Heartfelt wishes
Shangguan Zeyu's hair was black and shiny, as if it had been dyed with ink. Running your hand through his hair felt like touching silk; it was soft and smooth, and it felt wonderful.
Jiang Yanqing couldn't help but be drawn to the beauty of his long hair. Without realizing it, she bent down and gently sniffed it. The scent was so fresh, like the smell of some unknown plant, that it smelled wonderful.
Jiang Yan's sudden movement was keenly sensed by Shangguan Zeyu. He was taken aback, then his brows relaxed and a faint, gentle smile gradually appeared on his lips.
An oil lamp was lit inside, its orange-yellow light bathing everything in an ancient yellow hue. Jiang Yan was intently drying Shangguan Zeyu's hair, while Shangguan Zeyu quietly savored the gentle warmth of her fingertips.
If such a beautiful and peaceful scene could be frozen in time, then happiness would have already arrived.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jiang Yan finally said with satisfaction, "Finally, it's dry."
Shangguan Zeyu smiled and turned to look at her, saying, "I can also wipe Ruyi's hair."
Jiang Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly and said, "There's no need to trouble Your Highness with that, I have Huang Ying." She then went to hang up her handkerchief.
Shangguan Zeyu's face darkened visibly. He stared intently at Jiang Yan and slowly said, "Ruyi, even now, are you still unwilling to accept my feelings?"
Jiang Yan froze on the spot, unsure how to answer.
Shangguan Zeyu: "Ruyi, you should be able to sense and see my feelings, right?"
Jiang Yan still didn't know how to answer, her eyes lowered as she stared at the washbasin, looking troubled.
"Is this question difficult to answer?" Shangguan Zeyu waited for a while, but Jiang Yan did not respond or turn around. So he got up and walked slowly towards her, saying as he walked, "If Ruyi is unwilling, she should say 'no,' right?"
Shangguan Zeyu's voice was deep, magnetic, and very pleasant to listen to. To Jiang Yan, it was as if it had a magical power, drawing her in and making her eagerly anticipate what he was about to say.
Jiang Yan's heart kept falling, falling, and just when she thought Shangguan Zeyu was about to say something, her waist was suddenly pulled back by an irresistible force. Before she could react, she was already tightly hugged in Shangguan Zeyu's arms.
Shangguan Zeyu gently stroked the top of her head with his smooth, delicate chin. He didn't use any force, just gently and continuously stroking back and forth, making her feel very ticklish, and this ticklishness quickly reached her heart.
"Ruyi, you've accepted my feelings, haven't you?"
Shangguan Zeyu's voice was muffled, like a pitiful kitten begging for mercy from its owner. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan's heart was filled with ripples.
"Ruyi, my feelings for you are genuine. I may have doubted you before, or even deceived you, but my love for you is real."
"Ruyi, being born into an imperial family has given me so many constraints, but thankfully all the crises have been resolved. I now have the right to choose. I will never go against my own heart again. Ruyi, I will love you well, do everything in my power to love you, and make you happy."
Shangguan Zeyu spoke in a very calm and composed tone, and Jiang Yan unconsciously came to believe him.
Jiang Yan may have had many concerns, but at this moment, there is nothing in her heart or mind except for a beautiful imagination of her future life with Shangguan Zeyu.
Yes, love is a fleeting moment of infatuation, but who can guarantee that love won't last?
At this moment, Jiang Yan decided to abandon all her previous concerns and anxieties and embrace the love she longed for.
“Yes, I accept your feelings,” Jiang Yan said with a slight smile.
Shangguan Zeyu's body stiffened visibly as he held Jiang Yan, then relaxed instantly. He excitedly grabbed Jiang Yan's hands and asked, "Really?"
Jiang Yan didn't know what to say. Looking at the former Protector General of the Great Zhou Dynasty, now "Your Majesty," she really couldn't imagine that such an extraordinary person would have a childlike side, especially for such a "trivial matter."
What Jiang Yan found most unbelievable was how such a great and remarkable person could fall in love with her.
Shangguan Zeyu was truly overjoyed. He couldn't help but gently kiss Jiang Yan's forehead, and then excitedly hugged her tightly once again.
Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, then turned around and hugged him tightly.
On that day, they confirmed their feelings for each other, and from then on, they truly acted like lovers, wanting to be together all the time.
When Huang Ying saw their changes, she was genuinely happy for them, as if she were even happier than if something wonderful had happened to her.
That evening, a gentle breeze blew, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass. Shangguan Zeyu and Jiang Yan sat in a slightly spacious spot in the woods, admiring the beautiful sunset.
Jiang Yan leaned lazily against Shangguan Zeyu's left shoulder, gazing at the setting sun in the west, and said, "What a beautiful sunset! What a beautiful sky!"
Shangguan Zeyu, also gazing at the sunset, said, "Yes, a day is in the morning, a day is in the evening." Then, looking down at Jiang Yan with a slight smile, he said, "It's wonderful to be able to watch the sunset and sunrise with you, Ruyi, every day!"
Jiang Yan smiled slightly.
Then Shangguan Zeyu said seriously, "When we return to the capital, I will have Xiao Yiqing move out."
Jiang Yan felt a pang of sadness. How could she have forgotten Xiao Yiqing? She was Shangguan Zeyu's rightful wife!
"Ruyi must have heard the rumors about me along the way. Yes, I did kill Xiao Yiqing's father. I am aware of Xiao Yiqing's feelings for me, but unfortunately, we are not destined to be together. She could not live in the Xiao family mansion, so I brought her back."
Then, she looked down at Jiang Yan with very gentle eyes and said softly, "When we get back, I will arrange another courtyard for her to live in."
Jiang Yan didn't know whether to say "yes" or "no," so she chose to remain silent.
Shangguan Zeyu turned his head again, looking at the last rays of the setting sun, and sighed softly, saying, "Back then, I didn't want to marry her, but she insisted on marrying me. I warned her that I had no feelings for her, but she persisted. Life within the high walls of the palace is different from anywhere else; the long-term loneliness, solitude, and jealousy have changed her character. Many times, I've wondered if she would be happy now if I had refused her back then? I think I'm partly responsible for her becoming who she is today."
Jiang Yan was deeply moved. She never expected that Shangguan Zeyu, who was always cold, taciturn, and unpredictable, would have such a soft side.
“None of the women in the manor are to my liking, nor are any of them ones I took back willingly, except for you.” Shangguan Zeyu said, glancing at Jiang Yan with a touch of melancholy, “They were either sent to me by my elder brother to keep an eye on me, or by my mother to keep an eye on me…” At this point, Shangguan Zeyu said somewhat embarrassedly, “Ruyi, don’t be angry, I want to tell you what’s on my mind.” Then she looked at Jiang Yan nervously.
Jiang Yanxin said, "No matter what you do, I won't find it strange or surprising. After all, in this feudal dynasty, anything can happen."
"Go ahead and tell me, I'm not petty, I won't get angry so easily." Jiang Yan looked at Shangguan Zeyu and gave him a sweet smile.
Shangguan Zeyu stared into Jiang Yan's eyes and said seriously, "My insistence on marrying you back then was also for scheming purposes."
Jiang Yan probably knew this outcome deep down, but hearing Shangguan Zeyu say it so bluntly still made her feel a little sad.
Shangguan Zeyu keenly noticed Jiang Yan's change in mood and asked anxiously, "Are you angry?"
What could Jiang Yan say? She had just said that she was magnanimous and wouldn't get angry.
"No? I just feel... suddenly, yes, somewhat suddenly." He gave an unnatural laugh.
Shangguan Zeyu gently cupped her cheeks in his hands, speaking with utmost sincerity and earnestness: "Ruyi, I don't want to deceive you. I don't want my heart to be impure for you. I'm telling the truth. At first, I did insist on marrying you because of my calculations, but what I never expected was that I would fall hopelessly in love with you during our interactions! Ruyi, do you know? For a very long time, I felt that this outcome was terrible. I shouldn't have fallen in love with you, but the result was that my love for you grew deeper and deeper with each avoidance and doubt. By the time I realized it, I was already hopelessly in love with you, and at that time, I had also hurt you a lot."
"Ruyi, perhaps it was love at first sight, or perhaps it grew over time, but I am very, very sure of one thing: I have truly fallen in love with you and can no longer live without you." Then, under Jiang Yan's moved and excited gaze, he kissed Jiang Yan's lips.
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