Li Hua still had nightmares, but he no longer tried to restrain Gan Qiongying. Every time he was awakened by a nightmare, Gan Qiongying would hug him and pat and soothe him like a child.
Twenty days have passed before he finally came to his senses and believed that Gan Qiongying was indeed by his side.
Now she's back to being gentle and kind, just like before. She no longer shows a fierce look in her eyes, nor does she pretend to be cold.
Every time he finished court, he would rush back, gathering the people under his control faster and faster, as he couldn't wait to leave with Gan Qiongying.
When Zhongli realized that Li Hua was leaving and would return everything to him, his initial elation and ecstasy quickly turned into panic.
Now that the situation in Jinchuan has been handed over to Zhongli Zhengzhen, he has no confidence that he can completely control it.
Li Hua is resourceful and cunning. Zhong Li Zhengzhen even tried to persuade his parents to be more affectionate towards Li Hua.
She wanted to keep him by her side for two reasons: first, to prevent herself from being without an antidote when the poison took effect; and second, because Li Hua truly possessed the talent to govern the world, even surpassing Zhongli Zhengzhen.
Unfortunately, Li Hua's departure was very decisive. In just twenty days, he had almost completely withdrawn all the forces he had stationed around the imperial city.
Meanwhile, the capital of Jinchuan was in a state of panic, as several court officials died under mysterious circumstances. Rumors circulated that an assassin organization had descended from the mountains to kill corrupt officials and uphold justice.
In reality, Li Hua couldn't wait to deal with these people slowly, so he simply and brutally killed them all, and then found a pretext to exile or demote their families.
Because of Li Hua's ruthless and decisive methods, all the court officials who knew the inside story kept their tails between their legs and wished they could avoid him every day. In private, no one was unafraid of the Crown Prince's cruel methods. If he were to hold life and death in his hands one day, he would surely become a tyrant that no one could dissuade.
However, it was too late for them to object now. Most of them even knew that the old emperor in the palace was now just a puppet of the crown prince, and that Li Hua had all the leverage over them.
Li Hua even controlled the defenses of the capital city, and because of his previous achievements in defeating the enemy at the border, all the border generals respected him greatly, and it was difficult to overthrow him for any reason.
And yet, after such a fierce and violent cleansing of the entire Jinchuan Imperial City, the man who returned from his daily "murders and arson" would personally wash his hands and cook for his beloved.
"Your roast duck is truly amazing... I'm afraid even the top chef at Phoenix Restaurant would have to admit defeat."
Gan Qiongying couldn't get enough of the food. Ever since that day when she wandered around and ended up in the backyard, she asked a maid and learned that Li Hua had personally made roast duck for her.
That evening, Gan Qiongying exposed Li Hua's true colors, showered him with affection, and began praising him excessively.
They praised Li Hua for being so busy outside that he was dizzy with work, and when he came back he even had to learn new dishes to cook for Gan Qiongying.
And the roast duck, which I've been learning for a long time and am most skilled at, is naturally an essential dish on the table every day.
Gan Qiongying doesn't get tired of it at all. She likes to eat one thing for a long time, and how can she get tired of eating meat?
Lihua has been learning to grill pork belly these past two days. It's so juicy and fragrant.
Despite spending most of her time eating and sleeping, Gan Qiongying didn't gain weight because she got so much exercise. During the day, she would wander around the Crown Prince's residence, and at night she would work overtime, squatting until midnight.
Gan Qiongying never let Li Hua kneel for too long, even though Li Hua said that it didn't hurt anymore. But how easy is it to reconnect broken bones?
As the weather began to get colder, Gan Qiongying even reminded Li Hua to apply a hot compress every night.
Just like before.
Li Hua naturally obeyed without question, and her legs had been warm these past few days, without even feeling pain when the weather changed.
The wound on her arm had almost healed, but the bad thing was that the medicine in the small bottle that Gan Qiongying always carried with her was all gone.
It was the seventh day of the tenth lunar month. Because it had rained a few days ago, it was particularly cold this morning.
Li Hua got up very early, just as dawn was breaking, and was about to go to court. Gan Qiongying sat up wrapped in the quilt, yawned, and took out an empty bottle, tossing it to Li Hua.
“We’ve run out of birth control pills. We’ve been having sex too frequently lately. I brought a whole bottle with me. It was made by Xiao Qiansong based on Bu Li’s formula. There were thirty pills in total, which is more than a month’s supply… but it’s gone after only twenty-one days. Have Bu Li make some more.”
Li Hua took the small bottle, her ears turning slightly red. She had indeed been indulging in too much sex these past few days.
But he felt exceptionally good; he hadn't felt this good in a long time.
"Oh." Li Hua responded softly, clutching the small bottle in her hand. She spent the entire morning court session touching the bottle, listening to the ministers talking but not understanding what they were saying.
The old emperor at the head of the table has been looking at Li Hua less fiercely these past few days, mainly because he learned from Zhongli Zhengzhen that Li Hua is about to leave.
Moreover, if you look closely at the old emperor with his full beard, there's even a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he looks at Li Hua.
It really was something that couldn't be presented in public. He had already heard from Zhongli Zhengzhen that the one who made Li Hua want to give up everything and leave was the princess of Nanzhao.
Even a woman from an enemy country could bewitch him so much that he would give up his throne. It was definitely the right decision not to choose him in the first place.
Li Hua had no idea what the old emperor was thinking, nor did he care what the old emperor was thinking.
After the court session, he headed straight for the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. Ministers who wanted to speak with him were so startled by his rapid pace that they could only manage a single call: "Your Highness..."
Li Hua had already disappeared without a trace.
As the weather gets colder, each autumn rain brings a chill.
It was another cloudy day. Li Hua hurried back to the East Palace, but he didn't see Gan Qiongying, who was always snuggled in bed at this time every day.
His heart felt as if it had been suddenly pulled up by a tight thread. He rushed out of the house, his body even staggering, completely losing the dignity of a prince.
Then I ran all the way from the main courtyard to the small garden in front. Under a tree in the garden, I found the person curled up on a chaise lounge reading a storybook. Only then did I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.
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