As night fell, the lively banquet at the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion came to an end, and the entire mansion gradually returned to tranquility.
At the end of the first lunar month, the nights were still quite cool, and there was no entertainment available. After washing up, Lu Yao went to bed.
Lu Qiqi considered that Lu Yao might not be used to the unfamiliar environment, so she specially asked Qingdai to move Lu Yao's bedding to her own bed.
In the dim candlelight of the night, Lu Qiqi sat in front of the bronze mirror and removed the hairpins from her head.
Just as she was about to get up to check if Lu Yao was asleep so she could have some space to take a hot bath, she suddenly heard a noise outside the window.
Her eyes narrowed involuntarily, and she stared intently out the window, but remained motionless for a moment.
It's common for the cold wind to howl and sway the lanterns hanging under the eaves.
Thinking of this, Lu Qiqi felt much more at ease.
However, she still walked towards the window.
Her footsteps were very light, and there was a soft knocking sound from the window. This time she was sure that there really was someone standing outside the window.
The dark figure stood outside the window; it was tall and clearly a man.
Lu Qiqi was holding a dagger in one hand and was about to push open the window when she heard a familiar voice, which made her pause in surprise.
"Seven Seven".
Upon hearing the sound, she put away the dagger, glanced at A Yao who was fast asleep on the bed, and then opened the window to see who it was.
It really was Song Yanqing.
Lu Qiqi smiled faintly, "Are you going to be a thief for once, Prince Song?"
Looking at the person he had been longing for, Song Yanqing couldn't help but smile. "What's wrong with being a thief to see my beloved?"
The cold wind outside blew into the room through the window, gently lifting Lu Qiqi's hair. The two looked at each other for a moment, seeing themselves reflected in each other's eyes.
Lu Qiqi didn't expect that he could return to the new capital so quickly.
She had just asked An Shi yesterday, and based on the army's departure time, the earliest they could return was tomorrow.
Now it's actually a whole day earlier.
When she saw the dark circles under Song Yanqing's eyes, she understood everything. This person must have sped up the army's march.
Thinking about it this way, she actually felt that she liked Song Yanqing, who had a youthful spirit, even more.
Who could resist traveling thousands of miles just for the one they love?
At least she can't.
Considering that Lu Yao was asleep in the room, the two went directly into the space.
The space was as warm as spring all year round, so Song Yanqing took off his cloak.
When Lu Qiqi saw the clothes he was wearing, the corners of her mouth visibly widened in a smile.
Song Yanqing changed her usual attire. Today, instead of wearing a dark robe, she wore a white robe with a blue-green cloud pattern and a lustrous white jade hair crown.
For some reason, seeing his gentle and refined appearance, full of scholarly air, reminded her of a sentence she read in a sketchbook in the military camp.
Straighten your clothes and headgear before meeting your beloved.
Lu Qiqi's purpose in coming to the new capital was very clear; she wasn't going back anytime soon.
Now that they are both in the new capital, they are spared the pain of longing for each other.
Song Yanqing said, "I heard from An Shi that you are going to arrange for your mother's maid to stay at the Prince of Libei's residence?"
Lu Qiqi nodded. "Yes."
Then, she reached out and took Song Yanqing's hand, leading him into the cabin.
Song Yanqing looked down at her hands, a smile almost overflowing from her lips.
The two returned to the cabin, and Lu Qiqi boiled a pot of ginger and brown sugar water to warm Song Yanqing up.
At the same time, she poured herself a glass.
The two sat facing each other. Lu Qiqi remembered something and asked, "Now that the army has returned victorious, will the emperor reward you?"
After all, she was able to receive the imperial edict from so far away in Luzhou Prefecture.
As the commander-in-chief, Song Yanqing successfully led the army back in triumph. If the emperor did not bestow generous rewards upon him, the people of the world would likely have many complaints.
But to everyone's surprise, Song Yanqing's lips instantly tightened upon hearing this.
Seeing his expression change but his silence left Lu Qiqi somewhat puzzled.
In her view, the emperor feared that his achievements would overshadow his authority and had already taken back the military power to guard the border.
Now that he can no longer command the army in the border city, what does the emperor still have to fear about him?
Song Yanqing took a sip of the hot ginger soup. It was half sweet and half spicy, but for some reason, he only felt the sweetness after drinking it.
After a long while, he finally put down the bowl in his hand. "Emperors have always been ruthless. He is in a high position, and now that he is getting older, he can't even trust his own son."
Besides, if I were to inherit the legitimate line, no one in the world would find me unusual.
Inheriting the orthodox tradition?
This sentence contained so much information that Lu Qiqi felt increasingly confused.
Then she heard a detailed explanation.
Song Yanqing has a very pleasant voice; it's the kind of voice unique to mature men.
But this voice doesn't sound old-fashioned; instead, it's like listening to a story, told in a gentle, flowing manner.
It turns out that the current Empress Dowager was not the late emperor's wife, but the Crown Princess.
She remarried the Prince of Ying after the death of the Crown Prince, who is now the late Emperor.
Back then, eunuchs controlled the government, causing widespread suffering among the people. It was only after Crown Prince Xieying purged the court that the situation was changed, and the Great Jin Dynasty was established.
Just as the world was beginning to be at peace, the Crown Princess discovered that the Crown Prince was suffering from a strange poison.
It turns out that when the crown prince was young, he was cruelly murdered by eunuchs who wanted to use him as a puppet to control the government.
Knowing his days were numbered, the Crown Prince entrusted his son, the current Prince of Libei, and his Crown Princess to the care of the Prince of Ying.
At this point, Lu Qiqi finally understood why the emperor was so wary of Song Yanqing.
If the original crown prince were still alive, he would never have had the chance to be born, let alone inherit the throne.
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