Please give me your guidance.

The drizzle of late spring falls obliquely like needles.

The crimson silk that filled the sky was soaked, turning the originally festive Prince Jin's mansion into a cold and silent place.

Gu Jinghong sat gracefully in the warm pavilion of Chun Shen Garden, her wedding dress shimmering, her face as beautiful as a lotus.

The maid Zhixin helped put the phoenix crown on properly and couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss is truly the most beautiful person in the world, and she and the prince are a perfect match."

Gu Jinghong forced a smile, but felt inexplicably empty inside.

Although Prince Jin, Xiao Chengyan, commands a large army and conquers the four seas, he has always been a man of his word. Yet, for such a major event as his marriage, he disappeared for several months before the wedding and did not utter a single word.

Gu Jinghong sent someone to inquire, and he finally managed to reply, "The wedding will proceed as planned."

How can things proceed "as usual"? On this grand wedding day, he hasn't even appeared in Gu Jinghong's sight yet.

As if unable to bear seeing Gu Jinghong's concerns, Zhixin turned to find Xipa.

Squeak—

The sound of the door being pushed open rang out.

Gu Jinghong looked in the direction of the sound and saw the tall figure she had been longing for standing at the door, wearing a wedding dress of the same color as hers, carrying a hint of chill from the rain.

"Yanlang, you're back..."

She got up to greet him, and as usual, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

The moment she touched him, she felt that he had become much lighter; his tall frame, supported by his solemn and magnificent clothes, looked so empty that it was heartbreaking.

She tried to make her voice sound normal: "Is the war in the southwest over? You... are you doing well?"

Xiao Chengyan didn't even look at her, his gaze fixed on the somber red outside the window, his voice as flat as if he were talking about someone else's business: "It's over."

"Zhang Meng and Wang Yang..."

Gu Jinghong's heart leaped into her throat. Those were her most trusted right-hand men, but she received news that the two of them had already...

"Dead." He uttered two words.

Gu Jinghong looked up at him.

He was originally extremely handsome, with well-defined features and deep-set eyes, and was considered by the Duke of Dayong to be the most handsome young man.

But he is clearly thinner now, and his originally distinct features appear even more sharp. Especially when his imposing presence is enveloped in calm, he seems even more unapproachable.

Ignoring his coldness, Gu Jinghong tightened her grip and asked the question that had been lingering in her heart: "During that most difficult time... I mean, during those three months you disappeared, were you injured? Were you seriously injured?"

Xiao Chengyan's gaze, which had been fixed on the dark red outside the window, finally turned back to her face, scrutinizing her with coldness: "Disappeared for three months... You do know me quite well."

Gu Jinghong was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Chengyan's thin lips curled into a faint mockery, and his tone suddenly changed: "If he hadn't been seriously injured, why would he... need someone to risk their life to save him?"

Gu Jinghong's heart skipped a beat. She knew who he was talking about: the woman from Nanzhao.

She had imagined many scenarios of the two of them talking about A-Yuan, but she never expected him to bring it up himself.

Gu Jinghong asked, "What's her name?"

“Ah Yuan,” he replied.

At this moment, Gu Jinghong realized that something was wrong.

The person in his arms was as cold as jade, motionless, unlike the way he used to embrace her.

Gu Jinghong felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart, but a gentle smile bloomed on her lips: "Yanlang, the auspicious time is approaching... shall the wedding proceed as planned?"

Xiao Chengyan's thick eyelashes cast small shadows under his eyes: "Otherwise... what else do you want?"

Gu Jinghong blinked, seemingly trying to understand Xiao Chengyan's meaning. Just as she was about to ask something, the master of ceremonies' loud announcement echoed throughout the palace.

"The auspicious hour has arrived! The bride is leaving her home!"

Zhixin presented the bridal veil to Xiao Chengyan.

His gaze lingered on the handkerchief for a moment, a barely perceptible hesitation, before he steadily took it, raised his hand, and placed the crimson cloth over Gu Jinghong's phoenix crown.

Then, Gu Jinghong's hand was taken by Xiao Chengyan.

It was a long, slender hand that exuded coolness. Gu Jinghong could feel its distinct knuckles, rough palm, and thin calluses on the base of its thumb. He could even feel the various scars left on the hand, new and old, shallow and deep... And at this moment, his hand seemed to be trembling slightly.

A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her, and with unspoken questions lingering in her mind, she let him lead her step by step out of Chun Shen Garden and toward the main hall.

A complex feeling arose in her heart—happiness, a long journey, yet a hint of unease lurking in some hidden corner.

Just as the two were about to step into the main hall, the hand that had been holding her suddenly let go without warning.

Immediately afterwards, another soft hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She heard a clear, gentle male voice beside her: "Jinghong, watch your step. We should begin the wedding ceremony."

Gu Jinghong's heart sank suddenly, and a chill instantly penetrated her limbs and bones.

This voice—who is it to be marrying?!

With a "whoosh," Gu Jinghong raised her hand and ripped off the crimson patch from her head.

Before her eyes was a man with a dignified appearance. He was completely different from Xiao Chengyan, exuding a scholarly air from the inside out. He was dressed in a red wedding gown, which looked more suitable for her than Xiao Chengyan's.

She knew him; he was Gongsun Cheyuan, the eldest son of the Duke's mansion.

The once bustling hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone held their breath as they watched the bride.

Gu Jinghong's face turned deathly pale, yet she remained breathtakingly beautiful: "It's you?!"

Gongsun Cheyuan, unsure how to react, hurriedly picked up the bridal veil from the ground, glanced at Gu Jinghong with a complicated expression, and then forced a smile to explain to everyone, "I didn't expect the wind in this hall to be so strong."

Gu Jinghong shifted her angry gaze from Gongsun Cheyuan to the man standing quietly with his hands behind his back a few steps away.

He still stood there, solitary and towering like a mountain, the glaring red making his face appear even paler.

Gu Jinghong raised his voice: "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"

His eyes flickered slightly—she called him "Your Highness" instead of "Yanlang".

Xiao Chengyan paused, his tone even colder than the weather: "Jinghong, don't be willful."

"Willful? Your Highness, please enlighten me, what does it mean to not be willful?"

"Should Jinghong act as if nothing happens to avoid being willful?"

"Should I be allowed to be taken away by strangers without being considered willful?"

She paused for a moment, then sighed softly, her beautiful eyes beginning to mist over: "Your Highness, if there's anything wrong, you should talk to me properly... The wedding ceremony... is... is irreversible."

Looking into those eyes, Xiao Chengyan felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, and his hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched into a fist.

She understands him very well, even in this situation, she still understands him.

But his expression was calm to the point of indifference, as if he no longer loved her.

Only he knew that at this moment, he felt as if he had a bitter pill in his mouth, so bitter that his voice was hoarse: "The Emperor's decree of marriage has been issued. You are my sworn sister, and you will marry into the Duke's mansion as the Crown Prince's consort... What else do I need to explain?"

Step sister? Marry into the Duke's palace?

So, what did the phrase "Otherwise, what else do you want?" actually mean?

So, from beginning to end, was she incredibly foolish, easily believing Xiao Chengyan's ambiguous words? Was she wishful thinking, insisting on staying at the Prince Jin's residence and refusing to leave? Was she misplaced her affections, believing that Xiao Chengyan was different from her fellow disciples?

Gu Jinghong's beautiful and bright eyes welled up with tears.

She could feel her hands trembling, but she still tried her best to control her expression: "Xiao Chengyan, I know you, I don't believe you're a liar."

Xiao Chengyan's hand, hidden by the wide sleeve, was gripped tightly, his nails digging into his palm. He appeared extremely calm and aloof, even maintaining his upright posture with his hands behind his back.

After a moment of silence, he raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the delicate butterfly-shaped mark above her collarbone. A mocking smile curved his thin lips as he leaned closer to her and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "But... you are a liar. Grand Master Gu of Qianyuan Pavilion."

Buzz—

Gu Jinghong was struck dumb, took a few steps back, and subconsciously reached out to cover her collarbone.

He knows!

No, he already knew!

In this battle, rumors circulated that the Qianyuan Pavilion had close ties with the Nanfeng Clan, and that the mechanical arts used by Nanzhao were also the work of the Qianyuan Pavilion. Gu Jinghong was busy investigating this matter as soon as he recovered, so he was still misled, right?

So, in his eyes, she was his enemy? One of the culprits responsible for the deaths of Zhang Meng and Wang Yang, and the countless bones scattered across the land?

No, for three whole years, hadn't they already been having long, intimate conversations and becoming confidants? Hadn't they been embracing and kissing tenderly, their love overflowing?

Shouldn't he trust her as much as she trusts him?

A hint of panic flashed in Gu Jinghong's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it: "Your Highness, please listen to me..."

"I've simply heard you say too much."

Gu Jinghong frowned, staring intently at Xiao Chengyan, and after a moment she suddenly chuckled softly.

The next instant, she was enveloped in a dazzling red, and suddenly leaped towards the figure on the steps!

Xiao Chengyan's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyelashes trembled rapidly, and his feet instinctively wanted to retreat, but for some reason he stood still.

In an instant, Gu Jinghong threw herself into his arms, her hands gripping the front of Xiao Chengyan's dark red robe tightly. She looked up at him with reddened eyes, the mole on her eyebrow as red as blood: "I have given in time and time again, why do you have to do this?"

Unbeknownst to anyone, Xiao Chengyan's other sleeve, hanging at his side, was quietly soaked with blood, and the crooked stitches of the twin lotus pattern on the sleeve had turned from gold to black.

He remained silent, his lips pressed into a pale line, his already bloodless face now appearing even more ashen.

Gu Jinghong suddenly loosened her grip on the front of her shirt, and in the next instant, amidst the horrified uproar and gasps of the entire hall, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips, stained with bright red lipstick, against his tightly pursed lips.

The familiar, warm body pressed against Xiao Chengyan, instantly shattering his strong defenses. He could even feel her body trembling slightly.

A surge of intense love and an almost uncontrollable impulse welled up inside him. Almost instinctively, he raised his hand, which was hanging by his side, an inch, as if he wanted to... hug her back.

Just as his defenses were crumbling and his fingertips were about to touch the cool gold thread embroidery on her wedding dress—

A slender, icy hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed the corner of his raised sleeve.

A soft voice called out in their ears: "A-Ye..."

The soft call, like a whisper echoing through an empty valley, reached Xiao Chengyan's ears as "A-Ye"; but in Gu Jinghong's ears, it was "A-Yan".

These two words instantly bolstered Xiao Chengyan's faltering will. His body stiffened like iron, and with a sudden burst of strength, he pushed Gu Jinghong out of his arms!

"Uh!" Gu Jinghong staggered back a few steps after being pushed by him, and shock and even deeper despair instantly overwhelmed her.

She subconsciously followed the hand that was gripping Xiao Chengyan's sleeve and looked down—

Ah Yuan was standing close to Xiao Chengyan, her collar slightly loosened, seemingly due to the earlier tugging and panic.

It was just that one glance.

Gu Jinghong felt as if his blood had frozen.

She could clearly see that above A Yuan's fair and delicate collarbone, there was a delicate butterfly-shaped mark. The shape and position of the mark were almost identical to the fake one that Gu Jinghong had carefully painted on his collarbone.

Buzz—

It turns out that this "A Yuan" is not a simple person—she is the white moonlight he has been waiting for for many years, while Gu Jinghong, this fake, along with his three years of infatuation, has become a joke.

"Ayan"... So that's how his new butterfly calls him...

Gu Jinghong gave a bitter smile—three years of affection ultimately couldn't withstand it.

So be it.

She slowly stood up, picked up the bridal veil from the ground, and covered the phoenix crown with it.

She turned around and placed her slender white hand in Gongsun Cheyuan's palm, her red lips parting slightly: "In the future, I hope my husband will... give me much guidance."