The game is over (complete).

Chen Zhuangmu was stunned by the sudden appearance of the person and the sudden words, and she stared blankly at the two people dealing with the blood, suddenly feeling a sense of unreality.

After finishing, Uncle Wu stopped and said, "Let's go."

"Wait, it's getting dark now, how did you recognize me?" Chen Zhuangmu stood still, not moving an inch.

"The blood flute on your body belongs to the general." After saying this, Uncle Wu walked forward on his own, as if he had come here just to quickly reveal the secret hidden in his heart.

As darkness fell completely, the birds in the distance returned home, and Chen Zhuangmu withdrew her gaze from the sky, taking a step forward.

"Zhuangmu." Zhao Yi suddenly grabbed Chen Zhuangmu's hand, put his arm around her shoulder without saying a word, and stared at her intently.

"Don't be afraid. There's nothing you can't bear except life and death. I won't leave you alone." His eyes revealed an aggressive obsession as he frantically tried to grab the girl in front of him.

But then Chen Zhuangmu's nose tingled, and two lines of tears streamed down her face. The usually composed Zhao Yi panicked instantly and hurriedly bent down to wipe her tears. But Chen Zhuangmu brushed his hand away, wiped her own tears vigorously, and with a stubborn look on her face, pulled Zhao Yi forward.

Uncle Wu's place wasn't far or remote, and his courtyard was quite large for the village. After the two of them entered the courtyard, Uncle Wu looked around again and again before firmly locking the door.

Chen Zhuangmu stood ramrod straight, but Zhao Yi could tell at a glance that she was forcing herself to stay upright. In the past, she would have been exhausted and collapsed in the chair.

Now, she had to force herself to endure it. Was the person in front of her someone from her mother's army? Zhao Yi suddenly realized that love couldn't solve all problems; love was like the sweetness of life. For example, what help did his love offer Shen Zhuangmu?

Chen Zhuangmu was unaware that Zhao Yi was making wild guesses again. She had just been cut on her waist, and even though it was bandaged, it still hurt.

Suddenly she understood why her mother was so tough. She remembered that when her mother was injured and unable to move, she would always have someone push her to the military camp to boost morale.

She was so adorable, just like her mother.

While the two were deep in their inner monologues, Uncle Wu walked slowly to the front of the dressing table and knelt down with a thud.

"Uncle Wu, what are you doing?" Chen Zhuangmu made a gesture to help Uncle Wu up, but Uncle Wu dodged her hand and said to himself, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Behind this statement lies a secret he has kept hidden for more than four years.

Chen Zhuangmu's mind cleared up a bit at this moment. This person knew the truth, but it couldn't be that her mother was still alive.

She suddenly staggered, quickly steadying herself with her feet, and said, "Uncle Wu, please speak, I'm listening."

And so, right there in this little courtyard, Chen Zhuangmu seemed to hear the most ridiculous true story in the world.

“Young lady. General Xingyun has always been very good to us. When we first joined the army, he complained about this and that, but he really didn’t want to leave. Everyone knows that. Apart from General Xingyun, there are very few people who are so genuine.”

In the past, Chen Zhuangmu would have interrupted these nonsense, but now she listened quietly, hoping that these words would go on and on.

“Everyone is grateful to General Xingyun. Four years ago, General Xingyun suddenly said he would come to the capital to celebrate your birthday, and we were all overjoyed. We organized the team and headed to the capital, but, but on that road not far from the capital, we were ambushed, girl!”

After Uncle Wu finished speaking, his back hunched over again, and he seemed about to collapse. Chen Zhuangmu's heart sank a little further with each word he spoke, and she even felt a little breathless. Suddenly, she grasped Zhao Yi's hand, took a step back, and moved even closer to him.

"It was late at night, and we had planned to camp outside the city so as not to disturb the people who were already resting inside. However, as soon as we entered that area, we felt like a hundred claws were scratching our hearts, and the pain was unbearable. The ground even sank in! We immediately realized that we had fallen into a trap."

He became more and more remorseful as he spoke, “Normally, getting out of this trap wouldn’t be difficult, but it felt like bugs were crawling and biting all over my body. We struggled and struggled, but to no avail. But after a while, I noticed someone standing in front of me, standing in front of the general.” He looked at the dark curtain.

Chen Zhuangmu released Zhao Yi's hand, couldn't help but take a few steps forward, and stared intently at Uncle Wu, making Uncle Wu dare not look up.

“There are only black shadows outside our trap. I can only see a black shadow in front of the general, but I heard the general call him, ‘Emperor.’”

"The Emperor?!" Zhao Yi exclaimed in disbelief.

"Royal brother?" Chen Zhuangmu repeated, but she still felt she hadn't heard clearly. She squatted down and grasped Uncle Wu's shoulder, saying, "Tell me, what did my mother call him?"

Uncle Wu hadn't dared to raise his head before, but this time, tears streamed down his face as he repeatedly uttered, "Emperor—Emperor—Emperor."

"Royal brother, royal brother..." Shen Zhuangmu felt her mind go numb, the world spinning around her. The images of her mother and uncle involuntarily floated into her mind. Royal brother? All her brothers and sisters were dead. Besides the one on the throne, who else was her royal brother?

She looked down at the ground, wanting to find a stool to sit down. She was really about to collapse, but she had to hear Uncle Wu finish explaining the whole story.

Suddenly, her back wasn't so stiff anymore. Zhao Yi stood behind her and put his arm around her back. She relaxed and leaned against half of Zhao Yi's body.

"Speak," Chen Zhuangmu said, looking at Uncle Wu.

"The general was still talking to the emperor in front, while the group behind him had already started killing. So I couldn't hear what they were saying... After being slashed twice, I pretended to be dead and fell inside. That's how I escaped. The general... after talking to that person, was surrounded... stabbed, stabbed... stabbed to death."

"What did you say?! How did she die?" Chen Zhuangmu felt her heart was breaking, her eyes were dry and stinging. She couldn't stand steadily, so she pushed Zhao Yi away and squatted down, asking again, "What happened?"

“Girl, I’m guilty! I’m a coward, I…” Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Chen Zhuangmu, who said, “Uncle Wu, tell me, tell me the whole story.”

Uncle Wu nodded and said, "I was lying on the ground when I felt someone carrying us away and dumping us somewhere, but what I can confirm is that the general was taken away. And we were buried on the spot."

"It was buried in the west. I escaped from it and... left. I don't know anything else."

Chen Zhuangmu nodded, stood up blankly, and murmured, "Royal brother..." Before she could finish, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and everything around her became dark. She collapsed and fell to the ground.

"Zhuangmu!" Zhao Yi rushed forward and hugged Shen Zhuangmu, reaching for his belt, only to realize that the medicine was all gone.

"Come this way." Uncle Wu led the way, and Zhao Yi didn't ask any questions. He picked up Chen Zhuangmu and left, eventually arriving at Uncle Wu's bed.

Uncle Wu picked up a piece of cloth from the side and placed it on the bed. Zhao Yi, holding Chen Zhuangmu, sat on the edge of the bed, expressionlessly removed the cloth, took off his outer garment while holding Chen Zhuangmu, spread it on the cloth, and carefully placed Chen Zhuangmu on it.

He pulled a blood-stained handkerchief from his pocket, turned around, and saw that Uncle Wu had already prepared the water.

"This is all thanks to the general's training. She said that if you have good eyesight, you can find food anywhere." Uncle Wu finished speaking and left the house.

Zhao Yi pinched the unstained part of her mouth, dipped it in water, and then used a small corner to dab the blood around her mouth. When she vomited blood, her body slumped down, and some blood flowed into her neck.

Zhao Yi wrapped his fingers in a handkerchief and reached out to wipe her skin, but he still accidentally touched her delicate skin. He was suddenly at a loss for what to do.

"You're such an awkward child. Why are you embarrassed to wipe your own wife?" Uncle Wu couldn't stand his petty manner and couldn't help but say something to him.

But he didn't reply, still looking like he didn't know what to do. He suddenly felt a bit superfluous, wiped his nose, and went out.

With no outsiders around, Zhao Yi felt more at ease. He had thought that after spending so many days together, he could wipe himself without blushing or skipping a beat, but in the end, it was a woman's body, and ultimately, it was different from his own.

Zhao Yi wondered if this incident would worsen the spread of her Gu poison. As he wiped her wrist, he lifted it up and pulled the sleeve back. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was still clean and there was no sign of the poison spreading.

But his wrist was too pale. His heart was filled with sorrow, and he unconsciously pressed his wrist, covered by a heavy makeup, against his forehead.

After a while, he slowly woke up. Seeing that Chen Zhuangmu was still asleep, he took the clean blanket that Uncle Wu had placed beside him, covered her with it, tucked the corners of the blanket in, and went out.

From a small house on the left, the aroma of cooking wafted out. Uncle Wu was stir-frying vegetables in a pot, but it wasn't very convenient. His legs were weak, and his arms seemed a bit awkward as well.

Zhao Yi was waiting for him outside the door. Uncle Wu noticed, but he didn't care and continued cooking. After finishing, he put the lid on the pot, wiped his hands with a rag, and limped out.

"May I ask your name?" Uncle Wu walked up to him and asked.

He wanted to use an alias, but he didn't want anyone else standing next to Chen Zhuangmu, not even their name. So he said, "Zhao Yi. Deputy Privy Councilor."

Uncle Wu responded indifferently and nodded. He had been in this remote and impoverished place for four years, and even if he wanted to do something, he lacked the strength and energy.

"I have some questions for you." Zhao Yi, not noticing Uncle Wu's reaction, looked at the small stool in front of him and said, "You've been here for four years, do you know about the burning of the Xiao residence four years ago?"

"The Xiao residence burned down?" Uncle Wu repeated after him. "How did you know?"

Zhao Yi looked over but didn't speak. Uncle Wu knew he shouldn't have asked, and said, "I've seen it. Two months after I came here, I saw that fire. It was huge; an entire garden was on fire. I heard from the people around that someone was bullied by the Xiao family, became a high-ranking official, and came back to take revenge."

"Besides the fire, did you see anyone?" Zhao Yi asked bluntly.

Uncle Wu wasn't angry. In his heart, he thought that it was only right for everyone to kick someone like him who had betrayed his master and fled.

“I went out to buy a cloth that day, something bright and clean, to wipe the table.” Uncle Wu said, glancing at the gray rag covered in grease on the stove. “On the way, I smelled something like fire therapy, and I assumed someone’s pot had burned through. But as the smell got stronger, I knew it wasn’t that simple. Sure enough, after I turned the corner, I saw a house on fire in the distance. As the fire grew, I saw three people come out.”

"Didn't the fire spread to other houses? What kind of people were involved?" Zhao Yi asked, seizing on these two suspicious points.

Uncle Wu said unhurriedly, "The Xiao family is rich and owns an entire street. As for their attire... I'm sure they're not assassins."

He glanced at Zhao Yi and continued, "Who would come out to do this kind of thing dressed in such bright colors? And judging from their expressions, it's obvious they haven't been trained."

"I think someone paid them a lot of money to hire them."

Zhao Yi nodded; that made sense. As for whether there were any remnants of the previous dynasty here, that had already been thoroughly investigated.

After chatting for a while, Uncle Wu went into the kitchen to prepare the dishes. Zhao Yi then went into the room to check on Chen Zhuangmu, intending to wipe the corners of her mouth again.

He lowered his head and washed the handkerchief in the basin, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed as he took it up.

Chen Zhuangmu opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You're awake. Is anything bothering you?" Zhao Yi's eyes lit up immediately, and he excitedly leaned closer to Chen Zhuangmu.

Chen Zhuangmu's eyes were expressionless and she didn't want to speak.

Zhao Yi said, "That's true. Talking now might harm your qi and blood. If you don't want to talk, then don't. You have Gu poison in your body, and your pulse is different from ordinary people. We don't really know what's going on here. When you want to go down and take a walk, we'll go get two more doses of medicine."

Her face remained expressionless; this matter was deeply buried in her heart. Zhao Yi knew she was considering the possibilities of the whole thing, gambling with herself.

He stopped talking and just held Chen Zhuangmu's hand, silently hoping that she would cheer up.

She felt the strength in his hand on her slender wrist, and her thoughts drifted away.

When she was a child, her uncle always waited for her mother to come home. How could he possibly harm her? After her mother's accident, he was extremely anxious and investigated for three years, wanting to clear her mother's name. How could he have harmed her?

Chen Zhuangmu couldn't get over that nagging feeling in her heart. How could this be? It was truly incomprehensible.

Actually, regarding the two or three things that had happened before—such as her uncle investigating for so long only to find so few clues, and how her uncle delaying the issuance of the imperial edict even when the truth was clear—Chen Zhuangmu assumed it was simply due to the unstable situation in the court. She was still heartbroken that she had pressured her uncle and delayed his plans.

For the first eight years of her seventeen years, her mother was her pillar of support; for the later years, her uncle was her pillar of support. When she didn't receive letters from her mother, her uncle comforted her. When she was troubled by her mistakes in her homework, her uncle guided her. When she first arrived and couldn't sleep, the emperor himself came to the palace to speak to her.

He personally took her under his wing and taught her most of the time, and he talked about her mother all the time. How could that be? Besides, if he was going to kill her mother, why didn't he kill her?

Seeing Chen Zhuangmu's furrowed brows, Zhao Yi knew she was falling deeper and deeper into love. He said softly, "Zhuangmu, you don't have to doubt love first."

Suddenly, Chen Zhuangmu turned her head, her eyes wide with shock, and said, "You also think that my uncle couldn't have killed my mother?"

Therefore, Zhao Yi spoke even more softly from then on.

“Let’s look at the specifics first, shall we?” Shen Zhuangmu didn’t react much. He continued, “Your uncle is indeed very good to you, but think about what happened later.”

"He investigated for three years, but it wasn't as fast as your investigation in one year; every argument you had with your uncle afterward, wasn't it just that people changed?"

"The emperor is far more complex than he appears behind the scenes. Several years ago, he tried to reclaim the power that belonged to him. For example, who in the court doesn't speak to him when he's in a bad mood?"

Zhao Yi's words finally sent a chill down Shen Zhuangmu's spine, giving her an immediate sense of clarity. "Yeah, why?"

She suddenly remembered something: what exactly was her uncle hiding from her?

A flood of questions and emotions overwhelmed her; her heart ached, her nose stung, and her eyes burned. She closed her eyes in anguish.

Suddenly, two hands grasped her arms, and warmth drew closer and closer until it embraced her tightly.

Zhao Yi stroked her back, trying his best to let her know that someone was behind her. Chen Zhuangmu still cried; the overwhelming pressure made it hard for her to breathe.

Suddenly, the image of her mother appeared in her mind—her teachings to her when she was young, taking her to the military camp…

"Mother...I miss you..."

Chen Zhuangmu clutched Zhao Yi's clothes and burst into tears. It seemed she wanted to cry out all the regrets of so many years, all the frustration of being pushed to grow up in the past two years, and all the loss of her mother.

She wiped her eyes until no more tears came out, then stepped out of Zhao Yi's embrace. She noticed that his eyes were also red, so she wiped them for him as well.

Once her anger subsided, her time returned to normal.

She grabbed Zhao Yi's wrist and said, "I dared to let you drink another cup of wine because I was certain that my uncle wouldn't hurt me. But—" she paused, then added, "you should still go see a doctor."

Zhao Yi nodded and said, "Alright, we won't write any more letters. After we leave here, we'll go to the Southern Frontier first to get you medical treatment. Then we'll return to Huijing."

He spoke earnestly, and Chen Zhuangmu listened attentively. After he finished speaking, she looked at him with some hesitation in her eyes. At this moment, Zhao Yi knew that he had other ideas.

"Actually, I've been keeping this from you all along." Chen Zhuangmu pursed her lips and said, "I know my own body. Can I hold out until Southern Xinjiang? Even if I do, can I cure myself? After all this trouble, what if I can't return to Huijing?"

This is to persuade him not to go.

"No." Zhao Yi refused her outright before she could finish. "We'll leave tomorrow, we absolutely have to go to Southern Xinjiang. We'll get there quickly, trust me?" He looked at Chen Zhuangmu.

She remained silent, terrified. Compared to uncovering the truth and avenging her mother, her own life was far less important.

"Zhuangmu, look at me, am I alright?" Zhao Yi stared at Shen Zhuangmu, as if he were enveloping her in his gaze, making her unable to move.

Only then did she realize what a dilemma was.

In a corner she couldn't see, Zhao Yi had already given up trying to persuade her. He stood up and said, "Zhuangmu, let's go back. The inn should still be open. Let's not bother Uncle Wu any longer."

Chen Zhuangmu nodded, lifted the quilt and went outside. She saw Uncle Wu sitting on a small stool next to the table. There were two dishes and three bowls of soup on the small table. Uncle Wu was sitting on the stool waiting for them to start their meal.

"Uncle Wu." Chen Zhuangmu, her breathing unsteady, slowly walked over. "We're leaving now."

Upon hearing the "whoosh," Uncle Wu, who was sitting on the stool, suddenly stood up and said unexpectedly, "Isn't it dangerous for you to go back now? At least eat something before you leave!"

Such a simple expectation. She smiled faintly and said, "No, I'll come back to see you when I have time."

She walked out while talking, and Zhao Yi supported her from the side. Neither of them looked back.

"Miss!" Uncle Wu shouted. When Chen Zhuangmu turned around, she saw that he had already knelt down. She had no intention of helping him up now, and was indifferent to the kneeling.

This is both the most precious thing and the most powerless thing.

"Girl! Will you avenge the general?" Uncle Wu's eyes scanned Shen Zhuangmu's face.

It would have been better if she hadn't asked; once she did, Chen Zhuangmu felt quite uncomfortable.

But she didn't show it, and the words she was about to say were phrased differently.

"Of course, she is my mother. I must find out the truth and avenge her." Her eyes seemed to be glistening with tears, and there seemed to be a stubbornness that refused to admit defeat, but Zhao Yi felt that she was more sad than anything else.

She seemed to be gambling, making a bet with God.

A niece murders her uncle—such an absurd thing…

Now that it was completely dark, Chen Zhuangmu's thoughts were able to be hidden even more deeply. Her tone carried a hint of comfort as she said, "Uncle Wu, it's not your fault now. You don't need to feel guilty. Even if you had stood up back then, you couldn't have saved my mother or your brother."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Just as they crossed the alley, Zhao Yi suddenly patted her arm. She paused for a moment, and then saw Zhao Yi walk up to her, squat down, and say, "Get on."

Chen Zhuangmu didn't hesitate. She bent down and rested her head on his back, not wanting to breathe fresh air, otherwise, she would feel a tearing sensation.

She wronged Xiao Zhong, causing Han Feng's family to be destroyed and scattered.

She actually destroyed her friend's home with her own hands.

In the long, dark night, the two of them hid themselves in each other's presence.

They barely spoke the entire way. Suddenly, Chen Zhuangmu pressed her face against the back of Zhao Yi's neck and asked, "Will you always stay with me?"

Zhao Yi almost froze. This didn't sound like something Chen Zhuangmu would say. Before he could even laugh, he replied, "Now it's my turn to say, 'Stay with me a little longer.'"

Chen Zhuangmu knew what he meant. She hoped that she would obediently go to Miao territory for treatment, so that it would truly take longer.

Neither of them knew anything about Gu poison, and lately her symptoms had become more frequent—frequent sharp pains in her chest and mental fog. She even wondered if she might have been deceived by that doctor; could she really survive the whole year?

With such a major event happening recently, will the Gu poison penetrate deeper into the bloodstream?

Once she arrives in Miao territory, will she really be able to return?

Ultimately, her concern was to return to Huijing, investigate the matter thoroughly, and avenge her enemies.

They knocked on the inn's door, but the innkeeper, upon seeing them, refused to accept any more customers. They had to ask for double the price before the landlady, filled with apprehension, finally allowed them in.

So they returned to the place they had known best during this time, where a gleaming sword still sat on the table in the hut.

Chen Zhuangmu crawled into bed. After Zhao Yi finished washing up, he was about to make a makeshift bed on the floor when he heard her say, "Come here, Qingzi, I want to talk to you about something."

Chen Zhuangmu was thinking about how to persuade Zhao Yi, but Zhao Yi had already decided to knock her unconscious the next day and take her directly to Miao territory.