Duan Lan stood still, watching Ji Xinhe’s departing figure. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips: "Let go... How could you easily ask me to let go when you are not me?"
In countless insomnia-stricken nights, Duan Lan had asked himself, if he hadn’t impulsively decided to stay one night in Lian’an Town eight years ago, if he hadn’t seen her sweet smile at the Lantern Festival, if he hadn’t met her from the start, would his life be better? At least in these past eight years, could it be slightly better?
But there is no "if" in this world, and no chance to relive. Once encountered, it’s encountered. Once in love, it’s in love. Once trapped, the only option is to remain trapped.
Duan Lan shook his head gently, let it be, let it be.
——
Xin He didn’t linger, fearing it would cause trouble again, so she left the mountain directly and began the journey back.
When she returned to the courtyard house that Marquis Mu Houchu had prepared for her earlier, Shulan finally sighed in relief: "This is really bad luck, just happened to bump into the ill-tempered Princess Chaoyang, and almost revealed my identity. If you were exposed, madam, I fear you would face many troubles here in the capital city."
Xin He quietly took off the veil on her face and said, "After all, I still owe someone a favor."
Shulan didn’t speak, Ji Xinhe didn’t say it, but she also knew who she owed, if this reaches the Prince, the Prince might get annoyed again.
Just thinking about it made Shulan shudder.
Xin He waved her hand: "Forget it, let’s not talk about it for now, the priority is my father."
Only then did Xiaoyu ask, "Madam, how did you negotiate with Lady Sun?"
"My father fell into the hands of the court because of Lady Sun’s actions. Now, the best person to help my father is naturally Lady Sun." Xin He said calmly, "Li Junyan’s life is in my hands, I am not afraid that she will play tricks on me, let’s wait for Lady Sun’s move."
Xiaoyu nodded: "Yes."
The next morning, Xin He woke up early. Today was the day Lord Le Yuanhou was to be escorted back to the capital. She woke up early and went to Zhuque Avenue, where the convoy was bound to pass. She found a tea house and waited.
While sipping tea, she overheard the people around her whispering.
"I heard that a VIP is being escorted here today, do you know who it is?"
"Who? It looks very confusing, could it be the rebellious King Yu?"
"Heh, you’re almost right, it’s King Yu’s father-in-law, Lord Le Yuanhou!"
"Really? Lord Le Yuanhou has been apprehended? I was wondering, with King Yu’s great power, how could he be easily captured? Turns out, they targeted the soft spot, although, it must be distressing for King Yu, after all, I heard he’s extremely fond of his wife. Now with his father-in-law in the hands of the court..."
The man paused, then said, "I can’t imagine they’ll just let it be, will they? Will there be a problem?"
"Who knows? Even if there were, wouldn’t it affect us ordinary people? Let’s just watch how it unfolds."
Ji Xinhe sat quietly in the corner near the window, drinking her tea, but her right hand was clenched inside her sleeve.
After an unknown amount of time, she heard a commotion from outside; "Hey, they’re here!"
"What’s here?"
"The convoy escorting Lord Le Yuanhou, they’ve entered the capital! I heard they had already escaped to Qin State, it’s a surprise they were captured on the way back." Someone sighed.
"What’s so regrettable about that? This is his rightful punishment for his rebellion, heh!"
"What does the Emperor’s battles have to do with us? We just live our lives. Have you forgotten why King Yu rebelled in the first place, wasn’t it the sudden appearance of Rouyi Army under the city of Yuzhou?"
As soon as this word came out, everyone clearly understood the implication, shaking their heads immediately: "You must say less about this. Words can lead to trouble!"
Everyone then stopped discussing.
Under the Emperor’s feet, you can call out King Yu’s name, you can even curse Marquis Mu, but you can’t say a word about the Emperor, or else...
Xinhe had already locked her gaze on the procession outside, and sure enough, saw the prison carriage slowly appearing. In the carriage, Le Yuanhou sat in despair, visibly aged, his murky eyes filled with weariness, clearly having suffered a great deal on the journey.
Xinhe’s heart clenched, her face paled. The catastrophe had come to her father because of her. Her father had always been cautious with the Emperor these years. Even though the Emperor was trying to distance himself from Le Yuanhou mansion, he wouldn’t make it too difficult for her father. But solely because his daughter would marry the man he feared most, the Emperor, it caused the current situation.
How could she let her father take the punishment on her behalf?
Many common people stood and watched, pointing and discussing the Le Yuanhou in the prison carriage.
Xinhe followed him with her eyes, suddenly, Le Yuanhou seemed to sense something and looked up, and immediately spotted Xinhe amongst the bustling crowd. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Le Yuanhou’s eyes flashed with a surprised look, but Xinhe just nodded slightly. The look in her eyes seemed to be a comfort, but also carried hope.
The prison carriage moved relatively fast, and soon disappeared at the end of Zhuque Avenue. Le Yuanhou’s figure was no longer in sight.
Xinhe continued to stare in that direction.
Eventually, Xiaoyu couldn’t help but say, "Madam."
Xin He then took a sip of her tea and asked in a light voice, "Any news from Lady Sun’s side?"
"Since Lady Sun agreed, she won’t go back on her word. After all, Li Junyan is still in your hands, madam. She doesn’t dare to mess around. Rest assured, she sent word to wait until the day after tomorrow."
Xinhe pondered: "The day after tomorrow... why?"
"We heard that the Emperor should leave the palace the day after tomorrow. He is likely planning to do something secretly about Lord Le Yuanhou’s matter. As you should know, madam, the Emperor is not willing to let Lord Le Yuanhou die like this. Because Le Yuanhou is the last card he has to restrain you and His Highness. He hopes to use it to its fullest extent. But these matters can’t be publicly addressed. So the Emperor must personally leave the palace for this. Lady Sun, he will definitely meet in person."
Xinhe nodded: "That’s good. But we are still waiting for the day after tomorrow, I don’t know how much more my father must suffer."
As Xinhe spoke, there was a clenched resentment in her voice.
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