There, covered in blood and lying unconscious on a straw mat, was Chong Zhao. His once pristine and noble appearance was unrecognizable after less than half a month in prison.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo cried out, rushing into the cell to cradle him in her arms. “A-Zhao! Are you alright?”
Slowly, Chong Zhao opened his eyes, dazed, and managed a faint smile through blood-streaked lips. “Another dream…where I get to see you, A-Shuo.”
“A-Zhao, it’s me, I’m here. Don’t scare me like this!” Bai Shuo’s voice trembled, her heart twisting in anguish.
Chong Zhao, feverish and delirious, didn’t recognize her, thinking it was all just a dream.
“It’s good…you didn’t marry me. A-Shuo, live well…” Chong Zhao coughed, vomiting blood onto Bai Shuo’s white robe, staining it red. She held him helplessly.
Suddenly, he pushed her away as though possessed, pounding his fists against the floor, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Imperial City. “No, my father is innocent! He dedicated his life to the country and would never commit treason!”
“A-Zhao…”
“They wronged him! They wronged him! I refuse to admit guilt!”
With a heart-wrenching cry, Chong Zhao struck his head against the wall, collapsing unconscious, his forehead bleeding.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo caught him, but he would not wake. Holding the boy she had grown up with, Bai Shuo trembled and wept, feeling helpless in the depths of the prison.
"The time has come, we have to go!" Long Er the donkey’s voice echoed in her ears. Before Bai Shuo could gather her thoughts, a force swept her from the cell and pulled her outside the prison.
In an instant, she found herself outside the Heavenly Prison. Wu De the donkey bent its front legs slightly, and as soon as Bai Shuo landed on its back, it dashed off in the direction of the Xiang Mansion. She clung tightly to the donkey's neck, her mind overwhelmed—not by thoughts of immortality, but by the image of Chong Zhao’s distraught, blood-streaked face.
Long Er deftly landed outside the ancestral hall at the General's Residence, its faint glow shielding them from the guards stationed outside, who remained unaware of their presence. Just as the donkey was about to leap into the hall, a voice drifted over from not far away.
"Master, there's no use in blaming yourself now; you cannot save the Chong family anymore."
Mother? Bai Shuo instinctively grabbed the donkey's ear and slid off its back. Long Er, concerned about making a noise, flicked its tail over her, concealing her presence.
Not far from the ancestral hall, under an ancient peach tree, Bai Xun stood looking worn and weary. Behind him was Madam Bai, her eyes full of worry and tears.
"There are three jars of wine buried under this tree," Bai Xun said with a sigh, his voice hoarse. "They were buried by Chong Xiang and me when A-Shuo and A-Zhao were born. We had planned to dig them up when the two got married… How could he be so reckless? He’s implicated his whole family! Chong Zhao, that kind-hearted boy—if not for A-Shuo, none of this would have happened…”
Hiding nearby, Bai Shuo felt a pang in her heart and unconsciously took a step closer.
"Master!" Madam Bai’s voice was sharp, and she held tightly to the General's sleeve. "No, you must never let A-Shuo know about this!"
Though Madam Bai had always been gentle and submissive, she was now resolute and unwavering.
Know what? Just what were her parents hiding from her? Bai Shuo’s heart felt like ice, and her hand on the wall began to tremble.
"A-Shuo and Chong Zhao grew up together, with a bond that ran deeper than siblings. Chong Zhao had only ever shown her sincerity. If A-Shuo knew that her annulled engagement drove Chong Zhao to mobilize the family’s private soldiers in Wei City to search for her—thereby exposing the Chong family’s hidden forces to the emperor, leading to their execution—she’d be devastated.” Madam Bai began to sob, urging Bai Xun repeatedly, “Master, we must never let her know, or else how would she go on…”
Bai Xun gently held her in his arms, letting out a long sigh, filled with helplessness.
Just outside the garden, Bai Shuo was pale as a ghost, her entire body trembling. Images of Chong Zhao’s bloodied, deranged face played over and over in her mind. If not for the wall supporting her, she might not have remained standing.
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