Qu Qingqing stole a glance at Xuan Yunyao, a faint flush rising on her cheeks unbidden. On that day at the lantern festival, a small white fluffy puppy had been pawing at her embroidered shoes, as though asking her to help it find its master.

She had given it an irritated kick, and the puppy had rolled once on the ground and no longer dared approach her. She had not bothered with it either — yet to her surprise, she had no sooner reached the main street than she spotted a guard holding up a portrait of that same puppy and making inquiries.

If a guard was making inquiries with that portrait in hand, then the puppy’s master was certainly no ordinary person. She had turned back, suppressed her irritation, and picked up the small, dirty creature.

She had expected the owner to be someone out of the ordinary, but she had not expected the puppy’s master to be His Highness the Rui Prince — nor had she expected His Highness the Rui Prince to be so strikingly handsome.

It was the first time she had ever laid eyes on a man so remarkably good-looking, and her heart had inevitably stirred. So she had refused His Highness the Rui Prince’s banknote, making herself stand out in his eyes, and then fabricated grievances she had suffered, drawing His Highness the Rui Prince’s sympathy.

She had also gotten His Highness the Rui Prince to dance his sword for her, and she had seized the moment to throw herself into his arms, moved to tears.

Now all of the capital knew that His Highness the Rui Prince was openly pursuing her.

Today, the Empress Dowager had summoned her into the palace. If she had guessed correctly, it was probably to betroth her to His Highness the Rui Prince.

“Ruirui tells me that Miss Qu rescued his Tuantuan.” Yan Yunning glanced at the exceptionally beautiful hairpin in Qu Qingqing’s hair, her bright eyes curving slightly. “Ruirui has also sent quite a generous thank-you gift, so we are even. Miss Qu really ought not to have embraced Ruirui in public — it would not do to have people misunderstand.”

Qu Qingqing’s color drained. Did the Empress Dowager mean that she did not intend to betroth her to His Highness the Rui Prince?

“Is what This Dowager says not so?” Yan Yunning smiled and looked toward Qu Ying.

Qu Ying rose to her feet, her eyes and brows curving gently as she curtsied. “The Empress Dowager speaks most wisely. An unmarried young lady ought not to conduct herself so in public, lest people misunderstand.”

Qu Qingqing also hastily stood, her eyes brimming with tears. “This subject’s daughter knows her wrong. This subject’s daughter will certainly not behave this way again.”

Having said this, she lifted her gaze timidly and glanced at Xuan Yunyao. When he looked in her direction, a single tear slid down from the corner of her eye — pitifully forlorn.

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. She was a capable one — shedding tears right in front of Ruirui, as though it were she who had bullied her.

Whether or not there were other hidden circumstances behind this business of rescuing Tuantuan remained to be seen. Still, Tuantuan had, after all, been found and returned by this Miss Qu, and Ruirui had already given his gift of thanks — it would not be appropriate to take it back now.

For now, the important thing was to make it clear that Ruirui and this Miss Qu had no connection — look how far the rumors had spread.

If Ruirui truly married her, never mind Xuan Yanyu wanting to break Ruirui’s legs — she wanted to as well.

Xuan Yunyao knitted his brow and withdrew his gaze. He closed his eyes and resumed feigning sleep — the girl was already crying, which was genuinely irritating.

“Miss Qu, the eldest — when you return home, please do make it clear that what was sent to your estate was a gift of thanks, and do not let people misunderstand any further.” Yan Yunning looked toward Qu Ying, then slowly let her eyes drift toward Qu Qingqing.

“This subject’s daughter understands.” Qu Ying curtsied once more.

“From this point forward, matters between you are settled and done. Do not come seeking His Highness the Rui Prince again. Otherwise, This Dowager will have to ask the Minister of Rites how he has been teaching his granddaughter propriety.”

Qu Ying imperceptibly tugged at Qu Qingqing’s sleeve.

“Yes, this subject’s daughter will remember.” Qu Qingqing bit her lip and answered, aggrieved.

Yan Yunning gave a satisfied nod and waved her hand. “You are dismissed.”

“Yes, this subject’s daughter takes her leave.”

“This subject’s daughter takes her leave.” Qu Qingqing lowered her eyes, the tips of her fingers gripping the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

Yan Yunning accepted the teacup Qiuci handed her, and a smile rose to her lips. Miss Qu, the eldest, was so perfectly proper that not a single fault could be found in her — she truly did not look like the sort who would take things from a younger illegitimate sister. This younger Miss Qu, on the other hand, seemed to carry rather a few petty schemes.

Once the two Qu sisters had left the main hall, Yan Yunning looked toward Xuan Yunyao, who was draped lazily across his chair back with his long legs crossed, and hooked her lips into a smile. “Come, let us go find your Imperial Father.”

“I am not going.” Xuan Yunyao raised his eyelids, his low voice carrying a note of sullenness.

“Not going?” Yan Yunning stepped closer to him, her lips curving upward. “Your Imperial Father and your elder brother are selecting a suitable principal wife for you. If you do not go and take a look, what will you do if you are dissatisfied with their choice?”

Xuan Yunyao lifted his gaze slightly. “Imperial Mother, should it not be you who selects for this son? Why are Imperial Father and Imperial Brother joining in?”

Yan Yunning patted his shoulder and said in a gentle voice, “All Imperial Mother can do is — if Ruirui is dissatisfied with the principal wife they choose for you, Imperial Mother will help you refuse her.”

“Imperial Mother.” Xuan Yunyao wrapped his arms around Yan Yunning’s, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. “You are still the one who is good to this son.”

Yan Yunning stroked his head, her expression full of warmth. “Imperial Mother only wishes that Ruirui may be truly happy in the future — not merely settling.”

Xuan Yunyao pressed his cheek against Yan Yunning’s arm and laughed softly. “Thank you, Imperial Mother.”

Yan Yunning lowered her gaze to look at him and said gently, “Imperial Mother has already given your Imperial Father a good talking-to. He will not again speak of sending you away from Xuanzhao in the future. Forgive him — will you?”

Xuan Yunyao pursed his lips.

“If you do not forgive him, your Imperial Father will be so heartbroken he will cry.” Yan Yunning said with a curving smile.

Xuan Yunyao raised an eyebrow. “Imperial Mother, you are still coaxing this son as though he were a little child.”

Yan Yunning smiled lightly. “Then will Ruirui go find your Imperial Father or not?”

Xuan Yunyao threw up his hands. “Fine, fine, fine — I will go.”

Yan Yunning pressed her lips together in a smile.

——

Half a year later, Xuan Yunyao was married. His princess consort was the legitimate daughter of a marquis household — dignified and gracious. Xuan Yanyu was very pleased, and Xuan Yunyao was satisfied as well. One year after the wedding, she gave birth to their legitimate eldest son.

After Xuan Yanyu and Yan Yunning had visited Little Dough Ball, the two of them walked hand in hand at an easy pace along the main street.

The man raised his gaze to look at the setting sun dropping in the west. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. The affairs of court were stable, his children and grandchildren surrounded him, and the one he loved was at his side. All of this happiness felt like a dream.

Xuan Yanyu faltered. “A dream.”

He turned to look at Yan Yunning. The woman suddenly freed her hand from his, smiled and waved at him, her silhouette growing more and more blurred.

“Lingning!” He called out in a panic. He wanted to reach out and catch the woman drifting away from him, but grasped only empty air.

No wonder that year when he, Lingning, and Xiaoxiao had watched the sunset together, a line both strange and familiar had inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

“Xuan Xixi, if our Crown Prince’s residence had a lake, and the sunset were reflected on the water’s surface, do you think the lake would be dyed the color of orange-red by the setting sun?”

So it had all been a dream…

He had missed Lingning so deeply that he had conjured an entire dream from that longing…

Now the dream had ended…

False — all of it was false…

The happiness was false…

There was no Xiaoxiao, no Ruirui, none of it…

He had still not managed to wait until his Lingning returned to see him…

In the end, he could not wait for the long years ahead, and he and Lingning would never walk together until their hair turned white.

“Your Majesty.” Ye’an picked up the sheet of paper that the wind had blown to the ground and looked at the man whose handsome face wore a faint smile, his own eyes red-rimmed.

“Your Majesty.” Ye Chen knelt at Xuan Yanyu’s knee, weeping in a voice broken with sobs.

The sky gradually grew overcast. A light rain began to fall, soft and scattered.

Ye’an suppressed the aching tightness in his chest and bowed his head, looking at the crumpled paper in his hands, and wept in a hoarse, choked voice.

“Xuan Xixi, I will find a way to come and see you.”

These few characters had blurred to the point of being barely legible — clearly His Majesty had been tracing over this single line with his fingers for a very long time. This was the thought that had sustained His Majesty’s will to go on. But now, His Majesty could sustain it no longer…

Fafa, floating up into the air, fixed its gaze on Xuan Yanyu and murmured softly: 【What you saw as a dream was, in truth, not a dream at all. It was the ending you and the mistress were meant to have in the story, without my master or me interfering. But this is, after all, a world within a book — you must return to reality someday.】

With Fafa’s words fading away, the storybook on the ground — its cover beautiful — was stirred by the wind. It began slowly curling inward, its pages folding back upon themselves in rapid succession, until with a soft snap, it closed firmly shut.

【Off we go — it is over. I must return to my master now.】 Fafa’s excited electronic voice dissolved into the wind.

——【End of the Ancient-Era Bonus Arc.】