"Zhao Zhen, where are we going?" Xu Nian yawned as she rode on horseback, leaning lazily against Zhao Zhen.
"You don't like the palace or my manor, so from now on we'll be wandering the world," Zhao Zhen said pitifully.
"Are you willing to give up your wealth and power, second only to the emperor?" Xu Nian raised an eyebrow. She didn't believe Zhao Zhen could really give up everything and wander the world.
He has the world and its people in his heart.
The current young emperor can't control the entire country. Once he leaves, the country will soon descend into chaos.
"Madam truly understands my heart," Zhao Zhen thought to himself. Compared to Xu Nian, there was nothing he couldn't let go of.
He would give up everything as long as she was safe and sound by his side.
"So where are we going?" Xu Nian asked again.
"I brought you out to clear your head." From the moment Xu Nian woke up until now, even though the two had been entangled all night, Zhao Zhen still felt it was unreal.
He wanted to do something with Xu Nian to prove that she had always been by his side.
Slowing the horse down and holding Xu Nian close, Zhao Zhen pointed to the rising sun on the distant horizon and said, "Madam, look, isn't it beautiful?"
"It really is beautiful." Xu Nian squinted as she admired the beauty of nature.
"Madam, shall we travel together to see all the beautiful landscapes of this land?" Zhao Zhen smiled freely, but his eyes were so tender they seemed to melt your heart.
"Okay." Xu Nian turned around and smiled, her ethereal face radiating a soft light that felt warm and tangible.
Bewitched by that smile, Zhao Zhen lowered his head and kissed Xu Nian's lips.
"Ugh! Zhao Zhen...you bastard!" Xu Nian's curses were drowned out by the wind as the horse galloped away, leaving only Zhao Zhen's smug laughter.
When they stopped to rest, Xu Nian glared angrily at Zhao Zhen without saying a word.
"Okay, don't be angry. I won't do it again next time." Zhao Zhen lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
"You want a next time?" Xu Nian was both angry and embarrassed.
"Ahem! It's because the lady's collection of storybooks is too good." Zhao Zhen pushed the blame onto Xu Nian.
Storybooks? What storybooks? Xu Nian looked puzzled.
"It's the storybook you had your head maid, Cui Cui, collect," Zhao Zhen reminded him.
After being reminded, Xu Nian remembered.
Just thinking about the contents of the storybook... Xu Nian wanted to cover her face. Had she dug herself another hole?
"Zhao Zhen, starting today, we'll sleep in separate rooms." Xu Nian decided she couldn't let Zhao Zhen do whatever he wanted anymore.
Her body just can't take it!
"A-Nian, I won't touch you, let's not sleep in separate rooms, okay?" Zhao Zhen was anxious. He hadn't even had a chance to get close to his wife before she had to be left alone in an empty room. How could this be allowed?
"Heh!" Xu Nian sneered.
Zhao Zhen is a carnivore; nothing he says is credible.
"A-Nian, I'm serious, I swear I won't touch you, let's not sleep in separate rooms, okay?" Zhao Zhen pestered Xu Nian all the way.
Xu Nian did not budge until they returned to the Regent's Palace.
As dusk approached, Xu Nian finished her meal and prepared to head to her guest room with her belongings. Zhao Zhen couldn't sit still any longer.
With a flick of his sleeve, the door slammed shut.
The candles in the room went out, and Xu Nian was thrown onto the bed before she could even protest.
In the darkness, the man's hot breath sprayed on her face, and just as Xu Nian thought he was about to do something...
Zhao Zhen hugged her and sobbed softly, "Waaah! Anian, I was wrong, please forgive me, as long as you don't leave me, I'll do anything."
"If you don't like me touching you, then I won't touch you. Please don't leave me, okay?"
"A-Nian, I really know I was wrong!"
The man's repeated pleas sounded particularly fragile in the darkness.
Xu Nian sighed, patted Zhao Zhen on the shoulder, and said, "Alright, I won't leave you."
"How about we don't sleep in separate rooms?" Zhao Zhen asked, his voice nasal.
"Okay, no splitting." Xu Nian reluctantly agreed.
"A-Nian, I'm sorry you had to see this. I was just... so afraid of losing you!" Zhao Zhen said, choking back tears.
"When you were unconscious, I wished so much that I was the one lying there motionless."
“In my midnight dreams, I always see you lying in front of me, shot with an arrow. Ah Nian, I was so desperate then, I couldn’t save you no matter what I did.”
“You fall in front of me again and again, and I witness it every time. I’m so afraid of losing you.”
"A-Nian, without you, my existence in this world has no meaning."
In the darkness, Zhao Zhen's voice gradually became hollow. He was recounting his helplessness and confusion during that time, and also telling Xu Nian that he could not live without her.
"Zhao Zhen, I'm sorry." Xu Nian never expected that her simple wish to sleep in separate rooms would cause Zhao Zhen to break down like this.
"A-Nian, don't leave me."
"I won't leave."
"A-Nian, you'll be with me every day from now on."
"good."
"A-Nian...!"
"OK."
In the end, Xu Nian didn't even know what she had promised Zhao Zhen.
Those who succeeded in their scheme laughed silently in the darkness.
Ah Nian, you've agreed, so you can't go back on your word later!
Zhao Zhen was always determined to get what he wanted.
Xu Nian was no exception; she couldn't escape his grasp, and he wouldn't allow her to escape either.
The obsession shrouded in darkness expanded unchecked, silently enveloping its prey, then luring it into the carefully constructed cage.
Zhao Zhen said he would take Xu Nian to see all the beautiful landscapes of China, and he really did.
But he became increasingly clingy. Every time Xu Nian couldn't stand it and was about to say something to him, he would sadly cry and say that he couldn't live without Xu Nian, and that he dreamed that Xu Nian had left him.
“…!” Xu Nian could only endure it again and again, and eventually she got used to it.
While sightseeing, Xu Nian encountered two girls in a valley.
Both girls were very beautiful; one was poised and dignified, the other playful and adorable.
The playful and cute girl always clung to the composed and dignified girl, chattering incessantly behind her, while she listened with a gentle smile.
She quietly took her hand, and she instinctively shook it back.
Their hands were clasped tightly together, one for her and the other for her.
The two looked up at each other and smiled, needing no further words, yet their affection was palpable.
"They have such a good relationship," Zhao Zhen remarked, standing next to Xu Nian.
"Don't you think they're strange?" Xu Nian was surprised by Zhao Zhen's strong ability to accept things.
"Why should I find it strange? They both bravely pursued each other, and their love is worthy of my admiration," Zhao Zhen said.
"...!" If you knew that one of them was originally your legal wife and the other was your concubine, would you still say that?
"Why is Ah Nian looking at me so strangely?" Zhao Zhen touched his face; there was nothing wrong!
"It's okay, as long as you're happy," Xu Nian said with a sigh of relief.
"A-Nian, why are you suddenly unhappy?" Zhao Zhen was very sensitive to Xu Nian's emotions.
Xu Nian: "I didn't, you're overthinking it."
Zhao Zhenbao said tolerantly, "Okay, I was overthinking it."
But you're clearly unhappy!
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