Unable to find Duanmu Junyu, Duanmu Shenghua could only return to the Prince Hui's residence in a huff.
Upon returning to the palace, Duanmu Shenghua immediately summoned her personal guards: "His Majesty has neglected state affairs and has not attended the morning court for nearly a month. He is incompetent and immoral, and is unworthy to be a ruler! Tomorrow, I will hear these words spread throughout the entire Western Liang."
"Yes," the guard replied and immediately disappeared.
Duanmu Shenghua narrowed her eyes with a sinister look.
She wants to play, right? Then she'll play along with her!
Let's see how long she can hide in Fengming Palace!
What Duanmu Shenghua didn't know was that every move of the Prince Hui's Mansion was under the control of Duanmu Junyu.
Soon, the message that Duanmu Shenghua had sent through her secret guards was relayed to Duanmu Junyu by the palace's shadow guards.
The shadow guard glanced cautiously at Duanmu Junyu, who was painting, and asked, "Your Majesty, should we send someone to stop her?"
Duanmu Junyu continued painting intently, not even raising her eyes: "How can you stop the rumors? You killed one guard, but the Huiwang Mansion has many more!"
The shadow guard bowed and lowered his eyes, not daring to reply.
Your Majesty is right. If Prince Hui is determined to spread rumors, there is no way to stop him.
The hardest thing to stop in this world is public opinion!
Duanmu Junyu scoffed disdainfully, "Let her spread it if she wants to. That's all she's capable of!"
Now the Western Liang Imperial Palace is basically under her control. Whether it's the palace servants, the shadow guards, or even the Golden Guards, they have all been taken back by her.
Unable to cause trouble in the palace, Duanmu Shenghua decided to cause trouble in the capital city and even the entire Western Liang!
So what if she spreads some rumors? She's not afraid of her at all!
Counting the days, Xiao Bao will be a month old in ten days. Once these ten days are over, the rumors spread by Duanmu Shenghua will be disproven!
"Step back. Keep a close eye on Prince Hui. Do not let her enter the harem. Also, do not allow Prince Feng to leave the harem!" Duanmu Junyu ordered with a frown.
"Yes," the shadow guard replied, bowing and retreating.
After the shadow guards left, Duanmu Junyu continued painting.
Soon, a portrait was presented to Duanmu Junyu.
The figure in the painting is nine feet tall, clad in armor and wearing a military helmet. He has a handsome face, a dashing posture, and an imposing presence. The painting depicts Su Renzhong.
Duanmu Junyu carefully blew the paint off the painting and gently stroked Su Renzhong's handsome face in the portrait: "What exactly happened between us?"
So that's what she felt for him before; she had unknowingly fallen for him all along.
But at that time, they both knew they could not be together; he could not go to Xiliang for her. Of course, she could not give him the position of his principal husband, nor could she go to Dongchu for him.
So even though they both had feelings for each other, neither of them opened up their emotions to the other.
But how did she eventually lose her memory? And how did they end up together?
Filled with questions, Duanmu Junyu carefully put away the scroll and went back to sleep.
Now it seems that only her dreams can give her the answer, so she looks forward to them every night before going to sleep.
Soon, Duanmu Junyu was able to fall into a dream as she wished.
At the bottom of the cliff, the two were engaged in a fierce martial arts contest, flipping and leaping about.
After a series of sharp, clanging blows, the two men stopped, both covered in sweat.
As Su Renzhong wiped his sweat, he looked at her and said, "Your martial arts skills are quite impressive!"
He had never seen such a formidable woman in Eastern Chu!
However, since Xiliang is a matriarchal society, it's normal for her to be capable in combat.
As a woman, she must have suffered a lot to master such martial arts.
She had to admit that she quite appreciated Su Renzhong's admiring look: "You're not bad either. No man in Xiliang has your skills."
...Su Renzhong was speechless.
Well, the matriarchal society is indeed the complete opposite of Eastern Chu.
He felt it wasn't easy for her to achieve such martial arts skills, and perhaps she felt the same way.
Su Renzhong looked at the new skin and flesh that had grown on her toes, his eyes flashing slightly, and said, "Our injuries have healed, it's time to go up."
What should have been a joyful and anticipated event has instead left her feeling somewhat dejected.
Their injuries had indeed healed, and they had been down there for almost half a month. If they didn't find a way to get up soon, she didn't know if Eastern Chu would be in chaos, but Western Liang would definitely be in great turmoil.
She knew in her heart that they should have gone up long ago, but the thought that she might never see him again after going up made her feel like something was blocking her heart, making her feel so uncomfortable that she could hardly breathe.
Su Renzhong was actually quite confused. After spending time together, he had long realized that he had fallen in love with this woman.
But he knew better than anyone that they could never be together, and there was no future for them.
Even so, he still cherished every moment they spent together. Over time, he even had the urge to live with her at the bottom of the cliff for the rest of his life.
But he knew it was impossible. Even if he wasn't a general of Eastern Chu, he could give up his country and his army for her, but she was still the empress of Western Liang.
She couldn't stay with him at the bottom of the cliff forever!
There are too many people and things waiting for them; he can't be so selfish as to leave her at the bottom of the cliff.
So even though she was reluctant, he still had to take her up there.
Su Renzhong cut some vines and wove the long vines together.
That night, the two lay together in a cave on the cliff.
That night, Su Renzhong did not light a fire. The cave was dark and quiet, so quiet that only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
Because of this quiet, the atmosphere of parting seemed particularly somber.
After a long silence, Su Renzhong finally spoke: "I've finished weaving the vines. Let's get some rest tonight, and we'll climb the cliff first thing tomorrow morning!"
She didn't respond, so Su Renzhong assumed she was asleep and stopped talking, closing his eyes to try and fall asleep.
Even though he knew they would be climbing a cliff tomorrow and needed to rest and recharge tonight, all he could see when he closed his eyes was her image—her every smile, every frown, every angry word.
He even clearly remembered everything that happened after they met, and he remembered every word she said to him after they fell off the cliff.
The impending farewell felt like a knife, cutting into his heart again and again, so painful that he dared not breathe.
This was the first time he understood the feeling of heartache; he realized that even just parting could cause such pain.
This was also the first time he understood what true love felt like. He realized that love could bring joy, sadness, and even unbearable pain!
This was the first time in his life that he had fallen in love with a woman, a woman he could never have in his life. She was destined to become the deepest pain in his life!
Just as Su Renzhong was lost in deep sorrow, he suddenly felt that petite figure approaching...
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