I dare not have any expectations, for fear of being disappointed, yet I still can't help but keep hoping.
I dared not get too close, fearing that we would drift further apart, but tonight we were so close, our lips and teeth entwined.
Worried about not getting it, then afraid of losing it once you've got it, but now, has it been a gain or a loss...?
This agonizing anxiety about gains and losses stemmed from a deep-seated fear that had always lingered in Xuan Yuanhan's heart. And now, all of these fears had come true.
After a night of commotion, the entire Qin Prince's mansion was in chaos. At this moment, Yi Shangyun's fever finally subsided, and she woke up, without experiencing the prolonged coma that Yi Junhao had predicted.
After settling Yi Shangyun in, Xuan Yuanhan finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, he seemed to have never been so exhausted before. For the first time, he dragged his once heroic face, now filled with sorrow, into Chenghua Palace, looking utterly listless.
Just as he sat down, Cheng Liang came in carrying a bowl of thick, hot ginger soup and said with concern, "Your Highness, please drink this bowl of thick ginger soup to dispel the chill and warm your body."
Xuanyuan Han raised his head, saying nothing, only looking at the ginger soup still steaming in Cheng Liang's hand before he came back to his senses.
I suddenly felt as if I were enveloped in ice, and the warmth of my body was being swallowed up inch by inch.
So he slowly reached out and somewhat weakly took the soup bowl. As the ginger soup entered his stomach, he felt a warm current flowing into his body.
Cheng Liang had never seen his master so tired before, and thought that he must have been exhausted from the mixed emotions of joy and sorrow that night.
Fortunately, the final result was gratifying.
On a sudden thought, he realized that since his master had already been intimate with that girl, he must have some plans for her. So he couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What are Your Highness's plans for Miss Yi?"
Xuan Yuanhan, head bowed, was startled by Cheng Liang's words. After a moment's hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "What happened tonight must never be mentioned again!"
Cheng Liang was puzzled and hurriedly asked, "Could it be that Miss Yi...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan hurriedly interrupted him, "She forgot all those things after she woke up..."
After he finished speaking, he clenched one of his large, powerful hands, which was placed on the table.
Cheng Liang looked at his master's face, which was trying hard to suppress his emotions, and then at his clenched fists, feeling a mix of feelings. After a long while, he frowned and asked in confusion, "Could it be caused by this sudden high fever?"
Xuan Yuanhan stared at the table in front of him with a cold, sharp gaze and tightly furrowed brows, saying nothing more.
No one knew that, in fact, he couldn't say anything more after that point.
Looking at him, Cheng Liang felt a pang of sadness well up inside him. Fate was truly cruel...
"Crackling and popping"
Just then, a burst of fireworks and firecrackers erupted outside the hall, the sound deafening. In the night sky, large, fluffy snowflakes danced in the air.
Lunar New Year's Eve has passed, and the new year has begun!
Lu Tianjiao leaned against the window alone, looking up at the brilliant fireworks that resembled twinkling stars in the night sky and the snowflakes dancing in the air. She murmured to herself tenderly, "Brother Han, Happy New Year!"
Yi Shangyun sat on the couch with her knees bent, holding him tightly in her arms. Her chin rested on her knees, and she pondered silently with teary eyes.
Even with a thousand knots in my heart, the joy I feel is unforgettable. It's just a pity that the clouds are not of this world, and we can only meet but not recognize each other.
This night was destined to be sleepless. I sat alone for a long time, thinking about many things.
About the 21st century, about the Western Qin Kingdom after this time travel, about Wei Mingxuan, about Xuanyuan Han, about the old Taoist priest who descended from the sky; about the words Wei Mingxuan left in tonight's dream, about the words left by the old Taoist priest, and about tonight's passionate kiss...
Everything was in complete chaos, and the more I thought about it, the more chaotic it became. The more clueless I became, the closer I got to the brink of collapse.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew open a window of the bedchamber, and heavy snow began to fall.
She snapped out of her reverie at the sound, slightly raising her chin to look in the direction. She then quickly got up and went to the window, exclaiming in surprise, "It's snowing!"
She stood there, gazing intently at the snow falling outside the window, seemingly wanting to reach out and touch it, but the depth of the corridor outside the hall completely kept her at a distance.
So she quickly closed the window, went over to change her clothes, covered her face with a veil, put on a red cloak with white plum blossoms, pulled up her hood, and hurriedly walked out of Lin Yuexuan.
In a short while, she arrived at the artificial hill and fish pond in front of the palace. She closed her eyes slightly and looked up at the night sky, letting the snowflakes gently fall on her face, feeling everything in her heart.
May this pure white snow reset her soul, her thoughts, and every delicate nerve in her body.
If possible, it would be best to take her to a third timeline.
She never wanted to be the person called 'Yi Shangyun' again, whether it was the beautiful CEO Yi Shangyun of the 21st century or the useless ugly girl Yi Shangyun of the Western Qin Kingdom.
She wanted to start over, to know no one, love no one, and care about no one. That way, she could be free and unburdened.
...
Just as she was completely lost in thought, Cheng Liang suddenly passed by in the corridor and saw Yi Shangyun standing alone in the snow. He approached her with displeasure and asked, "Miss Yi, you've only just recovered a bit. How can you be out here in the freezing cold?"
Startled, Yi Shangyun smiled and said to Cheng Liang after regaining her composure, "General Cheng, it's you. I... couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."
As she was talking, she suddenly sneezed. "Achoo!" She quickly turned to the side and covered her mouth with her hand, then sniffed.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang seemed somewhat hesitant, but he couldn't help but glance at her sideways with a reproachful expression and say, "Miss Yi, because of your illness, my Highness has suffered terribly these past few days. You should take better care of yourself. If anything else happens, who knows what His Highness will do..."
As he was speaking, Cheng Liang stopped, perhaps because of Xuan Yuanhan's earlier solemn instructions.
Yi Shangyun heard half of what was said and was somewhat confused, but she had no intention of delving into it further.
Suddenly noticing that Cheng Liang was carrying a bundle, she wanted to use this as an excuse to change the somewhat awkward topic between them. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "General Cheng, what is this bundle you're carrying...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Liang turned his head to the side and replied with an indifferent expression, "These are the New Year's clothes that Yu Niang prepared for Ling'er and her mother-in-law. I'm sending them over. His Highness had already sent someone to prepare new clothes for the grandmother and granddaughter for the New Year, but Ling'er will definitely be looking forward to the new clothes that her mother sewed for her herself during the New Year."
"Ling'er and her mother-in-law are still in the Prince's mansion?" Yi Shangyun asked in surprise.
“I still have things to do. Everyone has been busy for most of the night, and the master hasn’t rested yet. After delivering the clothes, I still have to go and serve him. Miss, you should go in early so that His Highness won’t worry when he sees you. He’s already tired enough, so don’t add to his troubles.” Cheng Liang said this with a wronged expression, and then turned and left.
Yi Shangyun quickly caught up with Cheng Liang, grabbed his arm, and pleaded, "General Cheng, please go and take care of His Highness. I'll take this clothing to him for you."
Cheng Liang scoffed, "I wouldn't dare trouble Miss Yi. You should go inside and rest. This is nothing, I can handle it!"
After saying that, Cheng Liang strode towards the backyard without looking back.
Yi Shangyun stood there, stunned. For some reason, she suddenly felt a strange sadness in her heart, and her thoughts of Mu Xue vanished instantly.
It was obvious that Cheng Liang's words just now were blaming her. Helpless, she could only obediently return to Lin Yuexuan.
...
Meanwhile, in a secluded and quiet house in southeastern Western Qin.
A guard rushed in, excitedly reporting, "Your Highness, there's news!"
Inside the room, Mei Zhixuan, dressed in a black brocade robe, stood by the window with his hands behind his back. His deep eyes were staring blankly at the fireworks that were burning in the night sky outside the window, and the twinkling stars that shot out after rising into the sky.
Hearing the guard's hurried footsteps and panting, he immediately snapped out of his daze, turned around, and asked, "What news?"
The guard was so excited that his words were somewhat incoherent. He said, "Princess, oh, the legitimate princess, the woman Your Highness suspected who always wore a veil, she has appeared."
Mei Zhixuan immediately lost his composure and hurriedly approached the table, asking, "Oh? Where is it?"
The guard replied, "It happened right here at the Prince of Qin's residence. Our people stationed near the residence saw that tonight, Prince Xuanyuan Han of Qin personally carried his legitimate princess into the residence."
Mei Zhixuan frowned, somewhat displeased, and asked, "Is the Prince of Qin holding the legitimate princess?"
The guard replied with some concern, "Yes, the princess seems to have fainted."
Mei Zhixuan's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly asked sternly, "Then what's the situation now? Why hasn't Yongle sent out this message?"
The guard, terrified, said, "Your Highness, please calm down. On New Year's Eve, according to custom, the princess is supposed to accompany Prince Qin to the palace for the Western Qin royal family banquet. The princess is still in the palace, so she must be unaware of this. As for the legitimate princess, Prince Qin's residence is certainly well-off. Judging from how Prince Qin seems to care about the legitimate princess, otherwise he wouldn't have personally carried her into the residence. Presumably, there shouldn't be any problems."
"Are the King of Qin and the legitimate princess very familiar with each other?" Mei Zhixuan murmured to himself.
After a moment's thought, Mei Zhixuan suddenly ordered his guards, "Prepare the horses!"
The guard, puzzled, said, "Your Highness, it's the middle of the night, and it's still snowing heavily outside. Does Your Highness intend to...?"
Before the guard could finish speaking, Mei Zhixuan said quietly, "This prince will handle this matter personally. That girl Yongle seems extremely unreliable; she could ruin everything! The legitimate princess must not fall into the hands of the Prince of Qin; she is not the same as Yongle!"
Mei Zhixuan had some doubts in his heart, and he couldn't be sure, but he absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Mei Xiyuan had been in Xiqin for quite some time, but had yet to find nothing. He already suspected that Mei Xiyuan might be disobeying his orders, because if the legitimate princess of Dongning were found, it would likely cause a huge uproar in Dongning, which would inevitably affect the current empress's power and some of the mysterious events from back then.
Therefore, he had to personally take action in order to complete the mission, reveal the truth to the world, return the jade intact to its rightful owner, and give an explanation to the Empress Dowager in heaven.
"Yes," the guard seemed to understand Mei Zhixuan's intention, and went to prepare.
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