On the day the army returned in triumph, the capital was deserted as everyone flocked to the city. Xiao Xun and Xin Jiuwei personally greeted them outside the city, and upon seeing their children return safely, they wept with joy.
In the Golden Hall, rewards were bestowed upon the generals, and each received a promotion. When it was Qi Mingxuan's turn, he knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Highness, I have deceived you and behaved improperly. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Xiao Xun already knew the truth and sighed, "My dear minister, you were poisoned while saving Yu'er, what crime have you committed?" Then he looked at Xiao Chengyu and asked, "Yu'er, what do you think?"
Xiao Chengyu bowed gracefully: "Your subject humbly requests Your Majesty... to grant me and Mingxuan a marriage."
Amidst the uproar in the hall, Qi Mingxuan suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with incredulous joy.
Xiao Xun and Xin Jiuwei exchanged a smile and granted permission.
The wedding was set for March. During this time, Qi Mingxuan fully recovered and remained the gentle and refined scholar he always was. Only occasionally, in the quiet of the night, he would wake up from nightmares, and only when he saw the peaceful face of the person sleeping beside him could he feel at ease.
On the eve of his wedding, Xiao Chengyu discovered a painting among the palace's old belongings—it was the very same "Ladies in a Spring Garden." Beside the painting was a line of small characters:
"Having faced life and death, my original aspiration remains unchanged. My only wish is to hold your hand and grow old together. — Mingxuan's postscript"
She gently stroked the writing and smiled sweetly.
The following day, a grand wedding shook the capital. For miles around, red bridal processions stretched, accompanied by deafening drums and music. Qi Mingxuan, dressed in wedding attire, married the princess he had longed for.
On their wedding night, he gently lifted the veil and gazed at the beauty under the lamplight, as if in a dream.
“Yu’er…” His voice trembled slightly, “Your subject has finally… achieved his wish.”
Xiao Chengyu looked at him with a smile: "Still calling yourself a subject?"
Qi Mingxuan readily agreed: "My husband... has achieved his wish."
The red candles burned brightly, illuminating the figures of lovers embracing. The bright moon outside the window bore witness to this love story that had endured many hardships.
However, no one knew that a pair of eyes were watching the bridal chamber from the shadows, flashing with resentment.
Although Gu Zhili is dead, the forces behind him have not been completely eliminated. A new storm is brewing in the shadows.
But at this moment, they only have eyes for each other. The storms of the future, they'll face them another day.
May the years be peaceful and our love unwavering.
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