"I'm just worried you're pushing yourself too hard," Xiao Luo said, her heart aching. She had always been strong since childhood, so strong it made one's heart ache.
"Brother, I'm not pushing myself. I'm just walking the path I believe is right," Xiao Man looked up at the sky. "Mo Han said he wants to create the kingdom of my ideals with me, and I will definitely let him see my ideal world."
Xiao Luo was silent for a moment. "We will do whatever you believe is right."
"Thank you, brother."
"No need to thank me, you are my dearest sister," Xiao Luo said softly. "By the way, Du Gu Ming Yu left me early. Do you know where he is now?"
"He has his own matters to attend to," Xiao Man tilted her head and smiled. "Brother, don't worry. You and Ming Yu are the people I trust the most."
Xiao Luo nodded in agreement. "I know."
"Brother, be extremely careful when you go to Wu Sheng Pass. Yelü Heng is very cunning. I originally wanted to keep him on the lands of Lan Yue forever, but he was so slippery and escaped from my grasp," Xiao Man cautioned. "We have officially gone to war with Bei Rong, and Feng Mo Ran has no place to stay in the other three kingdoms, so he will surely hide in Bei Rong. With his schemes and mind, do not be careless."
"I will be extremely careful."
"Lan Qin doesn't understand him, she doesn't know how dangerous he truly is. Even though I've made some arrangements regarding him, he won't be completely incapacitated anytime soon."
"Is Mo Han's matter also his doing?"
"In a sense, the one who truly killed Mo Han was me," Xiao Man said softly. "He merely presented me with a choice, without telling me."
"Don't overthink it. The killer is Feng Mo Ran."
Xiao Man shook her head and looked at the chrysanthemums blooming in the flowerbed. A gust of wind rustled the chrysanthemum branches, scattering petals that carpeted the ground in a layer of golden yellow.
"I was too arrogant, thinking everything was under control. I didn't realize that from the moment I stepped into Tantai Palace, I had fallen into his trap. He treated me the same way he treated Lan Ruo Yu, destroying everything I cared about, using my own hands to do it. However, I am not Lan Ruo Yu. I will not yield, nor will I be tamed by him."
"Man'er, everything will get better."
A dignified smile graced Xiao Man's face, but her hand, hidden within her sleeve, clenched the silk handkerchief tightly, trembling uncontrollably as if it might be torn to shreds.
"The Silver Frost Flower he gave me was Mo Han's death warrant."
Nangong Yu, hidden in the shadows, was stunned. The Silver Frost Flower Feng Mo Ran gave Xiao Man was used by Xiao Man to save Ye Qing's life. Could Wen Mo Han's death be related to the Silver Frost Flower?
The Silver Frost Flower was poisonous all over. Could Wen Mo Han have died from Silver Frost Flower poisoning? No, that was impossible. If he had been poisoned by the Silver Frost Flower, with Xiao Man's abilities, it was impossible for her to not be able to save Wen Mo Han, or even have had a chance to save him!
Nangong Yu felt a growing unease. If he hadn't sent Ye Qing to the Imperial Princess's residence, and Xiao Man hadn't intervened to save her, would Wen Mo Han not have died?
The answer in his heart was no. Even without Ye Qing's matter, Feng Mo Ran would have found another way to take Wen Mo Han's life. After all, in his eyes, Xiao Man was his puppet, his possession. How could he allow anyone else to lay claim to his possessions?
"Man'er, do you hate him?" Xiao Luo asked. He had watched them come this far, enduring hardships that ordinary people could not imagine. They had finally come together, only to be separated by death. He sighed with emotion and heartache, but there was nothing he could do.
"Hate?" Xiao Man chuckled mockingly. "Hate can no longer express the fury in my heart. When the state of Qin was destroyed, rivers of blood flowed, dyeing Jiu You red. I will surely let the waters of Jiu You be dyed with blood again before my hatred can be appeased."
Xiao Man's tone was cold and devoid of emotion, but Xiao Luo knew she was not joking. She would truly let the waters of Jiu You run red with blood, and Feng Mo Ran would receive his due retribution.
"There is something I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Du Gu Ming Yu already knows your secret, but he is helping you conceal it."
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged, as if she didn't care. Even though revealing this secret would bring her unprecedented danger, she remained calm and composed.
"Mm, I know."
"I trust Du Gu Ming Yu's character, but some matters..."
"Brother, if I don't trust someone, I don't use them. If I use someone, I trust them completely. This is my principle. Since I chose him, it means I trust him enough. Please trust me too."
Xiao Luo paused for a moment, then changed the subject. "On my way to the palace, I encountered a princess. I saw the insignia on her carriage; it should be the Second Princess. For some reason, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. There's a strange sense of familiarity."
"Brother, you felt a sense of familiarity with her too?"
"Yes." Xiao Man's beautiful brows furrowed slightly. "The first time I saw her was at Mo Han's memorial service. For some reason, she caught my eye the moment she appeared, and I felt a vague sense of familiarity, but I couldn't recall where I had seen her before."
"She asked me about my relationship with you on the street."
"I suppose you introduced yourself, and that's why she asked about your relationship with me."
Xiao Luo nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I felt she looked familiar at the time, which is why I introduced myself. Afterward, I thought, it seems I've never met her before."
"Perhaps it was love at first sight?"
Xiao Luo glanced at Xiao Man. "Don't let your sister-in-law hear that. If she knew I felt an immediate connection with another woman, I don't know how she'd react."
Xiao Man immediately laughed. "Brother, you're afraid of being jealous too."
Xiao Luo shrugged helplessly. "She's my wife. If she gets jealous, I can't handle it. Besides, I don't want her to feel insecure or sad."
Xiao Man's gaze became even more tender. "I am gratified that you think this way. It's not for nothing that sister-in-law pursued you for over a decade. They say a strong woman fears a persistent man, and it's the same the other way around."
"You've become the Empress, yet you're still so undignified."
Xiao Man smiled sweetly. "Even if I've become the Empress, I am still brother's sister, and I need to rely on brother."
Xiao Luo ruffled Xiao Man's hair. "When you need me, I'm always not by your side, Man'er. You don't blame me, do you?"
"What are you saying, brother?" Xiao Man chided playfully. "If brother wasn't guarding Cloud City, how could I have acted so boldly in Shengjing? If brother wasn't my strong backing, how could I have moved forward without any worries? Although brother isn't by my side, you have always protected me in your own way. Thank you, brother."