Wei Ying listens to his words and he understands what Lan Zhan is saying. And he's not wrong. He, himself, hasn't forgiven the man for threatening Jin Ling's life that way, But his perspective isn't the same as Lan Zhan's, not any more than it had been the same as Jiang Cheng's. His experiences aren't the same as Jin Guangyao's, not exactly, but it's not hard to look at the similarities between their circumstances and wonder a little. To question. To sympathize, even, to some degree.

He'd been mistrusted, hated, believed to be a lost cause, too. His own crimes will never fully be forgiven or forgotten, nor does he believe they should be. He's reaped what he's sown. He's fortunate beyond words just to have a loving husband, a son and pupils he can be proud of. But Wei Ying's greedy. He can't help but wish he had someone to talk to that isn't his spouse Even he's wrong in his suspicions about Jin Guangyao, his conscience, already laden with so many heavy burdens, will be clear.

So instead of speaking or following him, Wei Ying remains silent and simply watches him go. Maybe they'll discuss this matter more in depth later but for now, they both need to cool off. So once Lan Zhan's gone, he fetches a jar of Emperor's Smile from his husband's secret stash and begins to drink it, not enough to get drunk but just enough to soothe his nerves a little before his husband returns.