Yu Wenjing knew Ye Shaohua had always loved him—why else would she have taken a blow for him?
Before, he had scorned her sacrifice, thinking any of his loyal subordinates could have done the same.
But now, seeing her like this, he felt lost.
He wasn’t unaware of how deeply she had once loved him. Even after everything that had happened in the palace, she had still chosen to save him.
So when Ye Shaohua spoke those words, he didn’t believe her.
With that thought, he looked at her gently. “Don’t worry. General Ye has rendered great service to the empire. No matter what, I won’t mistreat you. From now on, you shall be the mistress of Moonflower Palace.”
He felt guilty toward the Ye family. Though he didn’t love her, at least his disgust for her had faded.
“No need.” Ye Shaohua raised a hand, and a maid immediately brought paper and brush. “If you truly appreciate my father’s service, then release me from the palace. Don’t worry—I’m not foolish enough to spread this around.”
The maid had only been assigned to her an hour ago.
Yu Wenjing was surprised at how obedient the maid was to Ye Shaohua.
But seeing her prepare the brush and paper, he realized her resolve was firm—she wasn’t trying to provoke him but genuinely wanted to leave the palace.
Though he felt some guilt, Yu Wenjing knew he didn’t love her.
Without much hesitation, he picked up the brush and wrote a decree severing all ties with Ye Shaohua. From then on, she would be free—though Moonflower Palace would always remain hers.
He signed his name at the bottom.
Once done, he felt an unexpected lightness in his chest.
Still, I must properly compensate the Ye family later. I’ll visit the treasury.
He pointed at the bottom of the document and said kindly, “Sign your name here—”
Then he remembered: the Ye family were martial fanatics. Aside from Ye Shaofeng, most of them barely knew how to read. They had only learned enough to study military texts.
Even General Ye’s memorials to the throne had always been written by scribes.
“…Or you can just leave a fingerprint,” he offered considerately.
“One copy for each of us, Your Majesty.” Before he could finish, Ye Shaohua took the brush and signed her name in swift, practiced strokes.
Seeing this, Yu Wenjing said nothing more. “Rest for a few days. In… in two days, I’ll take you back to the Ye residence to see the general and your brother. Young Master Ye was slightly injured.”
At the mention of Ye Shaofeng’s injury, Ye Shaohua looked up sharply. “How is he?”
Yu Wenjing quickly reassured her. “I’ve sent most of the imperial physicians to tend to him. They say his life isn’t in danger.”
He didn’t dare mention the possibility of permanent disability.
With nothing left to discuss, Yu Wenjing tucked the signed agreement into his sleeve without glancing at her handwriting. Knowing Ye Shaohua had always been self-conscious about her calligraphy, he didn’t want to upset her further.
Only after he left did Ye Shaohua press her lips together. Instead of resting, she opened the window and snapped her fingers.
A sparrow flew in. She tied a small note to its leg.
“If Yu Wenjing knew you could even command sparrows, he’d regret tonight’s agreement to his bones,” a cool voice remarked behind her.
Ye Shaohua showed no surprise. She released the sparrow and watched it disappear into the night before turning slightly.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“If he’s blind, that’s his own fault.” Yu Wen Yunshi poured himself tea, indifferent as the pale yellow stain spread across his snow-white robes. His lips curled in a faint, mocking smile. “I thought you were truly foolish enough to sacrifice yourself for others.”
There was still a trace of lingering resentment in his tone, as if angered by her past actions.
Ye Shaohua ignored him.
After sipping his tea, Yu Wen Yunshi tossed her a small vial. “Medicine for regenerating flesh. Also, I’ve already sent a miracle doctor to tend to your brother. And your maid, Shuangyue—I had her taken out of the palace days ago. She’s at the Ye residence now.”
Then, as if an afterthought, he added, “Don’t forget to apply the medicine,” before vanishing through the window in a flutter of white robes.
Ye Shaohua picked up the vial, uncorked it, and took a careful sniff. She poured a bit onto her fingers, rubbing the powder thoughtfully.
The medicine carried a refreshing, herbal fragrance. She could identify fifteen of its sixteen ingredients—the last one was unfamiliar, likely unique to this world.
It was indeed a rare, high-grade regenerative formula. Given this world’s technological level, refining even the fifteen known ingredients would be extremely difficult.
And yet, Yu Wen Yunshi had given her an entire bottle.
Where did he loot this from?
Though she could concoct something better herself, she didn’t refuse it. Instead, she called the maid to remove her bandages and carefully applied the powder.
The maid’s hands trembled slightly when she saw the vial, but she quickly steadied herself.
Ye Shaohua noticed but pretended not to.
As the maid applied the medicine with meticulous care, her lowered eyes practically screamed “Such a waste!”—especially for such a minor wound.
Yet her movements remained precise, suggesting some knowledge of medicine.
…
After leaving Moonflower Palace, Yu Wenjing didn’t head to the empress’s quarters but returned to his study to attend to paperwork.
Only then did he remember the signed agreement in his sleeve.
He summoned the chief eunuch and ordered a sandalwood box to store it.
But as the eunuch unrolled the document, his eyes caught on three characters—and his relaxed grip suddenly tightened.
“Wait. Don’t put it away yet. Bring it here.”
Yu Wenjing’s gaze locked onto the paper.
