Yu Lingxi had been shaking the small bells for half the night, exhausted as she sank into the bedding, unable to recover her senses for quite some time.

Her slender, fair ankles dangled over the edge of the bed, with the delicate red cord and its two gold bells still trembling slightly, casting orange-gold gleams in the hazy candlelight.

She remembered that in her previous life when Ning Yin had half-forced her to dance, she had worn gold bells once before. Except at that time, the gold bells weren’t worn on her feet, but tied to her body, gripped in her…

Two lifetimes had passed, yet the little madman’s peculiar tastes hadn’t changed at all.

Yu Lingxi, her cheeks flushed, was silently complaining, but before she had a chance to close her eyes for a moment’s rest, Ning Yin pulled her back into his embrace, trapping her once more.

“The sound is truly beautiful.”

Ning Yin’s dark eyes glanced upward as he raised his hand to brush away Yu Lingxi’s damp hair, though it was unclear whether he was praising the bell sounds or her.

Nestled so close, Yu Lingxi could see the two characters “Lingxi” on his chest, red to the point of being dazzling, displaying a sensuality entirely different from his cold, handsome face.

“Claiming you don’t want to hear another man’s name and pretending to be angry.”

Yu Lingxi’s forehead ornament had smudged, and she said with little strength, “You’re just making excuses to bully me.”

“Yes.”

Ning Yin admitted frankly, with an air of complete impunity, “And what of it?”

“What else can be done?”

Yu Lingxi blinked her moist eyelashes and snorted, “I can only join in your madness.”

Ning Yin froze, then immediately held her tighter and chuckled softly, his chest trembling along with his laughter.

Only then did Ning Yin mercifully release her. He got off the bed and put on his clothes, his wide robes billowing like clouds as they concealed his tall, strong body with its cold jade-like grace.

Then he casually grabbed a large cloak, wrapped it around Yu Lingxi, and carried her—person and cloak together—to the adjacent washroom.

Beneath the dark cloak, only the tips of her glowing white, slightly pink feet were visible, the muted golden bells tinkling with his every step, sending shivers down to the bone.

…

Yu Lingxi had inadvertently fallen into a deep sleep, and when she woke, she had no idea what time it was.

It had rained during the night, and the sky was still overcast. Next to the floor candle stand with its perpetually blooming branches, Ning Yin sat casually, his fingertips turning over a page of a register.

He wore a crimson casual robe, the intense color softening the cold, oppressive aura around him, making his hair appear more ink-black and his face more fair and handsome.

Yu Lingxi looked at his attire and remembered that on the third day after the wedding, they needed to return to her parents’ home to pay respects. She hastily asked, “What time is it?”

As soon as she spoke, her voice was so soft and tender it was almost a purr.

Embarrassed, she cleared her throat and withdrew her arm back under the covers.

Ning Yin closed the register, his eyes full of contented languor: “Just past noon.”

“What time?” Yu Lingxi was shocked.

“Noon.”

Ning Yin calmly repeated, rising to pinch her cheek. “What would you like for lunch?”

How could Yu Lingxi care about lunch at this moment?

According to their arrangement, she should have returned home at the Chen hour (7-9 AM) to pay respects to her parents, but she was already two full hours late!

“Why the panic?”

Ning Yin placed his hand over Yu Lingxi’s as she hurriedly dressed, and said leisurely, “I’ve already had someone send a message to the Yu household to postpone the homecoming banquet.”

“Really?”

Yu Lingxi’s hands, which had been messily putting on her clothes, paused, somewhat doubtful. “What did you tell them?”

Ning Yin reflected for a moment, then repeated impassively: “Year after year she sleeps soundly and has not awakened; let them wait.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

Such forceful coldness was indeed Ning Yin’s style.

“A homecoming postponed without reason will make Father and Mother anxious and lead to wild speculation. Let’s return quickly.”

Yu Lingxi’s paused hands resumed dressing swiftly. She turned her clear eyes to glance at Ning Yin and said, “You mustn’t do this again in the future. It’s harmful to the body.”

But this was just intimidating talk; Yu Lingxi had never seen Ning Yin suffer any harm.

“How unreasonable.”

Ning Yin leaned against the edge of the bed watching her, innocently saying, “Clearly it was Suisui who wanted to play, begging this prince…”

The palace maids entered one after another with clothes, and Yu Lingxi hurriedly covered Ning Yin’s detestable mouth with her hand.

Ning Yin’s straight nose touched the tip of her little finger, his dark eyes smiling as he very slowly licked her palm.

The homecoming banquet at the Yu residence was changed to an evening feast.

At the You hour (5-7 PM), as dusk fell, the entire Yu household was waiting at the steps.

As soon as Yu Lingxi alighted from the carriage, she rushed into Madam Yu’s embrace, smiling sweetly and calling out, “Mother!”

Madam Yu, seeing her daughter’s rosy complexion, dignified and radiant, finally put the worry she had carried all day back into her stomach.

Ning Yin, wearing red clothes matching hers, with a jade belt and black boots, slowly ascended the stone steps, calmly accepting the bows of everyone from the Yu household.

The Yu family had prepared for a long time. The evening banquet was very sumptuous, with servants entering in procession with dishes, yet the table was so quiet that only the faint sounds of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.

Although Ning Yin had stayed at the Yu residence for more than half a year, he had never had the opportunity to dine with the Yu family. Now he returned as the lofty Prince Jing.

No wonder her parents’ expressions were somewhat restrained and unnatural.

Yu Lingxi personally poured tea for her parents and smiled, “This lotus shrimp dish, I can tell at a glance it was made by Mother’s hand.”

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere at the banquet became more lively.

Madam Yu gently continued, “Knowing Suisui would return, I prepared it specially.”

Having said this, she peeled a plate of shrimp meat, intending to have a servant bring it to her daughter to taste.

But before the plate could be passed over, Prince Ning casually peeled a shrimp and placed it in Yu Lingxi’s bowl.

He did it so naturally as if returning to the days when he was Wei Qi.

Yu Lingxi remembered that although Ning Yin became particularly excited at the sight of fresh blood, he didn’t much like eating meat, so she instinctively passed her bowl of green rice porridge to him.

Madam Yu exchanged a glance with her husband, and ultimately took back the plate of shrimp meat, not wishing to disturb the newlyweds’ sweet moment.

After the evening meal, the newlyweds needed to stay overnight at the bride’s family home, with father-in-law and son-in-law conversing, while mother and daughter chatted.

Yu Lingxi followed her mother to the flower hall for a brief conversation, and when she returned, she saw Ning Yin and General Yu sitting on opposite sides, silent.

“Finished talking?”

Yu Lingxi entered with a smile, lifting her skirt, her gaze circling between her father’s and Ning Yin’s indifferent faces.

Ning Yin idly turned the teacup in his hand, then gently set it down: “Since the General and his son-in-law have no common topics to discuss, there’s no need to force conversation.”

With that, he stood up and, as if no one else were present, gripped Yu Lingxi’s fingers.

Yu Lingxi’s eyes flashed with a trace of surprise. She squeezed Ning Yin’s fingers to signal patience, then turned to bow to General Yu, saying, “You’ve had a busy day, Father. Rest early.”

General Yu sighed and waved his hand.

Yu Lingxi nodded, then followed Ning Yin out.

“What did Father say to you?”

Walking side by side along the brightly lit corridor, Yu Lingxi looked at Ning Yin’s handsome face, which revealed neither joy nor anger and asked softly.

Ning Yin turned his gaze toward her, the corner of his lips moving slightly: “Your father asked about my plans. My answer was not quite to his liking.”

Plans… was it related to the struggle for succession and taking the throne?

Yu Lingxi parted her lips when she heard hurried footsteps approaching.

The Prince Jing Manor’s guard came quickly, saying in a low voice, “Your Highness.”

Ning Yin did not conceal matters from Yu Lingxi when handling affairs, so the guard did not avoid her either, saying in a hushed tone, “Something has happened in the palace.”

Ning Yin’s expression did not change in the slightest.

He looked at Yu Lingxi with a smile, rubbing her little finger: “Go to sleep first, be good.”

Yu Lingxi knew that if it wasn’t an extremely urgent matter, the guard wouldn’t disturb at such a time.

She nodded, still smiling: “All right.”

She released his hand and walked two steps toward the side chamber, then stopped.

Before Ning Yin could speak, she quickly turned and threw herself into his embrace, her movements fluid and decisive.

“Be careful when traveling at night,” Yu Lingxi patted Ning Yin’s back, giving him a soft embrace.

The corner of Ning Yin’s lips curved upward, and his hand, hanging at his side, raised to encircle her waist.

After watching Yu Lingxi return to her room, the shallow smile in Ning Yin’s eyes subsided, condensing into a deep, cold detachment.

The carriage headed straight for the palace gates, with no one daring to block it.

In Changyang Palace, the abrupt Buddhist statue in the hall displayed an eerie compassion, looking down upon the dying, moaning old man on the dragon bed.

The emperor who once commanded the wind and clouds was now like a defeated dog with its spine removed, drooling as he clung to the last vestiges of life.

His face was bluish-purple, his withered fingers convulsing and twisting, clearly with little life left in him.

The palace servants responsible for attending to him knelt prostrate on the ground, their extreme panic and trembling intensifying with the sound of Ning Yin’s approaching footsteps.

Candles illuminated the floor as Ning Yin sat in the hall’s only chair, picked up the unfinished codicil on the table, and laughed softly.

That laugh was light, but strikingly incongruous in the deathly silent hall.

“Even in this state, you still won’t settle down.”

Ning Yin raised his eyes, smiling with extraordinary gentleness, “Perhaps now you’d like to share who gave you the courage for this dying struggle?”

…

Ning Yin did not return all night.

When Yu Lingxi awoke, the bedding beside her remained cold and empty.

After breakfast, guards from the prince’s manor came to escort Yu Lingxi back, led by Zhe Ju.

Before boarding the carriage, Su Wan, five months pregnant, came specially to deliver freshly made pastries.

“A box of lotus pastries, a box of red bean cakes, all things Suisui usually enjoys.”

Su Wan’s cheeks had filled out somewhat, her voice soft and gentle. “They can’t compare to the skills of the Prince’s manor, but they can be a snack for the journey.”

“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

Yu Lingxi accepted the food box, her gaze falling on Su Wan’s gradually swelling belly, asking curiously, “Last night I heard Mother say the little one is kicking now?”

Su Wan nodded, covering her belly: “Occasionally it stirs a bit, with the liveliness of a little boy.”

“How wonderful.”

Yu Lingxi imagined her brother’s martial prowess combined with Su Wan’s graceful liveliness—it would certainly be an outstanding child.

Su Wan covered her mouth with a smile: “Enough about me. When does Suisui plan to add her joy?”

“Me?” Yu Lingxi was caught off guard.

She hadn’t thought about this question, not in either lifetime.

In her previous life, Ning Yin’s temperament was mercurial and morbidly domineering, so naturally he wouldn’t allow her to become pregnant and have children at will. And in this life, except for that first time, Ning Yin had not left his mark.

Yu Lingxi didn’t mind; she always felt that having children was a distant and vague matter, unable to imagine what Ning Yin’s child would be like.

Returning to Prince Jing’s mansion, she quickly put this question out of her mind.

Madam Yu had prepared twelve pieces of jewelry and hairpins as return gifts for the homecoming banquet, symbolizing that her daughter would live in abundance and have a beautiful marriage.

As Hu Tao and the maids tidied up nearby, Yu Lingxi reclined on the couch and noticed two long sandalwood boxes on the table.

They were the carved red-lacquer brush and white jade spiral hairpin that Wei Qi had given her at the Yu residence.

Yu Lingxi opened the sandalwood box and touched it, her gaze softening.

She planned to place these two items in a conspicuous place within easy reach. However, the drawers of her dressing table were already filled with new jewelry. Yu Lingxi looked around and her gaze fell on the small cabinet beside the couch.

The cabinet drawer wasn’t locked, so it should be available for use, right?

Yu Lingxi thought for a moment, sat on the edge of the couch, and gently pulled open the first drawer.

Inside were several medicine bottles of various colors, a short blade, a book at the bottom, a pair of golden bells, a jar…

Yu Lingxi’s cheeks grew hot—no one knew better than she what that smooth, fragrant white jade-like ointment was used for.

The brush and hairpin certainly couldn’t be placed with these items. She closed the drawer and pulled open the second one.

Then she paused in surprise.

This drawer didn’t contain any strange objects, just a neatly folded apricot-white sash, a black jade beauty seal, a five-colored longevity thread, two candies stuck together in their oil paper wrappings, maple leaves with writing on them, and…

And lying flat at the bottom of the drawer, a blue phoenix kite, carefully repaired.

“They say kites can carry bad moods and misfortune up to the sky.”

“Feeling better?”

Yu Lingxi recognized it—this was the kite she and Ning Yin had flown together after her third poisoning attack last year.

At that time, because her parents were eager to arrange a marriage for her, Ning Yin’s temperament had been particularly strange, so she had taken him kite-flying to cheer him up.

In the end, she hadn’t managed to comfort him much, and the kite string had broken, sending the kite drifting away into the distance.

Unexpectedly, it had reappeared in Ning Yin’s drawer.

Had he secretly retrieved the kite? And repaired it so beautifully with paste.

Yu Lingxi looked at the half-drawer full of things, her gaze softening.

So, every single thing she had given him, even those casually given and quickly forgotten trifles, Ning Yin had carefully preserved in a secret corner.

For someone so ruthless and cold, to have such patience and attention to detail, it was really…

It was too much.

Yu Lingxi propped her chin up, the corners of her mouth curving into a gentle smile.

As she gazed, lost in thought, a shadow suddenly loomed from behind.

“What are you looking at?” Ning Yin’s voice sounded.

Yu Lingxi snapped out of her reverie and instinctively moved to close the drawer.

But it was already too late. Ning Yin’s arm reached from behind, pressing her hand in a half-encircling gesture to prevent her from closing the drawer, then softly said, “Oh.”

“So I’ve been discovered.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder and drawled.

Yu Lingxi quickly withdrew her hand and turned her head: “I just wanted to put something away, I wasn’t deliberately trying to pry.”

Ning Yin laughed, his face pale from a sleepless night, but his eyes full of indulgence.

“My entire being belongs to Suisui; I wouldn’t be angry just because you looked at a few things.”

His gaze swept through the drawer as if selecting something.

Then his slender fingers hooked onto the apricot-white sash, and he said tenderly: “Our intimacy began with this sash. Why don’t we use it to relive that moment?”

Relive… what moment?

Before Yu Lingxi could question him, the sash fell lightly over her eyes, creating a hazy veil.