Chapter 227
**Chapter 225: The Duty of the Ruler**
The guard's body stiffened.
Zhaoyang felt increasingly strange. She raised her voice again, "Lift your head for this princess."
The guard seemed to struggle for a moment, the brim of his black hat lifting slightly as he slowly raised his head.
The bright moonlight of a spring night illuminated the guard's handsome yet unfamiliar face, coming into Zhaoyang's view.
It was a stranger.
Confused, Zhaoyang gently asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"
The guard's lips curled into a faint smile before he slowly lowered his head again.
...
...
That night, in Yongning Palace.
The hour was late, and Shen Wei had drunk a bit at the banquet, her head feeling fuzzy. After downing half a bowl of sobering soup, drowsiness overtook her, and she crawled into bed early to rest.
Li Yuanjing also lay down beside her.
As Shen Wei drifted into a hazy sleep, she suddenly heard rustling sounds near her pillow. Blinking her eyes open, she saw Li Yuanjing getting up, draped in his robe.
"Your Majesty, where are you going at this late hour?" Shen Wei asked, fighting off her drowsiness.
Li Yuanjing replied, "I’ll be back soon. You should rest."
In the past, Shen Wei would never have dared to sleep early while her superior was still awake.
But now, with their relationship having deepened, she had firmly rooted herself in this man's heart, no longer needing to be as cautious as before.
So, without a second thought, Shen Wei snuggled back under the covers.
With her eyes closed, she drifted back to sleep.
Li Yuanjing donned his long robe and glanced back at Shen Wei on the bed. He reached out to gather the scattered corners of the blanket, tucking them in carefully for her before stepping lightly out of the chamber.
Outside, the ground was bathed in silver moonlight, and a guard dressed in black quietly entered the courtyard.
The guard informed Li Yuanjing about the assassination attempt on Zhaoyang in the long street, saying, "The coroner confirmed both victims died from poisoning. They were both from Yanjing, and the mastermind is still under investigation."
Li Yuanjing asked, "Was Zhaoyang hurt?"
The guard replied, "With that person's protection, the princess was unharmed. However, it seems she has sensed his identity."
Li Yuanjing was not surprised.
Zhaoyang was a clever girl; she must have noticed the guard's uniqueness. In fact, she might have guessed that the unfamiliar face belonged to the Emperor of Yue, Tuoba Hongchuan.
Who would have thought that the Emperor of Yue would discreetly blend in with the Yue delegation, just to see Zhaoyang?
Of course, if Tuoba Hongchuan hadn’t been so sincere, willing to risk his life to come to Qing, Li Yuanjing would never have agreed to marry Zhaoyang to him.
The night was cool, the wind ruffling Li Yuanjing's dark hair at his temples. His black eyes narrowed slightly as he coldly commanded, "Continue investigating the origins of the assassins. This Yanjing city has let in too many unsavory characters."
Were these unsavory characters from the Southern Chu Kingdom? Or from the Eastern Lin Kingdom? It was still uncertain.
Li Yuanjing leaned more towards the Southern Chu.
After all, Prince Heng, Li Yuanli, was thriving in Southern Chu and would soon ascend to the throne as the new emperor.
With the war between Qing and Yue just settling, it seemed they would soon be at war with Southern Chu again. By then, who knew how many commoners would be displaced?
The guard took off swiftly.
Li Yuanjing sighed deeply. The weight of responsibility on an emperor's shoulders was heavy, with dilemmas always presenting themselves—solving one only for another to arise. He slowly turned and wearily returned to the sleeping quarters of Yongning Palace.
The door to the chamber was ajar, and Shen Wei, wrapped in a thin cloak, stood under the eaves, waiting with her head tilted up. The warm yellow candlelight inside cast a golden glow around her.
Seeing Shen Wei waiting under the eaves, Li Yuanjing's heart was suddenly stirred.
No matter how great the pressure he faced or how heavy the responsibilities he bore, whenever he turned around, he could always see his Weiwei, like a bright lantern waiting for him in the night.
"It's cold outside; you should wait for me inside," Li Yuanjing said as he approached, his heart filled with deep emotion, both touched and comforted.
Shen Wei took Li Yuanjing's hand, smiling gently at him, her tone casual, "I’m not cold; I just wanted to wait for you to come back."
Though the bed was warm and their relationship had grown intimate, she couldn’t forget the duty of a ruler.
She must not show any signs of complacency; she had to constantly vie for his affection and win the emperor's favor.
Hand in hand, they walked back to the chamber, snuggling in for a peaceful sleep.
...
...
The next morning, at dawn, Zhaoyang rose early. She hadn’t slept a wink the night before, her mind swirling with the guard's face.
She finally remembered that this unfamiliar guard resembled the woodcutter she had saved before.
He was actually the Emperor of Yue, Tuoba Hongchuan!
The Emperor of Yue had risked everything to travel thousands of miles to her princess's residence, disguising himself as a mere guard!
Zhaoyang's heart was filled with a whirlwind of emotions—touched, confused, lost, and anxious—she had spent the entire night awake.
When the morning light hit, she looked in the mirror and saw dark circles under her eyes. Yun'er, assisting Zhaoyang with her makeup, asked, "Princess, why are you up so early today? Where are you going?"
Zhaoyang replied, "To the Yan family’s villa."
She had already decided to marry the Emperor of Yue, with no turning back.
That Yan Yunting was incorrigible, persistently trying to win her over. Zhaoyang resolved to visit the Yan family personally and bluntly tell Yan Yunting—she didn’t love him, so he should stay away.
"Princess, do you... do you still have feelings for Young Master Yan?" Yun'er asked, surprised.
Zhaoyang shot her a glare, "Stop talking nonsense. In my eyes, Yan Yunting is worse than the filth in a latrine."
Yun'er prepared the carriage, and Zhaoyang quickly set off for the Yan family villa.
As dawn broke, the villa's cleaning boy yawned widely, sweeping leaves in the courtyard. When he looked up, he saw Princess Zhaoyang and her two maids rushing in.
The boy was so startled that his broom fell to the ground.
Zhaoyang asked, "Where is Yan Yunting?"
The boy stammered, his eyes darting nervously, "Young Master... Young Master got drunk last night and just woke up. Princess, please wait in the front hall; I’ll go inform him right away."
Zhaoyang didn’t want to barge directly into a man’s bedroom, so she turned to head to the front hall. As she turned, her gaze inadvertently caught a glimpse of Yan Yunting's bedroom.
What she saw was astonishing.
Through the intricately carved wooden window, she saw Yan Yunting in a white nightgown, gently combing the hair of Dan Tai Rou, who was also dressed in a thin nightgown.
In that small window, they were in the midst of grooming.
Dan Tai Rou looked shy, with distinct kiss marks on her fair neck. She sat at the dressing table, blushing as she enjoyed her husband’s tender touch while he combed her hair and applied her makeup.
The scene was beautiful; they looked like a perfect couple.
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