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

The pear blossoms fell softly, adding a touch of poignant beauty to her appearance.

In that instant, he felt that this was what it meant to see a glance that lasts a lifetime.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his chest, pretended to be calm, and stepped forward to place the food box on the stone table. "Princess, please have some food first, so as not to harm your health."

Upon hearing this, He'er lowered the sorrow in her eyes, slowly raised her gaze to look at him, and said in an extremely cold tone, "Take it away."

Chu Shi raised an eyebrow, but was not annoyed. He smiled and said, "What can we do if the princess is so stubborn? Now that Fengchi Kingdom has been destroyed, if you don't think about yourself, who will care about your life or death?"

He'er sneered and stood up. Although her figure appeared slightly frail in front of Chu Shi, it exuded an indomitable arrogance.

She parted her thin lips slightly, "Since ancient times, women have been just as capable as men. The soldiers of Fengchi Kingdom charge into battle without fear of death, and I am naturally not afraid either."

Looking at her unyielding appearance, Chu Shi's eyes were filled with admiration, but even more so with the desire to conquer her.

After staring at her for a while, Chu Shi lowered his eyes and suddenly burst out laughing.

He'er frowned slightly, feeling embarrassed and annoyed by his inexplicable mockery.

Chu Shi laughed for a while before sitting down on the stone chair as if no one was around. He opened the food box and said, "What a remarkable woman who is just as capable as a man! The female generals mentioned in history all died on the battlefield, but I have never heard of any female general who starved to death."

Crane: "......"

Seeing that she was moved, Chu Shi raised the corners of his lips slightly, "If I were in your situation, I would definitely eat every last bite of food every day to conserve my energy."

When the day comes that I can see the Emperor, I will not hesitate to rush forward, seize the opportunity to slit his throat and bleed him, to avenge the souls of the fallen of Fengchi Kingdom.

Upon hearing this, He'er's body stiffened abruptly, and a look of astonishment flashed in her eyes, as if she had never expected him to utter such rebellious words.

Sure enough, like father, like son. The Crown Prince was no good person, and neither were his guards.

In the days that followed, he often went to see He'er as a guard, but He'er was always cold and indifferent to him, never showing him the slightest kindness.

However, as time went by, perhaps she got used to his presence, and she would occasionally exchange a few meaningless words with him.

But whenever the topic of papermaking comes up, they immediately fall silent, reverting to their icy, aloof demeanor.

But he didn't know when it started, but he realized that his feelings for her had changed.

He no longer merely sought to discover the art of papermaking, but began to pay attention to her joys and sorrows, and to pity her every tear and every moment of sadness.

She seemed to gradually realize his strangeness. Although she was still wary of him, she no longer had the strong resistance she had at the beginning.

Love is the most unpredictable and the most irresistible thing. A different kind of feeling arose between the two of them, but neither of them ever spoke of it.

It wasn't until that night, under the pear tree, that the two drank wine and, slightly tipsy, he couldn't help but confess his love to her.

Her drunkenness subsided almost instantly. Startled and bewildered, she got up, said nothing to him, and turned to run into the house, trying to escape.

Chu Shi refused to comply and grabbed the door frame just as she was about to close the door.

She pressed against the door, her eyes filled with panic and struggle. "Now I'm nothing but a dependent, barely surviving. When the Crown Prince suddenly remembers me, how could he possibly let me go so easily?"

Chu Shi's thin lips moved slightly. For a moment, he almost couldn't hold back and wanted to reveal his true identity without reservation.

However, reason ultimately prevailed.

He knew in his heart that if he told her the truth now, there would probably be no possibility between him and her anymore.

Chu Shi released his grip on the door frame, stepped forward, and placed his hand over hers that was pressed against the door. "He'er, why would I care about your status? The future is still far away, we just need to cherish the present, is that alright?"

He was clearly engaged in countless struggles in his heart, but when he gazed into his sincere and affectionate black eyes, all his hesitation vanished at that moment.

She finally nodded slightly.

The candlelight flickered inside the room, and the two people's breaths gradually mingled.

The gauze curtains slowly fell, concealing their figures within, their silhouettes intertwined, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

After that night, their relationship quickly heated up.

Chu Shi thought, even if he doesn't give her a formal title, it's fine to keep her hidden away like this for the rest of his life.

But he forgot that the truth will eventually come out.

That day, when he arrived at the Pear Blossom Palace as usual, he saw He'er sitting under the pear tree with red eyes, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.

He hurried forward, saying as he went, "It's so cold today, and you're pregnant. You mustn't sit outside and catch a chill. Go back inside quickly."

However, before he could finish speaking, a piercing pain suddenly struck his abdomen. The pain was sudden and intense, as if countless steel needles were being stabbed into him.

He looked down in shock, and where his gaze fell, blood was gushing from the abdomen, spreading across his robes.

Chu Shi swayed, instinctively covering his wound with one hand, and stared at her in disbelief.

But in that one glance, he met her eyes, which were filled with hatred and despair.

"So it was you! You deceived me so badly!" she cried, her sobs piercing his heart like a sharp blade.

The excruciating pain made him momentarily unable to distinguish whether the pain in his abdomen was worse or the pain in his heart.

"He'er...I..."

He managed to utter a few words, only to be interrupted by her angry shout.

"Don't call my name again! You've deceived me so badly!"

She staggered to her feet, her body trembling violently with anger.

She raised her arm and pointed at Chu Shi, her fingers trembling slightly. "I once regarded you as the only person in this cold world worth cherishing, but I never expected that you would be the culprit who caused my country to be destroyed and my family to be ruined, making me a prisoner."

After saying this, tears welled up in her eyes, slid down her cheeks, dripped to the ground, and shattered into pieces.

She subconsciously touched her swollen belly, a look of pain flashing in her eyes. "This child was originally proof of my love for you, but now he has become the most absurd existence in this world."

After saying that, she bit her lower lip, turned around, and crashed into a pear tree.

That resolute posture made it seem as if there was nothing left in this world for her to cherish.

Chu Shi was terrified. Ignoring the still-bleeding wound on his abdomen, he mustered all his strength and reached out towards He'er, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Crane! No!"

At the same time, the hidden guards were quick and agile, and just as she was about to crash into the pear tree, they grabbed her.

She struggled desperately, crying out, "Let me go, let me die, let me die!"

The voice was filled with sorrow, echoing outside the silent Pear Blossom Palace, breaking one's heart.

The guards dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest, holding her tightly but not too forcefully, for fear of hurting her in the slightest.

She cried and screamed for an unknown amount of time before finally succumbing to her overwhelming emotions, her body went limp, and she fainted.