The dishes on the table had been reheated several times, and even the lights in the courtyard outside had been turned off one by one, leaving only the row of lights leading from the gate to the main courtyard, and Li Hua standing at the gate of the main courtyard, who had not gone inside but was looking at the gate, waiting for Gan Qiongying to return.

Li Hua could easily have sent someone to find out where Gan Qiongying was, but he didn't. He wanted to give Gan Qiongying absolute trust.

The two of them have always had a tacit understanding. They share a bed, eat together, and live together, and they have always given each other enough space and not delved into certain things.

Li Hua stood under the eaves for a long time, and Tian Jiao considerately stepped forward several times to inquire, "It's chilly at night, Master, why don't you go back inside and wait?"

The air is damp tonight, and it will probably rain in the latter half of the night. My master's legs always ache when it's cloudy or rainy. If he stands under the eaves exposed to the wind like this, I don't know how much pain he'll feel tomorrow.

But Li Hua slowly shook her head and said to Sweet Corner, "Go and light a lamp for me. I'll wait for the princess at the door."

Sweetcorn knew that his master, though seemingly gentle, was actually extremely stubborn. He never listened to anyone's advice and was always the one who did what he said, whether in business or in life.

Sweet Corner had no choice but to light a lantern and take a cloak, but Li Hua refused to put it on.

Li Hua always had moments when he was willing to hurt himself to gain calm and inner peace. He wanted to cool himself down completely so that the anticipation and passion he felt for the night wouldn't burn him up from the inside out, like a melting snowman, dripping and spilling onto the ground.

He was like a beast born scarred, pain becoming an important outlet for maintaining his consciousness and sensitivity—an unconscious form of self-destruction and self-torture.

Even now, his knees were already starting to hurt, but he still refused to put on the cloak.

Finally, Sweet Corner had to bring up Gan Qiongying, saying, "Your Highness, you should wear some more clothes. If the princess knew, she would be heartbroken. Every day, the princess instructs the kitchen to provide nourishing soups and broths for the consort, which are always in short supply. There is also an old man in the mansion who observes the weather. As long as the old man notices any change in the weather, he orders that the medicine packs used to treat the legs be kept warm all day long."

Even though Sweetie initially had a bad impression of Gan Qiongying, always thinking that she was just lusting after her beauty, she could never forget how many times Gan Qiongying had beaten and humiliated her master in the past.

But as she spoke these words, trying to persuade Li Hua, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly how good the princess was to her husband.

Using Gan Qiongying as a bargaining chip worked. Li Hua reluctantly put on the cloak and then slowly walked towards the gate with the lantern in hand.

Li Hua was extremely anxious. Part of her anxiety stemmed from the fact that it was late at night and the Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching, which would no longer be the Mid-Autumn Festival that Li Hua had envisioned, a festival that would only be for the two of them. Another part of her anxiety was because she was worried about Gan Qiongying and wondered why she hadn't returned so late.

Besides, Li Hua also had some unpleasant speculations, such as whether Gan Qiongying didn't want to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with him, whether she didn't value their promise, or whether... she had met some stunning beauty outside and changed her mind overnight, just like when she first fell for him.

The thought that Gan Qiongying might use the kindness she had shown him to marry someone else sent an overwhelming shiver down Li Hua's spine.

He gripped the lantern tightly and limped toward the door, walking faster and faster, not allowing Sweetie and Sanjiu to follow him. He rushed to the gate and stopped, panting, the lantern in his hand already extinguished.

Li Hua looked down at the lamp, as if seeing all her hopes vanish into thin air.

A dark and melancholic mood was spreading in his heart. It was at this moment that he heard the clanging of the horses belonging to the princess's mansion.

These bells were originally meant for carriages traveling long distances, but all the horses in the princess's residence wore them. During the day, they were used to alert pedestrians as they passed through the bustling city, and at night, the jingling sound signaled their return.

Li Hua's lips curled up uncontrollably as he strode toward the door. San Jiu caught up with him and steadily supported one of his arms. The extinguished lamp fell to the ground as Li Hua stood at the door, his eyes fixed on the returning carriage, not missing a beat.

The lanterns hanging at the gate swayed in the cool night breeze, their dim light outlining Li Hua's expectant figure, yet unable to bear the intense emotions that remained unknown and unspoken.

The carriage finally stopped at the gate. As soon as the curtain was lifted, Manyue came out first. When she saw Lihua standing at the gate, Manyue was stunned for a moment and immediately had a footstool placed on it.

He turned to Gan Qiongying and said, "Princess, the prince consort is at the door."

Manyue got out of the carriage first, bowed respectfully to Lihua, and then stood aside very tactfully. Sure enough, Gan Qiongying immediately lifted the carriage curtain and came out. When she saw Lihua, she immediately smiled.

Soon she was standing on the carriage and started shouting, "Why are you waiting here? It's about to rain and the wind is chilly!"

Gan Qiongying stepped onto the foot pedal and handed her other hand to Li Hua, who was helping her up, complaining, "Your hands are so cold. What are these servants doing? Don't they know to put some clothes on you?"

Since Gan Qiongying appeared, Li Hua's smile deepened with every word she spoke.

Sanjiu and Tianjiao were standing not far behind Lihua. After being glared at fiercely by Gan Qiongying, they both lowered their heads, looking ashamed.

But there was also a sense of injustice. Besides the princess, who else would the prince consort listen to? He didn't even know how he managed to coax her into wearing this thin cloak.

Gan Qiongying didn't really blame them. She knew what kind of person Li Hua was. She grabbed his hand and started checking it over, afraid that if she came back even a little bit late, Li Hua would tear off one or two of her fingernails again.

After all, there was a precedent for this. Gan Qiongying had always suspected that Li Hua might have some unknown fetish, such as... feeling unusually comfortable when in pain.

Seeing that Li Hua's hands were alright, just a little cold and her face was slightly pale, but her smile was very gentle and she hadn't done anything to hurt herself, he breathed a sigh of relief.