"Why didn't you invite me to drink?"
Ling Ran, who was drinking alone, was startled by his voice and knocked over her wine cup when she stood up.
The aroma of sake wafted slowly through the air; it smelled wonderful.
"Greetings, Your Highness. Your subordinate merely..."
"Don't be nervous, I'm just here to ask for a drink."
"Please sit down, Your Highness."
"You shall sit down and have a drink with me."
Without much embellishment, Ye Lisheng went straight to the point: "Ling Shuang will return to Lan Yi with the wedding procession the day after tomorrow, and I will escort her all the way."
Ling Ran's heart skipped a beat; she didn't know whether it was pain or sadness.
"How come I didn't know you were getting married?"
Ling Ran jumped up from the stone bench and knelt before him, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, your subordinate..."
"Get up! I'm not blaming you!"
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Sometime later, the dark clouds dispersed, and a bright, clear moon hung in the inky blue sky.
After a long pause, Ye Lisheng's voice broke the silence: "Do you like Ling Shuang?"
Ling Ran immediately felt extremely uncomfortable: "Your Highness, this subordinate..."
Seemingly knowing he would lie, Ye Lisheng said, "Tell the truth!"
"yes!"
Ling Ran sighed, his brows furrowing slightly. After a long silence, he spoke, "The princess is of noble birth, while I am but a guard."
"Your subordinates can only treat her with the respect due to a ruler; you dare not and cannot hope for anything else."
"The princess can act recklessly, but I cannot. I hope she can live a safe and happy life."
Ling Ran had been by Ye Lisheng's side for many years, and they were already like brothers and friends.
He always kept his thoughts to himself and never said much.
Ye Lisheng knew that Ling Shuang had always expressed her affection for him, but he always responded coldly.
Over time, he also came to believe that Lingran did not like Lingshuang.
If it weren't for what he said today, he would have always thought that he really didn't like Ling Shuang at all.
Suddenly, the memory of when I first met okra flashed into my mind.
Dressed in bizarre clothes, sometimes talking nonsense, sometimes acting strangely, someone who should never have crossed paths with him has become his favorite.
He still finds it somewhat unbelievable when he thinks about it now.
I was so surprised that I didn't even realize when a smile had appeared on my lips.
"If you and Ling Shuang could be together, what would you do?"
Ling Ran never dared to have any contact with her, even in his wildest dreams. When he heard him say that, he was first startled, then realized that she was going to Lan Yi for a political marriage, so how could she possibly have a future with him?
"Your Highness, you've been made a fool of by me."
"Just tell me how you will treat Ling Shuang."
His mental defenses crumbled step by step before him. He remained silent for a long time, then silently exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he had made a huge decision.
"When the princess goes to Lan Yi for a marriage alliance, your subordinates will request permission from the prince to go to Lan Yi to take care of the princess and protect her for a lifetime of peace and happiness."
"If...if..."
"If things take a turn for the better, I will do everything in my power to make the princess happy."
"Your subordinate..."
"Your subordinate..."
Those words had been stuck in his heart, and if it weren't for the darkness, Ye Lisheng would have seen his face turn bright red.
"Although it is extremely rebellious!"
"Although it will lead to utter ruin, I love Princess Ling Shuang."
"I've always loved it!!!"
The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
A fleeting smile crossed Ye Lisheng's eyes as he glanced at his subordinate's dejected figure as he walked away.
Seemingly pleased with his plan, he downed the last sip of wine: "It's getting late, Guards, you should go back and rest!"
Seeing that he was about to leave, Ling Ran suddenly called out urgently, "Your Highness..."
He reached out and patted Ling Ran on the shoulder, signaling him not to worry: "You will accompany me to escort the princess to Lan Yi!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Ran was overjoyed: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
...
"Your Highness, where have you been?"
Just as Ye Lisheng was about to return to her room, she heard Murong Kui's voice.
His hands, hidden beneath the wide sleeves, involuntarily tightened.
"It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Murong Kui pouted, her two dark, grape-like eyes sparkling adorably.
"You haven't come to see me for several days."
Ye Lisheng subtly distanced himself from her and said, "It was indeed my oversight. I haven't had time to spend with you lately because of Ling Shuang's marriage proposal!"
Murong Kui was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling brighter than the stars: "I know you're busy, so I came to find you myself!"
"I have official business to attend to later and don't have time to spend with you. Go back to sleep!" He tried to make his tone as gentle as possible so that she wouldn't notice anything amiss.
"I promise I won't get in your way, so please let me stay with you."
"Okra, could you paint a picture for me?"
Murong Kui is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Painting is of course no problem for her. In her mind, Qiu Kui is someone who can't do anything, so the difficulty lies in how to pretend that she can't paint.
She ground the ink several times, but still didn't pick up her brush.
Half an hour passed, and Ye Lisheng couldn't help but wonder what her drawing would look like.
"It's finished. Show it to me, Your Majesty?"
As he got closer and closer to her painting, Murong Kui suddenly pounced and lay down on it, exclaiming, "No, I haven't finished painting yet!"
"I'm really curious, can I just take a look?"
"No, no!" She shook her head like a rattle-drum.
Seeing her determination, Ye Lisheng gave up.
Just when Murong Kui thought he was going to give up, her feet suddenly gave way and she was grabbed by the collar and carried away like a chick. No matter how much she struggled, it was no use.
"Your Highness, you mustn't peek."
Ye Lisheng's face darkened, looking even worse than a pig's liver.
"Is this the portrait of me you painted?"
The figures in the painting have no facial features whatsoever, making it impossible to tell whether they are human or animal.
Murong Kui covered her face shyly, trying her best to play the role of Qiu Kui as Ling Xin had described her to her.
"I can't draw, aren't you making things difficult for me?"
He seemed to already know the truth, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "It seems I overestimated you!"
Murong Kui was completely confused, so she could only awkwardly laugh along with him.
"It's getting late, you should go back and rest!"
Ye Lisheng had already given the order to leave, and although reluctant, they had no choice but to obediently comply.
Just a few steps later, Ye Lisheng called out, "Okra."
Hearing the name, she was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant, and looked at him with a smile, asking, "What's wrong?"
Ye Lisheng held up the letter "C" with his long, slender fingers, hoping she would understand what he meant.
Murong Kui looked at him, completely bewildered, and awkwardly mimicked his gesture of making a "C" with her fingers, asking, "Your Highness, what does this mean?"
He smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing!"
"The day after tomorrow, I hope you can come with me to Lanyi."
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