Feng Lingyan's heart ached at the thought, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't comprehend how two people who had once loved each other so deeply could have ended up like this. Was love truly so fragile? Or were feelings ultimately worthless in the face of power and self-interest?

"Lingyan..."

Nalan Yunzhi, who had been standing quietly in the dark, following Feng Lingyan silently like a ghost, now saw Feng Lingyan's heartbroken and tearful look. The last line of defense in his heart finally collapsed completely, and he could no longer hide in this endless darkness.

She suddenly reached out and fiercely plucked aside the shimmering pearl curtain before her. Then, she strode forward with great speed. In just a few steps, she was beside Feng Lingyan, and then she stretched out her arms and hugged him tightly.

"Lingyan, come back to me, okay?" Nalan Yunzhi gently rested her head against Feng Lingyan's neck, feeling the warmth coming from him. Tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her voice was low and hoarse, tinged with an indescribable plea.

Feng Lingyan, suddenly caught in Nalan Yunzhi's embrace, froze slightly, a look of astonishment on his face. However, he quickly recovered from his initial shock and, with all his strength, pushed Nalan Yunzhi away.

"Your Majesty, spilled water cannot be undone, and a broken mirror cannot be mended." Feng Lingyan's face was covered with tears, and he stared at the woman in front of him whom he once loved deeply with extremely complicated eyes.

Although time had left its mark on Nalan Yunzhi's face, rendering her no longer as charming and beautiful as before, her brows still radiated a unique charm, her heroic demeanor was breathtaking and captivating. However, at this moment, Feng Lingyan's eyes were filled with endless sadness and despair.

"Lingyan, can you please tell me what it will take for me to forgive you?" Nalan Yunzhi asked in a trembling voice, her face filled with unconcealed pain. She squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to hold back the tears, but ultimately failed. When she opened her tear-soaked eyes again, she gazed with unwavering affection at the man she had fallen in love with at first sight and had loved for seventeen years.

Feng Lingyan suppressed her inner grief, a hint of sarcasm playing on her lips. "Okay, then, Your Majesty, can you make up for the seventeen years of fatherly and motherly love Qingcheng has lost? Can you also alleviate Lingyan's regret for not being able to raise her daughter yourself for these seventeen years?"

Every word Feng Lingyan uttered was like a sharp knife, piercing Nalan Yunzhi's heart. These words tormented Nalan Yunzhi like torture, leaving her with unbearable pain. However, history was already made, and the past could not be changed or reversed.

Nalan Yunzhi clutched her aching chest, trying to ease the piercing pain, but to no avail. Finally, unable to endure the torment any longer, she spat out a mouthful of blood, like the delicate and luscious red spider lilies blooming on the ground beneath her feet, eye-catching and dazzling...