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The carriage door opened.

Rong Shu turned her gaze slightly.

"It's me," Gu Changjin said, bending down to enter and speaking softly. "Heng Ping, return to Minglu Yard."

His complexion was much worse than before, with a faint trace of dark blood at the corner of his lips. It seemed that he had suffered internal injuries.

Fixing her eyes on his lips, Rong Shu asked, "Lord Gu, are you... injured?"

Gu Changjin shook his head. "Just a minor injury. I was sparring with someone just now."

Why would he need such secrecy for a sparring session? And what kind of matter required him to use her name for his outing without others knowing?

Rong Shu had many questions, but she knew that even if she asked, Gu Changjin might not answer. Moreover, considering their nominal relationship, asking such questions would be overstepping. Since she and Gu Changjin had already divorced, Empress Qi would have no reason to harm her even if she were to take him back in the future.

Rong Shu lowered her gaze and took a handkerchief from her waist, pointing to the corner of her lips. "Your Excellency, use this to wipe here. When we return to Minglu Yard, I'll select some medicine for you from the pharmacy. Don't worry, the west chamber is where I reside. I can fetch some medicine and store it there without arousing suspicion."

Gu Changjin expressed his gratitude with a calm tone, took the handkerchief, and as it touched the corner of his lips, a faint scent of plum blossoms lingered around his nose and mouth.

His movement paused abruptly. He felt he had smelled this fragrance before, but not from this handkerchief—it was something softer than cloth.

His eyes darkened, and he put down his hand, gripping the handkerchief tightly.

Seeing him put the handkerchief down after just touching his lips, Rong Shu assumed he thought it was unclean. "This is a freshly made handkerchief from the manor. It was just taken out of the steamer today. Your Excellency, feel free to use it, no need to return it. The embroidery room has plenty more like it."

Gu Changjin's Adam's apple moved slightly. His gaze swept over her moist lips, and he softly acknowledged with an "mm-hmm."

The return journey was smoother than the way there, and they arrived at Minglu Yard within an hour.

In the carriage, Rong Shu gently adjusted her hair, letting a few strands fall onto her cheeks before lifting her skirt and stepping down.

At first, Gu Changjin didn't understand why she was pulling at her hair until he heard her telling Madam Shen that she had slipped on the mountain. Only then did he realize her intention.

She was going to openly fetch medicine from the pharmacy.

Sure enough, moments later, he saw her walk into the west wing with a medicine chest in her arms.

"I picked out a bottle of each ready-made medicine from the pharmacy. Please see if any of them are suitable for your condition."

His injuries weren't severe, and Gu Changjin was used to getting hurt. Normally, such wounds would heal within a few days.

However, since she had put on a deliberate act just to bring him medicine, he didn't want to reject her kind intentions.

Inside the small chest were about ten jade bottles. Gu Changjin glanced at them briefly before picking up a palm-sized vial. "This pill can alleviate internal injuries. Just one bottle will suffice."

With that, he flipped open a cup to pour water and took the pill in front of Rong Shu.

Seeing him swallow the medicine, Rong Shu didn't want to overstay her welcome. She got up and said, "Please take good care and rest."

As she turned to leave, she paused after taking two steps and stared blankly at a few paintings on the wall.

These were four paintings, each depicting a different season.

"Seasons come and go, Yunzhi, but I want you to think of me in spring, miss me in summer, yearn for me in autumn, and admire me in winter. For the rest of your life, you won't be able to escape my thoughts."

At that time, this was the vague phrase that echoed in her mind after hearing Heng Ping's words.

Yet, she had never said such a thing to Gu Changjin.

She had only spoken these words to the Yunzhi in her dreams.

"Did Miss Rong paint these?" Gu Changjin's voice sounded from behind her.

Rong Shu turned slightly and nodded. "I painted them out of boredom two months ago at Minglu Yard. My skills are crude, so I apologize if they amuse you, Your Excellency."

Once, she had also drawn portraits for him and even hung them in his study without asking. Every time she delivered a painting to his study, his expression remained indifferent, leaving her unsure whether he liked them or not.

Probably, he didn't like them.

But those were things of the past, no, they were her past, not his.

From the moment she clarified everything with him, the past was left behind as if it had never happened. Rong Shu would no longer dwell on her former relationship with Gu Changjin.

This time, she didn't hesitate and walked straight out of the door.

As the door closed, Gu Changjin's gaze lifted incrementally, landing on the paintings on the wall.

Yesterday, he had noticed these paintings, but at that time, he only felt a vague sense of familiarity without knowing why.

It was an odd sensation, a profound intimacy with something he had never encountered before.

Even now, he still found it peculiar.

For Rong Shu had never painted in Songsi Courtyard before, and he had never seen her artwork.

Why then did he feel such familiarity, even... an intense fondness for them?

That night, as he slept, it was likely due to these paintings that Gu Changjin had a surreal dream.

Again, it was the study, and once more, it was just him and her.

He leaned over his desk, penning an official document, while she knelt on the floor, sketching a branch of plum blossoms on her parchment.

But her approach to painting was unique.

She drew only the plum branch, with a couple of small, snow-made rabbits and deer beneath it.

Having finished his writing, he held his tea and watched her paint for a while. Eventually, he couldn't help asking, "Why are there no flowers on the branch?"

Lost in her art, she seemed surprised, lifting her gaze from the drawing with a smile. "Because there were flowers. This morning, I, along with Yingyue and Ying Que, picked a small bamboo basket full of petals especially for this."

Only then did Gu Changjin notice the basket of petals at her feet.

How would an ordinary person use petals to paint?

Once those petals lost their color, the painting would likely be ruined.

As if reading Gu Changjin's thoughts, Rong Shu put down her brush and explained with a smile, "I didn't pick the petals to paint. I just wanted to find a purpose for them."

As she spoke, her eyes and brows curved, exuding a contentment and satisfaction that was uncommon in others.