Like a mouthful of sugar melting on the tongue, Li Huaiyu smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared, and she reached out to hug him tightly!

“I used to like you a lot, and I still do now!”

Jiang Xuanjin paused for a moment, then continued walking forward, facing ahead with a calm demeanor. “I know.”

“No, no, no, you don’t know!” Huaiyu gestured at him. “When you used to go to Longyan Palace to teach Huailin, didn’t you always run into me on the way? I was deliberately blocking your path in the palace corridors. Once, I even pretended to sprain my ankle so you would carry me back to the palace. Do you remember?”

Jiang Xuanjin’s expression was complicated. “It’s hard to forget.”

It was a scorching summer day. Princess Danyang wore an elaborate and luxurious palace dress, stepping in embroidered shoes adorned with pearls, and she fell straight in front of him like a tiger descending a mountain.

“Oh no, I’ve fallen! I need the Lord to help me up!”

Her loud voice, combined with the astonished gazes of the surrounding palace attendants, became an indelible nightmare for Jiang Xuanjin that summer.

As they passed through the corridor towards the Mo Residence, he adjusted the person on his back and asked expressionlessly, “Do you know why I ignored you back then?”

Li Huaiyu scratched her head. “Because I’m too good-looking, and you were afraid of having improper thoughts?”

“No, I was afraid stupidity might be contagious.”

Li Huaiyu: “…”

With a “chomp,” she bit his shoulder in anger. “The thoughts of a young girl are precious treasures, and you ruined them all!”

“Who told you to wear a wolf’s skin?” Jiang Xuanjin replied. “Seeing you made people instinctively keep their distance.”

“It was all for Huailin…” Her expression suddenly dimmed, and Huaiyu lowered her head, asking him in a muffled voice, “How is Huailin?”

“He has been demoted to King of Nanyang, but his days won’t be too difficult.”

Huaiyu found it unbelievable that Li Huailin would abdicate. After all, her current body was no longer of royal blood, yet he used the late emperor’s edict as an excuse to relinquish the throne.

Did he think that she and Jiang Xuanjin were the only ones who could stabilize the chaotic Northern Wei?

But he loved the throne so much; how could he just give it up? With his previous temperament, if he had stayed a few more months, the situation might have improved.

“He left something for me to give to you.” Jiang Xuanjin carried her back to the main building of the Mo Residence, placed her on the soft couch, and then brought over a large box.

Huaiyu opened it to find five clay figurines inside. Four were old, depicting her standing, peeking at the door, standing in the court, and sitting with him on the Hehuan couch in Feiyun Palace, smiling gently.

The last one seemed newly made, also of her, with hands folded in front, holding a string of prayer beads, and two small children leaning on her shoulders.

Slightly stunned, Huaiyu pursed her lips.

“Royal Sister, don’t look down on me for only being able to carve wood and mold clay figures now. When I get better, I’ll make a lifelike clay statue for you!”

“Why make a clay statue? There are portraits in the palace.”

“The ones they paint don’t look like you. I know you better!” He smiled, revealing a pair of dimples. “When I make it, even if you’re busy and not in the palace, the clay statue will keep me company.”

Her throat tightened, and Li Huaiyu reached out to touch the old ones. Before the fourth year of Daxing, Li Huailin had always relied on her and couldn’t bear to be apart. But after Li Shan’s death, they saw each other less, and although she felt they were still close, receiving various birthday gifts every year, everything was different for Huailin.

She had no idea and thought he had grown up and no longer clung to his royal sister, feeling sad for a while.

Her eyes moved slightly, and Huaiyu said, “I want to visit the palace.”

Since he was willing to make up for so many years of birthday gifts, Huailin must have found peace in his heart. She wanted to see him, even if it meant having another argument.

However, just as she stepped out of the Mo Residence, Chengxu came running over with a face full of panic.

“Master, Madam, something has happened in the palace!”

Her pupils contracted, and Li Huaiyu watched his mouth open and close in front of her, feeling as if she couldn’t hear any sound for a moment.

…

“It’s been more than half a month. Won’t Your Highness go out for a walk?”

Huaiyu sat on the bed, wrapped in a cloak, as Ju Wu and others lined up to comfort her.

However, this discussion was quickly refuted. It’s a joke; in Ziyang Jun’s eyes, there is only Princess Danyang, nothing else in the world. Now that the princess is ill, the atmosphere in the capital is tense. Everyone going to court is on edge, afraid of being caught by the Lord and facing ruin.

There were rumors among the people that the new emperor was the son of Princess Danyang and Ziyang, and that Ziyang Jun might want to control the world through the young emperor.

In September of the ninth year of Daxing, King Nanyang abdicated in favor of the princess’s son. In the same month, King Nanyang self-immolated in the He Xi Palace, and the princess knelt before the late emperor’s spirit for an entire day, falling seriously ill. Chaos erupted in the capital, and Ziyang Jun led troops into the city to stabilize the situation, ensuring the young emperor’s enthronement in early October.

Shaking her head vigorously, Huaiyu cried harder, watching the billowing smoke, her chest tight with suffocation.

Having no way to deal with her, Jiang Xuanjin clumsily held her, softening his tone. “I won’t be harsh anymore, okay? If you cry like this, you’ll run out of breath. Can you calm down first?”

Huaiyu choked, staring at him blankly, tears instantly streaming down. “You still scold me…”

Heart aching, Jiang Xuanjin used his sleeve to wipe her face, but the more he wiped, the more tears fell, making his heart a mess. He couldn’t help but raise his voice, “Stop crying!”

“I… I didn’t blame him. Why did he have to die?” She sobbed, breaking the sentence into several parts. “I can live, I’m still alive…”

Frowning, he patted her back, softening his voice to comfort her. “Don’t cry anymore.”

Grabbing Jiang Xuanjin’s lapel, Huaiyu cried even harder, her red almond eyes looking up at him, tears streaming down. “I have no brother anymore, no one will call me royal sister again…”

Ju Wu hurriedly shook his head. “It wasn’t me!”

Jiang Xuanjin caught up from behind, seeing her gasping for breath as she cried, his brows furrowed tightly. He stepped forward and lifted her off the horse, giving Ju Wu a cold glance.

Her nose was blocked, and her throat felt like it was choking on cold air.

“How can there be such a person… you say… how can there be such a person!” Huaiyu choked and cursed, “No ambition! Not a bit of ambition!”

“Your Highness…”

Her wiped eyes blurred again, and she couldn’t read the words behind them. Li Huaiyu clutched the letter on horseback, finally bursting into tears, her cries of grief making Ju Wu’s throat tighten.

…

“She was born with me, and I will die with her. Even if I have to cling shamelessly, I want to be with her. Royal Sister, do you think when I catch up with her, she’ll be hard to appease?”

“Wanwei never knew I liked her until her death, so I have to catch up and tell her. Royal Sister will surely scold me for having no ambition, but… the rest of my life is so long, I can’t live it alone.”

The oil-soaked fire spread quickly. Li Huailin slowly lifted the coffin lid and lay down beside Ning Wanwei, not afraid at all, reaching out to hold her tightly, smiling gently, dimples appearing.

“Royal Sister was right; I haven’t done anything good in this life. One wrong step led to another. If there’s a next life… forget it, you probably wouldn’t want to be my royal sister again. Then in the next life, you can kill me, and I’ll be responsible for loving and pampering you, okay?”

The fire burned in the palace, but he seemed oblivious, carefully arranging his attire.

“It’s not that I never regretted it. Long before Royal Sister passed away, I already regretted it, but it was too late. Liu Yunlie said that once you step on this path, you can’t turn back. It’s either Royal Sister’s death or mine.”

“I didn’t learn well what Royal Sister taught, nor did I listen to Ziyang Jun properly. I couldn’t even keep the person I loved most.” Li Huailin walked into He Xi Palace with a smile, dismissing the palace attendants, and sat by Ning Wanwei’s coffin.

…

The clear voice seemed to echo in her ears. Huaiyu choked, clutching the letter tightly, her vision blurred.

“Royal Sister, seeing this letter is like seeing me.”

Her fingers trembled, and Huaiyu wiped her eyes, taking the letter.

“Your Highness.” Hangu came over with red eyes, offering a letter with both hands. “This is what King Nanyang left for you.”

This brat… how dare he do such a thing!

The fire roared, crackling loudly. The palace attendants were quickly trying to contain the fire to prevent it from spreading. A gust of wind blew, and the smoke stung her eyes, making tears flow. Li Huaiyu covered her eyes with her hand, pursing her lips and gripping the reins tightly.

Ju Wu dared not say it, but everyone knew how much the princess loved this person. Even with deep hatred between them, she would never want to see Li Huailin end like this.

This was a long-planned suicide. From the moment they returned to the capital, Li Huailin had been waiting for this day, to return to He Xi Palace, to be forgiven by Li Huaiyu, so he could follow Consort Ning. Otherwise, he would have buried Consort Ning long ago, instead of bringing her back to the palace from afar.

Ju Wu lowered his head, acknowledging it.

Her hand trembled on the reins, and Huaiyu’s eyes reddened. “He didn’t come out from inside?”

The sudden rise in her voice startled Ju Wu, who dared not hide it any longer, bowing his head. “At the first quarter of the hour, King Nanyang entered He Xi Palace, dismissed all the palace attendants, and forbade anyone from approaching. In the third quarter, I discovered the fire in He Xi Palace, but it was too late. The fire spread quickly, and oil had been poured inside and outside the palace, making it useless to bring water.”

Ju Wu looked at her, his expression troubled. Li Huaiyu shouted, “What’s going on, tell me!”

“What’s going on?” she asked softly.

Thick smoke enveloped the entire He Xi Palace and the collapsing beams crashed down with a “boom.” Li Huaiyu reined in her horse, staring blankly at the flames reaching the sky, feeling as if all the blood in her body had frozen.

“Your Highness!” Seeing Li Huaiyu on horseback from afar, Ju Wu raised his hand and shouted, “Don’t go any further, the fire is too big!”

The palace was in chaos, and the closer they got to He Xi Palace, the more people were fleeing in all directions.

“Hyah—” The horse galloped, charging through the palace gates. Huaiyu gripped the reins, her face pale.