Han Zhou frowned, clicked his tongue, and said reluctantly, "Women are such a hassle."

Despite saying it was troublesome, Han Zhou still took her there.

*

The backyard of Yelan Pavilion.

A long, dark, and damp passageway led to the deepest part of the cellar.

Han Zhou opened the iron gate at the outer edge of the passageway and took a few steps inside, but was stopped by Su Tiyue behind him: "Hey... it's too dark in there, I can't see anything."

He turned around and found that Su Tiyue was still standing at the door, her feet not having moved.

"Women are such a hassle..." Han Zhou thought to himself, repeating the sentence over and over again.

His brother's woman is the biggest trouble in the world.

Although he thought this way, Hanzhou knew the truth in his heart. If it weren't for this troublesome woman, he and his brother probably wouldn't have survived that winter.

They would not have been able to leave Suzhou alive, and they wouldn't be where they are today.

Han Zhou closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to suppress the helplessness and frustration in his heart.

He turned back, rummaged around behind the door for a while, found a lantern, lit it... and handed it to her.

Su Tiyue blinked, somewhat dazed, and didn't immediately take the lantern.

"Your Majesty wouldn't want me to carry your lantern, would you?" Han Zhou said lazily, dragging out the last syllable.

"No, that's not it. I was thinking that if I carried this lantern, you would be too far ahead of me and wouldn't be able to see the road."

"How could that be? My brother and I have walked this path countless times. We could cross it easily even with our eyes closed." Han Zhou finished speaking and handed the lantern to her.

Then he walked away.

The passageway is very long, the air inside is thin, and the further you go in, the more suffocated you become.

Breathing was a little difficult, but more than that, I felt a sense of oppression and suffocation.

It's hard to imagine that a normal person could be imprisoned in this place for so many years, never seeing the sunlight, with only dust and darkness as companions...

What kind of torment and suffering would that be?

From her brief conversation with Xiao Heye last night, Su Tiyue roughly guessed Pei Fu's fate.

With Xiao Heye's ruthless and vengeful nature, and Han Zhou's vicious and twisted heart...

Pei Fu must be living a life worse than death.

Before coming to Qiushui Residence, Su Tiyue had already made ample preparations in her mind, so she was not afraid.

Even if you are afraid, you must overcome that fear.

Because she knew that if she wanted to get closer to Xiao Heye, this was the first step she had to take.

To see clearly the darkness within Xiao Heye, one must see it truly and thoroughly.

Then, without hesitation, she would accompany him down this path to the very end.