079 Helping Them

Day after day passed as usual, with life settling into an unbroken calm. Yun Xueyan’s health remained frail; she ate little, and her hours of sleep grew longer. Whenever she wished to do something, a wave of exhaustion would wash over her, leaving her powerless.

Seated in the courtyard, Yun Xueyan gazed at Zihun, who stood motionless like a wooden statue, neither speaking nor moving for an entire morning. “Zihun, the prince instructed you to protect me, not to become a piece of wood. You ought to take a rest,” she said softly, her tone light with jest.

Zihun’s expression did not change; he merely answered where he stood, “Thank you, Consort Yan, but I am not tired.” With that, he resumed his silent vigil.

The midday sun blazed overhead. Even as Yun Xueyan rested beneath a patch of shade, the heat was oppressive. Zihun, his clothes already soaked with sweat, betrayed not the slightest discomfort.

Yun Xueyan gave up trying to persuade him; she could not fathom how Duan Nanyu had trained Zihun to be so unyielding.

She was about to close her eyes when the soft sound of footsteps approached from the courtyard. Ziyu entered to announce that Lady Ruir, Duan Ruir, had arrived.

It struck Yun Xueyan as odd—Duan Ruir had been visiting with unusual frequency of late.

Opening her eyes, she looked up in time to see Duan Ruir, supported by a maid, enter the courtyard. Her face was pale and ashen, though her spirits seemed fair.

But what startled Yun Xueyan was the sudden shift in Zihun. The man who had stood so rigid and lifeless now turned his head and his gaze, following Duan Ruir’s movements.

In that instant, Yun Xueyan understood everything.

Yet her confusion did not end there. Why had Duan Nanyu chosen to marry Duan Ruir? If Zihun was always by his side, with his keen perception, how could he fail to notice Zihun’s heart? What kind of cruelty compelled him to separate these two, standing before her with their eyes meeting—eyes brimming with unspoken tenderness?

Even Yun Xueyan, who rarely involved herself in such matters, could see it: Zihun became almost human in Duan Ruir’s presence, no longer a wooden sentinel.

Why, then, did Duan Nanyu choose such ruthlessness? For the sake of his own preferences, he had sundered this destined pair, and yet Duan Ruir still spoke kindly of him.

He was always so sure of his right to control the fates of others.

A stifling discomfort lodged in Yun Xueyan’s chest. When she looked up, Duan Ruir was already before her, smiling gently and demurely.

“Lady Ruir,” Yun Xueyan returned the smile without rising—she truly had no strength to move. “Ziyu, bring the tea.”

With a gentle laugh, her eyes drifted over to Zihun. “Zihun, would you like some tea as well? It’s far too hot—no matter how resilient you are, you can’t endure sun like this forever. Don’t you agree, Lady Ruir?”

She passed the question to Duan Ruir, whose pale cheeks immediately flushed with color.

“Zihun obeys,” he said, bowing and striding to the table, his steady presence stirring a slight breeze.

Yun Xueyan nodded in satisfaction and began to chat idly with Duan Ruir, while Zihun sat nearby, his gaze frequently flitting toward the woman at his side.

It was only a short while before Yun Xueyan made up her mind: she must help them escape.

Otherwise, trapped within the prince’s mansion, life would be a living torment for them both.

As for herself, she had no way out—but she could not bear to watch those beside her fall into the same misery.