Chapter 45 With a ruthless heart, I wish you would sweep away the past, and not remember the ill-fated one. ...

The dimly lit, quiet room, the mild weather, and the pattering rain outside made it the perfect opportunity to drift off to sleep.

Su Panyue, who hadn't slept all night, slept until evening.

She rolled over with her eyes closed, and subconsciously reached out to touch the side, only to find a cold, hard wall.

When she opened her eyes and saw the gray bed curtains above her, she was stunned for a long time before she realized that she was no longer in Jingchun Palace, and there was no warm, hard man beside her to touch her.

With a sigh, Su Panyue lay there for a while to wake herself up before realizing she was a little hungry. She almost fell off the bed again when she tried to get out.

The bed was really small. Su Panyue wasn't fat to begin with, and she almost fell off when she stretched. She had been sleeping for so long, but she was still lying perfectly fine on the bed.

She didn't know if she was just too adaptable or if she had simply become arrogant because of the emperor's favor in the palace.

She got up and tidied her hair again. She didn't know many styles, so she simply put her hair up in a simple housewife's bun.

She walked to the wall and put the bucket back. The mechanism activated, and the door slowly opened. After walking out, she used the bucket to close the door tightly.

He even turned back to observe carefully for a long time. After the two doors were closed, they were perfectly sealed, without the slightest flaw.

She nodded in satisfaction and skipped downstairs.

Uncle Gui still had one hand propped up on the broken table, muttering something unintelligible.

Su Panyue leaned closer to listen, but he stopped talking.

"Want to go out for a walk?" Su Panyue invited him.

Gui Bo glanced at her: "Do you know that all the city gates of the capital have been sealed off today? Are they looking for you?"

Su Panyue gave an awkward smile: "Maybe."

"Are you Consort Su from the palace?" Although Gui Bo asked the question, his tone was very certain.

Su Panyue didn't intend to hide it from him and asked in surprise, "How did you know? Is it because I'm too beautiful?"

Gui Bo rolled his eyes with his only remaining eye, without answering, but only reminded him, "The Imperial Guards are searching house to house outside, are you sure you still want to go out?"

Su Panyue tentatively asked, "Uncle Ghost, do you have anything that can disguise me that I can borrow?"

This time, Uncle Gui answered decisively: "No."

"Well, there's no other way. I have to go out like this. If I get caught, please, Uncle Ghost, could you collect my body for the sake of our acquaintance?" Su Panyue said, feigning sadness.

"No," Gui Bo replied without hesitation.

Su Panyue waved her hand listlessly and swaggered away.

She was wearing a coarse cloth outfit that she had bought for a few dozen coins from a roadside vendor that morning. Her eyebrows were drawn very thickly, and she had a black mole on her chin, which she had sculpted from black sesame paste. It smelled quite nice, but unfortunately, only she could smell it.

After navigating through the alleys and arriving on the street, we found ourselves in the bustling West Market, the most vibrant area of ​​the capital.

Rainy days get dark early, so Su Panyue bought an oil-paper umbrella for a few coins by the roadside and started strolling around.

Aside from the time Xie Lanzhou accompanied her last time, this was only the second time she had strolled through the streets of Daqi.

Many of the vendors on both sides of the road had already lit up their lanterns, and the various restaurants were especially brightly lit.

Su Panyue's attention was drawn to a sugar painting stall in the corner.

Su Panyue stared at the cats, dogs, and rabbits stuck in the straw stakes and asked curiously, "Boss, can I draw whatever I want in this sugar painting?"

"Oh yes, what would you like to paint, madam?" the vendor asked while stirring the bubbling sugar in the pot.

Su Panyue pondered for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Would it be alright to draw a handsome young man?"

The vendor readily agreed: "Sure!"

"Your nose bridge could be a little higher, your face wouldn't be this big, and your eyes are too small. And don't smile with your mouth open, hey boss..."

Holding the finished sugar painting, Su Panyue was somewhat speechless and eventually gave up. Indeed, Xie Lanzhou's beauty couldn't be replicated with sugar.

"Forget it, boss, can you even draw a dragon? Draw me another dragon instead."

Dragons are highly revered and admired in folk culture. This time, the vendor really knew how to draw one, quickly sketching a coiled dragon and handing it over.

Su Panyue snapped the head off the "Handsome Young Man" in her hand with a snap, freed one hand to take the flying dragon, and continued walking forward.

Passing by a stall selling beaded jewelry, she couldn't resist stopping to pick up a butterfly-shaped hairpin and examine it closely, then picked up another one carved with peach blossoms to compare.

Just as they were hesitating and struggling with their decision, a shout came from behind: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is investigating a case. Make way, make way, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is investigating a case."

Su Panyue turned around and saw a group of people dressed in flying fish robes walking hurriedly towards her.

The leader was holding a portrait. She secretly tiptoed to look at it and saw that the person in the portrait was indeed herself.

Moreover, the painting was quite good. She just didn't expect that a portrait could be drawn so quickly and searched the whole city. She thought that Xie Lanzhou would at most seal off the palace to search for him.

As the Imperial Guards passed by, the pedestrians who had split into two lines regrouped, and no one paid any attention.

Su Panyue finally chose the butterfly hair ornament and even negotiated the price before finally getting it.

She raised her hand and tucked the tucked tucked into her hair, then continued walking briskly forward. The two silken butterfly wings fluttered as if about to take flight, free and unrestrained.

As she approached a restaurant, the aroma of food wafted through the air, instantly whetting her appetite. She had just eaten a sugar painting, which made her feel a bit greasy, so it was time for something savory.

The store was very popular, and Su Panyue was lucky enough to sit at the last empty table.

Su Panyue ordered a beggar's chicken, a plate of water chestnuts and peas, and finally a lotus seed shaved ice.

Xie Lanzhou forbade her to eat cold or icy things in the palace, so now that no one was watching her, she naturally wanted to indulge herself.

Just as I was thinking about him, I heard some talking coming from the next table.

"Have you heard? The guy up there got cheated on."

Upon hearing some gossip, Su Panyue immediately perked up her ears.

"Huh? The one on the dragon throne?"

"Shh, I have a cousin who works in the palace. I heard that a concubine in the palace ran away with someone, and the Imperial Guards are searching for her everywhere."

"Oh, no wonder they're locking down the city. If my wife ran off with someone else, I'd be furious too."

"But why would someone abandon their comfortable life as an empress and risk their life to run away?"

"You've come to the right person today. I heard that he's impotent."

"Oh, that's unlikely, that person is..."

Su Panyue, who was eavesdropping nearby, also wanted to say that this was definitely a rumor, and that person shouldn't take it too seriously.

The man who spoke was adamant: "Why is it impossible? My sixth uncle's nephew's cousin is an official. He said that His Majesty only has one woman in his harem. Everyone has advised him to find a few more, but he refuses. What else can you call that if not impossible?"

"That's a bit tragic. He finally found a wife, and she ran off with someone else."

After listening to their conversation, Su Panyue sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She never expected that people would spread such rumors about Xie Lanzhou, even going so far as to say that he was incapable.

She tried to hold back her laughter for a while, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing. She wondered what Xie Lanzhou's expression would be when he heard such words.

After laughing, she felt a little melancholy and pursed her lips slightly.

The waiter quickly served all the dishes, and Su Panyue took the opportunity to inquire, "How exactly do you know how the Embroidered Uniform Guard searches for people?"

The waiter had been working there for several years and knew quite a bit. He lowered his voice and said, "Search every house. Even at midnight, don't let anyone who's just stopping for a meal or staying overnight go."

Su Panyue asked curiously, "With so many people on the street, don't they look?"

The waiter chuckled, "Of course not. Who would be out shopping while being investigated by the Imperial Guards?"

Su Panyue nodded in agreement and began to enjoy her meal with peace of mind.

After finishing her meal and settling the bill, she went to the liquor store and bought two ounces of liquor, along with some snacks, before strolling back to deliver it to the inn.

Uncle Gui was dozing on his recliner. When he saw her return, he lazily lifted his eyelids and said:

"You came back right after they left, that's really lucky."

Su Panyue asked in confusion, "Them? The Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Uncle Gui hummed in response and said nothing more.

Su Panyue placed the things she was carrying on the table and said with a smile, "I brought you some wine, I've put it here."

After saying that, he turned and walked upstairs. He heard Gui Bo's voice coming from behind him: "There is hot water on the stove in the backyard."

Su Panyue sighed, turned around and went to the backyard to fetch a bucket of hot water. She took a nice hot bath, and although it couldn't compare to the hot springs in the palace, she was quite satisfied with her current situation.

After tidying up and lying in bed, Su Panyue couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was racing, replaying the events of the past few days in her head.

Unable to fall asleep for a long time, I tossed and turned and wondered what Xie Lanzhou was doing at that moment. Could he not be asleep either...?

*Hall of Mental Cultivation.

As she guessed correctly, Xie Lanzhou also stayed awake, casually throwing on a coat and sitting at the table.

Holding the good news that had just been sent from the border, the two generals had led their troops to encircle and block the Yan army from both the front and rear, capturing several Yan generals alive and taking thousands of prisoners. It was a great victory.

Eunuch Fu, who was serving him with pen and ink, congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! This battle has been a great victory. The Yan army has suffered a great loss of national strength, and it will be only a matter of time before the Yan Kingdom is brought into our possession."

It went even more smoothly than he had expected, and Xie Lanzhou should have been happy, but he only felt numb.

He raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and asked, "Have the Embroidered Uniform Guards returned?"

Fu Gonggong hesitated before replying, "He just came back and said he hasn't found it yet."

Seeing Xie Lanzhou's pale face, Eunuch Fu added, "However, there are too many inns of all sizes in this city, so we probably haven't finished searching yet. We might find it tomorrow."

Seeing that Xie Lanzhou did not respond, Eunuch Fu advised, "Your Majesty, you have not slept for two nights. You should go and rest. Your health is the most important thing."

Xie Lanzhou remained silent. Just when Eunuch Fu thought he was going to sit there until dawn, he stood up.

"I'm going to sleep in Jingchun Palace. You can go and rest on your own. You don't need to come with me."

After the man finished speaking, he strode out the door and soon arrived at Jingchun Palace.

The palace servants who served in Jingchun Palace lived in fear for a long time, thinking that their lives were in danger, but in the end they were only punished with a month's salary.

Everyone was deeply grateful, and when Xie Lanzhou suddenly arrived, they served him even more attentively.

Xie Lanzhou waved for them to leave. He had already found out that Su Panyue had slipped out through the back door. If the palace servants here were punished, she would feel guilty when she returned.

He turned and went into his bedroom, extinguished the candle, and lay down fully clothed.

Her scent seemed to linger on the bedding, drifting faintly to his nose and soothing his restless emotions.

He didn't tell anyone that his headache had flared up again.

It was even worse than before; it felt like bugs were crawling in his brain, and he was tormented by a constant, dull pain. Yet, he only wished for the pain to be worse, preferably worse than the pain in his heart.

He touched something inadvertently; it seemed to be a letter. He immediately got up, lit a lamp, and saw a line of words on the envelope: "To Xie Lanzhou."

In the entire palace, she was the only one who dared to address the emperor by his given name so directly.

He opened the envelope and took out the thin sheet of paper inside, only to find that his hands were trembling slightly.

The letter was written in familiar small regular script, just a few lines long:

I was a caged bird, but only after meeting you did I realize the arrival of spring.

I am grateful for your kindness and know your bravery; I am ashamed to linger and sink into depravity.

Though the joy is real, its coming and going is beyond one's control.

May you sweep away the old traces and not dwell on the unfortunate.

There was no signature at the bottom, only a small crabapple blossom was drawn.

Xie Lanzhou noticed that one of the petals seemed to have been dampened by something, with a smudged area and traces of wiping.

Sitting in this bedchamber, marked by her presence, Xie Lanzhou gave a silent, bitter smile and murmured:

"May you sweep away the old traces and not remember the ill-fated. Ah, Su Panyue, how cruel you are."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Yue is currently enjoying eating, drinking, and shopping.

Zhou herself stayed up all night secretly wiping away tears.

If you agree that Zhou should remain single, please type 1; if you agree that the couple should meet as soon as possible, please type 2. [Facepalm emoji]