Even though she had a premonition, she still curled up the corners of her mouth when she heard this: "Where is he?"
"He hasn't returned home yet; he's probably gone to the palace to report back."
...
"Greetings to Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongde looked at Yan Mingyi below the steps, his hand in his sleeve slowly clenching, and a gentle smile appeared on his face: "Princess, you must be tired from your long journey."
They were clearly extremely unhappy, but they had to pretend otherwise.
Yan Mingyi was happy to play along with him, never mentioning their previous unpleasantness: "It's just sharing the burden of the country, it's all Mingyi's duty. Commander Chi has also put in a lot of effort in this negotiation."
Emperor Chongde then turned his attention to Chi Yan, offering a few words of praise and bestowing upon him some gifts.
After leaving the palace, Chi Yan rushed to his residence, even declining invitations from his colleagues to socialize with him.
Although he was tired from the journey, the thought of seeing Shen Tangning soon brought a relaxed smile to his face. After entering the mansion, he walked towards the main hall.
He understood Shen Tangning, and she understood him too. The first thing she would do when she got home was to greet her parents, so she would be waiting for him there.
As expected, upon entering, she saw Shen Tangning sitting next to Chi's mother. The two exchanged a glance, and she quickly glanced at him, only to see his eyes sparkling as he stared at her, making no attempt to hide his enthusiasm. She then covered her mouth and coughed lightly.
Chi Yan finally calmed down a bit and stepped forward to greet him respectfully.
"Look how tanned you've gotten!" Mrs. Chi looked at her son and teased him with a frown.
Chi Yan chuckled awkwardly, "A few dark spots make you look healthy, cough cough, just cover it up and your skin will come back to its original whiteness..."
He was worried that Shen Tangning would find it offensive, so he quickly tried to make amends.
After talking to him for a while, Chi's mother noticed his absent-mindedness and smiled gently. "Alright, you two have been apart for many days, you must have a lot to talk about, so I won't keep you any longer."
Shen Tangning stood up to take her leave, her ears turning red.
On their way back to Ruyi Residence, Chi Yan couldn't resist secretly taking her hand. Shen Tangning gently pulled away and turned her face away, saying, "There are people watching."
He glanced around and said matter-of-factly, "So what? I'm holding my own wife's hand, not anyone else's. Who would dare say anything about that?"
The maids behind them all lowered their heads, trying not to laugh.
She clicked her tongue, too lazy to argue with him. She figured she'd get used to embarrassing herself after a while.
His palms were warm, unlike hers which were always ice-cold. In no time, Shen Tangning's hands were warmed up too, even more so than a hot water bottle.
"While I was away, you certainly didn't stay idle. I heard quite a bit of commotion." Chi Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at her with a half-smile.
Shen Tangning remained calm: "So, Commander, you're planning to interrogate me?"
He chuckled and said, "How could I dare? I just wanted to gossip and hear you say it yourself."
Once inside, he closed the door very casually.
Xueqing, who was about to follow, was met with a cold shoulder and touched her nose in frustration.
Ba Liang stepped forward and pulled her away, gloating: "And you're talking about me? You're just as clueless, aren't you?"
Shen Tangning turned her head away and saw that he had closed the doors and windows tightly. She looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Why are you closing the doors in broad daylight?"
Chi Yan explained in a serious tone, "It's cold outside, but it's warm inside."
She choked, and just as she sat down, she saw that Chi Yan, instead of sitting on an empty chair, insisted on squeezing in with her. She pushed his forehead and asked warily, "What are you doing now?"
Chi Yan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, then kissed her on the forehead, saying seriously, "I'm a little cold, it'll be warmer if we squeeze together."
"..."
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