When An Zi yuan burst in, the Emperor Yan Jing was reviewing imperial edicts. He hadn’t even raised his eyes when he heard the sound of clashing weapons outside. By the time he lifted his gaze, the door had already been forcefully slammed open, and the eunuch was rushing to intervene, saying, “Your Grace, the Emperor is—” Before he could finish, An Zi yuan had already stepped forward, close enough to reach, and even before Emperor Yan Jing had fully recovered from the sudden scene, An Zi yuan had seized his collar with one hand, his voice cold and sharp: “Where is she?” Anzi yuan’s sudden movement startled the attendants and guards, who held their swords but hesitated to advance. Emperor Yan Jing quickly grasped the meaning behind An Zi yuan’s question, and with a calm command, he said, “Retreat,” then turned to face An Zi yuan, his voice steady and composed: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” An Zi yuan tightened his grip on the Emperor’s collar, his tone growing colder: “Where is Yun Rao?” The Emperor studied An Zi yuan’s eyes for a long moment, noting the growing frost in his gaze, and furrowed his brows slightly: “ "Having said that, An Ziyou's throat tightened slightly, yet his expression remained unchanged, and he continued to fix his gaze on him: "An Zimù, where did you obtain the medicine you gave to Zi Mo?" Yan Jing the Emperor remained composed: "The young lady delivered it to me one year ago." He then added: "Ziyou, when the young lady was confined in the Heavenly Prison, she had already lost hope of living. She did not wish to see you sacrifice your life for hers. At that time, she requested that I, once the cause was thoroughly investigated, send her out of the palace, and she presented me with this packet of medicine—her intention being that, should she pass away, you would forget her entirely. However, I did not fully consider the matter, and the Heavenly Prison caught fire." "Regarding the fire!" An Ziyou asked. At the time, the Emperor had reported that the fire was deliberately set by the assassins, who sought to rescue the prisoners held in the prison and had even cut several people down in the process. Whether this was truly the case, only the Emperor himself knew for certain. If he had intended it deliberately, why would he have left An Zi yuan's gaze grew colder, with a deeper glint in his eyes. As he was about to speak, he was abruptly blocked by Yun Qingqing and An Mu Chen, who had rushed in urgently. "Zi yuan, what are you doing?" An Mu Chen's voice carried a weight, though he found it difficult to remain composed seeing Zi yuan's actions—after all, An Ziyu was the sovereign of the realm, and such behavior now seemed out of place. Yun Qingqing hurried over to gently pull An Zi yuan's hand. An Zi yuan cast a cold glance toward the Emperor Yan Jing, then withdrew his hand. "I will find out the truth!" He turned and walked away. Yun Qingqing looked apologetically at Emperor Yan Jing. "Zi Mu, please don't mind. You know how he is..." "I know," the Emperor interrupted, taking a deep breath. "It's my fault. I won't hold it against Zi yuan. You may rest assured." Until he found Yun Rao, he simply couldn't reveal the truth. If she were already gone, it would be as though he had once again plunged him into despair. ——— An Zi-yuan stayed in his room for a full day, and on the next morning, suddenly announced his intention to depart to Yunze, bidding farewell to Yun Qingqing and An Mu-chen. His decision came unexpectedly, leaving both Yun Qingqing and An Mu-chen startled and worried—fearing he might have second thoughts, since Yunze was Yun Rao’s hometown, and now going there would surely bring them concern. An Zi-yuan gave a slight tug at his lips, forcing out a smile: “You needn’t worry. I’m fine. I simply want to go out and take a walk.” Though, he realized, it had been many years since he had ever visited or seen the place where she once lived. Yun Qingqing glanced at him and nodded: “A walk outside would be good.” Then she instructed Wuxiang to follow him closely. An Zi-yuan proceeded directly to Yunze, traveling straight from Cangzhou into the capital of Yunze, Chengzhong. The once-grand Ruijing Prince’s Palace had long since faded away, following the massacre that night—the gates now stood broken, overgrown with weeds and wild grass. An Zi yuan had once arranged an investigation into the events of that time, and it turned out that the families of Rui Jing and Rui Zhen were merely pawns in the power struggle—each family's members had fallen victim to internal strife, their kinship lines severed. Yun Ze Ming's true aim had been to eliminate the roots of opposition and secure lasting peace. Rui Jing's court had only Yun Rao as a marquis daughter, and Rui Zhen's court had only Su Ran and one other brother whose fate remained unknown. By the night of the sudden upheaval, the wings of both families had been completely eradicated. The principle of "the victor becomes king, the vanquished become mere spoils" had thus been fully realized. An Zi yuan drew his gaze from the empty mountain and looked at him, softly replied, "Hmm." Together, they stepped into the inn at the foot of the mountain. An Zi yuan's expression remained unchanged, yet the stillness of his gaze slightly narrowed as he fixed his eyes on the woman at the counter. Wuxiang whispered, "Sir?" An Zi yuan made a gesture, silencing him. Qu Xiaoman's thoughts were entirely with the storekeeper and she hadn't glanced around, having handed over the incense and received her payment before stepping out the door. An Zi yuan suddenly rose, "Follow me!" Wuxiang followed suit. With their strong internal energy and skill in concealing their presence, Qu Xiaoman, noticing the sky growing dark, was busy making her way back and failed to notice anyone trailing behind—thus, they walked steadily all the way back. When they reached the small village nestled deep within the empty mountain, they stopped before a modest cottage with a courtyard. Qu Xiaoman pushed open the courtyard gate, her voice bright, "I'm back." "I came back so quickly today." A soft, slightly languid voice drifted from the courtyard, unpretentious and familiar—so familiar that Unchanging suddenly widened his eyes, instinctively turning back to An Ziyuan. An Ziyuan, too, seemed to have stiffened in place, his refined features expressing a demeanor Unchanging suddenly found himself unable to describe. As the courtyard gate opened and then closed again, An Ziyuan raised his hand, applying a steady, unhurried force that held the gate ajar. To Qu Xiao Man's astonishment, An Ziyuan slowly stepped out from beneath the nearby tree trunk. "What's wrong?" Yun Rao asked Qu Xiao Man, who had remained motionless, frowning. As she reached to move closer, she suddenly caught the two sets of eyes from outside through the gap in the door—her smile briefly froze. An Ziyuan fixed his gaze on her, the two lines of sight seeming to drill through her, his thin lips nearly pressed into a sharp, straight line. Yun Rao quickly recovered, offering a gentle smile and a polite greeting, her voice soft: "An Ziyuan!"