The room.
Yi You held a bowl of hot ginger water in her hand, guarding by the bedside. "Your Highness, please be obedient. It's cold today; drinking this will warm your body and prevent you from falling ill."
"Yesterday, you secretly wore only a thin garment to the courtyard and slept under a tree. If you fall ill, we won't be able to explain to His Highness."
Emperor Ye Yao stepped into the inner room and saw Liu Lan Xue sitting on the bed. His body stiffened abruptly.
She was wearing only a loose nightgown, her face a pale, sickly hue. Her eyes, like smoky mist, held a touch of clarity. Her slender fingers clutched the quilt tightly, and her face showed a hint of childishness.
"I don't want to drink it; it's bitter."
Emperor Ye Yao's heart instantly softened.
She was still the same, afraid of bitter things.
Yi You was somewhat helpless.
Footsteps sounded from behind.
She turned her head. "Yi Zuo, you come and coax Her Highness. What I say, she..."
The rest of her words abruptly stopped.
Yi You quickly knelt. "I did not know His Majesty had arrived. Please forgive me!"
Why did His Majesty come so suddenly?
Emperor Ye Yao stepped forward, took the bowl from Yi You's hand, and said, "You may go. Let me."
Yi You glanced at the person on the bed with some difficulty, then finally bowed and retreated.
Closing the door, the room quickly filled with warmth.
"Yi You, Yi You! Don't go," Liu Lan Xue called out twice, but there was no response.
She looked at Emperor Ye Yao, her face filled with nervousness. Her eyes widened, and a look of vigilance appeared on her flustered face.
Emperor Ye Yao, holding the bowl, walked to the bedside and sat down. He brought the bowl to her lips. "Drink it. If you don't drink it and fall ill, you'll have to take bitter medicine."
Liu Lan Xue looked at the hand he extended, cried out in alarm, and shrank to the corner of the wall, clutching the quilt.
Seeing the fear on her face, Emperor Ye Yao's heart ached instantly.
"You... you don't remember me, do you?"
The Soul Devouring Soup not only made people foolish but also caused memory loss.
Liu Lan Xue shook her head frantically, her small face growing paler. "Who are you? Don't... don't come closer."
She also shouted for 'Yi Zuo, Yi You' again, but there was still no response from outside.
She became increasingly panicked, trembling as she climbed out of the quilt, wanting to run outside.
Emperor Ye Yao quickly put down the bowl and held her before she could get off the bed.
His touch, a slightly warm sensation, instantly spread through his entire body.
Something suppressed for many years erupted at this moment.
Emperor Ye Yao, almost instinctively, held her tightly. "Xue'er, don't be afraid. It's me, it's A Yao. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
"Mmmph! Let go, let me go! Yi Zuo, Yi Zuo! Ah! Let go, let go!" Liu Lan Xue struggled desperately, screaming in terror, her hands hitting the man's arm.
Her hair was disheveled, obscuring her vision.
Emperor Ye Yao held her tightly with one hand and reached out with the other to brush her hair aside. "Xue'er, calm down. Look at me properly."
The moment his large hand approached, Liu Lan Xue let out a scream. Almost instinctively, she clasped her hands over her head, curled into a ball, and trembled.
"Don't hit me... don't hit... Yu'er, Yu'er..."
A corner of her sealed memories was opened.
In her daze, the pain of skin and flesh being torn spread from her memory.
Liu Lan Xue's lips were devoid of any color, and her pleas for mercy were almost a wail.
Emperor Ye Yao's heart felt as if it would split open. "I won't hit you. No one will hit you. Don't be afraid, Xue'er, don't be afraid."
What had she endured all these years?
Liu Lan Xue opened her mouth and bit down on the back of his hand, sinking her teeth into the flesh with all her might.
Emperor Ye Yao felt as if that piece of flesh had been bitten off, but he did not let go, continuing to hold her tightly.
The taste of blood spread in her mouth, and Liu Lan Xue's reason recovered slightly.
She stopped struggling but still held herself, curled up, and trembled non-stop.
"Your Majesty? Has Her Highness fallen ill? Does Your Highness need this servant's help?" Yi Zuo's worried voice came from outside the door.
Emperor Ye Yao looked at the trembling person in his arms and said in a deep voice, "Go and get a bowl of dumplings."
He lowered his head, reached out, and carefully and gently covered her head, patting it softly. "You're hungry, aren't you? Shall we eat?"
Liu Lan Xue slowly raised her head to look at him, a hint of hope appearing on her fearful face. "You won't hit me?"
Emperor Ye Yao looked at her cautious, probing demeanor, his nose stinging. He picked up the quilt and wrapped her in it. "No, I won't. I'll give you something delicious."
Liu Lan Xue held the corner of the quilt, her expression gradually softening.
She tilted her head and looked at Emperor Ye Yao curiously, as if in thought. "I've seen you."
Emperor Ye Yao's heart sank. He didn't know whether to be nervous or happy. "Have you remembered?"
Liu Lan Xue frowned tightly. After a while, she shook her head, lowered her head, and touched her stomach. "Hungry."
Yi Zuo knocked on the door and entered. "Your Majesty, the dumplings are ready."
Emperor Ye Yao took the bowl. "Take the ginger water away. Tell Chang Hui to tell everyone inside and outside the cold palace that no one is to spread word of my visit here today."
He paused, then said again, "Not even Prince Yu is to speak of it."
Yi Zuo acknowledged the order and retreated.
After everyone had left, Emperor Ye Yao picked up the soup spoon, scooped up a dumpling, blew on it by his mouth, bit off a small half, and then offered it to Liu Lan Xue's lips. "Good girl, eat."
Liu Lan Xue didn't move. After a while, she opened her mouth and bit off the half dumpling.
She chewed with puffed cheeks like a child, her eyes shining with light.
Emperor Ye Yao's heart was pierced by the smile in her eyes, and in an instant, he was transported back to the past.
This was the expression she had when she first arrived at the palace and ate her first dumpling during the Winter Solstice.
Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Ten years. Ying Zhao had been dead for over four years.
At that time, Ying Zhao had been ordered to attack Ming Yi and achieved a great victory. Afterward, the two countries formed an alliance, and he brought Xue'er to his side.
At that time, I had just ascended the throne, and the court was in turmoil, with internal and external troubles. Ying Zhao was the person I trusted most.
But...
"I want more," a clear voice broke Emperor Ye Yao's thoughts.
Emperor Ye Yao looked at the woman before him, suddenly feeling a sense of change.
He took a deep breath and placed the bowl on the table.
Why did they betray me? Why? If there was truly another reason for what happened back then, why didn't she tell me?
I was even willing to fall out with the Luo family for her back then. What reason did she have not to trust me?
Liu Lan Xue looked at him getting up with some confusion, reaching out her hand. "I want more; I'm not full yet."
Emperor Ye Yao gazed at her deeply. "We parted ways long ago. Just pretend I never came today."
We parted ways long ago. Just pretend I never came today, and pretend I suddenly lost my mind.
He calmed himself, then turned and strode away.
Liu Lan Xue watched his retreating back, a hint of grievance rising in her eyes. "A Yao?"
She called out softly, not quite understanding what those two words meant.
Emperor Ye Yao had already left the room and did not hear her.
Yi Zuo quickly entered from outside. "Your Highness, are you alright? Are you injured?"
His Majesty was fine when he arrived, so why did he leave with such a somber expression? Did the two of them have a falling out?
"Your Highness, did you do something to displease His Majesty? Did His Majesty hit you? Let this servant take a look."
Liu Lan Xue shook her head, looked at the dumplings on the table, and slowly raised her hand to press it to her chest. "Yi Zuo, my chest hurts."
It hurts so much.