After the divorce, I was adorned in a phoenix robe, while my ex-husband's entire family dug up

Lu Zhufeng's expression also turned cold.

The two faced off like this. Pei Yi's eyes were filled with a reckless, all-consuming rage, while Lu Zhufeng seemed less confident.

Although he has been promoted, no matter how much he is promoted, Pei Yi is still a prince, and he will never be able to surpass him.

Seeing Pei Yi like this, she was still unsure of herself, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything more.

"Are you fucking mute?" Pei Yi narrowed his eyes, slowly walked forward, and drew the sword from his waist, placing it against Lu Zhufeng's neck.

Wei Zhaoning squeezed in from the tense standoff between the two and said, "Stop."

Pei Yi's eyes were bloodshot as he slowly turned to look at her, the sword in his hand never leaving Lu Zhufeng's neck.

Wei Zhaoning clenched the handkerchief in her hand. "I did it voluntarily. You, you let him go."

She didn't want to say it, and she didn't dare to look Pei Yi in the eye, but given Pei Yi's personality, no one who had ever offended him in his life had ever survived. If Lu Zhufeng died, even the channels for obtaining information would be blocked.

The hem of the dark brocade robe, still holding the curve of the wind, froze in an instant.

He stared blankly at the person in front of him, his thin lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound. His throat felt like it was blocked with a wad of hot cotton, both dry and hoarse.

Those eyes, usually sharp as a hawk's, were now veiled with a layer of bewildered confusion.

He didn't believe a single word Qin Jingshu said, nor did he want to believe a single word. He felt that Wei Zhaoning must have been threatened and forced into it.

But these words spoken by Wei Zhaoning were like a thunderbolt, shattering the last shred of stubbornness and persistence in his heart.

Wei Zhaoning's throat tightened, but she bit her lip to suppress her emotions, staring straight ahead, and said coldly, "Your Highness, we made a deal, have you forgotten?"

Looking at this scene, Lu Zhufeng felt a sense of pleasure. He pushed away the sword that the Regent had placed against his neck, took a step back, and curled a sarcastic smile on his lips.

Wei Zhaoning's voice, devoid of any warmth, continued to ring in my ears.

"I'm with you only to find a way to survive. Now that you're struggling to take care of yourself, I'm looking for another way out. I'm being pathetic. Yes, I'm afraid of death, so afraid that I'd give up my dignity. But between us, it's just a relationship of mutual benefit. The boundaries between you and me are clear, there's no need to go to such lengths."

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Even if she didn't say that, the Regent would still try to find a way to bring her back to the palace. This relationship couldn't be broken, and both of them were in a precarious situation.

She glanced at Pei Yi, the candlelight flickering in the hall, reflecting his suddenly pale face. His usual decisiveness, dignified composure, and majesty had all collapsed at this moment, leaving only disbelief in his heart, like a dull knife slowly and deliberately cutting into his internal organs.

Finally, she said, "Therefore, Your Highness, please return and do not disturb us any further. Thank you very much."

After saying that, she could no longer stand. If Dongxu hadn't been supporting her, she would have collapsed. She held on, using her last bit of strength to maintain this facade of indifference.

She hadn't expected the Regent to react so strongly. Didn't he prefer men? Was her departure or not really that important to him?

It's hard to explain, hard to figure out, but the subtle feeling between the two of them can't be ignored. It's as if beneath their skin, two hearts beat as if they can't live without each other, sometimes close, sometimes far. If they say it out loud, they'll ruin it, but if they pretend not to know, they can't ignore it.

But now it's all over. Cut it off completely. If you can't sort it out, just cut it off. That's the end of it, and everyone can be at peace.

Pei Yi slowly closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a light shadow beneath them. His shoulders trembled slightly, an expression of extreme sorrow, a kind of suppressed pain that made even his breathing feel dull and painful. It was as if an ice pick had been plunged deep into his heart, leaving him with no strength to pull it out.

Finally, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his jaw tightened into a line.

"You, really, with him."

He couldn't even pronounce the sentence properly.

It hurts too much.

Wei Zhaoning: "Mm."

After saying that, she threw the blood-stained handkerchief in front of Pei Yi.

"Your Highness, that's enough. Please don't bother us anymore."

The deal is void. We'll continue as before, keeping to ourselves.

Pei Yi's eyes grew increasingly red, and it seemed as if a tear was sliding down his cheek, but Wei Zhaoning couldn't see it clearly.

"Do you love him?"

Wei Zhaoning swallowed hard. "I love it."

"Seven years of relationship, does Your Highness think I can let go? I'm just an ordinary person, a person of flesh and blood. I can't let go. I want to come back, let's settle things. You should leave, I'm begging you."

A metallic taste rose in Pei Yi's throat. He gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood, but couldn't stop trembling all over. Suppressed sobs escaped his throat, broken and incoherent, like a trapped beast on the verge of death, even its roars filled with despair.

Finally, he couldn't remember how he left the Marquis's residence.

After he left, Wei Zhaoning couldn't hold on any longer and went back to her room. She collapsed onto the bed, looking like a soulless person with lifeless eyes. She wanted to just drift off to sleep and not think about anything.

Pei Yi truly kept his word; he never appeared before Wei Zhaoning again, as if he had vanished into thin air.

The only news was what Lu Zhufeng talked about every day after court: the Regent hadn't attended court for a long time.

Every time Wei Zhaoning heard these messages, it felt like being slowly tortured to death. Pei Yi's bloodshot eyes were still vivid in her mind's eye, and these words were like a dull knife, cutting into her flesh piece by piece, causing her waves of dull pain and torment.

All she could do was try her best to maintain a calm facade, clinging tightly to the mask—it was the last thing she could do.

After that, Lu Zhufeng always came to her place, but she always managed to get rid of him with drugs. When Lu Zhufeng was sober, Wei Zhaoning would force a smile and say things to please him against her will.

Lu Zhufeng gradually relaxed his guard against her, as if he had come to believe that Wei Zhaoning really couldn't bear to part with him and truly loved him.

Therefore, Wei Zhaoning now has the right to go out on her own.

"I won't be spending these next few days with you. Jia Ruo just gave birth. Even if she wronged you before, don't hold it against her. Your social statuses are so different, it wouldn't be right for me to favor you outwardly," Lu Zhufeng said.

Wei Zhaoning didn't take it to heart. "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

Wei Jia gave birth to a girl, which disappointed the whole family. However, at least it meant the family line had been extended, and no one in the Marquis's mansion said anything unpleasant.

She suffered a lot from childbirth and was in postpartum confinement, so she had almost no chance to see Wei Zhaoning, which made Wei Zhaoning feel a little more relaxed for the time being.

Just then, Dongxu said, "Miss, there's news about that person. He wants to meet you at the teahouse."

My nerves, which had just relaxed, snapped back to their limit. "Change your clothes."