Suicide

His Majesty stared intently at Bai Xiao, then spoke.
"Indeed worthy of being the Crown Prince of Qi Shan. To be able to engage in such a battle, you are certainly no ordinary man. We believe we can entrust the Princess to you."
She went from surprise to joy, sitting beside the Emperor and saying.
"Many thanks, Imperial Father, for your grace."
The Emperor smiled. "We see that Our Wan Er seems to be rather fond of that young man over there, is that not right?"
Wan Ru, shy and embarrassed, replied, "Of course not. Imperial Father, please do not speak such words."
She winked at Bai Xiao, then smiled. Bai Xiao bowed his head, saying nothing.
That very evening, she had prepared all her belongings for the journey. As for Bai Xiao...
When she went to see how he was preparing, she found this.
"Bai Xiao, is that all you are bringing?"
Bai Xiao, with a cloth bag slung over one shoulder, said, "These are all my belongings."
She turned and spoke to Qing Yan.
"You know what to do, don't you?"
Qing Yan bowed her head. "Yes."
She sat down on a chair, which then broke and collapsed.
She looked at Bai Xiao with exasperation, then gave an awkward laugh on his behalf: *Good heavens, he is a dignified Crown Prince, yet he is this poor?*
Bai Xiao, worried, quickly rushed to help her up, saying.
"I am truly to blame. To allow such an incident to befall the Princess."
She waved her hands. "It's alright, it's alright."
Bai Xiao drew a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiping her hands, and said.
"It is late now. When you return later, please wear an extra layer."
She nodded. Afterwards, she returned to the palace to attend to a few more matters.
As night fell, the two left the palace. They traveled together in a single carriage.
Traveling through the night, she fell asleep in the carriage.
Upon waking, she realized she had unknowingly fallen asleep on Bai Xiao's shoulder.
She swiftly moved to sit a little further from him. Secretly watching him sleep, a joyful feeling swelled within her, making her want to burst into laughter.
She looked at him, thinking: *This fellow looks rather adorable when he sleeps, and less pretentious.*
She noticed the light outside faintly filtering through the curtain. She flung open the curtain, and the sudden light streaming in woke Bai Xiao.
Her initial intention was to see how far they had traveled, but she had unexpectedly woken Bai Xiao. She said.
"How rude of me. I was too careless."
Bai Xiao said groggily, "It's alright."
"Perhaps we should get down and take a short stroll."
She shouted loudly, "Hey, where have we reached?"
The coachman replied, "We have arrived at Si Chi."
She opened the curtain and said, "A little further, when we reach a bustling street, stop the carriage for breakfast."
"Yes, Young Lady."
Bai Xiao looked outside. Seeing this, she took some money from her purse and placed it in Bai Xiao's hand.
She wanted him to be able to spend it himself; she, as a woman, could not pay in front of others. It was to save him some face.
"Take it."
Bai Xiao bowed his head, cupped his hands, and said, "I cannot accept any more. I have already received too much from the Princess. I fear I cannot repay it."
She lifted his chin, saying, "From now on, we are husband and wife. What is mine is the Crown Prince's. What is the Crown Prince's is mine, understand?"
Bai Xiao turned his face away. She smiled triumphantly, thinking: *In my previous life, I would never have dared to do this. Now, a little teasing surely won't hurt, right?*
Bai Xiao looked up and said, "Many thanks, Princess."
The coachman's voice announced, "Young Lady Wan Ru has arrived at Si Chi."
They were pretending to be commoners.
She disembarked, her white attire appearing plain and simple, yet the noble aura still lingering about her made her seem otherworldly.
Bai Xiao descended after her, his dark robes as somber as his heart.
Wan Ru looked at him, thinking: *He's all looks. And I don't understand why Qing Yan chose black clothes for him again. Should I buy him some other colored outfits?*
Lost in thought, Bai Xiao approached and said, "Young Lady, let us go inside."
"Ah, yes, I know."
The two entered the eatery, Wan Ru approaching the counter. The owner, seeing customers enter, said, "What would the two of you like to eat, so this old servant may bring it out?"
"Please bring this humble one two bowls of vermicelli."
The owner swiftly went inside to prepare the vermicelli.
She walked to a table, and Bai Xiao sat opposite her, saying.
"Young Lady Wan, where are we headed?"
"We shall go to Dong Hai; there is a very beautiful temple there."
*In truth, there was no such temple.* Bai Xiao continued to ask, "Young Lady, I have a question. Why did you not bring any guards with you?"
She lowered her head, resting her hand on her chin, and said, "I only prefer the two of us."
Bai Xiao was speechless, unable to ask another question. *In truth, having extra guards would be quite troublesome and would not help me at all. We are going to refine the Emotion of Joy. I must quickly think of a way to trick him into cultivating emotions.*
After eating, they resumed their journey to Dong Hai. Dong Hai was a remote mountainous region; it would take them another day to reach it. They had to spend the night at an inn.
By the time they set foot in Dong Hai, it was already evening.
She was looking around for a nearby inn when Bai Xiao said.
"It is too remote here; there are no inns."
"Then let us find a house and ask to stay for a night."
Before them was a small village. She walked around the village, surveying her surroundings. Wan Ru passed by a house, glancing through a window.
Through the window of that house, she saw a young woman with long black hair, clad in mourning clothes. The girl was standing on a chair, and from the ceiling hung a noose.
The young woman was placing her neck into the noose and pushing the chair away.
Terrified, she frantically searched for the main door, bursting it open and shouting, "Hey, stop!"