The maids worked quickly and efficiently, tidying everything up and refilling the teapot with water for the night.

Gan Qiongying also went to the next room and, with the help of her maid, carefully washed up.

While getting dressed, she pinched her waist and touched her face, feeling that she looked a little gaunt.

This definitely doesn't look good. I've been through a lot lately, which is why I've lost so much weight.

However, before Gan Qiongying could even feel a little worried, she remembered Li Hua's intense reaction when he kissed her.

Gan Qiongying immediately regained her confidence.

It's okay, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

In Li Hua's eyes now, she is Gan Xishi.

After they had both finished washing up and dried their hair, most of the lights in the room were turned off, the bed curtains were drawn, and the two of them lay down on the bed.

The maids left and closed the door. Only then did Li Hua turn around and reach out to touch Gan Qiongying's rosy cheeks after her bath.

His voice was warm and gentle, just as warm as his palm.

"It's already past midnight. You must be tired after a whole day of running around. Go to sleep..." Li Hua said, turning her palm over and gently stroking Gan Qiongying's face with the back of her hand, showing boundless affection and tenderness.

"You are too thin. You need to eat an extra meal every day from now on."

Gan Qiongying would nod in agreement with whatever Li Hua said, because after Li Hua finished washing up, his handsome face was flushed, and his skin was even whiter than other parts of his body because he had been covered up for many years. He looked like a dream, like a distant mountain lake at dawn, with a light mist covering the water and the mountain peaks, and the dawn slowly spreading, making people yearn for it.

Just looking at it is refreshing.

"I will eat properly from now on, but I'm not sleepy yet."

Gan Qiongying rubbed against Li Hua, almost wanting to crawl into his bed. Manyue really had no sense of propriety this time!

They even had the maids make two quilts for them. Although they always did this, things were different now... Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

However, Li Hua had tucked the blanket in too tightly, and Gan Qiongying stuck one foot out but couldn't find an entrance after searching for a long time, so she had to suppress herself for the time being.

She took a deep breath and told herself: Don't be like that, you're not lustful at all, you just want to be close to the person you like.

Then Gan Qiongying rolled up in the quilt and snuggled up to Li Hua like a caterpillar, her beautiful eyes, full of affection and captivating, looking at Li Hua and saying, "It's been so long, how can you sleep?"

"Let's have a good talk..."

Li Hua couldn't sleep at all; his whole body was burning up, and it felt like a fire was raging inside his abdomen.

However, when he saw Gan Qiongying's thin and tired appearance, although he was captivated by the alluring look in her eyes and found it hard to control himself, he still felt sorry for her because she was too tired, which was why he told her to rest.

After all, Gan Qiongying has already left the palace, and they have a long future ahead of them.

However, Gan Qiongying suggested that she wanted to talk for a while, and Li Hua naturally agreed.

He didn't avoid Gan Qiongying, who was so close to him. He even curled up in the blanket and lowered his head slightly, touching his forehead to Gan Qiongying's forehead and his nose to hers. With a little moisture in his breath, he gave Gan Qiongying a kiss full of tenderness, but without any invasiveness.

"Then let's talk for a while. I happen to have something I want to ask you."

Gan Qiongying scooted forward again, reaching out to quietly pull at the blanket Li Hua was lying under, while trying to distract him with, "Mmm, mmm, mmm, go ahead and ask, go ahead and ask."

Then Li Hua asked Gan Qiongying, "When exactly did you find out?"

Although Li Hua's question was vague and unrelated, Gan Qiongying immediately understood what he meant.

There was no point in hiding it, so Gan Qiongying simply said, "Well... once when I went to the Prince Consort's mansion to find you, I saw your true appearance. That day you were hiding under the covers crying, so I didn't lift the covers."

"Did it start from that time?" Li Hua grabbed Gan Qiongying's hand that was inside his blanket and intertwined their fingers.

Gan Qiongying nodded; in fact, she had known about this ever since she transmigrated.

She herself is unaware that she has dug a huge hole for herself.

Li Hua asked her, "Then why did you suddenly change your mind? Why did you suddenly bring me back to the princess's residence?"

"Back then I thought you had feelings for me... but now it seems that's not the case, because I wasn't even using my own face back then."

At this moment, Gan Qiongying realized that the situation was a bit complicated, so she hooked her arm around Li Hua's palm in an attempt to divert his attention.

He mumbled, "I just suddenly realized... I realized you're incredibly good, incredibly gentle."

She couldn't very well say that she suddenly realized Li Hua was worth using, and that she was also after Li Hua's money, could she?

Even if you should be honest, saying things like that will hurt feelings.

However, Li Hua was not distracted and asked again, "But according to you, you only discovered my true identity when you went to the Prince Consort's mansion to find me later. Before that, you had already gone to pick me up... Did you discover that I was a spy from Jinchuan?"

Gan Qiongying hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, and couldn't find a reasonable explanation for her sudden turn back.

If it was just a momentary infatuation, then is the person facing you now supposed to say that they like Li Hua when she wears a mask?

Gan Qiongying realized that no matter what answer she gave, it would be a dead end, so she had no choice but to nod in agreement with Li Hua.

“So that’s how it is.” Li Hua looked at Gan Qiongying nervously and said, “I have never told Zhongli Zhengzhen about your affairs, and I have never sided with Jinchuan.”

“Whether it’s national hatred or family feud, it has nothing to do with me,” Li Hua explained urgently. “I’m just a businessman. I don’t want to get involved in those things. I was forced into it.”

Gan Qiongying nodded, then gripped Li Hua's hand tightly under the covers and said, "I know, I've always known. You wouldn't disrupt the peace between the two countries for your own selfish reasons, because war would cause people to be displaced and wander, and what you've always done is to help people get through disasters."

Li Hua was surprised that the explanation could be so easy. He looked at Gan Qiongying with immense gratitude and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

He sighed and said, "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?"

"Princess, just trust me. No matter what you want to do, no matter what position you take, I will always stand by your side."