The next day.
The destruction of the Third Prince’s mansion spread throughout Zhongzhou in an instant.
His head was hung at the entrance of the Taiji Hall, his death gruesome.
Emperor Mingji, upon hearing of this, flew into a rage. To dare commit murder publicly within the palace was to show him no respect and to defy heavenly might.
What shocked him even more was that the post stations where envoys from various countries resided had been attacked, resulting in many deaths. The perpetrators of these attacks all pointed towards the deceased Qi Lin Chen.
Many envoys began to stir, causing trouble in the palace. Emperor Mingji, fearing the situation would escalate, busied himself with appeasing the foreign envoys, leaving him in a state of utter distress.
Ye Luan was naturally unaware of these events. She remained at the post station, confining herself to her room daily, seeing no one except for meals.
Xiao Chi Zhan had been busy lately and was not present today, so no one dared to disturb her.
When Lan Mu Rou came to see her, the door was tightly shut.
“Miss Ye, Miss Lan is here.”
Ye Luan was refining medicinal herbs in her room. Hearing the maid’s voice from outside, she quickly tidied everything up, cleaned away all the residue, and then went to open the door.
“Mu Rou.”
Lan Mu Rou saw her gentle expression and breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ve been cooped up in your room these past few days, must be bored. Come out for a walk.”
Ye Luan put on a duck-feather cloak and walked with her in the courtyard.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Much better, no need to worry.”
Lan Mu Rou carefully examined her expression. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, she said gently, “If you’re feeling upset, you can tell me. Don’t bottle it up.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Luan’s eyes flickered slightly, then she gave a faint smile.
She stood in the covered walkway, looked up at the sky, and said calmly, “I’ve thought it through. There’s nothing to be upset about. The past is the past, and those who are alive must live well.”
Since she and that child had no predestined fate, let everything fade away like smoke. She would not indulge in self-pity; she wanted to leave Xiao Chi Zhan and escape her current confinement.
“It’s good that you’ve come to terms with it. The outside world is wonderful, and it’s fine to go out and see it on your own.”
Ye Luan turned back, saw no one following them, and said with a low laugh, “Mobei is a very good place.”
Lan Mu Rou sighed. “The desert scenery is as beautiful as a painting, the autumn scenery, the dawn reflecting on the sand dunes. It’s a pity I won’t be able to see such beautiful scenery.”
After eating the love flower, she would never be able to leave him.
When Ye Luan heard her words, the hand caressing the plum blossoms in the garden paused slightly. She then plucked a flower, watched the bud being crushed into the soil, her expression indifferent.
“The love flower has a limited effect. Be a bit stubborn, argue with him, or pretend to coax him. Don’t eat any more. The side effects will gradually dissipate.”
Hearing this, Lan Mu Rou smiled faintly. “Mm.”
“By the way, A’Luan, Lu Fei Bai asked me to give this to you.”
Suddenly, Lan Mu Rou took out a brocade box from her embrace and quietly handed it to her.
Ye Luan turned her head and, seeing that no one was watching them, opened the brocade box.
Inside was a bunch of sunflowers.
“Kissed by morning dew, facing the sun, may your future be long and brilliant. May you be well.”
Ye Luan’s heart suddenly relaxed, and the gloom she had buried deep within her gradually dispersed. A faint smile appeared on her face.
“Some people are naturally gentle.”
At this time of year, sunflowers were rare in Zhongzhou. It was thoughtful.
“Mu Rou, did he say anything else to you?”
Lan Mu Rou shook her head. “He didn’t say anything to me. A’Luan, I truly feel that a gentle scholar like Lu Fei Bai is much better than Tantai Ye and the others.”
“Some are born gentle, some are born brutal. There’s no comparison.”
Hearing her words, Lan Mu Rou chuckled. “Indeed, there’s no comparison.” She paused and continued, “However, I overheard Tantai Ye’s hidden guards reporting that Lu Fei Bai seems to be leaving Zhongzhou. I don’t know when he’ll depart.”
Ye Luan was happy for him and smiled, “It seems he’s found the medicine he was looking for in Zhongzhou.”
“You should have seen him. His complexion was so pale, and he coughed up blood. I was far away, but I could smell the medicinal scent on him.”
A chronic invalid, truly pitiful.
Ye Luan sighed. “His illness has been dragging on for too long; he needs to find the medicine quickly.”
As she spoke, she looked at the sunflowers in her hand and pulled Lan Mu Rou towards the pond behind them.
As long as she was in Mo Yun Hall, there would be no hidden guards following, and she wasn’t afraid of being monitored.
“What are you doing?”
Ye Luan said, “If Xiao Chi Zhan sees this, he’ll go mad. I have to deal with it.”
She absolutely couldn’t falter at this crucial moment.
She remembered Lu Fei Bai’s intentions in her heart. When she left here, she would properly research cases of Frost Sickness, a difficult and complicated illness, to see if she could find a cure.
She pulled Lan Mu Rou to a pond behind them and tied the brocade box containing the sunflowers with stones, sinking it until it was no longer visible before withdrawing her gaze.
“A’Luan, the road of the martial world is long. I hope we can meet again one day.”
Ye Luan smiled faintly. “Let’s hope so.”
The two walked around the garden for a while longer, and Lan Mu Rou left only when Xiao Chi Zhan returned.
“The weather is cold, why did you come out?”
Ye Luan suppressed the indifference in her heart and said with a gentle expression, “I’ve been in the room all this time, and it was stifling.”
Xiao Chi Zhan pulled her towards the room. “Have you felt unwell recently?”
“I’m fine.”
Her complexion looked gentle, but the coldness in her eyes was unyielding. Xiao Chi Zhan coughed lightly, rubbed her hand, and sat down by the soft couch.
“There will be a lantern festival in the city in a couple of days. Shall I take you out to relax?”
Ye Luan smiled faintly and released his hand, pretending to go pour tea.
“Okay, I haven’t been outside to see it yet.”
“Luan Luan–”
Before Xiao Chi Zhan could finish speaking, a familiar laugh suddenly came from outside.
“Xiao Chi Zhan, what are you doing inside in broad daylight? Want to go for a drink?”
The two looked up and saw Li Qiong Yu, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, striding in from outside with a chill about him. He was dressed in a red robe and fox fur, his movements creating a gust of wind.
Oh no!
Why did he have to come back?
Ye Luan’s hand holding the teacup tightened. His return at this juncture was truly troublesome.
“Ye Luan, why are you spacing out? Aren’t you going to greet me?”
The smile on his lips was particularly lascivious.
Xiao Chi Zhan felt inexplicably displeased and kicked him, demanding, “What are you doing here?”
“I just finished doing your business for you, and I’ve returned from Jingnan. Do you have to be so heartless?”
“Everything is settled?”
Li Qiong Yu smiled and sat down. “Of course. These provisions are enough for you to fight for two years without any problem.” He paused, then added with displeasure, “You’ve emptied my family’s coffers. You have to compensate me.”
Xiao Chi Zhan raised his eyebrows. “No money.”
Li Qiong Yu said exasperatedly, “Can you have some shame?”
While the two were talking, Ye Luan didn’t want to listen and quietly lowered her eyes, drinking water.
“Hey, we haven’t seen each other for a while, why aren’t you talking to me?”
Ye Luan’s lips curved slightly. “You two talk, I’ll go inside and rest for a bit.”
Li Qiong Yu wanted to say more, but he was glared at by Xiao Chi Zhan, which scared him into silence. He then complained.
“You’re really stingy.”