The events in the garden had quickly spread throughout the palace, and the palace maids, upon hearing of them, were no longer surprised.
As they swept the floors, they commented, "I always knew our Empress was henpecked, completely unwilling to upset her Lord."
"That's because the Empress dotes on her Lord," replied a palace maid watering flowers. "I've seen how they are together, it's so sweet."
"Yes, one time I went to deliver food and saw the Empress feeding the Lord, constantly urging him to eat more. I haven't seen any couples outside the palace like the Empress."
The palace maids couldn't help but chuckle. Turning and seeing Mei Dong behind them, they quickly lowered their heads and called out, "Miss Mei Dong, we didn't mean anything by it."
They were afraid Mei Dong would punish them.
Mei Dong looked at the palace maids and said, "Actually, I feel the same way."
"Ah?" The palace maids looked up, their faces filled with confusion, as if they had misheard.
Mei Dong's expression remained unchanged as she instructed, "It's just that what you're saying isn't specific enough. I'll give you the details. But you should say it somewhere else, preferably where the Lord can hear these words."
If the Lord knew how much the Empress loved him, her good days were yet to come.
The palace maids immediately understood that Miss Mei Dong was considering the Empress's well-being, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. They perked up their ears, curious, "Miss Mei Dong, please tell us, we want to listen."
Mei Dong moved closer to the palace maids, lowering her voice, "The Empress was stunned the first time she saw the Lord..."
As they listened, the palace maids nodded, occasionally gasping in amazement. It turned out the Empress and the Lord were even more complex and deeply in love than they had imagined. They found themselves captivated by their story.
When Lan Yan returned from court, she saw the peculiar scene outside the hall, with Mei Dong chatting with a few palace maids. She didn't make a sound, tiptoeing closer, and quietly listened for a moment.
"Wow, the Empress forgot the day for conjugal visits and doesn't even know the Lord is angry. The Empress has such a carefree heart!"
Upon hearing this, she felt a bit awkward and decided to leave. She walked towards the sleeping quarters alone, and on the way, she idly chatted with the system. "System, do you think I've completed my mission?"
The system did not respond for a long time.
Lan Yan called out again, "System? Unreliable system?"
A buzzing sound echoed in her mind, and the system replied. "I've encountered a slight issue here and can't see anything for now. But based on your progress, you should have met the passing criteria. Achieving the excellent standard next would be enough."
However, the interface he saw was completely black, and he had no idea when it would be resolved. Perhaps Lan Yan would be suddenly pulled from this world. So, he added, "In any case, host, be prepared."
Lan Yan nodded. "Don't worry, this is my fourth world. Speaking of which, System, although the one you arranged for me at the beginning was quite difficult, I feel like I've grown a lot through the experience."
"I've decided not to complain about you so much anymore. I'll be a bit nicer to you."
The System: "...You should still complain about me." That way, he wouldn't feel so guilty.
"Host, take care." He went offline to make repairs.
It was rare for Lan Yan to say goodbye to the system, a smile playing on her lips as she walked back with a light heart. Although her system was unreliable and had many hidden thoughts, it had shown some human touch, especially with the medicine it provided last time.
As she stepped over the threshold, she was met with a splash of red and stopped in her tracks, utterly amazed.
Jun Yelan was dressed in wedding attire. Seeing Lan Yan's stunned gaze, he curved his lips. He walked towards Lan Yan and called out, "Yan'er, why are you so stunned?"
Lan Yan snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. She had been captivated by Jun Yelan's beauty. She murmured, "Yelan, this is the first time I've seen you wear red."
"Does it look good?" Jun Yelan waved his sleeve. This was the outfit Lan Yan had specially sent him.
Lan Yan nodded involuntarily. He was the most regal man she had ever seen. When she had chosen it, she had imagined Jun Yelan wearing it, but today's sight was even more breathtaking.
If only she had sent it sooner, she wouldn't have had to wait until now to see it.
Jun Yelan's lips curved upwards as he took Lan Yan's hand and led her into the courtyard.
Upon reaching the courtyard, Lan Yan realized there was no one else there and wondered aloud, "Strange, where has everyone gone?" Come to think of it, she hadn't seen anyone when she entered the hall earlier.
"I had them leave," Jun Yelan said, looking at Lan Yan with a smile. "Tonight, there will only be the two of us here." He picked up a prepared food basket and, embracing Lan Yan, flew directly to the rooftop.
Before Lan Yan could react, she was already standing on the rooftop. Fearing she would fall, she tightly gripped Jun Yelan's wrist and murmured, "Yelan, this is too high."
She already had a fear of heights, and the thought of eating here made her even more frightened.
Jun Yelan turned and held Lan Yan's hand, helping her to sit down. He chuckled, "With me here, you don't need to fear anything."
"Okay," Lan Yan let out a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't look down, she felt she could manage. She shifted her attention to the food basket. Upon opening it, she found it filled with her favorite dishes.
Jun Yelan arranged the food platters and placed the osmanthus cake in front of Lan Yan. He poured himself only one cup of wine. Strangely, the thought of Lan Yan being unable to drink alcohol crossed his mind, though he didn't know why.
He shook his head and, seeing Lan Yan happily eating, didn't dwell on it further.
Biting into the osmanthus cake, Lan Yan murmured, "It would be even better with some music."
"That's simple enough," Jun Yelan smiled, looking at the branches below. With a slight exertion of his palm, a leaf was held between his fingers.
He brought it to his lips and slowly began to blow.
Lan Yan propped her chin with one hand, listening quietly, her eyes fixed on the person before her, dressed in wedding attire. She wasn't skilled at singing, but playing music with a leaf was something she could manage. She could tell that Jun Yelan's tune conveyed meaning.
This melody carried Jun Yelan's heroic spirit, his accomplishments, his tranquility, and his deep affection for one person alone.
She realized that the reason she liked Jun Yelan was precisely because of these qualities.
When the music ended, Jun Yelan turned and saw Lan Yan standing still, smiling, "Yan'er, it's finished."
Lan Yan returned to her senses, clapping her hands. "It was beautiful. Yelan, play another one, I want to listen."
"Alright, I'll play as many as you want to hear," Jun Yelan began to play again, his eyes filled with adoration for Lan Yan. He looked up slightly at the moon hanging in the sky. Its moonlight spilled around the person beside him, bringing a sense of tranquility and beauty that captivated him.
He felt that for this moment, he was willing to do anything.
Lan Yan's ears turned slightly red under Jun Yelan's gaze, but she didn't turn away. She also cherished this feeling.
As the music faded, Jun Yelan gently cupped Lan Yan's head and kissed her. The moonlight softly bathed the two of them.