I must say, the handsome teacher's kissing skills are...not bad? No, I should say...very good.

It was so good that her legs went weak...

Wait a minute, so was the handsome teacher self-taught, or did he acquire his skills through experience?!

"hiss!"

Thinking that it might be due to accumulated experience, Helian Si jumped up from the rocking chair, frowned, and began to mutter to himself.

"No way, no way, that can't be right. There shouldn't be any women around such a handsome teacher, right?"

Wait, no, wait, what did I not do? Didn't I just witness one today? A massive confession scene!

Thinking about all this, Helian Si felt terrible. He ran his hands through his hair, feeling extremely agitated.

ah!

This damn, sudden possessiveness of mine!

Without realizing it, she bit her lip. No, they'd already kissed; the handsome tutor was now hers, and that was a done deal.

From now on, only I can kiss the handsome teacher's lips!

"Princess, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be careful when you return to your palace?" Yue'er approached Helian Si with a palace lantern in her hand and asked with concern.

"Oh? Okay."

Helian Si was surprised to find that he had been lying under the osmanthus tree admiring the moon for quite some time without realizing it. He nodded, got up from the rocking chair, and walked towards his bedroom.

**

The next day, at the imperial court.

The civil and military officials stood in two rows, with a carpet laid out in between, and above the steps was a gilded dragon throne symbolizing the supreme ruler.

Helian Nie, dressed in a black five-clawed dragon robe, his handsome face beneath the crown, his narrow, peach-blossom eyes sweeping over the group of officials below.

"At ease," the emperor said, his hand, which had been lazily resting on the armrest of the dragon throne, slightly raised. Xiao Linzi understood, picked up the imperial edict that the emperor had prepared beforehand, and spoke in a shrill voice.

"Your Highness, receive the decree."

The assembled officials were all taken aback, and their gazes all turned to Helian Ci, who was standing in front of them.

Helian Ci wasn't too surprised, or rather, this was something he had expected.

He calmly walked to the center of the hall and knelt on one knee in front of Helian Nie on the gilded dragon throne.

Xiao Linzi cleared his throat, looked at the black dragon-patterned imperial edict in his hand, and began to read it aloud in a sharp, high-pitched voice.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Second Prince Helian Ci has repeatedly rendered outstanding service on the frontier, which greatly pleases me. I hereby confer upon him the title of Prince and bestow upon him a mansion. This is my decree."

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the hall gasped in shock, their gazes falling upon Helian Ci with a mixture of unreadable emotions.

The second prince had only recently returned to the capital after seven years on the frontier. The emperor not only summoned him to court but also bestowed upon him the title of prince. His Highness the Second Prince's future prospects are...

In an instant, a group of shrewd and calculating ministers and officials began to have their own thoughts.

"Your subject receives the imperial decree and thanks Your Majesty for your great favor."

Helian Ci accepted the imperial edict with both hands, his handsome face devoid of any extra emotion.

This was the promise my father made to me, and now I'm simply fulfilling that promise.

Helian Yi raised his eyes, and when his dark gaze fell on Helian Ci, a strange emotion flickered across his gentle face, and his fingers twitched slightly at the corners of his sleeves.

Could it really be as my grandfather said?

Helian Yi was 18 years old. His court robes accentuated his tall, elegant figure and refined, gentle, jade-like face.

A pair of dark eyes, as clear as autumn water, always make you feel as if a spring breeze in March is caressing your face, or as if the warm winter sun is warming your heart, when they look at you with a gentle gaze.

Compared to when he was a child, the obsession in those dark eyes has grown stronger and more deeply rooted each year, adding a touch of maturity beyond his years.