After news of Gan Qiongying and Li Hua's preparations to return to Yindu reached the imperial city, Gan Lin had already sent people to completely renovate the princess's residence while the two were still on their way.

The only thing that remained was the dilapidated courtyard where Gan Lin and Gan Qiongying had relied on each other in the palace. They simply changed the lock and didn't touch a single plant or tree inside.

Gan Qiongying and Li Hua traveled around enjoying the scenery, and the people Li Hua brought with him changed every day, so much so that Gan Qiongying couldn't even recognize them all.

"How come I've never seen those two beautiful maids around you before?" After eating and drinking her fill and admiring the two children for a while, Gan Qiongying returned to Li Hua's side and sat with him in the carriage.

The carriage was moving slowly; they had just packed their belongings in a town and set off. They would reach Yindu in another two or three days.

It was already July, a time of misty rain. Their original plan was to reach the capital city before the fifteenth of July.

Today is the second day of the seventh lunar month.

Even in the swaying carriage, Li Hua didn't forget to work on the account books. This was the first time Gan Qiongying had ever seen Li Hua assign unfinished account books to the maids below to handle.

The two beautiful maids who were carrying account books just now got out of the carriage and went to another carriage.

Gan Qiongying was not jealous at all; she never doubted that Li Hua would even glance at other women besides her.

Because Gan Qiongying knew very well that Li Hua was different from normal people; he had psychological trauma. He also had skin hunger disorder and self-harm tendencies. All these factors combined made him a very withdrawn person.

It's not easy for him to accept someone; he would never touch another person just for the sake of lust.

Throughout all these years with Gan Qiongying, the only person he had by his side most often was Tianjiao. When Tianjiao was still a young girl, Lihua would have her help him with things like changing clothes.

But now that Sweetie has grown taller and more mature, she looks like a young lady, and Li Hua won't let her get close at all.

Li Hua would instinctively frown if touched by a strange man, let alone a woman.

Bu Li once secretly told Gan Qiongying that when Li Hua's symptoms were at their worst, he even had to hold a handkerchief between his fingers when taking Li Hua's pulse, just as no one in the palace except the emperor could touch the empress.

However, Gan Qiongying still deliberately asked about the two maids as if she were jealous, because Li Hua liked this.

Li Hua liked the feeling that Gan Qiongying cherished him and was afraid that someone would take him away.

As expected, after Gan Qiongying deliberately asked the question, a smile appeared on Li Hua's lips.

He even pretended to be serious and explained to Gan Qiongying, "They are Caihong and Quelu, the good people I trained to help me manage my business."

"How could that be!" Gan Qiongying suddenly sat up in the carriage, looking at Li Hua and saying, "Aren't Caihong and Quelu two very tall women who also know martial arts? You clearly introduced them at Qingshan Temple before..."

"Oh, you lied to me back then. You hired two guards to disguise themselves as maids and spy on me!"

The two of them have now passed that sensitive stage and can now talk about their past suspicions of each other as if it were a joke.

When the matter was brought up, Li Hua showed no remorse whatsoever; in fact, she even exuded a subtle sense of pride that she had won.

"Tch!" Gan Qiongying bumped her head against Li Hua's shoulder and said nonchalantly, "It's not very clever either. I knew it. That's why those two girls were as strong as oxen back then."

"Besides, what was the point of sending those two girls with me back then? I still ended up running away from Qingshan Temple..."

Li Hua pursed his lips and, when he brought up the time when Gan Qiongying ran away, a hint of sorrow would appear in his eyes.

He looked like a resentful woman abandoned by her husband. Gan Qiongying liked him very much. When she saw him with that look in his eyes again, she pushed Li Hua, who was sitting, down into the carriage.

Then she cupped his face and kissed him, lifted her leg and straddled his waist, pressing him down beneath her. She kissed and comforted him tenderly until Li Hua finally returned to normal.

It's not that she's returned to normal, but her complexion is rosy and her eyes are bright, as if she's been thoroughly pampered.

He was born with a face like a golden sculpture, and in the year since he reunited with Gan Qiongying, he has blossomed like a flower that has been carefully watered, even more beautiful than Gan Qiongying.

Sometimes, when Gan Qiongying looked at his hands as he flipped through the account books, they seemed like carved white jade or bamboo shoots growing taller. Looking at the calluses on her own fingers from practicing archery, she felt that she was the one with rough hands...

Just like now, after being refreshed and sitting up again, his slightly messy hair added a touch of gentle ease to him.

Gan Qiongying reached out and tidied his hair, saying, "To be honest, it's really good to have someone help you with your work. With these two maids by your side, you've been spending more time with me."

Li Hua smiled and nodded, but still explained earnestly, "I will never have any affairs with anyone other than my wife. I swear this oath, and if I break it, may I be punished by heaven..."

Gan Qiongying reached out and pinched his mouth shut, smiling helplessly as she said, "There's no need to make such a solemn oath. I believe you. We're such a perfect match, can you find another wife who loves and cherishes you as much as I do? Cherish me!"

Gan Qiongying never felt inferior. The one who was more in control and more outstanding between the two of them was actually Li Hua.

But those who are insecure are also virtuous.

In Gan Qiongying's mind, having lived in the modern world, she knows that it's normal for couples to separate and get back together.

But it's different for Li Hua. In Li Hua's mind, love is a lifelong commitment.

There is no possibility of separation or betrayal unless one of them dies.

Gan Qiongying has always been tolerant of Li Hua's physical ailments, after all, she has also benefited from Li Hua's good qualities, so it is normal for Li Hua to have some shortcomings.

Because of Gan Qiongying's tolerance, Li Hua almost sacrificed himself to reveal everything about himself to her.

Their relationship was like fine liquor, getting better with age.

In short, the two were inseparable, traveling and playing with the children along the way, and after three more days they arrived at the capital.

They returned silently, without the notice being given to the powerful and influential in the capital.

However, the moment Gan Qiongying entered the city, she had already arranged for specially made bells from the Princess's residence to be hung on her horses.

She left the princess's residence in such a hurry, dismissing everyone there under such pretext. Now she's back, and rightfully so as the victor.

If any of these people are still waiting, Gan Qiongying is willing to recruit them back into her ranks.

She and Li Hua had already discussed it and decided that they would settle down in the princess's residence, and would travel from the Nanzhao Imperial City to wherever they wanted to go.

She would remain his Duanrong Princess, and Lihua would remain her consort, so that Gan Qiongying wouldn't have to wake up in the middle of the night worrying about Gan Lin, and their family would always be together.

Unlike before when they were powerless to control their own destiny, they are now able to truly live as they please.

However, just as Gan Qiongying and her entourage entered the city, two eunuchs dressed in palace attendant uniforms soon came up to greet them in a luxurious carriage.

Gan Qiongying thought it was someone sent by Gan Lin to pick her up, perhaps to bring her something, or perhaps because he was worried about her.

Who would have thought that when the carriage curtain was lifted, it was actually the emperor himself who had arrived.

Li Hua had obviously anticipated this, and bowed as soon as the curtain of Gan Lin's carriage was lifted.

An emperor is an emperor. Even when they were in the mountains, they addressed each other as relatives. Now that Gan Lin has become emperor, they still have to be very polite.

Therefore, Li Hua paid his respects directly, but because the emperor might be traveling incognito, he did not shout "Long live the emperor!" on the spot.

Li Hua even had a dark thought: if he knelt down every time he saw Gan Lin, Gan Qiongying would definitely feel sorry for him.

This might mean he and Gan Lin will see each other less often.

Li Hua really dislikes seeing Gan Lin. If there's anything that makes Li Hua jealous right now, it's that Gan Qiongying can never change her feelings for Gan Lin.

Unfortunately, Li Hua's many schemes and plots came to naught. When Gan Qiongying saw Gan Lin open the carriage curtain and appear, before she could even be happy, she saw that he was as thin as a sick horse.

Gan Qiongying immediately jumped off the car, even flying halfway over Li Hua, who was bowing in greeting.

After landing, he walked straight to Gan Lin's carriage, stepped onto the footstool, and got on.

Before anyone could even get into the carriage, he couldn't help but explode in anger: "What did I tell you back then! You've ruined yourself like this in just a few months!"

Gan Qiongying climbed straight into the carriage, and before she could even express the longing between the siblings, she launched into a tirade against Gan Lin.

The two eunuchs who usually served Gan Lin kept their eyes down and dared not utter a sound, but in reality, their hearts were trembling.

They hadn't been with Gan Lin for long, but they were extremely impressed by His Majesty's skill.

Moreover, Gan Lin is by no means a soft-hearted person. Although he has a reputation for benevolence, no one in or outside the court dares to cross his bottom line, which shows that he is not someone easy to get along with.

Moreover, Gan Lin is like a living iron barrel, with almost no hobbies. Anyone, whether in the court or among the people, who wants to please him is simply dreaming.

The only thing his hobby is known to people is radish cake, which even ordinary people don't really like, and most of the time he doesn't eat it but just keeps it on hand.

But at this moment, this emperor, who had been almost never smiling since his return to the throne, was being scolded and berated, yet he was laughing like a silly, clueless boy.

Gan Qiongying scolded him, but she felt more sorry for him than anything else. She saw that Gan Lin's eyes were red with anger.

Gan Lin patted Gan Qiongying's back and said, "Sister, please don't be angry. I already know I was wrong."

"You know you're wrong? You all know you're wrong! And then you'll still dare to do it again next time!"

Gan Qiongying was angry with Gan Lin, and then she thought of the disobedient Li Hua, so she scolded both of them together again.

Li Hua originally intended to lift the carriage curtain and come in, but upon hearing Gan Qiongying scolding him, he silently returned to his own carriage from the doorway without daring to show his face.

The group did not linger at the city gate for long and soon headed towards the princess's residence.

Before even reaching the princess's residence, Gan Lin had already told Gan Qiongying, "I'm going straight back to the palace. Getting out of the palace this time has been incredibly difficult; the piles of memorials are almost bending my back..."

"Didn't you want to come back yourself? Being an emperor isn't that easy. Do you think being a ruler means nothing more than indulging in extravagance and debauchery?"

Gan Lin chuckled apologetically. Gan Qiongying couldn't bear to scold him anymore, so she reached out and grabbed his hand, saying, "Wait until I return to the princess's residence to settle in. I'll go to the palace tomorrow to talk to you in detail."

Gan Lin nodded slowly. Although Gan Qiongying did not explicitly state what she wanted to say, both of them knew exactly what the other was referring to.

Gan Lin quickly returned to the palace by carriage. Although the situation in the court seemed to have stabilized, in reality, he, the emperor, was still being monitored by all the clans.

This trip out of the palace was quite risky, and Gan Qiongying didn't dare to keep him any longer.

When Gan Lin returned to the palace, Gan Qiongying and Li Hua also returned to the princess's residence to settle down.

Returning to the old place, every corridor, every moon gate, and every low tree in the princess's palace carries sweet memories for the two of them.

Those past suspicions and bitterness have fermented into sweetness with the passage of time and love. They truly savored the memory, and that night, their bellies were filled with honey as they slept, their bodies swaying and making pleasant sounds as they turned over.

Gan Qiongying had someone lead a horse around the imperial city and ring its bell twice, intending to recall those who were still waiting for her.

However, Gan Qiongying did not expect that almost half of the people were still waiting for her and hoping for news from her, even though they had now realized that Princess Duanrong had only made excuses to let them leave, and it was not an exercise or mission.

The number of people who returned that night exceeded Gan Qiongying's expectations.

Before it was even time to go to sleep, more than a thousand people had already gathered. Gan Qiongying herself made an appearance, and the group of people looked somewhat different from before. However, without exception, their eyes, when looking at Gan Qiongying, still held the same clear and respectful gaze as before.

Gan Qiongying was moved to tears by them.

However, as soon as she turned back to her bedroom, she began to worry. Now that she didn't have to fight against anyone, with so many people around her, her savings would gradually decrease every month.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver is really not much!

But these people who were devoted to her, after losing contact and learning of Gan Qiongying's defeat and escape, are still waiting for news of her. Such loyal people must not be driven out or dismissed.

Fortunately, Li Hua quickly noticed that Gan Qiongying was not in a good mood, and after asking her, he found out that she was worried about money.

His wife was actually worried about money... Li Hua was both amused and exasperated, and immediately agreed to add 200,000 yuan to Gan Qiongying's monthly allowance.

However, Gan Qiongying was still in low spirits, because all of Li Hua's money belonged to her!

What's the difference between this and transferring money from one hand to the other?

Li Hua, considering his money-grubbing wife's personality, hesitated for a moment before helping Gan Qiongying solve the problem.

They suggested that these people set up a security escort agency.

After all, they all possessed martial arts skills and were quite adept at them, making escorting goods the easiest and most profitable task.

Li Hua also owns many escort agencies, and he said he could directly assign these people to branches of his agency, where he and Gan Qiongying would split the profits.

Not only could they make a living, but they could also provide some income for Gan Qiongying.

Most importantly, these people can maintain their military strength while escorting goods, so if Gan Qiongying needs them in the future, she can simply recall them.

Upon hearing this, Gan Qiongying immediately understood and admired Li Hua even more.

Gan Qiongying's worries were easily resolved.

The God of Wealth truly lives up to his name; he can always find a way to make money, no matter the circumstances.

After dinner, the two children were put to sleep early by their wet nurses. They had actually been weaned for several months, but the two wet nurses had been taking good care of them, so they simply continued to care for them.

Gan Qiongying's two children are very easy to take care of, even less troublesome than when they were first born. In fact, Zhenzhen, who was born first, can now soothe her younger brother Pengpeng. She doesn't cry or fuss all day long, which makes Gan Qiongying feel that she is missing out on the joys of being a parent.

They couldn't be disciplined at all.

However, a child growing up healthy and obedient is probably what all parents dream of.

With the two of them keeping everyone occupied, Li Hua and Gan Qiongying had even more time to be as passionate as lovers every day.

For example, tonight... taking advantage of this blissful place where absence makes the heart grow fonder, the two of them kept going until the wee hours of the morning, and only when it was almost dawn did they finally stop and go to wash up.

Gan Qiongying felt a tingling sensation in her toes, and although she lay there on her side with her body feeling weak, she was still too excited to fall asleep.

"Gan Lin is really something, he's going to drive me crazy, he's gotten so skinny he looks like a monkey!"

Gan Qiongying remembered this incident again and couldn't help but complain to Li Hua, "Just wait and see how I deal with him when I get to the palace!"

Li Hua actually had a rather bad heart. When she heard that Gan Lin was going to be punished, her first reaction was happiness, but it quickly turned into sourness.

Gan Qiongying only disciplines people she cares about, and it's been a long time since she's disciplined him...

Li Hua hugged Gan Qiongying and comforted her softly, saying, "He's probably under too much pressure because this is the first time he's held real power..."

In reality, he was thinking about what he could do to get Gan Qiongying to refocus her attention on him.

If he can't scheme against Gan Lin and anger Gan Qiongying, then can't he scheme against himself?

Li Hua hugged Gan Qiongying's head and kissed her. From an angle where Gan Qiongying couldn't see, his eyes darted around, plotting something mischievous.

Gan Qiongying slept for about an hour just before dawn, but she couldn't stop thinking about Gan Lin and soon woke up.

After finishing breakfast, we went straight to the palace.

Gan Lin had been waiting for Gan Qiongying since dawn, and he hadn't slept well last night either.

In fact, Gan Lin has not been sleeping well since returning to the palace... This is partly why he has become thin.

Sedatives should not be taken all the time, otherwise they will lose their effectiveness, and if they lose their effectiveness, the dosage should be increased.

Xiao Qiansong said that if the dosage of tranquilizers is too high, it can turn a person into an idiot.

Therefore, Gan Lin mostly stayed up at night, only occasionally managing to get a good night's sleep, and thankfully, no other serious health problems arose.

When Gan Qiongying arrived at the palace, Gan Lin was having a meal. Back in the mountains, Gan Lin's appetite was equivalent to that of ten Gan Lins now.

Gan Qiongying was furious when she saw Gan Lin acting like an anorexic, but she still didn't scold him during the meal.

After Gan Lin finished eating, Gan Qiongying said directly, "Kill them all. I don't care what method you use, kill them tonight."

Gan Qiongying went straight to the point, giving Gan Lin no chance to maneuver. She looked directly into Gan Lin's eyes and said, "Hate and love are both things that consume a lot of people."

"But love can at least bring you joy, while hate can only bring you death and depletion."

"Gan Lin, have you ever considered that while you hate them, they are also wearing you down? They've brought you to this state, are you going to die with them?!"

Gan Lin was so frightened by Gan Qiongying's fierce words that he took two steps back, his eyes narrowing slightly like a child who had done something wrong.

Now that he is the emperor, everyone who speaks to him treats him with utmost respect. But he still likes Gan Qiongying the most; even her stern concern for him warms his heart.

“I understand,” Gan Lin said. “I didn’t actually intend to keep them alive for too long. I just thought… letting them die like this would be too easy for them.”

"Kill them. There's no point in continuing this wasteful struggle."

“The Regent has gone blind, and Kou Ning’an is just hanging on by a thread. It’s really disgusting to have two ants crawling on her skin. She might as well just kill them.”

“Once they’re dead, you won’t think about all that nonsense anymore,” Gan Qiongying said. “I watched you kill them and then go back.”

Gan Lin took a deep breath, but ultimately did not utter any objections.

He coldly ordered the palace servants to send someone to bring the regent into the palace.

The regent now has no real power, and his title has not been revoked for any reason, purely because Gan Lin is deliberately torturing him.

He wanted Regent Sima Rui to have hope and then fall into despair.

However, it seems... they really shouldn't be kept around any longer. Gan Lin made the decision to kill them, and even the heartache in his heart suddenly eased.

The siblings sat together at the table, waiting quietly, as if they were waiting for a destination they had traveled a long way to reach.

As Gan Qiongying sat there, she suddenly laughed and said, "Do you remember the last time I stayed in the palace, and the Empress Dowager took you there in the middle of the night and forced you to drink poison?"

"Times really have changed," Gan Qiongying sighed. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of expression that old hag will have when she realizes she's reached a dead end."

"The person has almost been sent to the palace. Sister, let's go take a look together."

Gan Lin stood up, dressed in a golden dragon robe, and even wearing a crown with tassels symbolizing his imperial status.

Isn't this also a manifestation of fear? Gan Qiongying always knew that Gan Lin harbored some fear of the Regent.

After all, he was a bastard who had taken advantage of Gan Lin's fear of moths and wantonly harmed her.

Gan Qiongying reached out and took Gan Lin's hand; Gan Lin's hand was damp and cold.

Gan Qiongying knew that he had never dealt with the Regent and the Empress Dowager, and not only because letting them die easily would be too good for them.

But Gan Lin was always afraid.

Even though he has now ascended the throne, the shadow of years of oppression and abuse he suffered will not dissipate in a short time.

Gan Qiongying pulled Gan Lin onto the palanquin, and the two of them sat inside as the palace servants carried them along at a brisk pace.

Gan Lin tried his best to appear normal, but in reality, his whole body was stiff.

He told Gan Qiongying, "The way I chose for them to die was by burning, which is more in line with their passionate nature."

Gan Lin spoke harsh words, but there was an emptiness in his eyes that could not be put into practice.

Gan Qiongying took his hand, squeezed it, and said, "Do you remember the last time we rode in the palanquin together? It was when the Empress Dowager forced you to drink poison and then tried to force me to drink it too. You drank it all for me... and then you wouldn't let me know what happened. You forcibly kicked me out of the palace."

Gan Qiongying leaned back in her chair, turned her head, and looked at Gan Lin with a smile.

"Don't be afraid, your older sister is here."

Gan Qiongying easily saw through Gan Lin's forced pretense and did not rebuke Gan Lin for his weakness, but instead took it for granted.

"Just hand them over to your older sister later, and she'll kill them for you. Then you won't have nightmares anymore."

Overcoming the shadows of childhood is not so simple; some people spend their entire lives trying to heal themselves, yet they never find the right way.

Gan Qiongying entered the palace today to help Gan Lin settle his score.

She couldn't let those two filthy things drag her sweet rain down to pain; how could they be worthy of her?

When the two arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, it was even more desolate than the Cold Palace.

The Yinian Palace, which was once filled with servants and maids, is now like a deserted palace. The corners of the palace are neglected and overgrown with weeds after just two rains.

Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin disembarked from the palanquin, but before they could even go inside, a servant came to report: "Your Majesty, the Regent has been brought into the palace."

Gan Lin dismounted from the palanquin, reached out to help Gan Qiongying, and then slowly and firmly straightened his back.

Turning back, his gaze was resolute, his profile sharp, he ordered, "Bring the Regent to the Hall of Longevity."

"Instruct Li Jie to have everything I previously told him to have moved into the Yinian Hall."

The palace servants immediately obeyed and withdrew. Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin exchanged a glance.

The two held each other's hands, just like on the Mid-Autumn Festival night when they had defeated Kou Ning'an in the Yinian Hall and emerged supporting and relying on each other.

They supported each other once again as they entered the Yinian Hall to confront their past nightmares.