“On one side, you want me to send someone out of the palace, on the other side, you have Quan Feitong rescue someone. This feint attack is quite clever—on one side, you use Lian Xin to lure Aluo here, on the other side, you lock her in the ice cellar to freeze and frighten her. Tell me, what exactly do you want to play at? I’m ready to accompany you to the end!”

His gaze was darkly compelling, like this winter’s bone-chilling cold wind. The great fury arising because of Aluo seemed ready to crush her completely!

Suzhen’s head throbbed with cold sweat, yet her lips still carried a smile as she lightly adjusted the fur coat on her body.

Seeing the sudden terrifying darkness in his eyes, he laughed coldly and suddenly reached out.

At this moment, behind the two of them, people gradually emerged from the cellar. That fur coat was torn open by him and thrown to the ground, scattering snowflakes everywhere.

He crushed her dignity in front of everyone, and she trembled from the cold in the melting snow.

She raised her head and laughed softly, in a voice that everyone could hear.

“I’m just an ordinary person from a small county town. It was you who dragged me into this court struggle. I’m just an unloved ugly girl. It was you who gave me favor, but however much you gave, you took back double. Lian Yu, you’re wrong. I don’t want anything. I just want you to watch with your own eyes how your beloved girl dies painfully before you.”

His brows were sharply furrowed with slight trembling. Hearing the last sentence, his eyes unconsciously looked back.

“Lian Yu?” Aluo, wrapped in pure white sable fur and supported by a female official, as if blessed with divine intuition, immediately looked toward him.

Suzhen’s nostrils twitched almost imperceptibly. His beloved girl—as soon as she mentioned it, he instinctively reacted.

Her heart was already numb, so what did a little more pain matter?

Lian Yu had already turned around to face her, “I’m right here. What can you do?”

“Your Majesty, with you here, Huaisu naturally cannot do anything. But you might as well ask Aluo what I fed her in the ice cellar. Counting the time, it should be taking effect about now.” Her teeth chattered in the snow, looking extremely miserable, yet her eyes revealed threads of danger.

Her voice was quite loud. Lian Yu’s eyes rarely showed alarm. He turned around extremely quickly. Aluo obviously heard too. She broke free from the female official and walked toward him, still smiling, “Lian Yu, she’s just frightening you, trying to make you agree to something. I still say the same thing—if you don’t want to, you absolutely cannot be coerced by her. If you like her, bringing her into the harem is fine with me too. After all, your harem will have to accept new people eventually…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Lian Yu sternly interrupted her. “I will absolutely never accept her, and there will be no new people in the harem.”

“Lian Yu…” Aluo’s eyes reddened slightly, but she suddenly stopped, covering her stomach and bending over, pain written all over her face.

Lian Yu’s expression changed, and he rushed forward with swift steps, just in time to catch Aluo’s falling body.

This sudden dramatic change froze everyone, their eyes filled with shock. Lian Qin was stunned, murmuring: “Li Huaisu, what exactly did you do?”

Lian Jie didn’t wait for Lian Yu’s order and quickly stepped forward.

“Aluo, what else happened to you in the cellar?” Lian Yu covered Aluo’s stomach and held her tightly.

Aluo’s abdomen was wracked with knife-like pain, sweat drenching her forehead, her eyes showing fear and anger. She looked at Lian Yu miserably, “She forced me to drink wine laced with drugs.”

Lian Yu suddenly raised his head, his eyes seeming to spray with fury as he grabbed Suzhen, “What did you feed her?”

Suzhen leaned against the tree, as if not seeing the cold air in his eyes, and instead smiled as she asked Xiao’an, “Old woman, it’s not only you who knows how to poison—I do too. Why must you break up every couple you see? What business is it of yours what young people do?”

“Forcing two children who love you like sons to drift further and further apart—is that really so amusing? You love them, but your years of widow-like life with the late emperor make you want to control everything? You fear that the rebellious girls they like will bring turmoil to the imperial family. Wuyan, and Gu Xiluo too—if that’s the case, why didn’t you, old lady, do it more thoroughly back then and kill Gu Xiluo! It would have saved me the trouble of doing it myself.”

Xiao’an trembled all over. Hong Gu beside her flew into a rage, “You wretched person, still running your mouth when death is at hand. Watch me tear that mouth of yours apart—”

“You gave her poison?” Lian Yu’s stern voice completely cut off her words!

Suzhen closed her lips and looked at him mockingly.

“Seventh Brother.” Lian Yu glanced at Lian Jie, who understood the meaning of that look and nodded solemnly. He then carefully placed Aluo in Lian Jie’s hands. Ming Yanchu led Bai Hu over to help, lifting her out. Lian Jie quickly checked her pulse.

Lian Yu stood up, his eyes dark as a deep pool, unfathomably deep. He turned slightly and glanced at Aluo with a protective posture. Aluo also remained silent, looking at him through tears, her chest heaving, dark purple blood foam continuously overflowing from her mouth.

He stared at Suzhen, his voice carrying killing intent as each word was spit out from his lips: “I’ll ask you one last time—will you tell me, or won’t you?”

“Lian Yu, you can’t threaten me. Zhuiming and the others should no longer be in your hands. Your Majesty, you are the emperor. This entire Great Zhou is yours. You have so many capable people under you—why must you ask me?” She answered evasively. She was already so cold her lips were purple, yet her expression remained composed, as if this cold meant nothing to her. She simply asked indifferently, “You always complained that I didn’t love you as much as you loved me. To love you, I can even kill the girl you love most, because she stole you from me. Isn’t this love?”

“Very good.” Hearing the words “Zhuiming,” his eyes grew even deeper, his entire facial lines terrifyingly sharp. He also smiled, “You don’t love me—you love yourself. You’re always so willfully reckless. Aluo can give up wealth and glory, willingly leaving this cage she came to love with me. She can endure many years of my forgetting her and risk her life to save me when I was in danger for you. What can you do?”

“You stabbed me, abandoned all the principles of right and wrong you spoke of, and married a man who usurped the country. Because I damn well ruined your marriage, you take revenge on an innocent person. Everything was my doing—if you want to kill or torture, come at me directly. Why must you target her!”

Xiao’an was greatly shocked, stepping forward several paces to stand beside Lian Yu, “What are you saying? She hurt Yu’er, you…”

However, she only got halfway through before falling silent. She discovered that strong as she was, she couldn’t interfere between these two people who were so vicious they only wanted to kill each other.

Whether before or after the Murong Jinghou incident, she had wanted Lian Yu to kill this treacherous minister’s orphaned daughter. But at this moment, for an instant, she actually felt her heart tremble at the near-desperate viciousness and imperial cruelty in Lian Yu’s eyes.

Suzhen’s eyebrows suddenly jumped. She looked at her mutilated left hand and remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking, “I indeed wouldn’t do anything for you. From the day you fell in love with me, you should have known I was this selfish.”

Lian Yu said nothing, only curled his lips in a cold smile filled with profound self-mockery. He glanced sideways at Lian Jie again. Lian Jie’s expression was grim as he slowly shook his head and said in a low voice: “It seems like red-crowned crane poison, peacock gall, or heartbreak grass, but it’s none of these. From the symptoms, I only know it’s an extremely potent poison, but I can’t identify it.”

“Summon the imperial physicians! Bring all the physicians from the entire Imperial Medical Academy. Those not on duty outside the palace must enter the palace within half an hour. Today, if Consort Gu’s poison cannot be cured, no one is allowed to leave!” He shouted loudly. Lian Qin commanded the imperial guards to dispatch people from the palace to “capture people.”

Ming Yanchu immediately rose and ordered the eunuchs to go to the Imperial Medical Academy at once.

“I have ways to deal with you. Don’t force me.” Finally, Lian Yu’s gaze returned to Suzhen.

“Do you want to watch her die? I can also make your life worse than death. Seize her.”

He commanded the imperial guards, his voice no longer carrying any emotion, only thorough, penetrating coldness.

“I won’t tell. I just want to watch her die before your eyes.” Suzhen confronted him, her eyes also empty of everything except hateful obstinacy.

Lian Yu stared at her with lowered hands. After a long moment, he glanced at Qing Long.

“Torture her. Lock her in the cellar until… she’s willing to talk.” he said.

Qing Long’s relationship with Suzhen wasn’t good, but hearing this, he still trembled slightly, “Master…”

These palace punishments were not unfamiliar to them. They didn’t need knives or whips to make someone suffer unbearably. But he only hesitated briefly before walking toward Suzhen.

Xuan Wu and Zhu Que were in front. The two exchanged glances. Xuan Wu’s eyes flickered several times. Qing Long asked softly, “Are you going to stop me? If so, I can only offend you.”

Xuan Wu laughed coldly, “Can you stop me? It’s just that I won’t stop you. I must absolutely obey the master’s orders!”

Speaking to the end, his voice lowered as he closed his eyes and slowly stepped aside, making way.

But Zhu Que hung his head, “Qing Long, wait a moment.”

“Magistrate Li, is it worth sacrificing yourself to take revenge on a woman? I originally respected you as an extraordinary woman, but today you make me feel I was mistaken.” He called out loudly, his only eyes exposed showing anger.

“Are you Zhu Que?” This purple-robed youth was probably the last thing to attract Suzhen’s attention. He had only appeared by the emperor’s side now, and she felt he was strange yet familiar. But there was no need to investigate further.

She only said one sentence and said nothing more.

Zhu Que laughed once and stamped his foot hard in the snow.

Two imperial guards moved close and twisted her shoulders and hands. Qing Long reached out and struck several pressure points on her body forcefully.

Suzhen cried out loudly. This force didn’t restrict her movement but made her entire body feel like thousands of insects and beasts were gnawing at her. She couldn’t stop the pain even by biting her lower lip until it bled, and she fell to the ground, struggling.

In her spinning vision were the terrified faces of the surrounding palace people. Lian Jie, Lian Qin, and Ming Yanchu all stood up and looked over. Hong Gu supported Xiao’an. Having long experienced the palace, these imperial family members all knew about these torturous methods.

Lian Yu’s black, deep, and stern eyes remained fixed on her, unmoved. His hand suspended in mid-air trembled slightly.

Several imperial guards behind her immediately lifted her up coldly and ruthlessly, dragging her toward the cellar.

Passing through that long corridor, with a rumbling sound, the stone door was closed from outside.

Suzhen thought to herself that those who could secure the imperial throne indeed had formidable methods!

The bone-chilling cold and the pain within her body made her roll on the ice cellar floor.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qing Long’s official voice rang out from outside the door.

“Magistrate Li, you can’t endure much longer. Quickly tell the master what poison you used on Consort Gu.”

Suzhen struggled to prop herself up, coughing violently while laughing, “The physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy are also helpless, right? This is my father’s formula. With my father’s brilliant intellect, how could they possibly break it? If I had half my father’s methods, could you have dealt with me like this today?”

“Li Huaisu, I’m bringing Sixth Brother’s words. If you immediately reveal the name of the poison or hand over the antidote, Sixth Brother will let you leave the palace immediately and clear your family’s name in advance.”

Outside the door, Lian Jie’s voice resonated heavily.

“These are my words: having been friends with you, I only want to say that if you want to seek some position from Sixth Brother, given his guilt toward you, there would definitely be no problem. Aluo is the flesh of Sixth Brother’s heart—how could you be so foolish as to target her!”

She begged him to clear her family’s name, and no matter what, he wouldn’t agree, setting a three-year deadline. But for Aluo, what couldn’t he do?!

Suzhen laughed until tears came.

She couldn’t die alone in this dark, cold wine cellar—die in the wine cellar that witnessed his deepest love for his beloved girl.

She took a deep breath and slowly said, “If he wants Gu Xiluo to live, then do as I say.”

Golden Luan Hall.

After Chao Huang arrived, Quan Feitong asked about the rescue situation. Learning that the rescue was successful, but unexpectedly fraught with danger and involving many masters, he hadn’t had time to ask for details when Ai Taifei also arrived with Lian Yue. Quan Feitong bowed to the ground, “Please, Your Ladyship, take this minister into the inner palace.”

This man rarely begged anyone. Though knowing it seemed to concern Feng Suzhen, Ai Taifei was unwilling, but still nodded, “Prime Minister Quan, please.”

“Your Ladyship, Senior Brother, Zhaoting requests to go forward.” Li Zhaoting stepped forward and spoke slowly.

“Let’s go together.”

Quan Feitong was straightforward and didn’t say much, following behind Ai Taifei with him and Chao Huang.

Ai Taifei said to the imperial guards guarding the inner courtyard entrance: “This palace seeks audience with His Majesty. Stand aside.”

The guard leader, seeing it was a harem mistress, dared not obstruct and ordered his men to make way.

Several people strode in directly, unlike the other court officials still craning their necks to look.

However, after walking just a few steps, one person appeared again.

“Eunuch Ming, what instruction do you have this time?” Quan Feitong stepped forward, confronting the newcomer with furrowed brows, “Does the Grand Manager also want to obstruct Her Ladyship Taifei’s phoenix carriage?”

Ming Yanchu was rebuked and mocked by him but didn’t retort. His expression was instead very complex as he smiled bitterly: “Where does Prime Minister Quan get such words? This slave comes to notify all the lords to please enter the palace together.”

“The few of us?” Chao Huang was somewhat puzzled and almost immediately asked. Ming Yanchu shook his head, “Not just you.”

His gaze then fell on the court officials, “All lords, please follow this slave into the palace for an audience.”

All officials were shocked. Yan Da, who had been conversing with Yan Da, Prince Murong Ding, Wei Chenghui, Huang Zhongyue, Xiao Yue, Cai Beitang, Gao Chaoyi, Si Lanfeng… everyone came forward, their hearts full of countless questions.

This was originally the emperor’s inner palace matter—could something major have happened in the palace?

Suzhen was helped out by Zhu Que after he relieved her body’s torture and channeled some internal energy into her. She was already frozen stiff in hands and feet. Xuan Wu came over and handed a pill to Suzhen’s mouth, “Magistrate Li, His Majesty bestows medicine. This is a precious palace treasure. After Zhu Que helped circulate your blood, it can quickly warm your body.”

Suzhen didn’t refuse and swallowed the medicine.

She slowly chewed, feeling the entire sky was so pure it seemed newborn. Within the circle of imperial guards were countless people.

Closest to them were Xiao’an and Hong Gu, with the addition of Murong Xu who had rushed over after hearing the news.

In the middle, he wore a five-clawed golden dragon black satin robe with red trim and yellow embroidery, so dazzling it seemed to split the snowy whiteness of this world. Yet he lowered his brows and eyes, looking at Aluo in his arms.

Lian Jie and Lian Qin stood on either side, with Bai Hu kneeling on one knee beside him. All around were imperial physicians kneeling on the ground. The old academy director and deputy director, whom she’d met several times, were there. Except for the old academy head who was most scholarly and still muttering, trying to figure out what poison this was, everyone’s faces showed panic.

Aluo’s face was blue-black, tears streaming down her face. She was clearly at death’s door, barely holding on.

Further forward, Ming Yanchu stood solemnly leading the way. All the officials had arrived, including Ai Taifei and Lian Yue. Quan Feitong and Li Zhaoting stood in the front position.

Li Zhaoting’s gaze had been on Aluo, but now shifted away to look over coldly, filled with hatred.

Quan Feitong’s brows were tightly knitted, his face full of anger. He walked straight toward her, “Zhu’er, you’ve been naughty again.”

Aluo’s life or death seemed completely irrelevant to him. Even though they were from the same school, he was someone who extremely protected his own. He only called it mischief. He truly didn’t care.

“Prime Minister Quan has the wrong person. This lowly official, no, this commoner is Li Huaisu.”

Quan Feitong immediately stopped in his tracks. He clenched his hands tightly, thinking: Quan Feitong, when you take her away in a moment, you must resist the urge to strangle this big-tailed wolf halfway there!

Lian Yu again placed Aluo in Bai Hu’s hands, his robe sleeves stirring up a large patch of snow.

“As you said, all the officials have arrived. I don’t care what you want to play—hand over the antidote immediately, or I will kill you.” He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at her from afar, his black eyes holding ruthless determination and killing intent, displayed with decisive clarity without any concealment.

“Don’t force me to act against you, and don’t think I won’t dare touch you. Li. Huai. Su.”

“Prepare for palace punishment.”

His beautiful eyelids only lifted slightly as numerous eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Bureau walked out from behind the imperial guard formation.

Two of them each held a solid punishment rod.

Suzhen swallowed the pill and, after her body recovered somewhat, she broke free from Zhu Que and slowly walked over, stopping several steps away from him, slightly raising her head.

“This poison has no antidote. Li Huaisu plotted to harm the imperial consort—her crime is unforgivable and deserves any punishment. However, before execution, there’s one thing I want to say. I am Li Huaisu, the orphaned daughter of a traitorous minister, Feng Suzhen. First crime: being the descendant of a criminal minister. Second crime: disguising as a man to take the imperial examination and serve as an official alongside all of you—this deserves death. I cannot be the princess’s consort. The marriage contract between the princess and me is invalid. The princess and I have no private feelings—she remains a pure, good girl.”

In the sunlight, she calmly removed the hairpin from her topknot, letting her long black hair cascade down to her shoulders.

In the past when watching operas, she never understood why when women disguised as men had their hair let down, it meant their identity was exposed.

What if the girl looked unfortunate, like a bear or a masculine woman?

Today she finally understood—that was their story. For her, doing this was merely symbolic, a return to identity. Coming clearly, leaving plainly.

In this vast garden, after a deathly silence, the officials remained speechless, all looking at her in extreme shock, seemingly not understanding why she would do this!

In their hearts, those who had dealings with her and later fell out, like Yan Da; those who made various difficulties when she first arrived in the capital, later tried to curry favor when they saw her gain imperial favor, then quickly distanced themselves when they saw her fall from grace, like Gao Chaoyi and Si Lanfeng; Huang Zhongyue, whose nephew she had secretly undermined; her persistent rivals in the Ministry of Justice who she had intercepted in many wrongful cases, Xiao Yue; Wei Chenghui, who had wanted to destroy her from the beginning…

After Lian Yu rejected eighteen memorials in succession, everyone was clear in their hearts that she was a woman.

But even knowing she was a woman, they were only shocked for that period. Before that and after, no one seemed to treat her as a woman, but rather as an opponent who couldn’t be taken too lightly!

She was always so hateful. Anyone she disliked, she would oppose relentlessly to the end. Whether man or woman serving as an official seemed to make no difference with her.

Among these countless questions, only Xiao’an suddenly spoke up, “Since this is so, the princess’s marriage is declared invalid.”

Lian Yu’s gaze never left her, looking at this woman whose life he had worked hard to save, promoted universal imperial examinations to prevent others from exposing her female identity, secretly administered medicine and carefully nursed her broken body back to health—this woman who was never grateful or nostalgic, who had harmed the girl who had accompanied him for over ten years until she was barely alive.

“Take her away and begin.” He slightly moved his lips, glanced at Aluo, and finally, after tightly closing and opening his eyes, suddenly gave the order.

Several eunuchs accustomed to palace punishments ruthlessly pressed Suzhen down and pushed her between the punishment rods.

The tall figure in the highest-ranking court dress stepped forward and knelt before the emperor.

“Now that Great Zhou extensively practices female imperial examinations, Feng has served the country and people with great merit to the state since taking office. Can’t her crimes of female identity and being a criminal minister’s descendant be leniently handled? Law must consider human compassion. Your Majesty, if you truly use severe punishment on her, wouldn’t it chill the hearts of Great Zhou’s people?”

Lian Yu looked at the kneeling minister below.

“Prime Minister Quan, you speak correctly. But how can I forgive her crime of poisoning the imperial consort!”

“Your Majesty—”

“Quan Feitong, if I don’t allow it, are you planning to rebel?” Lian Yu raised his eyebrows and smiled coldly.

Quan Feitong suddenly raised his head, a fierce aura bursting from his eyes, also without concealment.

“Prime Minister Quan (Big Brother)…”

Behind him came the dissuasive voices of Ai Taifei and Chao Huang.

Finally, he slowly stood up.

Actually, without them saying so, he knew he couldn’t do anything now.

He slowly retreated to his original position, for the first time not remaining spirited even when losing in confrontation.

For the first time, he dared not look directly at palace punishment.

When he raised his head again, it was when the palace punishment was ruthlessly falling on her body.

His temples tensed, yet he saw her lying on the ground, looking at him with no blame in her eyes.

But he felt hatred! Hatred for Lian Yu, and hatred for her.

…

Besides him, only Zhu Que turned away, unable to bear watching more.

But by now, no one else intervened.

After all, in this world, that person alone was supreme.

Suzhen looked one last time at Li Zhaoting—not for their long-dead love, but as old friends. Looking at him among the crowd with lowered eyes, her vision became somewhat blurred and unclear.

She thus gave up.

Actually, she had given up on him long ago. It was just that seeing him reminded her of their days in Huai County.

There, there were Father, Mother, Elder Brother, Hong Xiao, and… Leng Xue.

Hot, vicious pain came like tidal waves, wave after wave. Enduring this wave, the next was more painful. Below was the cold snowy ground. Suzhen bit her lip hard, but the bone-chilling cold and pain were a hundred times more intense than in the ice cellar just before, making her want to scream and roll on the ground.

But this was the path she had chosen—even if she had to crawl, she would finish it, wouldn’t she? If she cried out, it would only make everyone laugh, make him and Aluo laugh.

Shivering, she used all her strength to stuff her hand into her mouth, biting down hard.

The rod made cracking sounds on her body. Her robe was soaked with blood. She could even smell the scent of torn flesh and blood.

“Will you tell, or won’t you?”

Sweat from her hair tips fell into her eyes. The robe hem with auspicious cloud and dragon patterns came before her, and the cold voice sounded overhead. Strangely, though the rod on her body was so loud, she could still detect a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

He would still feel sorry for her? She had long stopped hoping for this. Moreover, she looked down on and would no longer want this bit of charitable pity.

“Won’t… tell…” She answered with a broken smile.

“Sixth Brother, Aluo is dying, you need to go quickly—”

Lian Jie’s voice suddenly rang out urgently.

She watched him stride back.

A coolness suddenly rose from her abdomen, as if drawing away all sensation from her entire body. Breathing became difficult. This pure white world seemed to be splashed with thick ink in an instant, dyeing half of it into night.

That blackness began spreading faster and faster. She heard her own heavy breathing…

It seemed like only forty or fifty strokes. She had thought she could at least endure a hundred, at least wait for Aluo to die first.

Her mouth was full of salty taste. She extended her finger to dip the blood foam overflowing from her mouth and used her last bit of strength to trace on the ground.

Finally, the scene in her eyes was him running to Aluo’s side, holding Aluo in his arms, kissing her forehead…

Large tears fell from the corners of her eyes, carrying fear of death and wounds riddled with holes. Her raised hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Death—she wasn’t unafraid. She was actually more afraid than anyone.

Everyone was shocked into stillness when Aluo closed her eyes, frozen on this imperial couple.

Lian Yu held her tightly, his brows and eyes filled with grief and complexity that couldn’t be dissolved.

He continuously kissed her hair, her forehead. Heaven and earth were silent, as if only the desperately suppressed broken sounds overflowing from deep in his throat remained.

No one dared disturb. Everyone had witnessed his cruelty just moments before.

The imperial consort had passed away. All around, except for Xiao’an and Murong Xu, everyone knelt down. But among the officials, standing straight was still Quan Feitong.

His sleeve suddenly tightened. Lian Yu’s temple throbbed as he looked down, seeing her hand somehow tightly grasping his robe.

“Aluo…” He softly murmured. The woman in his arms, originally blue-purple in brow and forehead, slightly moved her eyelids, then slowly opened her eyes.

“Lian Yu, what happened to me just now?” She carried the confusion and puzzlement of just awakening.

Before she finished speaking, before the joy in Lian Yu’s eyes reached his brows, the old academy director who had been kneeling suddenly reached over, opened her eyelids to examine them, checked her tongue coating, and took her pulse.

As soon as his hand touched her pulse, he sprang up entirely, staring hard at Lian Jie, exclaiming with extreme joy: “Seventh Prince, Three-Flavored Seeds! This deadly poison is nothing else but the Three-Flavored Seeds recorded in ancient medical texts!”

Lian Jie’s eyes also showed obvious shock as he immediately spoke: “Three-Flavored Seeds—the first flavor induces poison-like symptoms, the second flavor stops breath and pulse, the third flavor brings resurrection from death. Worldly entry and exit, three flavors of life, on the line between life and death.”

“Seventh Prince is indeed well-versed in pharmacology!” The old academy director was practically dancing with joy. “This is an ancient miraculous medicine, also known as feigned death medicine. It’s much more powerful than the feigned death medicine we in the palace pride ourselves on as treasures. It has a process that mimics poison onset, unlike ordinary feigned death medicine that just causes sudden feigned death, which easily arouses suspicion.”

“But why was such a small dosage given? Normally, feigned death is for saving lives—what’s the use of dying for just a moment? Oh,” he seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead, “That’s right! If too much dosage is given, it would burden the person taking it, and in severe cases, it could truly damage internal organs and leave lasting ailments. But this doesn’t make sense either—this medicine’s preparation is complex. It should at least cause death for a day or two to be worthwhile, shouldn’t it?”

“The person who made this truly is remarkable, as this formula has been lost for ages…”

It was so quiet that even a dropped needle could be heard. The scholar, reaching this point, was greatly alarmed and quickly shut his mouth, hurriedly kneeling down.

“What are you doing, Master Quan?”

Immediately following, an angry shout rang out. Everyone was also simultaneously startled and turned to look. They saw Quan Feitong push away the two punishment eunuchs with such force that he himself stumbled and fell to the ground.

“Zhen’er…”

“Master Quan, pushing us is useless. The criminal died moments ago. We two had already stopped, but you were all at a distance and didn’t notice her condition.” One of the eunuchs’ sharp, thin, strange tone made his half-risen body fall back into the snow. Quan Feitong, in front of everyone, for the first time lost his composure so completely. Yet he seemed to forget to get up, only staring blankly at her motionless body ahead.

Zhu Que in the distance ran over frantically, bent down, and with trembling hands felt under the pile of bloody flesh’s nose. In an instant, he staggered backward.

“Lian Yu.”

Over there, Aluo hesitantly called out. The beloved face before her eyes hadn’t fully bloomed with joy when his facial expression seemed to freeze. She had never seen him look like this and couldn’t help feeling afraid, reaching out to grab him.

But before her hand touched him, he again placed her in Bai Hu’s hands. He slowly got up and walked forward step by step.

Li Zhaoting wanted to walk out and hold her, to look at her, but he didn’t have that right. His throat kept swallowing. He suddenly felt that in nearly twenty years, he had never really understood this girl who lived next door to him. Just now, he knew she was looking at him.

Before her death, her last glance was at him.

Why hadn’t he looked back at her? He hated her for harming Gu Xiluo and had just wanted to kill her with his own hands.

“Your Majesty, Feng Suzhen is… this minister’s old acquaintance. Although no longer bound by past agreements, we were acquainted. Please allow this minister to take her remains back to… Huai County for burial.”

Finally, he strode forward and knelt before that dark figure. In his confusion, Wei Chenghui’s expression had slightly changed as he emerged.

Lian Yu didn’t answer—perhaps it should be said he didn’t hear what he was saying at all. He just stood quietly in front of Suzhen, seven or eight steps away, never moving again, as if that distance was an uncrossable chasm of thousands of ravines and valleys. He only stared at her blood-red, silent body, his facial expression terrifyingly calm.

Sunlight penetrated the clouds, shining into the garden, but it couldn’t reach her.

“Li Huaisu, the palace maids say you’ve caused trouble again. Fine, you tricked me into going to Mother’s chambers, fooled me completely. I even carried your jewelry box with me and hid it, afraid of losing it. Don’t you feel the slightest bit of guilt…”

A wind came from somewhere, making his sleeves flutter loudly. Someone pushed through the crowd and rushed in, but suddenly stopped all sound, falling to his knees, followed by tremendous wailing that suddenly echoed throughout the entire garden, tearing apart all the deathly silence of this winter day.

This winter day, which seemed no different from Lian Yu’s past days.

—

Sorry, this update was originally planned to be finished yesterday with five or six thousand words to complete all the scenes, but it ended up being nearly ten thousand words by late night. The author has been out on business these past few days, carrying her laptop around. Please let this parent catch her breath—taking a break tomorrow, see you the day after. P.S. Aluo’s medicine—Suzhen didn’t take it, only drank the wine.