Just as He Jianghe had conquered the last island and was celebrating with his soldiers, he received a letter from the Princess. A drunken soldier read the letter aloud, causing an uproar of teasing. He Jianghe, seated at the head, was momentarily lost in thought.
“The flowers bloom along the path, you may return slowly.”
Was his little princess missing him?
The words were written plainly and lively, without the subtlety of the original phrase, but they still touched his heart. She was already in her twenties, nearly thirty. Had her heart finally opened to him?
“General,” a nearby soldier teased, “Don’t get too excited. It’s just asking you to come back to see the flowers. We’ll be heading back soon anyway.”
“I’m not excited,” he stubbornly denied.
The soldiers looked at his trembling hands and burst into laughter, quickly offering him more drinks.
As the wine went down his throat, He Jianghe thought of his study.
He had placed many sheets of paper in his study. That day when Changle first entered, she didn’t look towards the desk. If she had glanced that way, she would have discovered that the paper spread on the table and chairs were covered with her name, written over and over in hasty, eager strokes.
How long can love for someone last? For some, it’s half a month; for others, half a year. But some can love for a lifetime. Even when they grow old and die, their bones turn to ash, they still want to be mixed.
“General, where are you going?” A chorus of surprised voices suddenly rang out.
He Jianghe brushed off the smell of alcohol, mounted his qilin beast, and said, “To see the flowers. I’ll go ahead.”
Before anyone could stop him, they saw their general disappear out the door.
Changle sat in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hand, belatedly realizing that the New Year was approaching.
Since their marriage, they had always gone to the palace together for the New Year’s Eve vigil. Would she have to go alone this year? It felt lonely. Her royal brother had Hai Qing for company, and her mother had her father, but she would be all alone.
In her mother’s letter, it said that planting these flowers would make her Prince Consort grow out of them. How could that be possible? Although the few islands were sparsely populated and easily conquered, by her calculations, he wouldn’t be back until after the New Year.
Pouting, Changle felt unhappy and decided to vent her frustration by picking some mandarin duck flowers.
However, just as she picked one, she heard the sound of wind.
Putting the flower down, she looked out and saw someone running quickly toward the Princess’s mansion, treading on the accumulated snow.
With bright eyes and an intense gaze, the man jumped off his mount from afar and ran towards her like the wind.
The cold snowy wind enveloped her, followed by the warmth from his body through their clothes.
Changle’s eyes reddened: “How can a Prince Consort grow out of flowers…”
He Jianghe, panting, held her tightly: “You finally understood.”
“Understood what?” She was confused.
He Jianghe didn’t say more, just picked her up and spun her around, then happily took her inside: “Come, let’s prepare New Year goods and go to the palace for the vigil.”
“Alright!” Changle didn’t bother to ask more. It was good enough that her husband was back. Now she had someone to help carry things.
Fireworks burst in the sky above the palace, one after another, filling half the night sky.
The main hall was filled with delicacies, brightly lit. Ji Mingchen carefully protected Hai Qing, who was pregnant again, while glaring at Changle: “Don’t let her drink.”
Changle pouted: “Only you would be so inconsiderate, taking Hai Qing out on the streets when she’s pregnant, almost getting assassinated.”
“If I took her out, it means I had ways to protect her,” Ji Mingchen immediately argued.
But he couldn’t stop Mingyi from throwing a chopstick at his head: “Reckless!”
With a cry of pain, Ji Mingchen immediately fell onto Hai Qing’s shoulder: “Mother hit me, wah wah wah.”
Hai Qing: “…”
Was this crying thing on her shoulder the fierce and intimidating emperor of the court? How could he have two such different faces?
This was her fourth pregnancy, so she was experienced and not so delicate. But she didn’t want to mention it at the family feast, considering the Princess and her husband still didn’t have children. She feared upsetting them.
However, it turned out that neither the Princess, the Prince Consort, nor the Emperor Emeritus couple seated above seemed to mind. To them, having children or not was just a different choice, and they were all still young, so there was no rush.
She gradually relaxed, patting the emperor’s shoulder and joining in the laughter with everyone else.
The older princes and princesses circled the Emperor Emeritus. He picked one up and brought her to Mingyi like a treasured gift: “Would you like to hold her, my lady?”
Mingyi took her. The little princess’s eyes were round like black pearls, curiously staring at her.
“You’re so beautiful,” the little princess said in her baby voice.
Mingyi laughed and gave her a gold ingot. Seeing this, the other two children immediately clung to her skirt: “Great-grandmother is as beautiful as a flower, unparalleled in the world!”
Everyone applauded, and Mingyi gave them each an ingot as well.
The children took their ingots and went out to play. Ji Bozai glanced at the person beside him and also gave her an ingot.
Mingyi accepted it without hesitation.
He gave her New Year’s money every year, making her feel like she was still a child.
No one in the entire Qingyun Realm dared to treat her like a child. She was a legend of her generation, the prelude to the dynasty, and the only top-tier fighter who could suppress Ji Bozai.
But by his side, she could truly be carefree.
Mingyi never expected that a life that was once nearly ruined could have such a perfect ending.
She looked down. He Jianghe had placed the military tally among the New Year goods and handed them over. Then he sat beside Changle, gazing at her with shimmering eyes.
Changle was chattering away with Hai Qing. The insecurity and timidity from years ago had completely disappeared. She was still chubby, but confident and graceful, a joy to behold.
Hai Qing readily let Changle touch her belly and wanted to share some folk remedies. He Jianghe stopped her without hesitation.
Changle’s health wasn’t good, and he didn’t want her to get pregnant. It was fine for them to go through life hand in hand; they didn’t need to have a child to be fulfilled.
Fortunately, Changle didn’t seem to envy Hai Qing much. Everyone has their way of life.
As fireworks exploded, everyone in the palace went outside the great hall to watch the sparks scatter like shooting stars, praying for another bountiful year.
Red lanterns stretched from inside the palace to the outside.
In this prosperous era, the streets were filled with children running wild. Boys and girls gathered to run into alleys, their laughter constant. Firecrackers exploded in open spaces, the aroma of New Year’s dishes wafted from every household, and in the distance, the candy haw seller who had made a fortune from New Year’s money finally closed shop to go home and eat dumplings.
As long as one is alive, life can have countless possibilities. Sweet or bitter, one must strive for it themselves. The beginning may be predetermined by fate, but how one lives is decided by oneself. May everyone’s wishes come true and may they achieve the ending they desire.
noooo now i’m gonna impatiently wait for the drama