At the Zhao residence, Zhao Yun held Zhao Zhi's hand and talked for a long time.

Zhao Zhi looked at this older sister who had always been at odds with her since childhood and smiled with relief. This older sister, in name only, was pitifully stubborn, yet somewhat endearing. Pitiful because she had spent most of her life comparing herself to others; endearing because she had persisted in this foolish mistake until now.

The destiny of each person lies deep within their own understanding.

As a concubine's daughter, Zhao Rou was of low status and her background was far inferior to Zhao Yun's. Yet now, she had not only become a female official in the Great Xuan Dynasty through her own abilities, but she was also rumored to have married a vice minister in the same court who knew and loved her. Moreover, this vice minister was a few years younger than her.

But Zhao Yun remained trapped in her dream of being the legitimate daughter of the emperor. If someone chooses to pretend to be asleep, no one can ever wake them.

Zhao Zhi sighed softly, glanced at the sky outside, and stood up as if to leave. Her parents weren't home, and she had no desire to stay for dinner. Anyway, she had plenty of time; she could visit them anytime.

When it was time to part, Zhao Yun and Zhao Xi bid farewell to the two with reluctance. Zhao Xi stared blankly at Zhao Zhi's departing carriage, lost in thought. After a long while, she murmured to herself, "Auntie, Xi'er will become someone like you..."

The horse-drawn carriage rumbled and gradually drove out of Yichun County.

Zhao Zhi and Lin Muhan's journey was like a slowly unfolding scroll, with each stop a scenic view and each step a story. They set off from Yichun County, traveling freely and embarking on a journey to travel around the world.

In the spring, they strolled through the water towns of Jiangnan. Zhao Zhi used delicate brushstrokes to record the small bridges and flowing water in the misty rain, the willow branches swaying gently, and the figures in the painting were lifelike. It was as if one could hear the distant Suzhou storytelling, melodious and lingering.

Lin Muhan stood to the side, capturing Zhao Zhi's every smile and frown with affectionate eyes, freezing her gentleness and talent on the rice paper. Each portrait contained his deep love for Zhao Zhi.

In the sweltering summer heat, they traveled north to the grasslands, witnessing the magnificent expanse of the vast sky and boundless plains. Zhao Zhi, amidst this expansive landscape, wielded his brush, capturing the scenery of blue skies and white clouds, herds of cattle and sheep, and yurts scattered like stars across the grasslands in his "Illustrated Gazetteer of the Nations." Meanwhile, Lin Muhan, in this land of freedom, painted a portrait of Zhao Zhi galloping on horseback, his untamed and heroic spirit reflecting the very freedom Zhao Zhi yearned for.

When the autumn winds rise, they travel to an ancient city beyond the Great Wall, where the mottled city walls tell tales of a thousand years of vicissitudes.

On the ancient city wall, Zhao Zhi used his paintbrush to outline the traces of history, and every brick and tile seemed to be telling the story of the past.

Lin Muhan chose a sunset, when the setting sun was like blood, elongating Zhao Zhijing's shadow as she sat at the corner of the ancient city wall. This painting, titled "By the Edge of Time," became one of the most precious memories of their journey.

Time flies, and years change.

On a winter day, they returned to Liujiang Street.

Lin Muhan set up a swing in the courtyard, and Zhao Zhiqing, with her full head of white hair, sat on it. Snowflakes gently fell on her hair and shoulders, and also on Lin Muhan's canvas.

He quietly depicted this moment. In the picture, Zhao Zhi's eyes were gentle and profound, as if they could penetrate the long river of time and see the future.

This painting became the last in Lin Muhan's art collection, titled "First Snow - Eternity".

That night, as snowflakes fell softly outside the window, ninety-year-old Zhao Zhi stopped breathing in Lin Muhan's arms.

A month later, when Zhao Zhi's children were burying her, they suddenly couldn't find Lin Muhan anywhere. They eventually discovered that he had somehow ended up lying in Zhao Zhi's coffin.

The two held hands, their expressions serene.

(End of article)

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