Before leaving, Gu Yu turned back for a moment and saw Wen Yuruo’s face full of grievance.

She couldn’t help but frown.

The previous night, Wen Yuruo had sent Wen Yuesheng a letter, explaining that she hadn’t meant to take her sister’s phoenix hairpin.

If Wen Yuesheng was upset, she was willing to return it.

However, today, Wen Yuruo was wearing that very same hairpin, openly flaunting it in public.

This made Gu Yu reflect on the past.

Everyone used to say the Princess was constantly targeting her, but if she thought carefully, how many times had she, in turn, provoked the Princess?

Just because she was frail and gentle, everyone saw her as kind and innocent, and she had always blamed all the faults on the Princess.

Now, looking back, how could the troubles between them be entirely one person’s fault? It was just that from the Princess’s residence to the Duke’s house, even up to the people in the palace, everyone had favored Wen Yuruo.

That night, the rain poured down heavily, the heaviest rain in recent days.

The rain came down in sheets, accompanied by howling winds, washing over the eaves of the palace buildings.

In the deafening roar of the rain, Xiao Jin’s retainer stood waiting outside the palace gates, waiting for a long time, until he finally saw the drenched Xiao Jin approaching.

He was soaked through, and in the rain-soaked night, his eyes carried a profound sense of exhaustion.

The retainer’s heart skipped a beat.

He hurriedly grabbed a cloak and an oiled paper umbrella from the carriage and rushed to hold the umbrella over Xiao Jin.

However, the prince pushed him away with a single motion.

“Your Highness…” The retainer’s voice was lost in the dark night.

Xiao Jin didn’t get into the carriage but instead mounted his horse directly.

With the torrential rain pouring down and the retainer calling after him, he rode straight toward the Princess’s residence.

The gate of the Princess’s residence was the same as it had been for the past several years, but something felt different.

The doorman, who was unfamiliar to him, greeted him with a cold attitude.

When he expressed his wish to meet the Princess, the doorman said, “It’s late, the Princess is already resting. Please come back another day.”

Xiao Jin stood in silence for a long time, staring at the closed gate.

His eyes grew deep and dark.

The dull ache in his chest suddenly flared up, as he realized—his engagement had been annulled.

There was no longer any connection between them.

He was no longer the person who could come to the Princess’s residence at any time, to have her eagerly greet him with joy.

He closed his eyes.

As the First Prince and the noble Prince of Yong’an, it was the first time he had felt the impulse to beg.

But he didn’t speak, nor did he leave.

He simply stood in the pouring rain, watching the gate disappear into the darkness.

In the stormy night, the gate looked like a dormant beast, one that could easily swallow him whole.

The rain eventually began to subside, and by dawn, when the first light appeared in the east, the doorman opened the gate again.

When he saw Xiao Jin still standing outside, he was startled.

He quickly entered to report, only to return not long after.

His eyes now carried a tinge of pity as he looked at Xiao Jin. “Your Highness, please return. The Princess will not see guests.”

Pity?

Xiao Jin almost laughed.

The great Prince of Yong’an, reduced to the point where even the servants pitied him.

Exhausted from a full day and night of travel, his body was on the verge of collapse.

Even so, he still couldn’t bring himself to take another step.

He wanted to wait a little longer.

If he really collapsed right here, would she perhaps look at him just once more?

Now, he was left to rely on her mercy—or perhaps her pity—to grant him a single meeting.

But as the morning light fully arrived and the once quiet Princess’s residence became bustling with activity, Xiao Jin received no news.

The gate creaked open again, and he looked up, only to see a face that was unfamiliar to him.

It wasn’t her.

Zhou Manniang looked at the Prince of Yong’an, who had once been so dignified and aloof, now drenched, his eyes bloodshot, clothes wrinkled, and clearly exhausted.

Her steps faltered.

“The Princess had no intention of meeting with you, Your Highness.” Her voice was soft, but there was no warmth in it. “Even if you were to die at the gate, you wouldn’t set foot inside the Princess’s residence.”

“However, I have taken the liberty of coming out to see you.” She paused slightly, meeting his gaze firmly. “Manniang thinks some things should be said clearly.”

Xiao Jin quietly stared at the woman in front of him.

His faint impressions of her were from when Wen Yuesheng had protected her multiple times during palace banquets.

At that time, Zhou Manniang was still timid, trembling, unable to speak a single word in such grand occasions.

And now, after spending only a short time by her side, she had changed into someone so different.

Zhou Manniang handed him a letter.

Xiao Jin took it and immediately recognized the familiar handwriting on the envelope.

It was Wen Yuruo’s writing.

“This letter was sent by the person you have always held dear, two nights ago,” Zhou Manniang said, pausing before adding, “This is not the first letter, but it will likely be the last.”

“Your Highness indulged her, favored her, and ignored your fiancée. You should have anticipated this day.”

“Compared to the grievances the Princess has suffered in the past, what’s happening now?” She lifted her head, her once-shy eyes now calm and full of resolve. “Not cherishing something when you had it, and regretting it only after losing it… Manniang believes such behavior is no different from self-degradation.”

“Princess, you don’t need late-found affection. The gates of the Princess’s residence will no longer open to Prince Yong’an. The engagement has been annulled. The prince does not care for his reputation, but we, the Princess, still value ours.”

“Man Niang won’t send you off.” With a slight nod toward him, she turned and ordered, “Close the gate.”

The heavy gates closed once more, right in front of Xiao Jin.

Clutching the letter tightly, his hand trembled, veins standing out on the back of his hand.

For the first time, he felt the weight of overwhelming humiliation, anger, and a deep sense of unspoken disappointment.

These emotions seemed to consume him entirely.

When someone finally left the residence, the doorman glanced up to see that the figure who had stood outside all night was no longer there.

Meanwhile, inside the residence, Wen Yuesheng had just gotten up and gone to the study to read.

She put down the “Great Hui Geography Records” when she heard a knock on the door.

It was Lu Hongying who entered.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.

“Princess, I want to learn martial arts from you.”

Wen Yuesheng gently propped her chin and looked at her.

Lu Hongying’s appearance was quite similar to her brother Lu Qinghuai, though a bit softer and more youthful.

She was a beautiful young lady in the prime of her life.

But now, she had clearly made up her mind, her voice steady as she said, “The Lu family has always been a family of military officers. My father and older brothers are all warriors.”

Her eyes shone with determination. “I don’t want to hide behind them anymore. I want to go to the battlefield and protect my country.”

“I don’t want to see my family suffer, whether from injury or illness. I want to fight to help them.”

The recent events with her brother Lu Qinghuai had truly shaken her.

But more than that, they had ignited a deep desire to gain her own strength to protect her family.

It was a desire not unlike the one Wen Yuesheng must have felt.

“You can,” Wen Yuesheng responded, before Lu Hongying could even finish her speech.

Lu Hongying froze for a moment, looking up in surprise.

Wen Yuesheng sat in the sunlight, wearing a simple white dress, her features as beautiful as a painting.

If there were ever a celestial being captured in a painting, it would look just like Wen Yuesheng.

“You can practice with Zhang Yulin every day. And in your spare time,” Wen Yuesheng pulled out a piece of rice paper from beneath the desk and laid it in front of Lu Hongying. “You can try making this.”

Lu Hongying unfolded the paper, her eyes brightening at once.

The excitement she felt was a reaction to seeing something she was truly passionate about, not just the determined look from before.

“Princess, what is this?”

“Blueprints,” Wen Yuesheng replied. “Some basic weapon component designs that I remember.”

“This is the simplest one. I’ll give you seven days. If you can make it, you’ll get the next blueprint.”

“Okay!” Lu Hongying answered without hesitation.

Then, a thought occurred to her, and she asked, “But won’t this interfere with martial arts training?”

“Also… how did you know I like these things?”

Wen Yuesheng glanced to the side, and Lu Hongying instinctively followed her gaze.

There, she spotted the dagger Wen Yuesheng had made for Lu Qinghuai.

Or rather, the remains of the dagger—now utterly ruined and unusable.

Wen Yuesheng’s voice was calm as she said, “Your brother has a lot of free time.”

Lu Hongying: …

Her brother had more than just “free time.”

Just then, loud cries were heard from outside.

“Ahh! Zhou Man Niang, be gentler, my hand’s going to break! Ahhh! Sister, save me!”

Zhou Man Niang’s voice was soft but clear, “Don’t move. If you do, you won’t need your right hand anymore.”

Lu Qinghuai: “Hiss… you’re even more ruthless than Wen Yuesheng.”

Zhou Man Niang asked, “How did you offend the Princess?”

Lu Qinghuai: “I didn’t offend her! I was just… challenging her normally. Who knew she’d come and break my hand immediately?”

Lu Hongying: …

Well, at least her brother was creative.

Despite the commotion outside, Lu Hongying received something very interesting.

She looked down at the blueprint in her hands, growing more fond of it with every passing second.

Wen Yuesheng spoke again, “If you can make it, it will help your father and brothers in the future.”

Lu Hongying’s eyes shone even brighter as she listened.

She immediately treasured the blueprint, carefully tucking it away.

Then, Wen Yuesheng added, “From now on, not just you, but Man Niang, Gu Yu, Xia Zhi…” She paused slightly. “Zhao Mama.”

“Everyone in the residence who wants to learn martial arts can join in.”

Everyone’s physical constitution is different, and not everyone will become like Zhang Yulin.

But the basics of strengthening one’s body and learning life-saving techniques are still valuable.

Especially since Wen Yuesheng only taught lethal moves.

Lu Hongying immediately agreed, “Alright!”

Then Wen Yuesheng said, “The first practice partner will be your brother.”

After all, he really did have a lot of free time.

Outside, Lu Qinghuai sneezed loudly and called out, “Who’s insulting me?!”