Without waiting for Wei Xianfei to give the order, Xin Yun read the room with quiet perceptiveness and led the other maids in withdrawing.

With only three people left in the room, conversation came much more freely.

Wei Yan spoke with a grave expression: “Elder Sister, this Master Yu was introduced to the Emperor by Prince Yan. I keep feeling that there is something not quite right about all of this.”

“Indeed! When I heard of it, I too felt something was off.” Wei Xianfei let out a long sigh, her brow knitting tightly: “There is no such thing as a pill of immortality in this world. The Emperor has truly aged — all his former sharpness and decisiveness are gone, replaced by this partial trust in such people.”

Entering the palace had not been her wish, yet they had spent so many years together, and she had borne him Princess An Ya. It was impossible for her to feel nothing at all for the Emperor. Only — whatever feelings she held could not withstand the grinding erosion of the deep palace.

Wei Yan pressed his lips together, a flash of cool detachment crossing his eyes: “What the whole world understands, the Emperor alone refuses to see. He is set upon pills and the pursuit of immortality, and with Prince Yan fanning the flames from the side — this farce of a situation is difficult to know when it will end.”

As he spoke, he naturally glanced over at Ling Jingshu.

Ling Jingshu looked back as well.

Their eyes met, and both could read the same thought in the other’s gaze.

Bring ruin upon yourself, and you have only yourself to blame!

Prince Yan clearly harbored schemes against the Emperor, and the Emperor had been blinded by Prince Yan’s display of “filial devotion,” trusting him without question. Whatever fate awaited him in the future would be entirely of his own making.

This level of struggle was beyond their ability to influence, and they had no desire to become entangled in it.

Let the Crown Grandson and Prince Yan wage their open and hidden battle. All they needed was to keep themselves safe.

Wei Xianfei’s heart was weighed down, and she had no mood for further conversation. She made some casual excuse and left, leaving the room to Wei Yan and Ling Jingshu.

……

The moment the door closed, Ling Jingshu fell into a warm and solid embrace.

A familiar scent surrounded her, and a gentle warmth enveloped her — driving away all the cold and unease.

“Wei Yan,” Ling Jingshu raised her head. “I have something I need to tell you…”

“Shh. Say it in a moment.”

Those last words dissolved completely between lips and tongues that intertwined.

Wei Yan’s kiss was both tender and fervent — beginning with a soft, unhurried caress, until she was intoxicated and limp within his arms, and only then did he deepen the pressure, claiming her lips entirely.

It was just like the man himself: seemingly gentle and composed on the surface, yet with a quiet certainty within — drawing closer to her step by step, causing her to let down all her defenses and accept his presence.

Ling Jingshu’s own breath grew gradually more urgent, her hands wrapping around his neck of their own accord.

After a long, lingering moment, Wei Yan lifted his head slightly. Their foreheads rested against each other, breaths intermingled, and in his eyes was a clear reflection of her flushed cheeks.

“A’Shu,” Wei Yan said, his voice warm with amusement and contentment. “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me? What is it?”

Ling Jingshu made an effort to calm her unsteady heartbeat and steadied herself. “Let go of me first.”

They were standing so close, both clinging to each other’s warmth and warmth — hardly the state of mind for serious matters.

Wei Yan laughed helplessly, but obediently released his hold.

Ling Jingshu took the opportunity to step back a few paces. The blush had not yet faded from her cheeks, but her heart was gradually growing calm. Without any circumlocution, she asked directly, “Wei Yan — when did you know that Qiao Yun was the Crown Grandson’s person?”

Wei Yan’s expression did not change. He said calmly, “I suspected as much long ago.”

Ling Jingshu: “……”

“When you traveled from Dingzhou to the capital, besides coming to treat Ling Xiao’s illness, you had other hidden purposes. Given how careful and meticulous you are, the people at your side should have been those whose backgrounds you knew inside and out. Bai Yu is your personal maidservant. That Qiao Yun, however, was merely someone you happened to rescue along the road — she later sold herself into service at the Ling household and became your maidservant. For you to bring someone like that into the palace, her background could not have been ordinary.”

Wei Yan looked at Ling Jingshu steadily. “Your every word and action within the palace, the Crown Grandson knew of in full. Putting these two things together — how could I have failed to work out the connection?”

Those gentle, composed eyes were, in this moment, unusually focused — even revealing a sharpness and intensity rarely seen in him.

Ling Jingshu suddenly lost her courage to meet his gaze. She lowered her head slightly, avoiding his eyes. “I’m sorry. I kept this from you all along.”

“In truth, I had long since pledged my loyalty to the Crown Grandson and was quietly gathering information for him. The matter of Princess Changping’s secret plot against Prince Consort Xu — it was I who had previously warned the Crown Grandson. The Crown Grandson then had people watch Princess Changping’s every movement, which is how the evidence was successfully obtained.”

At this point, Ling Jingshu paused, then raised her head again. A faint, bittersweet smile touched the corners of her lips. “Wei Yan, I’m sorry. I should not have kept you in the dark all this time…”

“A’Shu — do we really need to keep saying sorry to each other?” Wei Yan gave a helpless smile and cut off Ling Jingshu’s self-reproach. “If I truly minded, I would not have exposed this layer between us. Nor would I have allowed you to pass messages to the Crown Grandson of your own accord.”

Ling Jingshu’s whole body gave a slight tremor, her voice carrying a faint quiver as well: “Wei Yan — do you truly not mind? Are you truly not blaming me?”

Wei Yan nodded, clean and decisive: “No. I have never minded, and I have never blamed you. From the very beginning, I already knew that the Crown Grandson was in love with you.”

“I am confident that in both appearance and character I am in no way inferior to him, and my feelings for you are far more steadfast than his. You are not a woman who covets riches and splendor, nor one who would bow to power and position. I am the one in this world who loves you most, and the one who suits you best.”

“If anyone ought to be jealous and resentful, it is him — and certainly not me!”

His tone was suffused with thorough confidence and pride.

The anxiety that had unsettled Ling Jingshu’s heart for so long abruptly fell back into place. A wave of relieved joy welled up within her.

Precious treasures in this world are easy to find; a sincere heart is rare. Rarer still is to have such a gentle, deeply devoted, understanding, and considerate man who wholeheartedly loves you and trusts you.

Unable to contain her feelings, Ling Jingshu threw herself into Wei Yan’s embrace and murmured softly, “Wei Yan — meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life.”

Soft warmth in his arms, the beloved’s tender, heartfelt words beside his ear.

In a moment like this, the only man who could hold back would be a saint — certainly not an ordinary man.

A fierce, barely-restrained ache surged through Wei Yan’s heart. He held her tightly, the force of his arms so great it seemed as though he wished to press her into his very being.

Ling Jingshu quickly became aware of an unusual change in his body, and the heat in her cheeks flared suddenly and intensely. She pushed firmly against Wei Yan’s chest with both hands. “Stop that! I still have many important things to tell you.”

Wei Yan buried his head against her shoulder, his voice filled with suppressed urgency and rapid, shallow breaths: “Don’t move.”

He had already been holding himself back with great difficulty. And now she was squirming about in his arms like this — it was like pouring a basin of hot oil onto an already-burning fire. If it were not for his extraordinary self-control, and the fact that the time and place were utterly unsuitable, he would likely have lost his restraint long ago…

Ling Jingshu did not dare to move at all, and settled quietly and compliantly against his chest, waiting for him to calm down.