On the other end, Zhou Weizhao escorted Song Chuyi out of the palace but was in no hurry to immediately take her back to the Earl of Changning’s residence. He first led her to see Ma San and the others. Ma San and his men, while guarding that survivor, had been attacked from both sides and nearly lost their lives—they had truly picked up their lives from the edge of a blade. After recuperating for more than half a month, they still couldn’t get out of bed.

As soon as Song Chuyi entered, she saw Ma San’s wife and daughter wiping tears as they came out. She stood there momentarily stunned when Qing Ying and Qing Tao had already come forward—they couldn’t follow Song Chuyi into the palace and had returned to the Earl of Changning’s residence during this time. Today Qing Zhuo had brought them out, fearing Song Chuyi would be inconvenienced without anyone to attend her. Though they believed their young lady would certainly be fine, seeing her with their own eyes was still more reassuring. They breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes brimming with tears as they called out “Young Lady,” standing on her left and right, then held aside the door curtain for her and Zhou Weizhao.

Ma San lay on the bed, his feet wrapped thickly, his face also covered with thick layers of gauze. Because of the autumn tiger heat wave, it was unbearably hot. Only a bamboo mat was spread on the bed. Song Chuyi saw that his whole person had swollen up a size and knew he was probably injured everywhere. Her heart felt somewhat blocked—from the time she had requested these men from her uncle, they had followed her through life and death situations. At first, besides genuine loyalty, she had harbored some wariness, but after these years together, their relationship had long since become more than just master and servant. At this moment, seeing Ma San’s battered and scarred appearance, the scene of that day’s brush with death surfaced before her eyes again.

She instinctively turned to look at Zhou Weizhao. Seeing him still standing there well and whole, the tightness in her chest eased somewhat. She sat on the round stool Qing Ying had moved over, pursed her lips, and looked at the grinning Ma San: “This matter—we’ve implicated you…”

Ma San hastily waved his hand, wrapped like a pig’s trotter, shaking it desperately, spitting out words unclearly: “You can’t say that… Following Uncle naturally is good, but how could it compare to following you? Inside and outside the household all rely on you. My daughter even has a match arranged now. Back when we were forced up the mountain to become bandits and couldn’t even find a bite to eat, we never imagined we could have such good days. We told you back then—this life can be thrown away for you. Besides, I’m not dead yet, am I? Don’t worry about me!”

He spoke readily, but the expression on Song Chuyi’s face gradually grew darker—she hadn’t noticed just now, but hearing Ma San speak now, she realized even his front teeth had been knocked out, causing him to spray spittle as he talked.

She couldn’t stay there any longer. She mumbled a response and walked outside, standing under the jujube tree in the courtyard for a long while.

Zhou Weizhao glanced at Qing Ying and Qing Tao. Seeing they had voluntarily withdrawn, he patted Song Chuyi’s shoulder: “Besides Master Hu, Imperial Physician Huang is also extremely skilled in treating injuries from falls and blows. Later when he comes to fix two teeth for Ma San, he’ll be just like before again.”

He thought for a moment. Seeing Song Chuyi still maintaining a stern face, he tilted his head and made a suggesting expression: “If you still feel it’s not enough, why not send him two pure gold ones to install? Turn them into two big gold teeth.”

Song Chuyi had originally looked on the verge of tears. Hearing this, imagining what Ma San would look like with gold teeth, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing. After laughing, she looked at Zhou Weizhao and sighed: “The road ahead is long and difficult.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Seeing her smile, Zhou Weizhao smiled too, looking relieved. His brows and eyes relaxed. Though he had a pair of beautiful, upturned peach blossom eyes, they never appeared feminine or frivolous. Instead, they added several points of elegant handsomeness compared to ordinary people. His eyes were as bright as the finest black pearls, bottomless: “As long as we’re together, there’s nothing to fear.”

From the moment Song Chuyi chose to marry him, she knew what a difficult path lay ahead. If it weren’t difficult, in her previous life, it wouldn’t have been Prince Duan’s turn to ascend to the throne.

Thinking of this, she wanted both to laugh and to sigh. All manner of thoughts finally transformed into a cold laugh—when the mountain has no tiger, the monkey becomes king. The Crown Prince and Prince Gong, these two legitimate sons of Emperor Jianzhang, fought each other to the death, both suffering losses, and in the end, it benefited Prince Duan.

Even more laughable was the Crown Prince. Thinking once again of the flash flood Zhou Weizhao encountered on the road in her previous life, Song Chuyi’s heart immediately grew colder—Zhou Weizhao was no fool. Several years after returning, he helped the Crown Prince step by step squeeze Prince Duan until he had no place to stand. Such a capable and clear-minded person, with Longhu Mountain masters protecting him, still managed to die on the road.

This made no sense, absolutely no sense. Song Chuyi thought again of Yangquan, how that gang of bald donkeys at Huangjue Temple had wanted to create the illusion of a landslide on the road to kill them, and felt even more chilled. Zhou Weizhao hadn’t taken the official road, and his itinerary should have been absolutely confidential. Those who knew about it, aside from the Crown Princess, were only the Crown Prince who was on his deathbed at the time—later, when Prince Dongping could so cleanly and efficiently inform Prince Duan and profit from it, to say there was no guidance from the Crown Prince, truly no one would believe it.

Especially this time, when the Crown Prince so decisively sold out his son’s life merely to bring down Prince Gong, it made Song Chuyi even more firmly convinced that Zhou Weizhao’s tragedy in her previous life couldn’t be separated from the Crown Prince.

Such a father—if it weren’t for the fact that his death would require Zhou Weizhao to observe three years of mourning, and that death was really too cheap for him, Song Chuyi truly wanted him to taste what it felt like to be betrayed by one’s closest relative.

But speaking of it, the matter of the Crown Prince’s poisoning was truly somewhat suspicious. Thinking of this, she hastily turned to ask Zhou Weizhao: “Has the matter of the Crown Prince’s poisoning been investigated clearly? Who exactly did it?”

Lai Chenglong’s side had interrogated some leads, but as soon as there were some leads, Emperor Jianzhang called a halt—perhaps fearing that investigating further and further would lead to Prince Gong, shaking the decision he had already made to spare Prince Gong.

Zhou Weizhao, having just awakened, had first been busy discussing with Emperor Jianzhang how exactly to conclude this matter, then appeasing Empress Lu, without a moment’s rest. However, he also hadn’t forgotten to investigate this matter.

That it was Prince Gong who did it was almost certain, but exactly what method was used, who exactly was planted in the Eastern Palace—this still needed to be thoroughly investigated before people could be at ease.

Zhou Weizhao naturally hadn’t forgotten this matter and understood Song Chuyi’s meaning. He said: “Uncle should send news this afternoon. Don’t worry yet.” Seeing Song Chuyi’s beautiful eyebrows furrow, he even tapped her brow with his finger: “Don’t always furrow your brows, or you’ll wrinkle yourself old.”

He knew Song Chuyi was worried for him. Looking at her fluttering eyes and long lashes, he stepped forward and drew her into his embrace, gently patting her back.

Though they were already betrothed, they ultimately hadn’t yet married and performed the wedding ceremony. Doing this was originally somewhat improper, but while this would seem frivolous if done by others, when Zhou Weizhao did it, it was completely upright and above board.