Feng Suige anxiously downed several cups of tea. Finally, he removed the teapot lid and drank directly from it, not caring if he spilled on his clothes. Suddenly, he heard the light tinkling of the bead curtain in the inner chamber. He quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and went to meet the physician. “How is she?”

The physician bowed solemnly and said, “Your Highness, I’ve done my utmost, but the Consort…” Before he could finish, Feng Suige, face ashen, rushed into the inner chamber.

Fu Yixiao lay reclined on the couch, propped up by soft pillows. Her head tilted slightly outward, long black eyelashes resting peacefully on her eyelids. Blood seeped from her dry, cracked lips.

In that instant, the world lost all color. Feng Suige stood frozen, then suddenly snapped back to reality. He lunged forward, grabbing the physician by the collar and shouting, “You quack! How could she… How could she…” He choked on his words, his eyes reddening as he gripped the physician’s neck. “Speak! Who sent you here?!”

The physician’s face turned pale with fright. His eyes darted around, and then he called out to Feng Suige’s back, “Consort! Consort! Please wake up, His Highness is here!”

Though skeptical, Feng Suige turned to look. He saw Yixiao’s eyeballs move slightly under her lids. Her eyelashes fluttered open slowly. She asked in a confused, hoarse voice, “Why are you two embracing?”

“Yixiao!” Feng Suige immediately released the physician and rushed to her bedside. “You’re awake.” Before Yixiao could reply, he turned back fiercely to glare at the physician. “What were you about to say earlier?”

The physician stammered awkwardly, “This humble servant was trying to say that I’ve done my utmost, but the bruises on the Consort’s wrists may take some time to fade…”

Before he could finish, Feng Suige had already turned back to examine Fu Yixiao’s wrists carefully. As he gently caressed the bruised skin, he cursed angrily, “Those dogs, binding you so tightly… I’ll get some blood-activating salve from Old Qin tonight. The bruises should fade in a few days.”

Yixiao leaned in to look at her wrists in his hands and said self-mockingly, “It’s my first time wearing so many bracelets. Let me keep them for a few more days.”

“Then I’ll add another flower for you,” Feng Suige said, pretending to bite her wrist. Yixiao pulled her hand back with a laugh, “You’re in the mood for jokes? Seems you’re not worried about tomorrow’s archery competition at all.”

Feng Suige sighed, his expression darkening slightly. “Worried or not, it is what it is. There’s nothing more to think about — Father King always targets you like this. Aren’t you concerned for yourself?”

Yixiao scoffed, “Would he stop going after me if I worried? Besides, even if trouble comes, I have you as my shield.”

Feng Suige smiled and pinched her cheek. “How did I fall in love with such a carefree woman? Rest a bit more. I’ll have the kitchen prepare some nourishing soup for you.”

After a few days of recuperation, most of the carriages swept into the forest by the flood had been repaired. However, a few were damaged beyond repair by the rushing water and boulders. After much protest, Xue Ying was finally arranged to travel in the same carriage as Feng Xiyang.

As they set out, Xue Ying dozed off by the window with her eyes half-closed. Feng Xiyang sat quietly for a while, then suddenly asked, “Xue Ying, can you play the zither?”

“Zither?” Xue Ying lifted her eyelids slightly in confusion. “Why do you ask?”

Seeing that she was willing to talk, Feng Xiyang felt pleased and explained with a smile, “I’ve heard that the music and dance of Jin Xiu are unparalleled in the world. Even ordinary girls there are skilled with the zither, so I was just curious.”

Although reluctant to converse, Xue Ying answered honestly, “I learned to play the zither from my mother. Father always said she played beautifully in her youth, but when she first married him, our family’s circumstances were poor, so she set aside her music.”

Feng Xiyang smiled gently, “Since we have nothing else to do, would you mind playing a piece for me? I hope I’m not being too forward. I have no ulterior motives; I simply wish to hear the music.”

Xue Ying rested her chin on her hand and looked at Feng Xiyang for a moment before simply replying, “Alright.”

A six-stringed zither was quickly handed to Ling Xue Ying by a maid. Xue Ying closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, then slowly raised her hand. Her smooth fingertips fell on the strings, plucking out the first trembling note.

The music began like a lively young girl dancing gracefully and joyfully under the moonlight. Then it transformed into a melancholic woman gazing into the distance on a misty, rainy day, waiting for a lover with an unknown return date. Finally, the melody shifted once more, becoming a lonely, proud woman carefully applying her makeup in front of a mirror, whispering to herself, “Perhaps it’s better to forget…” With a last lingering, sorrowful refrain, the music faded away.

The carriage was very quiet. After a long while, Feng Xiyang asked in a daze, “Do you think it’s true that when love runs deep, there are no regrets?”

Xue Ying replied languidly, “Emotions are the easiest thing to guess yet the hardest to grasp. Often, they’re easy to pick up but difficult to let go.” She glanced at Feng Xiyang with a faint sigh and said softly, “There’s nothing wrong with the saying ‘when love runs deep, there are no regrets.’ But for a man like him, if this love isn’t what he needs, no matter how selfless and devoted you are, you won’t be able to move his heart.”

Feng Xiyang trembled slightly and asked instinctively, “You’re good friends with her, aren’t you? Can you tell me where I fall short compared to her?”

Xue Ying shook her head and chuckled lightly, “The emotions of this world aren’t like the black and white pieces on a game board that you can arrange at will. If he could fall in love with you so easily, he wouldn’t be Xia Jingshi.”

“But I only love him,” Feng Xiyang’s voice grew softer. “I’m not asking for much. I just want to be by his side. If he could show me even a fraction of the kindness he shows her — even just a tiny bit. But I don’t know why our relationship keeps getting worse. Like this time, I didn’t mean to throw that hairpin down. I didn’t know he would…”

“This incident has nothing to do with you,” Xue Ying finally interrupted. “Really. Xiao Canjun told Ning Fei that His Highness said he just had an impulse to pick up the hairpin. He didn’t expect to fall, let alone slide so deep. So this time, it’s not your fault. Actually, until now, I’ve been unsure how to address you — whether to call you Xiyang, Princess, or Lady Wang. But I’ve always wanted to tell you that you don’t need to mind Yixiao’s existence. Everything that’s happened has nothing to do with Yixiao because she and His Highness never truly began anything…”

“Really?!” Xiyang’s eyes suddenly lit up with a dazzling light. “Nothing ever happened between them?”

Xue Ying stared at her for a moment, then sighed, “What I wanted to tell you is that his heart is like a stagnant pool of water. No matter how big a stone you throw in, it will only cause a momentary ripple…”

Feng Xiyang cut her off urgently, “No if they never started anything, I can do it. I really can!”

“Then,” Xue Ying put down the zither and stood up, “I’ll tell you two things. First, that hairpin belongs to Yixiao. Second, the last time he coughed up blood was because he learned Yixiao had written asking for the hairpin back.” Unable to bear the sudden emptiness in Feng Xiyang’s eyes, she added, “Let it go,” as she reached to lift the carriage curtain.

“Ling Xue Ying,” Feng Xiyang’s cold voice came from behind, “You’re too cruel.”

Xue Ying paused but didn’t turn back. She replied, “If I were truly cruel, I wouldn’t have told you any of this.”