As they left the torture chamber, filled with the stench of blood, excrement, and urine, Yi Xiao finally couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed to a nearby flower tree to retch. Feng Sui Ge quickly caught up, sympathetically patting her back. “You’re just being stubborn—you could have left this to me, but you insisted on doing it yourself!”

Yi Xiao crouched for a while until she calmed down a bit. Hearing his words, she smiled bitterly, “There are some things that, as the regent prince, you absolutely cannot do. But I’m different. I’m already the poisonous flower and grass they speak of, so being a little more poisonous doesn’t matter.”

Feng Sui Ge sighed, “We’ve already been interrogated this far. Leave the rest to me from now on.” Yi Xiao raised her head firmly. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating brilliant patches of light. “No, I want to root out the mastermind behind this with my own hands, to avenge Gu Yu!”

“Impossible!” Consort Zhuang screamed, her face contorted and completely lacking in decorum. “Father told me that he had instructed them. Once the heat dies down, he would find a way to release them. They couldn’t possibly reveal anything during the interrogation!”

Feng Qi Shan sat nearby with a gloomy face. Hearing this, he coldly rebuked, “Those useless fools confessed everything after just one round of torture, and you’re still saying it’s impossible?”

Consort Zhuang threw herself at Feng Qi Shan’s feet, clutching his knees and bursting into tears. “I beg Your Majesty to save my father and brothers.” Feng Qi Shan narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment before sighing, “It’s difficult. If this goes wrong, not only will we be unable to protect them, but I will also be implicated.” He then became angry again, “It’s all because of you a lot! You swore it was foolproof, but look at the result!”

Consort Zhuang held onto his legs tightly, sobbing, “It was unexpected. Please, Your Majesty, show mercy…” Feng Qi Shan irritably pushed her away and stood up, pacing back and forth for several rounds. He suddenly stopped. “It’s not completely hopeless.”

Hearing this, Consort Zhuang immediately stopped crying and looked up with her tear-stained face, bewildered. “What hope?” Before Feng Qi Shan could answer, footsteps were heard from outside. A man dressed as an attendant slipped in, bowed, and then whispered something in Feng Qi Shan’s ear.

Feng Qi Shan’s expression changed dramatically. He anxiously asked, “Is it true?” The man hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, “Everyone present saw it, but whether it’s true or not hasn’t been confirmed yet.” Feng Qi Shan’s face showed a mix of emotions. After a while, he waved his hand, dismissing the man.

Consort Zhuang approached, puzzled. “Your Majesty…” Feng Qi Shan gritted his teeth and said, “Fu Yi Xiao might be pregnant!”

Another bout of heavy rain fell. Yi Xiao stood under the eaves, her eyes reflecting an indescribable weariness and sorrow. Is this what all royal courts are like? Such open and covert struggles, without even a sense of right and wrong… But Gu Yu is dead and can never come back. Even if the culprits are found, he still won’t return.

The whole incident was masterminded by Consort Zhuang’s father and brothers but with Feng Qi Shan’s support. Perhaps “support” is too strong a word, but without his tacit consent, how could those people have entered the heavily guarded forest?!

Feng Sui Ge must be aware of this too, right?

Can they still make grand promises of eternal love as before?

Born as enemies, yet love grew between them. Who betrayed whom? Would he truly forsake his country and closest kin for the pleasure of her embrace?

Caught in this situation, they were no longer in control of their fates.

“Junior Consort,” a maid called softly from afar, standing in the corridor. “The Prince has instructed the kitchen to prepare some snow frog cream. Would you like to have it now?”

“Snow frog cream?” Yi Xiao frowned. “I don’t eat such things. Save it for the Prince.”

The maid didn’t leave. Instead, she revealed a strange expression and stepped forward. “The Junior Consort’s tastes indeed haven’t changed…” Yi Xiao glanced at her and said coolly, “I didn’t know servants had so much to say.” The maid wasn’t deterred by her coldness and continued, “The old madam’s death anniversary is approaching. How does the Junior Consort plan to arrange the memorial service?”

Yi Xiao turned her head sharply, looking at her for a moment. Suppressing the surge in her heart, she returned a cold smile. “That’s not something you should concern yourself with. I’m more curious about how you know the date of my mother’s death anniversary.”

The maid didn’t answer but continued speaking, “This servant has already started selecting plain white fabric to be given to skilled weavers to make a ceremonial dress for the Junior Consort to wear during the memorial. The old madam’s spirit in heaven will surely be delighted to see the Junior Consort wearing her favorite color…”

“Who are you?!” Yi Xiao’s heart almost leaped out of her throat. The only one who would know these things was…

“This servant is just a maid in the household,” the maid smiled. “I was just asked to inform the Junior Consort that although she doesn’t like vegetables, she shouldn’t avoid them completely…”

“Where is he?” Yi Xiao almost shouted.

It was another dream. In the dream, he approached with a smile, but just as she stretched out her arms to welcome him, he walked past her. Not far behind her stood a figure in fiery red.

She couldn’t move. She could only watch as her husband, right in front of her, embraced another woman.

The two figures intertwined passionately. The rustle of clothes, coy moans, loving smiles, and the occasional subtle smacking sounds from their lips mixed with intermittent gasps and low groans.

Yi Xiao, Yi Xiao, Yi Xiao… It was him murmuring, but as it reached her ears, it became a deafening roar like mountains collapsing and seas surging. It was both fiery hot and desolate, both wild and violent, yet also grieving and desperate.

A terrifying floral scent drifted through the air. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. She wanted to cry but had no tears. Finally, in a frantic struggle, she broke free from the dream and suddenly opened her eyes, sitting up abruptly.

She was drenched in cold sweat.

After a long while, Feng Xi Yang let out a soft sigh and slowly lay back down on her pillow.

He harbored a cold heart, digging an insurmountable chasm between them. This feeling was like a poisoned wine – warm and mellow upon entering the mouth, yet with a sharp, metallic edge. As it slid down the throat, it burned painfully to the heart.

She had thought that just seeing him every day would make her happy, that being by his side often would be satisfying. But in the end, she found that there was no way to deceive herself.

She remembered a palace consort saying that resentment makes people ugly, but she didn’t know how not to resent.

Wanting to let go but unable to, wanting to possess but unable to have – it was because her love was selfish that she couldn’t tolerate it. She couldn’t tolerate being ignored, couldn’t tolerate another person in his heart.

It truly was as the Empress Dowager said – a karmic entanglement.

With nothing else to do, tomorrow, she would go and talk to the Empress Dowager again.