Empress, please have some self-respect. I am not your husband.

In the summer pavilion, a beautiful woman's sorrow is as deep as autumn.

Yu Ningyan seemed to be lost in some past memories, or perhaps she wanted to confide something to the person beside her.

“I grew up in the deep palace. Although my birth mother was just a palace maid, perhaps because I was my father’s first daughter, he doted on me when I was young. However, as I grew up, I was chosen by someone because of my face when I was eleven years old.”

“From that time on, my father’s attitude changed. I was no longer his darling. My mother knew the reason but couldn’t bear to tell me. There was nothing she could do.”

"All we could do was pray to Buddha and seek survival, traveling to all the famous temples and monasteries in Western Chu to pray to the gods. At that time, my daughter and I were like the incompetent and weak people you mentioned."

"Because we were powerless to resist, we could only place our hopes on the ethereal gods and Buddhas who could hear our humble cries, but it was all in vain."

Yu Ningyan smiled, leaned against the red pillar of the pavilion, and looked at the green bushes in the distance. There were birds' nests on the branches, and next to the nests was a sparrow whose wings had just been fully grown and was about to take flight.

After trying a few times, seemingly out of fear, the bird flapped its wings a few times but remained in place.

Yu Ningyan murmured, "One night when I was sixteen, my mother took advantage of the opportunity to go to the temple to try to escape with me and flee from Western Chu. It was then that I realized that all those years my mother had been deceiving others."

“From the very beginning, she wanted to help me escape from that person. After half a month of fleeing, we were eventually caught and brought back to the palace. My father beat my mother to death in front of me.”

"Watching my mother being beaten to death by the guards right before my eyes, I cried and begged my father to spare her life, but all I got in return was the words 'it was all her own fault.'"

"My mother told me everything before she died, and only then did I understand why my father's attitude towards me changed so drastically, and I also understood that I could only rely on myself to escape my fate."

Lu Feng sighed inwardly. It was indeed a tragedy to be stuck with that old beast of the Western Chu royal family.

Yu Ningyan continued, "So from then on, I studied desperately, devised a strategy to conquer the three kingdoms and win over talents from all sides, wanting to prove my value to Western Chu to my father and thus get rid of that person, if."

With a bitter smile, Yu Ningyan murmured, "If the Crimson Flame War God hadn't appeared, after the Three Kingdoms destroyed Qian, Chu and Jing would have divided Qi."

"Perhaps I will never be able to escape the arrangements of fate in my entire life." Looking at the bird that finally spread its wings and took flight, the woman said with envy and longing in her eyes.

The scene of her mother being beaten to death in front of her was unforgettable, and her last hope that she must escape and live well.

Yu Ningyan slightly twitched her nose and subtly wiped away the slight moisture from the corner of her eyes. Turning back, she had returned to normal and said to Lu Feng apologetically, "I'm sorry you had to see this. Let's go."

Lu Feng nodded slightly, without making any further comment.

Yu Ningyan's experiences were indeed tragic, but over the years he had seen so many human tragedies that he was not heartless, but rather had long since become accustomed to them.

They called Xiao Miao, and the three of them left Hanshan Temple and returned to their residence by carriage.

at dusk.

Lu Feng prepared a five-dish meal with a soup, which greatly satisfied Yu Ningyan and Xiao Miao.

After having Xiao Miao clear the dishes, Yu Ningyan came to the courtyard and sat down next to Lu Feng, who was enjoying the cool air. She said softly, "Yesterday, when you went out to buy groceries, an official from the Ministry of Rites came to inform us that the Western Chu army had arrived outside the Qian Kingdom's borders, and the Qian Emperor will send someone to escort me out of the Qian Kingdom tomorrow."

"The people in the delegation tried to assassinate you behind my back. Although they failed in the end, they will definitely hold you responsible for Wei Qingfeng's death."

"Wei Qingfeng's master, Liu Changyu, was a second-rank expert in his early years. He will definitely avenge Wei Qingfeng. You should be careful then."

Lu Feng clicked his tongue: "Liu Changyu, if I remember correctly, this guy is one of the top figures in your Western Chu."

Yu Ningyan's expression turned serious, and she nodded, saying, "Yes, he was already a second-grade expert twenty years ago, so you have to be careful."

"It's alright. If I'm unlucky enough to be killed by him, I'll haunt you in Western Chu after I die," Lu Feng laughed.

Yu Ningyan snorted angrily: "You dare come! I'll have a sorcerer beat you to a pulp, believe it or not!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, they really say the most poisonous heart is a woman's. You were the ones who provoked me first, and now you want to make me disappear completely." Lu Feng shook his head.

Yu Ningyan pouted: "That's because you made me serve you tea and water in public to humiliate me, you deserve it!"

"Hey, if I remember correctly, you were the one who asked me to cut off my own arms first, okay?"

Lu Feng retorted, "You can even twist the truth like this?"

"you!"

Yu Ningyan was speechless and turned her head away unhappily.

After waiting for a while without hearing anything kind from Lu Feng, she couldn't help but look back, somewhat worried: "You can't beat Liu Changyu?"

Lu Feng grinned: "Do you believe I can kill him with one hand?"

"Just blow it."

Despite saying this, Yu Ningyan's worry lessened considerably as she looked at that handsome and refined face, knowing that tomorrow's farewell might be their last.

She paused, then spoke casually, "Lu Feng."

"what happened?"

The woman said expectantly, "Your lyrics are quite good. Could you give me one?"

Lu Feng was taken aback: "What do you need the words for?"

"Consider it a parting gift, something to remember me by," Yu Ningyan said with a smile.

"boring."

Lu Feng rolled his eyes and got up. The princess watched him go back to his room with a somewhat forlorn look in her eyes and sighed softly.

The next morning.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites arrived at Lu Feng's residence with two thousand Imperial Guards and brought palace maids to tidy up everything.

Yu Ningyan, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, glanced at the tightly closed door and placed her personal jade pendant in front of it.

Then, she looked helplessly at the reluctant little Miao girl and said softly, "Little Miao, your sister is going home now. You must stay with the young master and understand? Don't forget to practice your calligraphy."

Little Miao's eyes welled up with tears: "Fairy Sister, where do you live? Can Little Miao visit you sometime?"

Yu Ningyan said gently, "Of course you can, but you'll have to wait until the seedling grows up. Then this hairpin will be a gift from your older sister to you."

After calming Xiao Miao down, and under her reluctant gaze, Yu Ningyan walked out of the gate, boarded the carriage, glanced at the courtyard where she had lived for almost half a month, and then lowered the curtain and said calmly, "Let's go."

The imperial guards escorted the princess of Western Chu away from the Qian Kingdom, but the carriage stopped shortly after they left.

The Imperial Guard leader said respectfully, "Your Highness, that little girl said she has something for you."

Yu Ningyan was somewhat surprised. She lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xiao Miao, who had run up to her, panting, saying, "Fairy sister, the young master asked me to give this to you."

Yu Ningyan took the silk scroll, opened it, and immediately smiled broadly.