The night in the Northwest was slightly cool, with stars dotting the sky. Shang Shaoyan, holding a pot of wine, sat in the courtyard of the house, leaned on Qiao Xiuyu's shoulder, nuzzled against him, and then sighed contentedly, "Life like this is so good."
Qiao Xiuyu patted Shang Shaoyan's head and smiled, "You went to see Feng Chang?"
Shang Shaoyan glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What, are you jealous?"
Qiao Xiuyu laughed and said, "Why would I be jealous? What is he anyway? He's not good-looking and his personality isn't good either. If you like him, you're blind."
Shang Shaoyan's eyes darted around, and he suddenly became interested, saying, "Seventh Brother, shall we play Truth or Dare?"
Qiao Xiuyu's eyes lit up: "Great! But since it's just the two of us here, why don't we skip the dare part and just play truth or dare?"
Shang Shaoyan thought for a moment and said, "How about this... we each ask a question, and if we can't answer it, we have to drink a sip of wine, how about that?"
Qiao Xiuyu naturally agreed.
Shang Shaoyan looked at him and smiled: "You ask first."
Qiao Xiuyu thought for a moment and asked, "Are you cold?"
Shang Shaoyan paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's not cold."
Qiao Xiuyu fell silent, only looking at Shang Shaoyan with her peach blossom eyes slightly curved, as if she could only see and hold Shang Shaoyan.
Shang Shaoyan then realized: "Are you done asking? Is that all you're asking?"
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and said, "It's your turn to ask."
Shang Shaoyan said "Oh," then smiled slyly: "What do you like about me? Give me three reasons."
Qiao Xiuyu sighed and gently said, "Three reasons? I'm afraid I can't give you all the reasons."
Shang Shaoyan's cheeks flushed slightly as he buried his face in Qiao Xiuyu's arms, somewhat embarrassed: "Where is there anything I can't finish talking about? You go ahead and tell me."
Qiao Xiuyu patted Shang Shaoyan's back casually, thought for a moment, and said, "Do you remember the first time we met?"
Shang Shaoyan nodded, unable to suppress a smile—how could she not remember?
This is a story of lust at first sight.
Qiao Xiuyu said, "I knew that Madam Xie was in the business of forging weapons. I wasn't there to buy pastries that day, but rather out of curiosity about what kind of heroine would be involved in such a business. Who would have thought that I would see you as soon as I walked in—"
"You were sitting next to Madam Xie at the time. You may not know that although Madam Xie was kind and gentle, the sharpness in her eyes could not be hidden; and so were you. You were dressed in plain clothes, obviously in mourning, but there was a hint of ambition in your eyes, but I did not find it repulsive."
"I like your ambition, I like your frankness, I like your previous aloofness towards me, and I like your current sincerity towards me; I like the beautiful music you play to soothe me, I like the way you secretly kiss my eyes while I'm asleep, I like your ambition, and I like how you practice your cooking skills for me in private."
After a pause, Qiao Xiuyu kissed the top of Shang Shaoyan's head, saying affectionately, "You ask me what's so good about you? I just think you're good in every way."
Shang Shaoyan felt a sense of tranquility from his gentle and pleasant voice, but his eyes widened when he heard the words "practicing cooking skills," and he asked awkwardly, "How did you know I was secretly practicing cooking skills?"
Qiao Xiuyu glanced at her with a smile and said helplessly, "You are meticulous when you are leading troops and handling political affairs, but you are a silly girl in life. These past few days, you have always come to see me with a burnt smell. Do you really think I can't smell anything?"
Shang Shaoyan covered his face, somewhat embarrassed: "You didn't even tell me! I thought you wouldn't know because I burned incense."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled, her eyes crinkling: "You changed to a stronger fragrance, how could I not notice? I smelled it when I took a closer sniff."
Shang Shaoyan chuckled and nuzzled Qiao Xiuyu's neck affectionately, saying, "Who said my Seventh Brother is stupid? You are clearly wise but pretending to be foolish, seeing through things but not saying them out loud—Seventh Brother is very insightful and has the air of a scholar."
Qiao Xiuyu rested her chin on Shang Shaoyan's head: "Only you would say that... After going through so much, I just want to be alone quietly. So what if they say I'm stupid? They're not you. I only care about your opinion."
He paused, then joked, "Even if you say I'm stupid, I'll accept it willingly."
Shang Shaoyan frowned, looking at Qiao Xiuyu earnestly, his eyes full of heartache: "Seventh Brother, you have been a gentleman from a scholarly family, a beggar with no clothes to wear, a prince within the palace walls, and a hostage far from home... I wish I had met you sooner."
Shang Shaoyan thought for a moment, then chuckled: "If I had met you when you were still a young man from a scholarly family, I would have been your spoiled and shrewish neighbor, always teasing you while you were studying and practicing calligraphy. You wouldn't have gotten angry, you would have just looked at me and smiled helplessly... 'The boy rides a bamboo horse, playing with green plums around the bed'—we were childhood sweethearts, got married smoothly, and maybe we would have some minor squabbles, but we would still be loving."
She continued, “If I had met you when you were a little beggar, I would have been the daughter of the county magistrate in a small county town. I would have often given you food from my home. My father, the county magistrate, thought you had bright eyes and was a kind and intelligent person, so he adopted you and taught you to read and write. You became the top scholar in the imperial examination. The emperor thought you were good-looking and wanted to marry his princess to you, but you said you already had someone you liked... After returning to the small county town, you married me. You would draw my eyebrows, and I would change your clothes.”
"If you were a prince within the palace walls, then I would be the most spirited noblewoman in Luoyang. You are called stupid every day, but I think you are beautiful, so I will protect you in every way. We will go for a walk together on the banks of the Luo River, and release river lanterns during the Qixi Festival. I will secretly look at you and write on the river lantern—'If only I could be the Seventh Prince's consort, how wonderful that would be...' You will also write on the river lantern, 'If only An'an could be the Seventh Prince's consort, how wonderful that would be.' After your brother ascends the throne, we will be the most carefree and leisurely prince and princess in Luoyang, going out every day to find delicious food, drinks, and fun activities."
As Qiao Xiuyu listened, her eyes reddened.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, then he kissed Shang Shaoyan's forehead with utmost tenderness, his voice low and husky: "I am a hostage who has left my homeland, and you are the ambitious county princess of Shengjing, who wants to ascend to the throne as a young woman. I found you interesting, so I followed you and became your male concubine. I chose hair ornaments for you, I chose clothes for you, I traveled thousands of miles to follow you after you went to Shuzhou, and I followed you step by step when you went to the Northwest..."
Shang Shaoyan smiled gently, lightly kissed Qiao Xiuyu's lips, and then said, "So, no matter what, as long as we've met, that's the best thing."
Qiao Xiuyu lowered her eyes, hiding the tears in them, then looked up and smiled gently: "The fact that we met is the most beautiful thing in the world."
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