“That day, Yu Zhao wore clothes she usually didn’t. Shen’s father had bought them for her when she came to Chang’an from Hangzhou. 

After she changed into the bright clothes, her personal maid, Chunhua, looked her up and down, overjoyed, and applied the most fashionable Chang’an makeup on her. 

Yu Zhao inherited the gentle and graceful demeanor of her birth mother, Wang Qingyi, and was extremely beautiful. However, she was discreet and unassuming in the household, hiding her brilliance. Now that she was properly dressed up, Wang Ruzhi, who came to find her, stared at her for a moment, her expression not very pleasant. 

But then, she put on a fake smile and affectionately took her hand, saying she would take her to a good place. 

Wang Ruzhi took her to the waterside pavilion, and they hid behind a rockery. 

Yu Zhao saw Wang Qingjia and Wang Yulou in the distance. 

There was also an unfamiliar young man. 

The man had his back to her, standing with his hands behind his back, only showing them a tall and outstanding figure, his purple-red robe fluttering in the wind. 

The Daqi Dynasty had strict customs, and the materials used for clothing were very particular, with a set of rules for colors. 

The darker the color, the rarer the material, representing a higher status. For example, the emperor wore black, commoners wore linen, and even Wang Qingjia only wore a scarlet official robe when attending court. 

Only those above the third rank were entitled to wear purple. From Hangzhou to Chang’an, Yu Zhao had never seen anyone wearing purple. 

This person’s background was definitely not small. 

But looking at his tall and upright figure, chatting and laughing with Wang Yulou, the two seemed to be about the same age. Could he have reached the third rank at such a young age? 

Who exactly was this person? 

Yu Zhao stared at his back, pondering silently. 

“Do you see him?” Wang Ruzhi whispered beside her, with barely concealed excitement in her tone, “That person is Xie’s third son, the young Marquis Xie. He is my brother’s friend and often visits our mansion. Yu Zhao, what do you think of him?” 

Yu Zhao lowered her head and said softly, “How can we comment on a dignified young marquis? Sister, I think we should leave here. If the master finds out, we’ll be punished again.” 

“What are you afraid of?” Wang Ruzhi blamed her for being timid and said coquettishly, “Father is busy dealing with the young marquis now. He doesn’t have time to care about us.” 

At this moment, a burst of laughter came from the waterside pavilion. The man laughed heartily, tilting his head back, after saying something to Wang Yulou. 

Yu Zhao stared blankly at the laughing young man, and heard Wang Ruzhi beside her say, “Besides, the young marquis is open-minded and unrestrained, and doesn’t care about these formalities. Even if he finds out, so what? By the way, I heard from my mother that he will soon go on an expedition with the old marquis. Before the expedition, the Xie family will definitely arrange a marriage for him. Now all the noble ladies in Chang’an are eagerly waiting, hoping that this incredible fortune will fall on them.” 

After Wang Ruzhi said this, she suddenly changed the subject, “Yu Zhao, who do you think, between me and my sister, will catch the young marquis’s eye today?” 

After Wang Ruzhi finished speaking, she stared intently at Yu Zhao, her eyes filled with girlish brightness and confidence, as well as a subtle warning and threat towards her. 

Wang Ruzhi was the youngest daughter of the Wang family and had been spoiled by her family since she was a child. She had the capital to be absolutely proud. Of course, she could say these words, because this was her home. 

Yu Zhao understood the deep meaning in her eyes. 

She slowly lowered her eyes, her heart slightly bitter, and slowly evoked a smile, “It’s not good for me to say anything about this kind of thing, but since you are so intelligent and beautiful, sister, I wish you all the best and that you get what you wish for.” 

Wang Ruzhi was overjoyed by Yu Zhao’s words, and the vigilance in her eyes gradually diminished. She said happily, “Since you say so, then thank you for your kind words.” 

The tall figure in her eyes was no longer clear, and gradually became dim. Yu Zhao sadly withdrew her gaze, preparing to find an excuse to leave first, but that figure suddenly moved at this moment. 

Wang Ruzhi quickly grabbed her sleeve, “Quick, squat down!” 

Yu Zhao couldn’t avoid it and had to squat down with Wang Ruzhi. 

At that moment, Yu Zhao clearly hid, but it seemed that the young man’s sharp gaze was still like a cold arrow that bit tightly and stabbed straight at her. 

The scene shifted abruptly, and a blood-soaked figure appeared alone before her eyes. 

The bleak moonlight shone on the man’s tall and cold body, his face even more stern than the cold sword in his hand. Fresh blood dripped down the tip of the sword, drop by drop, to the ground. 

A cold corpse lay at the man’s feet. 

Yu Zhao saw clearly in the moonlight who was lying on the ground. 

It was her husband. 

Her feet seemed to be nailed to the ground in an instant. She opened her eyes wide and stared motionlessly at everything in front of her. 

Her throat wanted to make a sound, but it seemed to be blocked by something, and she couldn’t utter a single syllable. 

And that tall figure slowly raised his head towards her. 

With cruelty, with hatred. 

“Miss! Wake up!” 

Yu Zhao woke up from the nightmare. 

“Miss, wake up!” Qiu Long desperately shook her, anxiously saying, “It seems like someone is coming outside!” 

Yu Zhao supported her chest and sat up in shock. 

Qiu Long led her to the door, listening uneasily to the movement outside, “Could it be those people from daytime are here… No, why are there so many people, Miss, so many people…” 

Yu Zhao leaned against the door, listening carefully to the movement outside. While listening, she couldn’t help but recall the nightmare she just had. 

How could she have such a bizarre and absurd dream? How could she… dream of Xie Qi again? 

Yu Zhao squeezed her palm, slowly took a breath, gently waved away the handsome and blurred face in the dream, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of trance-like strangeness. 

Suddenly, Qiu Long saw something and let out a scream. 

Yu Zhao quickly protected Qiu Long and looked in her direction. 

A corner of the dark wood shed cracked open. Looking inside along the broken wood, she saw pairs of bright light sources. 

Those were human eyes! 

Yu Zhao was also startled. A ray of moonlight happened to seep in through the crack. She endured the overwhelming fear in her heart and slowly saw everything in the opposite room. 

Those were women who were curled up together like her, and were now looking at them in fear. 

Yu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. She took a breath, slowly moved closer, and gently asked along the crack, “…Were you also captured and brought here?” 

The woman on the opposite side heard her voice and realized that she was not an enemy, but still looked at her warily and nodded silently. 

Yu Zhao wanted to say something more, but at this moment, a huge noise suddenly came from outside. 

It was as if a gust of wind suddenly swept over from all directions. More and more sounds swept in from all directions. 

“The General is back—” 

“The General is back—” 

Heavy iron hooves clanged past, stirring up a violent tremor on the ground. Among the dilapidated broken walls, pairs of horrified faces clung to the cracks, peering through the only ray of light in the darkness, quietly spying on the new master who was about to arrive in Youzhou City. 

Thousands of troops slowly passed by, and a tall and stern figure rode in the front, stepping over a silent road, condescending, his back majestic and upright. 

Yu Zhao followed that figure silently through a crack of light. 

The back in front of her was so familiar, yet so strange, separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, yet seemed so close. 

At the beginning of the new year, Xie Qi parachuted into the Wang family, and in the end, he stayed to have dinner with the Wang family. 

The two sisters were overjoyed. Each put on the most bright and beautiful dresses, dressed themselves beautifully. At the dinner, they shyly raised their glasses and toasted him one after another. 

“I wish Feiheng Gege good luck and may you be as evergreen as pine and cypress.” 

“I wish Feiheng Gege all the best and may you be new every year.” 

Xie Qi responded with a smile, accepting them all. The usually cold face rarely showed a bit of gentleness, and he casually said a few auspicious words. 

His casual gaze swept over Yu Zhao, who was bowing her head and not speaking. His thin lips curled up, revealing a bit of playfulness, “Isn’t there one missing?” 

“Come on, say something nice for me to hear.” 

Named in public, Yu Zhao endured her unease, stepped forward, always keeping her head down, too afraid to look at him, fearing that he would be ill-intentioned and make public some of the things he had done to her before. She had no choice but to blurt out the auspicious words she had been thinking about all night. 

“I wish the young marquis a victory, a meteoric rise, and to become a great general like Marquis Xuanyang, protecting the people of my Daqi.” 

As soon as the words came out, the dinner was quiet for a moment. 

No one spoke for a while. 

After a while, Xie Qi took the lead in breaking the silence. 

Holding a wine glass in his hand, his tall figure lowered, the mouth of the glass slightly tilted, and touched her wine glass. He stared with interest at her lowered and shifting gaze, and chuckled softly, “Okay, then I’ll take your good words.” 

“Cousin.” 

Yu Zhao stared at the tall figure in the moonlight through the broken walls. 

Among the broken walls, the cold and stern man rode on a war horse, wearing purple clothes and silver armor, with a red-tasseled silver spear inserted behind him. The tassels of the red cherry seemed to be stained with the color of blood, floating quickly and slowly in the wind, exuding a cold light. 

She recognized him. 

He was the friend of her deceased cousin, Wang Yulou. 

Xie’s third son, Xie Qi, Xie Feiheng. 

This scene was very similar to the first time she saw him. 

That day, he stood under the waterside pavilion, arms folded, watching the lake from afar, chatting and laughing with Wang Yulou, only leaving her a back view. And she secretly watched him from the rockery. 

Over time, he really became the general feared by the world, and she also married and became a widow. 

She still had to watch his back from afar like this. 

He never wanted to follow her wishes and call her by another name. He only wanted to call her cousin, with that light and teasing tone, as if on purpose.