“Eat more.”

A slight breeze stirred beside her as Li Zhaoting sat next to her, speaking indifferently, then used his chopsticks to place chicken in her bowl. Suzhen was completely unprepared and couldn’t avoid it. She pursed her lips, picked out the food, and threw it on the table.

Li Zhaoting frowned but said nothing. He seemed to think of something and said, “This food was prepared by the Imperial Kitchen. It’s been replaced twice to ensure you could eat hot food the moment you woke. Though it’s summer, hot food is still better. If you find it cold, I’ll have them prepare another table.”

Suzhen remained silent, continuing to eat.

Li Zhaoting glanced at her, paused, then said, “I know what you’re thinking. Su…”

He stopped here, suddenly realizing that all these years, he seemed to have rarely called her name formally. He and she usually addressed each other as “you”—you this, you that—while she often cheerfully called him Young Master Li, or Zhaoting.

Others mostly called him Young Master Li too, but her “Young Master Li” was somewhat different from others—not distant.

After she came to the capital and changed her name to Li Huaisu, it was probably because of him.

She hoped he would think of her.

Thinking of this, he found it somewhat amusing, reflecting that he truly shouldn’t have hit her earlier. But regarding how to address her… he coughed lightly and skipped it, only saying, “Your food being cut off wasn’t my order.”

“It was…” His gaze deepened, and he didn’t state the fact he understood clearly, instead saying, “Palace servants spread my angry words incorrectly, and the Food Bureau misunderstood.”

Suzhen paused slightly at this. She felt no grateful tears, nor did she think he held any past affection for her. She thought of the saying about predecessors planting trees for successors to enjoy shade—regardless of how he had once been wary of her father, he still somewhat valued her father’s kindness.

Therefore, when she threatened him with Aluo, he ultimately didn’t kill her.

But how he treated her child—that she would never forget!

Seeing her still silent, Li Zhaoting’s expression darkened somewhat.

“I sent a female official from the Palace Supervisor Bureau to attend to you. You’ll have someone to care for you from now on,” he said.

Suzhen still didn’t respond, only eating heartily.

Li Zhaoting pursed his lips, thinking she was seriously injured but not crying or being delicate. He hadn’t had dinner either and had been bathing and changing here while waiting. Feeling somewhat hungry now, he took a bowl and chopsticks, served himself half a bowl of rice, and began eating quietly.

Suzhen watched coldly, seeing him eat elegantly but frowning slightly—probably because the food had cooled. Lian Yu was also of noble status, far more so than him, but was never like this. He could even eat her leftovers, content with two or three bowls of rice with or without dishes.

This man was more like a noble young master.

She thought of Lian Yu, and amid this desolation felt unexpectedly warm. She had once asked him why her, and he said because the person he met that year wasn’t someone else—it was her.

She hadn’t understood before, but now she somewhat did.

Because for her too, in the most important years, the person she met wasn’t someone else—it was him.

But now, no matter how much she understood, it was too late.

Thinking this, she smiled slightly.

Li Zhaoting’s hand holding the chopsticks also paused slightly. Was she also remembering past times?

“Zhen’er,” he called softly—her family seemed to call her this way. But she seemed not to notice at all, slowly standing and saying, “I’m finished eating. Please take your time.”

She finally spoke, but only to leave the table. She was never like a proper lady, casually wiping her mouth with her hand.

He stood and took her hand, pulling out a clean handkerchief from his robes and offering it to her.

Once, she had been grinding ink for him in the morning light in his study, getting her hands dirty. That day he had gained Quan Feitong’s approval to participate in next year’s imperial examinations and was in quite good spirits. He had taken out his handkerchief to wipe her hands clean. She was so happy she seemed foolish, secretly hiding his handkerchief, saying she’d wash it clean before returning it. Later, she never returned it.

Suzhen didn’t take it.

Li Zhaoting’s hand remained extended, his cheeks tightening. After a long moment, without withdrawing his hand, he slowly placed the silk cloth on the table.

“Where are Lian Jie and the others? Bring them here—we’re leaving the palace immediately,” she said coldly.

Li Zhaoting’s heart sank abruptly.

“You didn’t hear clearly what I said earlier—”

She interrupted him, “I said I want to leave the palace. I released Aluo—please keep your promise too. Young Master, you won’t go back on your word, will you?”

Her gaze grew colder.

Li Zhaoting rarely saw her treat anyone so icily, but remembering that moment earlier, he tried to suppress his anger and spoke indifferently, “What I said naturally counts.”

“I’ll release them, but that doesn’t include you.”

Hearing this, Suzhen was stunned. After a long moment, anger flared, “You clearly promised to safely escort us out of the capital, yet now you want to detain me? Li Zhaoting, you made that promise before your subordinates. You’re about to ascend the throne—the new ruler of Great Zhou. An emperor’s word cannot be taken lightly. Could you be even more shameless!”

Li Zhaoting narrowed his eyes at her, watching her bare her claws, and smiled instead of getting angry.

“Miss Feng, the shameless one isn’t me—you simply didn’t listen carefully. I said ‘them’ twice, not ‘you all’! We’ve known each other for years. I remember your memory isn’t poor—why don’t you recall exactly what I said then?”

Suzhen immediately broke into a cold sweat. At that time she was dizzy and about to collapse—how could she carefully distinguish his true meaning? She couldn’t remember clearly, but his reminder made her vaguely recall that he indeed hadn’t said “you all.”

In terms of scheming, how could she compare to him!

He was angry she had threatened him with Aluo—he never intended to let her leave.

“Are you making me apologize to your beloved lady? Fine, I’ll go. Let me go, let me leave this place!” Agitated, she shouted at him across the dining table.

But Li Zhaoting remained composed, calmly watching her urgency and anger, as if wanting to grind away all her sharp edges before proceeding.

Suzhen felt a wave of sorrow—this was the man she had once loved for over ten years. Without thinking, she raised her hand to strike him—

Only halfway up, her hand was firmly caught in his palm!

He gripped her pressure point, making her whole body go limp.

This was characteristic of those who knew martial arts—precise pressure point knowledge.

Yes, he wasn’t Lian Yu—how could he let her vent freely? He had always been the lofty Young Master Li, deceiving her to pick flowers, deceiving her that he would marry her, deceiving her… She hadn’t even known he knew martial arts until that day when he shot an arrow to save her worthless life. She remembered that year when he was ill—Madam Li didn’t like her, so she climbed the wall into his house, staying by his side, bringing him soup and medicine… Fearing he was overworking, she tried every way to bring him to the valley, weaving flower crowns for him, performing skits she’d seen at the theater, telling him she never sought a husband’s official success—only his health and happiness.

Unable to cook, she begged Hong Xiao to make many dishes, packed them in a large bundle, and carried them over herself.

On the return journey, encountering bandits, she didn’t hesitate to shield him…

He must have found it quite amusing then—her being so foolish.

She often said love never needed life-and-death proof. Through blooming flowers and falling petals, through long flowing years, she had given him everything—no great bloodshed, no many tears, but every bit was a whole heart.

Even when she no longer loved him, in the underground cellar, she absolutely couldn’t watch him die before her eyes. Without love, there were still memories.

Even later with Lian Yu, though she gave herself completely and pledged life and death, she no longer had the opportunity to invest so much thought and effort.

“Zhaoting, do you have any heart at all?” Finally, her voice gradually lowered, losing all intensity.

Her gaze fell to the dust on the ground. For him, she had once lowered herself into the dust, but now she could never bloom again.

Her expression held vast grayness, seeming even more aged than when seen during the day. Li Zhaoting’s heart felt as if someone had reached in to grab it, squeezing bit by bit—seemingly painful, seemingly sour, a very unpleasant feeling.

He drew a breath and forcefully pulled her into his embrace.

“You needn’t be sad. I’m keeping you here, and it has nothing to do with Aluo. Your… your father may have betrayed me, but he saved my mother and me—that’s an unchangeable fact. Your brother is also my friend. I’m keeping you here because once you leave the palace, Wei Chenghui will never let you go. After a month, without the constraint of my promise, if he secretly captures you and I don’t know, you’ll die. Feng Suzhen, I don’t want you to die.”

“In this palace, under my protection, you’ll be safe. I… our engagement—I’ll restore it. I’ll marry you and give you status. Though not as primary wife and empress, in the future your… children, if outstanding enough, I’ll consider them alongside the legitimate wife’s and other higher-ranking consorts’ children as potential heirs.”

She had been struggling fiercely, but hearing this, she became completely quiet! Li Zhaoting held her close, not knowing her thoughts. The surroundings were unusually quiet. He paused again and added, “Consider it… completely repaying your father’s life-saving grace from years ago.”