Yan Bei, you wouldn’t happen to be from Yan Bei, would you?” As he said this, Zhuge Yue’s expression suddenly changed, and he asked very nervously, “You aren’t Yan Xun’s mother, are you? No, that doesn’t seem right, the timing doesn’t match up. She should be a bit older.”

Chu Qiao wanted to cry but had no tears. “Where I’m from is another world, not the same time-space as yours. It’s a parallel space, not intersecting. There’s distance in both space and time, completely unreachable. Um, do you understand?”

She tried hard to explain to Zhuge Yue, hoping to use a way he could understand, gesturing as she tried to come up with a suitable metaphor, but couldn’t find the right words. However, she had underestimated Young Master Zhuge’s comprehension ability. The man frowned slightly and asked, “You mean, like an apple tree, we are the spring leaves, and you are the autumn fruits?”

Chu Qiao was stunned, not expecting him to think of this. She happily said, “That’s half right, but not entirely because between us, there’s not just the distance of time, but also space. Do you understand? Space is…”

“Oh.”

Zhuge Yue nodded, saying very casually, “We are spring apple leaves, and you are autumn oranges, right?”

Chu Qiao was gloriously embarrassed. She was dumbfounded for a long time, and finally nodded stupidly, “Right.”

Then Zhuge Yue turned his head back to continue looking at the vast river waters, silent. The sunset fell on his face, golden and magnificent.

Chu Qiao couldn’t help but sigh. Look at his composure, truly a person who has seen the world and possesses great wisdom. How calm, how cool, how lacking in curiosity. Not at all like those country bumpkins in typical transmigration novels who ask questions like “What do people in your world look like?” “How many eyes do people in your world have?” or “Are the people in your world like beasts, covered in manes?”—as if only people in their world deserve to have two eyes and one nose, and people from outside must be covered in manes with a mouthful of fangs to showcase their psychological superiority. This is true calm and composure, this is true unshakably in the face of Mount Tai collapsing, this is true not being elated by external gains nor saddened by personal losses, this is true remaining unmoved by favor or disgrace, with a heart like the bright moon…

“What do people in your world look like?”

Chu Qiao: …

“How many eyes do people in your world have?”

After a long silence, someone finally recovered and asked with great interest, “Are the people in your world like beasts, covered in manes? I’ve seen such people in the southern borderlands, with very strange behavior. Are they your distant relatives?”

Chu Qiao took a deep breath, summoned her spirit, and began the basic knowledge enlightenment of the new world.

Speaking until her mouth was dry, the sun had already set, and a full moon climbed to the mountain peak, casting a bright light on the silver-green waves.

The river breeze blew gently. Chu Qiao sailed on the boat, suddenly feeling a sense of poetic sentiment. Full of emotion, she recited, “The bright moon rises over the sea, we share this moment across distance.”

Zhuge Yue coldly said beside her, “Isn’t that a bit unsuitable? This is a river, not a sea.”

Chu Qiao frowned and said, “Then ‘The bright moon rises over the river.'”

Zhuge Yue looked at her skeptically and asked, “It shouldn’t be yours. It’s from your world. You’re plagiarizing, aren’t you?”

Chu Qiao once again wanted to cry but had no tears, immediately becoming greatly embarrassed, her cheeks reddening. See, there’s no benefit to talking about these things…

“Xinger.”

After a long silence, Zhuge Yue suddenly called her name. She responded reflexively, then heard Zhuge Yue say out of the blue, “I don’t care who you are.”

Chu Qiao didn’t understand at first, but after thinking carefully, she instantly grasped his meaning. She smiled and nodded, saying, “I know, I will always be your Xinger.”

Zhuge Yue’s body trembled slightly. He lowered his head, his eyes burning as he looked at her. Chu Qiao regretted her words a bit after saying them. Two streaks of red climbed up her cheeks. Just as she was about to lower her head, she saw Zhuge Yue extend two fingers, very skillfully lifting her chin, with a trace of a smile in his eyes, saying, “Say it again.”

Chu Qiao avoided his gaze, somewhat embarrassed as she mumbled, “Say what?”

“Just what you said just now.”

Zhuge Yue said very firmly, his eyes carrying two warm fires, not particularly scorching, but bright and spirited.

“I am yours, and you must also be mine.”

Chu Qiao gathered her courage and said steadily, “In this life, I can sacrifice and give everything, but there are only two things that, no matter the circumstances, I will never use as bargaining chips. The first is my beliefs and principles, and the second is my marriage and body. If you want all of me, you must also give all of yourself to me.”

Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows, looking at her full of mischief, asking flippantly, “All of it?”

“Get out of here,” Chu Qiao pushed his shoulder, turning her head away. “Not a bit of seriousness.”

“Xinger,” Zhuge Yue suddenly embraced her, the warm male presence surrounding her, his arms encircling her shoulders, so tight, so tight.

“I am very happy,” he said in a low voice. “I am truly very happy.”

Chu Qiao leaned in his embrace, also feeling an unprecedented sense of security in these years. She turned to hug him, saying softly, “Let’s not be separated again.”

Zhuge Yue asked, “Coming with me to Zhenhuang, aren’t you afraid?”

“I’m more afraid of being separated from you. Every time we separate, many things happen. Just like this time, I rarely saw you again.”

The situation in the Tang capital that day was chaotic. She was fighting with her back against the wall, treading on thin ice. The slightest carelessness would have put her in the enemy’s hands. Zhan Ziyu’s arrogance when he held great power, the chaotic bloodshed of the battle at Tai’an Gate, the assassins who rushed into the imperial city every night after the conferment was announced, killing endlessly, and finally that battle involving hundreds of thousands of people—she didn’t feel much at the time, but thinking about it now, she felt a lingering fear.

Zhuge Yue held her in his arms and said in a low tone, “You don’t need to be afraid anymore.”

The moonlight was beautiful, and they sat for a very long time.

After returning to their room, Zhuge Yue sat on the bed, frowning and thinking for a very long time. He felt that Chu Qiao was right—he should consider finding an appropriate time for the two of them to give their all to each other.

Yes, this idea was really good. Walking on dark roads too often inevitably leads to encountering ghosts; sleeping too much inevitably leads to dreams. Things should be done clean and neat, and should directly cut to the core with one decisive blow. It was time to be frank and open… completely… thoroughly…

In the middle of the night, he suddenly stood up and paced around the room a couple of times. He felt that today was just the right time.