The two walked out of Tongguang Hall. When they passed Hanzhou, Xiao Heye glanced back at him.

His eyes were cold and sharp, like a deadly blade.

Su Tiyue only wanted to leave this place, even though every step she took caused an unbearable pain in her ankle. If she hadn't been holding onto Xiao Heye's arm tightly, she probably would have fallen countless times.

"Where are the shoes?"

As soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, Xiao Heye lowered his eyes and stared at her feet, his expression unreadable.

Su Tiyue pressed her lips together, forcing back the tears in her eyes, and whispered, "In the side hall."

She gripped Xiao Heye's fingers tighter, her fear, pain, and despair seemingly threatening to crush his small body.

Despite it being late winter, the cold wind at night was still biting. Su Tiyue was dressed in thin clothes, yet a thin layer of sweat still appeared on her forehead.

Her petite and soft body leaned closer to Xiao Heye. Seeing that she was swaying precariously, Xiao Heye stopped and, while untying his gray cloak, asked, "Can you still walk?"

Su Tiyue nodded, watching him drape the cloak over her shoulders, feeling a faint warmth emanating from his clothes.

He lowered his head and slowly helped her fasten the cloak, then pulled it up to completely cover her before finally curling his lips in satisfaction.

"Let's go," he said softly, leaning down.

Su Tiyue's fair and slender wrist emerged from under her cloak, trying to find his arm for support.

But Xiao Heye suddenly took a big step back, not bowing and offering his hand as before, but deliberately creating some distance between them, his tone flippant: "Your Highness, can't you walk? Come on..."

He crossed his arms and looked at her with a mocking expression.

Su Tiyue turned her head and gave him a pitiful look. Without saying a word, she frowned, endured the pain, and limped forward.

Xiao Heye followed her slowly for a few steps, gazing at that delicate yet stubborn figure, a faint, dark light finally appeared in his deep, cold eyes.

The long corridor outside Tongguang Hall has a marble floor that is smooth and clean, yet unusually cold.

Barefoot on the floor, Su Tiyue had only taken a few steps when she lost all feeling in her feet, and even the pain in her injured ankle was numb from the cold.

Even so, she didn't stop. It didn't matter if she walked slowly, as long as she could get away from here and get as far away from the emperor as possible.

But just then, his body suddenly lifted into the air, and Su Tiyue fell into his arms without any warning. Before she could even cry out, that familiar, cold face came into view.

He swept Su Tiyue up from behind, his strong arms pulling her closer to him.

Su Tiyue frowned slightly, her eyes fixed on Xiao Heye's refined and imposing jawline, unable to understand what he was trying to do.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked softly, her cherry-pink lips turning slightly pale from the cold.

"Where can we go? Of course, we'll go to the Hall of Longevity." Xiao Heye lowered his head and answered earnestly.

Upon hearing those three words, Su Tiyue's pupils contracted, and she began to struggle in his arms: "Let me down!"

Xiao Heye remained unmoved, continuing to walk forward, his arms tightening slightly as he forcefully held her in his embrace.

Su Tiyue clenched her fists and punched his chest hard, one punch after another. When he still didn't react, Su Tiyue opened her mouth and bit his shoulder hard.

It seemed like he had used all his strength, but Xiao Heye didn't even flinch.

She was both angry and desperate, and the tears she had been holding back for so long finally burst forth: "Xiao Heye, you damned eunuch... let me down!"

Her voice was trembling with tears, but she shouted so loudly that it seemed out of place against the quiet surroundings.

Xiao Heye stopped and said coldly, "If you dare to utter another curse, I will really send you to the Hall of Longevity."

Upon hearing this, Su Tiyue awkwardly shut her mouth. After calming down, she turned to look outside and discovered that Taiye Pond was not far ahead.

This was clearly the way back to Nanyuan, but Xiao Heye lied and said she was going to the Changsheng Palace.

Su Tiyue stopped making a fuss and stayed obediently in his arms with red eyes.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Heye remained silent. He did not ask why Su Tiyue was there, nor why she volunteered to dance for the emperor.

Once you reach the Nanyuan area, the surrounding environment becomes even quieter.

With each step Xiao Heye took carrying her, the small bell on Su Tiyue's ankle rang once, its steady, powerful footsteps echoing in her ears...

In the past, Xiao Heye preferred quiet to noise. No matter where he was, he would try his best to put himself in an extremely quiet environment.

But now, Su Tiyue has blatantly moved next door to him, and they often quarrel. When she's happy, she acts coquettishly towards him, and when she's sad or in trouble, she comes to him crying.

In short, ever since she moved to Tingyu Tower, Xiao Heye seems to have drifted further and further away from those days of tranquility.

At this moment, Xiao Heye was holding a delicate little thing in his arms. She liked to cry, make a fuss, and bite people.

Furthermore, the little jingling thing tied to her ankle was so distracting that Xiao Heye lost his ability to think normally.

But he wasn't angry at all, really.

Upon entering Yelan Pavilion, Li Xun had already been waiting at the entrance of the inner courtyard for quite some time.

He followed Xiao Heye without saying a word, and gently closed the door after Xiao entered the room.

Xiao Heye placed Su Tiyue on the bed. He turned around and was about to ask Li Xun outside the door to prepare water when he noticed a basin full of hot water on the wooden shelf, with white steam rising from it.

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