When they arrived, there were two people in the carriage – including one who wouldn’t stop making advances on the other – but when they left, there was only one person inside.

Liu Zhenqing lifted the curtain and looked at the back of the person riding on horseback next to him, finding it a little amusing. Was he angry with him?

Liu Zhenqing was in no hurry to placate him. Who made this kid cross so many lines lately? He had been overwhelmed by him many times, and he would use this opportunity to take back the initiative.

He lowered the curtain and looked down to play with his Rubik’s Cube, pondering Li Jinshu’s request.

Huo Fenglie was naturally aware that Liu Zhenqing had just peeked at him. He’d thought that Qing-ge would give him an explanation, but there was nothing. Could it be that Qing-ge was actually considering those two proposals?

No matter how he thought about it, Huo Fenglie felt that Liu Zhenqing would be unwilling to marry, so he would definitely be forced to marry the princess.

Even he knew that this was a choice that merited no hesitation. There would be a hundred benefits to Great Zhou, and no losses. Soon, everyone would know about the conditions proposed by Xiheng, and would come to pressure him. What if the Crown Prince issued an edict? Had Qing-ge never considered this?

In Qing-ge’s heart, were his own feelings so unimportant?

The more Huo Fenglie dwelled on it, the colder his heart became. When he saw that they had arrived at the General’s Manor, he confirmed Liu Zhenqing’s safety and suppressed his surging emotions. Then he raised his whip and rode away. When passing by the carriage, he just said coldly: “If you choose the first option, I will kill Li Jinshu. If you choose the second option, I will…..I will never marry anyone other than you. Never.”

Without waiting on the person inside to answer, he rushed away on horseback.

He now felt an impulse to tie Liu Zhenqing up and take him away. There had been no chance before, so he could bear the suffering Liu Zhenqing inadvertently inflicted on him. But now that they were so close, he was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be stimulated to recklessness after hearing Liu Zhenqing’s considerations.

The person who’d always stuck to Liu Zhenqing in the past now fled without another word, confusing Huo Feihan when he came out to greet them. He figured there was some kind of urgent military intelligence.

Liu Zhenqing heard the hoofbeats of Huo Fenglie’s horse, but when he exited the carriage, he was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on?” Huo Feihan asked.

Liu Zhenqing smiled helplessly, saying: “Let’s go inside and talk. I must write an urgent memorial to the Crown Prince.”

When they heard the contents of the peace talks, Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo were in shock.

“We all know you’re the one he covets, so why is Fenglie involved now, ah? Is Xiheng’s princess so important?” Li Xingruo asked in astonishment.

“Although she has a close relationship with Li Jinshu, that shouldn’t be enough for Xiheng to make such an exchange.”

“Li Jinshu was just playing around, he wanted to target me in the beginning to see my reaction. He doesn’t care about sacrificing Xiheng’s interests,” Liu Zhenqing said lightly.

The two of them were puzzled. They felt that this peace deal held a lot of advantages for their side, but…..

“Did Fenglie run off in a temper just now because of this?” Huo Feihan asked.

Li Xingruo said in bewilderment: “Do you intend to sacrifice Fenglie’s happiness?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled as he wrote the memorial, asking: “Is one’s happiness more important than the stability of Great Zhou?” 

Huo Feihan hesitated, uncertain how to reply.

Li Xingruo said: “Anyone with a discerning eye knows which choice is the right one. But Fenglie is stubborn, ah. If you dare tell him to marry the princess, he will disobey your order. He seems to have the country and the emperor in his heart, but in truth, all of his principles revolve around you. Don’t you know this?”

Liu Zhenqing set down his brush and said with a smile: “I know, ah.”

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo both stared at him. This was the first time Liu Zhenqing hadn’t evaded the topic.

“You…..” Li Xingruo started cautiously.

Liu Zhenqing blew on the words he’d written and smiled: “Fenglie’s happiness is important, and the stability of Great Zhou is equally important. Besides, the Kingdom of Xiheng has long ceased to be a threat to our Great Zhou. Li Jinshu…..is underestimating me. I have His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at my back.”

When he was done speaking, Liu Zhenqing paused to read over the memorial he’d just written. His gaze gradually grew firm, and he placed the memorial in front of Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo.

The two looked down in puzzlement. After a while, shock appeared on their faces, slowly transforming into pleasant surprise.

“You…..you came around! You didn’t reciprocate yesterday…..why now?” Li Xingruo was smiling so hard that her eyebrows curved, and she reached out excitedly to grab Liu Zhenqing.

Huo Feihan couldn’t stop patting Liu Zhenqing’s shoulder. Upon closer inspection, his eyes seemed to be red: “You’ll take him by surprise with this move. Only you can do this, Zhenqing.”

Liu Zhenqing took a deep breath and bowed to the two of them: “Then do you two agree?”

“We agree, we agree!” Li Xingruo hugged Huo Feihan’s arm, jumping in excitement. Huo Feihan nodded over and over in response.

Liu Zhenqing smiled, sealed the memorial, and then sent someone to deliver it urgently on an over 800-li journey.

A few days later, the Crown Prince received the memorial while attending to the old emperor. He smiled helplessly after reading it, and with a flick of his red-dipped brush, sent two Imperial edicts to the west.

Liu Zhenqing had been very busy these days, and sometimes didn’t even have time to sleep at night. He was so busy that even though he knew Huo Fenglie was avoiding him, he didn’t have time to seek him out. 

His brother had also arranged for Huo Fenglie to deploy the troops and arrange battle formations, so he spent most of his time in the military camp. Every time Huo Fenglie saw his brother hesitate to speak, he felt uneasy, fearing that the next thing he said would be on behalf of Liu Zhenqing. He could only flee, but would still return to the General’s Manor every night to sneak a peek to relieve his lovesickness.

Tonight, Liu Zhenqing was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was growing anxious, he saw that there was a light on in his room.

Huo Fenglie’s heart moved. He didn’t even bother to go through the door, and just climbed in through the window to find someone sitting in his bedroom under the light of a candle. He was wearing clothes that looked like he was going to bed, looking down at a book on the desk.

That person was resting his chin on his hand, which covered half his mouth. His cheeks were unusually red under the light, and his eyes were full of unease. Such an expression momentarily took him aback. When he approached quietly and saw what Liu Zhenqing was looking at, his mind went blank and he accidentally made a sound.

Liu Zhenqing turned around and felt a gust of wind blow. The candle went out, and he was thrown down on the desk. A hot kiss descended on him, catching Liu Zhenqing off guard. But when he felt that familiar aura, Liu Zhenqing didn’t bother to resist. He adjusted himself into a comfortable posture and let the little wolfdog do as he pleased. When the desk was overturned due to the amount of force used, the two of them stopped, panting. 

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie’s voice was hoarse.

“You finally came?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile in his voice. He actually knew about Huo Fenglie’s covert visits, but since he never showed his face, he was never able to say anything to him.

“How…..how did you find this?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Can the little mechanisms in your room stump me? I thought it was some kind of yellow book, but I never expected…..how long did it take you to write this?”

Liu Zhenqing’s voice softened as he spoke. He hadn’t foreseen that after not seeing Huo Fenglie for a few days, he would unconsciously walk into his room and find his journal.

It recorded the boy’s thoughts, from the first blossoming of love, to his jealousy, and then to their recent reunion. He had recorded all of his adoration. Liu Zhenqing had blushed even more when he saw the erotic sketches, extremely embarrassed.

Although he knew that Huo Fenglie’s feelings for him must go way back, he didn’t have an intuitive understanding of them. But now, he understood the young man’s true heart.

“The first day I arrived here, I missed you so much that I started to write,” Huo Fenglie said in a rough voice, holding Liu Zhenqing tightly in his arms. “Qing-ge…..since you’ve seen this, you know how I feel. I will not marry.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at him, then asked with a lazy smile: “You won’t marry?”

Huo Fenglie’s heart ached, and when Liu Zhenqing was about to open his mouth, he kissed him.

Tonight, he didn’t pester him or sound him out carefully, but forcefully kissed him until he nearly fainted. Huo Fenglie picked him up, and when the bed curtain fell, Huo Fenglie’s fast pace rendered Liu Zhenqing unable to spare a moment’s consciousness to tell him to stop. But then Liu Zhenqing snapped to his senses fearfully. His mental preparations crumbled, and he forcefully pushed Huo Fenglie away.

“Don’t! I said don’t!”

Liu Zhenqing’s refusal stimulated Huo Fenglie, who was already in a state of fear and unease. He naturally wouldn’t go against Liu Zhenqing’s wishes, so he gathered his clothes and left without a word. Even when Liu Zhenqing called to him from behind, he didn’t turn back.

Liu Zhenqing was still weak all over, hot and furious. He thought to himself, no preparation or anything, you just try to go straight in. Do you want me to die? He had refused not because he was unwilling, but because he wanted Huo Fenglie to get some ointment and do some preparatory work, ah! This unexpected incident infuriated him so much that he didn’t care whether or not Huo Fenglie showed up in the next few days.

The ten-day deadline was approaching, and even Huo Fenglie’s deputy generals began to discuss privately whether their major general was going to marry.

Huo Fenglie was increasingly unable to hold on. As the sun set that day, people from the capital finally arrived at the city gate. He and his brother set aside their military duties and went to the gate to meet them. The visitors happened to be acquaintances – the Director of the Dongchang, his adopted son Qin Yu, and He Lan, who had come along to join the fun.

The Imperial edicts were sealed, their contents unknown. They had just come to see if their good brother was actually going to be forced to marry, and had no idea about the contents. Based on their understanding of Huo Fenglie, they felt that something wasn’t right, and came here for the secret purpose of supporting him.

The Director of the Dongchang announced that he would read out the Imperial edicts, and Huo Fenglie shot a fierce glare at the box containing them. Holding back a smile, Huo Feihan knocked Huo Fenglie on the head and took the initiative to welcome the guests into the General’s Manor.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhenqing had not returned from meeting with officials from three nearby countries, leaving the other envoys here. Although someone had been sent to invite him over, the wind was kicking up sand today, and it was unknown if he would make it back by nightfall. 

This Imperial edict was for Liu Zhenqing, so it couldn’t be read if he wasn’t here. Huo Fenglie said in a rough voice: “I’ll go get him.”

Qin Yu and He Lan exchanged glances and began to follow him. He Lan put an arm around his shoulder and whispered: “There are rumors in the capital that you’ll be marrying a princess. I found out that there are two Imperial edicts, one of which is a marriage arrangement.”

Huo Fenglie’s entire body went tense, and his expression was unsightly.

He Lan urged: “Why not just elope? We’ll help.”

Qin Yu didn’t say anything, but he nodded in agreement. Both of them were still young and impulsive, and had no qualms about committing a crime. Little did they know that their wiles had been seen through by the Director of the Dongchang on the way here.

Shocked by the news he’d received, Huo Fenglie was about to step out the door when he heard the Director of the Dongchang say: “Wait a moment, Major General.”

The director saw that the other Huo family members had gathered and said: “There is an Imperial edict addressed to the Major General, so it can be read first. It doesn’t matter if Liu Zhenqing isn’t here.”

Huo Fenglie froze, unwilling to face him, and his face darkened completely. 

If he didn’t accept the edict now, it would be tantamount to defying an Imperial order.

Before Huo Fenglie could do anything, Huo Feihan called out: “What are you standing there for? Come and kneel down.”

Huo Feihan helped Li Xingruo kneel down with them in preparation to receive the edict. Huo Fenglie could only kneel down in the end, resistance written all over him.

It wasn’t until the director unhurriedly read out the Imperial edict granting a marriage that everyone was stunned – with the exception of Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo, whose faces were full of joy.

And what had they heard? It was a marriage degree for the major general, but the marriage partner seemed to be wrong?

Huo Fenglie’s body had begun to tremble. He gazed up at the director as if beholding a hallucination, and forgot to thank him.

It wasn’t until He Lan and Qin Yu regained their senses and reminded him to give thanks that Huo Fenglie snapped out of it. But he was still unable to utter a word, and just stared blankly at the bright yellow Imperial edict. In the end, Huo Feihan pressed his head down to make him express his gratitude.

The Director of the Dongchang smiled and stepped forward to hand over the edict, saying: “Congratulations to the Major General and Liu Zhenqing on their marriage.”

Major General and Liu Zhenqing……

Huo Fenglie seemed to be struck by lightning. He practically snatched the edict, opening it carefully so that he could meticulously comb through every word. 

There was no princess, no Li Jinshu. Just Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing. 

Just those two names.

How was it possible that they had been granted a marriage? Didn’t Li Jinshu request otherwise? How could such an Imperial edict exist?

Did Qing-ge know? Had he sent a letter to the Crown Prince to discuss this? And the result of that discussion was that they were granted a marriage.

This was the Imperial edict he had dreamed of, but…..but was this just a dream?

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