The further the carriage traveled, the more unfamiliar the street scene became to Shen Qiyin.

She silently took out a small packet of sleeping pills from the medicine box and secretly clenched it in her hand.

After traveling for about half a cup of tea's time, the carriage finally came to a stop.

Shen Qiyin looked through the small window on the side at the majestic palace gate not far away, and was a little confused for a moment.

At that moment, Chu Si's extremely guilty voice trembled outside the carriage: "Miss... please don't blame me, I was just following orders..."

She found it strange: "Why did you bring me here?"

"It was instructed by my young master."

"Um?"

"The young master said that he had arranged to meet you today. If he has been summoned to the palace by His Majesty when you go to Qiying Pavilion, he will have his subordinates drive a carriage to pick you up."

"What else is there to say, lest you back down?" Chu Si said blankly, "This subordinate didn't understand."

Shen Qiyin: "..."

No wonder he was the ultimate victor in his past life.

She didn't know whether to call him insightful or cunning.

Now that she was certain that everything was arranged by Xiao Yan, Shen Qiyin put the packet of sleeping pills away again.

Feeling bored sitting there, she lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and took a closer look at the majestic palace.

This was her first time ever coming to the foot of the palace, both in her past and present lives.

The green bricks and red walls complement each other perfectly.

The bright yellow glazed tiles gleamed in the dazzling autumn sunlight.

It is said that this palace city is about 288 zhang long from north to south and 226 zhang wide from east to west. It is surrounded by city walls about 3 zhang high on all four sides, and there is a moat about 15 zhang wide outside the city.

The palace has more than 90 courtyards of various sizes, 983 buildings, and a total of 8,707 rooms.

Such a magnificent palace is more like a large prison, and one wonders how many women's sorrows and grievances it has locked away.

No wonder the ancients said in their poems:

At dawn, the golden palace opens with a broom in hand; let us stroll together with round fans.

Her jade-like face paled in comparison to the color of a cold crow, yet still bore the shadow of the sun's rays from Zhaoyang Palace.

That's a bit too dejected.

Lost in thought, Shen Qiyin suddenly heard Chu Si say "They're out." She subconsciously looked up and saw Xiao Yan walking side by side with a young woman from inside the palace.

It's Song Lanyan!

Chen Xiyin abruptly pulled down the curtain.

Her first thought was that she couldn't let Song Lanyan see it.

After all, she had said before that she wasn't familiar with Xiao Yan, but now she was sitting in his carriage, as if he was deliberately fooling her.

But then Miss Chen thought again and realized that times had changed, and she hadn't done anything wrong to her, so there was no need to hide.

But there was no need to deliberately lift the curtain and let the other person see, so he remained seated.

But I don't know about the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

He assumed that Shen Qiyin was jealous because she saw Xiao Yan and Song Lanyan together, so he quickly comforted her, saying, "Miss, please don't be upset, this must be a misunderstanding!"

"The sincerity of my young master towards you is as clear as day."

“This Miss Song has been pestering my young master for quite some time now. She must have gotten wind of it and found out that our young master is in the palace right now, so she rushed over.”

"However, I can testify that the young master has always been indifferent to her."

On the fourth day, they spoke in a rapid-fire manner, like setting off firecrackers, giving Shen Qiyin no chance to interrupt.

Just as she was about to explain that she wasn't upset after he finished speaking, she heard him excitedly shout, "Your Highness, you've finally arrived!"

"You should explain to the girl quickly. She was not happy to see you coming out of the palace with Miss Song."

You'll have to coax her properly.

Shen Qiyin: "..." She seemed to know why Xiao Yan didn't keep him by her side.

Too much talk!

Before Chu Si could finish speaking, Xiao Yan lifted the curtain and entered.

The moment their eyes met, they both blushed instantly.

The next moment, they each turned their heads to the other side.

Shen Qiyin was originally sitting in the middle seat facing the car door. When she caught a glimpse of Xiao Yan walking inside, she instinctively tried to move to the side, but he pressed her shoulder down.

She looked at him hesitantly, the blush on her cheeks still lingering.

Xiao Yan sat down next to her without looking at her directly and said, "There's enough room."

Shen Qiyin gave a blank "Oh," but couldn't help thinking, "If there's room, why is he sitting so close to me? Isn't there a large empty space to his left?"

Xiao Yan: "I only ran into Song Lanyan by chance when we were near the palace gate. I did not intend to travel with her."

"Oh, is that so?"

Are you... unhappy?

"No!" Shen Xiyin denied it outright: "It was Chu Si who made it up. I have no feelings about it."

"No emotion whatsoever?" Xiao Yan turned to look at her, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Miss Shen was always good at reading people's expressions, and she wondered if his reaction meant he wanted her to be emotional.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and she tentatively said, "Actually, it's because I have great faith in your character, and I know you're not the kind of person who's fickle."

But after hearing this, Xiao Yan's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He seemed confused: "Am I now an anonymous 'adult' again?"

Shen Xiyin: "..." Why is this person's focus so strange!

The two fell silent for a moment, the only sound the clatter of horses' hooves.

They were sitting quite close together, and the faint scent of sandalwood from Chen Qiyin's dress drifted into Xiao Yan's nose.

Amidst the incessant cries of vendors outside the carriage, he said in a cool, clear voice, "Last night... what was it you wanted to ask me? Now I can tell you."

"I..." Shen Qiyin, who was usually quick-witted, stammered unusually at this moment: "If I say I forgot, will you hit me?"

Xiao Yan parted his thin lips slightly, about to say something, but stopped abruptly when he saw the pearl hairpin in her hair.

He noticed it as soon as he got into the carriage.

She was so smart; he didn't believe she wouldn't understand the meaning behind the hairpin he gave her.

Similarly—

He couldn't possibly not understand the meaning behind her wearing the hairpin.

"You really forgot?"

Xiao Yan's gaze was fixed on her, and his dark eyes, as black as night, suddenly held a hint of emotion that Shen Qiyin couldn't understand.

She nodded guiltily: "...Yes." It was fake.

Xiao Yan replied, "If you've forgotten, then listen to me."

"...Say...say what?" She felt inexplicably nervous.

These are my heartfelt words.

Xiao Yan turned to face her, gazing intently into her calm and serene eyes.

The deepest longing in my gaze seems to connect us to a past life...

Xiao Yan unconsciously clenched his hands on his knees, and with a do-or-die attitude, said to her, word by word, "Chen Qiyin, I love you."

"I want to hold your hand and watch the clouds rise in the morning and admire the moon rising in the east at night. I want to stay with you forever, until death do us part."

"Shen Xiyin, would you be willing to marry me?"