After being away for two days, arriving at Mingyu Pavilion felt like a century had passed.

"Miss, you're finally back!"

Seeing Xiangye's slightly red eyes, a sense of guilt rose in my heart.

"I'm back now!"

Xiangye couldn't hold back her tears and said in a choked voice, "I thought I would never see you again!"

"Silly girl, how could that be! When I can't sleep, I even want to drag you to look at the stars!"

"Miss, you're back?"

When Lingxin saw me return, she wasn't happy; instead, a fleeting look of disappointment crossed her eyes.

Ever since we returned from the banquet, she's been much colder towards me, and I don't know why.

The familiar scent made me feel so comfortable as I took a rose petal bath prepared by the fragrant leaves.

All the fatigue and anxiety were washed away.

It feels so good to be waited for and cared about.

A continuous drizzle hung in the gray sky, and the entire Lingqi was washed clean by the rain.

However, people weren't too happy about the rain. The harvest season was just around the corner, and it had been raining incessantly for the past month, with a sudden downpour every few days.

Ye Lisheng had nothing to do today, so he practiced calligraphy in his study.

My servant's edict hasn't been lifted yet, and he summoned me to grind ink.

Two days have passed since the people from Wuyou Valley were captured, and I can't help but feel a little worried.

Ye Lisheng handed the case over to the imperial court, but the court claimed that the imperial prison was full and could not hold anyone, so he temporarily imprisoned Ye Lisheng in Wuyou Valley.

Guards watch over the place every day; not even a fly can get in.

"Ye Lisheng, you must be tired! Have some tea to soothe your throat!" I said, leaning closer with a flattering expression.

To everyone's surprise, he coldly replied, "I am not thirsty!"

"Your hand must be sore from writing for so long. Shall I massage your shoulders and back?"

"I don't like being touched by others!"

He seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, rejecting my attempts to please him without giving me any chance.

"Grind the ink!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Your Highness has a question for you!"

"What's up?"

"What are you planning to do with the people of Worry-Free Valley?"

"I don't know, that was the imperial court's decision!"

"You are a prince, you have some privileges, right?"

He raised his head and said with a serious expression, "Stop thinking such wicked ideas!"

I glanced out the window; the rain was still pouring down.

At this moment, Ling Ran rushed in to report: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

He was soaking wet and looked flustered.

"What is it?"

"A huge fire broke out in Worry-Free Valley, and everyone inside was burned to death!"

The news came like a bolt from the blue. In disbelief, I asked again, "What did you say?"

"A huge fire broke out in Worry-Free Valley, and everyone inside was burned to death!"

I couldn't help but cry: "So many lives, what did they do to take them away!"

"It's all because of you!" I complained as I punched Ye Lisheng.

"If you had pretended you knew nothing and let them go, that would have been much better!"

When Ye Lisheng arrived at Wuyou Valley, the fire had already been extinguished, and very few people survived.

I couldn't face S's death, so I hid in my room, silently blaming myself.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"

I blamed myself for everything. If I had left sooner, Ye Lisheng wouldn't have found Wuyou Valley, and they wouldn't have been captured.

"Half a month has passed, where is the blood I asked for?" Murong Kui demanded of Wang Qiaochuan with a sinister expression.

He chuckled and said, "Haste makes waste!"

"I don't care about all that, I just want to know when I'll get what I want!"

"Just bear with it a little longer, in three days!"

Murong Kui sneered: "Then what good news does Master Murong have to say!"

Watching her departing figure, Mo Sheng could no longer help but ask, "Why did Master obey her orders and draw blood for her?"

"People who are driven to the brink of desperation are often capable of anything, and she is that kind of person. Keeping her around will be very useful!"

Mo Sheng nodded in agreement.

"Master just said three days from now. I wonder if you have a plan in mind and if there is anything your disciple needs to do?"

"You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it myself!"

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he heard Wang Qiaochuan say, "You can go down now!"

"This disciple takes his leave!"

In the days that followed, I would avoid any appearances related to Ye Lisheng, and I refused to see him at all.

Even Xiangye, who was watching, couldn't help but speak up for him, saying, "Miss, why don't you go out and see the Prince!"

"I'm not going!"

"Xiangye knows you're sad, but even the Prince didn't anticipate that something like that would happen."

"It's really unfair to the prince to put all the blame on him like this!"

"Miss, do you know? Not only others, but even the people in the manor call the Prince the Iceberg Prince!"

"Everyone had to walk around him, and their legs trembled with fear when they bowed to him face to face!"

"But I've seen the prince's affection for you these past two days! The prince truly cares about you!"

I don't really blame him anymore; I just don't know how to face him. Rather than blaming him, I blame myself.

"Thank you, Xiangye, for telling me so much!"

"I just hope that Miss can come to terms with it!"

Su Yu'er and the other two were extremely dissatisfied with me, sitting in the octagonal pavilion, eating melon seeds and complaining about me.

"His Highness hasn't visited my courtyard in a long time!" Su Yu'er said, rubbing her forehead.

As soon as she said that, Ning Jing rolled her eyes at her: "It's not like the prince has ever been to your courtyard!"

"you……"

Peacemaker Liu Ye quickly stepped in to stop them, saying, "Sisters, please don't ruin the harmony. After all, it's no one's fault!"

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