Su Shang was driven out of the room, her face pale, blood still flowing from her chest. Finally, she collapsed onto the ground.
The guards, dutiful as ever, brought Su Shang back and summoned a physician to tend to her wounds.
When Su Shang awoke again, the person she saw was none other than Prince An.
Prince An's gentleness was strangely unsettling. "General Su, why did you not mention earlier that you are a woman? Had I known, I would not have treated you with such distance."
Su Shang was no fool; she understood the unspoken implication in Prince An's words.
She fixed her gaze on Prince An, her voice firm yet laced with disbelief, "Prince An, you wish for me to enter the palace?"
His intentions so directly exposed, Prince An let out a dry chuckle and, abandoning pretense, nodded.
"General Su, or rather, Miss, you are a meritorious official. It would be too difficult for you to continue performing tasks meant for men while being a woman. Would marrying me not be better?"
"I will ascend the throne in a few days, and at that time, Miss Su shall be my Empress," Prince An declared with feigned affection.
Su Shang looked at the seemingly benevolent face before her and felt a surge of nausea. His proposal to marry her was a pretense; his true aim was to use her female identity to seize control of the military.
But she was too weary, too tired to argue with Prince An. "I am a little tired," she said.
"Then, about this matter?" Prince An inquired expectantly.
Su Shang let out a soft laugh, masking the mockery in her eyes, and replied with feigned gentleness, "I will consider it."
However, she promptly dismissed the matter from her mind.
Due to severe blood loss, she remained bedridden for three days before she could barely manage to get up.
Yet, the first thing she did upon regaining her clarity was to seek out Feng Zeyue.
She was met with a closed door.
Knowing Feng Zeyue could hear, Su Shang spoke towards the room, "Your Highness, if you are still angry, you may stab me a few more times. Even if you kill me, I will not blame you."
"Your Highness..."
Amidst Su Shang's incessant pleas, Feng Zeyue, with evident impatience, opened the door.
She looked coldly at Su Shang. They were close, yet felt worlds apart.
After a long silence, Feng Zeyue spoke in a chilling tone, "Do not call me Your Highness. I am no longer."
Su Shang fell silent.
Feng Zeyue's voice then reached Su Shang's ears, "If General Su truly feels guilt towards me, then grant me one request: let me leave here. From this day forth, let us part ways and find our own happiness."
Su Shang clenched her fists, her head snapping up, her gaze fixed on the expressionless Feng Zeyue.
"I forbid it!" Su Shang's eyes burned red as she lunged forward, embracing Feng Zeyue. She spoke each word deliberately.
The wound on her chest reopened, but she paid it no mind, stubbornly holding onto the person before her.
She could not let go. If she did, Feng Zeyue would escape, and she would never find her again.
"Why bother!" Feng Zeyue lowered her gaze and whispered.
She had embarked on this path of revenge with reckless courage, but there was no need to drag Su Shang down with her. Ultimately, it was her father who had erred first. Now, it was settled.
At this moment, Su Shang was terrifyingly calm. She issued a silent order to the guards hidden in the shadows: "Do not allow Your Highness to leave this courtyard."
Turning back to face Feng Zeyue, her voice became eerily soft, almost pleading, "I am sorry. But Your Highness, please stay by my side and keep me company."
"Scoundrel! Shameless!" Feng Zeyue cursed.
However, given her refined upbringing, this was the extent of her verbal abuse.
Such mild words naturally did not register with Su Shang.
Su Shang glanced at her re-opened wound and suddenly felt less inclined to die.
She trusted no one. If she were to die, who would protect her beloved Princess?
Su Shang returned to tend to her injuries. Feng Zeyue continued to curse at her retreating back, even throwing her hairpin onto the floor.
Feng Zeyue cried out loudly, feeling like a madwoman, while Su Shang never once looked back.
Feng Zeyue was not one to give up easily. She orchestrated several "escape attempts" using her own people, but none were successful. Su Shang had them all imprisoned.
Su Shang visited the small courtyard daily, but never entered. She would simply listen calmly to Feng Zeyue's curses emanating from the room just beyond the window.
Feng Zeyue eventually came to a realization: she could not escape through force. She decided to adopt a gentler approach.
She instructed the kitchen to prepare a lavish meal and then invited Su Shang over.
Knowing it was a trap, Su Shang still could not refuse her.
After many days, she entered the room once more.
Feng Zeyue seemed to have reverted to her former self, the garrulous princess, reminiscing about their past. Finally, with a sorrowful gaze, she said,
"Xingzhi, your revenge is complete. But what about mine?"
Su Shang's heart ached fiercely. Her throat felt tight. She turned away, coughed lightly, and spat blood onto a silk handkerchief.
She said nothing, quietly finishing the meal with Feng Zeyue before leaving.
However, for the next month, Su Shang did not set foot in the courtyard again.
When she returned, Su Shang was clad in blood-stained armor, emanating a chilling aura.
She carefully placed a wooden box before Feng Zeyue, her demeanor one of utmost obedience and profound reverence, like a devout follower presenting an offering to her deity.
Feng Zeyue's hands trembled slightly. As Su Shang wished, she opened the wooden box.
Inside lay the severed head of Prince An, Feng Xiangyu.
On the day Prince An was to ascend the throne, Su Shang had instigated a rebellion and personally beheaded him, presenting his head as a gift to Feng Zeyue.
Feng Zeyue's plan had succeeded. She felt neither happiness nor sadness, merely a strange sense of sorrow as she watched Su Shang's earnest attempts to please her.
She was always like this, remembering every word Feng Zeyue spoke and executing it with unwavering resolve, yet never uttering a single word of affection.
She concealed the tears welling in her eyes and brought a jar of peach blossom wine to the bed.
Forcing a smile, she asked, "Would you like a drink?"
Su Shang nodded silently and sat down on a chair.
The air was heavy. Feng Zeyue's hand, holding the wine cup, trembled slightly.
Yet, she eventually poured the wine to the brim and placed the cup before Su Shang.
Su Shang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Ling Jiao is married. It was to the family you chose for her. I watched her marry into their household."
Su Shang's clear, dark eyes reflected Feng Zeyue's image. She spoke with earnestness, "She will live a good life."
Even if not happy, at least she would be loved and never bullied.
"That is good," Feng Zeyue replied softly.
In the past, a union between her and her imperial brother was impossible. Now, separated by death, this was the only thing she could do for her.
"Won't you have a drink?" Feng Zeyue smiled faintly and raised her cup to Su Shang.
Without waiting for Su Shang's reaction, Feng Zeyue was the first to lift her cup and drain it. Su Shang's clear, dark eyes gazed intently at Feng Zeyue, filled with a multitude of emotions, before she too lifted her cup and drank it dry.
Feng Zeyue smiled, a smile tinged with both liberation and resignation.
"Thank you, and I apologize," Feng Zeyue whispered.
"I wish to be alone for a while. You may leave now."
Su Shang pursed her lips, nodded silently, pushed open the door, cast one last look at Feng Zeyue, and walked away with heavy yet determined steps.
A bitter smile touched Feng Zeyue's lips. She stared blankly at the white paper packet in her hand. In the end, she could not bring herself to do it.
She opened the medicine packet, poured the powder into the wine cup, and then drank it all.
I am sorry! But I wish to apologize to you all personally.