Chu Yueli said nothing, merely looking at Lu Fengjin with a faint smile.
She did not comfort him as she used to, which left Lu Fengjin somewhat disappointed.
He had assumed Ali would at least offer a few sympathetic words to make him feel better inside.
After all, he had never hidden anything from her, confessing his innermost thoughts to her with complete sincerity.
Most men in this world were fickle, yet he considered himself far better than any other man under the sun.
At least, she was no longer angry.
Lu Fengjin knew that Ali always had the best temper; no matter what he did, once she had time to think it through, she would eventually forgive him.
"Cheer up, things will get better between us. Wait for me." Satisfied enough, he left.
The moment that figure vanished at the courtyard entrance, the smile on Chu Yueli's lips slowly faded.
She turned and walked into Zisu's room.
There she found Zisu sitting on the bed, wiping away tears.
"What is it? Are you still in pain?" Chu Yueli's expression shifted slightly as she hurried over.
Zisu shook her head, looking at her with tear-filled eyes. "My lady, I heard everything just now... Prince Jin, he... he is too much! How could he treat you this way!"
In truth, ever since that day when she heard Tuoba Feiyuan dare to call the Prince a "scumbag" and saw the Prince act as though he were completely used to it, Zisu had known something was wrong with their relationship.
Even her lady had never been so presumptuous with the Prince, which showed just how deeply Prince Jin doted on Tuoba Feiyuan.
"My lady, do you really believe he will change his mind?"
To her surprise, Chu Yueli simply looked out the window, her gaze completely calm. "Whether he forgets Tuoba Feiyuan or not is no longer any concern of mine."
Zisu looked astonished. "My lady..."
"No one is willing to stay in the same place, waiting for someone else to turn around and occasionally glance back at them. Since he has already stepped out of this world, I can only move forward."
Nine years of affection could not be cast aside overnight, but once a mirror cracked, no matter how much it was later polished and cared for, it could never return to its former pristine state.
A broken mirror cannot be mended; the wisdom left by the ancients was never wrong.
"Focus on recovering your strength; we are returning to the capital." Chu Yueli stood up and walked toward the door. "I'll go check on my eldest brother first."
Zisu wanted to say more, but in the end, she simply watched her lovely back and remained silent.
Everyone thought her lady was gentle and soft-natured, someone who could be easily molded or pushed around at will, yet only she knew that her lady was stronger than anyone else!
When the news of the Marquis and his wife dying in battle had arrived years ago, the Old Duke had fallen ill and the eldest young master had fainted; only her lady, who looked the frailest of all, had shouldered the burden alone and arranged all the funeral rites for her parents.
She might have seemed as delicate as the wind, yet she was the safest harbor for everyone. Otherwise, Prince Jin would not have sought comfort from her every time he suffered a grievance, even if he himself had never realized it!
After that day, Chu Yueli remained in the courtyard, personally caring for her injured eldest brother and Zisu.
Seeing that she neither wept nor made a fuss, Lu Fengjin assumed she had accepted the reality between him and Tuoba Feiyuan, and his mind was finally at ease.
For seven consecutive days, the two did not meet again.
Seven days later, the army finished its preparations and set off for the capital.
Chu Xiaohe, whose injuries had barely healed, led the troops at the front, while Chu Yueli now had only Zisu by her side.
When they had arrived, Prince Jin had stayed by her side, the two of them smiling as brightly as the breeze and the moon, the envy of all onlookers.
Yet upon their return, the person beside Prince Jin had been replaced by another young woman.
Zisu could not help a quiet sigh in her heart.
Chu Yueli, however, remained entirely calm and composed, as though nothing at all had happened.
By midday, the army had been waiting for a long time, but the Prince had yet to arrive.
The soldiers waited for another half-hour before finally seeing the Prince's carriage approaching from afar, slowly drawing near the city gates.
Before anyone even arrived, noisy voices faintly reached every person's ears:
"You are already betrothed to her, so why bring me to the capital? Do you take me for her, someone who would cast away her dignity for fame and fortune? I'm telling you, Lu Fengjin, I won't do it! I, Tuoba Feiyuan, will never share a man with another woman in this lifetime! If you cannot be devoted to me alone, stop provoking me! Get lost!"