Lu Tianyun should have been a noble concubine second only to the emperor, but because the queen mother interfered, she had to marry this prince who had no sense of existence and become a small princess of Qin.

Lu Tianyun knew Qin Youran had truly misunderstood, but she pretended not to understand what Qin Youran meant and asked tentatively, "Your Highness, why do you say that? How can I have no choice but to marry you?"

Qin Youran said, "This prince knows that you and His Majesty have feelings for each other, and you have no choice but to marry me this time."

He understood Lu Tianyun's feelings very well, and he had no choice.

Lu Tianyun was at a loss for words. "Your Highness, how can you tell that I and His Majesty are in love? Could it be that Your Highness also believes those rumors?"

Qin Youran said, "Princess, there's no need to deny it. I know everything, and I don't mind."

He really didn't mind at all that Lu Tianyun and His Majesty had feelings for each other. She was just a nominal princess, and he didn't care about this princess, let alone which man the princess had feelings for.

Since she has married into his Prince Qin's Mansion, as long as Lu Tianyun does her duty well, she will still be the princess of this Prince Qin's Mansion.

Qin Youran didn't want to come to the bridal chamber. After all, Lu Tianyun was the princess he married in a formal ceremony. If he left her alone in the empty room on her wedding night, wouldn't she be laughed at?

So he came to the bridal chamber.

But, he would not touch His Majesty's woman at all.

"Your Highness..."

As soon as the word "Your Highness" was called out, Lu Tianyun's mouth stopped opening and closing. She didn't know how to explain. The rumors about His Majesty and her were known throughout the city. It was not surprising that His Highness the Prince of Qin believed them to be true.

Your Majesty may be affectionate towards her, but she has absolutely no affection for Your Majesty.

"Miss Lu, it's getting late. You should go to bed early. I will stay overnight, but don't worry, I won't touch you. I'm staying overnight because I don't want any rumors to spread and make people laugh at me and you."

Qin Youran said this calmly, but Lu Tianyun was stunned.

Qin Youran assumed that Lu Tianyun had heard what he said. He walked to the bed, bent down, picked up a brand new quilt, and went to the soft couch not far away.

He placed the bedding on the couch and moved the screen behind the couch forward. The screen separated the couch from all of Lu Tianyun's beds.

Because of the screen, Qin Youran couldn't see Lu Tianyun clearly, and Lu Tianyun couldn't see Qin Youran either.

Qin Youran took off her coat, boots and socks and lay down on the couch. Only then did Lu Tianyun come to her senses.

She felt a little lost in her heart.

Lu Tianyun let out a breath. It seemed that the King of Qin really had no intention of consummating his marriage with her.

The King of Qin thought that she and His Majesty were in love, so he didn't want to spend his wedding night with her.

She stroked her chest and gently comforted herself, saying that there was a long way to go and there was no need to rush today.

Lu Tianyun took off the phoenix crown on her head and went to the inner room to change into pajamas. When she came out after changing into pajamas, Qin Youran had already fallen asleep. There was no one else in the bridal chamber, and she could clearly hear Qin Youran's breathing.

Her happy phoenix eyes fell on Qin Youran's handsome and heroic face. She looked at him reluctantly for a few seconds before walking towards the bed.

………

On an early summer night, a gentle breeze blows, bringing a comfortable and refreshing feeling.

Seven or eight stars dot the sky, and a crescent moon is like a sickle.

The candlelight in the Shangshuling Mansion was bright, dimly illuminating the figure on the wall.

The woman was dressed in a snow-white gown, and her beauty was comparable to that of a fairy concubine. Her pair of phoenix eyes looked into the deep courtyard. There was a coldness in her eyes, without any emotion, and she looked down upon all living beings from a high position.

This person is none other than the Lord of Lanling City.

The Lord of Lanling City put his hands behind his back and looked at the Minister of Chancellery below him in the corridor. He said indifferently, "You have brought up your daughter very well."

The Minister of the Chancellery also looked at the woman standing upright on the wall, with a hint of sadness and bitterness in his eyes.

If I count carefully, twenty years have passed since we parted in Luoyang that year.

The Shangshu Ling's eyes lit up with excitement, and he said slowly, "Mei'er, you are finally willing to come to me."

The Lanling City Lord's tone was as cold as the thick glaciers of the Far North. "I am not her."

Hearing this, Shangshu Ling was suddenly startled. He quickly took a few steps forward, his eyes falling on the peerless face of the Lanling City Lord. He studied it over and over again. Looking at this face, he felt strangely familiar and murmured, "You are not her?"

Lanling City Lord's face was expressionless, "No."

Shang Shuling's eyes dimmed visibly, but he still asked again, "Are you really not her?"

The Lord of Lanling City said, "No."

Shangshu Ling once again looked at the wall. This man looked very similar to Mei'er, and also had a pair of charming phoenix eyes, but their auras were completely different. This man spoke harshly and was not as gentle and quiet as Mei'er.

He said, "You are so similar to Mei'er. Are you her sister?"

The Lord of Lanling City remained silent and did not answer the Shangshu Ling's question.

The Minister of the Chancellery took it as her tacit agreement and said, "Sir, may I ask you a question?"

The Lord of Lanling City said calmly, "Excuse me."

After receiving permission, the Minister of Chancellery raised the doubts he had harbored for over a decade with the Lord of Lanling City, "Is she okay? Why didn't she want to go with me back then?"

The Lord of Lanling City was calm as water, and didn't seem surprised that the Minister of Chancellery would ask her this question.

She said, "It was just a fleeting romance. Why should Lord Lu keep dwelling on it? Her devotion to you was merely an accident, and the birth of your daughter was even more of an accident. If she were to return to the capital with you, would she be your concubine, or your shameful mistress?"

"I..." The Minister of the Chancellery was speechless for a moment.

The Lord of Lanling City glanced at the Minister of Chancellery. She had only said it casually, but was the Minister of Chancellery so angry that he could not speak?

These words were not spoken casually by her, but were said to her by her elder sister herself.

The Lord of Lanling City only said, "She has her pride."

The Minister of Chancellery muttered to himself, "That's her reason."

"Tianyun is fine," Lanling City Lord said indifferently, "She is very relieved."

Speaking of Lu Tianyun, Shang Shuling's beloved daughter was the one he loved most. In his heart, she was as beautiful as her biological mother. Time passed quickly, and as his fate neared, he wasn't as persistent or as serious about some things as he used to be, insisting on finding the answers. Now, what he wanted most was to see that person again.

"Can you tell me where she is?"

The Lord of Lanling City flew away, his figure submerged in the lonely night, with only a few words floating in the air.

"She's dead."

These three simple words flew into Shangshu's ears like flies. He immediately opened his eyes, full of disbelief.

Shang Shuling was stunned where he was, unable to recover for a long time. "She's dead?"

He waited for the girl named Mei'er for nearly twenty years, year after year, but she never came to find him.

When I first heard the news about her, she had passed away...