Chapter 116 From now on, every year…

The sky had darkened, and the lights in front of the Mingxin Hall shone brightly, casting layered shadows on the steps.

A group of people anxiously waited under the lamplight, and in the distance they saw Baili Xunzhou carrying Feng Mian as he approached. The flickering lamplight illuminated Baili Xunzhou's blood-stained armor.

The sharp-eyed Liu Ying exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Princess, why are you covered in blood!"

In an instant, all sorts of terrible speculations flooded their minds, and everyone rushed over in a panic.

"Princess, where are you injured?!" Wu Liu was so anxious that she wanted to reach out and check.

"Are you still conscious?" Dylan's voice trembled, and he was somewhat incoherent.

Liu Jixue hurriedly pushed through the crowd and squeezed in. Her gaze swept over Feng Mian's face, and she knew that the bloodstains on her clothes were definitely not hers. She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked her over again and instantly understood: "...Spiked your ankle?"

Seeing Feng Mian nod shyly, everyone's hearts finally settled down.

"Let's go inside and talk." Baili Xunzhou carried Feng Mian and strode into Mingxin Palace, settling her on a low couch. Then he took her hand and led her aside, allowing Liu Jixue to come forward and examine her.

"Ah Xue, what brings you here too?" Feng Mian asked softly.

Liu Jixue bent down to examine her swollen ankle and deftly set her bones. "You and the prince are both my patients, so I don't trust anyone else with you."

After checking that her ankle was fine, Liu Jixue took her other hand to check her pulse. Her expression relaxed slightly, and she finally had the mood to make a small joke, "Besides, the young master's eyes have been unwell for a long time. As a doctor, I am under a lot of pressure."

She glanced up at Baili Xunzhou's hand that was tightly gripping Feng Mian's wrist, "But in my opinion, having you by his side is better than any remedy worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Liu Ying and Wu Liu chuckled, but Bai Li Xunzhou was still immersed in worry and tension, unaware that he was being teased. He only anxiously asked, "How is Mianmian? Is she injured internally?"

Hearing Liu Jixue say "it's nothing," his tense body finally relaxed slightly.

"His Majesty has awakened!"

A surprised shout came from the eunuch, and Feng Mian, ignoring her foot injury, suddenly stood up. Baili Xunzhou immediately put his arm around her shoulder and, half-supporting and half-protecting, led her into the bedchamber.

On the couch, Emperor Jiayu slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze, which had been clouded from a long sleep, gradually clearing in the candlelight.

"Uncle!" Feng Mian rushed to the bedside, tears streaming down her face before she could even speak. She grasped Emperor Jiayu's hand, laughing and crying at the same time, "You're finally awake! You scared me to death..."

After the palace servants finished serving the medicine, Emperor Jiayu dismissed everyone and Feng Mian recounted in detail what had happened during the days he was unconscious.

Emperor Jiayu listened, his withered hand gently stroking the top of her head, "It's because I haven't done well enough..."

He sighed softly, a hint of weariness and regret showing on his gaunt face. "Actually, I've sensed his thoughts to some extent. But... I owe him and his mother so much from my youth, and besides, he's never failed in his duties as Crown Prince all these years. So I've always thought of stalling for time, thinking that as long as I suppress these thoughts, he'll eventually accept his fate..."

But the heart that was trying to be a loving father inevitably clashed with the emperor's suspicion. He was worried about the crown prince, and he always thought about how he had almost gone astray in the past. When facing the crown prince, who was very similar to him, he couldn't help but feel suspicious and wary.

That's why he decided to marry Feng Mian off to the northern frontier. Unlike the various speculations and doubts of the court officials about the Prince of Dingbei and his son, he always believed in the loyalty of the Prince of Dingbei, who was guarding the northern frontier for generations.

As an elder, it was quite difficult for Emperor Jiayu to confess his immoral thoughts to his beloved niece whom he had cherished for many years. He hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he could not bring himself to say it. He could only vaguely apologize: "It is your uncle... who has caused you to suffer."

"Your father's wrongful conviction was my fault..." Emperor Jiayu looked at the dragon pattern on the tent ceiling, thinking that if Anle were still alive, she would definitely blame him, blame his obsession for preventing Xiaoman from growing up by her biological father's side, blame his jealousy for causing Feng Cixu to die unjustly, blame him for not being able to bring the traitors to justice all these years...

"I will issue an edict of self-reproach, proclaim it to the world, and restore the truth to General Feng."

He closed his eyes, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He only hoped that one day, after he passed away...

"Okay, I'll tell Uncle." Feng Mian tucked the blanket around him. "Uncle just woke up, he should rest well first."

She rose and quietly left the bedchamber.

Outside Mingxin Hall, lanterns flickered, and the Empress Dowager leaned against a pillar, peering into the hall. Seeing Feng Mian emerge, she hurriedly turned to leave.

"Wait!" Feng Mian lifted her skirt and took two steps to catch up. "Isn't the Empress Dowager going in to take a look?"

The Empress Dowager, wearing a phoenix crown, stiffened slightly. The night, like a silent pool, submerged half of her body, her magnificent jewels half-lit and half-dark.

"Enough..." She never turned around. "This is what I owe the Emperor. My son and I... are ultimately not meant to be. I only did what I was supposed to do this time. If I were to ask for forgiveness for that, wouldn't I be too shameless?"

"You...you should spend some time with him."

A sigh dissipated in the wind. She straightened her back and, supported by her maid, stepped into the desolate night of the deep palace. Her head full of jewels swayed gently until she was completely lost in the darkness.

"You should go and wash up and rest too." Baili Xunzhou's voice came from the side, startling Feng Mian.

She turned her head and saw Baili Xunzhou and his group coming from the corner of the corridor.

Why did you all go over there?

"The Empress Dowager suddenly appeared at the entrance of Mingxin Palace, hesitating and looking around. It would be so awkward if we stayed and waited there," Dilan explained. Having been the Crown Princess for several years, she was well aware of the cold, icy relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Therefore, upon seeing the Empress Dowager approaching from afar, she quickly pulled everyone away and hid.

Too much had happened today, and everyone was quite exhausted. After a few words of small talk, they prepared to go and rest. Dylan hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "How is His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Although there was no romantic love between her and the Crown Prince, there was still some affection between them as husband and wife, so she would always show concern for him.

Feng Mian looked at Baili Xunzhou, whose face was rather sour. "My uncle and Shanyi took him away and kept him under guard. They will deal with him after His Majesty wakes up. The imperial physician said he is fine and will recover in a few days."

Feng Mian gently held Dylan's hand, "Don't worry, your uncle is not an unreasonable person, and he will definitely not bring trouble to you and Lord Di."

A few days later, Emperor Jiayu regained three hours of lucidity each day. He then summoned Chu Jingze for a long talk that lasted for an hour. Finally, he ordered the removal of the crown prince and sent him to guard the imperial mausoleum, never to leave again.

Crown Princess Dilan, on the other hand, was granted a divorce and returned home because of her meritorious service in protecting the emperor, and was not implicated.

Afterwards, he issued an edict of self-reproach, and at the same time dismissed and beheaded a number of officials, bringing order and purification to the court.

At the same time, a great victory was reported from the northern frontier. The King of Dingbei did not disappoint the trust of the emperor and the people. He drove out all sixteen northern barbarian tribes that had invaded the northern frontier and beheaded the king of the Arna tribe at Yongxue Pass.

Gu Chunwen wrote to report that he was safe. He had been hit by a stray arrow at Luoying Ridge and was injured, but fortunately, the Prince of Dingbei came to his aid in time, turning the tide of the battle and leaving him unharmed.

He received a summons from Emperor Jiayu to return to the capital to report on his duties.

After Feng Mian spent half a month with Emperor Jiayu, the court officials reverted to their old ways and submitted memorials suggesting that the Prince of Dingbei and the Jiyu Camp should not remain in the capital for long. With the year-end approaching, in order to give Emperor Jiayu some peace, Feng Mian prepared to return to the northern frontier with Baili Xunzhou.

On the eve of their departure, Feng Mian and Baili Xun were standing side by side in the courtyard looking at the height lines they had carved on the tree when they heard a shout from the top of the wall: "Ahhh, what are you two doing on such a dark and windy night!"

Feng Mian peeked out from behind the tree and saw a figure tumbling down from the wall with a clatter, his hairpins and jewelry falling to the ground.

"Chu Jinglian? What are you doing climbing over my wall again?"

Chu Jinglian covered her eyes and squatted on the ground, "What do you mean 'again'? This is the first time this princess has ever climbed over your wall!"

As she spoke, she peeked through her fingers, signaling that Feng Mian and Baili Xunzhou should stop sticking together. Only then did she put her hands down, stand up, and remove the hairpins, necklaces, bracelets, and armlets from her head and wrists, tossing them to Feng Mian.

"Tomorrow you'll be returning to that harsh, cold land of the Northern Frontier. I pity you, so I'm sending you some travel money. No need to thank me too much!" she said arrogantly, raising her chin.

After the Luo family fell, her mother was also implicated and imprisoned in the Cold Palace, but Emperor Jiayu treated her as always, so she didn't feel that life was too difficult. After the turmoil of the palace coup, her temperament remained unchanged.

After saying that, Chu Jinglian looked Baili Xun up and down several times, gritted her teeth, and said, "Don't think that just because your husband doesn't look like the legendary Zhong Kui, you'll be living a better life than me. Father is also arranging marriages for me, and I'm sure I'll marry a man a thousand times better than him!"

"Yes, best wishes." Feng Mian smiled at her, her eyes crinkling. "Thank you for the travel expenses. I really need the money in the Northern Frontier."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jinglian gave Baili Xunzhou a suspicious look. "Hmph, you'd better be more careful. Stop using your own money to subsidize your husband's family. If you don't save some money for yourself, you'll suffer when you get old and lose your beauty!"

She hummed twice, then turned and prepared to leave.

"etc."

Upon hearing Feng Mian's call, she stopped without hesitation, turned around, and looked at Feng Mian expectantly. "This is for you." Feng Mian took out a string of colorful stones from his sleeve. "I polished this chain myself. The stones are from the mountains of the Northern Frontier. They can protect you and keep you safe. You should also be careful when choosing a husband, so you don't get bullied."

“I will write to you when I return to northern Xinjiang.”

Chu Jinglian snatched the colorful stone bracelet from his hand with a fierce look. "Fine, if you insist on giving it to me, I'll accept it. As for the letter... write it if you want, but don't expect me to reply."

After saying that, she turned and ran away as if a vicious wolf was chasing her.

Baili Xunzhou's expression was indescribable. "Does she hate you, or does she like you?"

Feng Mian shrugged. "She likes to be jealous and says one thing but means another."

The next day at dawn, just like when she got married, the sealed carriage and some odds and ends that Emperor Jiayu had given her once again slowly departed from the palace.

This time, however, there was Baili Xunzhou escorting the sedan chair.

The people of Shengjing finally met the legendary heir of the Prince of Dingbei and marveled at the sight.

"Who says this Crown Prince is bad? I think he and our Princess are a perfect match!"

"What do you mean by looking like Zhong Kui? I think praising him as Pan An wouldn't be an exaggeration! This rumor is truly harmful!"

"It's all thanks to His Majesty's discerning eye that the Princess has found such a handsome husband!"

"He's not just handsome, he's incredibly imposing. The way he moved when he stormed the palace was exactly like the ones described in the opera!"

Several scholars chatted idly in the teahouse, “It seems the title of Prince of Dingbei is very secure. His Highness the Crown Prince is so brave, and His Highness the Princess is even more remarkable. Have you heard about the crops she discovered in the Northern Frontier? If this information spreads, the people will no longer suffer from famine and cold!”

"I've heard about it, but is it really that powerful?"

"Lord Gu will be returning to the capital in a few days. We can just ask him when he comes out and find out!"

Gu Chunwen, returning to the capital, and Feng Mian, leaving, took different official roads and failed to meet. Before entering the capital, Gu Chunwen sent a letter to Cheng Lixu, saying that he had a dream in which he seemed to have successfully knocked on the palace gates to propose marriage…

At that time, Cheng Xu stayed in the northern border to cultivate superior varieties. When he read this passage on the ridge of a field, he almost fell into the pile of fertilizer. He hurriedly wrote several letters to persuade him to give up such a rebellious idea.

Gu Chunwen had only made a casual remark, but seeing his friend's alarmed expression, he couldn't help but laugh, and the slight unease in his chest dissipated. He realized that some things, whether delayed or rushed, or even a change of mind, can create entirely different lives.

If fate hasn't brought us together, then this is the end.

With the war over, Feng Mian and Baili Xunzhou were no longer in a hurry on their journey, enjoying themselves along the way. Baili Xunzhou jokingly said that he had finally made up for the regret of not being able to escort his bride back then.

"But why are your eyes still not well?"

Inside the carriage, Feng Mian leaned over and touched Baili Xunzhou's eyes through the silk ribbon, her brows furrowed with worry.

"Hmm, maybe I'm just someone whose blood stasis dissipates slowly?"

Feng Mian, still worried, went to ask Liu Jixue. Liu Jixue looked at Baili Xunzhou, who was clinging to Feng Mian no matter what he did because of his poor eyesight, and replied with a cold snort.

That evening, Feng Mian helped Baili Xunzhou into the carriage first, then exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, my hairpin!"

She jumped off the carriage with a thud, and a moment later screamed, "Ahhh, there's a snake!"

"Mianmian!" Baili Xunzhou sprang from the carriage like a gust of wind, rushing precisely to Feng Mian's side to shield her, looking around anxiously. "Where's the snake?"

The ribbon behind his head came undone, and Feng Mian's face was close to his, her eyes fixed on his darting eyes. "So, your eyes were healed a long time ago!"

Baili Xunzhou felt guilty and dared not meet her gaze. Only then did he notice that Feng Mian had screamed for help, but the guards did not immediately surround her. This was a trap set for him!

He glared at Shanyi, who was clearly aware of the situation, and Shanyi walked away, feeling resentful.

A sharp pain shot through her cheek, and Feng Mian pinched him fiercely. "Stop threatening others. I ordered them not to reveal this. You've made me worry for so long, how are you going to make amends?"

"...I'll be your slave?"

Even if you're not lying to me, you should still do it this way.

"..." Baili Xunzhou had no rebuttal and humbly asked for guidance, "Then how should I apologize?"

"..." Feng Mian was also a little confused. Baili Xunzhou was very obedient to her. She couldn't possibly punish him physically, could she?

“You’ll write me a note saying you owe me…” She thought for a moment and said, “You owe me ten things! I’ll tell you when I think of something.”

"Don't we usually talk about three things?"

"I want you to make ten items. Will you do it or not?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it! I'll do a hundred of them!" Baili Xunzhou was afraid she would change her mind, so he picked up his pen and wrote, even pressing his fingerprint on it.

Seeing how readily and easily he agreed, Feng Mian felt she was at a disadvantage; she still had to rack her brains to figure out what he should do... tsk.

...

When the two returned to the northern frontier, Baili Xunzhou, who had taken a long vacation, was persuaded by his father and Yao Zhiyuan to take up a post in the military camp, while Feng Mian replied to the many letters left on the desk.

Lu Mingzhu went to the Northwest to take up his post as county magistrate. He left a letter and took some improved seeds with him, intending to bring the new crops to more places.

Chu Jingze got his wish and went to visit the Canglang tribe with Mi Tu. He sent her many local specialties and sent her three letters a day.

Madam Zhe traveled around the vicinity of the northern frontier, hoping to develop new businesses. She would send letters to her from time to time, asking if she wanted to invest money.

Feng Ciyan parted ways with them in Shengjing, saying he had had enough of one place and wanted to go see other places. Every now and then, he would send some trinkets from somewhere to let Feng Mian know his whereabouts.

Feng Mian spent three days replying to the letters. Just as he was about to stretch his muscles, he suddenly noticed a small note left on the table.

Dear Mianmian:

My father is truly heartless, cruelly preventing me from seeing my beloved wife and me for three days. Now, in anger, I have skipped work. The moon rises above the willow branches, and we have a rendezvous at the waterside pavilion.

The signature at the end was modeled after her previous paintings, depicting a pitiful little figure.

Feng Mian chuckled, reading the note over and over again, muttering, "There are so many lakeside pavilions in Yunzhong County, how am I supposed to know which one you're referring to?"

Under the gentle, flowing moonlight, Feng Mian asked the question verbatim.

Bai Lixun raised his eyebrows and said, "There are countless pavilions on the lake, but we've only been to this one! How could you forget?"

“I haven’t forgotten now, but I might not in a few years…” Feng Mian deliberately dragged out her words, only to be bitten on the lip by Baili Xunzhou as punishment, causing her to swallow the rest of her sentence.

“You must come here every year from now on, and you are not allowed to forget.” Baili Xunzhou said rather domineeringly.

This is where they pledged their love, and even when their hair turns white and their teeth loosen, they will still come here to commemorate it.

Fireworks exploded on the horizon, gleaming like flowing gold. Year after year, the flowers will be similar, but the people will remain the same.

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Author's note: It's finished!

I'll be updating with extra chapters later. If you'd like to see them, you can request them. If not, I'll just write them myself! [kissing emoji]

Thank you to every little angel who's read this far! Without your clicks, comments, support, and even virtual gifts, I might not have been able to keep this up for so long. [hugs]

I am so grateful to have you all with me on this journey!

I didn't dare look at the comments section as we neared the end; I became rather quiet TAT

Sometimes I want to write something in the author's notes section, but after finishing the main text, I rush to publish it and forget about it. I've been fantasizing about ending this story for a long time, and now that I've actually written this final chapter, I feel a little nervous and reluctant to say goodbye. This is the first time I've finished such a long story, and I hope that stopping here is the right thing to do. I hope that every character can find happiness.

I also hope that everyone who sees this will be safe, healthy, happy, and successful. [heart emojis]

The column has finally taken root! If fate allows, we'll meet again in the next story! [Heart emoji][Heart emoji][Heart emoji]

(The next book is a pre-order from the other site. If you're interested, please add it to your favorites. Thanks again!)