Peach Blossom.

In the distance, there are clouds and mist, and the mountains are undulating like an ink painting, like a natural barrier, unswervingly guarding this piece of pure land.

The fragrance of flowers fills the air nearby, the rice fields are emerald green, the grains grow under the warm light, and the breeze blows by. Each swaying rice ear tells the beauty of the pastoral scenery.

This is a quiet farm.

Tao Ye strolled in the boundless fields. She smelled the original fragrance of the soil, heard the chirping of birds flying around, and looked at the large areas of vibrant fruits and vegetables. She felt relaxed and happy, as if she had forgotten all the troubles of the world.

She no longer remembered where she came from or where she was going, she just enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the moment.

Looking up at the vast sky and breathing the fresh air, Tao Ye carried a wicker basket on her arm. She bent down to pick a few beans, then looked back and saw Wang Jing waving at her from afar outside the field.

He was still sitting in that plain wheelchair, smiling.

Tao Ye looked down and saw that the basket was almost full, so she slowly walked out of the farmland carrying the basket.

She walked to Wang Jing's side, still carrying the basket on her arm, pushed the wheelchair with both hands, and moved forward slowly.

They passed by lush green rice fields. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the ponds between the rice fields sparkled as if sprinkled with a layer of gold powder. The sounds of frogs and cicadas rose and fell one after another, like a symphony with the beat of the rhythm.

They walked towards the criss-crossing country roads. Two rows of tall trees on the left and right blocked the sunlight for them, but the sunlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves onto the road, forming swaying, mottled light and shadows.

They returned to the simple and plain farmyard, where many flowers and plants were planted, and daily farm tools, firewood, water tanks, tables and chairs were piled up. It was messy but not messy, and every corner was filled with the warmth of home.

Smoke rose from the kitchen, and the aroma spread throughout the courtyard. The hot meal was served on the dining table. Tao Ye handed the chopsticks to Wang Jing, who quickly found the plates and bowls, and the two of them ate opposite each other.

As night fell, under candlelight, Tao Ye made a fan with paste, thin bamboo boards and paper, and gently waved it, bringing a few breezes for her and Wang Jing.

Wang Jing picked up his brush and wrote a few lines of poetry on the fan:

Peach leaves reflecting red flowers

Graceful without wind

Two happy things

Only makes me diligent

Seeing this, Tao Ye also picked up his brush and dipped it in ink, leaving two blank lines after this short poem and adding four lines:

Qibao painted round fan

Bright Moonlight

Warming up the summer heat with my lover

Remember each other, don't forget each other

After writing, Tao Ye picked up the fan again and read it again to her blind husband.

Wang Jing showed a comfortable smile on his face. He put his ear to Tao Ye's abdomen and quietly felt the heartbeat from the fetus.

Early in the morning, Tao Ye pushed Wang Jing out of the farmyard again. The morning mist covered the earth like a veil.

They passed the field again and stopped the wheelchair. Tao Ye took Wang Jing's hand and moved close to a green leaf, letting the dew on the leaf roll into Wang Jing's palm, and together they experienced the freshness of the morning dew and the vitality of life.

"Tao Ye, do you know? What kind of conflicting struggle was going on in my heart when I picked up the cup of poisoned wine given to me by Chen Ji?" Wang Jing held Tao Ye's hand tightly, his lifeless eyes filled with tenderness.

Tao Ye seemed confused and curious, "Which contradiction?"

"Many years ago, I longed to die because Gillian was no longer around and I didn't want to live alone. But my responsibilities as a son and a father forced me to keep living. I was so tired, so exhausted that I even hoped there would be a legitimate reason for me to die without feeling guilty..."

Tao Ye looked at Wang Jing and nodded in understanding.

Wang Jing hugged Tao Ye's waist tightly again and continued, "But when there is such a ready-made opportunity in front of me, I don't want to die... Compared to dying and reuniting with Gillian, I actually hope to stay with you... At this time, I remembered the question you asked me, do I love Gillian more, or do I love you more? If I love you more than Gillian, would I be considered a heartless man? So I am conflicted and struggling..."

Tao Ye smiled and shook her head. She also hugged Wang Jing tightly, as if she was caught in some lucky delusion. "So you chose to stay with me? So you didn't drink the poisoned wine, right?"

"No...I drank it..." Wang Jing's voice was very soft.

There was a loud thunder in the clear sky, as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was splitting apart, almost deafening Tao Ye for an instant.

"I've said before, if I still have the ability to decide something, what I want to do most is to never let you and I be separated again... But I don't have this ability, please forgive my incompetence..." Wang Jing was still sitting steadily in the wheelchair, as if he was not affected by the thunder at all.

Tao Ye looked up and saw that the bright sunshine had turned into heavy rain. There were lightning and thunder in the distance and roars coming from all directions, which frightened her to death.

"In my life, I have never been greedy or stupid, I have always been law-abiding and never done any evil, but I still ended up with a broken family. I watched my father-in-law die unjustly but could not seek justice; I knew that my wife died a violent death but could not take revenge; my biological mother was buried with an unknown corpse but I dared not speak out; in the end, I even bore a false death penalty... I had to leave you and your son alone in this world... It's all my fault for being so incompetent..." The crackling rain hit Wang Jing's face, covering his tears.

As the car raced, various images entered Tao Ye's mind:

She saw Wang Jing take her to the door of the Tian family in a carriage and entrust her to the father and daughter of the Tian family. Her eyes were filled with tears when she left.

She saw that on the thousand-foot-high platform of the Stone City, in front of Chen Ji and all the officials, Wang Jing personally admitted to the inexplicable crime of murdering the prince.

She saw Chen Ji put down the poisoned wine on the city wall of Lingyang Gate, and Wang Jing picked up the wine glass, and after some hesitation, he had to drink it.

She saw herself running up to the city wall with a stab wound in the chest, saw Wang Jing standing up from the wheelchair, and saw them hugging each other tightly in the snow.

Finally, Wang Jing vomited black blood and fell into her arms.

The image of Wang Jing sitting steadily in the wheelchair in front of me has become increasingly blurry, but the image of Wang Jing in my memory has become increasingly clear.

All the images told her that her beloved husband was dead.

Tao Ye felt as if she had just received the news of the death. Her head exploded and a strong bolt of lightning struck her awake.

"Ah——" Tao Ye screamed hysterically again, just like the roar she let out after Wang Jing fell into her arms, breaking through the sky.

She opened her eyes.

"Miss Tao, you finally woke up?" Tian Le was surprised and ran to the bed.

As Tao Ye's vision began to slowly become clear, the feeling of heartache became more and more obvious. She didn't understand, since the dream could be so beautiful, why should she wake up?

Tian Le interpreted Tao Ye's expression and knew that Tao Ye did not want to wake up. "I'm sorry, I gave you a lot of awakening medicine to make you wake up."

Tao Ye didn't say anything. For the first time, she realized that doctors and medicines can be cruel while saving lives.

Tian Le lowered his head in shame and murmured, "I admit that I am a little selfish, because if you don't wake up, my father and I may be punished... But I am also really worried about you. If you sleep day and night like this, without eating or drinking, even if you can hold on, the baby in your belly will starve to death..."

These words were absolutely from Tian Le's heart. In the past few months, she had spent too much time witnessing Tao Ye's infatuation with Wang Jing. Naturally, she knew how much of a blow Wang Jing's death had been to Tao Ye. When she saw Tao Ye sleeping unreasonably for so many days in a row, she was really afraid that Tao Ye would never wake up again.

Tao Ye finally spoke, but her voice was cold, "He is so eager for me to wake up, isn't he afraid that I will kill him as soon as I wake up?"

This "he" obviously refers to Chen Ji.

Hearing Tao Ye's response, Tian Le was a little excited, "If you want revenge, you have to live well first, right? I'll ask the maids to bring you some food, okay?"

Tao Ye didn't say anything again. She didn't know how many days she had been in a coma, but she didn't care. She didn't feel hungry anyway. Her body felt light, as if she was about to become an immortal.

She did not try to identify the environment she was in because she didn't care where she was at all. She didn't care who was in the house, nor did she want to know what was happening outside.

When Wang Jing was no longer in this world, nothing mattered anymore. She just lay there quietly like a wooden figure.

Tian Le looked at Tao Ye silently, she could feel the despair in Tao Ye's inner world.

But she always tried to persuade him on the positive side, "Even if you're not hungry, eat something for the sake of the child, okay? You love him so much, you must love your child very much, right?"

Tao Ye still didn't say anything. Of course she cared about the child, but the child could not replace Wang Jing.

When she can no longer see the person she wants to see the most, but has to live alone for a strong reason, what kind of torture is it every minute and every second?

Tian Le sighed and walked out to look for the maid.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, Tian Le found Chen Ji standing outside.

It turned out that Tao Ye's scream in her dream had already been heard by Cai Ling and other maids. Cai Ling followed Chen Ji's instructions and reported the matter to Chen Ji as soon as possible, and Chen Ji arrived immediately.

Tian Le was dumbfounded. What she had just said in the room had probably been heard by Chen Ji. She was so busy finding excuses to encourage Tao Ye to stay alive that she forgot that this was Chen Ji's territory.

"Your Majesty..." Tian Le put his hands on his waist and knelt down to salute. His breathing became a little rapid and his heartbeat was accelerating.

"In your minds, am I very cruel?" Chen Ji looked at Tian Le with a smile.

This kind of question really made Tian Le feel uneasy.

She remembered that the Duke of Qiao County whom she knew in the past had handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears in the Shiqian Palace, had talked with her about life by the Qinhuai River, and had walked through the night to send her home. The man she saw at that time was definitely not associated with the word "brutal".

However, when she heard about the killings during the late-night coup forcing Chen's army to abdicate, and when she learned about the bloody day of the abdication in Shitou City, she began to recognize this person again.

"I... I'm just worried that she'll be unable to get over it. I'm not trying to encourage her to seek revenge..." Tian Le rubbed his hands together, looking very nervous and uneasy.

Chen Ji curled his lips and smiled, he did not blame Tian Le.

He stared at the half-open door, his smile gradually turning bitter. "Do you know? The person I hate most in my life is Wang Jing. We have known each other since childhood, but we have never gotten along... He always looks down on others and disdains to bow to anyone, while I am like a lapdog who licks others' clothes everywhere, living under someone else's roof year after year, always wagging my tail and begging for mercy..."

Tian Le could see the loneliness and loss in Chen Ji's eyes, and could also understand the endless sorrow in his heart.

"He was born with everything, so he had the capital to be arrogant. The position of governor of a state, which others could not obtain, he just threw away and went home to eat the public rations in peace. He only needed to coax his wife and daughter every day and be supported by his parents until he was 25 years old."

"But I've understood since I was young that I have to fight for everything on my own and cherish every opportunity I can get. Even Si Yao, that ugly fat woman who wanted to cheat on me every day, took me six years to make up my mind to divorce her..."

Chen Ji kept smiling, but his smile was so sad. He turned his gaze to Tian Le, and suddenly became gloomy at a certain moment, "This world tells me that if a person does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."

When Tian Le heard this, especially those eight words, he felt a chill in his spine.

"Wang Jing and I are probably incompatible, so we are enemies everywhere. Every time I want something, he always takes it away unintentionally... Unintentionally - that makes me hate him even more!"

"I thought that when he died, I would be overjoyed and ecstatic... But the truth is, I'm not happy at all."

"I reached the pinnacle, killed my old enemy...but all I got in return was her eternal hatred..." Chen Ji's voice became lower and lower, and he finally couldn't laugh anymore.

Tian Le asked unsurely, "Is the emperor regretting this?"

Chen Ji shook his head and said, "I never regret anything I have done."

"Why?" Tian Le was curious.

"Because there's no use regretting." After saying that, Chen Ji turned around and left the side hall.