Just moments ago, the sky had been clear, but it was suddenly blanketed by dark clouds.

Then came flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, as raindrops the size of beans slammed violently onto the ground.

The banana leaves by the window slapped noisily as they were battered by the rain.

The room was hot and stuffy, so He Family had all the windows opened.

A breeze carrying fine threads of rain blew in, dispelling some of the heat.

But the air was still humid, as if every pore on one’s skin was clogged. It was very uncomfortable.

Si Yun fanned Princess Consort Zhao without pause.

Hua Manman saw beads of sweat forming on her forehead and said.

"You should rest for a while. I’m going to get some fresh air."

As Hua Manman started to rise, He Family and Si Yun hurried over to help her.

They helped Hua Manman to the door.

"The rain is too heavy outside," He Family cautioned. "You’ll get soaked if you go out. Just stand here. It’s quite cool."

Hua Manman gazed at the world outside, which had been swallowed by a continuous curtain of rain and mist, and murmured to herself.

"The Prince isn’t back yet."

Knowing she was worried about Prince Zhao, He Family offered some reassurance.

"High Housekeeper has already sent a carriage to the palace gates to pick him up. Rest assured, they definitely won’t let Prince Zhao get wet."

Hua Manman frowned slightly.

For some reason, she had a bad feeling.

It felt as though something terrible was about to happen.

...

「Inside the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.」

Princess Rouwan’s frail body trembled as she recalled that unbearable past.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder boomed amidst a torrential downpour.

The wind whipped at the hem of her dress, and her slender body looked as if it could be swept away at any moment.

Her voice was choked with sobs as she spoke.

"I wish you were."

’How she wished Li Ji was Duke Zhen’s son!’

But fate had decreed otherwise.

After she was violated by the Emperor, Princess Rouwan had nightmares almost every night.

Her mental state was terrible, and she grew much thinner. Duke Zhen’s heart ached for her; naturally, he had no mind for intimate matters.

As she gradually emerged from the shadow of her trauma, she thought she had forgotten what happened that night.

However, disaster struck—she was pregnant.

Counting the days, she knew the child in her womb could only be the Emperor’s.

After discovering she was pregnant, she secretly had someone buy medicine to induce a miscarriage.

As a result, after one bowl of the medicine, she fainted from the excruciating abdominal pain.

When she woke up, the child in her womb was still there.

She wanted to increase the dosage, but Duke Zhen had already discovered her pregnancy.

Duke Zhen didn’t know what had happened between Princess Rouwan and the Emperor. He thought the child was his and was ecstatic.

He held Princess Rouwan and laughed loudly.

"I’m going to be a father! I’m going to be a father!"

Seeing him so excited, like a little boy, Princess Rouwan longed to tell him the truth.

In the end, however, reason stopped her.

She said nothing. She couldn’t tell the truth.

She couldn’t bear to expose her ugliest side to Duke Zhen.

She didn’t want to lose him.

Duke Zhen stayed by Princess Rouwan’s side day and night, caring for her attentively and desperately begging her to abandon the idea of aborting the child.

Princess Rouwan could see that he truly wanted this child.

In the end, her heart softened.

Yet that one moment of weakness led to a lifetime of regret.

The rims of Princess Rouwan’s eyes were red, and her gaze toward Li Ji was filled with hatred.

She looked at him not as her own son, but as an enemy.

"The biggest regret of my life was giving birth to you.

If it weren’t for you, the Lord Duke would not have died."

Li Ji heard her thoughts.

Only now did he finally understand the truth of his birth.

The storm raged outside, and inside the prayer hall, the candle flames flickered.

Li Ji said hoarsely, "Father died because he fell into an enemy ambush..."

Princess Rouwan shot back sharply.

"So what? It was your birth father who got the Lord Duke killed.

If he hadn’t been so wary of the Lord Duke back then, if he hadn’t refused to send reinforcements to support him, the Lord Duke wouldn’t have ended up dead with his body dismembered!

You’re just like your birth father—you’re both murderers!"

Li Ji was speechless.

Overcome by her emotions, Princess Rouwan’s face grew even paler, and she began to sway.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay standing. Pointing to the door, she spat through clenched teeth.

"You are not worthy to offer incense to the Lord Duke. Get out, and never set foot in the State Duke Mansion again!"

Li Ji silently turned and walked out, one step at a time.

Outside the prayer hall, the storm raged.

He held no umbrella. As he stepped outside, the icy wind and rain assaulted him, swallowing him whole.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out from behind him.

"Commandery Princess! Commandery Princess, what’s wrong?"

Li Ji stopped and turned to see Princess Rouwan collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Several servants were crowded around Princess Rouwan, frantic with worry.

Li Ji strode back and pushed the servants out of the way.

He lifted Princess Rouwan onto his back and ran toward the bedchambers, shouting to the servants as he went.

"Go get the household doctor!"

Princess Rouwan was laid on the bed.

The household doctor arrived in a hurry shortly after.

The household doctor said it was the Commandery Princess’s old ailment acting up and that she needed acupuncture.

Li Ji and the others withdrew, leaving only the doctor, two maidservants, and a nanny in the room.

The dark clouds hung low, and the sky was dim.

The wind gradually died down, but the rain showed no sign of letting up.

Li Ji stood alone under the covered walkway, gazing blankly at the phoenix tree in the courtyard.

A few crooked horizontal lines were still visible on its thick trunk.

When he was little, he had always been desperate to grow up faster. Every year on his birthday, he would have his father carve a new line on the trunk of the phoenix tree to mark his height.

Year after year, the lines on the trunk grew in number, climbing ever higher.

In the past, whenever he saw the marks on the tree, he would proudly tell his father.

"I’m a grown-up now! If you don’t believe me, look at the lines on the tree. I’ve grown this much taller!"

Every time he heard this, Duke Zhen would let out a hearty laugh.

Now, however, all Li Ji could hear was the sound of the pouring rain.

Rainwater streamed down the trunk like glistening teardrops.

Nanny Zhang was seeing the household doctor out when she noticed Prince Zhao standing under the walkway.

The household doctor clasped his hands in a salute to Prince Zhao.

Li Ji looked at him. "How is she?"

The household doctor hesitated.

Li Ji said, "Speak plainly. There is no need to be evasive."

The household doctor replied, "Then I shall be frank. The Commandery Princess’s condition is dire. She refuses to eat properly or take her medicine. She spends her days lost in memories, her heart weighed down by depression. If this continues, it will inevitably lead to a major crisis."

Li Ji said nothing more.

The household doctor quietly took his leave.

Nanny Zhang looked at Prince Zhao and asked cautiously.

"Would you like to go in and see the Commandery Princess?"

"There’s no need," Li Ji said.

’She wouldn’t want to see me again, anyway.’

Nanny Zhang sighed.

"A mother and her own son... How did it come to this?"

Li Ji offered no explanation.

He strode into the rain and mist, leaving the Duke Zhen Country Mansion all alone.