The daughter of the emperor was reborn and was spoiled by the sickly prince.

The lights flickered as Liao Qinglan and Gu Mingzhao whispered to each other.

The figures of the two seemed particularly warm in the soft firelight, and Gu Mingzhao's stern face was also tinged with a bit of worldly air.

Liao Qinglan's eyes moved, and she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Ruyan standing quietly beside her. She opened her red lips slightly, covered her mouth with her sleeve, pushed Gu Mingzhao slightly, and whispered, "A Zhao, Miss Ruyan was talking to you just now."

Upon hearing this, Gu Mingzhao's gaze shifted away from Liao Qinglan's gentle face and slowly turned to Ruyan. That smile seemed to be swallowed up by the night and disappeared in an instant.

He was silent for a moment, as if he had traveled through the long river of time, and finally sighed softly.

There was a subtle hint of helplessness in that voice.

"Ruyan, we have been apart for many years. There is nothing much to talk about. Why do you have to cling to the past?"

Ruyan heard this and an indescribable bitterness flashed across her face. She hid a bit of self-mockery in her bitter smile: "Yes, Your Highness is now the King of Qin who is above everyone else, but I am still a speck of dust drifting in this world. My whole life, I am destined to only look up to you..."

Gu Mingzhao did not have the slightest intention of contempt in his heart.

He is not a fool, he already understands Ruyan's thoughts.

But in order to let this hopeless relationship come to an end as soon as possible, he chose to remain silent.

Let that silence become the sharpest sword, silently cutting off the last bit of fantasy in Ruyan's heart.

Originally, Ruyan said this with some tentative intentions, but Gu Mingzhao's silence made her feel very disappointed.

Ruyan's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was full of resentment and reluctance: "Brother Yuheng, I have already hidden the feelings of the past fifteen years deep in my heart. I don't ask to be with you, I just hope to watch you well from afar. This is my greatest wish..."

There was both affection and despair in her eyes, as if she wanted to condense the past fifteen years into this moment.

"Is it really?"

Gu Mingzhao's voice was cold and distant, and he glanced at Ruyan indifferently.

There was no warmth in those eyes, only deep vigilance and subtle doubt.

Such a look, like the cold wind in winter, made Ruyan's heart tremble suddenly, as if even breathing became difficult.

"You...you are doubting me?" Ruyan's voice was trembling a little. She defended herself anxiously, "Although Ruyan has done wrong things, she has never had the intention to harm Your Highness!"

Gu Mingzhao's eyes deepened when he heard this. He slowly said, "The first time may be excusable, but the second time, you knew that Li Jin's target was me, but you still chose to help him. This is your choice."

Ruyan's face turned pale instantly when she heard this.

She trembled and said, "I just... I just wanted to stay by your side, so I was confused for a moment and listened to the words of the Second Prince..."

"Then have you ever thought about what if his original intention was to kill me?"

Ruyan was shocked and speechless.

Gu Mingzhao continued, "You are just his backup plan. If I am lucky enough to fall into the Yellow River and not die, then you will be useful."

Ruyan lowered her head.

She never thought that Li Jin would want to kill Gu Mingzhao.

In her opinion, Li Jin was the prince second only to the emperor, and even if Gu Mingzhao was favored, he would not threaten his position.

She knew nothing about the situation in the court and had no idea that the relationship between the two would be so complicated.

"What's more, if you and I were not old acquaintances when we were in the Dali Temple, an innocent person would have died in prison because of your frame-up."

"Ruyan, you've gone astray from the beginning."

It is true that Ruyan failed Gu Mingzhao. Even though Gu Mingzhao has already acknowledged his past identity, things have changed.

Ruyan understood that there was no possibility between the two of them anymore.

Gu Mingzhao has already said what needs to be said.

He took Liao Qinglan's hand and said, "Lan'er, it's getting late, let's go back home first."

Liao Qinglan looked puzzled: "But, we came to Zuihonglou to look for clues to that unsolved case, but now we have found nothing. Are we just leaving like this?"

Gu Mingzhao explained: "The madam is cunning and suspicious. She is wary of us. If we continue to stay, I am afraid we will not gain anything and will only increase the risk. We can only think of other ways."

Liao Qinglan knew that what he said made sense, so she nodded and stood up to leave.

Suddenly, Ruyan's gentle but firm voice came from behind: "Your Highness, Miss Liao, if there are any such things that are inconvenient to do in person in the future, please tell Ruyan. If Your Highness is concerned about your status and does not want to take the risk in person, just send someone to pass on a message, and Ruyan will do her best."

Gu Mingzhao turned around and said in a cold and distant voice: "I appreciate your kindness, but this matter involves so many things that I would like to trouble you, young lady."

Seeing this, Ruyan's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible sense of loss, but she still insisted: "Your Highness may not know that you and Shopkeeper Feng disappeared in the sea of ​​fire that year. It was at that time when Madam Wan was selecting new people in Jiangnan, and everyone in our garden was brought to the capital. There are many old acquaintances of your Highness in Zuihonglou. If you come here frequently, I am afraid it will cause unnecessary trouble."

"That's it. Thanks for reminding me."

Gu Mingzhao didn't say anything else and walked out of Zuihonglou side by side with Liao Qinglan.

The moonlight shone on them, lengthening their shadows.

Liao Qinglan felt a little weird.

When she suddenly heard someone mention Gu Mingzhao's past, she was a little worried that his mood would be affected.

In addition, after the two of them came out, Gu Mingzhao had not spoken a word. She felt a little anxious and wanted to find some words to fill the silence.

"Well... the moon is quite round tonight, isn't it?"

Liao Qinglan looked up at the night sky, trying to start a conversation.

But when I looked up, there was a waning crescent moon above my head.

As soon as the words came out, I felt a little embarrassed.

Gu Mingzhao smiled softly when he heard this, but did not correct her.

Liao Qinglan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she secretly regretted her carelessness. She quickly found another topic: "Oh, yes, I mean... I used to come to this street often, but it seems that the feeling is different every time."

"Do you come here often?" Gu Mingzhao asked with a raised eyebrow.

Liao Qinglan looked around, brothels, gambling houses, wine shops...

The capital's bright lights and nightlife are concentrated here, and young ladies from respectable families would not set foot here.

Liao Qinglan's fair little face turned red.

Gu Mingzhao stopped laughing at her and reached out to smooth her hair: "Lan'er, you are being too deliberate."

Liao Qinglan was startled, then lowered her head in embarrassment, twisting the corners of her clothes with her hands unconsciously. "I... I just don't know what to say."

"I understand. My Lan'er is worried about me. But these things are all in the past for me. I don't take them to heart, and you don't have to worry about them."

"But Ruyan just said that there might be a lot of people here who know you. Do you want to take some precautions in advance?"

"It doesn't matter. Even if you recognize me, you can't do anything to me."

His voice was deep and reassuring.

The owner didn't take it seriously, so if you think too much about it, it would seem like you are worrying too much.

Liao Qinglan once again focused her attention on the Qin family's affairs.