The night was deep and dark.
Rong Shuo sat blankly on the bed, Rong Heng's words still echoing in his mind.
"——If you want to return to the capital, then do so quickly. Perhaps you can see Consort Jia one last time."
One last time.
The image of Consort Jia's smile and voice appeared before Rong Shuo's eyes.
The last time he returned to the capital, he had only seen his mother when paying respects to the Empress Dowager.
It seemed that as one grows up, the face of one's mother becomes blurred, as if time has frozen, and she remains young. But when one turns back, one discovers she has aged, her beauty faded.
Rong Shuo clenched the letter tightly in his hand. After some time, a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his lips.
Then, Rong Shuo unfolded the letter from Consort Jia.
That night, Prince Rui of Yan Country did not sleep a wink, reading his mother's letter word by word, over and over again, until dawn.
