"I never intended to hurt you. Even if you don't want me, you... are free." His voice was fragile and easily broken, making one's heart ache.
Chen Zhiyi took a deep breath to keep herself calm.
This is the Regent...
There is absolutely no possibility between them.
The Emperor was already wary of the Shen family, and besides, he was a divorced woman; they were not a good match.
She strode forward, and Zhou Xuance only said from behind, "I know what you want to do, I will help you."
Shen Zhiyi ignored her; her mind was still in turmoil.
Hongrui and Lühe had been waiting outside the Tinglan Water Pavilion. Seeing that she looked strange, they quickly helped her into the carriage.
"Miss, what happened?" The two were very worried.
"Nothing else, let's go back to the manor."
She sat in the carriage, dazed, her mind filled with the image of him taking off his mask. She lifted the curtain and looked outside. The night market was bustling, and when the wind blew, it even made her eyes red.
Because she knew:
From then on,
There will never be another Xiao Zhongxuan in this world!
Only the regent Zhou Xuanze.
The person who would cook for her every day, make calming soup, and cheer her up will never come back.
"Girl, why are you crying?" Hongrui frowned.
"The wind hurts my eyes."
Hongrui hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe her face, just then Dali Temple soldiers roared past the night market, causing many people to gossip.
"I wonder whose house they'll raid tonight?"
"They deserve it. They embezzled military funds and colluded with barbarians. Who else should we confiscate their money if not them?"
...
When Shen Zhiyi returned to the manor, she had just entered the courtyard when she heard the gatekeeper say, "Miss, Marquis Xuanhua requests an audience."
"What is he doing here?" Shen Zhiyi frowned.
"I heard that the Crown Prince of Song has been imprisoned by the Dali Temple for falsely claiming military merits from his subordinates."
Shen Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't surprised that Song Yuxiu had been arrested. She wouldn't be surprised if such a scumbag did anything. She hated him so much for the massacre of her family in her past life that she wanted to tear him apart. How could she feel any pity for him?
But thinking back to what Zhou Xuance said when he left, could it be...?
Was it him who did Song Yuxiu's thing?
Is this what he meant by helping himself?
"Miss, the Marquis is still waiting at the door," the servant said.
"Send him away. If he tries to force his way in, send someone to throw him out. If that doesn't work, report him to the authorities." Shen Zhiyi didn't want to see him.
About an hour later, the servant came again and said, "The Marquis has finally left."
Shen Zhi nodded.
"I heard that the concubine of the Marquis's mansion absconded with all the mansion's money!"
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Zhiyi's eyes, then she laughed out loud.
Turquoise moved very quickly.
The Marquis's mansion is on the verge of collapse. Marquis Xuanhua wants to save Song Yuxiu, so he must spend money to smooth things over. However, the Marquis's mansion has been living off the sale of its property recently, so Cuilan naturally wants to run away.
"I heard that the old lady of the Marquis's mansion suffered a stroke, and Miss Song lost her hand and is unable to take care of herself. Now, the servants of the Marquis's mansion are afraid of being implicated, so they took some valuable things from the mansion and ran away. The whole mansion is in chaos," the servant continued.
Hongrui laughed, "They deserved it. Who told them to bully our girl?"
Green Lotus chimed in, "It's just karma."
"Miss, it's getting late. Let us help you bathe and rest," Hongrui said with a smile.
Shen Zhiyi nodded. She had just finished bathing when Lühe brought over a calming soup. She took it and drank a sip. The taste...
Did he cook it?
He is the regent, and his identity has been revealed, yet he can still return to his own residence as a lowly guard.
"It's strange, the calming soup is ready, but Guard Xiao is nowhere to be found, and we don't know where he went," Green Lotus muttered.
Shen Zhiyi took a sip of the calming soup and said slowly, "He's gone."
"Where did you go?"
"He's going back to where he belongs; he won't be coming back."
Red Bud and Green Lotus exchanged glances, unaware of the situation. They assumed their young lady had another minor disagreement with Guard Xiao, thinking he would probably return in a couple of days.
That night, Shen Zhiyi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Her mind was filled with all the things that happened after she met Xiao Zhongxuan, including her several encounters with the Regent.
This includes his attentiveness to his elder brother when he first entered the Regent's Palace;
At the victory celebration banquet, archery was used to help.
...
Everyone says that he is physically weak due to residual toxins, but his behavior tonight doesn't seem like that of someone who has been suffering from a long-term illness.
The Crown Prince was attacked, and he was involved in the plot. It just so happens that he was poisoned with the same kind of poison as the Crown Prince. His current condition shows that the poison can be cured.
But he didn't offer the medicine. Was he just going to watch the crown prince be deposed?
A battle,
Depose two crown princes!
What exactly is he trying to do?
To regain control of the military?
still……
Want to seize power?
Shen Zhiyi became increasingly alarmed as she thought about it, and couldn't sleep at all that night.
**
Zhou Xuance was also unable to fall asleep.
"Your Highness, it's late." Kong Qing reminded him from the side. Ever since he returned from the waterside pavilion, he had been sitting in his study for two hours, fiddling with the five-colored silk threads in his hands, trying to weave a bracelet, but the more he wove, the worse it looked.
Finally, the five-colored silk threads became tangled together, which infuriated him.
He scoffed, "What a piece of junk!"
Kong Qing pursed her lips.
It depends.
This time, revealing my identity, the situation doesn't look good.
It's over,
His prince must have been abandoned by the Shen family girl.
I can understand. Miss Shen just went through what happened with Prince Song, and you deceived her again. Anyone would feel uncomfortable in that situation.
“Your Highness, I think Miss Shen is the kind of person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Why don’t you try to coax her a little more? She will definitely understand your feelings.”
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