Two days later, Huo Fenglie received a secret order to bring Liu Zhenqing with him to the palace.

Neither of them seemed surprised about being faced with such an imperial edict. Having hinted at so much before, rumors outside were gradually beginning to spread. Regardless of his purpose, Yuan Jue must be concerned about Huo Fenglie’s big lifetime event.

Only…..

Looking at Liu Zhenqing’s dull expression, with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes, Huo Fenglie’s eyes flashed. He lowered his eyes to hide them, saying: “If you don’t want to go, don’t go.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh: “And dare to resist an imperial edict?”

Huo Fenglie’s expression remained unchanged, fixed on Liu Zhenqing with a firm look.

Liu Zhenqing knew that Huo Fenglie was serious. Even if it upset Yuan Jue, Huo Fenglie didn’t want to make Liu Zhenqing unhappy at all.

Liu Zhenqing could only reach out and pinch the other’s upright nose: “How can the future wife of the general who guards the country not meet with the emperor? I said I wanted to tell the world about our marriage, but it won’t be suitable for me to reveal too much to Yuan Jue, so I’ll pretend to be more timid later. You must remember to ask Yuan Jue for a marriage decree.”

Huo Fenglie was slightly startled: “Ask for a marriage decree?”

Liu Zhenqing said in surprise: “You don’t think it’s enough for us to get engaged privately, do you? You’re currently the general who guards the country. If you don’t let the emperor participate in the marriage, it will be unreasonable, and when the time comes, people outside will make arrangements again.”

Liu Zhenqing felt that there was something wrong with the way Huo Fenglie was looking at him. Just as he was about to inquire, Huo Fenglie had already stood up and said: “Understood. Let’s go.”

The people who came to pick them up that night were of the Jinyiwei, the six of them wearing flying fish uniforms. The leader among them happened to be He Lan, whom they hadn’t seen in a long while.

He Lan only knew that they were back temporarily after receiving a secret order. He looked quite excited upon seeing the two of them and came up to them, saying: “I thought you weren’t coming back. How is Zhanyuan’s health?”

Huo Fenglie was in a good mood after meeting He Lan. “I’m completely fine,” he said.

He Lan was a big talker, but couldn’t say much while carrying out a mission. All they could do was give their greetings and set off together.

Watching as Huo Fenglie lifted Liu Zhenqing and followed them on the road using qinggong, He Lan raised a gossiping eyebrow.

But He Lan vaguely felt like something was wrong behind him, so he approached the two as they leapt and said: “Did you bring anyone else with you?”

He Lan’s perception in this area was still very keen. Liu Qiao was naturally following behind them.

“A shadow guard. He won’t follow us into the palace.”

He Lan was a little surprised. “When did you take on a shadow guard?” he asked.

“He’s mine,” Liu Zhenqing said.

He Lan feigned sudden enlightenment, saying with a smile: “Oh, I understand. Your status isn’t ordinary anymore. Being the future wife of the general is a very precarious position.”

The Jinyiwei were very well-informed, so they had naturally heard some things.

Liu Zhenqing smiled when he heard this and said: “Indeed.”

He Lan raised his eyebrows. This meant that the news was true and they were really engaged. Even when they were traveling together, he could tell that they had a different relationship. But when he actually heard about the engagement, He Lan’s fragile heart still received a shock. And to think, they had made a bet that Huo Fenglie would be a bachelor for the rest of his life.

Thinking of his own situation, he felt pure envy and jealousy.

They arrived at the palace in secret. The moment they landed, Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was just in his head, but he felt a biting chill come over him. 

Under the palace wall, down the corridors, and through the arches, familiar scenes came into view. After all, from the age of twenty-four when the new emperor ascended, he had spent most of his time each day in the palace with Yuan Jue.

It was no exaggeration to say that in the last two years, the palace was the place where he spent the most time and went through the most changes.

Liu Zhenqing’s brow furrowed almost noticeably. The hand hanging by his side was grabbed by someone, and it wasn’t until he felt the contrast between hot and cold that he felt the chill of his own palm.

Liu Zhenqing cast a sideways glance at Huo Fenglie, smiling slightly at his worried expression.

“The palace is so big, ah,” Liu Zhenqing lamented.

He Lan thought it was his first time here, and said with a smile: “This is just the start. If you have the opportunity to go to the highest building and look down, you’ll know just how big the palace is.”

Liu Zhenqing echoed him with an expression of wonder.

Under the escort of the Jinyiwei, they finally arrived at the government hall.

When a eunuch came out to meet them, Liu Zhenqing tried to let go of Huo Fenglie’s hand. After all, it wouldn’t be good if the emperor saw them engaging in PDA like this.

Huo Fenglie didn’t let go, but held on tightly as he pulled Liu Zhenqing into the hall.

The majestic hall was quiet and empty. Liu Zhenqing lowered his head. Wherever he looked, only the bright yellow hue of the steps could be seen. And as Huo Fenglie knelt down and saluted, he couldn’t see anything.

After waiting a while, they heard a clear voice with a slight smile tell them to get up.

Liu Zhenqing kept his head lowered after standing up, behaving himself. He didn’t look directly at the holy face, but could still feel those eyes on him. 

Yuan Jue was indeed looking at Liu Zhenqing, watching him follow Huo Fenglie obediently and inconspicuously.

But just now as Huo Fenglie led him inside, he watched over every move the other made.

Yuan Jue had known Huo Fenglie for so many years, and had never seen him take such care of anyone.

Even when it was “Liu Zhenqing,” Huo Fenglie would only follow him in silence and look up to him.

Thus, Yuan Jue became even more curious about the Young Master Liu before him.

“Eldest Young Master of the Liu family, raise your head.”

Liu Zhenqing had already expected this. Without thinking too much, he feigned uneasiness and slowly raised his head to look at Yuan Jue. He averted his eyes as much as possible, as if afraid of beholding the emperor.

Liu Zhenqing’s acting skills were naturally top-notch. Yuan Jue took a few glances and felt like this person was different than he’d imagined. He was a little disappointed.

And Liu Zhenqing exerted himself to suppress his roiling, chaotic emotions. Different from the shock he felt when meeting Huo Fenglie, Yuan Jue was now like a stranger to Liu Zhenqing.

Yuan Jue had truly grown up. He looked more and more like Crown Prince Jing Yang, like a benevolent emperor. But there was still a vicious aura to his features that would be difficult for others to detect. Liu Zhenqing knew this was all because of his harsh experiences during childhood.

“I’ve heard that Young Master Liu was involved in the war with the Western Shu Kingdom. Was he injured?”

“A…..answering Your Majesty, the general rescued us in time, and the civilians are safe,” Liu Zhenqing said with fear and trepidation.

“Following the general on his southern tour, Young Master Liu must have helped a lot. This can be regarded as working on my behalf. I will certainly reward you based on your merits.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately knelt down and said: “Your Majesty, this common one is guilty. He left the capital privately just to prove the innocence of the Liu family. I dare not expect credit. Now that the Liu family is fine, this one is even more grateful. What’s more, it is already good that this one didn’t cause any trouble for General Huo. I didn’t help at all, only gave advice when there were occasional financial problems, and was useless everywhere else.”

Yuan Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly. He twisted the jade ring on his hand. This kind of performance was the most common type he had seen, but he kept feeling that something wasn’t right. Perhaps because such an ordinary, common person shouldn’t have been favored by Huo Fenglie, or because he didn’t look like ‘that’ person. Why made Huo Fenglie change? He’d heard that this person had harassed Huo Fenglie before, and Huo Fenglie hadn’t given him the time of day.

“Your leaving the capital has my tacit approval, but since I’ve said this, I’ll just assume you’ve made up for past faults with good deeds.” Yuan Jue wasn’t interested in testing Liu Zhenqing further. He looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “But there are currently many rumors about you in the outside world…..”

Huo Fenglie knelt down and said: “Your Majesty, if you’re speaking of the engagement between Young Master Liu and I, it is indeed true. Young Master Liu and I will procure a wedding contract tomorrow.”

Yuan Jue was taken aback. His eyes darkened, and he said: “Zhanyuan, do you mean what you just said?”

“How can marriage be a trivial matter? How could it be but a trifle? It’s naturally impossible for a humble subject to speak nonsense in front of Your Majesty. The marriage certificate has been handed off to Sister-in-law at home. When the time is right, she will go to the Liu family to propose marriage.”

Yuan Jue’s expression changed slightly when he heard this, and he waved his hand to let Liu Zhenqing go down first.

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie, who gave him a firm nod.

Then, Liu Zhenqing left with the eunuch.

It wasn’t until there were only the two people left in the palace that Yuan Jue got to the point: “Zhanyuan, I thought I heard wrong at first. Do you really intend to marry him?”

“Your Majesty, please bestow this marriage on me as a reward,” Huo Fenglie said.

Yuan Jue stiffened, knowing that Huo Fenglie was serious.

“Why? It’s not him you like.”

Huo Fenglie raised his head to look at Yuan Jue, then said: “When I marry him, I will naturally be happy with him.”

Yuan Jue choked for a moment. Right, ah, in the whole world, who could force Huo Fenglie to marry? If Huo Fenglie wanted to marry, he would naturally be willing.

Yuan Jue still seemed a little unconvinced. It was clear that Huo Fenglie liked Liu Zhenqing, ah. He’d been in love with him for so many years, to the point that he didn’t care about life or death, and would not marry for the rest of his life. How could he actually marry someone else in the blink of an eye and announce it to the world?

He’d thought it fantastical when he first heard the rumors, but now that Huo Fenglie had admitted it in person, Yuan Jue still thought it was unbelievable.

But looking into Huo Fenglie’s resolute eyes, Yuan Jue didn’t voice his doubts. He only said: “He is of the Liu family. Do you know what that means?”

“Your Majesty has said that this Liu family is not that Liu family.”

Yuan Jue wore a cynical smile: “That is for everyone in the country to hear, but you understand clearly. How many of your Huo family and Huo Family Army can accept a descendant of the Liu family as your wife?”

They had discussed these issues when they first got together. Even those in the army stationed in Nanfeng city who knew Liu Zhenqing’s identity were quite critical of it. However, the Huo Family Army was disciplined. At most, they would express resentment when it came up in conversation, but they would not reveal their anger. Moreover, the generational replacement had been rapid in the past ten years and there were already very few veterans who had passed through Huo Feihan’s hands. There weren’t that many people who truly had a grudge against the descendants of the Liu family.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie. One who was used to seeing all kinds of things out in the world, and one who had never seen such things at all. They naturally didn’t care about these external matters as long as they received the blessings of those they cared about. After all, under absolute authority, those who would scold them could only say words.

Huo Fenglie said: “This subject only wishes to marry one person in this life.”

Yuan Jue took in Huo Fenglie’s stubborn expression and laughed angrily: “Even if everyone in the world stabs you in the back, you’re not afraid.”

Huo Fenglie shook his head.

Yuan Jue’s turbulent breathing gradually settled in his chest. He could see that Huo Fenglie was determined to marry Liu Zhenqing. And when Huo Fenglie was certain of something, how could he so easily compromise with the outside world? 

“Alright. If you wish for a marriage decree, how can I refuse? I hope my brother will be happy, but I didn’t expect that after all this time, he would choose the Liu family again. Can this be considered an ill-fated relationship?” Yuan Jue lowered his eyes and said, “When something happened to Huo-dage, that man was still in power and no one dared to question Huo-dage’s death. But the verdict was later overturned. According to military reports, everything pointed to that person harming Huo-dage and his 100,000-strong army, so everyone hated and cursed him. I also asked if you hated him, but you never answered.”

Yuan Jue regarded the expressionless Huo Fenglie and said: “I know now that you don’t hate him.”

That was why he could calmly accept a person from the Liu bloodline.

Huo Fenglie looked at Yuan Jue and asked the same thing: “And does Your Majesty hate him?”

He didn’t need to detail what he saw and heard in the south — because the emperor before him was more intelligent than him. He didn’t know what Yuan Jue was thinking when he didn’t help Liu Zhenqing clear his name, and he couldn’t guess. Perhaps not clearing his name was beneficial to the emperor, or as Liu Zhenqing himself said, clearing his name was futile and would only create conflict with the common people. But since Yuan Jue was indifferent, it had already caused a rift between the monarch and his minister.

What Yuan Jue wanted to see the most was the Huo Fenglie who loved and hated Liu Zhenqing. Not this one.

Both of them were unwilling to discuss matters regarding Liu Zhenqing, and quickly got down to business.

Liu Zhenqing, on the other hand, was waiting outside the hall in the company of He Lan.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t keep his silence inside the palace, and could only talk to He Lan.

After hearing that they had returned, it was truly surprising that He Lan had hardly met Qin Yu in private.

“Why? Have you been so busy since coming back? Is it because of interrogating the rebel prisoners?”

They had returned with the rebel prisoners, after all. Although they had come back one after another, how could they have not seen each other for so long when they were both in the capital?

He Lan rubbed his nose, saying: “I am busy, but the main thing is that Lao Qin is avoiding me! No matter how I look for him and leave messages to meet him, I haven’t seen him at all. I try to say hello every time we meet in the palace, but he just acts like he doesn’t know me! Ruthlessly changing his face and running away after playing with me, it’s really…..”

He Lan spoke through gritted teeth and curses.

Liu Zhenqing was rather surprised. He naturally knew better than He Lan what Qin Yu would do after coming back. But going by this reaction, had he remained with the Dongchang to work for his adoptive father?

“Hmph, but now there’s a way. Isn’t Zhanyuan back? I’ll see if Qin Yu is willing to go see Zhanyuan!”

Seeing how He Lan’s expression became so distorted when mentioning Qin Yu, he must have suppressed a lot of anger.

And this fellow seemed to still mistakenly think Qin Yu liked Huo Fenglie.

He Lan complained about Qin Yu for a long while in front of Liu Zhenqing, until Huo Fenglie came back.

When they returned to the General’s Manor, He Lan especially emphasized that if Qin Yu came without him noticing, he was to be informed. If he didn’t inform him, he wouldn’t be a good brother.

Huo Fenglie regarded He Lan with some befuddlement. He Lan had to stay on duty all night, so he had no choice but to leave first.

“What’s going on?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Liu Zhenqing suppressed a smile and said: “He Lan probably feels he’s been let down.”

At this time, Liu Qiao also flew down: “Aren’t they a couple?”

“You know?” Liu Zhenqing said. “Right, it was you who saved them from the island.”

“En, I saw them embracing each other on the island. Clearly, they were kissing,” Liu Qiao said directly.

Liu Zhenqing nearly laughed out loud. “Were they carrying out a mission or falling in love, ah? But speaking of this, thank you so much for saving them on the island.”

Thinking of this matter, Huo Fenglie also thanked Liu Qiao. After all, He Lan and Qin Yu didn’t know who had saved them, so as good brothers, they could only express gratitude on their behalf. Moreover, Liu Qiao had taken action because he knew they were Huo Fenglie’s brothers.

However, Huo Fenglie recalled one other thing.

“The Yue Family Villa? I’ve never been there. During that time, I was just traveling back and forth between the island and Western Shu,” Liu Qiao replied doubtfully.

When Huo Fenglie brought this up, Liu Zhenqing also remembered that between the Yue family and Song Xingmu, there used to be killers constantly trying to assassinate them, but they always received some helpful information. Liu Zhenqing had also thought it was Liu Qiao.

After all, Qiao Jin and the others were under the influence of the people in the capital. Knowing that assassination was possible, since Liu Qiao had helped He Lan and Qin you, how could he have not been the one to help the others too?

Yet Liu Qiao had just denied their conjecture.

That was to say, there was indeed another force obstructing them in order to protect them. None of them could figure it out for the moment, so they could only leave it like this for the time being.

When they returned to their rooms, Liu Zhenqing asked what had happened after he left. He’d expected Yuan Jue to have some objections to their marriage, but Liu Zhenqing was relieved to hear that Yuan Jue had agreed to them getting married after the Longevity Festival.

Liu Zhening said: “Did Yuan Jue talk to you about the Longevity Festival? What are his plans?”

Huo Fenglie said: “It will be announced in a few days that I’ve returned for the Longevity Festival, so preparations will be changed at the last moment.”

“Oh, to catch the opponents off guard? If the enemy made arrangements long ago, their actions will inevitably be disrupted and there will be clues to follow.”

Liu Zhenqing had felt before that Yuan Jue would be putting himself in danger, but it seemed that even now, he didn’t understand him well enough. After all, Yuan Jue still had caution engraved into his bones and wouldn’t risk his own life. Perhaps in the end, if he really couldn’t find who it was, he would find ways to break the wings of everyone he suspected in order to avoid harm.

Huo Fenglie said with a nod: “So I’m afraid I’ll have to go to the military camp in secret to arrange things for Mo Yu and Mo Qi these days. Qing-ge will stay at home.”

Liu Zhenqing expressed his understanding: “What about the group of rebels who were caught?”

Huo Fenglie shook his head, saying: “Those who knew the crux of it are dead, and the rest are unimportant people.”

“Dead?” Liu Zhenqing said in surprise. “The Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple seem to be influenced by the people in the capital. Where are Jiang Wang and King Jing?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Yuan Jue already suspects Prime Minister Jiang Wang after the Imperial Examination fraud, but there seems to be no suspicion placed on King Jing’s head, so I didn’t ask further questions.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but play with the Rubik’s Cube Huo Fenglie had placed on the bed for him as he sank into thought.

Huo Fenglie watched the Rubik’s Cube in Liu Zhenqing’s hand. His eyes flickered momentarily and he suddenly asked: “How did you feel about entering the palace today?”

Liu Zhenqing paused, then said with a smile: “I was just dragged off by He Lan to listen to his complaints, so I didn’t have any other thoughts, ah. By the way, about Qin Yu.”

“If he doesn’t come to me, I won’t make conjectures about his behavior for the time being,” Huo Fenglie said solemnly.

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Er-gou is truly loyal.”

Huo Fenglie carefully parsed Liu Zhenqing’s expression and seemed to be unable to detect any other extraneous emotions.

As he was being stared at, Liu Zhenqing took the Rubik’s Cube and tapped the tip of Huo Fenglie’s nose. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes immediately darkened. He directly pulled him into his arms, hugging and kissing him.

Liu Zhenqing was confused by Huo Fenglie’s sudden enthusiasm. It was him who took the initiative in the past, after all.

But this time, without waiting for Liu Zhenqing’s reaction, Huo Fenglie had already lifted him and dumped him into the bed tent.

When Liu Zhenqing’s red-marked hands dropped from the bed frame, he could already hear the crow of a rooster.

Liu Zhenqing sleepily squinted his eyes, looking at the fully-dressed Huo Fenglie who was about to leave for the military camp. He couldn’t help the resentment emanating from his body.

He was so proactive last night, but the result was that he didn’t take the final step. Whose patience was he trying to test, ah? Was the one on top more patient than the one below? Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but dwell on this issue. After all, it would be his first time in this regard.

When Liu Zhenqing woke up once more, he heard twittering and chirping from outside. It was clear that the twins had come to visit him again.

“Liu Qiao?” Liu Zhenqing called.

Liu Qiao quickly appeared: “Master, are you getting up?”

“En, what are you doing outside?”

“Practicing martial arts with Miss Huo.”

Liu Zhenqing laughed, saying: “She must be pestering you.” Looking up, he saw that Liu Qiao’s collar was stretched wide due to the heat and the fighting.

A jade pendant was exposed at the skirt of his clothes. Liu Zhenqing noticed something strange at first glance — it seemed this was not the one Liu Qiao carried with him, so he asked: “This jade pendant of yours…..”

“Oh, this isn’t the original piece.” Liu Qiao took it out and said, “This is what Qiao Jin gave me.”

Liu Zhenqing was shocked the moment Liu Qiao took it out, and quickly beckoned for Liu Qiao to come closer and show him.

The corners of his lips twitched at his first glance. He said: “Qiao Jin gave it to you?”

Liu Qiao shook his head, saying: “Back then, we were fleeing pursuit and had no money. I pawned my piece, and a few years later, Qiao Jin redeemed it again. But instead of giving it to me, he gave me his own. I think they’re pretty much the same, so it doesn’t matter, and we can continue to pawn them when we have no money.”

Liu Zhenqing’s face was about to convulse. Well, Liu Qiao’s bad habit of exchanging jade pendants for money had followed him. However…..

“You can’t exchange this jade pendant if you don’t have money. If you do, Qiao Jin will go crazy. Do you understand the meaning behind this jade pendant?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Liu Qiao shook his head.

“This is an heirloom from his mother, a member of the Liu family. According to the circumstances at the time, this is likely the only heirloom he was able to take away.” Liu Qiao’s expression became a little strange at this explanation, and Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a cost-effective deal. Even though you don’t care about the jade pendant, it’s also your only certification from him.”

Liu Qiao said with a slightly uncomfortable look: “Then since it’s important…..does this count as an exchange of tokens, ah?”

“Eh, forget it.” Such an important thing was more like a love token. Qiao Jin knew Liu Qiao wouldn’t understand, so he just did this first. Unexpectedly, Liu Zhenqing exposed it at this moment.

Liu Qiao frowned in distress but didn’t say anything more, simply adjusting his clothes.

But Liu Zhenqing had a flash of inspiration and recalled something related to the Huo family.

So when the twins went to play with Li Xingruo in a lively manner, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but look at the red string around her neck.

“What are you looking at! Looking so foolish, did you suddenly find that my appearance is the same as before?” Li Xingruo said, putting down her medical text.

Liu Zhenqing just said: “I remembered a tradition of the Huo family. The elders will choose a piece of jade for the younger generation, so that they can make an ornament to give as a love token in the future. I remember when Boss gave you a jade token and begged you for a kiss. Doesn’t it stand to reason that Er-gou also has a piece of jade?”

Li Xingruo was amazed, and gave Liu Zhenqing a strange look.

“What? Does a male wife not deserve one?” Liu Zhenqing instantly became unhappy, saying, “The marriage certificate is already written, so I shouldn’t deserve any less!”

Li Xingruo rolled her eyes and said: “Since you know he’s liked you for so many years, can’t you guess for yourself?”

“Ah?”

“For example, are there any unique pieces of jade among the things he’s given you?”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly: “Yes, a jade Rubik’s Cube. I used to…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s words stuck in his throat. He instantly turned wide, disbelieving eyes toward Li Xingruo.

Li Xingruo nodded.

“Wasn’t he just fifteen years old back then? He didn’t confess his feelings to me, so why would he give me such an important thing?”

Li Xingruo smiled: “You said it yourself. He met the right person and decided that you must be the one. It didn’t matter whether it was given earlier or later, because it would never be given to anyone else.”

“You two just let him mess around?” That had been given in front of Huo Feihan. The Huo family’s traditional jade pendant couldn’t be given away lightly.

“He was very serious, and carved it himself. How could it be considered messing around?” Li Xingruo smiled cheerfully. “In fact, you two have been a couple for a long time.”

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Chapter 125 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 127