"Liang Yuzhou?"
Wen Congbai blinked his eyes hard to make sure the person in front of him was not an illusion.
He knew that Liang Yuzhou had become a Taoist priest. But when he actually saw Liang Yuzhou standing right in front of him in a cyan Taoist robe, he still felt that the scene was incredibly surreal.
He gaped and couldn't close his mouth for a long time.
Liang Yuzhou's vision was still blurry, but he could imagine the look of utter shock on Wen Congbai's handsome yet haggard face.
"You're back? Dude, did Miss Song scold you into coming back, or did you finally come to your senses after hitting a wall and decide to give up?"
Liang Yuzhou tightened his jaw, clearly annoyed. "Don't you know what kind of person I am? Even if it's a wall of solid copper, I'll smash it to pieces!"
Wen Congbai was incredulous and murmured, "Oh my god, Miss Song actually forgave you."
A year ago, Song Wanchu had drawn her sword against Liang Yuzhou, determined never to see him again.
What on earth had Liang Yuzhou done to win Song Wanchu's forgiveness?
"You'll have plenty of time to find out what I've been up to this past year once you get out. The most important thing now is you!"
Wen Congbai's face was ashen, but his eyes were resolute.
"I killed that man. One should take responsibility for one's own actions. It was all worth it for Yuhe!"
The moment Cheng Jingxuan's head rolled at his feet, he had already made up his mind to sacrifice himself.
"You're the eldest legitimate son of the Marquis of Pingwei, and Minister Wen is the Crown Prince's teacher. Any of your personal actions will have an impact on others. The Wen family has already been implicated, and the Crown Prince won't just sit back and do nothing."
A look of guilt flashed across Wen Congbai's face. "I'm sorry to my father and the Marquis of Pingwei's family, but I don't regret it."
"Save those words for when you get out and confess to Minister Wen!"
Liang Yuzhou said, "I'll just ask you one thing. Before you killed Cheng Jingxuan, did you have any evidence to prove that he was acting on the orders of the Princess Chang? It's a fact that you killed Cheng Jingxuan. Proving that he did evil to Shen Yuhe is important, but proving that he was acting on someone else's orders is even more important!"
Wen Congbai wasn't stupid. He understood immediately.
The Crown Prince wanted to turn a sensational case into an even more sensational one that would involve more people.
He wanted to delay the trial indefinitely until it reached the Emperor's ears.
He wanted the Emperor to see the true face of the Princess Chang!
It was a pity...
"I don't have any evidence."
The candle flickered a few times and then went out, plunging the cell into complete darkness.
"Congbai, you were too rash."
Wen Congbai sneered. "Liang Er, I'll ask you this. If something like this happened to Miss Song, would you still wait until you had enough evidence before taking action?"
Liang Yuzhou fell silent.
"My love for Yuhe is no less than your love for Miss Song!"
"I'll find the evidence. The trial in three days will be in your favor."
Liang Yuzhou said succinctly, "I'm here in secret. Shi Jinglu only gave me a quarter of an hour. I can't make things difficult for him. That's it. I'll go first."
He turned around, and Wen Congbai suddenly spoke up.
"Liang Er, thank you for still thinking about me."
Liang Yuzhou smiled softly. "Didn't we say when we were still in diapers that we'd be good brothers for life? Have you forgotten?"
His footsteps quickly faded into the darkness.
But in Wen Congbai's heart, it was as if a window had been opened, and a ray of light shone into his soul.
Although Liang Yuzhou had returned wearing a Taoist robe, he was still the cold and arrogant nobleman at heart. But there were also some things that seemed to be different from before.
He could talk like a normal person.
The power of love was truly great.
...
Song Wanchu arrived at the Shen Mansion.
Nanny Gui, Shen Yuhe's wet nurse, came to greet her and led her all the way to Shen Yuhe's courtyard.
"How has your young lady been these days?"
Nanny Gui never treated Song Wanchu as an outsider. She wiped away her tears and looked sad.
"The young lady hasn't left her room for a whole month. She's in a daze during the day and has nightmares at night. Occasionally, when she regains consciousness, she'll clamor to go to the prison to see Young Master Wen and says she wants to testify for him..."
Song Wanchu's heart ached.
"What does your master think?"
Nanny Gui sighed. "The master values the young lady's reputation. How could he possibly let the young lady talk about such things in court?"
"Has anyone from the Wen family come to discuss this?"
"No. Our families have been friends for generations. In terms of seniority, Minister Wen even has to call our master uncle. The Wen family is reasonable and understands the master's difficulties. They'd rather find other ways to save Young Master Wen than sacrifice the young lady's reputation."
But Song Wanchu shook her head. "Everyone cares about Yuhe's reputation, but she herself doesn't care at all."
If she cared about her reputation, she wouldn't have stubbornly immersed herself in the study of medicine among men, nor would she have dressed up in disguise and gone to brothels to treat the girls there.
As they were talking, Song Wanchu entered the room.
The sun was shining brightly that day. Shen Yuhe was sitting on a small couch by the window, frowning and struggling with the needle and thread in her hand.
She had lost a lot of weight. The once healthy and rosy-cheeked woman had become thin and haggard, pale as a sheet. Her once bright eyes were now filled with endless darkness.
Song Wanchu walked over, her eyes stinging with pity.
Shen Yuhe didn't look up. She thought it was Nanny Gui who had come. As she stabbed the sachet with the needle, tears streamed down her face.
"Why am I so stupid? Why can't I even embroider a sachet properly!"
There were no fancy patterns on the sachet, just two simple characters.
One side said Shen, and the other side said Wen.
The Shen Yuhe who used to ignore Wen Congbai and even speak harshly to him was now willing to prick her fingers countless times just to embroider this sachet that represented her feelings.
"You're not stupid. You're just holding the needle too tightly. Embroidery isn't like pounding medicine. You don't need to use so much force in your wrist."
Song Wanchu held her hand and taught Shen Yuhe how to thread the needle, just like teaching someone how to hold a brush and write.
After a few stitches, the three dots of the character Wen were embroidered.
"See? It's not difficult, is it?"
Shen Yuhe's hand was cold, as if the cold was seeping out from her bones.
But Song Wanchu's hand was warm, slowly injecting warmth into her heart.
Big tears welled up in Shen Yuhe's eyes.
She hugged Song Wanchu tightly and sobbed uncontrollably.
She didn't need to ask anything to know that Liang Yuzhou and Wanchu had reconciled.
Song Wanchu comforted her for a while, and then Shen Yuhe suddenly remembered something. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Wanchu, the day you left, I didn't have the guts to set off firecrackers at the Duke's Mansion gate, but I did set off a string of firecrackers at our own door..."
Song Wanchu couldn't help but smile.
Shen Yuhe had once said aggressively that she would set off firecrackers to celebrate when Song Wanchu left Liang Yuzhou.
This girl really did what she said.
Shen Yuhe was embarrassed, but Song Wanchu found it amusing.
"Let that string of firecrackers be a farewell to the me of a year ago. I've had a great time this past year."
"Wanchu, you always know how to comfort me." Shen Yuhe managed a watery smile.
Just a moment ago, she had felt like a clown. But with Song Wanchu's comfort, all her embarrassment and awkwardness disappeared instantly.
Just as Shen Yuhe's face was starting to brighten up a bit, she saw the sachet in her hand, and her eyes dimmed again.