Imperial Concubine Yun looked at him, worry evident in her eyes.
"Mother knows that I am very strong and capable of protecting myself. I have also been prepared for this matter. I really won't let anything happen to me." Fu Zhiyu comforted her, "It won't take more than a few hours. We will catch up soon. Just listen to me this time, okay?"
Imperial Concubine Yun looked him straight in the eye and finally nodded.
In preparation for her escape, she quickly changed out of the pearls and expensive clothes on her head and put on the simplest and lightest clothes. She took nothing else with her and didn't even look at it again.
Fu Zhiyu was prepared. He took the mansion's carriage, which was specially made and had a secret compartment large enough to accommodate one person.
The sky was gradually getting dark. Fu Zhiyu took advantage of the night and, like last time, passed through the laxly inspected city gate without any surprise and drove towards the palace.
The capital city is calm, like a pool of stagnant water, but undercurrents are surging inside.
After receiving the message sent by Yuan Jiangxing, his private soldiers split into two teams, one team went to Yuan's mansion and the other team went to Wang's mansion.
The leader bowed to Fu Zhiyu and said, "Everything is going well for the Yuan family. We have followed your instructions. Don't take any gold or silver with you. Just take the people."
Old Master Yuan was a bit pedantic by nature, and he was reluctant to leave at first, but according to Yuan Jiangwen's instructions, he was persuaded with just one sentence.
"You don't have to leave, but the Yuan family's status is bound to attract attention. When others use you to threaten Imperial Concubine Yun and Prince Zhao, how do you want them to choose? How do they deal with it?"
Old Master Yuan didn't have many weaknesses. What he cared about most were his unlucky little daughter and poor grandson. He sighed on the spot and let them do whatever they wanted.
During the period of the four-nation court meeting, the capital city was bustling with people, much more lively than before, and the city gates had not been under martial law recently, so with a little disguise, they passed through without any accidents.
According to Fu Zhiyu's arrangement, they would meet up after passing through the city gate and go to a house outside the capital, where fast horses and carriages were prepared to take them to Jiangnan as quickly as possible.
It is not difficult to escape. Fu Zhiyu knows that according to this plan, he can escape at any time. The difficult part is to deal with the aftermath and prevent the escape from turning into an escape.
Emperor Qing Yuan will die this time, because once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back.
Fu Zhiyu returned to the palace. After finishing these things, he sat in the hall for a long time. Rongrong came over and rubbed his legs, looking at him with her puppy eyes.
"I have to send you and Ah Ju away too," he lowered his head and stroked the fur, muttering, "We can't leave either of us behind."
He let out a long sigh, and felt that the depression in his chest disappeared with the departure of the Yuan family and his mother.
He is afraid of nothing now, and a truly new beginning is right before his eyes.
Actually, the Xue and Lin families are nothing, but Xie Ke...
He stayed partly because he was on guard against him, but if Xie Ke went crazy, it would only be directed at him. As long as he was still here, his mother and the Yuan family should be fine.
I just hope that everything will go as he wishes and everything will go well.
Shen Yang did not return to his Shangshu Mansion. He had nothing to do in the first place, and he came back just to find an excuse to talk to Fu Zhiyu in front of the emperor. Now that his goal has been achieved, there is no need for him to pretend that there is something urgent in the Ministry of Justice.
The carriage circled in front of Prince Zhao's palace, and then, as he had planned, clattered out of the city.
It was already late at night when he returned to the hunting ground. Shen Yang hadn't eaten anything today, but he didn't feel hungry at all. He stayed in the carriage, staring blankly for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.
After returning to the hunting ground, he did not report to the emperor according to normal procedures, but took a small road. The soldiers guarding the road were the personal guards of the Xie family. They took one look at him and let him go.
Shen Yang entered Xie Ke's tent in this absent-minded state. His eyes were blank and he walked as if he was floating. He was wearing all white today and looked like a hanged ghost at first glance.
Du Yin was talking to Xie Ke. He was startled when he saw him come in. Then he recognized him and suddenly fell silent, sensing something was wrong.
When Xie Ke saw his strange look, he first frowned, then asked with concern: "How is Zhiyu? Is he taking his medicine well?"
Shen Yang shook his head. He stood in the middle of the tent, as if looking for a place to sit. But when he was halfway there, he suddenly felt as if all the strength was taken away from him, and he sat down on the ground.
"What happened?" Xie Ke also clearly felt that something was wrong. He stood up and asked nervously, "Did something happen to Zhiyu? Speak!"
Du Yin also felt that the atmosphere was not right. His eyelids twitched when he heard Fu Zhiyu's name. He knew that this was something he could not control, so he turned around and went out very tactfully, leaving the two people alone in the tent.
Shen Yang's eyes were blank, staring at a point in the void. After a while, he spoke and murmured, "I... did something wrong in my last life. I know, and I admit it. But, could it be that in this life... I am still wrong in the end?"
"What nonsense are you talking about again?" Xie Ke frowned, not caring about his messy mental state at all, thinking only of Fu Zhiyu, "How is Zhiyu? Is he okay? The capital should be peaceful now, he can..."
After he said this, he was suddenly interrupted by Shen Yang: "It's not just me who is wrong, you are wrong too, Xie Ke."
Xie Ke didn't understand and looked at him with confusion.
"I know about Zhiyu's rebirth. I found out when he went out to look for Yuanming Knife." Shen Yang said. He seemed to have regained some sanity and his words gradually became clearer. "I originally wanted to confess these things to him in the carriage. I thought... after I made everything clear, maybe I would feel better and Zhiyu would not treat me as a stranger. Best of all, he would try to accept my help.
I asked him, what do you want
Xie Ke stopped talking. He actually wanted to know what kind of answer Shen Yang got from Zhiyu.
He had asked Zhiyu this question countless times, at various times and places, using various ways and phrases, trying to find what Zhiyu cared about, to make him feel happy, and to make him feel that he was changing and not so bad, but he never got an answer.
Shen Yang has a very good memory. He can remember everything he reads, so he remembers every word Fu Zhiyu said clearly. Now when he speaks it out, it is as if Zhiyu is standing in front of him.
He still vividly remembered Zhiyu's expression at that time: calm, with a little seriousness in his eyes, and nothing else. He did not find any hatred in it, as if he really didn't care about those things in the past, and he was the only one who was still brooding over it and asking for forgiveness.
Xie Ke also listened carefully. He opened his mouth, not knowing how to react.
At that moment he was grateful to Shen Yang, at least he was willing to tell him this.
He knew in his heart that Shen Yang was different from himself. Although Shen Yang chose to betray in the end, before that, he was loyal to his master and saved Zhiyu from danger. Unlike himself, he could hardly pick out a few good memories. Zhiyu would speak to Shen Yang from the bottom of her heart for such a long time, but when it came to him, he would probably not say a word.
"Zhiyu said that I had two smooth lives, but I think I was confused in both of my lives," Shen Yang said with a wry smile, "You see, I have been trying so hard to know what he wants, and I have self-righteously arranged a so-called peaceful life for him, but I have never thought about what Zhiyu doesn't want
If I hadn't used the method he least wanted, things wouldn't have turned out like this between us. I've always been wrong, and I've been wrong until now."
He took a deep breath, raised his head and looked at Xie Ke, and continued: "I didn't intend to tell you this, Xie Ke, you know in your heart that there is no friendship between us, and it's good enough that we don't draw our swords against each other. But I still told you in the end, because I want you to wake up, and stop thinking that you are arranging something for Zhiyu. Giving him respect is more important than protecting him in every way. Please let him go."
Xie Ke did not answer. He stood there for a long time without saying anything. The light in the tent was a little dim, and Shen Yang could not see his expression clearly.
"Please go away," he finally said, "let me... be alone."
Shen Yang had finished what he wanted to say. He stood up and walked out slowly. Halfway through, he seemed to remember something and turned around to talk about another thing: "In fact, I have been watching all your behaviors since my rebirth and I really feel very strange. Xie Ke, in my previous life, I always thought that you didn't love Zhiyu at all. When I first came back, I was really surprised to see what you did. I even suspected that someone else had occupied your body, but you did remember everything that happened before.
Xie Ke, I don't believe the lie that you only know your feelings after you lose them. You are not that slow. After Zhiyu died, you lived for so long as if nothing happened. You didn't miss anything. It is impossible that you only realized it after so many years.
You... are actually just like me. You both self-righteously chose the best method for Zhiyu, but used the means he least wanted, right?"
He seemed to have touched Xie Ke's sore spot, reminding him of some memories that he was extremely reluctant to recall, and he instantly became upset.
"roll!"
Shen Yang seemed to have confirmed some information from this word. His expression was complicated for a moment. Finally, he just looked at Xie Ke with pity, turned around and left.
The lights in the camp flickered and it seemed to get a little dimmer.
"... I have changed, I have... tried hard to change those characteristics and behaviors that Zhiyu doesn't like." Xie Ke curled up on the spot, his voice trembling and fearful as he talked to himself, "027, is there really no possibility? The two of us, Zhiyu and I..."
Unlike the two people who are now immersed in the whirlpool of emotions and unable to get out, 027, as a bystander, can still maintain his rationality. It thought about it carefully and did not answer Xie Ke's question immediately, but grasped a point that neither of them noticed.
"Why did Fu Zhiyu say that Shen Yang had a smooth life in both of his lives?" 027 asked in confusion, "It's okay in this life, but in the previous life, when he... was away, Shen Yang's identity... to be fair, was just a traitor under the king of a fallen country. When he already had such a bad impression of you, why did you assume that Shen Yang must have a good life under your command?"