Kangxi eventually released Heyue and sent her back.
After kneeling for so long, he could no longer hear clearly and didn't even realize when Thirteen had come to his side.
Heyue didn't look up at him, but felt dizzy and suppressed her rising anger, biting her lip tightly.
Her body was suddenly lifted into the air, and she instinctively opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around the neck of the person who had come to her.
Looking up at the familiar figure before her, she wished it wasn't him, that he had never been there, and that she could kneel down indefinitely without consequence.
The person in front of her was clearly him, yet he never looked at her, only calmly carrying her out of the Qianqing Palace.
Is it because of a guilty conscience? Or an inability to face the truth?
He Yue suddenly chuckled softly, the laughter extremely short yet very clear, containing a hint of sarcasm.
The person carrying her paused, but did not look down at her. His jaw was clenched, and he continued to stride out of the hall.
At this moment, he had a somewhat aloof and solemn air about him, making him seem unfamiliar to others.
They truly are brothers.
He sighed with delight.
Resting her head against his broad, warm chest, she finally felt a sense of peace emanating from him and unconsciously relaxed.
She preferred to believe that this was a delaying tactic to get her out of trouble, and that he wouldn't actually touch those women.
She would rather kneel and die in the Qianqing Palace than let him actually touch those women.
This was her only insistence.
After entering the carriage outside the palace, Thirteen still held her tightly, as if he had lost her and found her again, but he kept his eyes closed and his expression indifferent, letting the carriage slowly drive into the mansion.
He Yue looked up at his calm and indifferent face, which was so different from his usual self. She inexplicably felt that something stood between them, adding a touch of estrangement, which made her feel puzzled and uneasy.
She reached out and touched his face, wanting to use his warmth to prove that she was truly in his arms, intimately connected with him, rather than feeling this cold, distant distance.
But just before her hand touched his face, he suddenly turned his face away, avoiding her touch.
He Yue felt as if something had pricked her heart, and she sensed his unusual behavior once again, but she didn't know why.
For a moment, she forgot to question him about what he had just done to the Qing Palace.
Because of the commotion just now, he slowly opened his eyes, looked down at her face, and a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips. The smile was somewhat forced, and his face seemed to have paled a bit: "Are you feeling unwell? Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
The voice was still gentle, but it was somewhat unfocused, as if the person was absent-minded.
He Yue didn't want to dwell on the unusual moment just now, but although his voice was gentle, his laughter still made her uneasy, and his absent-mindedness made her feel as if she were separated from him by thousands of miles.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him, not missing a single detail.
He could never hide his feelings from her, and He Yue could easily spot his odd behavior.
But there was no time to observe; everything went dark before her eyes, and her pale, chapped lips were sealed by his.
He was speechless and couldn't care less about his differences.
His lips lingered on hers for a long time, without making any further moves, as if he were simply trying to feel her warmth.
Or perhaps it's to shut her down.
Perhaps there is something he is unwilling to say.
He Yue wanted to ask more questions but couldn't bring herself to speak.
For a long, long time, Heyue let him hold her like that, their lips met, but each had their own thoughts.
Once outside the mansion, Thirteen carried her back inside, his gaze fixed straight ahead, reverting to his initial indifference.
Once inside the main room, Thirteen placed her in the bedchamber and instructed a maid to fetch medicine.
He then lifted her skirt and pants to check her knees.
Sure enough, it was already red and swollen.
In the past, Thirteen would have frowned, hugged her with heartache, and complained.
At this moment, he didn't even look up at her. He took the ointment from Hailan, unscrewed the stopper of the porcelain bottle, and gently applied the ointment to the wound with his finger.
The cool and comfortable feeling immediately filled my aching knees, relieving the discomfort from the journey.
He Yue relaxed completely, watching the man in front of her focus on applying the medicine. Although his expression was calm, his actions betrayed his thoughts.
His gaze gradually softened.
Shouldn't I believe him? He always cares about me like this, no matter what.
After the medicine was applied, Thirteen left only the words "Take a good rest" before turning and leaving.
He Yue felt uneasy for some reason and reached out to tug at the sleeve of his sky-blue robe.
Turning back, Thirteen glanced at her, his gaze unchanged, then looked down at her hand clutching his sleeve, remaining silent.
This made He Yue feel like a stranger.
He Yue forcefully pulled him to sit down next to her, reached out and grasped his broad hand, feeling a momentary stiffness, but didn't mind.
She stared at him without blinking, but he turned his face slightly away.
With a slight smile and a bright, piercing gaze, He Yue spoke in an almost domineering tone: "I don't care what you promised Father Emperor, but you are never allowed to touch another woman, or I will abandon you."
Thirteen turned around abruptly, his previous calm gone, a vortex suddenly surging in the depths of his eyes, as if endless anger was being suppressed and not yet erupting.
The anger in her unwavering eyes gradually dissipated, leaving only a serene indifference.
Before He Yue could understand the meaning in his eyes, she was rudely pushed down. Her eyes widened instantly as she stared in disbelief at him as he quickly took off his clothes and squeezed onto the bed.
What is he doing...?
If He Yue still doesn't understand what he's trying to do, she'll really be stupid.
He still has an injury on his leg, how could he do this?
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