She handed him the box containing the blood-stained handkerchief, saying, "This item is to be delivered to the palace, to the Empress Dowager."

"Tell her that Shen Zhiyi is the only Crown Princess I have ever chosen in my life."

"Her innocence is beyond reproach and criticism by anyone."

"I will not want any woman other than her."

"Yes!" Shuofeng solemnly took the box and carefully placed it away.

He bowed and left.

Yan Zhuoxu gazed at the once-empty meditation room and sat silently for a long time in the night.

The ever-burning lamps flickered.

He stared intently, not blinking.

Keep an eye on it until it's completely extinguished.

This time, he didn't add fuel.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

He got up, took off his monk's robe, carefully folded it, changed into a black robe, and went to the meditation room to confirm that Shen Zhiyi was still sleeping peacefully.

He leaned down and kissed her.

In her dazed state, Shen Zhiyi hugged his hand and pressed it against his, "Mmm... Your Highness..."

She turned over and went back to sleep.

Yan Zhuoxu's dark eyes rekindled with a fierce light.

His adrift heart finally settled down.

He touched her face, got up and left, heading to the inner hall to meet Abbot Wufang.

It seemed as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Kongchen, you're here."

He still looked at him with that same compassion.

Yan Zhuoxu bowed deeply to him, clasped his hands together, and kowtowed, saying, "This disciple's worldly ties are not yet severed, and my cultivation is insufficient."

"I have come to pay my respects to the abbot and request permission to return to secular life."

Liao Wu, holding his prayer beads, gazed at the rising sun outside the hall and said, "The Buddha's teachings are in the world; enlightenment is not separate from the world. Seeking enlightenment apart from the world is like searching for a rabbit's horn."

"Whether one is in the world or in the world, both are forms of spiritual practice..."

He closed his eyes and bowed, saying, "This humble monk bids farewell to His Highness the Crown Prince."