The great battle had not yet ceased, and Northern Wei was bustling with activity. How could Murong Qi be willing to leave? Huaiyu shook her head, “I can’t handle her; I can’t beat her.”

Lu Jingxing felt a bit hopeless, his eyes reflecting a desolate and bleak autumn scene.

Huaiyu found it amusing. Such a graceful and composed person, yet within a few months, Murong Qi had driven him to the point of fear at the mere mention of her name.

“You’re too wary of her,” she said. “Look at the ordinary girls you’ve flirted with and then ignored. After your usual tactics, which one has ever clung to you?”

“I would dare to use tactics on her,” Lu Jingxing sighed. “The Lord of Flowers of Eastern Jin, if displeased, could dismantle my shop, and I would have nowhere to reason.”

“Don’t worry,” Li Huaiyu waved her hand. “Although Murong Qi is unreasonable, she is straightforward. If you provoke her, she will only trouble you personally and won’t involve your business or property.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Somehow gaining a bit of confidence, Lu Jingxing tapped his fan against his palm, “Then I know what to do.”

He chuckled slyly. Li Huaiyu instinctively reached out to touch the jade carving, only to find it missing. She felt a bit uneasy and sighed, “I haven’t seen that thing all day.”

The person in the carriage stiffened, and Chijin immediately said, “The weather is nice today.”

Lifting the curtain to look outside, Huaiyu frowned, “It’s cloudy.”

“The timing is off, so it’s cloudy. By evening, the sky will surely be filled with red clouds.”

Glancing at him, Li Huaiyu’s eyes flickered, “You all seem a bit strange today.”

“Not at all,” Lu Jingxing said nonchalantly, “Everyone is just as usual.”

Raising her eyebrows, Huaiyu propped her chin with her hand, “Normally, Chijin wouldn’t talk so much, and you wouldn’t have the time to accompany me to release the bear. Normally, Chuniang would look me in the eye when speaking.”

The three of them felt a jolt. Xu Chuniang whispered, “I’m just a bit tired today.”

Chijin lowered his eyes, “I was afraid you’d be bored.”

Lu Jingxing looked at the carriage roof, “I just happened to be free.”

“Alright, very well, that makes sense.” Applauding them, Li Huaiyu smiled insincerely, “Then may I ask, where is Sihai? He usually follows me when I go out.”

The carriage fell silent.

Lin Sihai, who was locked up in the prison cart, was suddenly dragged out by Chijin, who had rushed in. Before he could ask what was happening, he was brought to the carriage of the prince.

“See, I wasn’t lying, was I?” Lu Jingxing wiped his cold sweat, “He’s been following us all along.”

Lin Sihai, bewildered, cupped his hands in greeting.

After looking at him for a moment, Huaiyu grinned, “I was overthinking. Let’s continue up the mountain.”

“Yes.”

As the curtain fell, the people outside were in a miserable state, having to reassemble the dismantled bear skin, exhausted but managing to put it back together before reaching the mountainside.

Li Huaiyu laughed all the way, but when she got out of the carriage, she stood still.

The “bear” was carried down, tied to a bamboo pole, and taken into the woods. Qingsi cautiously asked, “Does Your Highness want to go and see?”

“It’s too dangerous,” Chijin quickly said, “Your Highness can watch from here.”

“That’s right, Your Highness shouldn’t go,” Lu Jingxing also signaled to Qingsi with his eyes. The prince hadn’t said she wanted to go, so why suggest it?

Huaiyu turned her head, her smile unwavering, her almond eyes sweeping over the group, and she agreed with Chijin, “Yes, it’s too dangerous.”

Just as everyone felt relieved, she continued, “If I went to see, what if Sihai couldn’t pretend to be a bear? Wouldn’t I find out you were deceiving me?”

The wind rustled through the trees, and the surroundings fell silent.

Lu Jingxing glanced at her in disbelief, then awkwardly looked away. Xu Chuniang blushed, and Qingsi was at a loss, “You… Your Highness?”

Huaiyu smiled, standing among them, and asked, “Who will tell me the truth? What major event has happened that made you go to such lengths?”

She paused, her throat tightening, “Is it Jiang Jie who is in trouble?”

“No, no, it’s not that serious,” Xu Chuniang waved her hand, whispering, “It’s just… everyone saw that Your Highness was unhappy recently, so we wanted to find a way to cheer you up.”

The sun was setting, and the clouds grew denser, casting a shadow over Li Huaiyu’s face. She said nothing, her lips pressed together, her figure appearing somewhat frail.

Lu Jingxing couldn’t bear it, he tucked his fan into his belt and took the box from Qingsi’s hands, handing it to her, “Since we can’t hide it, see for yourself.”

The box, which should have been heavy, felt light in her hands. Huaiyu was taken aback, opening it to look inside, “Where’s the jade carving?”

“You broke it yourself while sleeping,” Lu Jingxing said irritably, “We were afraid you’d overthink, so we tried to hide it from you. It’s not Jiang Xuanjin who’s in trouble, it’s just a jade carving.”

Blinking, then blinking again, Huaiyu let out a long sigh, feeling rather helpless, “Couldn’t you just tell me? Did you have to hide it?”

Everyone was stunned.

Casually closing the box, Huaiyu laughed, “You scared me into thinking there was bad news from the front lines, but it turns out the jade carving broke, and I broke it myself… Isn’t Sihai hot-wrapped in such thick fur?”

Seeing her expression and confirming she wasn’t upset, Chijin let out a long breath and couldn’t help but ask, “How did you figure it out?”

“When you brought him over, he still had bear skin tied to his legs. Besides, even if I haven’t seen a bear, I’ve seen Sihai, haven’t I?”

Xu Chuniang couldn’t help but laugh, and the people around them relaxed, the atmosphere instantly becoming harmonious.

“I told you it wouldn’t work,” Lu Jingxing shook his head, “Sihai is burly, but not fat enough.”

“If he were any fatter, the bamboo pole wouldn’t be able to lift him.”

“Yes, didn’t you see how hard it was for the adults to carry him just now?”

Laughter erupted, and Li Huaiyu hugged the box, laughing along with them.

“Your Highness, there seems to be some unusual movement in the mountains,” the scout returned with a serious expression, “We should hurry down the mountain.”

Someone unknown passed through the forest below, causing a rustling sound.

“Alright,” Lin Sihai said, “I’ll go ahead and scout. Once it’s safe, the adults can bring Your Highness to the carriage.”

Chijin nodded.

Li Huaiyu smiled, “You go ahead, I’ll go to the cliff to take a look.”

Qingsi was taken aback, instinctively wanting to say what’s there to see at the cliff? It’s high and dangerous, but Lu Jingxing stopped her.

“Go ahead,” he said. “If you see anything, remember to come back and tell us.”

“Okay.” Huaiyu nodded with a smile, skipping through a few large trees and sitting on a big rock at the edge of the cliff.

The sounds behind her faded, and estimating that they couldn’t see her anymore, Li Huaiyu’s smile slowly faded like peeling paint.

Below the cliff were dense treetops, obscuring the view. Lu Jingxing knew she was feeling stifled, so he let her come here to get some air.

Everyone was worried about her, so she couldn’t show her sadness in front of them. But after holding the jade carving for over a month, it suddenly broke. Saying she wasn’t upset would be a lie. In two days, it would be forty-nine days. Even if it was just a fantasy, she could have waited for a result, but unfortunately, there was none.

She still couldn’t see him.

Her nose tingled, and Huaiyu clutched the empty box tightly, her vision gradually blurring with tears.

Lu Jingxing was a liar; the jade carving couldn’t turn into Jiang Jie. Jiang Jie was also a liar, saying he loved her, saying he would protect her, yet he wouldn’t even send a message. She was so obedient, taking care of the child, managing Danyang and Yixian City, and even taking time to practice calligraphy with his handwriting. Didn’t he see how upright her writing was? Didn’t he know her hand was sore from practicing, and he didn’t even give her a word of praise?

The more she thought, the sadder she became. She opened the box and buried her face in it, sobbing softly.

Footsteps approached from behind, coming closer step by step.

Huaiyu heard them but was too upset to even try to hide her emotions. She simply gave up, her voice hoarse, “Let me be alone for a while.”

The footsteps paused, stopping.

Only Lu Jingxing would understand her so well. Li Huaiyu felt even more miserable, continuing to sob into the box, “It’s been forty-seven days… just two days short… Can’t it be forty-seven instead of forty-nine?”

“Yes,” the person behind her said softly.

The voice sounded a bit off. Li Huaiyu lifted her head from the box, wondering if she was too dazed from crying, and after a moment of confusion, she turned to look.

However, as she turned her face, someone was waiting behind her, leaning down and turning their head, accurately capturing her lips as she turned.

Her pupils contracted, and Li Huaiyu’s eyes widened.

The whole world seemed to freeze in an instant.

The person before her was both handsome and gentle, wearing a robe of deep green with strange and awkward patterns. His dark eyes blinked slowly, long lashes brushing against her forehead, causing a tingling sensation. The familiar scent of sandalwood filled her nose, and his cool lips lingered on hers, becoming warm.

He held her waist, turning her body to face him, locking her firmly in his embrace.

A solid, warm embrace, not a dream.

Realizing what had happened, Huaiyu swallowed, wrapping her arms around him, tears streaming down her face.

“How can it be you…”

Jiang Xuanjin smiled, his forehead gently touching hers, speaking softly, “I heard you missed me very much.”

His deep voice, tinged with the slight breathlessness of a hurried return, made her heart melt, and she burst into tears.

Her cries were so loud that the people behind the trees rushed towards the cliff.

“Your Highness?!”

Jiang Xuanjin gently soothed her, “Don’t cry. Look, they’re all coming over. I can’t do anything else.”

Huaiyu clung to his clothes, wiping her tears and snot, “How dare you say that, how dare you come back!”

“I…”

“Why didn’t you write to me? Why didn’t you send a single word?”

“Because…”

“You bastard!” Before he could finish, Huaiyu bit down hard on his shoulder.

So, when Qingsi and the others arrived, they saw the Lord of Ziyang sitting on a big rock with a face full of indulgence, while their princess knelt in his lap, biting his shoulder like a little beast.

It seemed that the princess didn’t hold back, but for some reason, the harder she bit, the happier the lord seemed.

“What is going on?” Lu Jingxing was dumbfounded.

Lin Sihai, who had followed them, scratched his head, “I was just about to tell you that the Ziyang army has returned from the mountain. It seems they noticed us up here, which is why there was movement…”

Well, they came to release a “bear” on the mountain, only to coincidentally meet the returning Jiang Xuanjin. Lu Jingxing rolled his eyes, “How come there was no news at all before?”

“Perhaps it was a secret return to the city,” Chijin said, “Even we didn’t receive any news, so the enemy certainly wouldn’t know, making the capital safe.”

Hearing their discussion, Li Huaiyu felt even angrier, her eyes red like a rabbit’s. She let go of him, only to punch him again, “You think this is a surprise? I’m not surprised at all, I’m furious!”

He reached out to tuck the hair she had bitten into her mouth, holding her waist firmly, and whispered, “When we return to the mansion, you can deal with me as you see fit, my lady.”

Huaiyu grabbed his collar and roared, “Fine, I’ll deal with you. I’ll lock you up and beat you, so you know how bitter longing is!”

Her fierce demeanor was like a lion from Hedong.

Jiang Xuanjin, however, was not angry. Instead, he chuckled, his eyes lighting up as he looked at her.

Realizing something belatedly, Li Huaiyu blinked, then blinked again, “What did you just call me?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t play dumb!” Her momentum weakened instantly, and she grabbed his collar, her face reddening, “Did you just call me… that?”

“What?”

Huaiyu bared her teeth, showing her white canine teeth, “Are you going to say it or not?!”

Laughing softly, Jiang Xuanjin pulled her into his arms, leaning close to her ear, “After months apart, how is it that my lady still blushes?”

Her face, which wasn’t red before, turned crimson at his warm breath.

Lu Jingxing shook his fan, watching the fierce lioness turn into a helpless kitten, rolling his eyes and muttering, “Pathetic.”

He thought he would see some exciting fight, but a few words subdued her.

However, Jiang Xuanjin seemed to have changed. He used to dislike public displays of affection, but now he held her tightly, unwilling to let go.

The hour was late, and as Chijin had said, the weather was nice. The clouds dispersed, and the sky was filled with red clouds. The two stood on the cliff, bathed in the glow, looking very warm.