Chu Qianli boarded the carriage arranged by Fulong and headed for the palace.
Fulong had intended to escort her to the palace, but he stayed behind as they were leaving.
After arranging for someone to escort Chu Qianli, he went to Fulong's place.
Fulong was packing her belongings.
Not to leave, but to move.
This was where the maids who personally served the Empress lived, and she had to move to a secluded corner.
Seeing Fulong enter, she softly called out, "Big Brother."
Fulong's gaze, however, fell on her face.
There were still five finger marks there.
"...Did A'li hit you?" He, too, found it somewhat difficult to accept.
A'li had actually hit Fulong.
"Big Brother, do you really think she is still A'li?"
Fulong felt wronged, and this grievance had been present for more than a day or two.
There were some things she had kept in her heart for a very, very long time.
This matter had to start from the night Chu Qianli left, only to suddenly return.
However, she didn't need to say these words; she actually knew clearly that her big brother understood.
"Big Brother, don't you find it strange at all? She isn't A'li."
"Fulun, I know you're unwilling, but you and I both know that when we first suspected, we tested it countless times."
Fulong wasn't without suspicion.
In fact, it wasn't just them; even Long Ziyue was the same.
Everyone had suspected.
But whether it was her voice, her face, or everything she knew, many things that only they and Chu Qianli knew, she knew them all very clearly.
If she wasn't A'li, who else could she be?
"Fulun, after A'li returned, there were many dangers. This place is full of people who want her dead."
"In the Northern Underworld Kingdom, she never received the slightest bit of goodwill from the royal family. This time, returning as the Empress, she has finally gained the attention of the royal family."
"At this time, A'li's reputation cannot be affected in any way. Fulun, do you understand?"
Fulun looked at her elder brother.
She understood; she actually knew everything.
Her big brother loved A'li in his heart, and he was always thinking of A'li.
In the beginning, they had doubts, including Ziyue.
They had even suspected that the A'li before them had been switched.
But in this world, the art of face-swapping had never been heard of.
And Chu Qianli's face was indeed real. She and Ziyue had verified it, and there was absolutely no falsehood.
It was definitely not something that disguise could achieve.
Chu Qianli was truly A'li.
But Fulun always felt something was not right.
"Big Brother, do you still like her so much now?"
Liking someone was the most primal feeling. Did her big brother's liking for Chu Qianli remain the same as before?
Fulong remained silent.
His thoughts could not be hidden from his own sister.
Fulun met his gaze and said again, "Big Brother, if Chu Qianli were willing to be with you now, and even willing to embrace you, would you still accept it?"
Accept!
She actually used the word "accept"!
But for Fulong, it was a luxury, something he wouldn't even dare to think about.
Yet, at this moment, he felt a strange resistance in his heart.
If Chu Qianli wanted to embrace him...
Fulong's eyes slightly darkened. "I only wish A'li happiness. I don't want anything else."
"Big Brother, do you not want to, or do you now no longer wish to think about it?"
This was what Fulun meant by a different feeling!
If it were the A'li of the past, how could her big brother not want to think about it?
Now, he himself no longer had those thoughts, did he?
"Fulun."
Fulong let out a sigh, staring into her eyes filled with doubt.
He said faintly, "Big Brother... I really don't have many thoughts about the current A'li anymore, but I still have one obsession, and that is to make A'li happy. Do you understand?"