In order to survive, she forced herself to have a happy ending with the yandere villain.

However, the poison in his body could only be alleviated by the antidote made by his father, and he had to endure the pain of his father testing the medicine on him. He could only accept his fate.

At first, I thought there was medicine that could suppress my poison.

Deep down, they were quite happy, and for a moment they even fantasized that they didn't have to go back to the Xie family.

but…

Xie Ze's eyes darkened slightly, and a small box of ointment appeared in his hand.

The ointment here cannot be taken internally. It can indeed treat external wounds, but it cannot solve the problem of internal poisoning.

Suddenly, the owner of the medicine came to mind, and he gripped the box in his hand tightly.

Xie Ze slightly opened the curtains and looked towards the carriage behind him.

Inside the carriage, the curtain swayed, revealing glimpses of a charming woman inside.

She seemed to be chatting and laughing with her maid.

Xie Ze narrowed his eyes slightly.

If he could learn the source of the medicine used by the Alliance Leader from her, he would definitely be able to get rid of the Xie family.

But the thought that if I went back to the Xie family, I would definitely suffer a lot of harm.

Perhaps at that time, I wouldn't have been able to leave the Xie family mansion on my own.

He didn't want outsiders to see how his father had tormented him to the point of being unrecognizable, and he certainly wouldn't let Qiao Wanwan see it.

In this situation, even if Qiao Wanwan had not yet left Anqi City, he would not be able to see her anymore.

This is tantamount to a permanent separation, isn't it?

That woman, Qiao Wanwan, kept saying she liked him, but she had been avoiding him all along.

"... "

Xie Ze looked at Gu Chaomu, who was riding a horse beside Qiao Wanwan, and his eyes slowly filled with disappointment.

He suddenly realized that he had become superfluous among them.

Is there no one left in this world who is good to him?

When did he become someone who hides from his own heart and acts timidly?

Xie Ze himself didn't know either.

He doesn't want to become that kind of person.

The man withdrew his gaze, and in the dimly lit carriage, he slowly closed his eyes.

A voice keeps echoing in my mind.

Do not!

Xie Ze, you've always been the same Xie Ze.

You must get what you want, even if it means resorting to any means necessary.

They simply don't understand your thoughts, so you'll have to make the choice yourself and take what you like.

Xie Ze's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his brows furrowed.

Responding to what's in my heart.

But what are the things I like?

Is it Qiao Wanwan?

Xie Ze himself didn't understand why the first thing that came to mind was that woman's face.

The choices I made before were completely forgotten.

Gu Chaomu... He didn't even think about it at that moment.

"Yes, it's her."

"I don't want her to leave my side, so what should I do?"

"Didn't we already plan this out? In my previous dream..."

"!!"

A scene suddenly appeared before Xie Ze's tightly closed eyelids.

His lifeless room was transformed into a festive space decorated in bright red.

The red candle flickered, producing intense sparks.

The man's plain bed is now entirely red. A woman wearing a red veil adorned with mandarin ducks sits on it.

He slowly approached the woman and gently lifted her red veil.

To his surprise, the woman before him was none other than Qiao Wanwan, dressed in a wedding gown, phoenix coronet, and embroidered robes. She smiled sweetly at him, her dimples dimpled, her eyes filled with affection, and called out to him in a gentle voice:

"Aze."

Xie Ze was stunned for a moment, took a few steps back, but caught a glimpse of the bronze mirror in front of the woman's dressing table.

In the yellowed bronze mirror, he was also dressed in a red robe, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"... "

I'm starting to slowly understand what's in my heart.

Xie Ze, inside the carriage, slowly opened his eyes.

Everything in my mind is gradually becoming blurry.

But it couldn't erase the thought from his mind.

He lowered his head slightly, reached out to touch his full, red lips, and murmured with a smile:

"Oh right, how could I forget? Uncle Zhong said that only husband and wife can kiss. Doesn't she want to be my wife? Once we're married, she can stay by my side. She has to keep her word. If she's lying..."

Xie Ze's beautiful eyes darkened slightly.

A sound suddenly came from the carriage far behind.

"Haqiu!"

Chunxia took out a cloak, covered Qiao Wanwan with it, and instructed her:

"Miss, it's getting colder lately. You should wear more clothes, or you'll catch a cold."

"Well, it's alright, I don't feel very cold. I just don't know why I've sneezed several times in a row."

"That means you've caught a chill. I'll make you some ginger tea later, and you'll feel better after drinking it."

"okay."

Gulu gulu~

When the squad arrived at Anqi City, the soldiers standing at the gate viciously grabbed at the passing civilians and wouldn't let go.

An elderly man brought his granddaughter to the city to sell vegetables, but they were caught because they didn't have enough money for the toll.

"No toll? You still want to come into the city to do business? Go to hell."

The officers and soldiers cursed and pushed at the same time.

"You old bastard, take the little beggar and get out of here."

"Hey there!"

The grandfather and grandson were pushed to the ground, and the vegetables in the basket were trampled to pieces by the soldiers.

Everyone dared not speak out in anger, and watched silently from the sidelines.

These officers and soldiers acted like thugs and even threatened the people.

"Old man, remember to gather the money and roll over here tomorrow to pay for this month's travel expenses. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you."

"Sir, we haven't been able to do business for the past few days. Where would we get the money to cover the travel expenses? We're even having trouble buying grain."

"That's your own business. This is the rule in Anqi City: if you want to come in, you have to pay for your journey. Anqi City is so prosperous; how can you Tom, Dick, and Harry come here and ruin the city's appearance?"

"Get out, get out! If the general weren't here today, he would have locked you up in jail long ago and let you taste the bitterness of torture. Get the hell out of here right now."

"Waaaaah, Grandpa!"

The granddaughter tugged at her grandfather's clothes in fear, urging him to leave quickly.

The old man's face was full of disappointment and bitterness.

"Oh, poor Er Ya, it's all my fault for being useless, I've let you go hungry again."

"Grandpa, Er Ya doesn't want to eat anymore, let's go."

"Okay, let's go."

"Ah."

The grandfather and grandson had no choice but to accept their fate and, staggering, left the city gate with the basket of trampled wild vegetables.

The passersby felt great sympathy, but were powerless to help.

You can help the first time, but you can't help the second time.

The carriage owner, who was traveling as a merchant, stopped at the gate, got out of his carriage, and walked over to the official with a smile, handing him a pot of fine wine and a sum of money.

"Sir, how much will the toll for this cart behind me be?"

The leading officer weighed the item in his hand several times, raised an eyebrow at the carriage behind him, and accepted the bribe.

"Well, since you're a good person, I'll give you a discount."

The leading officer held out his fingers and counted the items on the carriage. Unable to count, he pretended to have finished and mumbled something incoherently:

"Um... let's say you pay six taels of silver for your travel expenses."

"Okay, thank you, sir."

The merchant beamed with delight; the cartload of fine wine behind him could fetch several hundred taels of silver. The travel expenses were only six taels, plus the dozen or so taels for serving them, making this trip a truly worthwhile bargain.

After inspecting the merchant's carriage, it was put inside.

The guards saw several magnificent carriages gradually approaching from not far away.

"Boss, a few carriages are coming."

"!"

The leading soldier became interested, thinking that he could collect money again.

He revealed a carefree, comical face, and seeing that the approaching carriage did indeed look like that of a wealthy family, he secretly watched.

The carriages had signs on their roofs that looked somewhat familiar, but that didn't deter their desire to accept bribes.

Zhong Shi rode his horse in front of the carriage, leading the caravan back to the city as usual.

Zhong Shi and the young master had been away for several months when they discovered a group of soldiers rigorously questioning them at the city gate. They were unsure of what had happened to warrant such strictness.

Their group of men walked to the city gate.

However, their convoy was blocked by a group of soldiers at the gate, forcing them to stop as well.

"Halt! Where did you come from? Don't you know we charge a toll here? Since you have several carriages, we'll be generous and give you a discount. We'll only charge you fifty taels of silver."

"... "

Zhong Shi, riding a horse, listened with a slight frown.

"Tolls?"