Xie Beihan watched her profile quietly, his thin lips curling slightly.
"Little girl, how about you stay with me."
Ye Luan glanced at him. He squinted lazily, half his face illuminated by the fire by the stove, looking strangely possessed. His gaze met hers, with a hint of a smile.
She paused, then said calmly, "Your Majesty now rules the world. No one will harm you in the future."
Xie Beihan chuckled lightly, leaned closer, and sniffed her long hair.
Ye Luan tilted her head to avoid him, her expression unchanged.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"I've prepared a phoenix coronet and court robes for you. Try them on another day."
Ye Luan's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I said I would marry you."
He smiled playfully, but there was a hint of seriousness in his beautiful phoenix eyes.
Ye Luan looked at him for a long while and then asked, "Xie Beihan, why bother?!"
The flames in the stove crackled a few times.
A cold wind blew in from outside the hall. Through the firelight, two figures could be seen sitting on the blanket.
The man, in a deep purple court robe, sat lazily on the blanket, his head turned to look at the person beside him. The woman, in a light green silk dress, hugged her knees, her clear, dark eyes fixed on the fire stove, silent.
"Luan Luan~"
Ye Luan's body suddenly tensed. She turned her head and said, "Just call me Ye Luan." wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Xie Beihan raised an eyebrow and moved closer to her.
"He can call you that, can't I?"
Ye Luan: "---"
"Then how about I call you Luan'er? That sounds nice."
A chill ran down Ye Luan's spine. She reached out to push away the person leaning towards her.
"Xie Beihan, I'm really tired."
The courtyard at night was silent, save for the rustling of insects.
The wind blew in, and the candlelight in the room flickered. The warm glow of the stove cast a soft light on her face.
Xie Beihan chuckled lightly, scooped her up horizontally, and walked towards the bed in the inner chamber.
Ye Luan was placed on the bed. She didn't move, looking up at him.
"What? You don't want me to leave?"
Hearing this, Ye Luan breathed a sigh of relief. "Go back and rest. It's late."
Xie Beihan looked at her, unmoving.
"Kiss me, and I'll leave. Otherwise, we'll sleep together."
"---"
Ye Luan got up directly and lowered the curtain, blocking the person outside.
Xie Beihan reached out to pull it, and Ye Luan stubbornly held it in place.
"Do you believe I'll tear it down?"
Ye Luan's patience was wearing thin from his antics. "Aren't you tired? Don't you have anything to do tomorrow? My eyelids are heavy."
Xie Beihan said, "I'm not tired, and I'm very busy tomorrow. I can take you with me."
"----"
Ye Luan decided to ignore him. He had become so shameless after not seeing her for months.
Xie Beihan took the opportunity to reach in and pull her into his arms.
Ye Luan felt uncomfortable and instinctively threw a punch at his head. He dodged immediately and caught her hand.
"Little girl, you're still so heartless and cruel to me."
He glared at her disapprovingly.
"With that punch, you could have smashed my brain."
Ye Luan withdrew her hand and mumbled softly, "Serves you right."
Xie Beihan heard her words, stroked her hair, and chuckled softly.
"I won't tease you anymore. Go to sleep quickly."
Although he left, Ye Luan still slept restlessly, fearing he might break in in the middle of the night. She didn't have a peaceful night's sleep.
Xiao Chizhan also hadn't had a good night's sleep. He had rushed to Xiguan overnight.
All the officials in Xiguan City were unable to sleep soundly due to his arrival, waiting at the dock for most of the night.
On the river, faint lights flickered intermittently as more than a dozen massive ships approached majestically.
Prefect Song Yan saw the warship at the forefront and quickly said, "It's the Prince's warship. Everyone stand at attention."
"Yes, yes."
As the ships docked, a troop of armored soldiers disembarked in an orderly fashion. Xiao Chizhan, clad in a black robe, was escorted off the ship.
"Your subordinate, Song Yan, along with all the officials of Xiguan City, respectfully welcome His Highness the Prince. May the Prince live forever."
On the dark dock, officials in official robes knelt in large numbers.
Xiao Chizhan scanned the crowd and said, "Jiang Chi!"
The summoned Jiang Chi trembled and crawled out.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to the Prince."
Xiao Chizhan's brow was furrowed with malevolence. He kicked out, the force so great that he sent the man sprawling, startling everyone present into a state of unease.
"You couldn't even hold Longcheng, so why are you still alive!"
"Have mercy, Your Highness, have mercy!"
Jiang Chi spat blood and struggled to get up and kneel on the ground.
Longcheng had been captured by the Southern Barbarians, and the common people had been massacred. He had fled to Xiguan with the remaining soldiers, thinking he could survive. He never expected this demon to personally come to Xiguan.
To think that a small Longcheng was worth his personal visit.
Xiao Chizhan's gaze was icy. He suddenly took the sword from a nearby general and, without a word, thrust it directly into Jiang Chi's heart.
Everyone watched in horror.
Jiang Chi's eyes widened, and without even letting out a scream, he fell to the ground in disbelief.
Blood flowed profusely, instantly dyeing the entire river.
Those kneeling on the ground were terrified by the scene, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Xiao Chizhan threw down the sword, swept his gaze over the people on the ground, and said coldly.
"This King does not need disloyal individuals. Anyone who dares to collude with the Southern Barbarians will face this fate!"
Everyone was in a panic. The air was filled with the metallic scent of blood, and no one dared to speak.
Xiao Chizhan leaped onto his horse and glanced back at Li Qiongyu, who had just emerged from the ship's cabin.
"Send that person back. We'll discuss matters."
Li Qiongyu descended from the ship, holding the already sleeping Wei Qingge. Upon hearing this, he complained, "You haven't slept for days. Even a pig couldn't endure such hardship."
Ye Luan was in Longcheng anyway, and she wasn't going anywhere. Why the rush?!
Xiao Chizhan ignored him and looked at Song Yan, who was kneeling on the ground. He said,
"Immediately summon all the generals of Longcheng for a meeting. This King intends to capture Longcheng within two days."
Longcheng was a strategic stronghold, easy to defend and difficult to attack. How could it be captured in two days?
Why was this Prince in such a hurry, even coming to Xiguan himself?
Song Yan thought this in a flash, and then immediately replied respectfully, "Yes."
Hearing this, all the officials sighed in their hearts. Being kept awake all night was making them incredibly tired.
But they only dared to complain in their hearts; outwardly, they all respectfully went to the meeting.
However, upon learning the situation in Longcheng, the Prince of Dingbei was enraged. He flew into a furious rage in the Council Hall, killing several incompetent officials, which also prevented the officials of Xiguan from getting a restful sleep.
For two consecutive days, all the generals had dark circles under their eyes, clearly indicating a lack of sleep.
"I said, why are you in such a hurry? Xie Beihan won't kill her."
Xiao Chizhan looked at Li Qiongyu, who had walked in, his expression grim. "This King will personally go to Longcheng."
"Are you crazy?!"
Li Qiongyu glared at him impatiently and placed the food on the table. "Come and eat something first. Even a body of iron can't withstand this."