"What did you say?!"

Shang Ruyi’s eyes widened. The unease that had been lingering in her heart seemed to materialize at that moment.

She opened her mouth, but did not immediately make a sound. Her lips trembled several times, and it took a while before a hoarse voice squeezed out——

"How’s my brother?"

"..."

This time, the one who couldn’t speak was Wo Xue.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, especially when looking at Shang Ruyi, whose face was already pale, and now completely drained of color, her whole person appearing as tense as a bow drawn to its limit, ready to break at any moment.

Wo Xue knew that this news was bound to break her.

But just as she hesitated, Shang Ruyi suddenly grabbed her with reddened eyes, screaming hoarsely, "Tell me! What happened to my brother?!"

"..."

Seeing her like this, Wo Xue’s tears almost burst forth.

She could no longer hold it in and softly said, "Three days ago, Changchun Palace was attacked by unidentified forces, and later, a fire broke out."

"..."

"Young Master Shen didn’t make it out—Princess!"

A single sentence was like a heavy hammer striking Shang Ruyi, and she collapsed as if she were a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Wo Xue was so frightened that she cried out, quickly reaching out to support her.

"Princess! Princess!"

Held tightly by slender yet strong arms, Shang Ruyi didn’t fall, but even though she managed to stand, she had lost all vitality. She turn blankly, looking at the pale little face so close to hers, trying to force a smile, but she couldn’t, the expression more sorrowful than tears.

She said, "You’re lying to me, aren’t you?"

"..."

"Changchun Palace, even if it isn’t heavily guarded, has two hundred guards given by King Qin, and King Qi was also there. How could something like this happen?"

"..."

"You’re lying to me, right? It can’t just—"

Wo Xue looked at her, unable to bear it, but having already spoken, there was no taking it back. All she could do was tell her the truth.

Choking up, she said, "The news from the south is that Prince Qi insisted on going out hunting, taking away most of the guards, leaving only a few soldiers to defend Changchun Palace, so it was—"

"..."

"No one who stayed in Changchun Palace survived."

"...!"

A clap of thunder crashed overhead.

Shang Ruyi felt a numbness all over, as if struck by lightning and reduced to dust, but she couldn’t feel any pain, only an endless void, unable to hear sounds or sense anything, not even her heartbeat or breath.

She didn’t know how long it took before she heard Wo Xue calling out to her urgently—

"Princess! Princess, how are you?"

"Princess, don’t scare this servant!"

"Princess...!"

Shang Ruyi turned blankly to look at her, seeing her anxious face, cherry-red lips opening and closing as if constantly calling her, but even though she was so near, her voice seemed to come from a distant place—

Perhaps it was because her soul had drifted far away.

Shang Ruyi stood there like an empty shell without a soul, motionless, with no response.

Until the urgent sound of footsteps echoed in the air.

The footsteps were heavy and urgent, and they were so familiar that even Wo Xue took a sharp breath, looking toward the door.

A familiar tall figure hurried in from outside.

It was Yu Wenye.

By this time, the sky was a bit brighter than before, so even though he hadn’t yet approached, they could clearly see the intense, somewhat urgent expression on his face.

He also, before even approaching, saw through the open door Wo Xue tightly holding Shang Ruyi, noting her ashen face and vacant eyes.

At this moment, Yu Wenye’s expression turned even graver. He took a deep breath and strode in.

"Ruyi—"

"Yu Wenye."

Both spoke almost simultaneously, one voice deep and full, carrying the urgency on his face, the other voice frail as Shang Ruyi’s current breath, as if a mere breeze could scatter it.

Yet, that frail voice overwhelmed the deep, full one.

Abruptly, Yu Wenye paused.

Looking again at Shang Ruyi’s pale face, he furrowed his brow but resolved to speak. However, before he could, the frail voice once again overwhelmed him.

Shang Ruyi said to him, "I want to separate from you."

"...!"

Yu Wenye’s eyes widened in shock!

Not just him, even Wo Xue, who was holding Shang Ruyi, was stunned. She seemed unable to believe her ears, staring blankly at Shang Ruyi, even forgetting that as a servant, she shouldn’t be standing here, much less speaking up. She only knew that the current Shang Ruyi, with her dark, lifeless eyes, seemed to have gone mad, driven insane by the news of Shen Wuzheng’s death, which led her to say such words.

But she, she cannot—!

"Princess..."

Wo Xue was just about to say something when another deep, resonant voice interrupted, "Step back."

It was Yu Wenye.

Expressionless, he stepped forward, his towering figure casting a shadow that nearly enveloped the two people entirely, more like a mountain pressing down on them, suffocating. Wo Xue instinctively released her hands, while Shang Ruyi, who moments ago looked like she had lost her soul and was about to collapse, now staggered but forced herself to stand tall; not only did she stand, she even lifted her head, her bloodshot eyes fearlessly meeting Yu Wenye’s eyes, sharp and cold like blades.

Though she had steadied herself and despite King Qin having given his orders, Wo Xue still hesitated.

She looked at Shang Ruyi, then at Yu Wenye.

But this time, neither paid her any attention, Yu Wenye used what little patience he had left and said once more, "Step back!"

The voice, with the intensity of a thunderstorm, made Wo Xue shudder.

She had no choice but to slowly move around his towering figure to the door, taking one last look at the two facing off in the room before biting her lip and leaving, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Inside the room, only the two of them were left.

The slightly ajar door even blocked the sunlight penetrating the clouds, plunging them into an oppressive darkness.

Yu Wenye was breathless, his gaze fixed on the bloodshot eyes before him.

At this moment, his own eyes slowly turned red.

He said, "You, say it again."

Though it was just a few words, each came out with great difficulty, as if a rusty knife grinding against rough sand, each word heavier than the last, as though tearing through his throat, each one tainted with the scent of blood.

But no matter the scent of blood, Shang Ruyi could no longer sense it.

At this moment, her heart was already filled with blood, a river of blood flowing.

Tossed in this river of blood, when Shang Ruyi spoke again, her voice was full of blood, yet each word was sharper than the last —

"I want a divorce from you!"

"..."

"You said it was a transaction between us, you were right."

"..."

"From the beginning, I married you to protect my family from the chaos; but now, nothing—"

"..."

"You not only failed to protect my family, but you also put him in danger."

"..."

"And you let him—"

At this point, Shang Ruyi’s voice was choked with sobs, unable to continue, as the tears welling up inside turned her eyes red and finally broke her composure, tears falling like strings of pearls, one drop after another, hitting the ground with a sound that shattered her heart completely.

Yu Wenye was right, family was most important to her.

She would rather die than let them suffer any harm.

But now, she was still alive, yet her loving, caring brother who had given her warmth and protection in this short half-life, was dead...

She desperately wished to save him, begged bitterly, yet Yu Wenye showed no sympathy.

He clearly could save him with a single command but chose to watch Shen Wuzheng fall into danger, ignoring it.

No, he didn’t ignore it.

Even knowing Changchun Palace was outside Tongguan, not under Dasheng Dynasty’s protection, and that Taiyuan might still send people after Yu Wencheng, posing a threat; knowing Yu Wencheng was naturally rude and wouldn’t stay obediently in Changchun Palace, he sent only two hundred men to protect them.

He did it deliberately.

Because that night, on Cangbai Mountain, Shen Wuzheng fought with him!

So—

Thinking of this, she looked up at Yu Wenye, biting her lip, forcing a smile, yet the shimmering tears and red eyes made her smile not only grim, but filled with unspeakable hatred: "In the morning, didn’t you ask me if you were useful to me?"

"..."

"Now, the answer is right in front of me—you are useless to me."

"..."

"So now, you’re no longer useful."

"..."

"Didn’t you teach me from the beginning that if being married to you makes me feel wronged, there’s a way to not feel so wronged, which is divorce!"

"..."

"Then, Prince Qin—"

Shang Ruyi looked at him, gritting her teeth, saying word by word, "We can get divorced!"

After saying this, she shut her eyes tightly, even stopping her breath. It was less waiting for Yu Wenye’s response, more like waiting for an ending.

She had reached her limit.

And Yu Wenye, at this moment as cold as ice, not just his gaze, even his entire being lost its warmth, standing there like an ice sculpture, cold.

After an unknown amount of time, his cold eyes trembled slightly, seeming to tear that frost apart.

He said, "Shang Ruyi—you shall not have it!"