Duke Ninghe's Residence
The courtyard's layout was elegant and simple, carrying the faint air of a famed scholar. A delicate floral fragrance drifted from the corner by the wall.
A crescent moon swept past the exquisite corner tower, casting a hazy, dim yellow glow within the high walls. The courtyard seemed mysterious and still, and from afar, it looked as though it had been embedded in the earth.
A clear pool encircled the grounds, covered in duckweed, emerald green and bright, reflecting the moonlight.
A gentle breeze slowly passed over the water.
The rippling water glimmered with countless scales of broken light, refracting endless moonbeams, all of which fell into view.
The scene stirred an indescribable melancholy.
Inside the room with its window open, Duke Ninghe wore a worried expression.
"Husband, it is late."
The attending Princess Consort—no, the Commandery Lady—seemed to instruct the maidservants to withdraw.
She gently leaned against him and handed him a snow-fur cloak.
Having been stripped of his princely title, the Commandery Lady now addressed him as husband.
"Alas, you do not understand. My heart is in chaos."
Gazing into the distant sky, Duke Ninghe's eyes were gloomy. Worry had gathered between his brows and would not subside for a long while. Absentmindedly, he toyed with a letter.
"Tell me, what should I do?"
"...This concubine does not know."
"You and I are one body as husband and wife, weathering wind and rain together. Since things have come to this, I will not hide it from you any longer."
Duke Ninghe's voice was faint and cold.
"Back then... the Sage was still Prince Dai. Prince Dai's Consort was with child, and I conspired with a Daoist to harm her. We could not allow her to bear a legitimate eldest son."
The Commandery Lady's face instantly