Chapter 437 A Happy Enemy Couple

Huo Yunxing resignedly held the stack of memorials that Wang Degui had brought him, and was just about to find a corner to bury himself in his work when a commotion broke out outside the hall.

"Your Highness, the Emperor is in the middle of a meeting, you cannot..."

"Get out of the way! I heard he's back. I want to see if he's dead or alive!"

Before the words were even finished, a fiery red figure burst in.

Ayina was dressed in a bright red dress, radiant and flamboyant, but her face showed a hint of anxiety.

As soon as she entered, she saw Huo Yunxing. Although he looked a little tired, he was healthy and energetic, so Ayina breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, she raised her eyebrows, rushed to him, and slapped him.

"Huo Yunxing, you bastard, you came back without a word, hiding here pretending to be dead, huh? Do you even know what I mean...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Huo Yunxing grabbed her wrist.

The carefree prince, who had just been looking at the memorial with a bitter and resentful expression, immediately smiled.

Instead of dodging, he used the force of his grip on her wrist to gently pull her into his arms.

"Oh, Princess, you're in such a bad mood?" Huo Yunxing lowered his head, leaned close to her ear, and said in a tone that was both ambiguous and irritating, "Are you worried about me that much? Have you been missing me terribly since we last met?"

Ayina's cheeks flushed from his sudden approach; she felt both ashamed and annoyed, and struggled violently.

"Who's worried about you? Stop flattering yourself. I'm afraid you'll die out there and no one will be able to explain it to us in the Northern Desert. Let go!"

Huo Yunxing not only didn't let go, but hugged her even tighter, grinning.

"An explanation? I'm back safe and sound, aren't I? As for the princess, why are you in such a hurry to see me? Could it be that you can't wait to discuss our marriage?"

He deliberately dragged out his words, glancing meaningfully at Huo Lin behind the imperial desk.

Ayina blushed with embarrassment at his words and was also angry at his nonchalant attitude, so she kicked him in the shin.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Who wants to discuss marriage with you, you lecherous scoundrel? I'll break your legs today!"

Caught off guard, Huo Yunxing took a solid hit to the calf, making him wince in pain, but he didn't loosen his grip on Ayina's waist.

"Hiss, Your Highness, this greeting is a bit too enthusiastic..." Huo Yunxing gasped, but a smile still lingered on his lips as he looked down at the little beauty in his arms, who was kicking and waving her arms. "If your legs really break, who will take you sightseeing in the future?"

"Who needs you to take me? I can walk by myself!" Ayina struggled a few more times but couldn't break free. She angrily punched him twice in the chest, but the force was noticeably weaker.

Huo Lin sat behind his desk, watching the two entangled in a seemingly oblivious manner, a vein throbbing faintly on his forehead.

Tsk, what a pathetic sight. He's being kicked by a girl and is still grinning from ear to ear. What's wrong with him?

But since one is willing to give and the other is willing to receive, they could be considered... a match made in heaven?

His role as matchmaker is really not easy. He just brought together the troublesome couple Shen Yi and Mingzhu, and now he has to worry about the even more troublesome couple.

It seems the matchmaker's red thread is all in his hands.

Huo Lin shook his head inwardly, but his face remained calm and composed.

Seeing that the two had almost finished arguing, he coughed loudly.

Ayina then realized that the occasion was inappropriate. She pushed Huo Yunxing away, took two steps back, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, and looked away.

Huo Yunxing awkwardly touched his nose and straightened up, but his calves were still aching, making his posture a little awkward.

Huo Lin watched the two of them getting along so well, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Alright, alright, if you want to flirt, go back to your own residence."

His tone was lazy and slightly disdainful: "Uncle, now that you've recovered, hurry up and draft a proposal for all these backlogged matters. Don't try to slack off."

He turned his gaze to Ayina, who was still blushing, and said, "As for the princess, you've seen her yourself. She's not missing any limbs. Don't worry, the Ministry of Rites will finalize the wedding details with your Northern Desert delegation. We'll make sure you marry into our family in a grand and glorious manner."

Ayina's cheeks burned even hotter at his words, and she couldn't help but glare at Huo Lin: "Who doesn't trust him? Don't talk nonsense!"

Huo Lin raised an eyebrow and drawled, "Oh, so you rushed in and started checking right away?"

"You!" Ayina was furious but couldn't find the words to refute him. She could only glare at Huo Yunxing, who was secretly laughing beside her.

Huo Lin, seeing that things were going well, waved his hand as if shooing away flies: "Alright, alright, if there's nothing else, hurry up and leave. Don't stand here with me, it's making my eyes dizzy."

The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and quickly slipped out of the imperial study one after the other. But as soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, they could faintly hear Huo Yunxing's amused pleading voice again.

Huo Lin shook his head, putting this little incident behind him.

He sat back down behind his desk, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Wang Degui, convey my imperial edict, ordering the Ministry of Rites to expedite preparations for the ceremony to confer the title of Empress, without any delay or oversight."

He paused, then added, "I have ordered Xie Yunzhi to oversee the entire process. I want him to personally monitor every step. If anything goes wrong, I will hold him responsible."

"Yes!" Wang Degui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly accepted the order.

After dealing with this major matter, Huo Lin felt that the stuffy air in the Imperial Study had become much fresher.

He got up, not wanting to stay a moment longer, and headed towards Weiyang Palace with a heart full of longing.

Stepping into the inner hall, a warm, milky scent wafted over, instantly dispelling all fatigue.

Jiang Huan was teasing Huo Yue with a smile on her face. The little one was particularly energetic, his big, dark eyes darting around curiously, babbling and waving his little hands, trying to grab his mother's loose hair.

"Finished with work?" Jiang Huan looked up at the sound of her voice, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hmm." Huo Lin responded, his cold and stern features softening, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.

He bent down to look at Huo Chen, who was being held in the wet nurse's arms, but just as he lowered his head to get closer, something unexpected happened.

The little one, who had been soundly asleep, launched an "attack" without warning.

A jet of warm water, tracing a sharp arc, landed precisely on Huo Lin's face as he leaned in.

!!

Huo Lin froze on the spot, as if he had been frozen in place.

A warm touch came from his face, and liquid slid down the contours of his cheeks, even soaking a small patch of the front of his clothes.

[That damned brat! How dare he go easy on me?!]

[This is outrageous! Since my ascension to the throne, I have survived assassination attempts and dealt with countless military and national crises, but never before have I suffered such a humiliating defeat!]

[If this gets out, what will become of my dignity! The historians will probably record that on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, the Emperor was attacked by the eldest prince's urine at Weiyang Palace.]

Jiang Huan was also stunned, her eyes wide open, looking at Huo Lin's petrified expression, and then at the culprit.

"Pfft—" After a brief silence, Jiang Huan couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Hahaha... Oh... I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it, hahaha..."

She laughed so hard she almost fell over, and tears streamed down her face.

"An'an, you really gave your father a very special and unique gift, hahaha..."

The wet nurse was already terrified. After putting Huo Chen on the bed, she immediately knelt down.

"This servant deserves to die! This servant failed to take good care of the young prince! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Huo Lin raised his hand and fiercely wiped his cheek with his sleeve, the action carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

[This brat is definitely doing this on purpose! He's so young and yet he dares to provoke me! He's utterly lawless!]

[Once he can walk, watch how I train him! Horsemanship, archery, military strategy, governance—nothing can be neglected! Train him to the bone!]

After laughing enough, Jiang Huan looked at Huo Lin's aggrieved expression, took out a silk handkerchief, leaned over, and helped him wipe the remaining water stains from his face.

"Alright, alright, I support it! Train him to a pulp! Let Lele supervise him!"

Huo Lin paused slightly upon hearing this, but did not say anything more.

He simply let her wipe him, and the storm in the depths of his eyes subsided considerably with her gentle movements.