Feng Yinwan faltered, instinctively trying to pull away. However, the hand holding hers suddenly tightened, forcing her to halt, her movements constrained by apprehension.
She lowered her gaze, noticing the wound, which had nearly stopped bleeding, now oozing fresh blood. She frowned and struggled gently.
"Let go first..."
Ye Tinglan obediently released his grip. As his palm fell away, it was accompanied by a weak, hollow cough.
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips, looking at his injured form, a surge of anger suddenly rising within her.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
He had always avoided her, never revealing his condition in front of her. If not for Qi Xuan revealing the truth in the Yue Kingdom's imperial palace, she wouldn't have known he was so gravely injured.
And then there were the life-binding and rebirth gu worms. He always kept the worst aspects to himself, never showing weakness in front of others.
She truly wanted to see if he would remain stubborn even until his death.
Ye Tinglan stiffened at her words, his gaze unusually evasive. "You know already?"
He had always kept it hidden, never speaking of it. If she knew, it was likely that Yu Che had quietly told her after he had fainted.
The truth was precisely that, though Yu Che's words had been far more pointed.
Feng Yinwan softly "Mm"-ed, falling silent, and merely raised her hand to wipe the bloodstains from him.
Knowing she was waiting for him to speak, Ye Tinglan paused, and his large palm gently enveloped her fingertips again.
"I've made too many mistakes. Later, I realized that not all wrongs can be rectified by doing other 'rights'. I once thought that after I died, you would let go of everything and be happier."
He had indeed thought this way and had acted accordingly.
But life was unpredictable, and fate often played tricks. Human calculations were ultimately no match for Heaven's.
The moment he learned that the bracelet would take her away, the moment he knew Feng Jin Chen was their son, he thought he might have truly understood why she detested his secrecy so much.
While he wished for her safety and well-being, hadn't she also wanted him to have a smooth life?
The soft fingertips beneath his palm tightened further.
Feng Yinwan's eyes welled up uncontrollably, turning red. "When have I ever wished for your death! Haven't you ever thought, if you died, and I died, what would happen to Chen Chen!"
Her long-calm heart seemed to be filled with a surging emotion, and she spoke the words almost losing control, her hand also losing its composure, her grip suddenly intensifying.
A muffled groan escaped Ye Tinglan's teeth, but his grip on her hand tightened even more.
"It was my fault, I was wrong. I swear on my life, I will never hide anything from you again."
He cajoled her with an uncharacteristically helpless and patient tone, yet the softness in his palm persistently tried to pull away.
He looked up, meeting the faint redness of vulnerability in her eyes. His heart ached with a dull pain, and he compromised, loosening his grip.
Feng Yinwan turned away, calming her emotions slightly, then faced him again. "I was wrong too."
She knew that this situation was not solely Ye Tinglan's doing.
And in matters of the world, there was no need to insist on right or wrong. What was right and what was wrong, how could it be more important than a person's longevity?
A wisp of night wind blew in from the window ledge, but the atmosphere within the room became even more tranquil and peaceful.
Feng Yinwan carefully tended to his wounds, then looked up and asked, "Why did you return to the capital today?"
Qi Xuan clearly had something he hadn't said. She hadn't pressed him during the day, but now was an opportunity.
Ye Tinglan was taken aback by her question. He saw her looking at him with an expression that said, "You promised not to hide anything." After a pause, he reluctantly spoke the truth.
"Father Emperor has passed away."
The news had arrived the night before last; the Emperor had passed away, and a funeral was urgently needed.
Such a momentous event, Ye Tingyun had intended to handle it together after Ye Tinglan returned. But Feng Yinwan had not awakened for a long time, and Ye Tinglan, unable to rest easy, had stayed for two more days.
Today was the third day, and he had to leave.
Feng Yinwan hadn't expected it to be for such a reason. She was momentarily stunned. "Should I not have come looking for you..."
If she hadn't chased after him, Ye Tinglan would have already returned to the palace and presided over the funeral rites as the Regent, instead of lying here, covered in wounds.
Sensing her thoughts, Ye Tinglan clasped her hand tightly against his chest, his voice filled with utmost sincerity.
"As Regent, I should have returned. But Ye Tinglan wanted to return to Xuanmen with you. He said he was willing."
The skin beneath her fingertips burned like a bright flame. Feng Yinwan felt as if she had been scalded by that heat and instinctively tried to pull her hand away. But the large palm that held her gently tightened, imbued with a burning, unwavering resolve.
She lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and a sense of panic bloomed in her heart.
Her gaze shifted, and then she heard him say with a hint of sorrow, "Perhaps Father Emperor didn't want to see me either. With Tingyun by his side, he was already content enough."
Feng Yinwan's breath hitched. She flipped her palm, grasping his hand even more firmly.
"Ye Tinglan, you are not wrong."
If someone is determined to be displeased with you, no matter how well you do, how could they ever be satisfied?
The ones who are always wrong are not those who endure, but those who are lenient with themselves yet strict with others.
They are selfish, stubborn, and never consider others. They are even arrogant, treating their own prejudices as divine decree.
How could such people not meet their demise?
And when he died, the subjects he once prided himself on would not mourn him, nor would they play dirges for him.
The night was dark and pitch-black, the candlelight dim. Yet, Ye Tinglan felt that at this moment, the pair of eyes before him shone as brilliantly as stars, illuminating all the darkness and piercing into the deepest gloom of his heart.