hen we can exchange two more with the Ji family. Our family has even more skilled masters, some who can even rival the second young master." 。Just say the word, Master, and anything you desire shall...The white-clad girl beside me rose into the air, landing gracefully on the swing. She was surrounded by silver light, as if she had become one with the swing itself.

The swing swayed, dragging a silver tail of light under the snowy night sky lit by the moon.

He stood on the mountaintop, watching her, and felt that in his four hundred and fifty years of life, there had never been a moment as happy as this.

It turned out he had waited for over four hundred years, waiting for this girl to descend and fall into his life, into his heart.

"Shi Li Yuan!" she called out to him in a clear, crisp voice, then patted the swing beside her. "Come over here!"

He smiled, sprang forward, and naturally reached out his right arm to encircle her waist.

She smiled at him, no longer seeing him as a ruffian. Her tears had just fallen, leaving her eyes sparkling like ice crystals floating in the air.

The swing slowly descended, came to a halt just above the lake surface, and continued to sway.

She tried to rest her head on his shoulder. Seeing that he didn't seem averse to it, she couldn't help but smile smugly to herself. After a while, seeing that he remained silent, she opened her mouth and asked, "Shi Li Yuan, you seem to be a man of few words. Shouldn't men usually take the initiative to speak to women in situations like this Are you just waiting for me to start the conversation"

"No, no, that's not it. I just thought you didn't want to talk and only wanted to swing, so I didn't bother you. But you're right, I do tend to be quiet."

He shifted his shoulders, adjusting her to a more comfortable angle. "After the earth's energy dissipated hundreds of years ago, people fought and divided territories. I was born in Beizi, so naturally, I chose to stay here. They built Yanhuaping for me. I am the symbol of Beizi, a testament to the existence of the earth's energy. I have lived there ever since, watching the royal family adorn the walls inside and out with precious stones, watching them transport treasure box after box into my palace."

She recalled his palace of splendor, “Indeed, your palace holds so many treasures, piled high in the main hall and along the corridors. You could barely take a step without seeing them. Why don't you put them away properly Just letting them pile up like this, aren't you afraid someone will steal them”

He chuckled, "Who under Heaven could possibly get into my palace to steal things Without my permission, not even the guards at the foot of the mountain could enter."

"That's true as well." She nodded. "Then just pile them up, they look grand and magnificent, quite beautiful. It's just that dusting them would be tiring. But thinking about it, you wouldn't need maids to scrub the floor diligently there, a simple cleaning spell would do the trick."

"Well, most of the time it's just cleaning spells. I don't like too many maids bustling around my palace. Usually, only Yun Chen and Lian Shi come and go, along with two maidservants. As for treasures, those things didn't matter to me before - having them or not was the same. Even a mountain of riches wouldn't mean anything in my eyes, after all, I have no use for them. But now... it seems having more wealth is good. That way, I can spend money on you."

"Flowers for me" she laughed. "You think I'm that poor"

He thought for a moment, "He's so poor, he'd rather go naked than not rush into your arms begging for money."

Her face flushed instantly, "Shi Liyuan, don't bring up the past! It wasn't intentional that time."

He quickly soothed the fuming lion, "Alright, alright, it wasn't intentional. I know you didn't mean it, I was just teasing you. Ayan, would you like to move into the palace Or I can build a grand mansion outside for you, where you can move in with your mother and siblings. You wouldn't have to stay at the General's Mansion and put up with all this anymore."

She looked up at him, "How does that sound like I'm being supported by you No way, I will never leave General's Mansion. The battle is ongoing, whoever leaves first loses. Ye Wenyan will never admit defeat, so they are the ones who should leave. But Shi Līyuān, just now you let me stay in the palace, what place am I staying in The harem"

He frowned, "What are you doing in the palace"

Then where do I live

"If you come into the palace, you will naturally live in Yanhuagong."

“The Yanhuagong” A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “Yanhuagong is your territory, esteemed Emperor. How could I just move in without a proper reason If others found out, they'd surely drive me out!”

He subconsciously replied, "Wouldn't it be good if I gave you an official title"

"What title are you giving me" She raised her arm and hooked it around his neck, "Shi Li Yuan, are you proposing to me"

"Huh A proposal"

"It means wanting to marry me. It's a way of saying you like me and want to take me as your wife."

He was a little stunned.

Like her Indeed, I like her.

Want to marry her It seems like that idea did cross my mind. After all, he really wanted this girl by his side for a long time, someone he could see at any moment, hold her hand, and be taken advantage of by her again and again.

He felt a bit ashamed of himself. The girl was only fifteen, just coming of age, while he was four hundred and fifty years old, having lived countless springs and autumns. How could he possibly have the nerve to like a young girl

If you like someone, you just like them. Once you've decided, there's no turning back. Besides, this girl isn't the original soul of Ye Si Jie, she might not even know how old she was in her past life. Thinking about it this way, he doesn't feel like he's taking advantage of her too much.

He suddenly thought of a lot of things, such as how to get married Should he marry like ordinary people But how did ordinary people get married He had only seen the empress dowager ceremony of the royal family, but he didn't know how marriage in the folk worked. Now that he was the emperor of Be Qi, if he married a wife, he should be crowned Empress, and there should be an empress coronation ceremony, right

Would this girl like such a grand celebration On the day the new emperor ascended the throne, this girl had directly fallen asleep. What if she got bored and fell asleep at their wedding ceremony... Well, he didn't mind, but he wondered if she would regret it afterward.

I never thought I'd be someone who had a relationship with marriage. Something he once so vehemently rejected, something that the royal family had brought up repeatedly, infuriating him each time. Why, when this girl brought it up, did I not find it repulsive at all In fact, I even felt a bit...excited about it

Because he was thinking too much, time flew by. Ye Wenyan hooked his neck and waited, waiting until finally she couldn't bear it anymore, she pushed him forcefully, "What do you mean Why are you taking so long to consider Don't you like me"

Once I finished speaking, I felt like I had been hit. My emotions instantly plummeted.

"Shi Li Yuan, it turns out you don't like me after all!" The disappointment in her eyes welled up uncontrollably.

She moved to the side, putting some distance between them. His hand followed her movement, sliding down from her waist and coming to rest empty and aimless.

“So you don’t like me,” she said to him, the initial joy of arriving in this place completely gone. “Since you don’t like me, I can’t keep clinging to you, I can’t continue to tease and kiss you without restraint. Otherwise, over time, I’ll become reliant on you, and I’ll misunderstand that you also have feelings for me. When you find a girl you admire and want to marry her, then I won't be able to adapt. Besides, associating with me for no reason, a witch like me, and getting so close is too damaging to your reputation, unfair to your future wife.”

She stood up on the swing, and involuntarily stepped back. Unexpectedly, she missed a step and fell backward with her face upwards.

As she let out a gasp, Shi Lifeng finally came to his senses and was immediately startled.

How did this girl fall He had just been thinking about how to make the wedding ceremony for Empress welcoming simple and warm, so that she wouldn't be bored enough to fall asleep. He even started eliminating those tedious royal formalities, wanting only the most special things for her.

But how did this girl get to the point where she said he didn't like her

When did he stop liking her

"A-Yan!" He rushed forward to save her, catching her in his arms with one hand and waving the other behind him. The swing transformed into a shimmering silver boat under his movement, gently landing on the lake surface and steadily carrying them both.

"Who said I didn't like you" he blurted out. "Ye Wenyan, how did you figure out that I don't like you"

She smiled, “No dislike Then that’s liking it! So what do you like about me”

He didn't know how to explain why he liked it. He just did, and that was that.

But she chased after him closely, her two claws hooking onto his neck, and she kept asking, "Come on, what kind of liking method is this"

He stopped talking, leaned in slightly, and quickly sealed the girl's lips with his own. His eyes, however, remained fixed on her, the message they conveyed was clear: Do you like it this way

The disappointment in her eyes finally gave way to joy, and she answered him with a look: Okay!

He calmed down, and began to kiss his beloved girl with sincerity and passion. The glittering boat swayed in the middle of the azure lake, fragrant flowers perfuming the air, almost melting the towering snow-capped mountains.

Nor did they know how long the kiss had lasted, for neither wished to part. Finally, when even the moon in the sky blushed and hid behind the clouds, she could bear it no longer and surrendered first.

"Let me get some air." She tilted her head back slightly and took a deep breath.

He thought that was it, but she wouldn't have it. She kissed him again and again in quick succession.

……

"Shi Liyuan, since you like me, then you have to be responsible for me." She lay back on the boat, her head resting on his leg.

He sat there, smoothing her hair, and upon hearing this, asked, "Then why were you so stubborn last time and wouldn't let me take responsibility"

“I’m afraid of losing too badly,” she said frankly. “If I don't need you to be responsible first, then I take the initiative. It's me who doesn't want you to be responsible, so if you marry another woman later, at least on the surface, I won't be so embarrassed. But actually, that time I really hoped you would catch up and take the initiative with me. You would definitely have been responsible for me then, but unfortunately you didn't.”

He suddenly realized, "Is it still too late for me to come now"

He leaned down, cupping her face in one hand, "Ye Wenyan, listen to me, from the moment we first met, this deity has already planned to take responsibility for you."

>amily was simple, without the kind of complicated issues that plagued the Ye family. The grandfather and grandmother had passed away early, so Lan Meiyù didn't even serve them for two years. " Let me...