In the following days, Li Zhaoting recuperated from his injuries in the side hall and didn’t come over. He seemed extremely reluctant to let her see his weak and disheveled state, but every day he would still spare half an hour to come teach her swordwork. When he was present, he also permitted Leng Xue to come and accompany them.

But on this night, awakening from a nightmare, Suzhen suddenly discovered him standing silently by her bedside, gazing deeply at her.

She was startled, and so was he. He immediately left without a word.

The next day, she sent someone to ask Li Zhaoting to come over.

Li Zhaoting arrived just in time for the meal. Looking at his complexion, he had already recovered considerably.

Suzhen had no intention of being hospitable to him, but the palace maids didn’t think this way. They immediately served rice and arranged dishes. Li Zhaoting glanced at her and slowly sat down: “What is it?”

“Please arrange the memorial service,” Suzhen said.

“Wait until you’re feeling better,” he replied.

Suzhen shook her head: “I’m already much better. I don’t want to delay any longer. When they departed, I couldn’t see them off. I owe them a cup of wine.”

Seeing her determination, Li Zhaoting said no more and nodded.

Suzhen didn’t want to disturb the people in the palace, so she chose the evening.

Watching the carriage depart into the distance, a palace maid also quietly slipped away from the shadows outside the hall.

Soon after, another carriage quietly followed in the direction of the imperial convoy, leaving the palace.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, yet another carriage drove out of the palace.

The memorial site Suzhen chose was on the city tower.

From there, one could see the situation both inside and outside the imperial court.

Xuanwu, Ming Yanchu, and Huo Chang’an had all departed beneath the city gates.

She requested that Leng Xue be brought along as well, and Li Zhaoting agreed.

Several garrison commanders on the city tower were very careful in their attendance. Because cracks had been discovered in several sections of the wall earlier, reported by soldiers, new sections had been built in the past two days. The ground hadn’t been completely cleaned yet, and there were still water stains in some places.

Suzhen became interested and deliberately chose to walk through the muddy areas, splashing through puddles and spattering Li Zhaoting, who was beside her, with half his body. The commanders felt uneasy for a moment, fearing Li Zhaoting would blame them, but the emperor seemed to be in quite good spirits at this time, his lips constantly wearing a faint smile.

Suzhen burned the paper money she had brought, watching the flickering flames and ashes scattering in the air, pouring cup after cup of wine onto the ground.

Li Zhaoting stood far away with his hands behind his back, accompanied by Si Lanfeng and several others. Xiao Si watched her, but now dared neither to be angry nor speak.

Watching the last bit of firelight scatter in the air, Suzhen said: “I’m finished.”

Li Zhaoting walked over: “Then let’s return.”

“I’d like to stay a while longer. Will you keep me company?” Suzhen said softly.

Rarely receiving such an invitation, Li Zhaoting was delighted and nodded with a smile.

Suzhen looked at the soldiers on the city tower: “Can you have them go down as well? I’d like to have some quiet time.”

Though Si Lanfeng felt Suzhen couldn’t harm Li Zhaoting, his duty as a subject made him immediately object: “Your Majesty, let this subordinate remain. I’ll stand far away and definitely won’t disturb Your Majesty and Magistrate Li—”

“Just go down,” Li Zhaoting said without thinking, then pointed at Leng Xue: “Take him down with you as well.”

“Is that acceptable?” he asked Suzhen again.

Suzhen nodded. Leng Xue said nothing and followed Si Lanfeng as they left.

In an instant, the soldiers withdrew to below the city tower, leaving only a sky full of stars and the two of them on the tower.

Suzhen shrank her neck from the cold. Li Zhaoting immediately removed his outer robe and draped it over her.

Suzhen didn’t refuse—it wasn’t about anything else, and there was no need to make things difficult for herself.

“Zhaoting, if you had been even a little bit good to me that day, we wouldn’t have come to this point today.” She gazed into the distance, slightly lost in thought, speaking slowly.

Li Zhaoting’s heart suddenly tightened, his hands clenched tightly beneath his sleeves.

“I know it’s too late, but have you ever thought that you like Lian Yu only because he’s good to you? He’s not truly the man you love most.” His voice was hoarse, yet he couldn’t help revealing a trace of unwilling sharpness.

He had thought this more than once, and more than once she had refuted him. He waited for her to refute him again, but heard her say lightly: “Lian Yu wasn’t necessarily always good to me either. He clearly didn’t die, yet he didn’t come looking for me immediately. Otherwise, things between you and me wouldn’t have…”

She stopped speaking here, her eyes lowering slightly.

Li Zhaoting’s heart raced wildly, but he was overjoyed! Concern makes one confused—how had he not thought of this thorn between her and Lian Yu!

She actually understood everything; she just never spoke of it. Perhaps it was because some of his actions had opened her heart slightly, or perhaps it meant nothing—just that on this night, thinking of old friends, she felt sad.

But regardless!

“So, couldn’t you consider me more? Perhaps you’ll discover that we just encountered a fork in the road and took the wrong path, but now we’ve finally found our way back together.”

He wanted to take her hand but forcibly restrained himself, only watching her, pushing his words bit by bit into her heart.

She didn’t respond. After a long while, she suddenly said: “Could you go buy me some almond cakes? I’m craving them.”

He immediately said: “When we return to the palace, I’ll have them made immediately. The palace has the finest imperial chefs.”

Suzhen shook her head: “I just want to eat the ones from that street near the Prefecture Office. There’s a shop whose flavor is very similar to those from Huai County.”

As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something and laughed: “I was being improper. If anything needs buying, I should have the guards do it. To actually ask you… it’s not like before.”

“Even if it were before, it wouldn’t have been appropriate.” She laughed twice and said no more, taking a sip from the wine bottle.

Clearly, reminiscing about old friends, she wasn’t happy tonight.

Li Zhaoting almost immediately said: “I’ll go buy them for you.”

“If I want to add some wine, may I ask them?” Suzhen shook the empty bottle.

“If you need anything, just call the officers and soldiers here. I’ll tell them to treat it as my command. But don’t drink too much. I’ll go and return quickly—wait for me.”

Suzhen’s eyes flickered slightly, as if she hadn’t expected him to be like this. He smiled at her gently and had already walked down quickly.

Suzhen stood alone for a while, then beckoned to a captain below the tower.

The man had apparently been specifically instructed by Li Zhaoting—he neither disturbed her nor watched her every move, ready for her commands.

The person quickly came up.

“What are your orders, Miss?”

His question was also extremely respectful.

“Please tell Leng Xue to come up,” Suzhen said, then seemed to remember something and asked with a smile: “By the way, did His Majesty remember to give you any verbal orders just now?”

A carriage entered the First Rank Marquis’s mansion.

Two figures in luxurious clothing descended from the carriage. The steward had been waiting on the side and led them inside, finally stopping in front of the study.

“The Marquis is waiting inside. Your Majesties…”

He was about to push open the door when it opened by itself.

“Please enter, Empress.”

Wei Chenghui appeared from behind the door, addressing one of them.

The lamplight fell on the visitor, revealing a face slightly haggard but still beautiful and graceful. This unexpected guest was none other than A Luo.

A Luo, who should have been in the Cold Palace.

The other woman beside her was undoubtedly Wei Wulei.

A Luo said nothing and followed the two inside. The steward served tea and then left, closing the door.

Only the three of them remained in the room.

A Luo picked up the covered bowl, still not speaking. Wei Chenghui wasn’t anxious either and slowly began: “The situation has already been explained to the Empress by Consort Wei. What does Your Majesty say?”

A Luo’s hand scraping the tea foam suddenly stopped.

“Are the Marquis and Sister Wei certain it’s that person?” she said with a tense voice.

Wei Wulei’s expression carried a trace of confusion: “It seems like her, yet doesn’t seem like her. But regardless of whether it is or isn’t, this person is our great enemy, Sister Empress.”

A Luo suddenly laughed: “Sister Wei is mistaken. Whether it is or isn’t, she’s only your enemy, not ours.”

“I’m just a deposed empress in the Cold Palace. How could it concern me?”

She spoke with mockery and no small amount of sarcasm.

Wei Chenghui showed no displeasure, slowly saying: “Your Majesty, this old minister just wants one word from you—is the child in your womb His Majesty’s offspring?”

A Luo’s face immediately changed, and she laughed in extreme anger: “Whether this is His Majesty’s offspring—anyone with a brain should understand it’s not! I am the noble Empress; how could I ruin my own future?”

“Sister, you shouldn’t say such things. Isn’t this suggesting His Majesty can’t think clearly?” Wei Wulei sighed.

A Luo sneered without speaking. Wei Chenghui smiled: “His Majesty is just momentarily angry. Such a clever person—how could he not understand? Besides, this minister will certainly advise him well. The day when the Empress returns to the central palace is just around the corner.”

A Luo’s expression softened. How could she not understand what the Wei father and daughter were calculating? They wanted her to join them in restraining that person—regardless of whether the other party was that person or someone new!

Miaoyin was a faction unto herself and wouldn’t ally with them, but she needed to rely on their help.

Even though she was also a threat to them, to Wei Chenghui, that person was even more fearsome.

Moreover, after bringing down that person, they could still use her against Miaoyin.

But regardless, for her, it was still better than the current situation! If she had a chance to turn things around, who could say who would emerge victorious in the end?