Su Wanwan looked into his dark pupils, pursed her lips slightly, and nodded gently: "Okay."

Lu Xingjian sat there for a long time without moving, just staring at her.

After a long while, he finally let out a breath and gently pulled her into his arms: "Wait for me."

"Um."

Su Wanwan reached out and hugged his strong, upright back, as docile as a kitten.

The wind was biting cold outside.

The room was warm and cozy because of the heated floor.

She felt as if she had survived a catastrophe, thinking:

"I don't care anymore, I don't care about anything, as long as everyone is safe and sound."

She shouldn't have been so attached to Xiao Huwei's care and understanding, repeatedly pulling him to the brink of death.

She wanted to cut ties with him completely.

Even though she knew that marrying Lu Xingjian would pave a thorny path for her future, she was still deeply grateful.

She had no other choice.

After a while, Su Wanwan urged Lu Xingjian to go to bed, while Lu Xingjian got dressed to take Su Wanwan back.

"So that your father won't have anything to say, and you won't be in a difficult position."

Su Wanwan's heart trembled, and she lowered her head, saying, "I'm not going back tonight."

Since the decision has been made, let's go all in.

"Huh?" Lu Xingjian felt like he had misheard.

She cares so much about her reputation, how could she possibly stay out overnight in front of her father?

Besides, she wasn't that close to her father, so she was bound to be gossiped about.

Su Wanwan looked up into his eyes:

“With Steward Li not here, and you vomiting blood again, I’m worried.”

Lu Xingjian couldn't suppress the smile spreading across his lips:

"That wasn't vomiting blood, it was just that the shock caused some blood to rush to the head, it's nothing serious."

Su Wanwan looked somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, feeling that he was trying to get rid of her.

It only makes her seem shameless, insisting on clinging to her.

Lu Xingjian took her hand and led her to the bedside.

Su Wanwan was a little nervous and embarrassed.

Lu Xingjian merely glanced at her: "I won't touch you tonight, don't worry."

He looked somewhat weak and tired, and lay down directly on the bed, leaving half of the bed for Su Wanwan.

Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then took off her clothes and got into bed, pulling half of the blanket over herself.

The next instant, he was pulled into a pair of long arms.

Su Wanwan's body stiffened for a moment before slowly relaxing.

The man seemed oblivious to her momentary stiffness, simply closing his eyes and kissing her hair: "Sleep."

Su Wanwan didn't dare to move, and listened intently to his breathing and movements.

However, being extremely exhausted, my eyelids soon began to droop, and I became drowsy.

Lu Xingjian coughed lightly a few times.

She woke up immediately, propped herself up, and asked anxiously in a sleepy voice, "Is it serious? Should we get a doctor to take a look?"

Lu Xingjian gently pulled her down to lie down, and after a long while, he slowly said:

"fine."

Su Wanwan was a little skeptical: "Don't force yourself."

Although she knew some medical and toxicological principles, she had never actually treated patients, especially when it came to the most difficult-to-treat internal injuries.

Lu Xingjian sighed softly, nuzzled her head with his chin, and pressed her face against the crook of his neck.

The two of them were pressed tightly together.

Although there was no further transgression, this intimacy and attachment was even stronger than when they were intimately estranged.

It's like two hearts pressed together.

His voice was deep and husky: "Wanwan, I love the way you care about me."

"You should take better care of yourself," Su Wanwan said softly and gently.

Mountains crumble when you rely on them, and people run away when you rely on them.

Only relying on yourself is truly reliable.

“It’s different.” He simply replied with three words.

How can the loneliness of one person be the same as the mutual comfort of two people?

Su Wanwan didn't say anything more.

Before dawn the next day, Lu Xingjian got up, changed into a set of iron armor, and wrapped himself up tightly.

Su Wanwan yawned as she helped him get dressed, a little puzzled: "Why the rush?"

Lu Xingjian looked down at her.

Her hair hung loosely behind her head as she bustled around him, like a wife seeing her husband off at the door.

A smile unconsciously crept onto his face. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Marriage is a big deal, how can we not be in a hurry?"

A tingling sensation shot straight to her heart, and Su Wanwan's face instantly turned crimson.

It's not that I had no expectations at all.

But she also knew that achieving this goal would be extremely difficult.

The things they do and the methods they use are extraordinary.

Especially on his side.

Between him and Empress Xia, there were already two deep-seated blood feuds.

The hatred for killing his mother, the hatred for wiping out his entire family.

If Empress Xia insists on fighting him to the death, the matter will not be resolved in three months.

Her shaky reputation is also an obstacle.

As dawn broke, Lu Xingjian and his entourage rode away on horseback.

It was as if he wasn't the one with blood at the corner of his mouth last night.

Su Wanwan stood by the window and watched him wave in their direction before riding away.

When Su Wanwan rushed back to the inn where she was staying, Su Nan had just gotten up.

He didn't say a word while eating breakfast.

The atmosphere, however, was somewhat tense.

Su Wanying took the bowl of porridge from Su Wanwan and asked cautiously, "Second Uncle, are we going to Weizhouwei today?"

Su Nan paused slightly in the hand holding the cornbread, and said in a calm tone, "I'm not going. I'm going straight back to Beijing."

Su Wanwan sat down and drank her porridge, her head down, without saying a word.

It seems that Father also knows the general outline of last night's duel.

Her not coming home last night was also a hint to her father.

She hadn't spent much time with her father, and she didn't know how a scholar like him, who had passed the imperial examinations twice and valued reputation above all else, would view her.

More importantly...

Since the founding of this dynasty, there has been a strict set of rules for maternal relatives: they are given a nominal official position with a salary and kept well.

To prevent relatives of the empress from interfering in important state affairs, so as to avoid a situation like the Eastern Han Dynasty where relatives of the empress wielded power.

This means that the father's career will be completely ruined.

It's not just about maternal relatives.

Even the princesses and their husbands could only hold the nominal title of Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant to live out their retirement. Apart from participating in sacrificial rites and other affairs, they could not hold any positions of real power.

Even other members of the imperial son-in-law's family were not allowed to hold any real positions in the imperial court.

It would be fine if my father didn't get his official position reinstated this time.

Having just been reinstated to his original position, how can he accept this situation?

Moreover, if it were because of her that all the male members of the Su family were unable to take the imperial examinations and enter officialdom, the Su family would certainly not agree to that.

But.

Faced with a choice between Xiao Bin's safety and the future of the Su family, she now has no choice but to prioritize Xiao Bin's safety.

The future of the Su family can be planned gradually; a solution will eventually be found.

She had no way to repay this loyal servant who had helped her so much.

The greatest blessing she could give him was to forget him and wish him peace and happiness.

After breakfast, Su Wanwan asked Heying to go and find Xiao Bin.

She could simply entrust Xiao Bin with the year-end accounting of her dowry, and there was no need to contact her again.

"Just say, wishing him a bright future and peace of mind."

Xiao Bin remained silent for a long time before replying indifferently, "I understand."