The room was lit, and Ye Qingxue immediately saw Yun Zhuo's exposed chest, his muscles clearly defined, looking strong and firm, but covered with scars.

Seemingly not expecting her to barge in, Yun Zhuo was halfway through putting on his undergarment, the water droplets on his neck and chest still wet. The undergarment clung to his skin as soon as it touched the water droplets, highlighting the lines of his body even more.

Not only that, his forehead and hair were wet, his mask was removed and lay quietly to the side, his freshly washed face was clean, and his features were so clear and superior...

In a moment of impulsiveness, Ye Qingxue suddenly forgot why she had come here in the first place, and all she could think of was to quickly turn around.

Behind her came the rustling sound of Yun Zhuo dressing. Ye Qingxue thought of the basin of water placed in front of him, which was now stained red with blood.

He was really injured.

Ye Qingxue's mind calmed down considerably, but her anger flared up again. "You knew that Granny Dai had entered the Marquis's residence, so you deliberately showed yourself to see if she would recognize you?"

The man behind her paused in his dressing, remained silent for a long while, and finally uttered a single word: "Yes."

Ye Qingxue was furious. She knew that the cautious Yun Zhuo wouldn't just happen to run into Granny Dai like that.

That's way too risky.

He must have something urgent to do, which is why he's trying to take this risk. If Granny Dai doesn't recognize him, he'll probably take the next step immediately.

But Ye Qingxue was still angry.

"If she recognizes you, wouldn't all my plans over the past few months be in vain? You and I would both die without a burial place. What do you plan to do?"

There was no sound after that. Ye Qingxue thought he had been stumped by her question, felt guilty, and knew he was ashamed and remorseful, so she turned around.

Unbeknownst to her, Yun Zhuo had already dressed and was standing beside her. The doorway was narrow, and her forehead almost bumped into Yun Zhuo's chin.

Yun Zhuo looked down at her and said seriously, "But I won the bet."

Ye Qingxue: "..."

Ye Qingxue said sarcastically, "Is it possible that it's because I cooperated well? If I hadn't cooperated well, your identity might have already been exposed!"

Yun Zhuo took a deep breath: "If that's really the case, then whatever Miss wants me to do, I will do."

Ye Qingxue: "…………"

Ye Qingxue raised her eyes, stared into his eyes, and finally calmly said to him, "I know you are burdened with a blood feud, I know you are suffering in your heart, I know you wish you could turn the world upside down and make your enemies pay for their blood debts."

"But I hope that you will choose to be patient and silent until you are absolutely certain of victory, otherwise all your probing will be a waste of opportunities and life."

Night fell over the treetops in the distance, but in the corner where they stood, candlelight flickered.

Yun Zhuo's throat bobbed, and he quietly clenched his fists. He wanted to say that if Granny Dai really had any doubts, she would not be able to return to the palace alive.

But all he said was, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Ye Qingxue let out a breath: "Let's go have dinner."

She took a few steps, then stopped: "Thank you for breaking through the dam and demolishing the wall outside Guanju Courtyard last night to put out the fire."

Ye Qingxue left without waiting for his reply.

Yun Zhuo stood in the darkness, the candlelight shining from behind him, stretching his shadow long and thin, as if trying to drag him into the darkness.

His memory suddenly drifted back to the Lantern Festival.

The entire palace was brightly lit and bustling with activity. As the Crown Prince, in addition to assisting the emperor in handling state affairs, he was also responsible for the security inside and outside the palace.

The emperor said to him, "This is your father's test for you, so that you will be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future."

That evening, just as the Lantern Festival banquet had begun, the emperor was struck by a headache and ordered the crown prince to fetch medicine.

The Crown Prince led his men there, but unexpectedly, a fire broke out in Consort Li's palace on the way.

This is within the Crown Prince's duties.

Many people went to the front lines to attend the Lantern Festival banquet, leaving few people behind in the inner palace. The Crown Prince personally led a group to put out the fire.

He remembered that when he left the banquet, Consort Li, the newly favored concubine, was still by his father's side, serving him gently and attentively.

But when he entered Consort Li's palace to put out the fire, Consort Li was actually inside. The fire was extinguished, and he was arrested.

The emperor was furious: "Crown Prince Yunzhuo, you are utterly rebellious! How can you face me?!"

Consort Li begged for mercy, saying that the Crown Prince had forced her and that the nanny had found male filth inside her body.

Before he could even open his mouth to argue, his maternal uncle, Ning Hongxi, stepped forward and rebuked him: "How dare the Crown Prince disrespect his birth mother by splashing blood on the late Empress's jade carving! How can the Crown Prince be worthy of being a human being?"

He didn't!

He lost his mother at a young age and had seen many children being loved and cherished by their mothers. He was extremely envious. How could he bear to splash bloodstains on his mother's jade carving?

But the uncle's anger was genuine, and the bloodstains on the jade carving were real.

Then someone reported that an official had colluded with bandits to assassinate the emperor that night. The official had been arrested, and it was said that the crown prince had ordered him to do so.

The person who came to report was a trusted confidant who had fought alongside him for many years.

Although he did not do so, he also had no opportunity to argue.

He knew he had been framed.

This series of events was premeditated.

His biological father didn't trust him; his maternal uncle, who had watched him grow up, criticized him; and his confidant of many years also testified against him.

The crown prince was thus kicked into the abyss of darkness by the emperor.

He was unwilling, he felt humiliated, and he was angry.

He knew that if he didn't escape, he would either be beheaded or imprisoned for life, with no chance of clearing his name or having anyone to carefully guard his mother's jade carving. So he escaped.

That day in the palace, blood flowed like a river, and heads kept rolling to his feet, their eyes wide open, staring at him, staring at him for a long, long time.

He then stepped over corpses, carving a bloody path through them...

It wasn't until Ye Qingxue lifted the filthy straw covering him that he was rescued from the darkness.