The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Shen Qingruo did not cry or make a scene, did not question anyone, and did not even send anyone to the Emperor and Empress to complain.

She simply fell ill quietly, three days after the imperial genealogy ceremony, like a flower branch broken by wind and snow.

When the news first reached the Jiaofang Palace, Empress Wulan was removing her makeup in front of the mirror. Upon hearing this, she paused for a moment, then ordered the imperial physician to be sent to treat her as usual, without taking it too seriously.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wangxi simply nodded indifferently, showing no further concern.

They all thought it was just a common cold.

That child was always quiet and reserved, and seemed to be a little weak. He would be fine after a few days of rest.

Two days later, the imperial physician came to report in person with a solemn expression.

At that time, Shen Wangxi had already rested in Jiaofang Palace, and the Emperor and Empress were preparing to retire for the night.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the Imperial Physician has important matters to report!"

Empress Wulan put on her outer robe, frowned as she looked at Shen Wangxi, who gestured for her to enter.

The imperial physician knelt outside the palace, his voice filled with fear: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, Princess Qingruo's illness is not a common cold."

"After carefully examining the princess's pulse, I found that it was weak and thready, indicating a deficiency of vital energy. It seems that she has been depressed and worried for a long time, which has already depleted her foundation."

"This cold is merely the trigger; the body is now at its last gasp, a sign of exhaustion..."

"What?" Empress Wulan was stunned. The jade comb in her hand fell to the ground. She subconsciously looked at Shen Wangxi.

Shen Wangxi sat on the edge of the couch, her hands on her knees slowly tightening.

die?

He never imagined that his frail little daughter would suddenly be associated with this word.

She was only sixteen years old.

The women around him, whether as radiant as Wulan Yun or as vibrant as Shen Jingyan, were like the most resilient grass on the grassland, unyielding to wind or rain.

Shen Wangxi was so used to their resilience that she couldn't understand how someone could be driven to the end of their life just because they were depressed and had a minor cold.

Shen Wangxi suddenly remembered the feeling of him holding her in his arms that day at the palace wall.

So light, so soft, it seemed as if it would shatter if you applied too much force.

He should have known.

I knew her body couldn't withstand the strain, and I knew what a fragile and sensitive heart lay hidden beneath her seemingly compliant quiet.

At the time, he just felt that once he was brought back and settled, everything would be fine.

He has a wife who needs his care, a beloved daughter who needs his path paved, and a vast new dynasty that needs stability.

Once again, he habitually ignored her.

But he never intended for her to die.

A strange sense of guilt slowly crept over Shen Wangxi's heart once again.

He watched her being held hostage before his eyes, a knife to her neck, and then personally pulled her back from the brink of death. Was it all so that she would die quietly in the cold palace?

"Your Majesty?" Ulan Yun looked at him for a long time without speaking, and tentatively called out.

Shen Wangxi slowly raised his eyes, his voice low and unreadable: "Prepare the carriage for Qingyi Palace."

Wulan Yun looked at Shen Wangxi and subconsciously said, "Your Majesty, I will accompany you..."

"No need," Shen Wangxi interrupted her. He never demanded that his empress be magnanimous and virtuous, especially when it came to Yun Wan's daughter.

He walked out of the palace alone, his figure disappearing into the night.

Inside Qingyi Palace, the sleeping quarters were filled with the smell of medicine.

Shen Qingruo lay on the bed, her face pale, with only the faint breaths from her nostrils proving that she was still alive.

"Aruo, he's here, he's really here!" Xiao Jiu excitedly whispered in her mind, "The Weakness Pill is so effective, it even fooled the imperial physician."

Shen Qingruo's consciousness was hazy, yet her mind was coldly clear.

She knew she had made the right bet.

Shen Wangxi could ignore a lively and energetic daughter, but he could not accept a daughter who had been neglected to death by him, especially since she had only recently been brought back from an enemy country by him.

The footsteps approached from afar, steady and powerful, and stopped beside the bed.

Shen Qingruo frowned slightly at the opportune moment, uttering a painful murmur: "Cold..."

Her voice was soft and gentle, soothing the listener's heart.

Shen Wangxi looked down at the person on the bed.

She was even more frail than he remembered, buried in a thick brocade quilt, with hardly any movement in her body.

He recalled that a year ago, she was dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling in the corner of the negotiation tent, just like that, so quiet that she was almost invisible.

He decided her fate with just two words.

"you go."

Now, it seems she will once again fade into obscurity because of his neglect.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice colder than usual, addressing the trembling imperial physician waiting nearby.

The imperial physician bowed immediately: "Your Majesty, Princess's previous worries have damaged her health and weakened her constitution. This cold has triggered her old ailment, and it is flaring up fiercely. We have done our best to administer medicine, but the princess's will to live seems quite weak."

Weak will to survive.

Shen Wangxi's gaze fell back on Shen Qingruo's face. Was it because she felt there was nothing left to cherish in life?

He ignored her in the desert, suffered injustice in Daliang, and upon her return, she was still forgotten in this cold and desolate palace.

He never imagined that this seemingly gentle daughter could be so resolute inside.

Shen Wangxi bent down, reached out, and touched her forehead.

The skin my fingertips touched was scalding hot, yet incredibly smooth.

Shen Qingruo seemed to be disturbed by him, and moved uneasily. Her long, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes with difficulty, opening them only a crack.

Her eyes were unfocused, misty with tears, as she stared blankly at him.

"Father?" she murmured, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Shen Wangxi's fingers froze in mid-air.

She looked at him, and in her watery eyes, there was no resentment, no blame, only the same longing as always.

Shen Qingruo looked at his aloof and incomparably cold face so close to hers, her heart turning cold, but her face remained expressionless as she whispered softly, "Aruo, are you dreaming again...?"

Before she could finish speaking, her eyelashes closed weakly, and she drifted into a deep sleep once more.

A single tear slid down her cheek and disappeared into her temple.

Shen Wangxi stared at the trace of that teardrop, remaining bent over for a long time without moving.

Only the occasional soft popping of candlelight remained in the bedchamber.

He straightened up and said to the imperial physician, "Use the best medicine. My princess must live."