Back in the princess's mansion, Feng Zeyue's demeanor was a stark contrast to her earlier assertiveness, her cheeks faintly flushed.
The maidservant Zhi Yan couldn't help but tease, "It seems Her Highness the Princess had a wonderful day!"
Feng Zeyue's face reddened, a reminiscent glow in her eyes as she murmured, "It truly was a beautiful, beautiful day!"
At least, before today, she had never imagined such a day would come.
Even less did she imagine that the person she initially admired for her looks would be so interesting, making one want to tease her more.
Although Su Shang appeared rather aloof, Feng Zeyue saw beyond the surface and discovered that she was not as cold as she presented herself.
On the contrary, she was incredibly amusing, so much so that Feng Zeyue began to look forward to their married life.
Su Shang was fully investigating the truth behind her father, Su Yu's, death at the hands of bandits on his journey home.
Gong Ningsi had been investigating this matter, and it was clear that it was no accident. It was highly probable that Su Yu's political enemies had colluded with bandits to achieve their murderous objective.
As a child, Su Shang felt it was her duty to avenge her father, whom she had never met.
But why, after she tacitly agreed to this marriage, did Feng Zeyue start seeking her out every day?
She claimed it was to cultivate their feelings, but Su Shang truly saw no need for them to do so.
However, with Feng Zeyue around, and the events of the past being so covert, she wondered if any clues could still be uncovered.
Su Shang dared not act too overtly, and thus, her investigation was inadvertently slowed down.
Feng Zeyue thought of her father and mother, and following Zhi Yan's suggestion, she read some storybooks, firmly believing in the principle of love growing over time.
As a princess without any official position, her days were mostly spent having tea with her lady friends and gossiping.
However, most of her friends were unmarried and had little experience to impart, so Feng Zeyue had to figure things out on her own.
Su Shang was simply overwhelmed by Feng Zeyue's sudden enthusiasm.
She had very little experience interacting with girls, yet Feng Zeyue constantly dragged her to places that seemed romantic but were ultimately boring.
Once or twice was fine, but after repeated occurrences, Su Shang began to grow impatient.
Su Shang tolerated Feng Zeyue for a month. When Emperor Feng issued an imperial decree setting their wedding date for six months later, Su Shang finally erupted.
"Your Highness, why are you following me around all day? I truly, truly don't have that much free time to play house with you," Su Shang asked with a slight frown and an impatient tone.
Ever since the imperial decree was issued, even the soldiers in the army who were unconcerned with court affairs knew that he had hitched himself to a princess.
They had once held a degree of admiration for their general, but after the decree, they now looked at her with strange eyes, as if she had only become a general because of this marriage, devaluing all her own efforts.
This was too much.
If she had known there was such an easy way, she would have shamelessly attached herself to this princess.
But now that she had become a general through her own efforts, she would not allow others to slander her so casually.
Although she had punished all the soldiers who spoke ill of her, her mood remained incredibly heavy.
And Feng Zeyue's arrival now was like walking directly into the line of fire.
Feng Zeyue had never heard Su Shang speak so rudely before, and her eyes immediately welled up.
She hadn't cried even when she and her imperial brother were in a desperate struggle against the Sixth Prince's machinations. Now, she was on the verge of tears because of Su Shang's questioning words.
Feng Zeyue didn't want to appear so weak in front of Su Shang, but she couldn't control herself.
Seeing Feng Zeyue's tears, Su Shang froze, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. She took out a handkerchief and stiffly went to wipe the tears from her face, "accidentally" pulling off her veil.
Seeing Feng Zeyue's face for the first time, a flash of stunning beauty crossed Su Shang's eyes before she quickly suppressed it.
She smiled apologetically and picked up the veil that had fallen to the ground, handing it to Feng Zeyue, who was still taken aback.
"Your Highness, I did not intend to see it."
Feng Zeyue, however, pushed the veil back into Su Shang's hand. "Since General Su has already seen it, there's no need to wear it anymore."
She had originally intended to unveil herself on their wedding day and completely win him over with her exceptional beauty. Now, it seemed that plan was going to fall through.
With Gong Ningsi's selfless help, Su Shang had become extremely sensitive to people's emotions and clearly realized that Feng Zeyue's reaction was one of anger.
Anger? Was it because she had pulled off her veil and seen her face?
"Your Highness, it was my fault for losing my temper. I apologize here. If Your Highness has any requests, please do not hesitate to state them. As long as I can fulfill them, I will not refuse." Su Shang said politely.
Feng Zeyue let out a cold snort, her gaze flickered, and after a pause, she said, "Any request?"
"Yes, as long as I can do it," Su Shang replied without hesitation.
Feng Zeyue spoke, "Then I want a new title."
"We are now engaged, yet we still use honorifics for each other, which feels too distant. Do you have a courtesy name?"
She found it too difficult to call him "Shang" as a nickname.
A courtesy name? Su Shang's mind drifted for a moment.
Her mother had always disliked her, and even her name carried her mother's malice.
However, when she joined the army, to avoid being rejected again because of her name, Su Shang had given herself a courtesy name.
"Xing Zhi! That is my courtesy name," she said faintly, a barely perceptible flicker of anticipation in her eyes.
"Good! Then from now on, I will call you Xing Zhi! This name is quite pleasant." At least it was much more pleasant than Su Shang.
The first time she heard this name, Feng Zeyue had even thought it belonged to an extremely cold person.
But after spending time together, Feng Zeyue could feel that although Su Shang always appeared cold and expressionless, her heart was warm.
"Mm," Su Shang responded softly.
"Then what will you call me? You can't just be the only one calling me by a name! That seems a bit unfair," Feng Zeyue mused, resting her chin on her hand.
Then, with a decisive tone, she declared, leaving no room for argument, "Then from now on, Xing Zhi will call me Zeyue. No objections, this is the price for you pulling off my veil first."
"Alright."
Su Shang paused, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
It was just a name, nothing to care about.
But undeniably, since they began using more intimate terms for each other, their distance seemed to have unconsciously shortened considerably.
Su Shang somewhat liked this feeling. At least she could clearly feel that there was someone in the world who would treat her well without expecting anything in return.
This feeling was wondrous, and it made her cherish it even more.