Miss Duan has been having a rough time lately.

Everyone knows about her conflict with Qiu Huan—though it’s hardly a true conflict; more like a clash of ideas, or perhaps a difference in values. Duan Yunhe is far from being pedantic; she’s just a kind young lady who thinks it’s wrong to take human lives and doesn’t want Qiu Huan dragged into such matters. To put it bluntly, she simply feels it’s not worth it for Qiu Huan.

Their relationship has become rather awkward, so Duan Yunhe can only seek other company to pass the time. As mentioned before, she’s never been particularly fond of people like Ming Zhen or Yuan Mo; aside from Qiu Huan, the one she gets along with best is Shang Rong. Well, after searching all over the Frostwood Garden without finding him, she even thought he might have slipped back to the Jade Hall out of concern for his business. On a whim, she wandered over to where Qin Yaoyue was being held, just to try her luck—and there she saw the two of them staring at each other in silence, eyes locked in a tense standoff.

—It really was a staring contest, neither saying a word, the atmosphere so stiff it was almost unbearable. Duan Yunhe stood there for a few seconds, then quickly blurted out, “Sorry to bother you!” before slamming the door shut and dashing off.

—If she went meddling in their business again, she’d be a fool!

Meanwhile, Zhao Erhan was deeply relieved to discover that his beloved had finally agreed to speak with him again.

In fact, he hadn’t been idle at the Unattached Estate; he’d kept busy with his own affairs, though it had meant putting extra strain on the messengers. His imperial father favored Li Bai and rarely summoned him, which actually worked to his advantage by keeping him out of the spotlight. During times like these, stand-ins for the Gaoyang royal family were most useful.

Amidst his hectic schedule and an environment that wasn’t exactly safe, Zhao Erhan’s sole focus was Duan Yunhe. At least now things were much better than before he knew Li Bai’s identity; after the issue arose between Duan Yunhe and Qiu Huan, the frequency of their meetings skyrocketed.

So when Zhao Erhan received the latest news from the Great Liang Dynasty, Duan Yunhe happened to be playing with Bai Pao nearby. Seeing the document in his hand, he wore a complex expression—part sorrow, part relief—which piqued Duan Yunhe’s curiosity. She hurried over to take a look, only to be utterly stunned.

The crown princess had gone into premature labor and given birth to a frail baby girl just past seven months, but then suffered massive hemorrhaging and died shortly after!

Zhao Erhan had lived at the Unattached Estate for about two months; when he left, the crown princess was already five months pregnant. Duan Yunhe had been hoping he’d return before the end of the year—after all, it would be unthinkable for a husband to be absent when his wife goes into labor. And Zhao Erhan wasn’t the type to do such a thing. Who could have imagined something like this would happen!

“…Are you sure your subordinates aren’t joking?” After a long pause, Duan Yunhe asked in a slow, weak voice.

Zhao Erhan looked at her, his eyes clear and unclouded.

“Let me think about it carefully…” Miss Duan drifted off in a daze, leaving Bai Pao behind. The little tiger, puzzled by its strange master, let out a plaintive whine and padded over to Zhao Erhan. He picked it up and cradled it on his lap, stroking its soft fur, a fleeting smile crossing his lips.

Duan Yunhe was completely thrown into disarray.

The crown princess is dead? How could she possibly be dead?

A huge mountain that had stood between lovers had suddenly vanished without a trace—surely Duan Yunhe should be happy. Yet she’d met the crown princess several times; the thought of a living person just disappearing like that made her deeply uneasy, even if her relationship with the woman wasn’t very close—she might even be considered a “rival” in love.

To ask such a kind young lady to build her love on someone else’s death, and to do so cheerfully and without any guilt—it was truly asking too much of her.

She walked all the way to the backyard and sat down on a random bluestone slab, unable to tell whether she was happy or sad. It was all tangled up in a muddle of conflicting emotions, and tears began to flow before she even realized it.

“Why are you crying?”

Duan Yunhe sobbed quietly, completely oblivious to the sound of footsteps approaching.

“…Brother Fengze.” It was Ming Zhen.

Ming Zhen had intended to pretend he hadn’t seen her, but thinking about his relationship with her sister, he decided to stop. If Duan Yunhe and Zhao Erhan’s bond was merely due to the impossibility of being together in reality, then Ming Zhen and Qiu Huan’s situation was far worse. He certainly didn’t want to make enemies under these circumstances; if he could win over Duan Yunhe, it would be a roundabout way of achieving his goal.

End of Chapter 34: No Way In