The sky gradually darkened, but An You continued to wait by the residence doors. When An Lingyun saw her father like this, she felt heartache for him. At the same time, she was moved by the sincere love between her father and Princess Mingzhu.

  When Ning Shu saw the touched, pitying, and amazed expression on An Lingyun’s face, she felt her hand itch with the desire to just slap her.

  Did her mother even hold any place in her heart?

  An Lingyun ran to the entrance to say to her father, “Father, head inside to eat a little first.”


  An You waved her away without saying anything, so An Lingyun lifted her skirt to run back inside the residence to say to Ning Shu, “Mother, you should go persuade Father. If Father continues on like this, his body won’t be able to take it.”


  Ning Shu: …


  In this moment, Ning Shu seriously had no idea what to say. The frick? What did it have to do with her if An You died? It’d be best if he died. He should hurry and die, die already!

  When An Lingyun saw that Ning Shu wasn’t speaking and had a cold expression on her face, she just sighed.

  Inwardly, Ning Shu scoffed. You soon won’t have the time to worry about these trifling matters of love.

  An You continued to wait. The old madame leaned on her crutch as she stood at the door looking at An You. She sighed, then muttered about how this was all so wrong.

  In the end, Princess Mingzhu managed to bribe a young eunuch and the young eunuch came to the general’s residence to say to An You who was still waiting at the doors, “General, the empress dowager is keeping Princess Mingzhu in the palace. She says that Princess Mingzhu can only leave the palace once the mourning period is over, so Princess Mingzhu wishes for you to come up with some way to save her.”


  An You had starved for an entire day without drinking any water, so when he abruptly got this news, he was so taken aback that his body swayed. He grabbed the young eunuch and shook him as he bellowed, “Why is it like this? Why?”


  The delicate eunuch was frightened when An You shook him so hard and he hastily said, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything!”


  An You’s eyes then rolled back and he fainted. Ning Shu cried out in alarm and quickly ran over. While at it, she snuck in a kick, but An You didn’t react. It seemed that he had fainted for real.

  The old madame’s face was filled with anxiety and worry, as well as frustration and disappointment. An You was near forty, but he was actually acting like a brainless young brat, going so crazy over a woman.

  Ning Shu got An You inside, fed him some water, then called a doctor. The doctor straightforwardly diagnosed this as anger attacking the heart in addition to general fatigue.

  In any case, Ning Shu just continued to pour water into An You without pause.

  “Father’s so pitiful.” An Lingyun clenched her fists. “He doesn’t have any way of seeing Princess Mingzhu.”


  “Father, you have to wake up. Princess Mingzhu’s still waiting for you to save her,” said An Lingyun towards the unconscious An You.

  Ning Shu: …


  Someone this moronic existed? The fudge? Was the empress dowager trying to kill Princess Mingzhu or something, for her to actually be in need of rescue? Someone needed to be rescued from the imperial palace?

  This was seriously disgraceful. How exactly had this girl been educated?

  The old madame pressed on her heart like she was about to have a heart attack. Ning Shu hastily told the maid to help the old madame back to rest. The old madame didn’t try to resist and just said to notify her if An You wakes up.

  Ning Shu nodded, then said coldly to An Lingyun, “You should go rest as well. I’ll look after your father.”


  When An Lingyun saw Ning Shu like this, she was dissatisfied and asked, “Mother, say, why won’t the empress dowager let Princess Mingzhu come back to our residence?”


  Ning Shu really wanted to roll her eyes. She couldn’t help but feel that An Lingyun wasn’t living in the feudal society where the imperial word was Heaven’s law. Why would the empress dowager have to explain her actions to you?