"Xinghe!"
Feng Wuya woke up abruptly.
Before him, everything was bright.
He was lying on a comfortable, soft, large bed in a clean and tidy room.
"Your Highness, you are awake?" Tie Xin happened to be carrying hot water in. Seeing him awake, she immediately put down the basin and hurried over.
"Your Highness, how do you feel? Is your breathing smooth?"
"Where is Xinghe?" Feng Wuya threw off the quilt and sat up from the bed.
Tie Xin was stunned for a moment, looking at him, she said nothing.
Seeing her like this, Feng Wuya's heart instantly turned cold: "Where are we now?"
He immediately wanted to go out.
Tie Xin quickly advised, "Your Highness, if you go out... you won't be able to see Miss Long."
"Why?" He didn't know how panicked his question was.
What did she mean by not being able to see Miss Long?
The sky was already completely bright, the night had long passed. What was the final outcome of everything last night?
"Tie Xin, speak!"
"Your Highness, it's... it's alright now." Tie Xin didn't know how to explain, hesitating, unsure how to speak.
"Tie Xin!"
"Wuya, why don't you wash up first?" A deep voice suddenly came from the doorway.
The voice was a little hoarse, but still so familiar, so familiar that Feng Wuya's whole body tensed, and he couldn't help but tremble.
He looked at the woman standing at the door.
She was wearing simple clothes, unlike any time before, plain and simple, like an ordinary woman.
That face... that once radiant and well-maintained delicate face, now looked like an old woman in her fifties.
Wrinkles crisscrossed her face, making her look unspeakably old.
And her black hair, now turned mottled half-white.
Strewn with white hair, she looked frail and old.
Feng Wuya's heart ached.
He hadn't seen her since he left Beiming last time. It had only been two months, and she... had become even older than before.
"What's wrong? Is my appearance too ugly that you don't recognize me?"
"Mother Consort..." Feng Wuya called out hoarsely, his heart still aching.
Murong Yu smiled calmly and said, "I am no longer in the palace, nor am I Consort Yu. Wuya, call me Mother from now on, alright?"
Feng Wuya was still a little dazed. Seeing his mother here was completely unexpected.
"...Mother." But in his heart, he was still worried about Long Xinghe's safety.
Murong Yu said, "You wash up first. When you come out later, Mother will tell you about last night."
Murong Yu turned and left, closing the door for him before she did.
Feng Wuya dared not delay. He quickly tidied himself up and hurried out.
Outside the door was a serene and peaceful courtyard.
Murong Yu was sitting under the pavilion, her back looking very frail and old.
Beside her, as always, was the palace maid who had followed her for many years, Nanny Wen, Wen Ni.
However, outside the pavilion, Feng Wuya saw two rather unexpected people.
"Fu Ning?"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Fu Ning bowed and explained after saluting, "I arrived late to protect Your Highness last night. Please forgive me."
"Last night..."
"Yes, the troop that rushed to the inn last night were not assassins, but the Ye Ming Army that Prince Xuan bestowed upon me to lead."
Feng Wuya did not question further, because what he was more concerned about was another matter.
But at this moment, Jiang Tao stood beside Fu Ning, yet he had not spoken.
Feng Wuya's heart was tightly strung. He had felt uneasy when he first saw her, and now, that unease had turned into anxiety.
"Xinghe... what exactly happened?"