Lin Xihe stared at the expression on Mu Ruoyan's face, but the pained look did not stir a ripple in her heart.
She couldn't help but recall everything between them, those sweet words that now seemed like nothing more than hypocritical lies.
He had just been intimate with someone else, and now he was pouring out his heart to her—it was utterly ironic.
Lin Xihe sneered inwardly, thinking that it was a waste of his talent not to become an actor.
"Mu Ruoyan, our relationship is nothing more than a transaction. You don't need to pretend to be so affectionate anymore. I can't bear your feelings!" Lin Xihe said coldly and without any emotion.
"Also, you can be with whomever you want, and you don't need to say anything about 'empress' to me anymore."
Lin Xihe thought to herself that he probably said these words to more than just her.
Mu Ruoyan's eyes instantly reddened, and she stared intently at Lin Xihe, her heart aching as if it were being torn apart.
The two remained locked in a stalemate until Mu Ruoyan's vision went black and she collapsed towards Lin Xihe.
Lin Xihe hurriedly reached out to support him, but her petite body could not support an unconscious person, so she could only sit on the ground.
It took her a lot of effort to turn Mu Ruoyan's body to the side so that his head could rest on her lap.
Only then did she notice the moisture in Mu Ruoyan's eyes.
Lin Xihe sighed softly, her gaze falling on the pitch-black night in the courtyard.
When she woke up again, Lin Xihe was already lying in her own bed, wrapped in a warm blanket, with Ling Xue by her side.
"Girl, you're finally awake."
Lin Xihe rubbed her throbbing temples and asked softly, "Did I sleep for a long time?"
“It’s already evening. The young lady had a fever earlier, but it has just subsided.” Ling Xue helped Lin Xihe up and let her lean against the soft pillow behind her.
Lin Xihe's last memory was of the cold floor, the door open, and a cool breeze blowing in. Mu Ruoyan was incredibly heavy on her lap. She tried to push him away, but to no avail, and finally gave up due to exhaustion.
Did I faint on the ground?
“No, when I arrived, Miss was already in bed. Young Master Mu left after the doctor arrived.” Ling Xue said, while testing the temperature of the medicine bowl. Finding it to be just right, she handed it to Lin Xihe: “Miss, please drink your medicine.”
Lin Xihe took the medicine bowl, took a sip, and the bitter taste spread in her mouth.
“Miss, I don’t think Young Master Mu is in very good condition.”
"Don't mention him, he deserved it." Lin Xihe drank the medicine in one gulp and then shrank back into the blanket.
In the days that followed, Ling Shuang would come back almost every day to check on Lin Xihe's well-being and to report on Tang Bao's situation.
Lin Xihe knew that Ling Shuang's sudden daily return was because Ji Zhuo was worried about her and had arranged it. He didn't want to put her in a difficult position, so he hadn't come in person.
When Ji Zhuo returned home, he learned that Lin Xihe had left Tang Bao at his house. He was overjoyed because he knew how much Lin Xihe cared about Tang Bao. The fact that she had Tang Bao at his home showed that he was still the one she trusted and cared about most.
Although Lin Xihe knew this action was strange, she and Mu Ruoyan did not get along well, and she did not want her daughter to be in any danger.
Only at the Ji residence could she feel at ease. Her heart was filled with contradictions and struggles, but for Tang Bao's safety, she had no other choice.
According to Ling Shuang, Ji Zhuo pretended to have just returned to the capital on the third day, and then went straight to the palace.
He reported to His Majesty that he had investigated the strange events in Qingluan City and found that local officials had accepted bribes from the Western Regions and deliberately created chaos in an attempt to destabilize the Great Hao Dynasty.
At the same time, Ji Zhuo presented complete evidence, and His Majesty rewarded him on the spot.
Lin Xihe felt that Xiao Yugan must be feeling as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. He wanted to kill Gu Qinghuai, but Gu Qinghuai returned safely from Nanzhao and is now in charge of a large army in the Western Regions; he wanted to get rid of Ji Zhuo, but Ji Zhuo also escaped danger and he had to reward him.
Seven days passed in this way, and Ji Zhuo did not come again in order not to make things difficult for Lin Xihe.
Mu Ruoyan did the same; he didn't come even once in seven days. Lin Xihe felt a little disappointed, but mostly relieved. She didn't want to get involved in these conflicts anymore; she just wanted to live a quiet life.
On the eighth day, news of His Majesty's personal visit to Great Hao spread throughout the streets and alleys.
His Majesty the Great Hao personally greeted them. Everyone who saw His Majesty of the Northern Border was amazed, as no one could believe that someone could look so beautiful, even more so than the immortals in paintings.
For a time, all the talk in the capital of Dahao was about Mu Ruoyan from the Northern Border.
Lin Xihe didn't even leave the mansion, yet she overheard the maids' discussion in the front courtyard.
Lin Xihe was only thankful that the person who had seen Mu Ruoyan in the flower hall that day was someone she knew and trusted, and who had already kept quiet about it.
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Lin Xihe listened to Ling Xue's description of the rumors circulating among the people outside.
"Yes, there are also rumors that Young Master Mu will choose someone from Da Hao to take back as a concubine. Our Emperor will surely be happy to do so, as this would represent good relations between the two countries."
"Is that so?" Lin Xihe thought to herself, this must not be baseless, no one would dare to spread rumors about the emperor of a neighboring country.
Since this news has been released, it's probably true.
Mu Ruoyan hasn't come for so long. For the past ten days or so, he has been hiding in Dahao. He only pretended to come to the capital with the visiting group yesterday.
That means Mu Ruoyan may have been with that woman all along, while he himself was only with her on that one day.
She had seen what Mu Ruoyan looked like when he liked someone. Back in Nanzhao, he didn't want to be separated from her for even a day, and even if he had to go out, he would return on the same day.
Lin Xihe became even more convinced that Mu Ruoyan, even knowing that she had been sick for two days afterward, had never come to see someone else.
Lin Xihe thought that this was for the best, so that he wouldn't have other people around him and would come looking for her, making her feel disgusted and uncomfortable.
"Miss, does Young Master Mu want to marry you?" Ling Xue asked, blinking. She knew her young lady was popular. In her heart, whoever her young lady chose was the right son-in-law. Although she thought the one her young lady ultimately chose was too fierce, a little scary!
“It can’t be me,” Lin Xihe said directly.
So, she will soon find out who the other woman Mu Ruoyan is longing for all day long is.
Lin Xihe was filled with complex emotions, a mixture of relief and a faint sense of loss.
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