Once Kong Lin finally agreed to let her return to the capital, Shen Qingyao couldn’t wait a moment longer. With concerns about Lu Zhao’s fate still unknown, she found it increasingly difficult to sleep soundly. With wide-open eyes, she barely endured the long night. Before dawn broke, Shen Qingyao boarded the carriage back to the capital with her face showing exhaustion.
Kong Lin followed soon after. Seeing her complexion, he knew she hadn’t slept all night. Concerned about her worsening condition, he couldn’t understand why she would tire herself out like this. Frustrated, he scolded her harshly.
Shen Qingyao hung her head, occasionally murmuring in acknowledgment, seeming apologetic yet defiant. Her eyes wandered restlessly, impatient as the sun began to rise. Unable to contain herself, she said, “Grandpa Kong, is there more scolding you need to do? Come up here, let’s talk as we walk. Don’t waste any more time.”
Kong Lin’s anger surged upon hearing this. “Talk as we walk? Can you even walk like this?!” he shouted.
Gu Hui arrived to see this scene as he escorted her. He couldn’t help but chuckle, though his worry outweighed his amusement. Drawing closer, he cautioned, “Be careful on your journey, don’t let haste lead to chaos.”
Separated from a loved one with their fate unknown, he understood the anxiety all too well, so he offered his advice without any persuasion to stop her.
Shen Qingyao nodded with red eyes, then heard him say, “When you reach the capital, convey my congratulations to Prince Ning.”
She hesitated briefly, then realized the reason. After this ordeal, the situation was settled; Xiao Mu would become the new Emperor of Great Liang…
As the sun rose, the lightly packed carriage departed. Shen Qingyao lifted the curtain, facing the morning light, yet her heart grew heavier with the regret of not flying to the capital immediately.
“Prince! Lady Consort!”
In the palace, Xiao Mu sat in his study, reviewing the piles of memorials accumulated from the recent turmoil, while Shen Qingli assisted beside him. Since they had just returned to the capital and hadn’t formally ascended, the servants still addressed them as ‘Prince’ and ‘Lady Consort’.
Days passed, yet there was still no news of Lu Zhao. Shen Qingli continued the search, but gradually accepting the possibility of Lu Zhao’s demise. However, she was upset, thinking how should she break the news to Yaoyao?
As urgent shouts echoed outside the hall, Shen Qingli’s hand slipped while grinding ink, spilling vermilion ink drops onto the floor. Frowning impatiently, she asked, “What’s happening now?”
The burden on these days was the responsibility of the two. Xiao Mu managed, but she was starting to struggle with it, feeling restless.
Seeing her, Xiao Mu grabbed her hand, soothing it gently in his palm.
The person who had been shouting finally entered. He knelt down excitedly and blurted out, “Young… Young Master Lu, he’s back!”
“What did you say?” Shen Qingli’s face lit up with joy. She pulled her hands from Xiao Mu’s grasp and dropped what she was holding, lifting her skirt and rushing out, her demeanor no longer that of a dignified princess.
Xiao Mu watched his suddenly empty hands, could only smile helplessly, but also unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Zhao’s safe return brought him joy as well. Just as he was about to follow Shen Qingli out, the person kneeling below spoke again, “There… there’s another matter.”
“Hmm?” Xiao Mu paused and turned slightly.
The innate aura of authority made the young eunuch shiver, but he continued, “A letter has arrived from Ningcheng. Third Miss Shen from the Shen family is on her way back to the capital and should arrive soon.”
Xiao Mu understood immediately that this news was meant for Shen Qingli, but Lu Zhao’s return had diverted her attention. He nodded slightly, feeling relieved that they wouldn’t be separated any longer, especially since Lu Zhao had worried daily about her and had hesitated to act for him.
Feeling rather good, he nodded and followed his wife.
Meanwhile, on Shen Qingli’s side, she hurried out to confirm whether Lu Zhao had indeed returned by himself, but she didn’t run into him. People nearby mentioned that when Young Master Lu returned, he was still holding the Ninth Prince, who had tried to usurp the throne, and was currently being taken to prison.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingli was first stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter. Realizing that Lu Zhao should be fine since, she breathed a long sigh of relief. The heavy burden on her heart from the past few days seemed to have lightened considerably. Otherwise, she would have been too ashamed to face her younger sister.
“Your Highness, should we send someone to invite the Young Master?” The person below observed Shen Qingli’s expression. She was now just a Consort, but it was possible that she would soon become the Empress. Therefore, no one dared to offend her. Seeing her coming eagerly to find someone only to find no one there, they couldn’t help but be anxious, cautiously trying to make amends.
Seeing the guard’s hesitation, Shen Qingli frowned and scolded, “Invite him for what? Go tell him to hurry up and rest. He doesn’t need to worry about these matters these days! If he tires himself out after all this time, how can I explain it to Yaoyao!”
The guard was taken aback by this unexpected response, carefully pondering Shen Qingli’s words. Suddenly, he understood. Yaoyao must be the rumored younger sister of the Consort. It was said that the Shen family doted on this youngest daughter, and now it seemed true.
Just as he was about to flatter a few more words, a commotion of horses and carriages at the palace gate not far away startled them. The guard looked over at the Consort beside him, who turned her head to look. A shaky blue carriage stopped, and before the carriage had even steadied, a slender white hand impatiently lifted the curtain, as if eager to get off.
The guard was puzzled by this breach of etiquette. Whose person dared to drive into the palace like this? Then he saw the Consort’s face change abruptly. From inside the carriage emerged a frail young girl. She was thin and pale, almost as pale as paper, standing by the carriage as if a strong wind could blow her away.
Seeing Shen Qingyao, who should have been in Ningcheng thousands of miles away, appearing in front of her, Shen Qingli was so shocked that she couldn’t speak. Looking again, Shen Qingyao was already trying to jump down before the carriage had fully stopped, terrifying Shen Qingli into a panic. She hurried over, running while calling out, “Yaoyao! What are you doing here? Slow down!”
The guard understood now. This was the Third Miss of the Shen family, who was greatly favored by Young Master Lu.
Shen Qingyao had begged and pleaded all the way, despite not hurrying on the road, they still rushed back as quickly as possible. She had vomited several times on the way and was now feeling extremely uncomfortable. When Shen Qingli helped her down, her legs went weak and she almost fell.
“Yaoyao!”
Shen Qingli exclaimed again, hastily supporting Shen Qingyao along with Cui Qiao. Before Shen Qingli could ask what had happened, Shen Qingyao grabbed Shen Qingli’s sleeve tightly, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible, but she still managed to force out, “Eldest Sister… Where is Elder Brother Lu Zhao?”
With her sleeve held tightly, Shen Qingli was momentarily stunned, realizing that Shen Qingyao must have known. She couldn’t help but glare at Cui Qiao silently, questioning why Cui Qiao hadn’t kept it secret! But thankfully, Lu Zhao was back now.
Shen Qingyao didn’t know what her Eldest Sister was thinking, only seeing her frown without speaking, she felt a sudden pang in her heart. They had rushed for many days on the road, could it be they hadn’t found him yet?
Suddenly a lot of reports and materials she had seen in modern times flashed through her mind. She couldn’t help but think, if people were buried underground and didn’t eat or drink, how many days could they live?
She became more and more flustered in her heart, her face even more devoid of the last trace of color. She moved her mouth and asked again, “Eldest Sister, where is Brother Lu Zhao?” Her voice was about to cry.
“Lu Zhao…”
“Yaoyao!”
Seeing her about to cry, Shen Qingli didn’t dare to delay any longer, just about to say “Don’t worry, he’s back,” but then someone behind her shouted and interrupted her.
Shen Qingyao heard this voice as if awakening from a dream. She stiffened and looked behind Shen Qingli. Lu Zhao stood not far away, his face showing both shock and joy. He smiled at her warmly, his white clothes stained but still unable to conceal his elegance.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao…”
Shen Qingyao held back tears that finally overflowed. She raised her hand to wipe them away, finding it hard to believe. She had prepared for the worst, but never expected him to appear before her safe and sound. Unsure whether she felt more joy or relief, she reached up to touch her face, almost pinching herself to make sure it was real.
Lu Zhao hurried over, took her from Shen Qingli’s hands, and pressed her hand against his heart, letting her feel his lively heartbeat. He softly said, “It’s real.”
As he held her close, feeling his shirt dampen with her tears, Lu Zhao sighed with concern. He knew she must have been terrified. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for making you worry. I’m fine.”
*Sob…* Shen Qingyao leaned against him, finally feeling warmth in her body. She sobbed, her throat dry, unable to speak a word.
The people around had dispersed unnoticedly. Shen Qingli took the people away, leaving the couple who had just experienced a separation and reunion to themselves. After crying enough, Shen Qingyao still didn’t want to leave Lu Zhao’s embrace, holding onto him tightly.
Lu Zhao comforted her gently, and after a while, he lowered his head and joked, “Is Yaoyao planning to stand here with me all day?”
Shen Qingyao didn’t reply. Lu Zhao continued, “Standing here all day is fine, but I’ve been underground for so long, covered in dirt. It doesn’t bother me, but what about getting your clothes dirty?”
Shen Qingyao rolled her eyes in his embrace, thinking that after holding him for so long, if anything was going to get dirty, it would have already. But she heard him mention being underground for a long time, realizing that he must have just escaped recently. Otherwise, with Lu Zhao’s cleanliness, he wouldn’t have appeared in such dirty clothes.
She sniffled and stood upright, still unwilling to let go of his clothes.
Lu Zhao looked down and saw that the girl’s eyes were red from crying. He gently pressed his cold fingers against her walnuts-like eyelids, making Shen Qingyao’s eyelashes tremble. She quickly pulled away the hand causing trouble and murmured, “Aren’t we supposed to go back and change clothes?”
Lu Zhao stopped and only then noticed the traces of her journey on Shen Qingyao. In just a few months, she had become so thin that even her chin was sharp. He stared for a moment, filled with both heartache and concern, but said nothing. He bent down to lift the girl up, feeling her weight, and said seriously, “Why have you lost so much weight? Have you not been eating properly these months?”
Startled by his sudden action, Shen Qingyao didn’t resist his closeness. She buried her head in his shoulder and murmured softly, “I’ve been eating…”
“If you’ve been eating, why have you lost weight?” Lu Zhao’s face darkened. Holding her in his arms, he noticed that her complexion was unusually pale, and she had lost all the little weight she had gained over the past six months.
“It’s because…” Shen Qingyao lowered her head and whispered. Lu Zhao couldn’t hear her clearly, so he leaned down slightly and heard her say, “Without my husband around, I couldn’t eat properly…
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, you scared me…”
Lu Zhao fell silent for a moment, feeling a mix of emotions. He couldn’t decide if he was feeling heartache or joy, but he knew he wanted to cherish this girl in front of him. Unable to resist, he gently tapped her forehead and hoarsely said, “Yes, I was wrong. I won’t take such risks again…”
Shen Qingyao murmured in agreement. Suddenly remembering the risks he had taken, she struggled, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, please let me down first. You might be injured…”
“I’m not injured…” Lu Zhao held her tighter, his steps steady as he spoke softly, “Even if I were injured, I can still hold you, my wife…”