Looking at the emperor's graying hair, Xingxing felt a pang of sadness. Her father was only thirty-six years old, in the prime of his life, but all these years he had devoted himself to governing the country, making him look at least ten years older than his peers.
"Long'er, don't worry about your father. Your father has been much more relaxed these past two years. Fortunately, you are here to share your burdens. The Great Jin Dynasty will get better and better in the future, and your father won't have to work as hard and worry as before," the emperor said with a kind smile.
The Empress chimed in, "Your father has been able to rest earlier these past few months and no longer has to work until dawn reviewing memorials. No matter how we tried to persuade him before, it was no use. He wouldn't relax until the Great Jin Dynasty was stable. The imperial physicians also advised him that he was overworking and overthinking and that he might ruin his health. In fact, your father knew this himself, but no one could persuade him before."
Popular legend has it that Emperor Taikang was unworthy of his position, and that he was punished by heaven for his sins in his previous life. Emperor Taikang did not believe in fate; he believed that human will could overcome heaven and never issued an edict of self-reproach. However, he overworked himself, often suffered from insomnia, and devoted himself to state affairs. Wasn't he also punishing himself?
"Father." Xingxing, her eyes red, threw herself into the emperor's arms and sobbed softly.
"Don't cry, it's still Long'er who cares about me. I'm very gratified." The emperor was very pleased with the princess's affection.
The night was deep, and a waning moon hung high in the deep night sky. A white shadow swiftly swept across the palace wall, and none of the patrolling imperial guards noticed anything unusual. The white shadow went straight into the room with the star.
The sweltering heat of the dog days of summer was intense. A palace maid on night duty slept in the side room, while a screen separated the inner room from the inner room, behind which sat a large basin of ice.
The young man in white walked silently to the bedside, lifted the mosquito net, and quietly gazed at the person sleeping soundly on the bed. He hadn't seen her all afternoon and missed her terribly, so he took advantage of the night to come to the palace to see her. Now that he saw that she was alright, he was relieved and turned to leave.
"Since we're already here, why not stay a little longer?" The little girl, who should have been fast asleep in bed, sat up. Her big eyes were bright as a spring under the light of the luminous pearl, showing no sign of sleepiness.
The boy in white was slightly surprised, then turned around and said softly with a wry smile, "You naughty boy, why aren't you asleep so late? Why are you pretending to be asleep?"
"Of course I'm waiting for Brother Phosphorus to come see me," Xingxing said matter-of-factly.
"How can you be sure I'll come?" The boy shook his head helplessly.
Xingxing patted the edge of the bed, gesturing for the boy to sit down and talk. She raised her chin with a hint of pride, "Of course it's certain. You said you would always stay by my side. From the time we met until now, you've never been away from me for this long. I'm not used to it, let alone you."
The boy slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and gently tapped her smooth forehead. "You're getting more and more naughty. So you're reluctant to part with me, aren't you?"
"Of course I'm reluctant to part with you. Brother Lin has treated me so well, and I know how good he is to me. But this isn't a solution. How about I marry you and you become my son-in-law?" Xingxing stared intently into the boy's long, beautiful peach blossom eyes.
The boy was slightly taken aback. He had known 'Long'er' for two lifetimes, but they were both children in both lifetimes, so he had never thought about whether the two of them would become husband and wife in the future. Now that Xingxing had suddenly brought it up, he felt a little lost.
"This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly. I need to go back and think about it carefully," Zhu Lin replied solemnly.
Xingxing pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "You always do what I ask of you and are willing to do anything for me without ever refusing. Now that such a happy occasion has come, you say you need to think about it. Do you want to marry another woman?"
"Hmph, let me tell you, don't even think about it! You dare try marrying someone else, and I, this princess, will wipe out her entire clan, believe it or not!"
"Don't be angry. I didn't say I was unwilling. I just need time to think it over. Where did this other woman come from? I've never thought about marriage before. You suddenly brought it up, and I feel a little uneasy, so I need to consider it." The young man seemed somewhat at a loss.
"You just dislike me, but you won't admit it." Xingxing, with her childlike mannerisms, pretended to be mature by talking about marrying a prince consort in the middle of the night, which was truly both funny and exasperating.
Actually, her thoughts were very simple. She was used to having Zhu Lin by her side and was not used to him leaving. Besides, she had lived for ten years and had been to many places in the past few years, but she had never seen anyone more handsome than the boy.
She had never seen anyone with better kung fu than him. He also had his own space, and he had memories of his and her past lives. Most importantly, the young man treated her extremely well. No one in the world treated her better than him. Why not settle down with such a good person sooner rather than later? Why leave her for someone else?
Xingxing was a woman of action. Tonight, she tossed and turned for a long time, unable to sleep, partly because she was waiting for the young man to come and see her, and partly because she was thinking about marrying the prince consort.
She thought that she only needed to inform the boy about this matter, but she didn't expect that he would say he needed to consider it. She was really furious.
"I don't dislike you. I agree, okay? I just felt it was too sudden. I was worried that it was just a passing fancy and that you might regret it later," the boy coaxed gently.
The princess is still young. If she makes a decision on a whim and then goes back on her word, their relationship will become awkward. How will he handle that situation?
"I won't regret it. I've thought it through seriously. Brother Lin, I'm not some clueless little kid. I know that choosing a consort is a major life event, not child's play where you can just play around and then forget about it. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for you." Xingxing's little face was very serious as she squeezed the boy's slender hand tightly, as if she was making a promise to him.
Seeing her so serious, the young man chuckled softly. "Since you've made up your mind, I'll go along with it. But you should think it through. Once this is decided, there's no going back. I won't allow it."
“I said I wouldn’t go back on my word,” Xingxing said, taking off the jade pendant she was wearing around her neck and placing it in the boy’s palm. The jade pendant was carved with a phoenix and was something she wore close to her body. “This is a token of our love. You should keep it safe. Now it’s your turn to give me a token.”
The little girl reached out her hand to ask for it.
The young man reached into the brocade bag and pulled out a piece of fine mutton-fat jade. In the middle of the jade was carved a snow unicorn, which was the appearance of his original form in his previous life.
Xingxing had seen his true form before and recognized him at a glance. She liked it very much and held it in her hands, reluctant to put it down. "Is this your family heirloom? Are you planning to give it to your future wife?"
"It was just something I used to wear, and because it was carved with my image, it had a special meaning. I never thought of giving it away." Giving it to Xingxing now fully demonstrates how much he values her.
Xingxing stopped hesitating. She put the jade pendant around her neck and urged the boy to wear the jade pendant she had given him. "Now we're officially engaged, aren't we?"
"Maybe," the boy said uncertainly, then felt a little like laughing.
"Stop laughing, be serious. I'll bring up our marriage with Father tomorrow. We need to settle it as soon as possible." Xingxing glanced at him, displeased with his somewhat nonchalant demeanor.
"Okay, then you should go to sleep early. I'll leave after you fall asleep," the boy coaxed her to lie down and rest.
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