Chapter 92

  "He didn't know, which is actually a good thing." Sima Rui said softly, staring blankly at the osmanthus-filled branches, lost in thought.

  He was more aware than anyone else of the fact that a wounded horse would not choose its path, and even if the palace walls were high, it could not be stopped. Moreover, at the cliffs tens of miles outside the palace, falling from above, below is the turbulent river, people simply have no chance of survival, and may even die without leaving a body.

  Maple has no hope of survival at all.

  The heart is already dead, and the outcome doesn't matter anymore. Maple will always be by his side, even if Maple has passed away, isn't he just a shell of himself left behind?

  A withered garden, where grass grows tall and trees are short, a desolate scene.

  Simazheng stood in front of the hall, compared to a few days ago, he was haggard and disheveled, his face dark and gray, his beard messy, his hair also messy, with an air of indifference.

  Simarui smiled and stood, his smile was faint and sorrowful. The medicine given by Lifi was really potent, having only walked this far and taken a horse carriage, he already felt dizzy and his chest felt stuffy. "Second brother has indeed cultivated his body and nurtured his nature."

  Simajiang turned his head back upon hearing the sound, and saw Sima Rui. He was the first person he had seen since being imprisoned in the Si Gu Yuan, and also the only one. The first words that escaped his lips were: "How is Murong Feng?"

  Simarui was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said in a light tone, "What can she do?"

  Simazheng was stunned, and the answer he had been afraid of all along finally came out. In fact, when that horse rushed out so wildly, the outcome should have already been decided at that moment.

  Bai Min furrowed her brow, "Murong Feng!", why was this name so familiar? It turned out that Feng'er's full name was Murong Feng, how did this debauched man know her name?

  "I know you're in pain, but how do you know I'm also in pain?" Sima Qiang said heavily. "Now, it was me who personally took Mu Rong's daughter away, and it was my mother who personally sent her off. Every day, I face my mother, two equally important people, how can I hate?"

  Simarui sneered, "Simaqiang, didn't you get it wrong? When did Feng'er become the most important person to you! If she was that important, why did you have to put a knife to her throat back then!"

  Simajiang gazed ahead, the leaves rustling in the wind. The desolation of autumn could not be concealed. He forced a bitter smile and remained silent for quite some time. After a while, Sima Rui thought he wouldn't speak again, but suddenly he said quietly:

  "Do you think only you can love her? I also thought that except for Hongyu, I wouldn't fall in love with anyone else. But when I saw her for the first time, I felt a sense of comfort in my heart, a feeling that Hongyu had never given me. Hongyu is a mature and introverted person who is thoughtful and meticulous. With her by my side, she can help me deal with many things. Although marrying her was partly due to consideration of interests between my mother and me, she is indeed a good woman. I may not be able to love her deeply, but I won't wrong her either.

  As for Murong Feng, she is clean, simple, elegant, and quiet, giving me the feeling that she wants me to protect her from any harm. Yes, at that time, it was I who held a knife to her throat, but if I had known my mother would do such things, I would rather have put the knife to my mother's throat. Hurting her is worse than hurting me, however... My mother was in front of me, and to protect her, I could only choose what you care about most - Murong young lady. And I will guarantee that Murong young lady will not be harmed while in my hands."

  "If it were as you said, you wouldn't have used force to make the blood flow out of Feng'er's neck." Sima Rui said lightly.

  Simar closed his eyes, and some turbid tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

  Simarui quietly looked at Simaqiang, now that Murong Feng was gone and there was no hope of him coming back to life. He didn't even have the heart to be angry with Simaqiang. What he didn't expect was that Simaqiang also had feelings for Murong Feng.

  Simaqiang smiled wryly, "I also knew early on that the horses in the palace were selected from thousands and tens of thousands, and they were injured. Running wildly like that, people would likely die in the turmoil, even if they were rescued, they would suffer head injuries, lightly causing confusion, severely leading to death. I just hope she didn't suffer."

  "She is now gone without a trace, dead without a corpse." Sima Rui said calmly, the pain in his voice all turned into indifference, "As for how she left, perhaps only she herself knows."

  Simazhuan didn't understand, turned his head to look at Sima Rui, "Why was he born without being seen by anyone, and died without a corpse? Such an imperial palace, with checkpoints everywhere, why couldn't they stop him? Can't they find him?"

  Simarui sneered, "If she were in the imperial palace, it would be easy to handle. But the injured horse suddenly ran out of the imperial palace and rushed towards the cliff behind the palace. I suppose you also know how deep that cliff is. The carriage fell from above and crashed into the river, so there's no body to be found, whether she's dead or alive. Is this what you wanted?"

  Simazhuang was stunned on the spot, somewhat dizzy. He knew that Murong Feng was mostly evil and little good, but he didn't expect it to be such a situation.

  Suddenly silent.

  Suddenly, Sima Qiang rolled up his sleeves and made a deep cut on his arm with the dagger he was carrying, causing blood to flow. Sima Rui saw that there were scars all over his arm, some of which had already healed, while others had not yet healed, crisscrossing each other in a shocking sight.

  "I will repay her, and I will do it bit by bit. I hurt her, a drop of blood, I will repay her with a wound. Her life was lost because of me, and I will ultimately repay her with my own life! Sima Rui, how lucky you are to have met a woman like Murong Feng to accompany you, while I can only secretly hide it in my heart. Now, I can get hurt for her, and that is already happiness for me." Sima Qiang didn't look at Sima Rui, put the dagger back, smiled, and looked at the sky that was gradually darkening, saying "Now I can finally think of her like you do, without having to worry about avoiding you. Isn't it also a great happiness for me?"

  "Perhaps you were like that with Hongyu back then too." Sima Rui said indifferently, but his heart ached. What could he do for Murong Feng? Watching her disappear from in front of him, yet unable to save her at that moment. If the pain of this life could bring her even a thread of warmth, it would be worth it.

  Simajiang didn't even notice the blood on his arm, gazing at the sparse trees in front of him, and said lightly, "In those days, my mother had ambitions for Hongyu. She didn't want me to be looked down upon all my life. As someone who hadn't yet become the crown prince, how could I marry a suitable woman who could help me? So she chose Hongyu. Firstly, Hongyu wasn't born to the main wife, and our grandmother wasn't very supportive of her marrying Sima Zhe. Secondly, she had connections with the empress, so my mother designed every step, letting Hongyu fall into the trap step by step. Actually, Hongyu was an ambitious woman. Her status as a concubine's daughter made her feel inferior all along. She hoped to rise to prominence, but Sima Zhe's character was too kind and not suitable for the palace life of mutual deception. So she chose me, which was also a desperate attempt. We basically came together with our own purposes. If it weren't for our grandmother discussing with her in private back then and letting her give up on Sima Zhe, she wouldn't have turned to me so quickly. It's just the way things are."