When Lu Anrou heard the emperor's decree of marriage, she felt as if the sky had fallen.
Years of planning and aspirations vanished in an instant. Previously, Yao Shiyu had told her that Xie Yizhi had a crush on Jiang Luoluo, which she had scoffed at, dismissing it as utter nonsense.
However, now that the facts are before her, she has no choice but to believe them.
She once thought that Xie Yizhi was a cold-hearted and ruthless person who was indifferent and taciturn to all women.
But reality ruthlessly shattered her illusions. Xie Yizhi would smile, would gaze tenderly at the woman he admired, his eyes sparkling with a burning light.
However, all of this never belonged to her.
She finally understood that Xie Yizhi wasn't cold-hearted, but rather heartless towards her.
Even if she accidentally bumped into a wine glass with the hem of her skirt, Xie Yizhi would smash it in public, as if anything bearing her scent was utterly repulsive.
At that moment, Lu Anrou felt as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer in her chest, so suffocated that even breathing was difficult.
Noticing Lu Anrou's emotional fluctuations, Yao Shiyu immediately poured her a cup of hot tea and handed it to her, whispering to comfort her, "Princess, everything is fate, don't force it."
Though her words were gentle, Yao Shiyu's mind was in turmoil. In her previous life, Lu Anrou had tried to drug Xie Yi at the flower-viewing banquet, but he saw through her scheme and killed her on the spot.
In this life, she absolutely could not let Lu Anrou die so easily. If Lu Anrou were gone, she would lose a valuable pawn in her hand. Only by keeping Lu Anrou alive and continuing her struggle against Jiang Luoluo could she watch the show unfold.
During the meal, Lu Anrou left with her maid to go to the latrine and did not return for a long time.
When she returned to the banquet, her expression had returned to normal, and she even seemed less dejected.
Lu Anrou stared intently at Xie Yizhi in the male guests' section, her gaze deep and complex, as if concealing a profound meaning.
At this moment, eunuchs and maids bustled about carrying fruits and snacks, and the atmosphere of the banquet gradually reached its climax.
After Xie Yizhi received the emperor's bestowal of marriage, his heart, which had been frozen for many years, seemed to crack open, and a ray of warm sunlight quietly shone in.
He raised his glass, meeting Jiang Luoluo's gaze across the crowd, his eyes deep and gentle. Jiang Luoluo smiled faintly, raising her glass in response. The two clinked glasses across the distance, their eyes meeting in a moment of unspoken understanding.
Then, the two of them drank their wine in one gulp, as if they were the only two people left in the world, and the noise of the crowd had nothing to do with them anymore.
Empress Dowager Du was furious at the sudden actions of the Xie brothers, Xie Yizhi and Xie Qiyu.
She had a vague feeling that the two brothers had conspired to set her up, but despite her suspicions, she had no evidence and could only swallow her anger, without daring to show any sign of distress.
Meanwhile, Gu Boyuan, sitting in the men's section, looked completely lost. His gaze was fixed on Jiang Luoluo, watching her smile as she looked at Xie Yizhi, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The tenderness that once belonged to him has now become someone else's exclusive domain.
What belonged to him was forcibly taken away.
Gu Boyuan felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His gaze swept over Xie Zhichen, and the image of his once incurable cleft lip surfaced in his mind.
Even someone as skilled in medicine as Yao Shiyu was helpless, but Jiang Luoluo could cure the disease instantly.
Her medical skills are so superb?
How many things are there that he doesn't know? Just how many secrets is she hiding from him?
Looking at the wine in the glass and the pastries on the plate, Gu Boyuan felt an indescribable bitterness, and even his mouth tasted bitter.
Lu Anrou's gaze fell on Xie Yizhi, and seeing him drink the wine in his glass in one gulp, a dazzling light flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
Yao Shiyu sat next to Lu Anrou, quietly observing her every move. The intensity and smugness in Lu Anrou's eyes gave Yao Shiyu a sudden sense of foreboding.
Dressed in her finest attire, Jiang Yunjiao eagerly anticipates that this flower-viewing banquet will be a turning point in her life.
But when she heard that Xie Yizhi had asked the emperor to grant him a marriage with Jiang Luoluo, the last glimmer of hope in her eyes seemed to be cruelly extinguished.
She clutched the purse in her sleeve tightly. It was embroidered by her own hand and contained her favorite jasmine flowers. She wanted to give it to Xie Yizhi as a token of their love, so that he would remember the scent that belonged only to her.
But now it seems that this affection is destined to have nowhere to go. Jiang Yunjiao lowered her eyes, hiding the disappointment and bitterness that flickered in them, feeling that no matter how exquisite the purse was, it had become a silent mockery of her.
Jiang Luoluo pretended to be relaxed and carefree, drinking fruit wine and eating pastries, as if she was completely unaware of everything around her.
But her heart remained tense, daring not to relax for a moment. She knew that Xie Yizhi's fate in the book was full of twists and turns, and now he was standing at that crossroads of destiny.
As the banquet atmosphere gradually returned to its lively state, Jiang Luoluo remained uneasy.
Before long, Xie Yizhi stood up and strode away from his seat without warning. His tall and slender figure gradually disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind a murmur of discussion and a group of people with different thoughts.
Jiang Luoluo's eyes flickered slightly, and she gripped the wine glass in her hand tighter, a faint unease rising in her heart.
Jiang Luoluo quickly scanned the room and her gaze fell on Lu Anrou's original seat, only to find it empty; Lu Anrou had long since disappeared.
Her heart sank. She had been so focused on Xie Yizhi that she hadn't noticed when Lu Anrou had left.
Jiang Luoluo quickly greeted Xiao Yunwei, took the opportunity to get up, and hurriedly left her seat.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Xie Yizhi's steps were becoming unsteady, and his figure was swaying as he headed towards a side room.
This scene was like a wake-up call to her mind. With a bang, Jiang Luoluo felt the taut string in her heart snap.
What surged up instantly was an undeniable sense of crisis.
Without a second thought, she lifted her skirt and quickly chased after him. The door to the room was slightly ajar by the wind; she took a few steps forward and pushed it open.
"Your Highness!" Jiang Luoluo's voice was anxious, with a slight tremor that was almost imperceptible, and her brows were full of undisguised worry.
Suddenly, Jiang Luoluo felt a sharp pain in her right wrist. In the next instant, the tall and slender figure had already shrouded her in shadow.
Xie Yizhi's long, strong fingers gripped her wrist tightly, pinning her firmly against the door panel in the corner.
His cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, and a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. One hand unconsciously tugged at his collar, as if trying to get rid of some invisible burning sensation.
"Lolo," he leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear, his voice hoarse with a suppressed urgency, his eyes swirling with desire, "Would you do it for me?"
Xie Yizhi's gaze was fixed on Jiang Luoluo's cherry-red lips, his aggressive aura making Jiang Luoluo's heart pound like thunder.
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