Daoist Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile curving his lips, and then took the lead to slip away.
Liang Yuzhou also quite timely put his arm around Song Wanchu's shoulder and walked out of the room.
The door closed, and the room fell into silence.
Cheng Simian shifted her gaze away imperceptibly at first. When she looked at the Crown Prince again, there was a hint of determination and frankness in her eyes.
"Your Highness, please see clearly," she said slowly, her tone sincere. "I helped Your Highness only out of selfish desires, that is, to get out of the mud - pit of the Marquis of Wude's Mansion. I have no ulterior motives towards Your Highness or the position of the Crown Prince."
She spoke straightforwardly, openly, and there was not a trace of calculation in her clear eyes.
This should have been a reassuring promise, but when the Crown Prince heard it, his heart felt a bit stuffy.
Cheng Simian had made her purpose crystal - clear, laying her whole heart bare for him to see, proving that her motives were pure. Wasn't that a good thing?
It saved him the trouble of having to guess and suspect.
But he was not happy, and he couldn't even say why.
Cheng Simian caught the Crown Prince's micro - expressions and felt that the reason she had given just now was not enough to dispel his doubts.
She spoke again, her tone even more firm. "When everything is settled, I will take my mother away from the capital and settle in Yunzhou. I will never step into this place full of intrigues for the rest of my life."
Never step into the capital for the rest of her life...
That meant they would never see each other again.
Deep in the Crown Prince's heart, it seemed as if a piece was missing. He suddenly felt irritated and frowned slightly.
"Very good!"
His father often taught him that a king should not show his emotions easily and should not let others see his feelings.
The Crown Prince always thought he had done a good job in this regard.
But when he said these four cold words, he realized that there must be anger on his face.
He had failed to control his emotions and had lost his composure in front of a woman.
Cheng Simian was even more confused. She had been clear and sincere enough, so why did the Crown Prince still seem angry?
A thought suddenly popped into her mind. She was startled but quickly pushed this impossible thought away.
She simply assumed that the Crown Prince had failed to handle his emotions well in other matters and had unconsciously revealed them during their conversation.
Since saying more was useless, she kept silent.
The Crown Prince's gaze fixed on her gentle and beautiful eyebrows. He frowned deeply and then simply turned around.
The afternoon sun cast his shadow on Cheng Simian.
Without saying a word, he pushed open the door and walked out.
By the end of the first lunar month, the weather was showing signs of warming up, but today's wind felt like a knife cutting on the face.
Daoist Qiu, Liang Yuzhou, and Song Wanchu gathered in the small courtyard, sitting around a stove and brewing tea.
"Coming out so soon? Did Miss Cheng make her point concisely, or are you too afraid to face your own heart?" Liang Yuzhou joked daringly.
On weekdays, he got along with the Crown Prince more like old friends. They joked with each other. The Crown Prince didn't put on airs, and Liang Yuzhou didn't care about the difference in status.
The Crown Prince gave Liang Yuzhou a cold look.
"I see," Liang Yuzhou continued to be cheeky. "His Highness the Crown Prince has been rejected."
The Crown Prince's face changed slightly, showing annoyance.
Xia Anzi, who was standing beside, was a bit embarrassed.
Liang Yuzhou's mouth was really as poisonous as ever.
But unfortunately, he had guessed right.
The Crown Prince hadn't even had the chance to express his feelings to Miss Cheng when she had already declared her loyalty.
She said that she had no interest in the Crown Prince or the position of the Crown Princess.
She had made her words so absolute that she had blocked the Crown Prince's words.
Liang Yuzhou seemed determined to be fearless. "Your Highness, from my experience as a man who has been through it, a man shouldn't be too concerned about his face when facing a woman he likes."
"Which eye of yours saw that I like her?" The Crown Prince's voice turned sharp.
Just then, Cheng Simian walked out of the room. Hearing this, she was as calm and steady as ever.
There was not a single ripple on her face.
"Wanchu, thank you for your hospitality today. I'll go back first."
Song Wanchu roughly guessed what Cheng Simian and the Crown Prince had talked about.
She didn't ask too much. She sent Cheng Simian to the gate and watched her get into the carriage.
When she returned to the courtyard, the topic had returned to what they had originally discussed.
The Crown Prince's handsome face was still tense, his expression solemn. "It's urgent to detoxify the Duke, but it must still be done secretly. In five days, it will be Mother's Spring - welcoming Banquet. I will arrange for you and the Third Uncle to sneak into the Taoist priests for the prayer ceremony. The Princess will surely attend the Spring - welcoming Banquet. I'm going to give her a big surprise."
Daoist Qiu felt Liang Yuzhou's pulse to check his physical condition.
"Your pulmonary disease is almost cured. As long as you don't catch a cold, it won't recur. Your eyes are also seventy percent healed. You can offer your heart blood tonight."
The heart blood should be used in the medicine while it's still warm for the best effect.
This meant that Liang Yuzhou had to show up at the Duke's Mansion tonight.
Song Wanchu cast a complicated look at Liang Yuzhou.
A year ago, he had completely fallen out with the Duke in order to follow her south.
Cutting his hair to sever the family relationship only meant cutting off the emotional bond with the Duke's Mansion, but the blood relationship was eternal and unavoidable.
Song Wanchu couldn't help but wonder whether Liang Yuzhou had readily agreed to offer his heart blood out of consideration for the overall situation or because there was still an unbreakable family affection deep in his heart.
He had given up the position of the heir apparent and the glory and wealth of the Duke's Mansion for her. In the end, he even had to give up his blood - related family affection.
Her heart felt heavy and bitter.
After dinner.
Liang Yuzhou changed into a gray Taoist robe, which was not very noticeable in the dark.
"I won't go in. I'll just offer my heart blood at the door and hand it over to Daoist Qiu. He'll be quick and present it to the Duke while it's still warm."
He was going to pierce his chest and let out a large bowl of fresh blood, a life - risking thing to do, but he made it sound so easy.
There was no special emotion on his face.
Song Wanchu's heart was entangled with heavy worries, and her mood was fluctuating.
She was anxious, worried, and faintly, there was also a bit of guilt.
It was her who had made Liang Yuzhou lose so much.
Liang Yuzhou already knew what was on her mind. Now that his eyes were almost fully recovered, he could catch every emotion that showed on Song Wanchu's face without missing a single one.
He lowered his head to kiss her, gently rubbing the tip of her nose, with a lingering smile on his lips.
"Wanchu, you are my whole world. It's worth losing everything as long as I can have you."
Song Wanchu was slightly stunned. He had guessed her thoughts so thoroughly.
"The second son of the Duke's Mansion, the short - lived position of the heir apparent, layer upon layer of identities, have always been heavy shackles to me. In the past, in order to prevent Princess Lingyang from harming you, I fought and struggled for them. But after I got them, I realized that I had been on the wrong path. There's nothing more important than cherishing you and the present moment."
Song Wanchu's eyes were moist, and her voice was slightly choked. "If the Duke asks you in person..."
Liang Yuzhou knew what she was going to say. He kissed her lips again, lingering for a while until a sob escaped from her mouth.
"He is a loyal and good general, a filial son to his mother, but in my eyes, he has never been a good father. I have never done anything wrong to him. In the more than twenty years of being his son, I have a clear conscience. The past bond has already been cut off, and there are better solutions to the problem of military power. My heart will not change because of any sincere words from him."
Song Wanchu stretched out her arms and gently wrapped them around his waist. "Thank you, Liang Yuzhou, for indulging my selfishness."
Liang Yuzhou was delighted, his mouth curving up. "What's wrong with you? You just want to be with me forever."
"Can I go with you tonight?"
"Wanchu, do you really want to watch me offer my heart blood?"