The man did not take the imperial carriage, and Nan Shu had no idea where he was going. She could only follow silently behind him.
Until the plaque bearing the three large characters “Xuanzheng Hall” appeared before her eyes.
Yan Pingxiao strode into the hall, leaving Nan Shu staring blankly at Tang Shunfu. “Sir, I…”
Tang Shunfu swiftly handed her a jar of ointment and some clean cloth, grinning. “His Majesty refuses to summon the imperial physician, so we must trouble you, miss.”
Nan Shu’s throat tightened as she peered through the hall’s entrance into the dim interior. It felt like an abyss waiting for her to throw herself into its depths.
Under Tang Shunfu’s repeated urgings, Nan Shu entered with downcast eyes. Before she could steady herself, the man’s deep voice sounded: “Come up.”
Realizing he had been watching her all along, Nan Shu approached with the tray and said softly, “Please allow this humble subject to change Your Majesty’s dressing.”
Yan Pingxiao leaned against the Yu Zuo, his cold eyes lowered. From his vantage point, he could see the woman’s trembling eyelashes, her beautiful face gilded with soft candlelight.
This was exactly how he remembered Shen Lan Shu. Through Nan Shu, he seemed to return to those earlier days in the northwest.
Hearing no further instructions after a long moment, Nan Shu cautiously glanced up and directly met the man’s profound dark eyes.
Yan Pingxiao suddenly snapped back to reality and silently extended his hand.
Nan Shu supported his wrist, their skin inevitably touching. The man’s body warmth spread through her fingertips to her entire being, stirring subtle ripples in her heart.
Nan Shu pressed her lips together lightly, applied the ointment with her fingertips, then wrapped the wound thinly with clean cloth.
Unexpectedly, Yan Pingxiao did nothing and said nothing, quietly allowing her to tend to him.
“You’re from Qingzhou?”
The sudden question made Nan Shu’s arm tremble. She quickly steadied herself and replied softly, “Yes, this humble subject is from Qingzhou.”
“Consort Rong summoned you to the palace to have you climb into my Long Chuang.”
Nan Shu hadn’t anticipated him being so blunt. She hurriedly denied it: “No, it was only for Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet…”
Yan Pingxiao scoffed. “Do you know the punishment for deceiving the emperor?”
Nan Shu’s breath caught, and she immediately knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, have mercy! This humble subject would never dare deceive you!”
“On the evening of the sixth day of the second month, Granny Qu from Yu Tang Hall brought you before me to deliver soup. Yesterday, you attempted to approach the princess.”
Yan Pingxiao spoke leisurely, watching the woman’s face grow pale with each word.
“Given this, would you say you’ve deceived your emperor?”
Nan Shu’s mind went blank with a roar, her fingers trembling as they pressed against the floor.
“This subject… this subject…”
Yan Pingxiao’s voice suddenly turned stern. “Confess the truth.”
Nan Shu nearly burst into tears. Steeling herself, she said outright: “Your Majesty, have mercy! This subject has no intention of climbing social ranks. Xiuyi Niangniang has already promised to send me away from the palace after Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. I would never dare entertain thoughts of remaining in the palace, much less seize opportunities to approach the princess. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!”
Nan Shu sobbed, her slender back trembling pitifully.
After a long while, she finally heard the man sigh softly. “Enough, rise.”
Nan Shu looked up in a daze, tears clinging to her eyelashes. Through her, Yan Pingxiao saw Shen Lan Shu’s shadow once more.
The resemblance was too strong.
He couldn’t bear to see such a face crying before him.
After Nan Shu left, Yan Pingxiao remained seated on the Yu Zuo. Outside the window, early-blooming crabapple flowers swayed in the gentle breeze.
Petals scattered and danced in the evening wind, blanketing the ground in a delicate layer.
Drowsiness washed over him, and he closed his eyes.
In the stillness of the deep night, memories surged relentlessly in his mind.
He seemed to return to the second year of bringing Shen Lan Shu to Jingcheng.
At that time, she was nearly eight months pregnant.
Yan Pingxiao felt as if he were back in the Separate Courtyard on the outskirts of Jingcheng, standing at a distance like an observer, watching his own snow-covered self enter the warm room.
On New Year’s Eve, heavy snow fell relentlessly.
Shen Lan Shu had been clinging to him, but fatigue from her pregnancy soon left her leaning weakly against the soft pillows, her eyes closed as if asleep.
Yan Pingxiao gently stroked her cheek. It had been two months since he last saw her.
The Crown Prince’s faction at court was pressing step by step. With years of entrenched influence in Jingcheng, they were difficult to uproot entirely.
He had intended to return to see her half a month earlier, but the Crown Prince’s men had hindered him, delaying his return until today.
Holding the woman in his arms, he stroked her back again and again.
Late at night, a knock came at the window—his strategist had urgent matters to discuss.
Assuming Lan Shu was deeply asleep, as she often was during her pregnancy, Yan Pingxiao allowed the man to enter. The man glanced briefly at the woman in Yan Pingxiao’s arms, then averted his gaze and lowered his voice: “The Crown Prince has kidnapped Miss Xie from the Duke of Chu Manor to threaten Your Highness. Miss Xie has been tortured beyond recognition. Now the Duke of Chu has fully aligned with Your Highness’s faction.”
A faint smile touched Yan Pingxiao’s lips. “He is truly foolish. By offending the Duke of Chu, how many in Jingcheng will abandon him?”
“Your Highness is wise. Now that Miss Xie has been rescued by our men, should we return her to the Duke’s manor?”
“Not yet. Wait until the Duke of Chu completely breaks with the Crown Prince before sending her back.”
“Tomorrow’s ancestral ceremony—our people are prepared. We request Your Highness return to take command.”
Yan Pingxiao looked down at the sleeping Lan Shu, gently laying her on the bed. He stood there for a long moment, but ultimately turned and left the Separate Courtyard.
The priority was to seize the Crown Prince’s former influence, not to indulge in sentimental attachments.
“Order the guards to strengthen surveillance of the courtyard.”
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Lan Shu inside the room was not fully asleep. She had sensed his departure. Lan Shu pushed open the window and watched him walk away without looking back. The falling snow quickly covered the footprints he had left.
Neither of them knew that this parting would be their last.
Yan Pingxiao saw the tears glistening in Shen Lan Shu’s eyes. He never knew she had been so heartbroken when he left.
At the time, he thought it was just an ordinary separation, never realizing it would be their final meeting.
Yan Pingxiao, turn around!
Look back at her, just once!
His soul screamed, but he could only watch helplessly as his own figure walked further and further away, never turning back…