The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"..."

With a few raindrops on her eyelashes, Shen Zhizhi found it difficult to even lift her eyes.

She knew that with Chu Chouchi's intelligence, he had probably already guessed that she had done this on purpose.

This realization caused her body to tremble slightly.

Chu Chouchi was slightly jolted back to his senses by her trembling. He looked away and walked with her step by step towards the outside of the training ground.

He kept his lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a single word, and carried her as they trudged forward through the inky rain.

The countless cold, dense raindrops relentlessly soaked them.

Shen Zhizhi leaned quietly against his chest, gazing at his expressionless face, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

After much hesitation, she finally reached out and tightly gripped his shirt at the chest, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Your Highness..."

This gentle tug, however, seemed to possess immense force, instantly freezing Chu Chouchi's already heavy steps in place.

He slowly lowered his head, his phoenix eyes burning with a fierce fire, yet shrouded in endless sorrow and despair, like a deep, dark pool, unfathomable to the eye.

He stared at her for a long time before slowly opening his lips, his voice hoarse and broken, as if it had been sanded by sandpaper.

"The railings on those stands were built far too low, which is why you slipped and fell. I will definitely have them rebuilt them higher in the future. And those stone slabs under your feet..."

Chu Chouchi wandered aimlessly, searching for an excuse. His eyes were red-rimmed, seemingly misty with tears, yet also shrouded in layers of gloom.

He clearly already guessed the truth, but he was still trying to find excuses for her and try to dispel the suspicion in his heart that he was unwilling to admit.

At this moment, Shen Zhizhi couldn't tell whether he was angry or disappointed.

He must have felt hatred, yet when he spoke of these things, he was filled with endless sorrow.

Yes, that was grief, extreme grief.

The rain, like dense arrows, pounded hard on Shen Zhizhi's face. The icy touch nearly numbed her skin, and she could barely open her eyes.

However, she could clearly feel the heat in her eyes, so intense that it made her heart tremble.

Her thin lips moved, and after a long silence, she managed to squeeze out a few weak words from her throat:

"sorry."

The apology, amidst the howling wind and rain, was as light as a withered leaf about to fall, as if it could be swept away by the gale and vanish without a trace.

Upon hearing her reply, Chu Chouchi abruptly stopped his self-deceiving words.

Her arms tightened involuntarily, the force seeming to embed her into her body to alleviate the knife-like pain in her heart.

The wind grew fiercer, howling through the rain as if it wanted to overturn the whole world.

Chu Chouchi lowered his eyes, the corners of his eyes suddenly turning bloodshot. "Shen Zhizhi, aren't you usually the most eloquent? Aren't you usually the best at coaxing people?"

"You know, even if I'm extremely angry, as long as you say a few kind words, I will believe you."

"No matter what you say, I will believe you, but why...?"

He paused, his once unruly eyes now completely devoid of color, his handsome face washed by the rain, looking utterly disheveled.

After a moment, he smiled bitterly and looked directly into her eyes, "Why is it that after I made so many excuses for you, you insist on saying sorry?"

Chu Chouchi's words were torn to pieces by the gale, but the sorrow contained within them pierced Shen Zhizhi's heart like a sharp arrow, causing her unbearable pain.

Shen Zhizhi's lips trembled as she tried to say something to explain, but her throat felt choked up, and she couldn't utter a sound.

Chu Chouchi lowered his head, clearly showing no sign of trembling even when he was galloping on horseback and drawing his bow.

But now, he felt his arms trembling so badly that he couldn't hold her anymore.

He lowered his eyes, and with trembling hands, finally put her down, then turned and left.

Shen Zhizhi stared at his desolate figure, and finally, the tears in her eyes could no longer be held back and fell down her cheeks.

Above, on the Star-Picking Tower, rain fell like silk threads. Chu Shi stood there quietly, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

His brows furrowed, his eyes filled with undisguised confusion, his gaze fixed on the staggering young man in black robes below, lost in thought.

Eunuch Ma held up an oil-paper umbrella and moved closer to Chu Shi, tilting the umbrella to shield the emperor from some of the wind and rain.

He then coughed lightly and lowered his voice to remind them, "Your Majesty, the First Prince is also in that pavilion."

Upon hearing the sound, Chu Shi's gaze seemed to be drawn, slowly shifting slightly, piercing through the layers of rain curtain, and landing in the pavilion in the corner below.

Zhang Jiali stood there alone, his figure upright, yet exuding a sense of loneliness.

His narrow eyes were fixed on the girl who was still standing in the rain, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the rain curtain, carrying an elusive heat and deep affection.

Chu Shi's slender fingers rested casually on the wooden fence in front of him, tapping lightly, one tap after another, as if striking an invisible rhythm, but he remained silent.

Watching from the side, Eunuch Ma's confusion deepened. Finally, he couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty, this old servant is increasingly unable to understand this situation. How could Miss Shen fall from the stands, and at such a perfect moment? This is too suspicious."

Chu Shi raised an eyebrow slightly, his dark eyes becoming even more profound.

He could naturally see that what happened today was her doing, her intention being to ensure that Ali would have a sure victory in this competition.

But if she had entered the palace to express her desire to marry Chi'er, why was she so determined to help A'li ascend to the position of crown prince?

Could it be that I don't know these children well enough? Is there some secret connection between Ali and Miss Shen that I haven't even noticed?

If that's the case, I'm afraid even ten Red Guards wouldn't be able to defeat Ali.

The raindrops were blown slanted by the wind and fell obliquely, hitting the pavilions and towers with a pattering sound.

Zhang Jiali, sitting in the pavilion, was completely unaware that he was being watched by the gaze of the Star-Picking Tower; his mind and eyes were only on the girl in front of him.

His blood-red form moved like lightning, leaping several times to Zhang Jiali's side. He bowed slightly and lowered his voice, saying:

“Young Master, I saw it clearly just now. Miss Shen did indeed intentionally fall from the stands.”

Upon hearing this, a fleeting, indescribable ripple crossed Zhang Jiali's narrow eyes, a mixture of surprise and understanding.

He remained silent for a long time, his once gentle face now appearing somewhat cold and stern against the backdrop of wind and rain.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly and said no more.

Xue Zhi was taken aback by his young master's reaction.

He had expected the young master to be greatly shocked or look puzzled, but to his surprise, he was so calm, as if he had already known everything.

But upon further reflection, the young master has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, possessing an extremely keen insight into human nature.

Having spent a considerable amount of time with Miss Shen, he must have thoroughly understood her temperament and thoughts.