Xue Zi Ning nodded and stepped forward, asking, "We've been here for three days. When can you let me out?"
"Isn't it nice here?" Hua Yun Jin inquired.
"It's not about whether it's nice or not. It's that I have no freedom like this."
Upon hearing this, Hua Yun Jin said, "Just tell me what else you want. If I can do it, I will."
"Hua Yun Jin, you know I don't want these things. Fine, since you don't understand, I'll be more direct. What will it take for you to let me go?"
"Why must you leave?"
"This isn't my home. Why should I be here?" Xue Zi Ning said coldly.
"You can consider it your home," Hua Yun Jin replied, looking at her.
"Are you and I kin?"
Hua Yun Jin paused, shaking her head. "Since we're not, what reason do I have to stay?"
"If you are troubled by this, then I can marry you," Hua Yun Jin said slowly.
"Hua Yun Jin, do you know what you're saying?" Xue Zi Ning was enraged.
Hua Yun Jin smiled, her gaze flickering slightly. "Of course I know. You're the one who can't face reality, Xue Chang Ning?"
She faltered, then said, "Hua Yun Jin, I will not marry you. I don't like you."
"A Ning, you didn't say that before. Do you know how hurtful those words are?" Hua Yun Jin looked at her, her gaze chillingly cold.
"Hua Yun Jin, that's enough. There's a limit to joking, and this joke isn't funny."
"You think I'm joking with you?" Hua Yun Jin frowned.
"Aren't you?" she asked, looking at him.
His gaze was chilling yet deep. She hesitated, "You..."
"A Ning, you're the one who's thought it was a joke all along. I am not joking."
She stiffened, taking a few steps back. "Hua Yun Jin, this joke is really not funny."
"I am not joking with you, A Ning. I want to marry..."
"Enough, Hua Yun Jin. Do you think this is fun? I'm telling you, it's not fun at all. I like General Yan Xiao."
"Why him? Why? You used to say you liked me. Why have you changed?" His gaze grew deeper, like a venomous snake, fixing on her.
"Hua Yun Jin, you..."
"Why? When I was little, Mother Consort whispered in my ear that I was not as good as others. Now, do you also think I'm not as good as him? That's why you prefer him, and you don't like me?"
"Hua Yun Jin, I like Yan Zhao, for no other reason than I like him," she said, looking at him and speaking each word distinctly.
"Then tell me, what will it take for you to agree?" He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders.
"Hua Yun Jin, let go of me first," Xue Zi Ning frowned.
He paused and released her. "I was a bit rude."
She said slowly, "Hua Yun Jin, liking someone doesn't require freedom. I like him. My heart, my mind, it's all him. No one can drive him away."
Hua Yun Jin was taken aback and took a step back. "Really... there's no possibility at all?"
"No," she answered crisply.
He gave a low chuckle. "A Ning, do you know how much that hurts me to hear?"
"Hua Yun Jin, one day you'll encounter it too. That person isn't me. If you force me to marry you, you'll only hurt the person you haven't met yet, and you'll hurt us both."
"There's no room for turning back, is there?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No."
He chuckled lightly. "Alright, I understand. Since that's the case, if you stay, you'll never agree with me. A Ning, you can leave tomorrow."
"R-really?" Xue Zi Ning found it incredible. She thought it would take much more persuasion.
"While I'm not a benevolent person, my word is my bond."
"Hua Yun Jin, don't underestimate yourself. You are kind at heart."
He chuckled softly. "A Ning, it's best not to trust anyone too easily. They might be deceiving you."
She smiled faintly. "But I believe that in the past, in the palace, you weren't pretending. Hua Yun Jin, it's sometimes difficult to be a bad person. I know you've always been kind at heart."
"Perhaps," he murmured, looking up at the bright moon, a nameless feeling in his heart.
His robes fluttered, his hair danced in the wind. At this moment, Xue Zi Ning felt that Hua Yun Jin was enveloped in an unspeakable sadness. The next day.
Early in the morning, Xue Zi Ning was already awake. She feared Hua Yun Jin's words from last night were just talk.
When she pushed open the door, she instinctively took a step back, expecting guards to stop her. After a long moment, no guards appeared. She knew then that she could truly leave.
Back in her room, she packed a few clothes and the silver she hadn't spent.
Once packed, she opened her room door to find Huan'er standing outside, looking at her with reluctance.
"Huan'er."
"Are you... really leaving?" Huan'er stood there, asking somewhat uncertainly.
She nodded. "Yes, Huan'er, I really am leaving."
"Then... have you decided where you're going?" Huan'er asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet, but I have things I want to do."
"I see." Huan'er gripped her broom tightly.
"Huan'er, goodbye. We'll meet again!" she said, cupping her fists slightly.
Huan'er remained silent, her lips moving, but no words came out.
Xue Zi Ning turned and walked towards the entrance. Upon reaching the main gate, she stopped and looked back, seeing Huan'er still standing there.
For some reason, she remembered standing there many years ago, watching Yan Zhao leave.
Sometimes, once some people are missed, it's for a lifetime.
"Huan'er, I don't have much money, and perhaps I can't provide you with good food and drink. But I have the freedom I spoke of. Do you want to come?"
Huan'er trembled. She looked up, her eyes glistening. "I don't need good food and drink. I just want to follow you because I'm so lonely and want someone to accompany me."
Xue Zi Ning nodded and extended her hand. "Come!"
Huan'er broke into a smile through tears. "Okay."
In the courtyard next door, Hua Yun Jin, clad in a jade-green brocade robe, stood watching as the morning sun grew increasingly dazzling. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
A moment later, someone landed behind him. "Your Highness, Miss Xue has left."
After a long pause, he lowered his hand. "I know."
"Your Highness, Huan'er left with her."
"Good. Tell her to protect A Ning well and to report any news to me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Hua Yun Jin sighed softly. "Those who must leave, will eventually leave."
"Your Highness, others may leave, but this concubine will not leave you," a voice emerged from behind him.