"Hmph! So what? I, Li Huaiyin, am going to find the best woman in the world. If I don't find one, I will never marry."

"The best woman in the world?" Yun Qing murmured to himself, a figure suddenly appearing in his mind. Come to think of it, there were women who met all his requirements, but...

"Big cousin, what do you think of me?"

"You?" Li Huaiyin looked at Yun Qing in surprise. "What do you mean by this?"

"It's just what you think." Yun Qing looked him in the eye seriously. "Big cousin, how about you marry me?"

"Nonsense! How can this be?" Li Huaiyin blushed with embarrassment. He had always treated Yun Qing like a younger sister. How could they get married?

"Why not?" Yun Qing wouldn't let him escape, she moved closer to Li Huaiyin and firmly held his shoulder.

"Who else but me can meet the requirements you just mentioned?"

That seemed to be true, and Li Huaiyin was caught in the trap: "But I'm so much older than you. By the time you're old enough to get married, I'll be an old man. Will you still want to be with me then?"

"Don't worry, cousin." Yun Qing grasped his hand and solemnly promised, "I will never let you down."

And then? Li Huaiyin paused for a moment, a hint of sorrow appearing in her beautiful eyes.

Under immense pressure, he rejected the talented young man chosen for him by his father, all for a vague and unrealistic promise.

Time flies, and another five years have passed. When Li Huaiyin turned twenty, the Empress finally couldn't wait any longer and arranged for him to marry Zhang Yi, the daughter of the newly appointed third-ranked scholar and Minister of Works.

Li Huaiyin was caught off guard by the news and quickly wrote a letter to Yun Qing, inviting her to meet him that evening in the peach blossom forest outside the palace to discuss the marriage agreement.

It was a late autumn evening, with a light drizzle falling from the sky. Pedestrians, bundled up in thick coats, hurried home, their eyes filled with curiosity as they looked at Li Huaiyin standing in the peach grove.

In the past, Li Huaiyin would have chased the passersby away, but today, he was lost in his beautiful dreams for the future and didn't want to argue with these commoners, so he let them be.

However, he waited and waited, until the moon climbed above the branches and gradually disappeared into the dark clouds, but Yun Qing's figure still did not appear.

As night fell, the rain intensified, and Li Huaiyin shivered from the cold wind, helplessly hugging himself. However, the chill in his body was nothing compared to the coldness in his heart.

Feeling the wetness on his face, Li Huaiyin gave a wry smile, stepped out of the pavilion where he had taken shelter from the rain, and walked straight into the rain.

Three days later, it is said that the eldest prince, who had caught a cold, finally recovered. The first thing he did upon waking up was to rush to Kunning Palace.

"Father, I am willing to marry Zhang Yi."

However, after hearing his words, the queen did not seem very happy.

"I understand. You should focus on recovering your health first. There's no need to rush the marriage."

"Father, haven't you always been looking forward to the day I get married? Now I'm willing and want to get married as soon as possible."

"Yin'er, I said we'll discuss this later—"

"His Majesty has arrived! Lady Yun has arrived!"

Suddenly, an announcement was made outside the palace.

"Yun Shinv, and who is that?"

Li Huaiyin was puzzled. He had never heard of this person before. Where did he come from?