The appearance of the person in front of them was clearly beyond Bai Zhi's expectation. And it was even more unexpected for Dongfang Yinuo.
How could he be here?
The two of them should have had no contact anymore.
Before she could even let out a sigh in her heart, a warm touch came to her hand. It was Xia Jingning's hand. She pulled Dongfang Yinuo behind her.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
"The Crown Prince of the Hailing Kingdom. Why would you appear on the territory of our Dongzhou?" Bai Zhi asked.
As one of the four guardians of the Ghost Domain, Bai Zhi was extremely capable. She also knew something about Xia Jingning, the Crown Prince of the Hailing Kingdom. This young man was different from other noble youths. He was not just a good - looking figurehead. His abilities were considered top - notch even within the Hailing Kingdom.
If she weren't injured now, she might still have a chance to fight Xia Jingning. But now, it was too late.
"You, as a guardian of the Ghost Domain, have also appeared in the Dongzhou Palace. Haven't you?"
Bai Zhi frowned. He seemed to know quite a lot.
"Saving this woman won't do you any good. Is the Hailing Kingdom going to declare war on Dongzhou?"
"I, the Crown Prince, came to Dongzhou only as a friend of the princess to rescue her. It has nothing to do with a war between the two countries. Guardian Bai Zhi, you and I both know each other's strength. The person I want to protect, you can't take away."
Bai Zhi sneered.
"Even if I can't kill you, Xia Jingning, this is Dongzhou, not your Hailing Kingdom. And the Dongzhou Palace is not a place where you can come and go as you please. Now that you're in the palace, you're like a turtle in a cage. You won't be able to escape. Killing you is just a matter of time."
Xia Jingning didn't respond. He knew that Bai Zhi was right.
"Everyone, step back. Keep a close eye on all the doors and windows of the Princess Hall and lock them tightly."
Bai Zhi, along with the guards, quickly left the Princess Hall. The door slammed shut with a loud noise.
Dongfang Yinuo said, "You—how did you come?"
In her arms lay her own mother. At this moment, few people could understand Dongfang Yinuo's grief.
Despite this, she still tried her best to make her words clear.
Xia Jingning noticed the sob in Dongfang Yinuo's voice. He wanted to hug her. But—
"You don't need to comfort me, and you don't need to hug me."
I finally made up my mind to give you up. I finally decided to forget you. If you hug me, I'm afraid I'll be tempted again and yearn for your embrace, greedy for things that don't belong to me.
Xia Jingning's heart tightened.
"Princess—"
"You should go. You're the Crown Prince of the Hailing Kingdom. You have the entire Hailing Kingdom as your backing. The power of the Xia family is not like that of our declining Dongfang family. As long as you show weakness and leave, that woman won't dare to stop you, and she can't stop you either."
"I'll take you with me."
"It's impossible. That woman hates me to the core. She won't just sit back and watch you take me away. When she attacked me today, she used a hidden force. Although I seem fine on the surface now, my internal organs must have been severely damaged."
That "he" referred to the King of Dongzhou, Dongfang Yinuo's own father.
"If I follow you, I'll only hold you back."
Xia Jingning could faintly see Dongfang Yinuo's swollen cheeks in the light. A twinge of pity rose in his heart.
Seeing Dongfang Yinuo like this, without the arrogance and willfulness of years ago, when she was in pain and tired, she no longer shouted.
When Xia Jingning saw her suffering, he felt as if something was blocking his heart.
"Since I've decided to come, I never thought of leaving you behind."
"Xia Jingning, why are you being so nice to me!" Dongfang Yinuo roared.
Xia Jingning stiffened all over.
"Go away. I don't need your pity. I don't want to owe you anything. Don't make me feel like a joke. Now our Dongfang family has declined. It has completely declined. Don't you understand? I no longer have the qualification or the ability to compete with others for you."
"Xia Jingning, I've already decided to give you up. Why, why did you turn back at this moment? You're making me feel like there's still a glimmer of hope. I'll still long to have you again. Do you know that!"
Dongfang Yinuo's roaring voice was extremely penetrating. She was in great pain. And she didn't want Xia Jingning to see her like this.
"Princess, why don't you give yourself a chance? And also give me a chance?"
Dongfang Yinuo suddenly looked up. She didn't understand. She didn't understand what Xia Jingning meant.
Xia Jingning took a step forward, squatted down, and gently reached out his right hand to tuck the messy hair on her temple behind her ear. Looking at her swollen face, his heart ached.
"Xia Jingning—"
"Give me a chance, okay?"
"You—" Dongfang Yinuo's eyes softened a bit. But in the next moment, she suddenly pushed Xia Jingning away. She hugged Dongfang Ruoxi tightly and said, "Xia Jingning, I've told you, I don't need your pity. Our Dongfang family may have declined, but I'm not humble. I'm not a nobody. You don't need to pity me. I'm not worthy."
"Yinuo!" This was the first time Xia Jingning had called Dongfang Yinuo by her name. She had been waiting for this for so many years. But now, it wasn't the result she wanted.
"Go. Just go."
"Do you know who told me to come?"
Dongfang Yinuo looked up.
"Was it the senior?"
"The old master also gave me an instruction to follow my heart. But what really made me make up my mind to come to Dongzhou was a letter from your mother."
"Letter?" This time, it was Dongfang Yinuo's turn to be surprised.
"Yes. Your mother never blamed you. She also hoped that you would be happy in the future. She said that if possible, she hoped that I would take you away from this place full of troubles in Dongzhou and never come back."
Dongfang Yinuo quickly said, "It's impossible. Back then, it was mother who wrote to me and told me to come back. Clearly—"
She froze. Tears welled up in her eyes. She understood.
That letter. It wasn't written by her mother at all. And it wasn't her mother's intention to let her come back. All of this must have been a scheme by that Lady Jinse.
Mother had loved her all her life. And in the end, she still didn't forget to make a plan for her.
"Yinuo—there's still me." Xia Jingning gently hugged Dongfang Yinuo's trembling body. She cried until she was exhausted and finally slumped into Xia Jingning's arms.
"Yinuo."
"Why did you come?"
"The old master told me to face my heart. After you left, I figured it out."
"Why, why did you only figure it out now? There's no future for us. We can't get out of this cage."
Xia Jingning gently patted Dongfang Yinuo on the back and seemed to whisper, "If we can get out, will you give us a chance?"
"I'm afraid I'm not good enough for you. My internal organs are all damaged now. Whether it's in terms of ability or—"
"My foot is also injured. I'm afraid I'll be a lame person in the future. You know that. Don't you also despise me for being an incomplete person?"
"Of course not."
"Then—"
Meeting Xia Jingning's sincere gaze, Dongfang Yinuo finally showed a warm and relieved smile for the first time in so many days.
"Okay, I promise you."