Shen Qingyao quietly watched as Princess An’ya approached Lu Zhao slowly. Princess An’ya’s face showed shyness, longing, and nervousness.
Lu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back. Upon seeing Princess An’ya, his expression remained unchanged. Despite concealing his anger, his gaze, though calm, was icy cold. Unexpectedly meeting such gaze of his, Princess An’ya was caught off guard. The fiery passion within her seemed to have been doused with cold water, freezing her in place. The formidable Princess of Nanzhao, decisive and resolute outside, was now before him, much like a young girl experiencing her first love.
She bit her lip, as if making a decision, took a deep breath, and finally spoke, “Young Master Lu.”
“Why is the princess here?” Lu Zhao asked calmly.
“I…” Princess Anya hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. Finally, she decided to speak frankly, “Naturally, I followed Young Master here.”
Lu Zhao frowned slightly and said coldly, “Princess An’ya, you are of the Nanzhao royal family, while I am a citizen of Great Liang. Our positions are different, and I already have a family. It would be better for the princess to keep her distance from me.” With that, Lu Zhao stepped back, “I must find my wife. She is timid and might be afraid in this unfamiliar place. Please excuse me.”
Behind the door, Princess Yonghe, upon hearing this, glanced slightly at Shen Qingyao, seemingly surprised that Lu Zhao held Shen Qingyao in such high regard, even rejecting a princess of another nation.
Ignoring Princess Yonghe, Shen Qingyao focused intently on Lu Zhao’s face, feeling slightly better, a faint smile playing at her lips.
Seeing Lu Zhao about to leave, Princess An’ya suddenly stepped in front of him. His earlier words seemed to have stung her. An’ya’s eyes reddened slightly, and she said sternly, “Family? That frail sickly fellow who may not live long? Who is she to you!”
She stared at Lu Zhao intensely, growing emotional. She even attempted to grab Lu Zhao’s sleeve, but he agilely avoided her. An’ya appeared increasingly aggrieved, as if Lu Zhao owed her something.
“Three years! You knew all along that I have thought of no one but you for these three years! Since you left Nanzhao, I have not been close to any other man! Why can’t you just look at me!” An’ya’s expression was sorrowful, but Lu Zhao’s heart remained unmoved.
He frowned deeply, finding her tearful entreaties troublesome, “Three years ago, I told the princess that Lu Zhao already has someone he loves. I will only love her in this lifetime. Please, princess, stop entangling yourself.”
An’ya’s sorrowful expression froze on her face, causing Shen Qingyao’s half-formed smile to also freeze midway.
Three years ago. But she had only entered this world less than a year ago.
Lu Zhao’s words were meant for the original Shen Qingyao.
Her eyes lowered. It was one thing to guess, but hearing it firsthand was another feeling altogether. If she had always been this Shen Qingyao, she would surely be ecstatic and blissful now, but she was not. She was just someone who had entered the game halfway.
The conversation continued over there. An’ya still couldn’t let go and unwillingly said, “Must you be so absolute? Is that love? Or duty? Pity? Or just the friendship you’ve had since childhood? Besides knowing you later than her, where do I fall short compared to her!”
Lu Zhao’s face turned colder, unwilling to even look at her. He simply said, “You fall short because you are not her.”
“You are not her.”
Shen Qingyao trembled all over. Those words were meant for An’ya, yet they pierced her just as deeply. Princess Yonghe, unaware of the situation, came over and sighed emotionally, “The way Young Master treats you is truly enviable, Miss Shen.”
Yes, that Shen Qingyao was indeed very fortunate. She lowered her eyes, feeling a pang in her heart. She forced herself to stop thinking, but the more she tried to avoid this knot, the deeper she seemed to entangle herself in this dilemma.
Shen Qingyao took a deep breath and suddenly felt dizzy, staggering backwards with a step. Princess Yonghe was nearby and lightly bumped into her, also losing balance and falling back, unable to suppress a cry of surprise.
The sound, though not loud, broke the silence around them and immediately drew the attention of the two outside. Lu Zhao and Princess An’ya looked over simultaneously, catching sight of Shen Qingyao and Princess Yonghe struggling as they tumbled out from behind the palace gate.
“Yaoyao? What are you doing here? I almost couldn’t find you! Didn’t I tell you not to wander off?” Lu Zhao saw Shen Qingyao and relaxed half of his heart, focusing entirely on her in that moment, forgetting his conversation with Princess An’ya just moments ago and casting aside his previous cold demeanor, showing concern.
An’ya clenched her fists in anger, glaring fiercely at Shen Qingyao.
“Your Highness, what brings you here as well?” Seeing Shen Qingyao silent, Lu Zhao turned to Princess Yonghe, ostensibly inquiring but with a hint of suspicion, afraid someone might have mistreated Shen Qingyao.
Princess Yonghe cleared her throat lightly behind her hand, somewhat awkwardly saying, “I came out for some fresh air and happened to see Madam Lu got lost here. I intended to escort her back, but ran into Young Master and Princess An’ya having… a discussion. Feeling it inappropriate to disturb them, I hid myself. Please forgive me, Young Master.”
This was a reminder to Lu Zhao: we heard everything you said, so think carefully about how to placate your little girl.
Considering she would need Lu Zhao’s help later, Princess Yonghe abandoned her usual arrogance and took the initiative to make amends.
Lu Zhao quickly recalled his conversation with An’ya just now, feeling there was nothing wrong with it, and thus not overly worried but acknowledged Princess Yonghe’s warning. He nodded slightly and thanked her softly.
Since he supported her, Shen Qingyao had remained silent the whole time, not even lifting her head. She neither looked surprised nor endeared by Lu Zhao’s presence. Seeing this, Lu Zhao felt something was amiss and leaned down to look closer. The little girl’s face was deathly pale; her left hand tightly gripped her right wrist, as if enduring something with great effort.
“Yaoyao?” Lu Zhao’s heart sank, thinking she might be injured. He reached out to examine her arm, but Shen Qingyao evaded his touch.
“*Ahem*, since the Young Master is here, I’ll leave Madam Lu in your care. I should return to His Majesty’s side. I won’t linger any longer.”
Princess Yonghe coughed again, her eyes scanning and catching sight of Princess An’ya still standing behind. She inwardly sneered, knowing full well how hard-hearted Lu Zhao could be towards anyone except Shen Qingyao.
She was just acting, but she was still stabbed all over. Not to mention how much of a letdown it was for Princess An’ya, who had genuine affection. Whether it was more amusing or heartbreaking, she thought for a moment before stepping over to Lu Zhao. “Princess An’ya, please join me. There’s a banquet in the palace, and I’m sure there are many arrangements that needed to be arranged by Princess.”
Princess An’ya, however, brushed off Princess Yonghe’s hand without gratitude. Her eyes remained fixed on Shen Qingyao, suddenly catching the gesture of Shen Qingyao clutching her wrist, recalling something in an instant.
Princess An’ya’s manic gaze gradually calmed, and she smirked coldly, her emotions shifting faster than even Princess Yonghe could anticipate.
“Indeed, I should leave too.”
With that, Princess An’ya turned and left first. Just before leaving, she turned back and said, “Young Master Lu, who knows what the future holds? Things change unexpectedly, and there may come a day when you look back at me.”
Lu Zhao’s face darkened instantly. What was the difference between these words and cursing Shen Qingyao to death?
Princess Yonghe saw Princess An’ya leaving first but didn’t mind. Leisurely, she swayed back over and softly said to Shen Qingyao, “Miss Shen, regarding the business we discussed earlier, I’ll find you later to discuss it slowly.”
After that, regardless of Shen Qingyao’s reaction, she turned and left.
In the Sunset Palace, only Lu Zhao and Shen Qingyao remained.
Lu Zhao approached her, noticing her complexion was still not good, feeling uneasy. He thought even if Yaoyao heard what was said earlier, she shouldn’t be angry. Could something have happened when he wasn’t around?
“Yaoyao, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
More than just unwell, Shen Qingyao now had a headache, heartache, ankle pain, and wrist pain, feeling unbearably uncomfortable. But she bit her lip and didn’t say a word. After a stalemate, she slowly said, “I’m fine.”
Saying this, Shen Qingyao gently pulled away from Lu Zhao holding her hand and softly said, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, let’s go back.”
From start to finish, Shen Qingyao didn’t look at him once.
Lu Zhao’s hand suddenly emptied, he was stunned. Upon closer inspection, the little girl had just been bumped, her still-healing ankle was probably hurting again. Just standing, she unconsciously leaned to one side to reduce pressure on her injured ankle.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly circled around in front of Shen Qingyao, bending down half-jokingly and half-provocatively, saying, “There’s still some distance from here to there. Your ankle isn’t healed yet. Come, Husband will carry you over.”
“No need.” Shen Qingyao clenched her hands. The nicer Lu Zhao was to her, the more guilty she felt. All of this seemed stolen from someone else. Now, even when Lu Zhao looked at her, she felt like he was seeing someone else.
She didn’t want to deceive herself anymore. She didn’t want to pretend everything was fine.
Lu Zhao knew nothing, but she knew that she couldn’t even convince herself anymore. She was just a substitute.
Once this thought arose, a long-absent mechanical voice echoed in her mind, the cold and emotionless system announcement voice. Since entering the second stage of her mission, this voice hadn’t appeared again, but now it suddenly did, causing Shen Qingyao to feel dizzy and ringing in her ears.
[Warning! Warning! Host behavior has caused regression in mission progress! The character’s affection level may decrease! Warning! If affection levels drop below average, the mission may regress to the first stage, and current mission progress may be reset! Host, please pay attention! Host, please pay attention!]
Regress to the first stage. Shen Qingyao had no reaction. She even thought that reverting to the first stage might be better. She continued to play various roles for him, just acting, without sincerity, which was better than the current situation…
Lu Zhao furrowed his brow, looking at her. The current Shen Qingyao was very unusual; usually, she was easy to understand, but now she was filled with confusion and sadness, and Lu Zhao couldn’t understand her at all. He inexplicably felt a bit flustered.
“I can walk by myself. There are many people here. It’s not good to be seen.”
Lu Zhao wanted to ask her, What’s wrong with me carrying my wife who was injured openly and legally? But the words never left his mouth. From the moment Shen Qingyao left the palace until he found her here, something must have happened. As long as something happened, there would be clues, and he would definitely find out.
A glint of determination flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. He didn’t force her anymore but carefully supported her and slowly walked out. This time, Shen Qingyao didn’t avoid him. She was indeed almost too tired to endure the pain anymore.
In the next half of the palace banquet, Shen Qingyao couldn’t muster any interest. She knew Lu Zhao beside her was worried about her, but she had no mind to comfort him anymore; she was having trouble comforting herself. Perhaps her complexion was truly bad, as Shen Yushu came over several times to ask, and later Shen Qinglin found an opportunity to come by her side for a while. Shen Qingyao briefly told her about the issues with the guard around the King of Nanzhao, then fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Qinglin glanced at Lu Zhao with some surprise. However, Lu Zhao’s complexion was not much better than Shen Qingyao’s. She fell silent for a moment, thinking it might be a disagreement between the couple. She didn’t dare to ask and quietly left.
“Elder Sister, what do you think? I told you, if there are cracks, they will inevitably widen. People’s hearts are the most fragile under scrutiny,” An’yu hooked her finger around the golden cup, looking from afar at the unusually grim faces of Shen Qingyao and Lu Zhao. She showed a hint of satisfaction. “Elder Sister, isn’t this your chance?”
“Hmph, it’s just the Shen family; there’s no need to fear even without your tricks. And can Lu Zhao be easily controlled?” An’ya was hurt by Lu Zhao’s direct words, and even now she was somewhat unprepared, her tone not particularly good.
“Elder Sister, don’t worry! The poison takes seven days to take effect. It’s only the third day now, and it’s already having this effect. Isn’t that good enough?” An’yu sipped the dark purple liquid from her cup and murmured, “There are still several days to go…”