◎Tomorrow, I’ll go bring her home◎

Listening to this, Luo Wanqing’s heart trembled. For a moment, she didn’t dare respond, suddenly realizing that Xie Heng’s expectations for this wedding were far higher than she had imagined.

She lowered her head without speaking. Seeing this, Xie Heng chuckled softly: “What’s wrong? Are you shy?”

“No,” Luo Wanqing said quietly, “I just feel that Young Master treats me too well.”

“What kind of ‘well’ is this?” Xie Heng instinctively turned back, then seemed to feel he was at a disadvantage and quickly changed his words: “Since you think I’m very good, then give me more compensation.”

“What does Young Master want?”

Luo Wanqing lifted her eyes to look at him. Xie Heng gazed into her eyes, and after a long while, said solemnly: “Place me in your heart, value me a little; place me in your eyes, look at me more; place me behind you, rely on me a bit more; place me in your dreams,” Xie Heng smiled, “and miss me often.”

These playful words left Luo Wanqing somewhat dazed. Xie Heng’s eyes showed a hint of heartache as he raised his hand to brush the hair from her cheek behind her ear: “You’ve suffered too much hardship. Now, asking you to relax is harder than climbing to heaven. I know you don’t mean it, but sometimes I wonder… being so calm and self-controlled, how much room do I occupy in Xiniang’s heart?”

He called her “Xiniang” again, seeming never willing to leave this identity that belonged to him alone.

Luo Wanqing listened to him speak, saw the somewhat uneasy expression in his eyes, heard him sigh: “Sometimes I can’t help but compare, wondering how you treated Jiang Shaoyan in the past, how you treated Cui Guanlan. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Xiniang, as you’ve grown older, your heart seems increasingly difficult to lose control of. So… promise me,” Xie Heng looked up at her, “this time, let’s marry properly, alright?”

Luo Wanqing remained silent, not daring to speak. Xie Heng raised an eyebrow: “You wouldn’t have other plans, would you?”

“I’m just somewhat worried.”

“No need to worry,” Xie Heng smiled, saying earnestly, “As long as Xiniang puts her heart into it, for me, that would be perfect.”

“Mm.” Luo Wanqing responded, nodding: “I understand.”

Xie Heng smiled and straightened up: “Alright, I’ll head back now.”

Saying this, he couldn’t help but kiss Luo Wanqing once more, finally forcing himself to turn around: “I’m leaving.”

He walked out the main door, closing the room door for Luo Wanqing. The room instantly became exceptionally quiet. Luo Wanqing supported herself against the table and stood for a while, took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, relit the lamp, prepared tea utensils, knelt beside the desk, and spread out the official documents that had accumulated from the White Tiger Division in recent days.

She read documents until midnight when she suddenly heard an unusual sound from outside the door.

Luo Wanqing’s brush paused slightly as she lifted her eyes to look, seeing a shadow standing outside the door.

The other party clearly had no intention of concealing themselves, just standing at the entrance. That shadow was somewhat similar to someone in her memory, yet also different.

The person in her memory always wore a youthful high ponytail, dressed in tight-fitting black martial attire, while this shadow was obviously in jade crown and fine clothes. However, the standing posture and the curve of the shoulders were identical to those in her memory.

She had countless times in the night, lying at the head of her bed with open eyes, traced this figure guarding her door in her heart, until she knew it intimately.

But in the past, when she secretly watched the silhouette on the window, her heart was always filled with joy. Now, looking at it, only one thought remained—

He had come.

Luo Wanqing put down her brush, gathered up the documents on the table, and called out: “Since you’re here, come in.”

“Miss knows it’s me.”

The familiar gentle voice came from outside the door, but he didn’t enter. Luo Wanqing took a teacup from beside her and said calmly, “With such a big event today, I guessed you would come.”

That’s why she had deliberately sent Xie Heng away, waiting for him to come and walk into her trap.

Luo Wanqing poured tea and glanced at the shadow outside the door: “I’ve prepared tea for you. Won’t you come in for a cup?”

“Not necessary today.”

Li Guiyu spoke from outside the door. Luo Wanqing was somewhat puzzled: “Oh? Why not?”

“My appearance is damaged, unsuitable for meeting Miss.”

Li Guiyu spoke, and Luo Wanqing then remembered the injury on Xie Heng’s face. Today, both men had probably targeted each other’s faces. If it weren’t necessary to bring her out of the dungeon, Xie Heng probably wouldn’t have wanted to see her today either.

Luo Wanqing’s thoughts involuntarily drifted to Xie Heng. Seeing her long silence, Li Guiyu called out: “Miss?”

“Oh,” Luo Wanqing came back to her senses and nodded: “Alright, then let’s talk outside the door. What do you plan to say to me?”

Li Guiyu didn’t speak. Luo Wanqing considered her words: “Actually, I still can’t figure out whether you want to use marrying me to threaten me not to expose my identity and file complaints, or whether you want to use my father’s case to force me to expose my identity and then marry you. But thinking about it, it doesn’t matter. Now I’ve managed to turn danger into safety, but as for you—”

Luo Wanqing glanced at him: “Whatever’s in the Xuantian Box, you’ll have to fend for yourself.”

“Miss, I just finished selecting window decorations today.”

Li Guiyu said this out of nowhere, making Luo Wanqing frown as she looked toward his shadow: “What window decorations?”

“Window decorations with the double happiness character.”

This statement stunned Luo Wanqing, and then she belatedly remembered that before her father was arrested, their last meeting seemed to be about this very topic.

Except back then, it was she who was selecting window decorations. She had happily told him, “Shaoyan, I just finished selecting window decorations today.”

He was sharpening his sword in the courtyard and looked at her with some confusion: “What window decorations?”

She pouted unhappily: “Double happiness window decorations, don’t you care about anything?”

“I chose round ones, hiring the best craftsmen in the Eastern Capital. I also prepared lanterns, red silk, wedding cakes, betrothal gifts… and your wedding dress.”

Li Guiyu spoke softly, as if lost in a beautiful dream: “The wedding dress has been in preparation since I arrived in the Eastern Capital, using the finest embroiderers, sewn with gold thread and the finest pearls from the South Sea, embroidered with twin lotus flowers, stitch by stitch, embroidered for most of half a year. You used to say I didn’t care, but back then, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to care—I didn’t dare to care.”

“Why are you telling me these things?” Luo Wanqing’s voice turned cold. “You infiltrated the Supervision Department just to say this?”

“Xie Heng cannot do it.”

Li Guiyu’s tone was very light: “He wants you under His Majesty’s command. When he knelt at the palace gates, His Majesty had already sent people to the Secretariat to draft the edict.”

“So what?” Luo Wanqing mocked. “Should I find someone to marry and form a matrimonial bond?”

Li Guiyu fell silent.

After a long while, he said softly, “I can help you.”

Luo Wanqing’s movements paused.

Li Guiyu continued speaking, as if tempting her: “If you want to kill Zheng Pingsheng, I can help you do it.”

“What are the conditions?” Luo Wanqing thought about it. “What do I have now that I can give to Your Highness?”

“Leave the Supervision Department.” The person outside spoke calmly and quickly: “I’ll have craftsmen infiltrate the Supervision Department and place explosives in suitable locations. On the wedding day, my people will blend into the crowd. You find an opportunity to strike, and whether you succeed or not, retreat immediately. My people will help you break through the rear guard. You’ll leave through the back mountain of the Supervision Department—there’s a waterway behind the mountain.”

Li Guiyu’s voice paused, becoming gentler: “I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Luo Wanqing listened to his words without responding. Li Guiyu didn’t wait for her answer and turned to leave.

He didn’t conceal his footsteps. Luo Wanqing listened to his footsteps treading on the pattering rain, gradually growing distant.

After he had gone far, Luo Wanqing looked at the sentences on the paper.

Explosives.

Assassins.

Back mountain waterway.

This was the bait Li Guiyu had prepared for her, waiting for her to take it.

If she hadn’t guessed wrong, Li Guiyu should have known that Li Zong had opened the Xuantian Box.

Li Zong thought the Xuantian Box contained the location of the explosives warehouse, but Li Guiyu believed the Xuantian Box contained evidence of him opening the city gates and Wang and Zheng’s treason.

In this case, he would naturally treat Li Zong’s release of her as a sign that Li Zong was making moves against the perpetrators of the old case.

As long as Li Guiyu informed everyone of this matter, those old families who had participated in the Cui family case would naturally ally without needing to say anything.

Li Zong wanted to kill Zheng Pingsheng, but didn’t Zheng Pingsheng also want to kill Li Zong?

Li Guiyu was using killing Zheng Pingsheng to tempt her, but as long as she agreed to cooperate with him by placing explosives and assassins in the Supervision Department and creating chaos by attempting to kill Zheng Pingsheng, Li Guiyu would certainly make his move against Li Zong immediately.

Once Li Zong was dead, all the blame would be placed on her.

He had indeed left her a way out, but if she followed his path, she wouldn’t be leaving the Supervision Department.

She would be going under his shadow, needing to live under his protection for the rest of her life.

But what Li Guiyu hadn’t considered was that while he thought he was setting up bait in his scheme, he was the one taking the bait.

Luo Wanqing smiled, memorized all the key points, raised her hand to hold the paper over the candle flame, watched the paper ignite, threw it into the fire basin, finally got up to extinguish the lamp, and returned to bed to sleep.

The next day, when she woke up, Luo Wanqing went to find Qingya to ask about the recent duty roster.

The Four Chiefs originally took turns guarding and serving Xie Heng on duty. During her days in the dungeon, the duty order had probably long been disrupted.

Qingya gave her the rearranged duty schedule, then smiled and said: “I heard you plan to personally arrange the wedding?”

“Mm.”

Luo Wanqing responded, then hesitated: “Does the Azure Dragon Chief think it’s inappropriate?”

“Just call me Qingya from now on.”

Qingya poured Luo Wanqing a cup of tea and smiled: “Nothing inappropriate. From now on, you’ll be the Madam. You can arrange the Supervision Department however you want.”

“Qing… Qingya, you’re joking,” Luo Wanqing quickly explained upon hearing this. “Young Master is doing this to save me.”

“I know,” Qingya interrupted her, teasing: “But even if it’s to save you, you’re still the Madam.”

“Qingya…”

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. This is the Supervision Department’s management token. Whatever you need, you can have people arrange it.”

Qingya raised her hand and passed a token to Luo Wanqing, then said, “Oh, Young Master also bought you a mansion.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but be surprised: “A mansion? When did he buy it?”

“Um, this mansion was probably bought last year.” Qingya thought about it and hinted, “At the time, he said it was for his sweetheart. Now thinking about it, he was probably deflecting my questions. Now that he’s giving it to you,” Qingya picked up her teacup and smiled mischievously, “what will he give his sweetheart?”

Listening to this, Luo Wanqing felt there was more to Qingya’s words. She didn’t dare respond casually, only listening as Qingya continued arranging: “When the time comes, you can get married from there. Young Master has already prepared all the betrothal gifts and wedding dress—you don’t need to worry about any of these. As for the budget for decorating the mansion, Young Master said there’s no limit—you can decorate it however you want.”

“Yes.”

Luo Wanqing responded, then found it strange: “The wedding dress and such, did Young Master prepare them so quickly?”

“Mm.” Qingya nodded. “Do you know him?”

The two chatted casually and discussed some official business of the Supervision Department.

Luo Wanqing inquired about Zheng Pingsheng’s situation. Qingya said leisurely, “This old fox heard you were released and is hiding even more tightly. He hasn’t been going out recently.”

Qingya chuckled lightly: “Director Liu’s reputation is still impressive.”

“Then… if Young Master sends an invitation, will he come out?”

Luo Wanqing was somewhat worried. Qingya said with certainty, “For Young Master’s wedding banquet, he will come.”

Hearing this confirmation, Luo Wanqing understood in her heart.

Given Xie Heng’s status, the possibility of Zheng Pingsheng not coming was too small. Moreover, judging from Li Guiyu’s appearance yesterday, Li Guiyu and the Wang and Zheng families should have communicated by now. Something significant was bound to happen at the wedding banquet.

Luo Wanqing nodded calmly, then bid farewell to Qingya, went down the mountain to work at the White Tiger Division, and called the steward who managed the Supervision Department’s servants, giving him a list to purchase new flowers.

The steward looked at the list and couldn’t help but be surprised: “The flowers in the department are blooming well. Do we need to replace them again?”

“Mm.”

Luo Wanqing nodded: “I like peonies.”

Hearing this, the steward didn’t dare say more and could only comply.

That night, it was Luo Wanqing’s turn to keep watch for Xie Heng. After finishing her official duties, Luo Wanqing arrived at his residence on time.

The starlight was very good that night. Xie Heng was sitting in the long corridor reviewing documents. Seeing her walk into the small courtyard, he smiled and said, “You go sleep on the couch.”

In the past when she was on duty, he always couldn’t bear to have her sit outside. Hearing this, Luo Wanqing didn’t think much of it and went to wash up before going to bed to wait for him.

She had deliberately sent him away last night to facilitate her nighttime activities, so she hadn’t particularly wanted to separate from him.

But when she woke up in the middle of the night and reached out to feel beside her, discovering no one was there, she couldn’t help but open her eyes. She saw that the room door was already closed, and Xie Heng was still sitting outside. She looked at the sky, then put on her clothes and walked out. As soon as she reached the door, she saw Xie Heng sleeping with his head down on the long table.

Luo Wanqing was startled and quickly stepped forward, pushing Xie Heng: “Young Master, wake up. Go sleep on the couch.”

“Mm?”

Xie Heng opened his eyes and saw Luo Wanqing. After being confused for a moment, he came to his senses and shook his head: “Oh, no need. You go to sleep.”

Only then did Luo Wanqing realize that Xie Heng was deliberately sleeping in the corridor. She couldn’t help but say: “Young Master, what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, I haven’t finished reviewing the memorials.” Xie Heng urged her: “Go back to sleep, don’t worry about me.”

“Young Master?”

Luo Wanqing understood this was his excuse and persisted: “Why won’t you go back?”

Xie Heng didn’t speak. Luo Wanqing wrapped herself in her cloak and simply sat down beside him: “If Young Master won’t say, I won’t go back either.”

Hearing this, Xie Heng looked at her helplessly, then finally said: “It’s improper according to etiquette.”

He spoke softly: “Before marriage, we shouldn’t meet. Even if we meet, we shouldn’t be intimate.”

Not expecting Xie Heng to say this, Luo Wanqing suddenly found it somewhat amusing and couldn’t help leaning closer: “But… Young Master has been intimate many times… In half a month, a few times more or less,” her breath brushed against Xie Heng’s cheek as she stared at his jade-white skin glowing in the moonlight, tentatively saying, “wouldn’t make much difference, would it?”

Hearing this, Xie Heng gripped his brush tightly. His expression remained unchanged, but his voice became several degrees hoarser as he insisted: “Many things in the past were because of the circumstances you and I were in—we had no choice. But if we have a choice, I still want to give you the best of everything.”

Saying this, Xie Heng raised his head to look at Luo Wanqing, who was so close. His hair lightly brushed against her cheek, his voice husky as a qin: “Miss Luo, please return to the couch to rest.”

He was too close. Luo Wanqing could sense his breath, his hair tickling her heart, yet Xie Heng’s eyes were clear. Though they had been intimate countless times, he made Luo Wanqing feel that taking another half step forward would be improper.

She looked at this person who was both uninhibited and old-fashioned, finding it somewhat amusing.

She didn’t quite understand his strange rules, yet in his inexplicable restraint, she felt his solemnity.

Luo Wanqing thought for a moment, then reached up to embrace him and gently kissed him. Xie Heng instinctively wanted to retreat, but Luo Wanqing pressed her hand against the back of his head, tentatively slipping her nimble tongue inside.

His already unsteady will instantly crumbled. Xie Heng gripped his brush tightly, letting the ink accumulate into drops on the brush before finally falling onto the paper.

The ink spread across the paper in blots. Xie Heng’s breathing became heavy, finally pulling back somewhat hastily, pressing against Luo Wanqing and turning his face away, breathing lightly: “That’s enough.”

This was the first time Luo Wanqing had been pushed away by him. Looking at the person before her with a flushed face, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Xie Heng turned his head away in embarrassment, urging, “Go to sleep quickly.”

Seeing his firm resolve, Luo Wanqing stopped teasing him and finally got up, wrapped in her clothes: “Then how about I go back to my courtyard? At least you’d have a place to sleep.”

“If you go back, others in the department might notice something unusual.”

Xie Heng’s breathing calmed down. Just as Luo Wanqing was about to think of a solution, she heard him say: “Besides, I want to watch over you.”

Luo Wanqing was stunned, feeling her heartbeat quicken by half a beat, inexplicably feeling her face warm. She nodded: “Alright, then… then I’ll go to sleep.”

Saying this, she turned and went back. Lying on the couch, thinking about Xie Heng’s words, she felt an indescribable joy and sweetness. She rolled around on the bed, couldn’t help but peek out from the bed curtains to look at the silhouette reflected on the window paper.

She lay on her stomach watching his shadow, her mind drifting to what Qingya had said during the day.

He had already prepared the wedding clothes and betrothal gifts, and even bought a mansion…

Had he prepared these long ago?

Had he prepared them specifically for her?

When?

She wanted to ask, but couldn’t bring herself to. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to ask after the wedding.

But the moment this thought appeared, she suddenly realized that she seemed to be influenced by Xie Heng, as if she had returned to being eighteen or nineteen years old, thinking about these random questions, actually treating this as a real marriage.

After the wedding?

Where would she get an “after the wedding”?

Luo Wanqing lay stunned on the bed for a long time, finally turning over. She lay flat on her back, quietly looking at the bed curtains.

Just thinking that if Xie Heng didn’t kill her when the time came, that would be good enough.

In the following days, Luo Wanqing spent her time handling White Tiger Division official business, arranging the wedding banquet, and occasionally keeping watch for Xie Heng, sleeping well.

Xie Heng treated the mansion he had purchased for her as her home. Though she had no family, he still asked Zhang Yiran and Aunt Zhao to help, going through the complete process of the three letters and six etiquettes.

When Luo Wanqing heard this news, she was somewhat surprised but also felt it was something Xie Heng would do.

When others heard about it, they were initially surprised, then thought that even if it was to save someone, this was still Xie Heng—his wedding should have some proper form.

Only Li Guiyu, upon receiving the news, couldn’t help but frown.

He instinctively felt uneasy but couldn’t say what it was.

He subconsciously thought of that person, then felt it was impossible.

Cui Heng’s drowning had only lasted a moment, and he had seen Xie Heng leading people to attack Flowing Wind Island immediately after. Moreover, Luo Wanqing’s reaction didn’t seem fake.

Luo Wanqing wasn’t someone good at deceiving people. If Cui Heng weren’t dead, when she got caught up in the dense forest, her reaction wouldn’t have been like that.

Thinking of what Luo Wanqing had said in the dense forest, Li Guiyu felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He forced himself not to think about it, to act as if Cui Heng had never appeared, that between him and Luo Wanqing there were only the two of them entangled, never anyone else.

He just needed to entangle with her until death as before.

He forced himself to collect his emotions and asked Zitang beside him: “Are all the explosives in place?”

“They’re in place,” Qingzhu explained. “The wedding banquet arrangement happens to be handled by the Princess Consort. She renovated all the flower beds, giving our people the perfect opportunity to bury the explosives.”

“What about the assassins?”

“Also arranged,” Qingzhu responded. “The invitations for this wedding banquet weren’t hard to obtain. The Princess Consort sent invitations to some minor officials, too, and we bought invitations from them.”

“Have the Zheng family and Uncle discussed everything? I’ll leave when the wedding banquet starts—I won’t be present. They should know this?”

“They know.” Qingzhu immediately said. “They’ve confirmed all the details. The only concern is that with you absent, facing Yang Chun and Xie Heng, they might not succeed.”

“It was meant to be a surprise attack anyway—if one strike doesn’t hit, they’ll have to retreat. There’s still room for maneuvering. If Wang Qingfeng and I both make moves,” Li Guiyu smiled mockingly, “they might as well directly bring troops to rebel.”

“Your Highness is right.”

Qingzhu responded calmly.

Li Guiyu thought for a moment, touching the wedding dress beside him, and finally asked again: “Are the boat, medicine, and doctor all prepared?”

“All prepared.”

Qingzhu knew what Li Guiyu was asking about and explained in detail: “As soon as the Princess Consort comes out, she can board the boat immediately. We’ll change routes three times along the way, then enter the Eastern Capital and return to the Prince’s mansion. The bridal chamber is also prepared.”

Speaking of this, thinking of the room full of double happiness characters that Li Guiyu had prepared, Qingzhu felt inexplicably chilled.

But she still steeled herself and said: “The entire Prince’s mansion is ready to welcome the Princess Consort home at any time.”

“Mm.”

Li Guiyu responded, his face showing some gentleness. He seemed to deliberately cast aside those unpleasant memories, still living in those years in the south, saying softly: “Miss has suffered outside for too long.. Tomorrow,” he spoke with particular tenderness, though his eyes held coldness, “I’ll go bring her home.”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater: Office Workers’ Tea Break Chat]

Qingzhu: “What’s it like to follow an emotionally unstable boss every day?”

Zhuque: “The experience of being fined.”

Yang Chun: “Heh, you’re still young. Look at my boss—it’s a life-threatening experience.”