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

As soon as she stepped into the room, the chill was instantly shut out, but her heart remained cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She released Zhang Jiali's hand, silently walked to the window, and gazed at the outside through the latticework. She felt a mist gradually rise in front of her, blurring her vision.

Meanwhile, Chu Chouchi, standing outside, stared at the tightly closed door, remaining motionless for a long time.

A gust of cold wind blew by, stirring up the snow on the ground and scattering it into the air. He just stood there, letting the snowflakes fly towards him.

His shoulders were covered in snowflakes, but he had no heart to brush them away, letting the cold seep into his clothes little by little, just as the piercing pain slowly eroded his heart.

After a long while, he took a step forward, his eyes bloodshot, and raised his right hand slightly, as if to summon the archers to force their way in.

But for some unknown reason, he stopped in his tracks, and his hand, which had been hanging in mid-air, fell limply to the ground.

He pursed his lips, and finally moved his feet.

He walked very slowly, each step as if he were using all his strength to move forward with difficulty.

His once upright figure now appeared so frail, as if a mere gust of cold wind could blow him down completely in this vast snowfield.

Shen Zhizhi quietly closed her eyes, silently uttering several apologies in her heart.

Only after he was completely out of sight did Shen Zhizhi turn her gaze from the window, her almond-shaped eyes turning cold as she looked at Zhang Jiali.

"I accept this deal, and I hope that Your Highness will not break your promise."

Zhang Jiali stared at the warmth that had suddenly vanished from his hand, remained silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly, "When I ascend the throne, I will definitely make Miss Shen my empress and do everything in my power to help you maintain this future on the right track."

Hearing his assurance, Shen Zhizhi felt a little relieved.

Just as she was about to leave, she was caught off guard by the neatly arranged birthday gifts inside the room.

Although they were just small, insignificant items, he arranged them neatly and orderly.

Upon closer inspection, these items were completely free of dust, demonstrating the high level of care taken in their care.

Staring at those birthday gifts, Shen Zhizhi was momentarily dazed, as scenes of giving these gifts in the past flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

At that time, she was happily selecting each item, only thinking of pleasing him; now, it seems so ironic.

She took a half step forward, her slender hands gently caressing the birthday gifts, over and over again.

The charcoal fire inside was still crackling and burning, but the warmth just wouldn't reach her heart.

Zhang Jiali stood still, looking at her, his eyes filled with a hidden expectation.

He thought that perhaps these objects would remind her of the days they spent together, or even just evoke a slight sense of nostalgia for that time.

Even if it's just a little, it means that I have a place in her heart.

However, at that moment, he suddenly heard a voice that made him feel as if he had fallen into hell.

Only after all those words had been spoken did he suddenly realize—

The false beauty he painstakingly built up has long since crumbled.

And that beautiful dream he had so meticulously woven, that dream in which he had willingly become intoxicated, the dream in which he had tried to keep her by his side forever—

Now, it has finally come to the point of shattering and dissipating.

He heard her voice softly rise:

"Zhang Jiali, I regret it."

"I regret ever being good to you."

......

Although Chu Shi did not have the heart to demote Shen Chao, he did take back the tiger tally for dereliction of duty.

The tiger tally symbolized military power and was the key to Shen Chao's ability to gain a foothold in the court and have a voice.

Now that the Tiger Tally has changed hands, it means that the Shen Dynasty has lost its most powerful reliance.

The only force that had stood firmly behind Chu Chouchi in the court was rendered ineffective and almost completely disintegrated.

With the Tiger Tally case concluded, the Crown Prince Ceremony was put on the agenda, becoming a major event attracting attention from the entire court.

The Ministry of Rites painstakingly consulted numerous classic texts and repeatedly calculated the date, finally selecting an auspicious day from among many others.

After careful consideration, Chu Shi declared that the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony would be held on the same day as his wedding, so as to bring double happiness.

Inside the imperial study, candlelight flickered.

Chu Shi sat upright at the desk, his expression focused, his slender fingers holding the vermilion brush, having just finished reviewing the last memorial.

As the pen tip made its final stroke, the vermilion annotation stood out starkly against the slightly yellowed folded paper.

Just then, the door was slowly pushed open, breaking the silence inside.

Upon hearing the voice, Chu Shi slightly raised his lips, without even lifting his head, and said in a calm tone, "You've arrived?"

Zhang Jiali stepped steadily into the room, his white robe fluttering, and the jade pendant at his waist made a sound as he walked.

Without any beating around the bush, he went straight to the point, "Father, what brings you here today?"

His words lacked the respect and obedience that a prince should have when meeting his father; instead, they were full of aloofness and coldness.

Chu Shi seemed oblivious to his inappropriate attitude, calmly dipping his brush into the inkstone.

Then she looked up, her smile unchanged, but her voice carried a hint of deeper meaning:

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to seek out my own son to have a word with him if I were to suddenly pass away one day?"

Upon hearing this, a chill flashed across Zhang Jiali's narrow eyes, like the coldest winter wind, capable of freezing a person instantly.

He couldn't help but sneer, the laughter sounding particularly jarring in the quiet atmosphere. "People say that even a tiger won't eat its cubs. Father has always been very loving towards my second brother, but when he was in dire straits, Father acted like a detached bystander, watching coldly without offering any help. It's truly chilling."

He tilted his head slightly, meeting Chu Shi's gaze without flinching, his words dripping with undisguised sarcasm.

Chu Shi's smiling face froze slightly, then he slowly lifted his eyelids, a subtle and complex emotion flashing in his deep eyes, a multitude of feelings intertwined and swirling within them, difficult to describe.

He pondered the meaning behind Zhang Jiali's words carefully, and after a while, he chuckled softly, "Are you resenting me?"

The coldness in Zhang Jiali's eyes grew even stronger and deeper.

He had thought more than once that if he could stay in this small world of the Crown Prince's Palace, peacefully passing each sunrise and sunset, completely unaware of his complicated and tangled past.

Would he then not have had to go through so many exhausting things, nor have he had to bear so much heavy hatred that almost crushed him?

But this so-called father, who knew all along that I was his eldest son who had not died young, still watched coldly from the sidelines for decades.

For decades, there was never any attempt to bring him back to their side or to provide him with care and protection.

Zhang Jiali's eyes turned crimson, and that metallic taste rose in his throat once more.

Why...

Why is he always the one who gets abandoned from beginning to end?