Zhao Guanren said that the atmosphere is crucial when men and women spend time together. Since ancient times, there has been the saying of "under the flowers and the moon," which can create a sweet ambiance, making it easy for a man to pledge undying love to a woman.
Xin Mei returned to the Sinister Clan to gather two baskets of fresh flowers, changed into her prettiest dress, and the next day, she eagerly rode Qiu Yue to the Imperial Mausoleum. Unexpectedly, Lu Qianqiao wasn’t in his room, and Si Lan ignored her with a stern face. Left with no choice, Xin Mei wandered around the mausoleum holding the two baskets of flowers.
In the southeastern corner of the Imperial Mausoleum stood a dilapidated sacrificial altar. It was said that nearby lay a massive burial pit where, at its peak, over four thousand people were buried alive as sacrifices. The lingering resentment in the area never dissipated. The demons of the mausoleum had planted an apricot grove over the pit, and the blossoms here flourished more vibrantly than anywhere else, never withering. Though the place was eerie with ghostly energy, at dusk, bathed in the molten gold of the setting sun, the endless sea of snow-like apricot blossoms was breathtakingly beautiful.
Lu Qianqiao stood atop the altar, wielding a long whip. Still recovering from severe injuries, his movements were somewhat unsteady, and the whip occasionally struck the brick floor with sharp cracks.
Was he stretching his muscles?
Xin Mei stood below the altar, looking up at him. For some reason, she found the sight of him swinging the whip under the sunset deeply moving. The wind swept through his sleeves, lifting the blue robe draped over his shoulders, and his glossy black hair fluttered in the breeze—radiant beyond compare. Even more dazzling than the boundless sea of apricot blossoms below.
For the first time, she felt that silently watching him like this, without saying a word, brought her more joy than anything else.
As Lu Qianqiao stretched, he sensed an odd gaze fixed on his back. Turning around, he saw Xin Mei standing below, clutching two large baskets of wilted flowers, smiling as if... she had spotted something delicious. His hand trembled involuntarily, and the whip slipped from his grasp, flying far away.
Xin Mei scrambled up the altar and walked up to him with a bright smile. "Lu Qianqiao, your whip skills are quite impressive."
He glanced at the two baskets of flowers in her hands, hesitating. "What’s this?"
"Oh," she shoved both baskets at him in one motion. "These are for you. Freshly bloomed from my home."
...What exactly was the meaning of gifting him two baskets of wilted flowers? Yet refusing them didn’t seem right either. He slowly accepted them, only for her to suddenly ask, "Do you like them?"
He felt he couldn’t in good conscience claim to like these lifeless flowers, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet. I’ll grab something in the town outside." Xin Mei turned to leave with a grin. "I’ll come see you again when the moon rises tonight! Lu Qianqiao, don’t throw the flowers away, okay?"
He tugged at her sleeve, then lightly brushed her hair. It was damp from the mountain mist, cool to the touch.
"Don’t run around like this next time," he said firmly, gripping her hand and leading her down from the altar. "Stay for dinner. No traveling at night."
Xin Mei’s eyes lit up. "Sure! Lu Qianqiao, want to have some wine?"
Flowers, wine, and the moon—that’s what made for the perfect atmosphere.
He thought back to the last time when the bear demon had been beaten until it foamed at the mouth and resolutely shook his head. "No drinking."
"Not even a little?" She frowned, disappointed.
After a pause, he finally relented. "Just a little. Don’t overdo it."
Her smile bloomed like flowers as she hugged his arm. "Lu Qianqiao, you’re such a good person."What a good man... Lu Qianqiao gazed wistfully at the small moon just rising on the horizon. What should he say at a time like this?
By the time they returned indoors, the small moon had grown brighter. The two baskets of flowers she had brought were placed beneath the windowsill, bathed in the silvery moonlight. Even from the drooping, listless petals, one could still catch a hint of romance beneath the flowers and moon.
Xin Mei poured a cup of wine, racking her brains on how to create the so-called atmosphere. Zhao Guanren hadn't taught her this part, so she scratched her head in frustration but still couldn't come up with anything.
Lu Qianqiao picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib and placed it in her bowl: "Eat some meat."
Only then did Xin Mei realize how famished she was. These past two days, she'd been so focused on winning him over that she hadn't even had the heart to eat. She immediately set down her wine cup and picked up some eggplant for him: "Eat some vegetables."
It was obvious at a glance that she came from a wealthy family and had never known hardship. Of the four dishes on the small table, she only picked at the ribs and bamboo shoots, avoiding the eggplant and radish altogether.
Silently, he scooped the two dishes she disliked into his own bowl. Suddenly, he heard her ask: "Lu Qianqiao, what do you usually like to do the most?"
He replied indifferently: "Why do you ask?"
"Just tell me."
He refused to answer. Xin Mei pulled out a stack of papers from her pocket, filled with all sorts of questions—from "What's your favorite color?" to "What's your favorite food?"—written in great detail.
He couldn't help but laugh: "Childish."
Xin Mei pouted: "I want to understand you!"
Lu Qianqiao lowered his head to drink his soup, a faint smile seeming to flit across his face as he murmured: "What nonsense has Zhao Guanren been filling your head with now?"
"Huh? How did you know he taught me?"
"Only he could come up with something so pointless."
Xin Mei had no choice but to bury her face in her wine cup. Unnoticed, he took the stack of papers from her, flipping through them one by one, seemingly suppressing laughter as he did so. After finishing, he set them aside and asked her: "After you understand, what do you plan to do?"
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," she replied smoothly.
"Are you going to war?"
"What comes after understanding..." She paused, taking another sip of wine. "We'll talk about that later. We need to take it step by step."
Lu Qianqiao noticed her flushed face and the scent of alcohol on her breath as she spoke. Without a word, he picked up the wine jug and gave it a light shake—it was already empty. Just as he was inwardly startled, Xin Mei suddenly grabbed his sleeve, pulling herself close. Pointing at the slender moon outside, now mostly obscured by clouds, she said: "That... right, Lu Qianqiao, the moon represents my heart."
He pressed a hand to her feverish forehead, his voice calm: "You're drunk."
She kept trying to swat away his bothersome hand but couldn't manage it, so she continued pointing at the moon: "Look, my heart is hanging in the sky."
Still calm, he replied: "It's too small. I can't see it."
Xin Mei grew anxious, struggling to stand and walk to the window to point more clearly. Worried she might stumble and fall in her drunken state, he had no choice but to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her back down beside him. Her arms, soft as vines, looped around his neck as she stared at him seriously, unmoving.
"Lu Qianqiao, what kind of woman would you marry?" she asked with utmost sincerity.
Holding her steady to prevent her from slipping, Lu Qianqiao merely smiled at the question: "Do you really think I'd tell you?""Don't be so stingy. At worst, we can trade. I'll tell you, I like things that are both good-looking and useful."
This... he could understand the "good-looking" part, but "useful"... what exactly was useful? In what way? He felt a bit tangled, his ears turning slightly red.
"I think you're quite good-looking and useful."
Another thunderbolt of a sentence, nearly making him drop her in shock. Alright, this "useful" definitely didn't mean what he thought it did... right?
"This time I'm not joking—hm, be my husband? Name your price, don't hold back."
He didn't answer, only touched her forehead: "You're drunk. I'll take you to the guest room to sleep."
Actually, she wasn't that drunk—much better than last time at the Bear demon's place. He just didn't know how to answer the question and wanted to avoid it.
"If you don't answer, I'll take it as a yes."
Xin Mei clung tightly to him. This was the husband she'd painstakingly chosen; she couldn't let him escape. The face before her was utterly delightful to look at, even if there was still a bit of that post-paralysis stiffness acting up now and then. But when it came to husbands, having your own was best, and she didn't mind.
"Come here." She crooked a finger at him.
He ignored her, one hand pressing against her forehead, the other around her waist, trying to haul her up and dump her in the guest room.
Xin Mei struggled free from the hand covering her eyes and aimed straight for his straight nose, giving it a firm bite.
…………
That night, she had many strange dreams—feeling suffocated, as if held tightly in someone's arms for a long time, her lips hot and sore, nearly chapped. When she woke the next morning, sure enough, her mouth was swollen and red, with a few red marks on her neck as well.
With a pained expression, she went to find Lu Qianqiao to complain: "There are bugs in the guest room! Look at my mouth and neck!"
Lu Qianqiao's expression at that moment was eerily calm, silent as he cut a piece of ointment and tossed it to her, then silently watched her mount Qiu Yue's back, avoiding her eyes the entire time.
"Lu Qianqiao, I'm leaving." She turned to wave at him. "When the moon reaches the sky tomorrow night, I'll come see you again."
She was truly having the time of her life.
He knew what she wanted, what her bright, sparkling eyes were looking at, what those soft-spoken words "Lu Qianqiao" carried within them.
He had known for a long time.
But he could only pretend not to know.
Lu Qianqiao turned his head away, neither looking at her nor answering, making as if to close the window.
Suddenly, she leaned in, glaring at him: "Why aren't you paying attention to me?"
What a willful, unreasonable girl.
His gaze involuntarily dropped to her slightly swollen lips, his eyes abruptly turning scorching.
He seemed to be in a daze, and Xin Mei's not-so-reliable heart pounded wildly. Glancing around—good, no one was watching—she cupped his face in her hands and, taking advantage of his stunned state, planted a kiss on his handsome cheek. In broad daylight, he couldn't possibly deny it now.
Grinning, she jumped back, darting onto Qiu Yue's back like a rabbit.
"I'm off! Remember to miss me!"
Xin Mei left particularly quickly and happily this time, feeling that this husband of hers was just a hair's breadth from being firmly in her grasp.
But she hadn't expected him to fall into her net so soon... well, perhaps a bit too soon.On the thirteenth day of the fifth month, Emperor Rong Zhengdi of Qiong issued an Imperial Decree to the Sinister Clan, betrothing Xin Mei to General of Agile Cavalry Lu Qianqiao, with the marriage to be completed within two months.
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