Lian Yue smiled slightly in her heart. She had never feared being captured, yet tears appeared in her eyes as she smiled bitterly: “Chang’an, save me.”

Watching Huo Chang’an raise his hand to stop the guards, his tall, vigorous form approaching step by step, his dark eyes radiating fierce, murderous intent as if she were his battlefield enemy, Wuyan’s slightly loosened grip suddenly tightened.

Hadn’t they once loved each other so much? Back then, she believed he could give his very life for her. Why had things evolved to this situation today?

She had just been prepared to toast Lian Yue, truly wanting to wish him lifelong peace. Why was he looking at her with such eyes in the blink of an eye?!

She understood Lian Yue’s tricks and knew how foolish her stubborn resistance was now, but her pride wouldn’t tolerate Lian Yue’s provocations or his destruction.

She laughed coldly, pressing the porcelain shard tighter against Lian Yue’s neck, then forcefully drawing it across. That fair neck immediately spurted blood beads—the contrast of red and white was shocking.

Huo Chang’an’s expression changed completely as he shouted harshly: “Release her! I’ll let you deal with me however you want. Kill or torture—as you wish.”

The tension and care in his eyes seemed like a sharp needle quietly piercing Wuyan’s heart. Thus, she smiled even more lightly and carelessly, asking with mockery: “How amusing, Marquis Huo. Why should I want to deal with you? What do you think you are? I only want to deal with those who harm me. You say I touched your people—why don’t you ask what they did to me first?”

She raised her eyebrows looking at him, her face written with defiant arrogance, her brow like frowning waves, like thousands of waves piling snow—so breathtakingly beautiful and heart-stopping. For an instant, Huo Chang’an’s thoughts actually wavered, as if no matter what she did, he couldn’t bear to blame her. He could let her do anything.

Lian Yue seemed to see the wavering in his eyes and choked out: “Chang’an, it’s my fault. Now that His Majesty favors Li Huaisu, she harbors resentment. I took the opportunity to describe our current happiness to her, telling her we were about to have children. I admit I deliberately provoked her—who told her to hurt you so back then? But that was just momentary verbal satisfaction, not truly wanting to harm her.”

Huo Chang’an felt guilty for his momentary softness. Lian Yue was his wife. He hadn’t failed to see Lian Yue’s deep affection for him over the years. Yet the woman before him wanted to take revenge on his people because her own favor had been taken—and he still softened his heart for her? Finally, that damned thought passed. Looking at Lian Yue’s red eyes, he immediately recovered all his hardness: “Wei Wuyan, just because Lian Yu and Huaisu are well together, you direct your hatred and blame onto my wife—you’re truly fucking ridiculous.”

What a wife, constantly emphasizing wife… Something in Wuyan’s heart trembled. She forced herself not to lose composure, her gaze falling on the mess on the ground: “Huo Chang’an, ask your wife if the wine water on the ground is poisoned—see if she dares answer you.”

Seeing Huo Chang’an’s brow furrow at these words, his eyes growing dark, disappointment filled Lian Yue’s eyes as she smiled self-mockingly: “Chang’an, we’ve been married for years—don’t you trust me yet? Could I poison her to death in such a place? If she died today from drinking the wine I prepared for her, could I escape responsibility? Wouldn’t I fear affecting our relationship? Would the Empress Dowager spare me?”

Huo Chang’an looked toward Xiao’an. Xiao’an waved her sleeve and laughed coldly: “Chang’an, are you going to suspect even me? Or do you think your wife could really do such a harmful thing?”

Huo Chang’an had led thousands of troops and was never an indecisive man. He swept the wine vessels from the table, glanced at the broken cup on the ground, and directly asked Lian Yue: “Tell me she’s lying.”

Lian Yue couldn’t quite gauge his thoughts for a moment, but she was inherently strong, and after Xiao’an’s conversation with her before coming, she looked at Huo Chang’an with particular composure, though her face showed faint disappointment: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me, but Chang’an, I’m not lying.”

After saying this, she spoke no more, dejectedly lowering her eyes.

Huo Chang’an suddenly took the wine pot from the table and poured it into his mouth.

Wine flowed down his throat.

Finally, he raised his eyebrows in a cold laugh, tilting the spout over—no more wine dripped out. He had drunk every last drop.

“No poison, Wei Wuyan.” He stared firmly at Wuyan, speaking each word clearly.

Wuyan laughed coldly: “Couldn’t the poison only be in the cup I was drinking from? The Princess Imperial also drank from the pot—would she poison herself to death?”

Huo Chang’an laughed similarly: “I have ways to prove it.”

Just as Wuyan was puzzled, she saw Huo Chang’an suddenly bend down to pick up something from the ground. Looking closely, she saw it was a larger piece of the broken cup. Huo Chang’an said lightly: “There are still residues in here.”

Wuyan was alarmed, shouting “Don’t—” but he had already tilted his head back and drunk the remaining liquid.

Though there were quite a few people in the room, it suddenly fell into terrifying silence.

Huo Chang’an’s eyes were deep and heavy, with only a trace of mockery and nine parts ruthlessness remaining.

“Release her.”

He said only two words, very briefly.

Wuyan still understood the message within—he wouldn’t be merciful, without question.

Wuyan struggled to stop her hands from trembling—Huaisu said this wine was poisoned, but how… For an instant, thousands of thoughts turned in her heart, but ultimately she only thought: I trust her.

Perhaps this was Lian Yue’s trap from the beginning? She already knew Suzhen was hiding here?

What the answer was, she had no way to verify at this moment.

She could trust Li Huaisu, but Huo Chang’an wouldn’t believe her.

Fine, since her “skills” were inferior to Lian Yue’s and this wine had been proven non-poisonous, she wouldn’t say more—she’d release the hostage. Not admitting defeat, but because she didn’t want to make things difficult for Lian Yu when he arrived.

But just as she prepared to withdraw her hand, she heard Lian Yue cry out beside her ear: “Wei Wuyan, what are you doing?”

What was she doing? Wuyan laughed coldly—she wasn’t doing anything, just about to release her.

But almost simultaneously, something whistled through the air. Everything happened too fast. She only felt a stream of heat gush from her wrist, all strength leaving her hand as the porcelain shard fell from her tight grip to the ground. Hazily, she saw Huo Chang’an’s raised hand.

On her wrist bone, a piece of broken porcelain was deeply embedded, thick blood sliding down her wrist. This porcelain shard was what Huo Chang’an had held in his hand earlier—

Wuyan felt she had never been so shocked, so pained, so angry in her lifetime! Knowing Lian Yue’s call for help was deliberate, also realizing her next action would be foolish, she still pulled out her hairpin and stabbed toward Lian Yue’s back as Lian Yue broke free and rushed toward Huo Chang’an.

Huo Chang’an’s expression changed suddenly, his gaze becoming fierce. His five fingers gripped, robes flying, as he landed before the two with extraordinarily swift movements. While pulling Lian Yue into his arms for protection, he pressed his lips together and struck Wuyan’s chest with his palm.

The hairpin fell from her palm to the ground. Wuyan fell hard, a fishy sweetness rushing up her throat. She drew a breath, couldn’t hold it back, and coughed it out—fresh blood splattered on her white clothes like red plums blooming in snow.

Everyone around, including Xiao’an, was shocked. Lian Yue’s eyes moistened, her heart slightly swelling with pain—after marrying him for so many years, finally, finally for the first time, she felt his feelings for her. It turned out they could indeed surpass those for Wuyan. Huo Chang’an, not being involved, didn’t know that Wuyan’s finger movement earlier had actually been to release her. She had deliberately cried out, making him think she intended to harm herself, finally testing out his true feelings.

Huo Chang’an slowly released Lian Yue, looking at Wuyan fallen on the ground. Obviously, he too was greatly affected, his brow furrowed tight as a river. He strode forward wanting to check on her, but after one step, he almost immediately stopped, clenching his fists tightly. His gaze complex as he looked at her, his voice low and hoarse, as if explaining indifferently, also as if giving a cruel warning: “I only used less than half my palm strength—you shouldn’t be coughing blood. I said you shouldn’t touch my people. She is my wife. I won’t let anyone harm her—no one.”

Looking at the man before her, Wuyan suddenly wanted to laugh out loud, because everything from the past had finally become the greatest joke today. She wanted to accuse him with a torn voice, but she couldn’t speak. Because Huo Chang’an no longer loved her.

If he still loved her, he wouldn’t bear to hurt her hands that played the zither; even more, he wouldn’t give her such a blow and think her pain was actually pretense.

No matter when, complaining and questioning a man who no longer loves you is completely meaningless.

Her face was deathly pale as she lowered the hand covering her heart, swaying slightly as she stood up.

Seeing the plan succeed and the overall situation settled, Xiao’an smiled lightly and ordered: “Come, arrest this evil consort who dared harm the Princess Imperial. Throw her into prison to await judgment.”

Lian Jie and Lian Qin, who had rushed in leading the Imperial Guard, saw exactly this scene. Both inwardly thought this was terrible. Even though they weren’t close to Wuyan, Lian Jie couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity. He quickly bowed to Xiao’an: “Subject Lian Jie arrived late to rescue—please forgive me, Empress Dowager. Come, quickly protect the Empress Dowager and Princess Imperial.”

As he spoke, he signaled the head of the Imperial Guard with his eyes. Understanding, the man immediately led his troops to surround Xiao’an and the others.

Wuyan glanced at Lian Jie, knowing this was Lian Yu’s instruction. Without hesitation, she faced Huo Chang’an still smiling proudly: “You’re right—I was pretending, and I had Huaisu put on this act with me.”

She might as well take all the blame upon herself. She couldn’t owe Lian Yu and Huaisu any favors.

Huo Chang’an stared at her intently, his gaze growing ever deeper, cold light glinting. His eyes seemed unable to accommodate any trace of past affection. He thought coldly that such a proud person indeed never deigned to lie.

During Mid-Autumn, I’ll try to update daily as a Mid-Autumn gift for everyone. Sorry, I just had surgery—though minor, I haven’t fully recovered yet. If possible, I’ll continue daily updates afterward; if I can’t handle it, I’ll resume daily updates next month.