She turned to look outside the pavilion, a branch with new buds reached right in front of her.

The dots of fresh green on the dry branch seemed to touch her heart for a moment. Liang Ying unconsciously reached out, her fingers gently stroking it.

She suddenly remembered that although she had been away from the palace for so long, she had never really looked at the sky outside the palace, the scenery outside the palace, she had never thought about… life outside the palace.

Her time seemed to have stopped the moment she left the palace.

Liang Ying recalled the day Wei Yan established the empress. She stood among the crowd, watching the emperor and empress on the palace walls receive the worship of the people.

The Xiao party, which had disrupted the court, had fallen. It was a time of universal celebration. Liang Ying could hear their laughter, and colorful fireworks bloomed in the air. Her eyesight wasn’t that good, so she couldn’t see the expressions and faces of the people on the city walls.

But just the two figures in bright yellow were enough to make people feel how well-matched they were. She could even imagine the affectionate smiles on the emperor and empress’ faces.

That was also a scene she had once fantasized about, except the main characters were different.

Look, Liang Ying unconsciously clenched her hand, and the branch in her hand curved along with her movement. He lived so freely and unrestrainedly, why should she feel so sorry for herself?

Like a poor wretch.

A longing for life ignited in Liang Ying’s heart at that moment.

But… only for a moment. She quickly deflated again, releasing her hand, shrinking back into her shell.

For a long time after that, Zhou Huailin was with her. Their relationship could not be accurately defined, and no one thought deeply about it. Most of the time, they just quietly stayed together.

When she was in a daze, Zhou Huailin would read a book beside her. When she went out for a walk, Zhou Huailin would follow her at a distance of two steps… day after day.

Later, Liang Ying would think that this man had never said a word of encouragement or comfort, never taught or advised her on how to do things, he just let her be, letting Liang Ying struggle to get out of her haze.

But for Liang Ying at that time, it was the best company.

***

Liang Ying and Qingzhi made an appointment at the entrance of a teahouse in the capital…

Zhou Qingzhi didn’t like drinking tea.  The appointment there was probably purely because it was easy to find.

Sure enough, as soon as Liang Ying arrived, she saw a woman in a light blue dress waving from afar, “Sister-in-law, over here!”

Her face was full of smiles, she waved and came towards her, completely ignoring the strange looks from the people around her, just like she was at the Zhou residence.

The corners of Liang Ying’s lips curled up.

Although they had exchanged letters, what was written on paper was ultimately not reassuring. Now that she saw her again, she was still as innocent and carefree as when she got married, which showed that she had married a good man.

“Oh my!” As soon as she got closer, Qingzhi immediately took her arm, with a hint of resentment on her face, “Sister-in-law, you really treat me as an outsider. I only just found out you came to the capital. How could you not come to find me first when you arrived? Am I still your dearest sister?”

In stark contrast to her cousin, Qingzhi was particularly talkative. Liang Ying listened to her complain as soon as they met.

When Zhou Qingzhi finally stopped, thinking why her sister-in-law hadn’t reacted at all, she realized that she was still holding her sister-in-law’s hand, so she quickly let go.

Liang Ying, now free to use her hands, signed to her, “I dare not disturb Madam Hanlin.”

Qingzhi could understand sign language. To be precise, everyone in the Zhou family, including the servants, more or less understood some.

Liang Ying still didn’t know how Zhou Huailin did it. Oh, Qingzhi did tell her that she herself was coaxed by her cousin with many treasures, because she could receive rewards from her cousin every day for her achievements.

Qingzhi patted her and laughed, “Alright, you can still tease me.” She was actually very easygoing and wouldn’t really care about these things, so she let it go with a humph, then said, “You don’t know, my cousin, after he knew I had made an appointment with you, he gave me three strict orders.”

She deliberately lowered her voice, her expression turning serious, imitating Zhou Huailin’s speech, “Your sister-in-law’s health isn’t good, don’t tire her out.”

“She likes quiet, don’t bother her too much.”

“Oh my,” Zhou Qingzhi imitated two sentences and then shook her head, “Look how nervous he is! And before that, when he first let you meet us, he was so nagging, I suspected that my cousin had been possessed. He’s never said so many words to me since I was little. I thought my sister-in-law was some kind of porcelain doll that would break if touched.”

With Qingzhi around, it would never be quiet, but Liang Ying liked her liveliness, so she listened to her speak at a rapid pace.

“But…” Zhou Qingzhi said that her cousin was still very concerned about Liang Ying’s condition, “Sister-in-law, has your leg ailment recurred?”

“It’s much better these days.” Liang Ying replied.

Zhou Qingzhi helped her and laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ve already checked out the streets yesterday, I’ve picked out some jewelry, you can just choose.”

She didn’t dare let Liang Ying walk too long.

Liang Ying didn’t object. She wasn’t familiar with the capital, so she let Qingzhi lead the way into a jewelry store.

“Madam Lin is here!” As soon as they entered, the shopkeeper greeted them enthusiastically.

Those who could open such a large jewelry store in the capital were naturally shrewd, and were very familiar with various ladies and young ladies, especially since Zhou Qingzhi was a regular customer.

Qingzhi was also familiar with the place, “Shopkeeper, keep the Ziyan Pavilion I booked, right?”

“Yes! Yes! This way, please.” As he led the way, he subtly glanced at Liang Ying twice before quickly averting his gaze.

She looked unfamiliar. He wondered who she was.

“In this Linglong Building, you just need to sit in the private room, and they will bring the latest gold and silver jewelry for you to choose from.” Then he lowered his voice, “This is the treatment for VIPs.”