Yuhua Pavilion!

The main gate was tightly closed. Outside, it was surrounded by women and old men seeking medical treatment, all crowded at the entrance, anxiously peering inside.

They were all counting on getting medical treatment!

How could it suddenly close without warning?

Outside the door, there were also three or four young attendants blocking the way, afraid those people would push the door down.

The carriage stopped more than ten meters away from Yuhua Pavilion. Lang Bo pulled the reins, stopped the carriage, jumped down, and cleared a path through the crowd for Jingrong.

As soon as the two reached the entrance, the young attendant quickly opened the door, bowing to usher him inside.

Then that door closed again!

“Where is Muruo?” Jingrong asked coldly.

The young attendant pointed toward the back courtyard, looking worried: “After Master returned from the palace yesterday, he’s been in the back courtyard this whole time. Right now he’s probably still…”

Before he could finish speaking, Jingrong had already strode over.

In the spacious back courtyard, a thick smell of alcohol permeated the air.

Pungent and unpleasant.

Muruo held a wine jug in his hand, his drunken eyes squinting in intoxication. Stubble had grown on his chin, his clothes were disheveled, and his hair was in complete disarray, covering half his haggard face.

His entire person was lazily leaning against a large tree in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by wine bottles scattered in all directions.

Some lying horizontal, some vertical!

The courtyard was also in complete chaos. Tree leaves had been hacked to pieces by Muruo’s sword, some potted plants had been smashed everywhere, and mud mixed with dew stuck to the flagstones, making them very muddy.

The young attendant A’Li had been keeping watch beside him the entire time, not daring to leave, afraid he might have dark thoughts and seek death.

During this time, he had tried to persuade him several times, to no avail.

Seeing Jingrong arrive, A’Li quickly approached, anxiously pleading: “Your Highness, you must persuade Master. Ever since yesterday when Miss Kong Yu she…” He didn’t say it, only sighed: “Master is heartbroken. From yesterday until today, he’s just been drinking continuously. If this continues, what will happen? Your Highness, you must help Master!”

Tears in his eyes!

Jingrong raised his hand and waved it lightly.

A’Li raised his sleeve to wipe his tears dry, glanced worriedly at Muruo, then left.

Muruo on the ground was still pouring wine into his mouth, drinking in a daze, also mumbling something…

Looking half-dead!

Like he was soaking in a wine jar, unable to extricate himself.

Jingrong walked before him, looking down at him. After a long while, he crouched down and took the wine jug from his hand, holding it in his own hand, neither throwing it away nor drinking from it.

“Stop drinking.”

Muruo struggled to open his heavy eyelids. What met his eyes were the prince’s boots on Jingrong’s feet. His gaze moved slowly upward until it met those gloomy, hard eyes.

He laughed coldly: “Besides drinking, what else can I do now? In this world, only fine wine cannot be let down.”

“Muruo…”

“Give me the wine.”

He snatched back the wine jug and boldly poured another mouthful into his mouth. The wine flowed from his mouth down to his neck and collar.

Looking at the wine jug in a dizzy stupor, he said with a bitter laugh: “With wine in hand, three parts are poison, seven parts are tears. Those words are absolutely right.”

“I said, stop drinking.” Jingrong took the wine jug from his hands.

“Give it to me!”

He prepared to snatch it again. Jingrong hid the wine behind his back, using his other hand to press down on his shoulder, saying sternly: “If you want to drink yourself to death, I won’t stop you, but don’t die in front of me.”

“I’m not you!”

Muruo roared low, pushing him away. His elbow braced against the tree stump behind him as he stood up shakily.

His feet were soft and powerless. He stumbled backward, his back slamming hard against the mottled bark of the large tree.

Slightly drunk, he waved his wide sleeves and looked at Jingrong with a cold laugh: “From childhood until now, she only had you in her heart. She never looked at me properly. You can pretend nothing happened, but I can’t. Jingrong, do you really not feel sad at all in your heart? Are you really made of stone?”

He shouted himself hoarse!

But Jingrong remained calm, teeth clenched, saying nothing.

Muruo’s eyes brimmed with tears: “Why? What did she do wrong? Why should your imperial family’s power struggles drag her into it?”

Roaring low, nearly collapsing.

As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted his foot and kicked over a potted plant beside him.

Bang—

It shattered to pieces.

Jingrong threw the wine jug he’d taken onto the ground and said coldly: “Since things have already happened, there’s no way to reverse them. Muruo, Kong Yu wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

“Jingrong, oh Jingrong, why aren’t you sad at all?”

“…”

“We all grew up together!”

“She’s already dead.”

“Bastard!”

With that, Muruo clenched his fist and swung at Jingrong’s left cheek. But drunk, his punch had no strength. Jingrong immediately blocked it and turned to pin him against the tree behind him.

“You think I’m not sad? But right now, at this moment, I don’t have the luxury to be sad.”

“…”

“Muruo, today, I’ve been forced onto a path I don’t want to take. That path is very long—so long there’s no time for me to be sad. The person I’ve wronged most in this life is Kong Yu. I promise, I will make those who caused all this pay the price they deserve.”

His tone was twisted with ruthlessness and killing intent.

Muruo also sobered completely from his drunkenness at these words.

After a moment, Jingrong released him.

Muruo suppressed the surging pain in his heart, lowering his head in crazed bitter laughter. His body lost its weight as well, his back sliding down against the tree until he was sitting.

One hand resting on his bent knee, he looked up and laughed loudly several times.

He said: “All chess pieces, it’s all the fault of being chess pieces.”

Yes!

In this factional struggle, Kong Yu was indeed a chess piece. If not for this, she wouldn’t have had to replace Jing Xuan to be granted the title of princess, nor would she have had to replace Ji Muqing to marry the Crown Prince.

Then—

She wouldn’t have died!

Jingrong’s brow arched sharply like a needle, rising high, his eyes narrowed into a focused beam of light.

He said: “The best way to avoid becoming a chess piece is to become the person who moves the chess pieces. I should have understood this principle earlier.”

Muruo looked up: “Jingrong, can you promise me you won’t become the next Jing Yi?”

He clenched his fist tightly: “I promise you.”

After a good while, Muruo’s emotions also calmed down. His tone low and quiet, he said to Jingrong: “Before Kong Yu died, she met with Ji Yunshu.”

Hearing this, Jingrong’s heart jolted!

His eyes widened as he asked: “What did they talk about?”

Muruo shook his head.

He continued: “The day Old General Li left the capital, she also went outside the city to meet him. If you want to know the answers, go find her.”

Jingrong’s heart rose and fell uncertainly.

Muruo slowly lowered his head and said somewhat indistinctly: “Jingrong, no matter what she’s hidden from you, you must believe in her.”

In the end, Jingrong left.

As for Muruo, he sat on the cold ground for a long time…