"It’s not what you think," Lu Ziyuan grasped her hand and explained earnestly, "I informed them of the true cause of your death. At first, they didn’t believe it, but later they went to the Heavenly Prison to see your aunt and cousin..."

"Wanwan, you know, your father and brothers are all talented and refined gentlemen. They cannot accept a female family member wielding power to personally harm her kin. They didn’t want to stay in this heart-breaking Capital City," he paused, adding softly, "Believe me, I still had some sanity left at the time, I wasn’t entirely mad, nor did I make things difficult for them."

Xie Wanqing frowned deeply and sat up.

This wasn’t the first time she’d heard him call himself a madman. Originally, she thought he was just being self-deprecating, but witnessing the true ’chopping into minced meat’ made it impossible for her to console herself when she heard his words again.

Could he really be mad?

The Emperor of a nation mad?

"Don’t look at me like that," Lu Ziyuan forced a stiff smile, "Even if I go mad, I wouldn’t hurt you." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"...You said after my death, you only lived for five years?" Xie Wanqing tentatively asked after a pause.

Lu Ziyuan clearly didn’t want to mention his past life. He lowered his gaze, looking at their intertwined hands, and responded with a light ’hmm’.

Xie Wanqing ignored his avoidance and continued to ask, "Then, did you establish a Crown Prince for the Great Khanate?"

Lu Ziyuan was taken aback, then replied seriously, "I had no harem, never touched any other women, and had no descendants."

Xie Wanqing fell silent again, knowing he misunderstood her meaning, and said helplessly, "...I just wanted to know who succeeded as Emperor of the Great Khanate after you."

Even if he ascended the throne as soon as she died, it would only be five short years.

And when she died, the Jin Dynasty wasn’t fully pacified, the Great Khanate was still facing internal and external troubles, yet the Emperor was a short-lived madman without reason...

If he hadn’t established a Crown Prince, when he died, without a legitimate successor, Xie Wanqing, who didn’t understand state affairs, could easily imagine the chaos the land would descend into.

Surely war would erupt, warlords would divide the land, and the people would suffer.

Though just a woman, she harbored patriotic feelings for the Great Khanate, whose dynastic history spans nearly three hundred years...

Xie Wanqing looked at him, seeing his long silence, she could already guess the answer, and her expression gradually changed, "How did you die?"

Could it have been a sudden death? Didn’t have time to make arrangements?

This time, Lu Ziyuan answered quickly, "Died on the battlefield."

When that arrow came, he could have dodged, but he didn’t—though there was no need to tell her this part.

Xie Wanqing was deflated, glaring at him, "You, as the ruler, went to the front lines without even establishing a Crown Prince. Did you consider what crisis the Great Khanate would face if something happened to you? What sufferings the people would endure?"

...What crisis would the Great Khanate face?

Lu Ziyuan felt a bit like laughing. During those five years she was in a coma, he was a complete madman. How could a madman be expected to care about national affairs?

He was a madman who only knew killing!

"Wanwan truly worries about the nation and its people," he held her hand, bringing it to his lips for a touch, and smiled, "It’s my fault. I shouldn’t be so willful. In this lifetime, remember to keep an eye on me so I can learn to be a benevolent ruler who loves his subjects."

Xie Wanqing: "..."

Her speechless and choking appearance was lively and lovely too, and Lu Ziyuan’s eyebrows slightly raised as he asked, "It’s been three days. Has Wanwan prepared to accept me again?"

Xie Wanqing was stunned for a moment.

Yes, it’s been three days.

Rescued from the Jin Thief, it had already been three days.

These few days, his gaze grew more intense, like a starving wolf—his eyes shone green when he looked at her.

If not for considering the shadow left on her by the Jin people...he wouldn’t have been so cautious.

They both had memories of their past lives.

In their past lives, they were a married couple.

For two whole years, they did all sorts of intimate things.

Those lingering memories on the bed constantly flashed in his mind, and the beloved woman was right in front of him, within reach...

She couldn’t know how much this tormented a vigorous man under twenty.

Just one more glance at her, and his whole body burned, aching, even his soul wanted to embrace her.

Xie Wanqing didn’t know his difficulty, but she could see the profound desire in his eyes, which left her heart pounding.

The carriage, which was initially a bit cold, gradually warmed under his heated gaze.

Xie Wanqing sensed it and quickly avoided his gaze, stammering, "I haven’t thought it through yet, you promised not to force me!"

"...Okay, I won’t force you," Lu Ziyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his deep eyes fixed on her for a moment, then he suddenly sighed, "Wanwan, haven’t you thought about me at all?"