Xu Zhi sat behind his desk, on which were several files and next to them an opened jar of strong liquor.
Before long, the smell of alcohol filled the entire room.
Xu Zhi gently closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly, as if savoring something: "That tender and affectionate heart, the soup he cooked himself, the umbrella he held up in the rain, the thick and luxurious cloak in winter..."
These were all acts of tenderness bestowed upon that Qin official by the princess of Jin.
This was only forced to end after the princess of Jin was exchanged to Liang.
If she hadn't been switched at birth, would they have been together long ago...?
Xu Zhi wanted to down the strong liquor on the table in one gulp and get completely drunk, which would be better than watching her past love for someone else, which felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.
The door was pushed open from the outside, and a young eunuch bowed his head and said, "Your Excellency, Lord Qin has come to the Eastern Depot to meet with the young lady."
Xu Zhi suddenly opened his eyes, both of them red.
But what is he going to do now? Go and see the two of them being all lovey-dovey?
"Understood, just send someone to keep an eye on things." These words seemed to have exhausted all of Xu Zhi's strength.
The young eunuch secretly glanced at Xu Zhi, then whispered, "Yes."
At this moment, Ahri was staring at the little palace maid in front of her.
I don't know where this little palace maid came from to bring this Lord Qin here.
As soon as Lord Qin appeared, his gaze was fixed on Ah Li, and the regret and joy of reunion in his eyes seemed to overflow.
At first, the young palace maid only wanted to get closer to see the handsome man lingering outside the Eastern Depot, but she did not expect that he would politely ask her about the whereabouts of the Princess of Jin.
The young palace maid had never been treated like this before, nor had she ever seen such a handsome person. In a moment of impulsiveness, she led him to Ah Li.
"Seventeen."
Qin Ke stared at Ah Li, but found that her reaction was not as joyful as he had expected; instead, she seemed to be avoiding him.
This subtle change made Qin Ke feel uneasy.
"Lord Qin."
Ahri's eyes were calm as still water, and she said softly, "Long time no see."
"Seventeen, I've come for you this time."
Qin Ke walked slowly to Ali, his eyes revealing determination and tenderness. He said, "I've come to take you home."
Ah Li gazed into Qin Ke's deep, affectionate eyes and asked softly, "Did Father send you?"
Qin Ke was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Yes."
At this moment, he was filled with complex emotions.
He had been fighting for this opportunity, maneuvering in the imperial court, all to help Ahri regain her freedom.
The emperor of Jin had many children; if he was seventeen, he still had eighteen and nineteen.
In the eyes of the Jin emperor, self-interest was the most important thing.
Ah Li chuckled softly, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery: "Look at me, I've almost forgotten about you in the last two years. The last time you came to Liang, it was for someone else. And it was you who brought me here. Back then, you and I didn't exchange a single word, not even a glance. Even your departure was completely silent."
Qin Ke was touched by Ali's words, and memories flooded back.
He looked at Ah Li, fear in his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "Ah Li, I was just..."
"You just want to get rid of me as soon as possible, you want to get away from me as soon as possible, right?" Ahri asked calmly.
Qin Ke shook his head abruptly, urgently protesting, "No! That's not how it is!"
Ah Li sighed softly, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Lord Qin, I know what you're thinking. But some things you can't escape just because you want to."
See, isn't this person regretting it now?
There was once a person who offered their whole heart to another, but that person avoided them like the plague, showing no respect whatsoever.
Now, however, it has turned out this way.
Ah Li sighed deeply, "Who can truly understand love and affection in this world?"
The two stood very close, while Xu Zhi watched from a short distance away, a ripple of emotion stirring within him.
"Who let this person in?" Xu Zhi asked the eunuch beside him.
The young eunuch bowed his head and said, "He was led in by a palace maid."
Xu Zhi moved his fingers, thinking of dragging the person down and burying them.
But I still held back.
Ahri is already used to having this little palace maid by her side, and she will feel uncomfortable if she is suddenly replaced.
The young eunuch only glanced at the Grand Eunuch in front of him. He shouldn't have been there, but now he stood there, his eyes fixed on the two people.
In his opinion, if you truly like someone, then be brave and pursue them.
Standing there now, like a wife about to be abandoned, how desolate she is.
The girl didn't seem like someone who would look down on their status; she was always quite easygoing and treated them like normal people.
However, seeing the once decisive and ruthless Grand Eunuch in such a state, the little eunuch could only sigh.
We mustn't rush them, lest they get angry and kill the Jin envoy. What would that be like then?
Ah Li didn't care what Qin Ke was thinking. She said, "Lord Qin, I don't want to go back. I've already escaped that cage. I'm very free here."
"But this is Liang, not Jin." Qin Ke still wanted to take her back.
“What’s the point of going back? Like this time, they just switch places like that. Who knows if next time they’ll just randomly pick someone and make me marry them?”
"No, I will marry you. After we return this time, I will ask your father, the Emperor, for permission to marry you."
After Qin Ke finished speaking, he felt calmer.
He came here this time to take her back and marry her properly.
Ah Li smiled, and Xu Zhi, who was striding over, stopped in his tracks. Would she agree?
My long-cherished wish has finally come true.
Ahri shook her head and said, "I don't want to."
"Why? Haven't you always liked me?"
Qin Ke picked up the mandarin duck pendant hanging from his waist and said, "You yourself said, 'I would rather die than be a pair of mandarin ducks. I would rather be a pair of mandarin ducks than an immortal.'"
“That’s all in the past, and I threw away my jade pendant.”
"You threw it away? Where did you throw it?"
Qin Ke panicked; how could she throw it away?
Ali took two steps back, looked at Qin Ke, and said, word by word, "I threw it away the day before I came to Liang Kingdom, and didn't you say that I only regarded you as an older brother? But what you just said, so you've always known that I like you, and that it's about romantic love?"
Qin Ke's mind suddenly went blank. "That day, you heard it?"
"Yes, I heard it. I was outside the Imperial Study at that time. I wanted to see my father and tell him that I was willing to come to Liang."
For the sake of a general's daughter, a princess was swapped. Without any reason for the exchange, the princess was left to fend for herself in the Liang Kingdom.
This is how a strong country treats a weak country.
And isn't this exactly what the second prince of Liang did on purpose to win the favor of that general's daughter?
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