Emperor Ye Yao gazed at her, finally clenching his fist and closing his eyes.
Xue'er still hated him, as expected.
It was only right; she had been hurt time and again due to his mistakes. Anyone would hate him enough to want to kill him.
Emperor Ye Yao gave a self-deprecating smile and stood up. "If you don't want me to look, I won't."
He concealed the heartache and sorrow in his eyes, doing his best to keep his voice steady, so as not to show her his worst side repeatedly.
"Don't worry, I won't come here again."
Since you hate me so much, I'll stay far away from you.
It's impossible to let you leave the palace, but at the very least, I can give you a sanctuary.
Liu Lanxue's fingers stiffened, and she looked up at him in astonishment.
Emperor Ye Yao said no more, turned, and left.
He walked away quickly, not pausing for even half a step.
Before Liu Lanxue could even call out to him, his figure had already vanished from her sight.
The room fell silent again, even quieter than before they had arrived.
Liu Lanxue lowered the hand covering her face, her fingers slowly tightening, her eyes welling up with tears.
Had A Yao become angry?
Was he angry because he had to punish someone he doted on due to her?
'I won't come again.'
Did this mean he had decided to break ties with her?
The woman closed her eyes, letting tears stream down her cheeks.
It's over, it's over.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" Yi Zuo and Yi You entered from outside and went to Liu Lanxue's bedside to check on her.
"Oh no, your face is swollen! Yi You, quickly get some ice for Her Highness to apply!" Yi Zuo frantically reached for a towel.
Yi You nodded and hurried out.
Liu Lanxue slowly came back to her senses, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to hide the sorrow in them. She then reopened them. "Yi Zuo, is there something you're hiding from me?"
Yi Zuo's hand, holding the towel, paused. Her body stiffened slightly as she stood with her back to Liu Lanxue. "What is Your Highness talking about?"
Liu Lanxue looked at her with a heavy gaze. After a moment, she shook her head. "If you don't want to say it, then so be it."
"Your Highness..." Yi Zuo looked at her with concern.
Liu Lanxue lay back down under the covers and closed her eyes. "I want to rest. You may leave."
Yi You entered with the ice. "But Your Highness, your facial injuries haven't been treated yet."
Liu Lanxue hid in the covers and remained silent.
Yi You and Yi Zuo exchanged a glance, sighed, and bowed as they retreated.
In the following days, Emperor Ye Yao truly did not stand outside the cold palace every night as he had before.
After attending court each day, he would shut himself in his study.
He showed no reaction even when Eunuch Chang reported that Wang Xiting had died from excessive beatings.
It was only when Qin Kexin took charge and ordered the body to be sent back to the Wang family for burial that the matter was settled.
Another period of mourning passed, and Emperor Ye Yao stopped attending court altogether, hiding in his sleeping quarters day after day.
Liu Lanxue's facial injuries had mostly healed over these past few days.
However, due to her weak constitution, Yi Zuo and Yi You continued to care for her meticulously.
But she spoke very little, mostly listening and unwilling to say much.
Yi Zuo tried to talk more to distract her.
"I heard His Majesty hasn't been to court for several days. It seems he's been recuperating due to his health." She spoke carelessly.
Liu Lanxue's body stiffened upon hearing about Emperor Ye Yao. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Yi Zuo suddenly remembered that His Majesty was a sensitive topic for Consort Liang, so she quickly swallowed her words.
As she was about to leave, Liu Lanxue suddenly spoke, "How did you know?"
Yi Zuo looked at her expression, unsure whether to reply truthfully. Finally, she decided to tell the truth. "It's all over the palace now. Everyone is saying..."
"They say His Majesty is doing this because of you..."
She couldn't finish the sentence, fearing Liu Lanxue would be heartbroken.
As expected, Liu Lanxue's complexion turned somewhat pale.
However, she showed no unusual reaction. After a moment of contemplation, she couldn't help but ask the question she hadn't finished last time.
"Yi Zuo, tell me the truth. In the past few days, did His Majesty come here every day?"
"How did Your Highness know?" Yi Zuo looked astonished.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Lanxue knew without a doubt, and her sorrow deepened. "It's just as I suspected."
Yi Zuo guessed that Wang Xiting must have told Her Highness that day.
She sighed and decided not to hide it any longer. "His Majesty originally forbade us from speaking of this. Since Your Highness already knows, I won't keep it from you."
"In fact, His Majesty often came to see you here from a long time ago. It's just that every time he came, His Majesty would hide outside and only watch your shadow cast on the window."
"He did this every day, no matter how cold it was. And he would always wait until your room's lights were out before leaving, after asking us about your day."
Liu Lanxue pursed her lips, her fingers slowly clenching. "I understand."
Yi Zuo looked at her pain and felt a pang of sympathy. "Your Highness, if I may say something in His Majesty's defense, even though His Majesty wronged you before, he didn't want what happened back then."
"Can you forgive His Majesty?"
What happened back then was a huge scandal, and she was well aware of it.
At that time, His Majesty had not immediately punished Her Highness and the Duke of Ying after listening to the instigation of villains. His Majesty still believed in their innocence, which was why he had people investigate for evidence.
Even later, when evidence was found, His Majesty still didn't believe it and even fell ill because of it.
What happened after that was all the Empress's scheme.
Liu Lanxue shook her head and gave a bitter smile. "I have never hated him, so how can I forgive?"
Yi Zuo was stunned, surprised by Liu Lanxue's answer.
Her Highness doesn't hate His Majesty?
But isn't His Majesty's concern precisely about Her Highness's current attitude?
If she doesn't hate him, then why are they having this conflict?
Yi Zuo became even more confused.
"Your Highness!" Eunuch Chang's voice came from outside.
Yi Zuo got up to greet him, but Eunuch Chang entered the room before she could.
"Your Highness, please go and see His Majesty quickly. If you don't go see him soon, His Majesty won't make it!"
The mistress and servant in the room were both shocked and bewildered.
Yi Zuo glanced at her mistress on the bed. "Eunuch Chang, please tell us slowly, what exactly happened?"
"There's no time to explain. Your Highness will know when you go." Although it was still cold, Eunuch Chang was covered in sweat.
The situation seemed genuinely urgent.
Liu Lanxue looked out the window. It was already dark.
She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and got out of bed. "Yi Zuo, help me get dressed."
"Yes." Yi Zuo quickly went to help Liu Lanxue change.
Eunuch Chang then led the mistress and servant to the Emperor's sleeping quarters.
At the entrance to the sleeping quarters, Eunuch Chang stopped Yi Zuo from entering. "Your Highness, please go in and see for yourself."
Yi Zuo felt uneasy.
Liu Lanxue gave her a reassuring look and stepped into the sleeping quarters.