Suzhen’s heart was jumping around. She wanted to go sit next to him but was afraid he wouldn’t like it, so she climbed up to sit on the other side of the bed. She really couldn’t understand why he had dressed up like this to find her.

Stealing a glance at him, his hair ornaments and clothing were all in Huo Chang’an’s style, and the two weren’t far apart in height. His voice just now was also deliberately imitative. If she hadn’t thrown lime on his face, making him close his eyes and move his body, revealing half of the flute in his chest—and that flute was made by her own hands with characters carved on it—she would definitely have thought he was Huo Chang’an. Later, when he cleaned his eyes, she could no longer see the flute.

Finally unable to resist, she asked quietly, “Why are you wearing this mask? What are you doing here looking for me?”

“It’s not easy for others to recognize the steward, but many people in this capital know me. It’s inappropriate for you and me to be too close.” “Huo Chang’an” said indifferently, “I came to find you to talk about Lian Yu and the case.”

Upon hearing this, Suzhen was slightly shocked, then felt both sweet and bitter inside. Sweet because though he had spoken harshly to her that day, he ultimately hadn’t truly abandoned her—he came here to give her some guidance, right? Bitter because he was willing to disguise himself as Huo Chang’an to approach her, cutting off her hopes.

She knew she absolutely couldn’t expose his identity, or this conversation couldn’t continue.

If he only wanted to see her in this way, then she would do as he wished.

“Why is it inappropriate for us to be too close?”

She asked her first question.

Huo Chang’an chuckled softly, “Can’t you see it’s impossible?”

“Mm, you weren’t in His Majesty’s study that day. Aren’t you… on his side?”

“That has nothing to do with you. You only need to know that letting His Majesty know about your private relationship with me wouldn’t be good.”

Suzhen was rebuffed and made a face at him, thinking this excuse was reasonable and logical. If she didn’t already know he was Li Zhaoting, she really would have been fooled. She smiled at him, “Marquis Huo, please speak.”

But “Huo Chang’an” stared at her, “About today’s events—you resent Lian Yu, don’t you?”

Suzhen was startled again. Hearing his serious tone, she also cooperated with him to avoid making him suspect she already knew his identity. She nodded, “Naturally I hate him. This person turns his face too quickly. I know I was greatly in the wrong, but he’s also too heartless.”

She spat hatefully as she spoke.

“Huo Chang’an” looked expressionlessly at the spit on the ground, then beckoned to her, “Come here for a moment.”

Hearing this, Suzhen was delighted. Her bottom immediately scooted over to do what she’d wanted to do earlier—sit next to him. Suddenly her head was struck hard. She stared blankly at “Huo Chang’an’s” slightly curved fingers, “Why did you hit me?”

“In the future, if you dare to be so dirty again, this marquis will hit you again.”

“Oh.”

Suzhen knew Li Zhaoting was naturally clean, so she nodded. Thinking it was all Lian Yu’s fault, she cursed a few more times, “Dead Lian Yu, calling himself jade—he’s just a carp fry. Someday I’ll steam him and eat him.”

“Huo Chang’an” looked down at his own hand, endured for quite a while, and finally suppressed the urge to knock hard on that head next to him several times, only saying, “Have you thought about why he would do that?”

“Who knows what that dead emperor is thinking?”

“Li Huaisu, pain can teach people lessons and prevent repeated mistakes. To be a good official requires more than intelligence and a heart for the people. Personal experience is ten thousand times stronger than hearsay.”

Suzhen was suddenly stunned, then heard him lower his voice slightly and ask, “In the imperial study, with all the factional undercurrents—did you see it all clearly? The self-preserving official attitudes—did you see it all clearly? To survive in a place, you must understand what kind of environment you’re in, what kind of people surround you, what these people are like, which are bad, which to guard against.”

“Would Lian Yu care about me this much?” Suzhen was increasingly shocked, murmuring audibly.

“Let’s not worry about what Lian Yu thinks first. This marquis asks you—from what you saw today, do you understand the ins and outs of Mochou’s case?”

Suzhen nodded without hesitation. In the imperial study, after Lian Yu asked his questions, everyone’s statements were very clear. Without this chain of accounts, she would never have understood that this case reaching her hands might not have been coincidence, but a good show. The proposal for the procession was probably intentional, and Mochou’s final escape from the Ministry of Justice prison wasn’t her successful seduction, but someone wanting her to publicly accept this case, make it big, and put Lian Yu and Great Zhou in a dilemma.

“But I’m also just one of Lian Yu’s chess pieces. Would he go to such lengths to remind me? Today his situation wasn’t comfortable either. If this was his intention, why not tell me afterward?”

“Who understands a monarch’s heart? Perhaps he doesn’t want to see sympathy in your eyes. Didn’t you also say his situation today was embarrassing? A dignified ruler of a nation, finally needing you to confront Quan Feitong—isn’t that laughable?”

“Li Huaisu, if you consider me a friend, listen to this advice: don’t oppose Quan Feitong too much. It seems that Prime Minister has taken an interest in you. In the future, if Lian Yu loses in this political struggle, Quan Feitong won’t make things too difficult for you.”

Suzhen was startled again, warmth suddenly leaving her body. She saw “Huo Chang’an” slowly rise and walk to the window, standing with hands behind his back. His slow, quiet voice seemed like a force penetrating to her heart.

Right, Zhaoting worked for Quan Feitong, so he chose this way to remind her.

To remind her again.

She didn’t know why, but last time when he told her to secretly contact Quan Feitong, she couldn’t listen at all. But now, with the brilliant star river outside the window, his words made her eyes slightly warm.

“The young man came riding a bamboo horse, circling the bed playing with green plums. Living together in the same lane, two children without suspicion.”

It seemed like a moment of sudden understanding.

Even if he didn’t love her, these few words now made her feel that those days of infatuation with him were worthwhile.

Her lovesickness had not been in vain.

“No, Lian Yu will win.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was startled again. She was being foolish—what kind of slip was this! She should have said Quan Feitong would certainly defeat Lian Yu. Just as she was about to correct herself, she saw “Huo Chang’an” turn around abruptly, staring at her intently, saying word by word, “What did you say? You think Lian Yu will win?”

She thought this was bad—she had misspoken and Zhaoting would be angry. She frowned at him. Though “Huo Chang’an” wore a mask, the depth and weight in his eyes were like a dark silver river, full of power and mystery, yet clearly revealing a trace of melancholy.

All these years, when playing with her, though this man’s eyes occasionally showed light smiles, she always felt he carried many burdens.

He never told her.

He didn’t speak, and she knew that in his heart, she wasn’t worthy of listening.

Loving him was perhaps actually loving his loneliness. He was so different from her.

Looking at his slightly tense shoulders, his gray robe billowing in the winter night wind from the window, Suzhen could no longer restrain herself. She suddenly jumped up and rushed over to embrace this man with all her strength.

She wanted to use all her body’s strength to tell him: no matter what happens to us in the future, at this moment, with the star river as witness, all my wishes are just one sentence—I only hope you’ll never be lonely again.