Before the Tomb Sweeping Festival, the sky had been gloomy for two days without rain and wind.

The sun was wrapped in boundless mist, transmitting bluish white light faintly and making people not want to open their eyes.

Gu Yunxi followed the Honour Guards and walked quietly.

She looked up at the continuous red walls and high roofs and thought of the jollification, sadness and the long time in all people's eyes on that night of Spring Banquet.

Suddenly, she felt that the towering and lofty Palace seemed to become so empty and desolate since that night.

Ming Lan sat on the rough wooden chair in the Violent Room in palace residences of concubines. His black hair hung down loosely. He wore white Han Chinese Clothing underwear without make-up on his plain face.

The window paper in the east was broken. Weak and dim light permeated from countless holes and became the only light source of the small room.

He sat against the light, looking thin.

After the Western Depot was dissolved, Ming Lan's official title of rank-second commander-in-chief was removed. And he became an ordinary eunuch directly. Now that he was an ordinary eunuch, he couldn't be committed to Court of Judicial Review when he committed a crime. He could only be committed to prison in palace residences of concubines.

Seeing Gu Yunxi, Ming Lan stood up with a thump. His charming eyes widened in surprise. And his long eyelashes quivered.

Gu Yunxi walked to the table silently and put down the tray. She gave a red packet to the chief eunuch and said in a deferential voice,

"Thanks a lot, Lord. Please allow me to talk with him alone.

The chief eunuch picked up the red packet with his fingers gracefully, smiling obsequiously, and started the banalities then.

"Oh, Squire Tu, the Master values you so much. You don’t have to be so... OK, just be quick."

He turned around pleasantly, and closed the door when going out.

They looked into each other's eyes. Ming Lan touched his face in a flurry. He looked around and ran to the corner. Then he scraped some lime from the dirty wall with his fingers and rubbed it on his face with a rush.

Seeing that, Gu Yunxi suddenly felt dismal in her heart.

He cared most about his appearance. And he never allowed any of his discomfiture to be seen by others easily.

With bitterness in her eyes, Gu Yunxi dropped her eyes and picked up the cover of the tray in a hurry. She said to him in a low voice,

"Ming Lan, here is facial cream and nail polish. And there is a new robe. You can put on it later."

He paused. His stunned eyes fell to the tray slowly.

At this moment, he understood something.

He played with the cream box and smiled miserably. He gave a hollow laugh and said,

"Hoho, you know me well."

Ming Lan was in no hurry to change his clothes, walking slowly to the girl step by step.

"I never expected that he would let you meet me before I leave."

He said in a faint tone with resentment,

"He is such an asshole! He even didn’t forget to show off his victory to a dying man in the end."

Gu Yunxi frowned and pressed her lips, keeping silent.

She believed that the intention of the Master’s agreeing her to see off Ming Lan was not as malicious as Ming Lan thought. But she had no desire to argue with Ming Lan at the moment.

"Did Royal Guards find the gift I left for you in the dungeon in the Western Depot?"

After a moment of quietness, he turned his head to look at the girl with gentle eyes and asked.

Gu Yunxi nodded with a calm look,

"Now she is in the Eastern Depot... Thank you."

The wind was blowing outside the window and blew away the mist which pervaded the sky. The light entering the room became stronger and stronger.

The broken window paper rustled.

Flickering brilliance in Ming Lan's affectionate eyes suddenly brightened.

He held her hands upon his chest, and asked eagerly,

"Yunxi, now I just want to hear your true words. Tell me, are you happy to see that I have caught Tu Muxue for you? Are you starting to like me a little bit? Ah?"

She was shocked. She freed herself away from him and stepped back.

Her heart sank inexplicably, turning empty and painful.

She couldn’t stop shedding tears, but she was unwilling to submit to her weakness. Suddenly she clenched her fists and put on a sullen face. She stared at him firmly and growled at him,

"You colluded with the Shenle Marquis and wanted to poison the Master. And you killed captain Jiang, Concubine Xu, and Madam Jinzhu!

But for you, Yunjin wouldn't have entered the Palace to serve His Majesty. She wouldn't have strived for favour. And she wouldn't have been poisoned by the Shenle Marquis. She might have been carefree in the Garden, or have been married to someone she loved.

But for you, captain Yuan wouldn't have been disabled for life. Even if you thoroughly rectify your errors, I will never forgive you in this life."

Ming Lan was silent, gazing at the girl's stubborn and decisive face. Suddenly he burst into laughter,

"Great, great. This is the Gu Yunxi I know. Little wild cat, the nature of you never changes really. Ha, ha, ha... All right, hating me is better than forgetting me."

Gu Yunxi stood blankly, and she saw three black cavities among Ming Lan's teeth.

People in the Palace liked toadying and bullying. Since the Wans fell from power, even if the Master of the Western Depot, who did things ostentatiously and conspicuously in daily life, gave himself up, he must have suffered a lot.

Once he was in the palace residences of concubines, suffering from flesh wounds would be common. Not only his jade belt at the waist and the jade thumb ring were ransacked, but also his three golden teeth fit in his mouth were robbed by several greedy people.

The girl's whole heart ached so much out of Ming Lan's free and easy laughter. And the pain made her whole body shake and made her even not be able to breathe.

She could deceive herself as well as others, but she couldn't deceive her heart. At least at this moment, she was moved indeed.

Laughing for a long while, Ming Lan calmed his mind. He rubbed his wet canthus with his finger pulp, and turned his head to look at the girl. His peaceful eyes lingered on the plain facial features of the girl.

His eyes were like a large and tightly-woven web, full of complex and profound meanings.

He raised his hands slowly, and just wanted to touch the girl's cheek. But he stopped halfway, without courage to continue.

Finally, he changed his gesture to point to his chest with his finger, and smiled slightly to her,

"In that year, it was I who made you hijacked. Changing the appearance was equivalent to a near-death experience. That thing keeps haunting me. What a pity! I can't wait until you change your appearance..."

Birds cried plaintively before they die, and men spoke kindly in the presence of death…

Ming Lan's words made Gu Yunxi feel sad in her heart. She pressed her lips tightly. And her eyes turned wet.

She had thought that she would never put down the hatred in her heart. But at this time, she realized that in the face of death, love and hatred were just like transient smoke and cloud or tiny and negligible dust in the vast stars.

When Ming Lan saw the girl's tears trickling down, his eyes became deep and unfathomable like a clear brook.

He fixed his eyes on her, lost in thought. He sighed and said slowly,

"Once upon a time, I fought with the Eastern Depot and Leng Qingtang. I have schemed by hook or by crook, but I didn’t understand that what I fight for with him was not the power but you until the face of death."

Gu Yunxi's body shivered. She turned her head and wiped her face, trying not to make her feelings get out of control in front of him.

She took a few deep breaths, lowered her head and sniffed, saying,

"Don't talk any more. Ming Lan, change into the clothes."

The footsteps outside were noisy. The door was pushed open. Lord Lian came into the room with a eunuch. He looked at the two people, and unfolded the yellow silk roll in his hands. He then read aloud in a shrill voice,

"The imperial edict was issued. Ming Lan, receive it. Commander-in-chief of the Western Depot, Ming Lan, deceived His Majesty, colluded with the Wans, persecuted concubines, and disrupted the imperial court. Given that he gave himself up on his own and made clear the Wans' crime, remove his title of commander-in-chief, give a white ribbon for him to commit suicide, leave him a whole corpse, and confiscate his property. Respect this."

After the imperial edict was read, Ming Lan kowtowed and thanked His Majesty.

At the moment when he stood up, the sunlight shone on his face and portrayed every inch of his delicate eyes and brows.

He smiled, without any fear to face death. His expression looked relaxed. It seemed that he eventually looked forward to the release which belonged to him.

Gu Yunxi walked to Lord Lian, bowed to him and dropped her eyes, saying,

"Lord, can you show mercy and allow him to put on the robe?"

Lord Lian knew Gu Yunxi was the subordinate of the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, so he wouldn't refuse her. Then he nodded indifferently and said,

"I’ll wait here. Lady, please let him be quick. It is not good for him to miss the time to commit suicide."

"Thank you, Lord."

At the next moment, Gu Yunxi's complexion suddenly became solemn. She walked slowly to the table and set up the bronze mirror. And she said in a cheerless tone,

"... Spruce yourself up."

Ming Lan smiled at her, facing the bronze mirror to paint eyebrows and bound the hair up on his own.

After changing into the white silk robe, he really looked more energetic.

He looked at her figure in the bronze mirror straightly, saying without turning his head,

"Just leave. My trembling limbs won’t be a good scene to be seen. Now I have no regrets."

The wings of Gu Yunxi's nose quivered, turning wet and red. She sobbed and said,

"Wish you well all the way..."

"Yunxi--"

She was called and stopped by Ming Lan at the moment when she turned around and tried to dash out of the room.

She stopped at once, and listened to him carefully, with tears glistening in her eyes,

"Meeting in the next life, I hope I can be a complete man."

The girl covered her mouth and ran out with abundant tears.

With a pleasant smile, Ming Lan stepped on the wooden stool, hung the three-feet-long white silk ribbon on the beam and made a fast knot.

He stuck his head in, seeming to see a scene of pink peach flowers and green willows where spring breeze was blowing and petals of the flowers were dancing in the wind.

That girl was running happily in the sea of flowers. Her white ankles stretched and her skirt fluttered.

He watched it with tears. He smiled with blurred eyes and said,

"I will love you forever from the first glance at you."

Crack! The wooden stool tilted to the ground...