This was the first time, she didn’t vehemently refuse, didn’t avoid him like the plague, didn’t scold him with disgust.

Lu Ziyuan almost wanted to weep, nodding repeatedly, "I’m not forcing you, you can think about it slowly, I can wait."

Now that she was under his wings, as long as she was willing to consider accepting him again, he could wait for anything.

Xie Wanqing didn’t look at him but lowered her eyes and said, "I’m hungry."

She hadn’t eaten since last night, had a fever all night, was injured, and lost so much blood, now her body was so weak that she couldn’t even get out of bed.

With no maidservant around, breakfast was personally brought to the bedside by Lu Ziyuan.

He seemed very interested in playing the role of a maidservant, after serving tea and water, attending to her washing up, he wanted to feed her meals personally, which Xie Wanqing politely declined.

The injury was to her neck, not her hands, how could someone feed her just because of that?

The situation at the Northern Border was urgent, Lu Ziyuan had abandoned all military affairs to run to Zhe State to rescue her, only leaving Mingjian and several deputy generals to hold the fort, and after rescuing Xie Wanqing, he turned the boat around to hurry back.

For the next two days, they traveled by waterway, and there was no news from the people chasing Jin Wuji along the shore, yet Lu Ziyuan was not the least bit anxious.

Several passes leading back to Jin Country were guarded by his people, Jin Wuji, with his distinct foreign features, couldn’t escape even with disguise, unless he was dead at the bottom of Dayang Lake; otherwise, he’d be caught sooner or later.

On the third day, they switched from waterway to land route.

In the carriage, Xie Wanqing leaned listlessly against the wall, a soft cushion under her waist, looking weary. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

With a few days of nurturing, her health improved somewhat; the coldness of autumn and winter had caused her neck injury to heal quickly with excellent golden sore medicine, but the closer they got to the Northern Border, the more restless she became, her thoughts scattered.

She wondered about the Capital City, whether her sudden disappearance had been rumored as being abducted by Lu Ziyuan.

Did Pei Yuqing receive the news?

Were her parents and brother worried day and night for her?

Lu Ziyuan lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, seeing her face full of distress, he coughed lightly and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"

Xie Wanqing glanced at him, selectively choosing words to voice her concerns, and finally, she said, "After I died in my past life, what happened to my parents?"

Since knowing he too had awakened his past life memories, she had wanted to ask this more than anything.

These days, they had been relatively harmonious in their time together; upon her strong insistence, he hadn’t approached her bed, nor did he attempt to kiss her casually. Sitting face to face, they could talk calmly, and she was no longer prickly.

They were like lovers who had once estranged but now reconciled, familiar yet vaguely uncomfortable.

The so-called calmness was maintained because they tacitly avoided mentioning the brutal past.

At this moment, she suddenly brought it up, causing Lu Ziyuan’s back to involuntarily stiffen for a moment, uncertain whether it was joy or sorrow.

The matters of their past lives were old wounds for both of them.

They didn’t dare to touch them, as even a thought would bring pain.

Now, by rehashing old affairs, did it mean she was willing to try to let go, or... was she reminding him that the wounds always existed?

His prolonged silence made Xie Wanqing lift her eyelids slightly and look over, "Is this question difficult to answer?"

Could it be, he had... done something to her parents?

"Don’t overthink," Lu Ziyuan’s expression turned serious, "I’ve never given your parents or brother any trouble."

Even though he later became addicted to killing, waging battles everywhere wasn’t enough, he caused officials’ heads to roll on the court, but he never thought of touching the Xie family.

"At that time, they wanted to take you back, but I wouldn’t allow it... yet, I didn’t harm them," he said awkwardly, "After I ascended the throne, your father and brother resigned and returned to the countryside, and the marquis’ title was given to your second uncle’s family."

Briefly and simply, he summarized all that her family had done for her.

Xie Wanqing desperately blinked, holding back the tears.

The news of her death must have devastated her parents and brother; their resentment towards Lu Ziyuan would be immense; they must have gone to great lengths to disrupt his life, doing everything they could to make things difficult for him.

But in the end, he still ascended to emperor; for the sake of saving the rest of the Xie family from being implicated, her father and brother resigned, even relinquishing their titles, returning to their ancestral home.

Her parents, white-haired, saw their black-haired daughter leave without seeing her one last time, unable to seek justice for her.

Her brother, a renowned third place in the imperial examination in the Capital, with his ambitions unable to be fulfilled, because he couldn’t serve loyally to a man who bore hatred for his sister, could only return to the countryside, living as a wealthy idler.