She refused to marry.

"Your Majesty, this humble woman is afraid of pain..." Su Wanwan pursed her lips.

Could it be a slow slicing execution?

The fear from the previous eighteen times suddenly overwhelmed him, and he involuntarily took a step back.

"Is there someone behind all this?" Xiao Xuanjing took a step forward, his tone grim.

"No." Su Wanwan felt a lingering fear in her heart; the coldness in the emperor's eyes made her involuntarily take a step back.

"Why would you scheme against the Eldest Princess?" Xiao Xuanjing's voice was icy as he pressed closer.

"I had no choice but to retreat. I have no ill intentions toward the Princess..." Su Wanwan continued to back away.

"Forced to do it?" Xiao Xuanjing continued forward, his tone terrifyingly grim. "Miss Su has no excuse?"

Su Wanwan was forced into a corner with nowhere to retreat, and Feng Chenjun's face loomed large before her eyes.

The killing intent in those eyes had begun to surge.

Su Wanwan bit her lip, trying to force out a few tears that welled up in her eyes. She tilted her head back, feeling the emperor's breath on her nose, and her voice choked with emotion.

"This humble woman admires Your Majesty, nothing more..."

Xiao Xuanjing frowned.

Time seemed to stand still.

Even the guards on patrol outside slowed their pace.

"This humble woman admires Your Majesty and cannot control her feelings. This is my fault, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me leniently." Su Wanwan tried her best to control her emotions, and tears streamed down her face.

Xiao Xuanjing turned around coldly, "Someone, tell Magistrate Su that your daughter should temporarily stay at the Princess's residence and await the Princess's return to await her judgment."

Su Wanwan was taken to that secluded house again.

The yard looked like it hadn't been lived in for ten years; the grass was taller than knee-high.

The room was covered in cobwebs and dust. Except for a newly thrown-in quilt, the rest of the room was covered in dust.

It was quiet all around.

Outside the courtyard, people occasionally move about.

She sat under a pillar by the door, her feet resting on the steps.

He sighed and counted dozens of leaves.

"Life, death, life, death, life, death...death..."

"Wanwan..."

A familiar voice came from the doorway.

She looked up and saw her father sitting in a wheelchair, holding a ruler in his hand.

"Father!" Su Wanwan gathered her skirt, ran to the door, and knelt down at her father's feet.

"You've gone too far!" Su Tailing scolded.

When the ruler struck her forehead, Su Wanwan grabbed it and pleaded.

"Father, I'll never do it again!"

"What else wouldn't you dare to do, causing such a colossal disaster! The sealing off of the Princess's residence—such a momentous event—and you were the one who started it all."

Despite her anger, Su Tailing couldn't bring herself to hit her daughter's little face.

"Dad, don't be angry, I was wrong." Su Wanwan pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"Is this wrong? If the Princess holds us accountable, the entire Su family will be buried with us." Su Tailing's voice trembled.

Su Wanwan knelt down, extended her palm, and said, "Father, I know I was wrong, and I will never dare to do it again."

The ruler struck her palm with a "smack, smack," quickly turning it into bruises.

Despite her reluctance, Su Tailing still beat him up in front of others.

Lord Fengchen has spoken: this great calamity will not be punished out of respect for Lord Su.

It's impossible to take her back now, so she'll be kept in the manor for the time being.

We'll await the Princess's return and her decision.

This parting may be forever.

After finishing, he held his daughter in his arms again.

The father and daughter chatted for a while.

The servants urged them repeatedly before they finally parted with reluctance.

"Father, take care." Su Wanwan stood at the door, watching her father walk away, wiping away her tears.

My hands were burning with pain; this time, Dad was truly angry.

Walking back to the door, Su Wanwan dampened a handkerchief with water, wrapped it around her wound, lay down by the door, gazed at the blue sky and white clouds, took deep breaths, and enjoyed her last moments.

If the eldest princess were to return, she feared she wouldn't even be able to leave behind a complete corpse.

For the next few days, someone would bring three steamed buns into the courtyard every day, enough to keep her from starving but not enough to fill her stomach.

Three days later.

The weather suddenly turned cold, and a strong wind picked up in the yard.

In the middle of the night, she was too cold to sleep and curled up in a corner.

Suddenly, a muffled groan was heard.

She picked up the stick, quietly walked to the door, pushed it open, and found it completely dark and empty.

Cautiously peeking out, I saw what appeared to be a dark, huddled mass on the ground in the distance...

Su Wanwan slowly approached, and upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a person.

She kicked it with her foot, but there was no response.

I checked his breathing; he was alive, though very weak.

It's freezing cold right now, so pulling this person's clothes off will be a good way to warm up.

"Brave warrior, may I borrow your clothes for a moment..."

So, taking advantage of the darkness, he reached out and untied the man's belt.

A wet, sticky substance got on her hand, and Su Wanwan leaned closer to smell it.

It smells bloody; it's blood.

Su Wanwan got goosebumps all over her body.

Is he an assassin?

Su Wanwan took a step back.

Suddenly, he was so happy that he slapped his thigh.

If he is an assassin, can saving him allow her to leave the Princess's residence?

Su Wanwan quickly squatted down, grabbed the burly man's shoulder, and dragged him into the house.

I fetched water from the backyard, took off my clothes, and tore my undergarments to use as a cloth to press on the wound to stop the bleeding.

A fierce wind was blowing outside, and torrential rain was pouring down.

It washes away the drag marks left in the yard.

It was too cold at night, and Su Wanwan was afraid of alerting the enemy, so she carried the person to the kitchen in the backyard and laid some clean wooden planks on them.

He slept through the night, covered with blankets and wrapped in the man's robes.

The next day, Su Wanwan suddenly felt the blanket being pulled away, and her back felt cold. The person behind her moved.

"Brave warrior, you are injured, don't move around."

"Water..." the burly man's voice was hoarse and cracked.

Su Wanwan rubbed her eyes, got up, walked to the corner of the wall, picked up the old cup she had found, and drew water from the well.

He walked back to the burly man's side, "Brave warrior, drink...!!"

Before she could even utter the word "water," Su Wanwan's pupils dilated slightly.

The burly man lying on the wooden plank was none other than Feng Chenjun?!

Her gaze followed the lifted blankets downwards, revealing a breathtaking view of spring.

Su Wanwan's throat tightened for a moment. She slowly took a sip of water to sort out the scene before her.

Why was Feng Chenjun injured and ended up in her house?

"Water..." Xiao Xuanjing's lips were chapped and his brows were furrowed.

Su Wanwan gulped down the water, walked to the well, and, with her thoughts in disarray, drew some water and returned to Feng Chenjun's side.

Give it to him!

Do not!

You can't give him water.

Wait until he dies.

This will inevitably cause chaos, giving us the perfect opportunity to escape.