Qin Guan stood in the distance, watching helplessly as Yan Chi drew nearer and nearer.
Her gaze lingered greedily on his brows and eyes, and before she could react, she was pulled tightly into his embrace.
The familiar voice, the familiar embrace—the roaring in Qin Guan’s ears suddenly faded, leaving only Yan Chi’s breathing and heartbeat.
Under the vast, starry night sky, with the dim yellow lights of White Deer Isle behind her, Qin Guan raised her hands and couldn’t resist wrapping them tightly around Yan Chi’s waist. Everything in the world seemed to vanish at that moment, and all she could hear was Yan Chi calling her name. Qin Guan pressed her lips together, unsure why her nose suddenly felt sore.
Yan Chi held Qin Guan tightly, unable to resist planting two kisses on the top of her head. “Wanwan, I’m back.”
Qin Guan rubbed her cheek against his chest and softly replied, “Mm.”
Feeling the strength in Yan Chi’s arms, the ache in her heart slowly dissipated. Lifting her gaze, she suddenly spotted Bai Feng over Yan Chi’s shoulder. Beside Bai Feng stood four or five people clad in armor, and behind them, thousands of eyes were fixed on her. Qin Guan jolted, her face suddenly burning as if on fire. She pushed Yan Chi lightly and hastily stepped out of his embrace.
“Why have you brought so many troops?”
Using Yan Chi’s tall frame as cover, Qin Guan quickly smoothed her disheveled skirt and asked in a low, urgent voice.
Yan Chi couldn’t help but laugh at her flustered state. He gently tidied her hair, then took her hand and turned around. “Come with me.”
Bai Feng and the others had been watching Yan Chi and Qin Guan all along. As the two approached, their expressions grew solemn.
Yan Chi led Qin Guan by the hand. Under the gaze of the crowd, Qin Guan straightened her back slightly. In the dim, snowy glow, she once again captivated everyone with her beauty.
They had long heard that Prince Rui had married a princess consort—Yongci County Princess—but they never imagined the rumored Yongci County Princess would possess such breathtaking beauty!
Yan Chi led Qin Guan slowly to the front of the ranks. Before he could speak, a young, tall, and slender general stepped forward with a smile. “Yu Qi pays respects to the princess consort!”
“Paying respects to the princess consort…”
“Paying respects to the princess consort!”
As Yu Qi saluted, the surrounding officers all clasped their hands in greeting. Qin Guan looked at them, a slight curve forming at the corners of her lips. “No need for formalities. You’ve traveled far and must be weary.”
Outwardly composed, Qin Guan felt a wave of embarrassment inside. In that moment of surprise when Yan Chi had suddenly returned, she had forgotten everything, not even considering how inappropriate it was to be so intimate with him in front of so many people. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on Yan Chi’s hand.
Yan Chi was usually a man of few words, but Yu Qi was quite the talker. Qin Guan’s polite remark prompted him to reply, “Not weary at all! The one who’s truly weary is His Highness. He hasn’t slept for several nights, insisting he must rush back so that the princess consort wouldn’t worry.”
With so many people present, Yu Qi’s words were bound to cause misunderstandings. Qin Guan glanced at Yan Chi.
Yet Yan Chi stood calmly and openly beside her, his expression serious as he said, “Enough. Proceed according to the original plan. Rest for a day upon arrival and await my orders.”
Yu Qi responded briskly, turned, and jogged a few steps before mounting his horse.He waved the command flag from his horse's back, and soon, all the troops behind him mounted up. Yu Qi turned his horse around, cupped his hands toward Yan Chi and Qin Guan, then raised his whip and galloped away. Once he left, the thousands of soldiers behind him followed. The fire dragon that had startled everyone soon departed from outside the east gate of White Deer Isle, leaving behind nearly a hundred men who remained waiting quietly. These were Yan Chi's personal guards, naturally staying with him on White Deer Isle.
Qin Guan, however, did not know where Yu Qi was headed. "Where are they going?"
Yan Chi looked toward the southwest of White Deer Isle. "Although Jianzhou has no main military camp, there are ten thousand troops stationed at Qinghe Plain in the southwest."
Qin Guan's heart trembled. "Are they going to…"
"Not to fight, but we need some leverage when speaking with the Jianzhou prefect."
Qin Guan instantly understood Yan Chi's meaning and felt relieved. She then asked, "So, are you staying?"
Yan Chi immediately turned to face her. "I promised you, and I will never break my word."
After days apart, Yan Chi's gaze held an inexplicable intensity that was both compelling and unsettling. Hearing his words, Qin Guan felt even more at ease.
"Good, that's good…"
Qin Guan had not expected Yan Chi to return, but now that he had come back as promised, her heart felt as if it were sprinkled with honey—sweet and warm. Her gaze toward him grew increasingly tender. Yan Chi tightened his grip on her hand, unable to resist the urge to pull her into his embrace again, when footsteps suddenly sounded behind them.
Yan Chi turned to see Lu You Xin, Lu Jingxiu, and others approaching.
Suppressing his thoughts, Yan Chi stepped forward. "Aunt—"
Lu You Xin's joy was only slightly less than Qin Guan's. Seeing Yan Chi standing there unharmed, her eyes reddened slightly. "We all thought you'd be spending the New Year in Qianzhou. I never expected you to return. Come, come inside, all of you. It's good that you're back. Guan'er has been through a lot these days and was terribly worried."
Yan Chi was still unaware of the murder that had occurred in the garden and looked questioningly at Qin Guan. She shook her head gently with a faint smile, so he decided not to ask for the moment. Turning his gaze, Yan Chi noticed Lu Jingxiu. During his previous visit to White Deer Isle, he had not met this person. Though he had left, he had been fully confident in Lu You Xin's care. In his mind, Qin Guan would not have encountered any outsiders these past few days, and her identity would have remained secure. Yet now, there was an unfamiliar young man?
Yan Chi initially felt suspicious, but when he met Lu Jingxiu's eyes, he saw not only surprise and disbelief but also a trace of aversion directed at him. Yan Chi was not overly sensitive, but he was perceptive. Noting this, he did not take it to heart. Anyone would likely be frightened to see thousands of troops appearing outside their home in the middle of the night—such a reaction was normal…
Seeing Yan Chi look at Lu Jingxiu, Lu You Xin hurriedly explained, "This is a child from the third branch, named Jingxiu…"
Then she turned to Lu Jingxiu. "Jingxiu, this is Prince Rui."
Lu Jingxiu stared blankly at Yan Chi, his mind in chaotic turmoil.He was the legitimate eldest son of the Lu family's third branch, considered a favored son of heaven in Lan Zhou. As he grew up and made friends, he had encountered many remarkable figures, but someone like Yan Chi—he had never seen before. He prided himself on being handsome, forthright, and exceptionally skilled in martial arts, yet the moment he saw Yan Chi sitting tall on his horse, an inexplicable sense of dread arose within him. His own good looks were merely the result of being raised in a wealthy, noble family, but Yan Chi’s handsomeness was different. His features were as if carved by a knife and chiseled by an axe, naturally exuding the noble elegance of royalty. Just standing there, his frame carried an awe-inspiring, steel-forged authority, not to mention the overwhelming presence of the vast troops he commanded!
He had never seen such a person, nor dared to imagine one. All he knew was that the moment he laid eyes on Yan Chi, he suddenly understood the absurdity and foolishness of his actions over the past few days.
He hadn’t understood why he always felt nervous and panicked around Qin Guan, nor why his attempts to capture her attention had been clumsy and ineffective. But now, seeing Yan Chi, he finally grasped it—there truly was such a thing as a match made in heaven. Qin Guan, usually aloof and detached no matter who she was with, had nestled so naturally and perfectly in Yan Chi’s embrace just moments ago. Now, standing hand in hand, they shone like the sun and moon illuminating each other, while he was nothing but a dim star fading at the edge of the sky.
Lu Jingxiu’s throat tightened, and his fingertips turned cold. Seeing Yan Chi’s gaze fall upon him, he knew he should step forward with a smile and greet him as he would when making new friends, but he found himself frozen in place. He stared straight at Yan Chi, his heart filled with dejection and self-reproach, yet a flicker of restless thought stirred within him—
Yan Chi was indeed the true favored son of heaven, but that was only because he was born into the imperial family!
And he himself was not lacking—he was the widely praised Fifth Young Master of the Lu family in Lan Zhou, he too…
The last spark of defiance in Lu Jingxiu’s heart extinguished the moment Yan Chi’s gaze met his. Panic and tension seized him, yet Yan Chi’s eyes were so assured, expansive, and unfathomably deep. There was no malice in Yan Chi’s gaze, yet he felt himself shrink into the dust, while Yan Chi stood as the noble, unattainable king whose heart embraced the world. Something inside Lu Jingxiu shattered, and for a moment, he even felt the urge to turn and flee…
“Pr—Prince Rui, Your Highness—”
Lu Jingxiu finally snapped back to reality. He took a step back and bowed with cupped hands. The whirlwind of thoughts in those brief moments appeared to others as nothing more than a slight delay in reaction. Lu Youxin shook her head helplessly and quickly continued, “Have you been traveling without rest? Come, let’s go back. I’ll instruct the kitchen right away—”
“Aunt, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I truly haven’t slept for several nights and can’t eat much right now. Let Guan Guan take care of me. I’d also like to have a proper talk with her. As for my soldiers, I’d appreciate it if you could look after them.” Yan Chi’s tone was gentle, and his gaze shifted away from Lu Jingxiu.
Hearing this, Lu Youxin immediately smiled and said, “Very well, then. At least let me have the kitchen send over some tea and snacks. I won’t make any other arrangements for now. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve—we can still have the reunion dinner together. I’m so glad you’re back, Auntie!”Yan Chi gave a faint smile in response, then led Qin Guan toward the Han Dan Pavilion. Before they had taken more than a few steps, he wrapped an arm around her waist, leaned down to whisper something to her, and Qin Guan nestled closer into the crook of his arm in reply. With her cheek tilted toward him, her face bloomed into a radiant smile.
Fuling and Baiying were also overjoyed, trailing not far behind the pair. Lu You Xin watched them walk away with a beaming smile, remarking warmly, "Their bond is truly wonderful—harmonious as zither and lute, two hearts beating as one. If my sister could see this from beyond, she would surely be immensely happy."
After speaking, Lu You Xin turned to discuss the lodging arrangements for the accompanying soldiers with Bai Feng, leaving only Lu Jingxiu standing where he was.
His gaze was desolate as he watched Qin Guan and Yan Chi depart.
He had initially felt somewhat guilty, but that glance from Yan Chi moments ago had clearly treated him like a wild weed by the roadside—utterly beneath notice.
Lu Jingxiu’s heart sank into the depths, uncertain whether to feel humiliated or heartbroken.
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