Chang Le was both amused and exasperated. "We've been married for ten years, and you still say I don't care about you?"
After all these years, how could this man still be so childish?
The maid's eyes sparkled with envy. "It's a good thing, Your Highness."
Though others often said the imperial consort was obsessed with matters of the heart, she believed such a man knew best how to cherish his beloved. Over the past decade, He Jianghe had indeed doted on the princess. Even when they quarreled, their bond only grew stronger afterward.
He simply cared too much. The moment the princess seemed indifferent, he would notice, sulk, and shut himself in his study for a day or two.
By now, Chang Le was accustomed to it. Sometimes she'd even wait on the steps outside his study until he emerged, reconciled, and they'd make up as if nothing had happened.
But today, He Jianghe wasn't so easily appeased.
His Majesty had just summoned him regarding Patrol Inspector Li's dismissal. The mere thought of that man irritated him. Returning home to hear Chang Le speak so nonchalantly made him wonder—had he failed to replace Patrol Inspector Li in her heart even after ten years?
A single day apart left him pining, yet to her, it seemed his presence made no difference at all.
Displeased and unhappy, he refused to leave his study!
Frustratedly wielding his brush, his face grew darker than the ink.
Suddenly, the window creaked open a sliver.
He Jianghe turned in surprise to see Chang Le squeezing through, twisting her body awkwardly. She glanced around furtively before tiptoeing over and whispering, "I sneaked away from the princess. Don't give me away, Consort."
He Jianghe: "..."
What kind of act was this?
Pulling him conspiratorially onto the soft couch beneath the window, she murmured, "Though the princess has plump cheeks, she's thin-skinned. She'd never admit how much she misses you, so she sent me instead."
A ray of light pierced his gloom. He Jianghe arched a brow, suppressing a smirk. "Oh? So I misunderstood the princess's indifference?"
"A terrible misunderstanding! How could she ever be indifferent to you?" Adopting a servant's tone, she batted her lashes. "But you two love bickering. If she freely said sweet nothings like 'I miss you' or 'I love you,' and you teased her for it, she'd be mortified."
Nonsense. He'd never mock hard-won sweet words unless he'd lost his mind.
He Jianghe glared.
Chang Le patted his back soothingly. "Don't be angry. The princess said she could ask Her Majesty's permission to accompany you to battle."
At this, He Jianghe frowned. "No."
"Why not?" She pouted. "You don't want me there?"
"We don't know what lies beyond the border. If you rush in and fall into an ambush, I'd die with regrets." His tone turned stern. "Unless everything is under control, I won't let you join the campaign."
Chang Le's face fell. "Who are you treating like a child? My Essence Power isn't weak."
"It's not about strength." He pressed his lips together. "I just can't bear to risk you."
Her heart raced traitorously. Blushing, Chang Le stammered, "After all these years of marriage, why... why do you still say such things?""Because I also wanted to hear such words from Your Highness," he said, lowering his gaze. "We've been married for so long, yet I've never heard them."
Chang Le's face flushed even redder, her hands fidgeting awkwardly. "What's so special about hearing that?"
She turned her head to avoid his gaze but accidentally caught sight of a confidential letter on the low table by the soft couch. The words "Patrol Inspector Li" were faintly visible.
Chang Le froze, and He Jianghe stiffened as well, quickly gathering the letter. Pressing his lips together, he said, "It's from your imperial brother. Nothing important. I won't let him actually demote this person."
Chang Le looked up at him in confusion. "Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"If even my brother thinks he should be demoted, why would you stop it?"
He Jianghe glanced at her. "If he's demoted, he'll inevitably come to complain to you. I don't want you to see him."
Chang Le found this utterly baffling. "We haven't interacted privately in ten years. What kind of complaints would he have for me? Back then, I was young and foolish, insisting on compensating him with this official position. Now that he's proven unworthy of it, let him be demoted. It's his own fault—what does it have to do with me?"
He Jianghe hadn't expected Chang Le to say this and was momentarily puzzled. "No private interactions? Didn't he specially send you an invitation to his wedding last year?"
"I didn't accept it. I had them throw it out."
"Then why did you lock yourself in your room all day?"
Chang Le couldn't help but laugh. "Wasn't I making clothes for you? I gave them to you later. If I hadn't stayed in my room to make them, would the clothes have fallen from the sky?"
He Jianghe: "..."
Embarrassed, he turned his back to her.
Suddenly understanding, Chang Le followed him. "So you thought I was grieving over his marriage, and you got jealous?"
He Jianghe turned his head the other way.
Chang Le grinned, leaning in closer. "Did you also think I gave you those clothes out of guilt, as compensation?"
Unable to bear the teasing, He Jianghe snapped, "You should have made it clear!"
"Every time I mention him in front of you, you get upset. What was there to say?" Chang Le shrugged. "Ever since our wedding, I've had no feelings for him."
She had begged her parents for their marriage at her birthday banquet, then spent half a year preparing before they wed.
During that time, Li Shaoling never once came to see her. Yet not long after her wedding, he showed up drunk, asking if she would choose him instead.
Chang Le found it absurd.
Li Shaoling seemed to only think of himself. When he didn’t want her, he cast her aside. When he did, even if she had just married, he expected her to abandon everything for him.
Why should she?
If she had any lingering regrets before, after Li Shaoling’s visit, Chang Le realized He Jianghe was truly a good man—willing to sacrifice himself to save her from hardship, a deed worthy of praise.
So after their marriage, Chang Le devoted herself wholeheartedly to building a life with He Jianghe.
Yet her husband seemed unaware, still believing she harbored feelings for someone else, often retreating to his study for days at a time.
Even now, despite her words, He Jianghe wore an expression of disbelief before reluctantly conceding, "If you truly don’t care, then I won’t interfere. He’ll likely be demoted to a village near Newgrass City."
"Alright," Chang Le agreed.
On the day He Jianghe departed for battle, Chang Le followed her mother’s instructions and planted the handful of seeds in the flowerbeds flanking the entrance.The seeds grew quickly, and one day three months later, Chang Le walked through the door to see the lush Mandarin duck flowers towering taller than her beside the entrance.
Overjoyed, she wrote a letter to He Jianghe: "The flowers planted by our door have bloomed. You'll see them when you come back."
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