To live together for a lifetime

Hearing the sound, Tang Feng tightened the reins and peered through the thin veil, but remained silent. Perhaps it was a sense of trepidation at the prospect of returning home, but Tang Feng dared not take another step forward. The guards, hearing Chen Ke's reprimand, immediately surrounded Tang Feng with their spears, awaiting Chen Ke's command. In the years Chen Ke and Zhou Ziliang had been stationed at the border, they had naturally encountered many merchants trying to sneak in, but this was the first time they had been surrounded so openly and unable to escape. Chen Ke gripped his sword and quickly descended from the city wall. Seeing that the newcomer offered no resistance, he gestured for the soldiers to put away their weapons. "This is the border of Yan Yun. Do you have any travel documents?"

The man slowly lifted the veil in front of him, and upon seeing Chen Ke, softly called out, "Brother Chen..." Chen Ke, now bathed in moonlight, finally recognized the man's face. She was initially stunned, then looked somewhat bewildered at the soldiers beside her, before looking up at Tang Feng, her voice trembling with excitement, "Young...Young Madam! It really is you! You're not dead! You're still alive!"

Tang Feng rolled over and stepped forward, his eyes already red-rimmed. He nodded, choking back tears, "It's...it's me..." Chen Ke wiped away her tears and smiled, "Young Madam...it's good that you're back. Our Marquis must be very happy. He thinks of you every day, but because of your promise, he hasn't dared to go back..."

Tang Feng lowered his head and gave a bitter smile. "I'm sorry for him... He must not have had a good time these past few years, right?" Chen Ke didn't dare to tell the truth after hearing this, but instead said to Tang Feng, "Please go inside first. It's cold at the border at night, and the dew is heavy. Be careful not to catch a cold... The Marquis is in the main tent. I'll take you there." After saying this, Chen Ke took off his cloak and draped it over Tang Feng.

Tang Feng followed Chen Ke towards the main camp. Though it was so close, the journey felt incredibly long to Tang Feng. He hesitated to see Zhou Ziliang; he felt he had wronged him too much. Although their separation had only lasted a few days for him, Zhou Ziliang had endured three years. Reaching the tent entrance, Tang Feng stopped Chen Ke, who was about to lift the curtain. "Brother Chen... I can go in myself... You don't need to trouble yourself..." Chen Ke smiled meaningfully, bowed to Tang Feng, and left.

He gently lifted the curtain and looked at the person he had longed for, sitting on a stool. The red candle beside him cast his shadow on the curtain, making him appear exceptionally lonely. Tang Feng opened his mouth but found that his voice trembled so much that he could barely utter a sound until Zhou Ziliang noticed him and turned his head. The two of them looked at each other.

"Xiao...Xiao Feng?" Zhou Ziliang stared blankly at Tang Feng, seemingly unable to believe it. He stood up, supporting himself on the desk. Even though his sleeves brushed stacks of family letters onto the floor, Zhou Ziliang didn't move. He just stared blankly at Tang Feng, whom he had missed for three years. Zhou Ziliang was afraid that all of this was a dream he had because he missed Tang Feng too much. When he woke up, he would return to the pain of losing Tang Feng.

Gazing at Tang Feng so close, Zhou Ziliang hesitated to approach, until Tang Feng, his voice trembling, uttered the words he had longed to hear for so long, "Ziliang... I'm back..." At that moment, Zhou Ziliang could no longer hold back. He rushed forward and embraced Tang Feng, as if trying to become one with him. "Xiao Feng... Xiao Feng... It really is you, really... It really is you." Tang Feng had never seen Zhou Ziliang so distraught. Even when they parted in Xiling City, Zhou Ziliang had remained unusually calm. Tang Feng didn't know how Zhou Ziliang had endured those long, dark nights for the past three years. Even if he asked, he probably wouldn't tell. Tang Feng could only gently hold the slightly trembling Zhou Ziliang's shoulders and whisper comfortingly, "I'm back... Ziliang, I didn't break my promise..."

Zhou Ziliang placed his hands on Tang Feng's shoulders, pressing his forehead against Tang Feng's. "You must have suffered a lot... Since we parted in Xiling, your body has been almost completely worn out... I thought... I was going to lose you..." Tang Feng naturally wouldn't talk about what had happened to him during this time, but simply smiled with his head down. "How could I die? I swore in my past life to be with you for life." Zhou Ziliang's eyes reddened with laughter, and he gently pinched Tang Feng's cheek. "You almost worried me to death, what do you care about past lives or the next... We almost ended up separated in this life." Tang Feng knew that Zhou Ziliang didn't understand the meaning of his words, so he could only smile and lean gently against Zhou Ziliang's chest. Zhou Ziliang suddenly thought of something, pulled Tang Feng away from his chest, looked him up and down, and then frowned. "Little Feng... are you feeling better?" Seeing Zhou Ziliang ask, Tang Feng didn't want to hide anything and nodded. "I'm all better..."

"All better?" Zhou Ziliang grabbed Tang Feng's hand with a hint of disbelief. "Don't lie to me this time... Even Wu Hezou couldn't cure you, how could you..."

"Really... I'm not lying to you." Tang Feng thought for a moment, then finally told Zhou Ziliang what had happened. "I... I almost died once... but... but!" Seeing Zhou Ziliang tighten his grip on his hand, he quickly explained, "But I came back... My trip to the palace that day... didn't go smoothly. Li Linglan found out about all my plans, and he lured me into his scheme... He's the one who killed my father." Thinking of Tang Zhaonan's death, Tang Feng's eyes reddened. "His scheme to get me a government position was also his doing... I knew my days were numbered, and I didn't want to implicate the Ninth Prince anymore, so I took all the blame. Sending you away was also to protect the Marquis's mansion..."

Hearing Tang Feng's plan, Zhou Ziliang felt a pang of pain in his heart. Thinking of the suffering Tang Feng had endured, he tightly embraced Tang Feng's shoulders, softly comforting him, "I know... I know everything. It was Li Linglan who forced you, wasn't it..." Tang Feng didn't want to recall the humiliation he suffered that day, nor did he want to tell Zhou Ziliang about the pain he endured before his death. "Mo Bai came to see me... I knew I was dying... but I was afraid that you would return to Xiling in anger because of me... I didn't dare to gamble, I didn't dare to gamble with you all, so I had Mo Bai send you letters home every month. After I died, I was dragged to a mass grave. Among the dead, I was found still breathing by travelers from Ningluo, and I was taken back to Ningluo for treatment. I only woke up a few days ago..." The more Zhou Ziliang listened, the more his brows furrowed, and he slammed his fist on the wooden table. The table rattled as Zhou Ziliang shouted, "My Zhou family has always been loyal to His Majesty, but I never expected him to plot against you! Xiao Feng... I'm not one to hold grudges, but if I don't avenge this, I'll be ashamed before you!" Seeing Zhou Ziliang's anger, Tang Feng quickly pulled him back. "Don't be hasty! I need to think this through carefully. We can't act impulsively. I don't want to lose anyone else..." Seeing Tang Feng's state, Zhou Ziliang felt a pang of heartache. He gently kissed the corner of his mouth and softly asked, "Are you tired? Do you want to rest? You've been working so hard for so long, you haven't had a proper rest... Shall I sleep with you for a while?" Reminded by Zhou Ziliang, Tang Feng finally felt tired. He leaned against Zhou Ziliang's chest and nodded. "I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time. It's probably because you weren't here."

The next morning, Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng, who was still fast asleep in his arms, slowly got up, quietly got out of bed, dressed, and intended to practice his sword, but Chen Chen pulled him away. Chen Ke chuckled and said, "Young Marquis, did you take care of our young mistress yesterday?" Zhou Ziliang was initially confused, then his ears immediately turned red. "Don't talk nonsense! Xiao Feng is shy, besides, nothing happened yesterday..."

Chen Ke scratched his head. "Young Marquis, you and your wife have survived a close call. The wedding that year was delayed because your wife was ill. This time, in the military camp, the brothers thought that since there are no more formalities, let's hold a proper ceremony for you, so you won't have any regrets later..." Zhou Ziliang thought about it and felt it made sense. Although the wedding that year was grand, it was accompanied by Qin Liuliu's death, so Tang Feng couldn't be happy. He didn't want Tang Feng to think of those unpleasant memories whenever he thought about their marriage. Since things had finally turned around, they should naturally have a more joyous celebration. So he nodded in agreement.

Tang Feng had been kept in the dark by Zhou Ziliang until evening. When Tang Feng noticed that Zhou Ziliang was not in the tent, he got up and went out to look for him. He was startled when Chen Ke, who was standing at the door, jumped up. "Brother Chen? What are you doing standing here?" Chen Ke scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Our young lord has prepared a surprise for you. Why don't you go and see..." Tang Feng naturally followed.

A campfire was lit between the campsites, and the dishes on the table were plentiful. After hesitating for a moment, Tang Feng walked towards Zhou Ziliang across from him, only to be stopped by Chen Ke. "Young Madam, don't rush... Our Marquis says he wants to marry you again."

"Marry me again?"

Chen Ke nodded. "At the beginning of that year, the Marquis was worried about the many twists and turns in your wedding and feared it would bring back painful memories. So he asked us to prepare again. But the soldiers here are all rough men; we simply couldn't prepare a grand wedding procession with eight bearers. All I had was a red handkerchief my wife gave me. Please don't find it offensive." Tang Feng was deeply moved and naturally agreed. Seeing Tang Feng nod, Chen Ke chuckled, unfolded the red handkerchief, gently placed it over Tang Feng's head, and loudly proclaimed, "May the two phoenixes sing in harmony, and may their love be as enduring as the zither and lute!"

This time, Zhou Ziliang didn't ride a chestnut horse, nor did he sit in a sedan chair carried by eight men. This time, they only had the person before them. Watching Zhou Ziliang extend his hand to him, Tang Feng clenched the hem of his clothes, then slowly relaxed, gently placing his hand in Zhou Ziliang's and holding it tightly. He had waited too long for this moment; he knew that once their hands were clasped, it would be for a lifetime.

"Is Xiao Feng willing to marry into my Zhou family?" Hearing Zhou Ziliang's soft question, Tang Feng lowered her head and gently replied. Seeing this, Chen Ke suppressed the laughter of the crowd and shouted, "The ceremony is complete! Time to enter the bridal chamber!"