The scene at the time had been utter chaos. Ji Qingwu's heart still pounded with fear whenever she recalled it.
Yuan Heng had been so sensible. With a pale little face, he had stood quietly to one side, lips pressed together, watching his "relatives" shirk responsibility, cast blame, and scramble for power.
Because Ji Qingwu didn't want to expose their relationship, she hadn't offered him any comfort. She hadn't even spoken a single word to him.
She could only love and protect him from the shadows, in her own way.
Every time Ji Qingwu thought of it, an unbearable ache twisted in her heart. 'What a brilliant scheme you had, Emperor Wu Su,' she thought, 'tricking every last one of us.'
A part of her still resented him.
She knew that his deliberate efforts to distance himself from her before leaving the palace were meant to get her out of harm's way early on.
