In the stillness of the night, a low, instinctive scream rang out: "Ah!"
However, when he opened his eyes again, what he expected did not happen. Instead, he saw a face that was all too familiar to him.
He exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness?!"
For a moment, she couldn't believe her eyes.
Like Xuan Yuanhan, the two of them stared at each other with wide eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Yi Shangyun finally came to her senses and found herself being firmly caught by Xuan Yuanhan and held securely in his broad and warm embrace.
One of her hands was still patting his firm chest.
She then pushed him away, broke free from his embrace, and stood on the ground, thinking to herself, "Judging from his eyes, he really has regained his memories!"
Xuan Yuanhan was truly surprised to finally see her again.
"Yun'er, weren't you at the Dongning Imperial Palace? How did you end up here?"
As soon as she landed, Yi Shangyun quickly pretended to tidy up her slightly messy hair and clothes.
Over the past and into the present, countless days have passed, and I have finally met the person who has haunted my dreams, who I cannot resist, who makes me yearn for her, and who makes me long for her.
Faced with his question, she didn't even dare to meet his eyes, let alone answer him: "I...I..."
Seeing her trying so hard to appear calm in front of him, but always revealing her genuine panic and helplessness, stammering and looking silly.
Then he remembered that day by the pond in front of Guanyin Temple, when he resolutely lied to her, making her believe that she had really lost the sachet filled with countless beautiful memories of the two of them.
It was as if she had abandoned him without hesitation.
Xuanyuan Han had already figured it out, and was even a little smug, but he was in no hurry to expose her.
So he led her away, saying, "Did you also learn that Emperor Jing discovered that his mother had faked her death and ordered her to be brought into the palace?"
Thank goodness, in an instant, Yi Shangyun seemed to have finally found an opportunity to resolve the current awkward situation.
So she clapped her hands and began what appeared to be a slightly exaggerated performance.
"ah……"
"right……"
"That's true."
“Life in the palace is just too unbearable. Yan’er and I have been bored lately, so we thought we’d go out for a stroll. We happened to pass by Yanfu Temple and heard the news that the Dowager Consort had been brought back to the palace. So we thought we’d come and see if Emperor Jing of Western Qin had made things difficult for her.”
She paused, cleared her throat, and then hurriedly looked around.
"how?"
"Is the Imperial Concubine not here?"
"Or have they already... retired?"
"Can I see her?"
Watching her say one thing and mean another in front of him, though she kept rambling on and on, not a single word she uttered concerned him.
In a fit of anger, Xuanyuan Han said, "You little liar, thank you for saving my mother!"
Without giving her a chance to react, he quickly grabbed her slender waist, pressed her tightly against his body, and sealed her lips with a kiss.
Yun was so frightened that he stared at him with wide eyes.
But this man seemed to have gone mad. As soon as he kissed her, he began to demand things from her excessively, and soon he pried open her teeth.
However, she had no ability to break free from his grasp, and no matter how he pushed her, she couldn't be pushed away.
As the kiss deepened, she lost control and, finally, had no choice but to bite down hard on his lips.
At this point, Xuan Yuanhan, who had suddenly felt pain, loosened his grip slightly.
Yi Shangyun then took the opportunity to step aside and quickly took a couple of deep breaths.
Then, extremely angry, she yelled at him, "Xuanyuan Han, what are you doing? Are you crazy?"
After finishing his rant, he turned and walked toward the door, intending to leave.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step, he squatted down on the ground.
Xuanyuan Han quickly realized that her foot seemed to be injured, so he hurriedly knelt down to check on her: "What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Yi Shangyun reached out and touched the painful spot on the back of her foot, saying with a wronged expression, "I probably scratched my foot when I was climbing the wall earlier."
The candlelight in the courtyard was dim, making it difficult to see clearly.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xuanyuan Han scooped him up from the ground and carried him in his arms, then strode into the hall, saying, "I'll take you to get your medicine!"
But recalling what had just happened, Yi Shangyun only wanted to refuse him and leave as soon as possible: "No need, this little injury is nothing."
At that moment, Xuan Yuanhan only glanced at her, his domineering gaze seeming to want to devour her whole, which immediately silenced her completely.
Ever since Xuanyuan Hanshang was still young, the mother and son were as if they had been driven out of the palace.
From then on, the entire Guanghua Palace, which carried his most beautiful childhood memories, was completely abandoned and gradually turned into a cold palace.
The gates here are always closed, and no one has ever come to clean it.
But today, for some reason, this place has suddenly been completely transformed and presented itself to me.
Although there were still few people inside and outside the palace, it became brightly lit and warm.
The unexpected arrival of Yi Shangyun tonight has added immeasurable warmth to the palace.
Enter the hall.
Xuanyuan Han remained as gentle as ever towards her, carrying her all the way to a very soft couch.
He personally fetched the medicine, gently removed her shoes and socks, and worried that she would be in pain. While applying the medicine, he gently blew on the wound.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun sat stiffly with her body upright, not moving at all.
She didn't even dare to breathe loudly, afraid that if she uttered a single wrong word, or even made the slightest movement, she might trigger a sensitive nerve and not know how she would be punished.
Noticing her tense body, Xuanyuan Han assured her, "Don't be nervous. I won't do what I just did to you again."
After thinking for a moment, Yi Shangyun finally shifted slightly and changed to a slightly more comfortable position.
Soon, while cleaning up, Xuan Yuanhan warned her, "Alright, thankfully it's just a few scrapes and no bones are broken. But it's best not to climb walls like that again!"
Yi Shangyun stole a glance at him, thinking to herself, "Climbing the wall, wasn't it all because I was worried about your safety!"
Seeing that Xuan Yuanhan had regained his composure and calmness as before, one might wonder if Emperor Jing wanted to accept him back, just like last time. After all, he was the pillar of the Western Qin Kingdom.
So she tentatively asked, "Is Emperor Jing making things difficult for you and the Empress Dowager? Are you both alright?"
Xuanyuan Han did not answer his question, but instead said to himself, "I want to talk to you!"
"Talk? What do you want to talk about?" Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun shrank back, her heart tightening again.
Xuanyuan Han handed her a cup of hot tea, turned around and walked over to stand by the window. Looking out at the courtyard filled with childhood memories under the deep night sky, he slowly began to speak.
"The night I first rescued you from Hundred Herbs Valley and brought you back to the palace, the person you called out in your delirium was him!"
"Countless times since then, whenever I hear you calling out Wei Mingxuan's name in your nightmares, I am driven mad with jealousy."
"I know you must love him very much, which is why you waited for him for so many years!"
"Actually, on Youlan Island, the reason I forgot everything else was that I remembered the name Wei Mingxuan..."
"That's because I've always wanted to be him, to be the one you always keep in your heart and love with all your heart and eyes."
"Actually, I have thought about giving up over the past few years."
"Whether it was because you knew you could never have this love, or because of your special status, getting too close to me could very well lead to your utter ruin. In the end, I couldn't do either."
"Even now, I..."
"I still yearn for..."
Even if...
Even if you never truly loved me in this time and space, I will always just be a substitute for him.
"This king..."
"I really hope you can give me a chance."
"Stay here, stay by my side, and never leave me again."
After listening to Xuan Yuanhan's heartfelt words and looking at his upright back, I felt a sense of relief.
He was such a tall and imposing figure in the eyes of the world, yet he loved her so humbly, even cautiously. Yi Shangyun was already in tears.
Looking at him, I felt as if I suddenly saw a reflection of myself from back then.
Despite being a well-known academic star and a well-behaved girl, she showed the same humility and caution towards Wei Mingxuan as she did towards Xuan Yuanhan.
The room was silent as Xuan Yuanhan waited quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, Yi Shangyun's voice finally responded.
"actually……"
"I'm just afraid that one day you'll regret it and choose to leave first!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes lit up, and he abruptly turned around and asked, "What did you say?"
Recalling their past, Yi Shangyun slowly began to speak.
"Perhaps, I would be willing."
"Being willing to give it to you is also giving myself a chance."
"But I'm also afraid that you'll end up like Wei Mingxuan, leaving without saying goodbye one day."
"Having experienced it once, I never want to experience it a second time."
"Even though others may think I'm outstanding, I actually feel inferior to both you and Wei Mingxuan."
"I fear I am not beautiful enough, not intelligent enough, not virtuous enough to be a wife, and cannot satisfy you. I fear your interest is only temporary, while I have given everything, and what's done is done..."
"When he left, I thought that I must have done something wrong."
"So I'd rather give up on you than suffer alone in the end."
Tears streamed down my face; I was heartbroken. Upon further reflection, I realized that I didn't have much time left.
She knew she should refuse, but she couldn't bear to see him so heartbroken and disappointed, like she had been in the past, so she made a bold decision.
"I only hope that if one day you really get tired of me, please tell me, don't leave without saying goodbye!"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han burst into tears of joy.
He strode forward and embraced Yi Shangyun tightly, saying with unwavering resolve, "Yun'er, thank you, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I swear, I will protect you with my own life!"
For a moment, Xuan Yuanhan was so happy that he picked her up and spun her around several times, just like a child.
Yi Shangyun suddenly felt a wave of discomfort and patted his shoulder: "Your Highness, please put me down quickly, I'm dizzy!"
Xuanyuan Han then stopped and said happily, "Yun'er, I want to formally marry you again and make you my true wife!"
Yi Shangyun nodded in agreement: "Okay!"
In the dead of night, the epiphyllum outside the window is quietly blooming.
Accompanied by the faint fragrance of flowers and the sweet breeze of early summer, the two figures embraced and kissed tightly.
The curtains fell, their fingers intertwined, a night of passion ensued...
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