"Lu Qingwan understood, 'You're going to see His Majesty with this confession?'"
Feng Xi Wu answered without the slightest hesitation, "That's right."
"This King will not only take this confession to see my imperial brother, but I will also have Prime Minister Wen and Grand Scholar Chi, and Prince Nan, as witnesses. I will have my imperial brother establish a decree of abdication, allowing this King to choose the time to appoint a new ruler."
As Feng Qing Heng spoke, he walked behind Lu Qing Wan to retrieve the confession she had recorded. He poked his head over and was immediately met with a look of utter bewilderment.
"This is the confession you recorded?"
He picked up the papers Lu Qing Wan had been drawing and writing on for nearly an hour with an expression of almost stunned disbelief. "Can you even recognize what is written on here yourself?"
A thick stack of paper was covered in what looked like scribbles, not a single legible character in sight.
Lu Qing Wan chuckled, "What are you talking about? These are shorthand symbols. I still need to organize them. It's difficult enough to record at someone's speaking speed with this flimsy brush, isn't it?"
"Shorthand symbols?"
Feng Xi Wu looked as if he had seen something new. "Can this be widely used?"
"It's fine if you learn it systematically. But why would you learn this?"
Lu Qing Wan took back her notes and followed Feng Xi Wu out. Meng Sheng peeked out and noticed that Feng Qing Heng's bruised and swollen condition had not improved at all, so he was not surprised. He only asked, "Grandfather, what do we do with this person?"
"Treat him as a normal patient. If he threatens me again, you don't need to pay attention. If he wants to smash things, let him smash them. Don't stop him."
With the succession imminent, she doubted Feng Qing Heng would dare to cause trouble in a place where people were being saved, even if he had ten times the courage.
Meng Sheng, hearing Lu Qing Wan's words, immediately felt emboldened. He straightened his chest and responded before escorting Lu Qing Wan out.
The carriage moved down the center of the street, the sounds of the newlywed couples' laughter filling the air. The occasional cries of vendors were also lively. Lu Qing Wan couldn't help but lift the curtain to watch the bustle. The cold wind streamed in through the window, and she smiled, her eyes curved.
"Look at these common people. They don't care who is the emperor or who is fighting. We fight our battles, and they live their lives. I don't know what Feng Qing Heng is striving for. Is the temptation of the throne that great?"
"It's not the temptation of the throne that's great, but the benefits that come with the throne that are tempting." Feng Xi Wu pulled her closer, sealing the carriage window tightly. "Even these ordinary people only want to eat and stay warm when they are hungry and cold. But once their basic needs are met, they want a home and a wife... Feng Qing Heng was born into a royal family. For him, competing for the throne is no different than a commoner vying for the most valuable portion of family property. Moreover, the benefits of the throne far outweigh the gains from ordinary people's family property. What is there to be confused about?"
He gently stroked Lu Qing Wan's fingers, his tone shifting. "On the other hand, your desire to see him dead truly surprises this King. However, if your previous shallow infatuation with Feng Qing Heng was all orchestrated by him, then the love-sickening蛊 wouldn't have had any effect on you at all?"
Feng Xi Wu was genuinely curious. After Lan Yu Ru was infected with the sub-gu of the love-sickening蛊, she immediately became a different person. But Lu Qing Wan had been infected with the love-sickening蛊 for several times longer, yet she was unharmed? He had initially thought that Lu Qing Wan liked Feng Qing Heng because of the love-sickening蛊. But Feng Qing Heng had confessed that he himself knew nothing about the love-sickening蛊. In the beginning, to avoid being sent away, he deliberately made Lu Qing Wan fall into the water, and then saved her, earning the title of savior. Afterward, he would occasionally give Lu Qing Wan hints, such as sending her pastries, or gifts of hairpins and ink. Lu Qing Wan, having been schemed against by Lu Si Wan, had a terrible reputation and no one to keep her company, let alone have feelings for her. Feng Qing Heng easily won Lu Qing Wan's heart with a few small tricks.
Lu Qing Wan couldn't tell Feng Xi Wu that the original host had lost her life due to Feng Qing Heng and Lu Si Wan's schemes, which was why she was reborn. If she didn't avenge this, she wouldn't be at peace. But in this case, Feng Xi Wu found himself wondering if the love-sickening蛊 had never had any effect on Lu Qing Wan from beginning to end.
Lu Qing Wan looked at his bewildered expression and laughed joyfully. "At first, I was also very confused, but later, after understanding the nature of蛊 poison, I understood. The Hundred Poisons Gu, which the Lord of the Samsara Palace, Teng Snake, and Liu Ru Yan repeatedly mentioned, not only served to identify members of the Samsara Palace but its more important function was protection. The Hundred Poisons Gu is not the Gu King, but it is superior to the Gu King. With the Hundred Poisons Gu present, ten love-sickening gu could not sway my heart. At most, it would waste a little of my blood, but that's all. It's completely useless."
Feng Xi Wu blinked, deep in thought. Lu Qing Wan was also preoccupied and didn't speak further.
Upon returning to the prince's mansion, as they neared the Wutong Courtyard, a voice suddenly asked, "Do you still have those things?"
Lu Qing Wan was startled, "What things?"
Feng Xi Wu blinked uncomfortably. "It's nothing. Let's go, it's already past lunchtime." His cheeks were flushed, but he didn't forget to support Lu Qing Wan.
The weather after the snow was cold and dry. Lu Qing Wan let him support her for a few steps before she belatedly realized what he was referring to. "Those things are long gone! Lu Si Wan absolutely did not allow me to have anything good. Moreover, she considered Feng Qing Heng her own possession. Most of the things Feng Qing Heng gave me directly or through others never even entered my residence, Wan Ju, before falling into Lu Si Wan's hands. Even those pastries were trampled on the ground and soiled in front of me."
Feng Xi Wu regretted his momentary jealousy, which had caused Lu Qing Wan to recall these unpleasant memories. Yet, he was also puzzled. "You are clearly not the type to passively accept abuse. How could you have been bullied to that extent by Lu Si Wan and her mother?" Although he was jealous, he would rather Lu Qing Wan had suffered less before meeting him, using Feng Qing Heng's influence to her advantage.
Lu Qing Wan had one foot already crossing the threshold. She glanced at Li Su, who was serving food, and then at Feng Xi Wu. She decided to reveal a little to him. "Do you remember where I took you?"
Feng Xi Wu was now highly sensitive to the spatial laboratory. Upon hearing it, he became a little nervous. "I remember. What's wrong?"
"It's true that I was smiling then, and I was mentally controlled by Lan Yu Ru and Lu Si Wan without realizing it. About half an hour before I met you, I encountered that thing, and it completely awakened me. So, Lu Si Wan and Feng Qing Heng always said I was like a different person after the incident, and they weren't wrong. In my own heart, the former Lu Qing Wan had already died. The one alive now is the true Lu Qing Wan."
Feng Xi Wu had personally experienced the power of the spatial laboratory. He had complete faith in Lu Qing Wan's explanation. He even felt fortunate, "Fortunately, you encountered that place first, and then met this King. Otherwise, with your previous self, we would have missed each other."