The carriage was traveling along the official road towards Xiangguo Temple.

Inside the carriage were only Yuan Qingling and the injured Yun Ziheng.

The effects of the pills Yun Ziheng took gradually began to take hold.

The pills had a pain-relieving effect, and the pain gradually lessened, and Yun Ziheng's complexion improved a lot.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Yuan Qingling looking down, rubbing the handkerchief in her hand with a self-reproachful expression.

Yun Ziheng coughed softly, as if he wanted to say something.

But the sudden sound startled Yuan Qingling, making her shudder.

"Sorry, I startled you," Yun Ziheng said apologetically, somewhat embarrassed.

Yuan Qingling obediently shook her head, indicating that it was alright.

With a face full of apology, she said, "I'm fine. The main thing is, how are you feeling about your wound, Lord Yun? Actually, I should be the one apologizing. It's all my fault for dragging you into this."

Yun Ziheng sensed the politeness and self-reproach in Yuan Qingling's words, and his expression darkened slightly.

“It was my initiative to escort you to Xiangguo Temple, and my injury was my mistake, it has nothing to do with you,” Yun Ziheng explained.

Yuan Qingling was very persistent and insisted, "If Lord Yun hadn't sent me, I wouldn't have been injured today."

Yun Ziheng frowned, his tone tinged with coldness, "If I hadn't arrived in time, do you know what would have happened?"

Yuan Qingling suddenly looked up at Yun Ziheng and saw him staring at her intently. She quickly looked away.

Strange, what was she feeling guilty about? Yuan Qingling clenched the handkerchief in her hand.

Yun Ziheng said coldly, "You know that, don't you?"

Yuan Qingling said, puzzled, "I don't understand what Lord Yun is saying."

Yun Ziheng was speechless, and rubbed his chest in anger.

“Yuan Qingling, you weren’t someone who used to wallow in self-pity and give up on yourself. Alright, I do have something to discuss with you.” Yun Ziheng glanced at his injured arm and frowned slightly.

He tried to move his body and adjust to a more comfortable position, leaning against the cushion in the carriage.

Yuan Qingling's attention shifted to the second half of the sentence, automatically ignoring the first half's evaluation of Yun Ziheng regarding her.

Naturally, they also overlooked the fact that Yun Ziheng knew what kind of person she used to be.

She thought it over in her mind, but still couldn't guess what Yun Ziheng wanted to say to her, so she could only say, "Please speak, Lord Yun."

Yun Ziheng asked earnestly, "Miss Yuan, would you please marry me?"

The last four words exploded in Yuan Qingling's ears, causing her to experience a brief tinnitus.

What did he just say?

Yuan Qingling thought she was hallucinating and had misheard, so she tilted her head and looked at Yun Ziheng with a blank expression.

Yun Ziheng emphasized it again.

Yuan Qingling heard it clearly this time, but felt it was too sudden.

She really couldn't understand why Yun Ziheng suddenly had such an idea; they didn't seem to have met more than a few times.

Even in the few times they had met, his gaze had never been on him, so what did he mean by that?

Could it be that the General's Mansion is pressuring him to get married, so he wants to find someone to appease them?

That shouldn't be the case.

Countless noble ladies in the capital yearn to marry into the general's family. He has many choices, so why would he choose her?

Why is that?

Yuan Qingling lowered her head and thought about it carefully, but still couldn't come up with an answer.

Could this person be injured or have encountered some kind of problem?

Yuan Qingling glanced at Yun Ziheng suspiciously, and when she saw Yun Ziheng staring at her intently, she quickly lowered her head.

"Lord Yun, did you say something wrong?" Yuan Qingling stopped thinking about it and didn't want to waste her time, so she asked directly.

Yun Ziheng quickly shook his head, "I know it's abrupt for me to bring this up suddenly, but I have indeed thought about it carefully. It's just that I happened to run into Miss Yuan today, so I brought it up in advance to hear Miss Yuan's opinion."

Yun Ziheng further explained that he originally planned to ask his mother to invite a matchmaker in a couple of days so that he could personally go to the Yuan residence to discuss the matter.

Yuan Qingling still couldn't quite believe it was true.

"Lord Yun, could you please explain why it was me?"

Yun Ziheng sighed, "To be honest, ever since Luo Luo and the Emperor went to the Xuan Cang Continent, my mother's health has been deteriorating. Although she doesn't show it on her face, the imperial physicians who take her pulse always secretly tell me that it's due to worry and anxiety. My mother and father are both hoping for my marriage, and I think..."

Yuan Qingling's calm voice rang out, "Lord Yun wants to get married and use this happy event to comfort Madam Yun, which is indeed very filial. But there are many young ladies and noble ladies in the capital, why me?"

Yuan Qingling asked why for the second time.

Yun Ziheng chuckled lightly, “In some ways, you and Luo Luo are very similar. For example, what happened just now, although you lowered your head to think, you didn’t hesitate to ask directly when you couldn’t figure it out, without wasting your time. That’s very similar to Luo Luo. Perhaps my analogy is inappropriate, but I do hope that my beloved can have her own thoughts and insights.”

Yun Ziheng paused for a moment, seemingly thinking, before continuing, "I hope my future wife can think independently and has her own set of rules for judgment, rather than just believing what others say. There are indeed countless young ladies from wealthy families and noble families in the capital, but very few are like the one I hope for. Fortunately, Miss Yuan is just like the one I hope for, and I don't want to miss out on her."

"Besides, since I was young, I have only focused on studying the classics and thinking only about passing the imperial examinations and working hard for the country. I have very few girls around me. I heard Luo Luo mention you. She said you are very good, so you must be very good. It is rare to hear praise from her."

"Furthermore, I have met Miss Yuan several times. She has performed her talents at palace banquets, and they were indeed quite good. The sound of the zither reflects the heart. As the ancients said, heroes are not judged by their origins. I believe Miss Yuan can be a good wife to the General's Mansion."

"Oh, by the way, please rest assured, Miss Yuan, in my General's Mansion, one can only marry one wife in a lifetime, and it is a family tradition to be one couple for life."

Yun Ziheng spoke earnestly, leaving Yuan Qingling stunned.

Yuan Qingling had just finished processing what Yun Ziheng had said when she opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Yun Ziheng then changed the subject and continued, "I have also considered Miss Yuan's family. What I am about to say may be a little unpleasant to hear. If Miss Yuan is not happy after hearing it, just pretend I did not say anything."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qingling clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly and remained silent.