end
Shangguan Zeyu truly couldn't accept this outcome. He was heartbroken, saddened, and at a loss.
He stood there for a very long time before finally walking back, looking utterly dejected.
He didn't want Jiang Yan to notice anything amiss, nor did he want her to overthink or worry. So, when he entered the room, he deliberately adjusted his expression to make himself look excited and happy before pushing open the door and going in.
Jiang Yan fell asleep.
Shangguan Zeyu stood by the bed, overwhelmed with grief once again.
He dared not imagine what he would do if Jiang Yanzhen left him like this.
He's going crazy, isn't he?
He'll be so sad he won't want to live anymore, right?
Why is God so cruel to him? Why deprive him of the care and love of his parents, the protection and companionship of his brothers, and now, even the happiness he finally obtained must be so cruelly taken away?
Shangguan Zeyu did not like to cry. To him, crying was a sign of weakness and incompetence. So no matter how great the difficulties or pain he encountered, whether he had suffered heavy wounds on the battlefield, was about to lose his life, or was betrayed by his family, he never cried.
But at that moment, he didn't want to think about anything; he just wanted to cry.
Shangguan Zeyu stayed with Jiang Yan at the clinic for two more days to recuperate before taking her back to the Prince's Mansion.
Huang Ying had heard early on that Jiang Yan was injured and wanted to take care of her, but Zhang Qin stopped her. Now that Jiang Yan had returned to the palace, she disregarded everything and immediately ran to Yunxiao Pavilion to take care of her.
Jiang Yan's complexion was much better than in the previous few days, but her haggardness and weakness were still clearly visible.
Huang Ying was heartbroken and burst into tears as soon as she saw Jiang Yan: "Sister, are you alright? I missed you so much!" She rushed to Jiang Yan's side and hugged her tightly.
Jiang Yan was amused by her sudden reaction and couldn't help but say, "Good Huang Ying, you're not some precious baby who needs to be held all the time, how come you've become so clingy after only a few days?"
"Sister, I'm so scared, so scared!" Huang Ying hugged Jiang Yan like a fragile child, rubbing her head against Jiang Yan's neck.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan looked somewhat dazed and said, "Yes! Thinking about it now, it really is quite frightening!"
Huang Ying slowly climbed off her, then looked her over repeatedly with her eyes: "Sister, where does it still hurt?"
Jiang Yan smiled with relief: "No! Even if I did, your concern makes it all feel better!"
Huang Ying couldn't help but hug Jiang Yan again.
Jiang Yan was already quite weak and didn't have much strength. This sudden, tight hug almost made her gasp for breath. She cried out, "Don't hug me so tightly! I can't breathe!"
Shangguan Zeyu, who had been quietly watching them from the side, said anxiously, "Huang Ying! Don't hurt Ruyi!"
Huang Ying hurriedly stood up and then timidly glanced back at him.
Shangguan Zeyu walked up with a worried look on his face: "You've been through so much, Ruyi, you should rest well first. We'll come to see you again later." He carefully tucked the blanket around Jiang Yan.
"Alright, I'm feeling a bit tired too." Jiang Yan smiled slightly and slowly closed her eyes.
Shangguan Zeyu sat by the bedside again and quietly stayed with her for a while before taking Huang Ying out.
As soon as Huang Ying went outside, she asked impatiently, "Your Highness, is my sister... alright?"
Shangguan Zeyu did not answer her immediately. Instead, he put his hands behind his back, looked into the distance with a worried expression, and after a while, said, "Spend the next few days with Ruyi and don't let her suffer too much."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Shangguan Zeyu seemed to sigh softly, and Huang Ying's heart involuntarily leaped into her throat again. She glanced back at the tightly closed vermilion gate behind her, still uneasy, before slowly leaving.
Jiang Yan hadn't actually fallen asleep; she opened her eyes the moment the door closed. She gazed thoughtfully at the two figures, one tall and one short, behind the closed door, and involuntarily fell into deep thought.
She knew her body better than anyone. She knew when her body was full of vitality and when it was weak and listless. She just never imagined that the truth she had been avoiding would one day be revealed to her in this way.
She used to desperately want to die so she could leave this hellish place and return to the modern society she longed for, but now she felt an overwhelming reluctance to leave.
She didn't want to leave this place, leave Shangguan Zeyu, leave Huang Ying!
She had somehow become one with Liu Ruyi's body. She had accepted the fact that she was Liu Ruyi. She had come to love life in this era. She no longer wanted to leave.
But now, fate has played another cruel joke on her, and she really doesn't know whether to cry or laugh!
Jiang Yan slowly closed her eyes, letting line after line of clear tears slide down her cheeks.
Days passed by like this, one after another, and three more days went by in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Yan keenly sensed that her body was deteriorating day by day, and she could no longer even get out of bed.
Shangguan Zeyu watched her grow weaker day by day, and his heart ached as if he were dying. But in order not to worry Jiang Yan, he kept trying to pretend that he was happy and cheerful. He kept talking to Jiang Yan about their future, saying that he had bought a house in Chuncheng, a city with a pleasant climate and spring-like weather all year round, and that they would go there to live after summer.
Jiang Yan didn't want him to worry, so she pretended not to know that she was unwell and cooperated with Shangguan Zeyu. She was also happy and enjoyed their future life together.
She said she wants to plant flowers all over the garden in the future, all kinds of flowers. She also said she wants to raise a cat, mentioning that she used to have a white cat at the Prince's Mansion, but she doesn't know where that mischievous cat went. She also said she wants to give the cat a really funny name.
Shangguan Zeyu asked her what name she wanted, and she said she was still thinking about it.
Shangguan Zeyu then asked her what kind of cat she liked, whether it was a white cat, a black cat, a tabby cat, or an orange cat, saying he would buy it for her right now.
Jiang Yan said she hadn't decided what kind of cat she wanted to buy yet, and that she would tell him when she had thought it through, and then name the cat.
Shangguan Zeyu agreed, saying that as long as she liked it, he would definitely find her a cat, no matter what kind it was.
Jiang Yan felt incredibly happy. All the wonderful experiences she had ever had in her life, as well as her hopes and expectations for life, reached an unprecedented peak at this moment.
On the evening of the second day, Jiang Yan asked Huang Ying to accompany her to walk through the back garden, which they had only dared to visit secretly before. When she was unable to get out of bed, she and Huang Ying kept reminiscing about the things that had happened in the back garden. Every time they talked about it, it was both funny and heartbreaking.
Huang Ying said that once she recovered, she would take her to revisit the Prince's Mansion and tell her that the mansion had undergone tremendous changes.
It is said that Shangguan Zeyu demolished all the useless courtyards, such as Begonia Garden, Orchid Garden, and Peach Blossom Grove, and ordered people to plant trees in those places, all kinds of trees.
Trees like pomegranate trees, pine trees, and apricot trees, as well as a type of tree that is said to only grow in border regions, that is said to grow bright red little beans all year round, as big as soybeans, but without growing leaves, which is very magical.
As Jiang Yan listened to Huang Ying's excited words, she felt as if she were there herself, nodding repeatedly in agreement. She said that once she recovered, she would definitely see with her own eyes what kind of magical tree this was that grew red beans all year round.
Jiang Yan spent the next ten days or so like this. In the afternoon and evening, Shangguan Zeyu accompanied her, telling her all sorts of strange and wonderful things, including the things that happened to him when he was a child. He didn't hold back and told her everything in detail.
Every time Jiang Yan heard this, her heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster, sometimes laughing happily, sometimes feeling sad.
She chuckled happily because the stories Shangguan Zeyu told her were truly fascinating, practically fantastic tales, even more astonishing than any rumored historical accounts.
What saddened her was that Shangguan Zeyu treated her with such sincerity and genuine affection. She didn't want to leave him; she didn't want to leave him for even a second. She didn't want to leave him when he was full of hope and enthusiasm for life. She didn't want him to suffer, be sad, or be heartbroken. Even now, just imagining it made her heart clench with pain.
She had Huang Ying keep her company in the mornings and evenings. They talked about the hardships and difficulties they had experienced in the past, about the changes in the capital, and about their future lives, experiencing both joy and sorrow.
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