Compared to the busyness of local government offices, the court was more leisurely.

Xiao Yu thus had half a day of free time and happily picked up his longbow.

“Elder Sister said last time my arm strength was too weak and told me to practice more,” he said. “I’ll go have Elder Sister instruct me.”

Watching the Emperor about to rush out the door, Eunuch Qi quickly stopped him under the pretense of straightening his robes, saying quietly: “The Empress isn’t in the palace.”

Xiao Yu lowered the hand holding the bow and said: “Elder Sister went home?”

He wouldn’t have said such things before—home, this place was Elder Sister’s home. But now he knew it wasn’t.

Eunuch Qi looked at him with affectionate eyes: “When the Empress left, she specifically came to see Your Majesty, but Your Majesty was discussing state affairs with court ministers, so she didn’t disturb you.”

A smile appeared on Xiao Yu’s face as he looked at Eunuch Qi: “Eunuch Qi, you don’t need to worry. Even if Elder Sister didn’t come tell me, I know she thinks of me.”

He raised the bow and arrow in his hand.

“Let’s go. We’ll go play at Elder Sister’s place. That way others won’t notice she’s not there.”

Eunuch Qi also smiled and said: “Your Majesty is still so clever.”

Xiao Yu said: “Eunuch Qi, don’t humor me anymore. I’m not a child now.”

Eunuch Qi followed him outside, saying: “In this old servant’s eyes, Your Majesty will always be a clever and lovable child.”

Xiao Yu laughed heartily, slinging the longbow over his back and striding toward the rear palace.

“Should I ask if the Empress would like you to also visit Young Master A’Jiu?” Eunuch Qi couldn’t help asking quietly. “After all, he is your uncle.”

Xiao Yu glanced toward the direction outside the palace and shook his head: “Uncle never wanted to be my uncle. Let’s not disturb him.”

This time Eunuch Qi looked at the youth and solemnly bowed, responding affirmatively.

Xiao Yu withdrew his gaze from the direction outside the palace: “Let’s hurry. We’ll go wait for Elder Sister to return.” He smiled somewhat proudly. “Uncle is recuperating, so he definitely won’t play archery with her.”

……

……

In the Chu Garden on this autumn day, the pond water rippled as a plump fish swayed away.

Chu Zhao lifted her fishing rod: “This fish ate too much—it won’t even look at the bait.”

Silence beside her.

Chu Zhao turned to see Xie Yanlai lying in the shade behind her, eyes closed as if asleep. Sunlight danced lightly across his face through the branches and leaves.

She smiled with pursed lips, pulled off the hook, and cast the fishing rod toward him.

The moment the fishing line flew over, Xie Yanlai, eyes still closed, raised his hand and caught it.

“Can’t catch fish, so you’re fishing for me?” he said.

Chu Zhao laughed: “Because the fish are too clever to catch.”

“That’s because you’re too stupid,” Xie Yanlai said. Eyes still closed, he wound the fishing line around his hand and pulled hard. Chu Zhao tumbled toward him with the momentum.

Xie Yanlai said nothing more, tossing aside the fishing rod to hold only her hand, continuing with eyes closed.

Chu Zhao sat half-leaning beside him, one hand held in his, the other following the sunlight dancing across his face—jumping across his broad forehead, high nose tip, smooth chin, then hopping to his distinct Adam’s apple. Following the Adam’s apple, sliding down—

Because he was at home, Xie Yanlai dressed very casually. With one slide, his collar loosened.

Just as her fingers restlessly swam like a fish about to dive into his chest, Xie Yanlai raised his hand to stop her.

“Be proper!” He opened his eyes and said.

Chu Zhao laughed, leaning on his shoulder: “This is already very proper. If I were rough, it would be ripping—”

She tried to make a tearing motion, but helplessly both hands were held by Xie Yanlai and couldn’t move.

Though she couldn’t tear it open, leaning on his shoulder from this angle, she could still see through his collar to his chest—pale skin marked with fierce scars.

This was his chest—his heart.

“I just want to look at your injuries,” she said softly.

Through repeated brushes with death and desperate battles, Xie Yanlai’s body was covered with scars.

But he wouldn’t let her see.

“What’s there to see in injuries?” Xie Yanlai said. “You’re not allowed to look.”

Chu Zhao raised her head, raising her eyebrows: “Then on our wedding night, you won’t let me see either? Will you not take off your clothes even in the bridal chamber?”

Her words grew increasingly unrestrained. Xie Yanlai laughed in exasperation: “I’ll blow out the lights before undressing. Will that work?”

Chu Zhao thought about it and shook her head: “No, I can still feel—”

As she spoke, she freed her hand and made a show of groping Xie Yanlai’s body.

Xie Yanlai pulled her into his embrace. Chu Zhao fell against him, feeling his chest rise and fall with laughter.

Why were they discussing the wedding night? And blowing out lights, undressing?

“Don’t worry,” Xie Yanlai said with a laugh, holding her and gently patting her back. “Don’t feel sorry for me. These injuries—I don’t even feel sorry for them myself. I don’t care about this body. When I’m fighting, I’m actually happy, even looking forward to being killed.”

That way he could escape this skin branded with Xie clan blood.

He could be only his mother’s child.

Chu Zhao understood his meaning. He fundamentally didn’t cherish himself. Over time, in the Xie clan’s cage, he became a fierce beast that only knew how to fight.

In that life, that’s how he died.

She hadn’t even known he existed in the world.

Chu Zhao held him tightly: “But it can’t be like that anymore. From now on, your body isn’t just yours alone—it’s also mine.”

This still sounded somewhat strange. Xie Yanlai huffed: “Aren’t you the same? You’ve also repeatedly rushed to your death without regard.”

Chu Zhao coughed: “Actually that wasn’t rushing to death without regard—it was bad luck with no choice.”

She raised her head to look at Xie Yanlai.

“I didn’t want to die then either.”

“Now I want to die even less.”

“I can’t bear to leave you.”

Xie Yanlai said: “I was talking about before. Later, when I fought desperately, it was to stay alive. Because just thinking about being separated from you by death and never seeing you again frightened me. A’Zhao, I also can’t bear to leave you. I’ve decided—if we can’t live, we’ll die together.”

Chu Zhao had been quite moved, but hearing this, she laughed and spat: “Can’t you think of something good? We’ve both suffered so much—can’t we just live well?”

Xie Yanlai huffed: “I can see you just don’t want to live and die together with me.”

Chu Zhao raised her eyebrows: “Why would I want to live and die together with you when I haven’t even seen your body—”

How did the topic circle back to this? Xie Yanlai choked with laughter, his chest shaking. Then he flipped the girl over, laid her on the ground, and kissed down.

By now, their kisses were no longer clumsy, no longer nearly suffocating them both.

They just still made one dizzy and fragmented, wanting only to shatter and crush and merge together.

Chu Zhao intended to become true husband and wife with him.

Though she had suffered from love, that was because she didn’t understand love. Now that she understood, she loved without hesitation.

It was just that Xie Yanlai’s injuries were too severe and required long recuperation.

At this moment, feeling the heated response of the man above her, Chu Zhao leaned close to his ear through the dizziness: “Let’s go back to the room.”

The next moment she was lifted up, but instead of going to the room, she was set standing on the ground. Xie Yanlai reached around to pat and soothe her back, helping her calm down and also calming himself.

“I’m planning to leave,” he said.

Chu Zhao was furious: “Leave where?”

Xie Yanlai laughed, holding the instantly bristling girl tightly: “Go home! Now that Deng Yi isn’t over there anymore, I’m planning to repair his house and turn it into ours. That way our home will be even bigger.”

Chu Zhao came to her senses, breathed a sigh of relief, then said irritably: “Why talk about repairing a house out of the blue? What’s so urgent about repairing a house?”

Xie Yanlai looked at her: “I’m eager to marry you.”

He lowered his head and kissed her lightly at the corner of her brow.