later
Chen Zhuangmu stood there, not moving an inch for a long time. She realized that deep down she wanted to come to Huijing to see it, but when she got here, she suddenly felt that she did not belong to Huijing, and Huijing did not belong to her.
She stood there, seemingly frozen, without even the strength to move. People on the street noticed something was wrong and turned to look at her.
Zhao Yi surveyed his surroundings, his fingers brushing against Zhuang Mu's clenched fist. The moment he touched it, he felt a shiver run down his spine from the cold. So he gripped Zhuang Mu's hand even tighter: "Mu Mu? Let's go."
She nodded slowly and followed Zhao Yi's steps to a small corner on the east side. The two stopped there, and Zhao Yi bent down to look Shen Zhuangmu in the eye: "What's wrong?"
She felt her eyes were hot but dry, and she had no urge to cry. Several complex emotions were intertwined with even more complex inner reactions. She frowned, shook her head slightly, took a deep breath, and her expression returned to calm.
Since there's no way to remain indifferent to this place, let's just walk past it.
"It's nothing!" she said casually, letting go of Zhao Yi's hand, taking a few steps forward and turning back to say, "Let's go!"
"good."
They walked very slowly that day, so they didn't visit many places.
I just went to that wonton stall on the street. The meat was firm and the skin was thin and chewy. This wonton shop has been open for ten years.
Another aspect is the taste. It's the same as before, although the carvings above look quite old. How come it's so different?
Seven years later, the wonton stall remains the same, but when you walk into the Shiwei Restaurant, something just doesn't feel right.
Before they even ordered anything, they found two circles of people gathered below the stage where they used to dance, with a storyteller in a gray cloth shirt and a long beard standing on it.
"Let me tell you, the person who was most taboo to mention in Huijing City used to be General Yu Xingyan, the Star Cloud General. Now, do you all know who is the person who is most taboo to mention?" the old storyteller said mysteriously.
Everyone scratched their heads, mouths agape, unable to utter a word.
"Don't rush, don't rush." The storyteller waved his hand and slowly said, "Naturally, it's General Xingyun's daughter, Princess Rongshu, who has entered the bridal chamber! Oh, and her husband, Zhao Yi! They were both important figures in the court!"
Zhao Yi's eyes narrowed when he heard "郡马" (junma, meaning prince consort), and he chuckled as he played with Chen Zhuangmu's fingers. Chen Zhuangmu, seeing Zhao Yi's almost silly grin, didn't quite understand, but she did remark that Zhao Yi's personality seemed to have changed a lot from before.
Although he's still as narcissistic as before, he's no longer sarcastic.
While I was thinking, my attention was once again drawn to the old storyteller's words.
"Why can't we mention it anymore?"
The two of them couldn't help but look at him seriously. What happened during that period could indeed be called "secret," and there should have been no news leaked out. They were curious about what this gentleman wanted to say.
"Think about it, the former emperor made a wrong judgment in General Xingyun's case and suffered years of infamy; Shen Zhuangmu disappeared in Huijing not long after, but was killed after so long for the reason of offending the emperor's will!"
"Think about it! Think about it carefully!"
"Hmph." Chen Zhuangmu couldn't help but laugh, and the sound was like a disdainful sneer.
Sure enough, the storyteller turned to look at her and said, "Young lady, is there anything wrong with what I said? Do you think you know more about this than I do?"
Although his words were unpleasant, his tone was kind, and Chen Zhuangmu was not annoyed. She smiled and said, "What you said is not wrong."
Those that weren't mentioned are probably much more likely to be wrong.
The storyteller then gave a soft hum, his beard twitching slightly, and continued telling his story with his head held high.
They stopped sitting downstairs and went up to a private room on the second floor.
We ordered all the signature dishes and savored them carefully.
Chen Zhuangmu leaned against the window, turned her head to look at the people below, and suddenly remembered that it was on the path not far away that she met Han Feng.
It's quite mysterious, she only heard that Hanfeng was not in Huijing, but had gone out to travel and enjoy the scenery, and had no other information at all.
What happened seven years ago has completely separated them.
I remember three years ago when they were traveling elsewhere, someone praised the current government for being reasonable and understanding, and then thanked His Majesty.
The fact that people in remote areas say this shows that Qunchao is really doing well now.
They lingered over their meal until it was already dark when they came out.
Strolling leisurely, they ended up at a pavilion in the center of Dongyu Street. There were quite a few people sitting under the pavilion, and they had been standing there for a long time.
"This is the first night I've noticed you seem to treat me differently, right here." As Chen Zhuangmu spoke, her voice involuntarily rose as she turned her head to look at Zhao Yi's reaction.
Unexpectedly, he raised an eyebrow, curled the corner of his mouth, and said, "Hmm. This is the first night I realized I felt differently about you."
"The moon of that year is just as it is now, and it will remain unchanged forever."
Under the full moon, their eyes met, and the simplest expression in their eyes was love.
They stayed at an inn and slept soundly until the sun went down.
Zhao Yi didn't seem to wake up until noon the next day, but he didn't even think about getting up. He hugged the person in his arms and continued sleeping. Chen Zhuangmu, however, woke up immediately because of this hug and pushed his face away in disgust: "Stay away from me, it's hot!"
Before he could even process what she meant, Zhao Yi felt wronged because of her pushing his face. He shifted his body down, rested his head on her waist, and continued to sleep.
This return trip wasn't about seeing what had changed, nor was it about admiring the scenery of Huizhou. It was simply to ease the bitterness in their hearts.
However, some things simply exist, needing no explanation, stubbornly crowding into people's hearts, impossible to cross, yet unwilling to relinquish them.
Not long after lunch, they planned to visit the Dali Temple Minister's residence, as he was probably the only old acquaintance they would see there.
Upon learning that Zhang Jiao was still working at the Dali Temple, Shen Zhuangmu couldn't help but recall Zhang Jiao's busy figure when she was still the temple's head, and couldn't help but sigh, "He's very suitable for him."
The two of them chatted casually, and when they arrived at the Dali Temple Minister's residence, they didn't go through the main gate. Instead, Zhao Yi led her through the mansion using light tools.
As a result, they bumped right into Zhang Jiao, who was pacing in the courtyard.
They only remembered they were off duty when they saw him; having been away from work for so long, they had become desensitized to the time. When Zhang Jiao saw the two people who had suddenly appeared, her first thought was to report them to the authorities and have them arrested.
He froze when he saw those two faces; he stood there for a long time before tentatively moving forward. When he was only a step away from them, Zhang Jiao finally believed what he had seen.
Even with a lump in her throat, Zhang Jiao tried her best to keep her voice steady: "You, you... why are you here?"
They exchanged a glance, and Zhao Yi asked, "Shouldn't you be asking us why we're still alive?"
Zhang Jiao rolled her eyes at him. "Am I stupid?"
Too.
The three sat inside, and Zhang Jiao served them tea.
"Why did you two decide to come back again?" Zhang Jiao raised her eyes and looked at the two people sitting upright.
"I didn't really come back, I just came to visit," Chen Zhuangmu replied first, then asked, "How is everything now?"
Zhang Jiao nodded. "Okay, very good."
“His Majesty asked me about your future,” Zhang Jiao said, lowering her eyes. “But he had already decided what to do. He only asked me to confirm it further.”
“I tried my best to influence things in the palace, but my influence was very weak.” This time, he raised his head. “It must have been His Majesty who spared your lives.”
This corner, so heavy that no one dared to lift it for years, was so easily revealed before us.
Chen Zhuangmu smiled and said, "Yes, I think so, but thank you anyway." She noticed that Zhao Yi had his head down and was about to turn around to look at him when she heard a knock on the door. Then she heard, "My lady, His Majesty has arrived."
The three of them suddenly stood up, and Zhang Jiao immediately said, "You guys hide first. This is too much of a coincidence..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yi nodded to him, pulled Chen Zhuangmu's arm, and walked inside.
To their utter surprise, just as they hid in the inner room, the door was suddenly flung open, and Zhang Jiao slowly called out, "Your Majesty."
Their breaths caught in their throats.
"Zhang Shaoqing, do you still want to hide?"
Immediately afterwards, they felt a stagnant sound in the air, and the two who had been hiding immediately gave up and walked out with neat and steady steps.
Yu Hongqi has lost weight, and his demeanor has become sharper, completely unlike his former gentle and warm self.
Upon seeing them, he frowned, let out a long sigh, and asked, "What brings you here?"
His voice was noticeably hoarse.
“Let me see,” Zhao Yi replied calmly.
"What are you looking at?" Yu Hongqi pressed closer.
For some reason, this sentence annoyed Zhao Yi. He pulled the heavy curtain over and was about to leave when Yu Hongqi reached out and blocked their way.
The three of them remained silent, neither giving an inch. After a long while, Zhao Yi said, "Before that, we didn't know who was behind it all."
The "who" refers to the person who killed Chen Zhuangmu's mother and those soldiers.
Even after uttering those words, no one responded. Not long after, Yu Hongqi turned and left.
Zhao Yi sighed deeply and went inside to sit down.
Chen Zhuangmu didn't chase after them, but asked Zhang Jiao, "Do you have any news about Han Feng?"
“Xiao Hanfeng? That one, the princess from the previous dynasty?” Zhang Jiao said solemnly, “She returned four years ago, and now she is Yu Hongqi’s empress.”
"The Empress?!" Chen Zhuangmu frowned, her voice suddenly rising.
"Yes. However, everyone in the court knows that this Empress does not like the palace. His Majesty sent someone to look for her just a few months ago."
“Oh…” Chen Zhuangmu was processing this shocking news.
After a long while, she smiled.
Hong Ning has found what she has been searching for all her life, and she is no longer the little girl who used to worry about feeling useless. As for Xiao Hanfeng, if she didn't like Yu Hongqi, she would never have wanted to be empress. She is still free, but she has something to hold her in her heart.
fine.
Everything is fine.
Zhang Jiao had already left, and Chen Zhuangmu quietly walked inside.
He touched Zhao Yi's face and asked, "Where to next?"
Zhao Yi looked into her eyes, glancing out the window at the high moon, and said, "I'll listen to you."
————The extra chapter is over.
Thus concludes "My Nemesis is Chasing Me and Coaxing Me".
Completed on 2025.10.28 at 21:58.
I'm not sure if I'll suddenly have some inspiration or want to make some changes later. I'll make the changes here if I can, and if not, I'll post them on Weibo (I'll register again if needed).
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