As Feng Yun left Taiping Garden, Puyang Yi accompanied her to the gate.

"I apologize on behalf of my mother," she said.

Feng Yun offered a faint smile, "The County Lord speaks too seriously."

Puyang Yi clutched her sleeve, "Lady Yun, may I ask you something?"

Feng Yun hummed in affirmation, "Please ask, County Lord."

Puyang Yi hesitated, "If one day, my mother does something unforgivable to you, will you hold a grudge against her?"

Feng Yun was startled, and met her gaze, "I am but a humble woman, disturbed and afraid. Her Highness the Princess is of noble birth, far above me. How could someone from the Feng Family dare to bear a grudge against Her Highness? County Lord, you flatter me to my demise."

Her voice was calm and detached, neither close nor distant, but it was not the same as the times they used to have long conversations sitting close when Puyang Yi visited the manor.

In the face of overwhelming power, people are too insignificant, too powerless to change anything.

Puyang Yi sighed, her eyes reddening.

"I don’t know why things have come to this point... In just a few months, it’s as if the seas have changed into mulberry fields, as though the world has been transformed. The people around me have changed without me realizing it; my mother has changed, and so have you."

Feng Yun saw her looking with a mournful gaze.

She opened her mouth but found it hard to let out those words of indifference.

She and Puyang Yi may not have been close friends, but they got along well...

But they both knew that people are driven by the greater currents of time, and when faced with choices, the knife they must raise will cut where it must cut...

Puyang Yi stared at Feng Yun, "With the Prince of Yonghuai in trouble, I urge you to plan ahead. It may be improper for me to say this, but in these chaotic times, a woman must prioritize her own safety. Doesn’t the Crown Prince of Yunchuan fancy you? You might as well go with him to Yunchuan to avoid the limelight..."

Did even Puyang Yi suspect that her mother would strike at her in the quest for power?

Feng Yun laughed softly, then suddenly lowered her head and took Puyang Yi’s hand.

Her palm was sweaty and her complexion pale.

Feng Yun said, "Thank you, County Lord, I will consider it."

Puyang Yi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and suddenly hugged her.

"Things will get better, Lady Yun. I believe that in this world, there will be a day when the sun and moon shine clear. You and I can live in a world without war, enjoying peace year after year."

Feng Yun looked up, "It shall."

Puyang Yi gazed into her eyes, wanting to say something, but after a moment’s hesitation, she couldn’t speak.

It was then that Ge Guang’s voice came.

Behind Feng Yun, in front of Puyang Yi’s eyes.

"Madam, your dear husband has returned."

Wen Xingsu was not in his armor but dressed in a sturdy outfit with a grass-green Wind-Gown and a black cape on his head, resembling a wandering swordsman from all corners of the land. His eyes were sharp like knives, his aura imposing, and the signs of travel on his face added a touch of fatigue but also made him appear even more resolute. Riding his horse through the wildly blooming flowers of March, he seemed like a warm sun melting the frost in Feng Yun’s heart.

"My dear wife."

Puyang Yi swallowed the words she was about to say.

She put on a smile, wanting to offer Wen Xingsu a friendly grin, but his gaze didn’t shift her way at all, completely ignoring her presence beside Feng Yun. He dismounted in haste, barely managing a greeting.

"Greetings, County Lord."

From beginning to end, Wen Xingsu’s eyes never fell on her, taking Feng Yun and leaving with a coldness as if he was not the courteous and cultured General Wen she knew.

Puyang Yi lowered her head and clenched her sleeve, masking her discomfort.

Only when they were far away did she turn to look at the maidservant not far off.

"Let’s go back."

The maidservant bowed.

As she approached, she stopped.

"Don’t you dare speak out of turn in front of my mother, or I’ll have your tongues cut out."

The maidservant bowed her head nervously, "We wouldn’t dare."

"Wouldn’t dare? Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know that you report everything to my mother. I’ll let past transgressions slide, but from now on, if anyone around me dares to be so loose-lipped again, they’d better find their own way out, or wait for me to dispose of them."

-

Feng Yun took Ge Guang and Wen Xingsu to Yutangchun for a quick meal.

After riding hard, Wen Xingsu was famished.

During the meal, Feng Yun did not question him, and he seemed to be pondering something, remaining quite silent.

After the meal, with Ge Guang standing guard outside, Feng Yun personally handed a warm towel to Wen Xingsu.

"How was West Capital City?"

Wen Xingsu took it, his hand pausing slightly.

"I did not enter West Capital City."

Feng Yun lifted her eyelids and watched him silently.

Wen Xingsu, looking straight at her, his eyes bloodshot and his expression more serious than Feng Yun had seldom seen, said, "Does my dear wife remember, before the Prince of Yonghuai left, we drank until dawn? Well, he specifically instructed me not to leave Xinzhou, even if I received an edict from West Capital City, to ignore it and to hold Xinzhou’s five counties firmly, to protect... you."