The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Upon exiting the hall, Tian Qi was anxiously pacing in circles.

When he saw Bai Shu come out, he was overjoyed and went to greet her.

She hugged him tightly: "Old Bai, you're alive! That's wonderful, you're alive!"

Bai Shu froze, puzzled, and asked, "Who said I'm dead?"

"The news came from the border, and the little wooden puppet you always carry with you, how could it be fake?" Tian Qi blinked in confusion.

Bai Shu's eyes sharpened, and he understood something: "Someone spread a false message that there is a traitor in the manor."

Xiao Ji remained silent with a sullen face, and said in a low voice, "Let's go back to the manor first and talk about it then."

Bai Shu seemed to understand something. He lowered his head and followed Xiao Ji back to the Chu King's Mansion.

His injuries were quite severe. He took a bath first, and then sought out the royal physician to treat his wounds.

After all that fuss, it was already dark.

Inside the room, a table of food and wine was laid out.

The exquisite dishes were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, steaming hot and emitting an enticing aroma, yet the atmosphere inside the room was somewhat somber.

Xiao Ji sat in the head seat with a solemn expression.

Song Wenjun quietly stayed by his side, while Tian Qi and Bai Shu took their seats in turn.

All three looked at Bai Shu with concern, while Bai Shu stared blankly ahead with a forlorn expression.

Bai Shu used to be quiet, but back then he was full of energy.

Now, his eyes have lost their light, and he is like a walking corpse.

It's heartbreaking to see.

Bai Shu's lips twitched slightly as she looked at Xiao Ji, her eyes filled with anticipation.

He wanted to know what was going on.

"Eat something first, then we can talk." Xiao Ji looked at Bai Shu, his eyes full of heartache.

The imperial physician had already informed Bai Shu of his injuries in detail. The numerous wounds, large and small, covered almost Bai Shu's entire body, including two arrow wounds that had been carried all the way from the border to the capital.

Luckily, he was tough; anyone else would have died from an infected wound.

In order to get back to the capital, Bai Shu traveled tirelessly through the night, and became so thin that he looked unrecognizable.

Her cheeks were sunken, her cheekbones were more prominent, and her eyes were deeply sunken, making them appear even darker and larger. In the dim light, they looked unsettling.

How could Xiao Ji not guess the reason behind such tenacious perseverance?

Bai Shu didn't touch his chopsticks, but instead asked, "The princess?"

A piece of meat was placed in his bowl.

Xiao Ji's voice left no room for argument: "Whatever you have to say, finish eating first."

Bai Shu was used to obeying Xiao Ji's orders, and without any hesitation, he lowered his head and began to eat.

The long journey had left him starving.

He ate without any regard for appearances, finishing a bowl of rice in almost three bites.

Seeing him reach for the chicken leg, Tian Qi glanced at Xiao Ji cautiously, only to find that his face showed no sign of blame, but rather a deep sense of heartache.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." Tian Qi said as she turned the rice from her bowl into Bai Shu's bowl.

Bai Zhu did not refuse and continued to eat diligently.

He devoured more than half of the food on the table in no time.

After eating the food, Bai Shu felt as if his stomach was never full.

But he didn't say anything more. Instead, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and looked at Xiao Ji with anticipation.

Seeing this, Xiao Ji ordered the food to be taken away: "Go and prepare a new table."

He could tell that Bai Zhu had not eaten enough.

"I received false news that you died in battle at the border. Nanzhi almost died of illness after hearing the news. I had no choice but to give her an amnesia drug. She has no memory of you now, which is why she doesn't recognize you."

These few words seemed to have exhausted all of Xiao Ji's strength.

He was so ashamed that he almost dared not look Bai Shu in the eye. He picked up the wine cup on the table and said to him, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for this, you two wouldn't have ended up in such a state. I owe you. Cheers!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhu felt as if struck by lightning.

Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welled up, and her voice trembled as she said, "How could she be so foolish as to want to go with me..."

Thinking of how Xiao Nanzhi risked her life for him, his heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand needles, and the pain spread throughout his body.

Song Wenjun also wiped her eyes with a handkerchief: "At that time, she was so sick that she couldn't even drink water. If it weren't for saving her life, we wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure."

“Now that she has agreed to the marriage alliance with Dongling, you…” Song Wenjun’s voice stopped abruptly, as if something was choking her throat, and she could not say the rest of the words no matter what.

She knew with bitterness in her heart that Bai Shu and Xiao Nanzhi had probably truly missed their chance.

The imperial decree for the marriage has been issued, and everyone in the capital knows that Xiao Nanzhi is about to marry into Dongling and become the bride of the Dongling king.

Even if Bai Shu made great military achievements, in the face of the imperial majesty and the grand situation of the marriage alliance between the two countries, Emperor Wen would never retract the imperial decree and instead betroth Xiao Nanzhi to him.

When she said these words, Song Wenjun felt as if countless fine needles were piercing her heart, causing her great pain.

She genuinely hoped that Bai Shu and Xiao Nanzhi, this couple in love, could get married, but reality was so cruel.

Bai Shu's eyes were bloodshot, filled with pain and despair.

He bit his lip so hard that deep teeth marks appeared on his lower lip, and blood seeped out, but he didn't notice. He just desperately held back his tears.

He reached out, his hand trembling as he picked up the bowl and began gulping down the wine, mouthful after mouthful.

The spicy liquor flowed down his throat, burning his internal organs, but he seemed to feel no pain. He only wanted to use the alcohol to numb all the pain and resentment in his heart.

Tian Qi slowly reached out and patted him on the shoulder twice: "Old Bai, I'll stay with you, brother."

It seems that besides drinking with him, he doesn't know what else he can do for Bai Shu.

The two drank in silence.

Suddenly, Bai Shu buried her face in her hands on the table and began to cry silently.

His fists were clenched tightly, and his shoulders shrugged slightly.

Someone who was once so proud is now crying like this.

Tian Qi felt particularly bad. He wanted to say something to Bai Shu, but found himself crying uncontrollably as well.

"Old Bai, I'm really, really happy that you came back alive."

He and Bai Shu were not blood brothers, but their bond was stronger than that of blood brothers.

When Tian Qi learned of Bai Shu's death in battle, he cried for three days straight.

He also drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day.

The two brothers embraced and wept bitterly, and tears also welled up in Xiao Ji's eyes.

I thought Atractylodes macrocephala would never recover.

Unexpectedly, he found Xiao Ji the next day and knelt at his feet: "Your Highness, I beg you to allow me to accompany Nanzhi to Dongling as a guard."

“Bai Shu, you…” Xiao Ji frowned as he looked at him, his eyes showing some hesitation.

Bai Shu chuckled lightly: "Even if I can't be with Nan Zhi in this life, I will protect her as her shadow. The journey to Dongling is long, and with me protecting her, she will be safer."

Xiao Ji slowly exhaled: "Do you know what a shadow means? Once you become a shadow, you cease to exist in the world. You cannot show your true face to others, nor can you appear in front of people. You can only hide like a shadow, and even in death, you will have no name."