For Shen Muzhou, the identity of the person in his dreams, or their past, no longer mattered, nor did he wish to know.
When facing the black cloak in the dungeon and falling into despair, a thought suddenly grew clearer in his mind: dying alongside her might not be so bad.
From that day on, the only person in his dreams was Lin Yanxi.
He had no intention of answering the question. As he turned to leave, the outline of a shoe tip, adorned with small white flowers on a dual pink base, peeked out from behind a rock.
It was Lin Yanxi's shoe.
Luo Jingxin grabbed his sleeve, her voice choked with tears as she said, "Answer me, have you fallen in love with Lin Yanxi?"
She had accompanied Shen Muzhou for over ten years, and she knew him best. Whenever he fell into a coma and lost consciousness, the name he called out was 'Zhaozhao.' She had investigated, but there was no girl named Zhaozhao in the palace.
He was also surrounded only by guards, not even a single maid.
Later, she had personally requested the emperor to grant her a title, Chaoyang.
She wanted to be the 'Chaoyang' in his heart, but she was still torn apart by Lin Yanxi.
As long as the person he loved in his heart was not Lin Yanxi, she still had a chance to be the 'Chaoyang' in his heart.
Luo Jingxin said, "I only beg you for an answer."
Shen Muzhou's eyes lingered on the little pink shoes behind the rockery for a moment. The knuckles of his hand, gripping the incense burner, turned white. He slowly opened his palm, revealing blood from his recent coughing.
If he wasn't going to live much longer, he shouldn't drag her down.
He stood in the shadow behind the rockery, his eyes dim and lifeless. A smile of despair and sorrow touched his pale face.
His lips twitched subconsciously, but no sound came out. He realized that even saying he didn't like someone he cared about was difficult.
Shen Muzhou let out a silent sigh. His long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes. They trembled, and a tear dropped. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his hoarse voice was barely recognizable as his own.
"I don't."
Luo Jingxin received the answer she desired. She dabbed her tears with a handkerchief and said joyfully, "I knew it. I knew you didn't like her."
Shen Muzhou closed his eyes tightly, the tears quickly dissipating in the warm wind, leaving him forever adrift in an icy abyss.
Lin Yanxi, hidden behind the rockery, heard the answer. Her fair little face drooped, and his words "I don't" echoed repeatedly in her mind.
Her heart ached, as if someone were squeezing it, a sharp, pulling pain.
It was an answer she had expected, so she didn't show too much emotion.
He pried away the hand around his waist.
Luo Jingxin no longer clung to him, merely saying, "I will request the Emperor to grant me permission to marry into the Prince's manor. What are the Prince's thoughts?"
This time, Shen Muzhou did not hesitate. He believed in his heart that he wouldn't live another month anyway. By the time she obtained the imperial decree and moved into the manor, he would likely be long gone.
"As you wish."
After uttering these two words, Shen Muzhou emerged from the side of the rockery, his eyes meeting Lin Yanxi's. An awkward silence hung in the air.
They both stared at each other quietly, without speaking.
Lin Yanxi was the first to smile and say, "I've been looking for you for a while. I just got here and saw you approaching. What? Were you discussing something?"
Beneath his usual calm and detached demeanor, his cool and transcendent aura masked a youthful countenance.
His gaze towards Lin Yanxi was as silent as the night wind. He said indifferently, "Let's go."
He then walked towards the palace gates. Lin Yanxi followed him at a leisurely pace, kicking a small stone as she walked, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
He knew she had heard, but perhaps she didn't like him and didn't care about these matters.
Understanding this, he gave a helpless smile, a genuine one this time. This way, when he died, he wouldn't have to worry about her being sad for him.
It was good.
As they walked together to the palace gate, most people had already dispersed.
A man knelt before the Crown Prince and Lin Ruoyan.
Lin Ruoyan's tone was unfriendly. Pointing at the kneeling man, she said, "You say you didn't do it, so you didn't? You can fool the people of the Night Watch, and you can fool my sister, but you can't fool me!"
"Scholar! How dare you!"
She slapped the scholar across the face with her imperious hand, then shook it with disgust.
A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of the scholar's mouth, and his body swayed as he knelt.
The Crown Prince pulled Lin Ruoyan's shoulder, trying to placate her. "Yan'er, don't be angry. Why do you need to personally deal with someone like this?"
Lin Ruoyan nestled in the Crown Prince's embrace, acting intimately. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I... I'm just too angry. How can he still hold an official post in the palace as if nothing happened?"
The Crown Prince sneered. "I told you to hand him over to my men for interrogation. It was your elder sister who trusted the Night Watch more, which is why nothing could be proven."
"Your sister too, as your elder sister, she couldn't stand up for you when you were wronged."
"Don't be upset, Ruoyan. I'll ask Father Emperor to issue an edict later, banishing him from the capital, never to take the imperial examinations again."
Lin Ruoyan glared angrily at the man kneeling on the ground and nestled against the Crown Prince's shoulder. "He must be too cunning, deceiving my elder sister. Crown Prince brother, thankfully you always think of me. We absolutely cannot let such a person go. If he goes elsewhere and harms other young ladies after being banished from the capital, what then?"
She sighed with worry.
The Crown Prince nodded thoughtfully and said, "He has elderly parents at home who need care. If we were to take his life now, his elderly parents would be left destitute and alone. How about this: I will break one of his arms and one of his legs. A cripple wouldn't be able to cause trouble anymore. We'll spare his life, and after his demotion, he can return home to fulfill his filial duties."
"This is a good plan, Crown Prince brother. You are truly benevolent. In the future, you will surely be a wise ruler admired by the people of this land."
Lin Ruoyan's eyes sparkled, and when she looked at Shen Qingyun, her gaze was filled with adoration and worship.
The scholar knelt on the ground, lowering his head and chuckling. The laughter grew louder and louder, until it was impossible to tell if he was laughing or crying, his eyes misty.
He shook his head in despair and looked up at the man and woman standing before him. They were individuals of a status he could never afford to offend.
"Benevolent, so benevolent, truly benevolent. To make me pay the price for something I didn't do, to become a cripple, and you, you praise him as a wise ruler. Hahaha."
The scholar stood up from the ground, spreading his arms wide and laughing hysterically. "This Nan Min is doomed. With someone like you as Crown Prince, and with a foolish woman like you supporting him, how unfortunate is our Nan Min!"
Shen Qingyun gritted his teeth. If Lin Ruoyan weren't present, he would have tortured this scholar and beaten him to death.
He desperately maintained his hypocritical facade in front of Lin Ruoyan and said with helplessness, "He has gone mad. Guards, chop off one arm and one leg each."
"Ruoyan, if you are afraid, you can leave first."
While Ruoyan hesitated, three guards stepped forward and pinned the scholar firmly to the ground. He had already given up struggling, closing his eyes powerlessly. A bright blade was raised above his arm.
"Stop!"
Xiao Liu shouted and leaped to the scholar's side, his sword sheath blocking the descending blade.
Lin Yanxi approached and asked Lin Ruoyan, "What are you doing?"
Lin Ruoyan flinched back, her previous arrogant demeanor completely gone. She didn't dare to look up at Lin Yanxi and stammered, "He..."
"Isn't it all my fault, elder sister? This person insulted me, yet elder sister let him go! If I hadn't happened to encounter him in the palace, I would have thought elder sister genuinely intended to seek justice for me."
The Crown Prince spoke gently from behind, "Yan'er, say whatever you need to say to your elder sister properly."
Lin Yanxi immediately understood. Her third sister had always been well-behaved and sensible; she would never act like this. It must have been the Crown Prince instigating her.
She said, "Lin Ruoyan, are you now questioning your elder sister, provoked by outsiders?"
Lin Ruoyan pouted, unhappily saying, "No one is provoking me. Elder sister, don't always see people with prejudice."
Lin Yanxi didn't want to discuss the Crown Prince at the moment. She glanced at the kneeling scholar and said, "I told you before, he wasn't the one who harmed you."
Lin Ruoyan asked, "Then who was it? Who is this other person you mentioned?"
Lin Yanxi fell silent for a moment. Ruoyan continued, "See, you can't even name them."
Shen Muzhou signaled, indicating for the Night Watch to withdraw. The Crown Prince, seeing the Night Watch step back, also had his personal guards retreat. On this quiet palace path, only they remained.
Lin Yanxi said softly, with a hint of guilt, "We only found out that you were drugged in the manor. As for who specifically did it, we are still investigating."
Ruoyan petulantly said, "Investigating, investigating. When will you ever find out? Do you know how disgusting and terrified I feel every time I think about what happened that day? I am often awakened by nightmares, and in my nightmares, you watch coldly as I am humiliated, unmoved!"
Hearing her accusations, Lin Yanxi's almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears. She lowered her little head slightly, her expression distressed.
In fact, Ruoyan regretted saying this as soon as it left her lips. She stubbornly turned her head, her gaze somewhat vacant.
Shen Muzhou's brows were furrowed with indifference. His gaze calmly swept over the people present, and he stepped forward slightly, positioning himself between the two young women. He said, "You have been hurt by this matter, but this hurt was not caused by your elder sister, nor is it something she wished to happen."
"And you cannot transfer this hurt onto another innocent person."
The Crown Prince sneered and asked, "An innocent person? Are you sure he is innocent?"
Shen Muzhou retorted, "Is the Crown Prince doubting the capabilities of my Night Watch?"
The Crown Prince smiled with an inscrutable expression. "Hmph, I only know that my Eastern Palace will not let anyone who harms Ruoyan off the hook."
Lin Ruoyan's heart warmed. Her initial panic and guilt dissipated considerably. "Crown Prince brother... Elder sister, let Crown Prince brother help me investigate. I believe him."
Lin Yanxi said, "Yan'er, this matter concerns your reputation and is a private affair. I cannot hand it over to anyone else. Trust me, give me a little more time to investigate, okay? I promise, no one will harm you again."
Lin Ruoyan was silent for a moment before reluctantly nodding, saying with some unwillingness, "Alright."
She didn't quite trust the Night Watch at the moment, but since Lin Yanxi insisted, she didn't want to hurt her elder sister's feelings.
Seeing that she had agreed, Lin Yanxi's mood brightened considerably. Her third sister still cared about her.
"I'm tired, I want to go back to the manor," Lin Ruoyan said dejectedly.
The Crown Prince said, "Carriages are prepared outside."
Seeing Ruoyan turn to leave with the Crown Prince, Lin Yanxi's expression tensed. She wanted to call out to Ruoyan, but Shen Muzhou turned and silently shook his head at her.
Lin Yanxi understood his meaning. Her third sister no longer trusted her. If she tried to stop her from going with the Crown Prince again, it might push her even further away.
All the Crown Prince's men left with him. The scholar shakily stood up from the ground and said, "I know who poisoned me."