"Zhizhi, why are you so protective of your son-in-law? I'm still your father!" Zhao Shouzhen pretended to be angry.
Zhao Zhi ignored him and looked up at Shen Hanshan, who also looked in her direction.
"Father, Chaoyan, you two go out first." Zhao Zhi's tone suddenly changed to the authoritative tone of the eldest princess.
Zhao Shouzhen gave Chaoyan a wink, and the two of them silently withdrew.
"You are Zhao Chunhua?" Shen Hanshan looked at her face, which was completely different from that of the eldest princess, and hesitated before making his guess. "You are Zhao Chunhua, the eldest princess of Da Xuan, and also Zhao Zhi, the second daughter of Zhao Shouzhen."
Under Shen Hanshan's incredulous gaze, Zhao Zhi slowly removed the human skin mask from her face, walked slowly to Shen Hanshan, looked down at him, took a deep breath and said, "This is my true face."
"So, it was you who toyed with my eldest princess; it was you who watched me feel guilty and helpless; it was you who forced me to get married and made me acknowledge the child." Shen Hanshan's chapped lips trembled incessantly.
He looked at Zhao Zhi with a complicated expression and asked sadly, "Why is this happening, Zhizhi?"
“Because I was pregnant with your child, I begged my brother, the Emperor, to grant me your hand in marriage; because I wasn’t sure how much of your love for me was genuine, I wanted to test you,” Zhao Zhi explained, her voice choked with emotion. “I had planned to tell you the truth when you returned from Chaoyang County. But then that great fire happened…”
Zhao Zhi's eyes reddened, but she forced a smile, a smile that carried a bittersweet feeling, like a flower after a spring rain, both fragile and resilient.
"Shen Hanshan, if my brother hadn't happened to come to visit me back then, you would be seeing a pile of my clothes now. But when I looked at the sea of fire, all I could think about was you, Shen Hanshan!"
Zhao Zhi practically shouted those last words.
Hearing Zhao Zhi's roar, Chao Yan, who was standing outside the door, was about to lift the cotton curtain and go in when Zhao Shouzhen stopped her.
He said in a low voice, "Misunderstandings always need to be cleared up. The sooner they are cleared up, the less pain there will be."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan's eyes welled up with tears. He stepped forward and gently took Zhao Zhi's hand. "Zhizhi, I... I was so foolish. Even if you changed your appearance, I didn't even notice your body..."
He was somewhat incoherent and could only hold her tightly.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi's lips curled up slightly, knowing that her preemptive plea for help had worked.
A sly glint flashed in her eyes: "Fine, who told me, Zhao Zhi, to fall in love with such a blockhead like you? But, since you've finally come to your senses, this princess will reluctantly forgive you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan was taken aback at first, but then the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, his smile containing both relief and doting: "Yes, yes, Your Highness is very magnanimous. Your humble servant will serve you faithfully from now on and obey your every command."
The two smiled at each other, and the air around them seemed to soften with their relief and reconciliation. Zhao Zhi suddenly changed the subject and said playfully, "However, as compensation, you have to agree to one condition."
"What conditions? As long as it is within my power, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Shen Hanshan looked serious.
Zhao Zhi smiled slyly, leaned close to Shen Hanshan's ear, and whispered, "That is, no matter what happens in the future, you must never doubt my feelings for you again, and you must never leave me to face the storms alone again. We will be together, laughing at the changing world, and spending this life together."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan was filled with unprecedented emotion and happiness. He embraced Zhao Zhi tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his very bones.
"Zhizhi, I promise you, in this life, I, Chen Hanshan, will never let you down. From now on, whether it is the Great Xuan Dynasty or the Yun Dynasty, we will walk side by side."
What was clearly a tender and affectionate love confession, Zhao Zhi discerned a different meaning in Shen Hanshan's words.
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