Jiang Yanyi wrapped her arms around him; he was much taller than her, and his jaw rested perfectly against her forehead.

This embrace positioned her cheek almost against his chest, allowing her to hear his heartbeat clearly.

He likely asked her this question knowing about the things the original owner had done when she liked Lu Linyuan.

Jiang Yanyi sighed softly, “Feng Shu, the Jiang Yanyi you met in Xizhou is no longer the same person as the one in the capital.”

“I like you, and only you. Lu Linyuan has nothing to do with me. If he has done wrong, he should be punished, but I don’t want you to impose a heavy punishment on him because of me.”

“In this lifetime, you may have to compete for other things, but in this matter of love, you can be open and free; there’s no need to let your life be tarnished for someone unrelated. No matter how good he is, in my heart, he doesn’t compare to you.”

Feng Shu said nothing.

His large hand fell on her back, his fingers weaving through her thick hair, his palm pressing against the light-colored dress she wore, tightening his grip.

His voice carried a hint of hoarseness: “Thank you.”

He took Jiang Yanyi’s words about her current self being different from the one in the capital to mean that she had completely bid farewell to her past.

But the confession that followed could not help but touch him.

For the first time, someone told him that there were some things he didn’t need to fight for because they already belonged to him.

It was also the first time someone cared about his reputation.

In the eyes of the world, he was no different from the King of Hell; he could be blamed for everything, and he had long gotten used to it.

This newfound feeling of being cherished was strange yet addictive.

As a child in the palace, he had been pointed at and cursed at, told he should not even exist in this world.

Even his mother, upon seeing the countless scars on his body, would cry and tell him that perhaps he should never have been brought into this world.

He had always been discarded like trash. Even when he later became a prince, respected and feared by others, it was merely due to his title as the Prince of Liaonan and his past achievements.

Feng Shu closed his eyes, letting the turbulent emotions within him gradually calm down.

Jiang Yanyi’s face pressed against the fox fur lining of his cloak. “The same goes for my step-sister. You must act fairly and not think about using malice on my behalf.”

She didn’t want Feng Shu to lower himself to do such things.

Feng Shu asked, “Don’t you hate her?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “From childhood to now, I have indeed done many excessive things to her. I have received punishment for my past wrongs; I have no right to hate. I just hope we won’t have any more interactions. It was her who exiled me to Xizhou, broke Yangui’s leg, caused my mother’s death, and forced the Chu family into this predicament. She has some responsibility for these things, but the real culprit is the emperor. I should hate the emperor.”

To be fair, the original owner was indeed a vicious supporting character who had bullied Jiang Yanxi since childhood, even going so far as to ruin her reputation.

As a typical tragic heroine, Jiang Yanxi was bullied in the Jiang family and then by concubines after entering the palace.

Each time, she had to rely on the male lead or second male lead to save her.

When she read the novel, she didn’t like the weak persona of the female lead, especially when the male lead forced himself on her.

Although she said she hated him, deep down, she still loved him dearly.

It made her wish she could jump into the story and shake the female lead to clear the muddled thoughts from her mind.

Now that she had truly entered the story, she found herself with the script of a vicious female supporting character.

If she accidentally crossed paths with the male and female leads, it would likely end badly.

She just wanted to stay far away from them.

Both the original owner and her family had suffered punishments far worse than the female lead’s; they had already repaid their debts to her.

Jiang Yanxi had made mistakes, and she deserved her punishment.

She didn’t want to see Feng Shu deliberately targeting Jiang Yanxi because of her.

The debts of the innocent should be repaid to the rightful parties; the emperor and Jiang Shangshu owed her mother and the Chu family.

One day, she would make them pay.

She let Feng Shu know Jiang Yanxi’s identity to keep the initiative in their hands.

After all, she wasn’t foolish enough to help Jiang Yanxi and Lu Linyuan keep secrets from Feng Shu.

Feng Shu remained silent. Jiang Yanyi looked up at him. “What? Do you think I’m being indecisive?”

Feng Shu’s dark eyes were deep as he said, “No.”

When he released her, he cupped Jiang Yanyi’s face with both hands and pressed delicate, lingering kisses on her brow and eyes.

The snow continued to fall, its chill contrasting with the warmth of his lips.

He kissed her urgently, as if afraid of losing something.

She was always straightforward, distinguishing right from wrong with clarity.

He had previously feared that Jiang Yanyi still had feelings for Lu Linfeng because Lu Linyuan came from a prestigious family, filled with righteousness and pride.

Which girl wouldn’t be fond of such a noble young man?

Yet every step he took was through plots and schemes; he was despicable and shameless, using every means available, as it was the only way he could survive.

A girl with her temperament likely preferred the kind of virtuous gentleman found in classic texts.

Jiang Yanyi was momentarily stunned by Feng Shuo’s kiss.

Her raven-like eyelashes trembled, and she recalled that his first kiss had also been on a snowy day like this.

When Feng Shuo kissed her lips, he playfully bit her plump lower lip. “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Yanyi murmured, “Thinking about you.”

Strangely, her unease was soothed by those words.

After the kiss ended, Feng Shuo affectionately pinched her nose. “What lip balm did you put on today?”

Jiang Yanyi’s face turned crimson. “I didn’t put any on today.”

She had just come from the Chu family and hadn’t brought any lip balm with her.

Feng Shuo pressed his lips together as if genuinely considering this.

After a moment, he looked up at her with a teasing grin. “It tastes quite sweet.”

Jiang Yanyi’s face turned even redder.

When she arrived, she had eaten a sweet soup made of tremella, lily, and lotus seeds.

The elderly matriarch of the Chu family had a dulled palate, so she used a lot of flavor.

The soup had a bit too much sugar.

Jiang Yanyi playfully punched Feng Shuo’s chest with her small fist. “You’re being inappropriate!”

Feng Shuo easily caught her fist in his hand, wrapping it in his palm.

Seeing her face flush, he decided to stop teasing her.

He understood that the entire Xizhou was currently rife with negative gossip about the Chu family.

Although Jiang Yanyi didn’t voice it, she was clearly worried as well.

Her sudden visit today might have been to check on the Chu family, so he reassured her, “The rumors about the Chu family will soon be quelled. Don’t worry.”

His tone was firm, but Jiang Yanyi felt a twinge of doubt.

Rumors could be as destructive as floods; they couldn’t simply be blocked.

Having experienced the information age of the internet in her past life, she knew that to overshadow a topic, it had to be replaced by something even more controversial.

The emperor was the one who had thrown mud at the Chu family; unless people simply forgot, what could he do to cover it up?

She asked, “What are you planning to do?”

Feng Shuo replied, “If I rebel, no one will discuss the Chu family anymore.”

Jiang Yanyi was genuinely surprised.

She paused in shock before pointing out the key issue. “Whenever there’s a rebellion, there has to be a justifiable reason; otherwise, it won’t be considered legitimate.”

Though the new emperor was tyrannical, he had curbed the powerful relatives since ascending the throne.

He had also trained the Fan family to be a blade that struck wherever needed.

Although the Fan family was infamous, it was undeniable that the new emperor used them to suppress opposition and promote loyal ministers.

The Lu family had been steadfast supporters for generations, and Grand Scholar Lu, being a contemporary Confucian, disagreed with the new emperor’s methods.

The new emperor had sacrificed too many innocents during his consolidation of power and acted impulsively in matters of personal feelings, exiling ministers for the sake of his consorts.

This was intolerable for Elder Lu, leading him to rebuke the new emperor in the Golden Luan Hall.

While there were certainly innocent noble families harboring grudges against the new emperor due to personal vendettas, such feelings could not fundamentally shift the tide; few were willing to lose their homes for their own grievances.

Unless… she spread the word about her punishment by the new emperor, being sent to Xizhou as a camp prostitute, making his moral failure a reason to rebel against him.

Feng Shuo seemed to understand what she was thinking, gently squeezing her palm. “Years ago, after the defeat of Marquis Mu at Yingzhou, the people of the fourteen cities of Yingzhou were slaughtered by Ming Han’s army, shocking the court. Marquis Mu, fearing punishment, committed suicide, leading to the execution of his entire family. But when I took over the southern battlefield, I found many strange occurrences. Marquis Mu’s death was not simple.”

Years ago, Duke Chen had gone to great lengths to exchange two death row prisoners for the Mu brothers, thus deceiving everyone.

After resigning from his official post, he entrusted the Mu brothers to Feng Shuo.

Mu Xuanqing had followed Feng Shuo into battle, determined to uncover the truth behind Marquis Mu’s death and vindicate the Mu family.

During a battle where both he and Mu Xuanqing nearly lost their lives, Mu Xuanqing received an arrow in the tent, with a note attached stating, “To know the reason for the Marquis’s death, hold Yingzhou for three days.”

Unfortunately, despite their efforts to hold the city, they never uncovered the truth behind Marquis Mu’s death, only waiting for the armies of Ming Han to approach.

Jiang Yanyi was taken aback. “The loss of Yingzhou is related to the emperor?”

Feng Shuo’s gaze deepened. “After that battle, the Mu family’s military power fell into the hands of the empress dowager’s maternal relatives, the Gao family. The new emperor was able to successfully claim the throne, and the Mu family’s military power still intimidated many.”

At the time of the emperor’s ascension, Feng Shuo had been seriously injured and on the run.

Had it not been for Mu Xuanqing blocking a blow for him, he might have died on the battlefield, leaving future generations to either condemn him for his failure to defend the city or commend him for sacrificing himself for the country.

Although she already knew about the dirty tactics used for imperial succession, hearing Feng Shuo recount this part of history made Jiang Yanyi feel sick.

How many loyal subjects had their bones buried under the emperor’s schemes?

If Feng Shuo’s speculation was correct, then the events surrounding the loss of Yingzhou not only enabled the new emperor to gain military power but also conveniently removed Feng Shuo as a threat.

Suppressing her discomfort, she asked, “Have you found any evidence over the years?”

“If there was evidence, Chi Qing wouldn’t still be afraid to use his original surname.”

His tone was somber, but when he raised his gaze again, it became sharp. “However, the evidence from that time cannot be found. But it shouldn’t be difficult to find evidence of the new emperor assigning Fan Yaonian to meet with the Turkic prince.”

The Turkic prince was still imprisoned; even if he refused to acknowledge it, it wouldn’t be hard to get his fingerprint on the indictment.

Although Fan Yaonian was dead, his father, Fan Wei, was still alive. In some ways, they were on the same side.

Fan Wei hated the new emperor to the bone.

If he cooperated to accuse the new emperor, he would certainly be willing.

To eliminate a thorn in his side, the new emperor wouldn’t hesitate to invite wolves into the house.

Whether his scheme was to pit him against the Turkic forces until they both suffered or to benefit himself after depleting the Turkic forces, once the truth came out, people would scorn him.

In a world where power reigns supreme, were the lives of common people worth less than that of ants?