The commotion drew the neighbors to peek out. Once they saw it was the yamen officers on official business, they respectfully kept their distance and quickly closed their doors and windows.
At this moment, the bound royal relatives and their evil servants were being escorted out of the alley by the yamen runners.
The mighty procession made its grand exit. Chu Junyi followed closely behind. Looking at this scene, for a moment, he felt that all his efforts were worth it.
The evening breeze blew against his face, making his dark crimson official robe flutter in the wind.
Under the same night sky, the thin veil on Li Xinyue's body also swayed in the wind, but the girl was already sound asleep. Her even breathing made her chest rise and fall slightly.
That night, Li Xinyue waited in vain for Chu Junyi. She got a bit angry and decided to wait one more day.
On the next evening, she asked Lian'er again, and the answer was still that he was busy with official duties.
Li Xinyue frowned slightly, turned over, and fanned herself, feeling annoyed.
That night, Chu Junyi was far outside the capital city, fighting desperately with a group of outlaws. Behind him was a bottomless cliff, shrouded in a hazy mist, like the open mouth of a giant beast waiting for the unlucky to fall in. In front of him were a bunch of desperadoes, with ferocious faces and extremely vicious looks.
Suddenly, a desperado launched a sneak attack on Chu Junyi. He dodged to the side, quickly grabbed the outlaw's arm, broke it with a twist, and then struck him with a palm, sending him off the cliff.
Seeing that both their front and back routes were blocked, the other desperadoes fought with all their might to break out a way.
The yamen runners and bodyguards led by Chu Junyi rushed forward. Just as the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, a ball of fire suddenly lit up in the darkness, followed by a loud explosion. The impact force pushed Chu Junyi off the cliff and knocked the sword out of his hand.
The long sword clattered to the ground, while the man fell into the cliff. The howling wind and the feeling of weightlessness made his heart leap into his throat.
Just when Chu Junyi thought he would never live to see Yuanyang again, he was caught on a tree.
The thick branches and leaves were like a shabby net that barely caught him.
Chu Junyi steadied his wildly beating heart, calmed down, and tried to figure out how to climb up.
In her sleep, Li Xinyue frowned slightly. An inexplicable uneasiness made her sleep restlessly. She tossed and turned several times in the middle of the night.
"By the mandate of heaven, the emperor decrees..."
The imperial edict for his promotion arrived at the same time as the first ray of sunlight in the morning.
Chu Junyi, who had returned alive, endured the pain on his back and staggered out of the archive room. He walked to the main hall and knelt down to receive the edict.
After Eunuch Wang finished reading the edict, he helped Chu Junyi up with one hand and patted the back of his hand appreciatively. "From today on, Lord Chu is the official of the fourth rank, the Magistrate of the Capital. This old servant congratulates Lord Chu."
Chu Junyi's eyebrows sank. Looking into the distance, he could already foresee the perils of his future official career, but it was the only way to reach Li Xinyue.
He paused for a moment and said indifferently, "Thank you, Eunuch."
...
"The son - in - law is back! The son - in - law is back!"
"Quick, go and tell Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
"Her Royal Highness has been waiting day and night for the son - in - law to return these days. Finally, her wish has come true!"
The noisy voices outside reached the room. Li Xinyue frowned irritably.
This frown also drove away her drowsiness. So she opened her eyes and saw that it was already bright. A lot of fallen leaves and flower petals had floated in through the wide - open window, and the blanket on her body had somehow fallen to the ground.
She propped herself up halfway and bent down to pick it up.
At the same moment, the door was pushed open. A beam of light shone in, illuminating half of the bedroom.
Li Xinyue looked up towards the door.
Chu Junyi also turned to look at her. The experience of surviving a near - death situation made him feel a flood of emotions when he saw Li Xinyue again. His heart was pounding with excitement, and his eyes were already moist. He bit his hand lightly and let out a breath before steadying his mind. Then he quickly walked towards Li Xinyue.
"Has Yue'er calmed down her anger?"
Li Xinyue's heart tightened. It was the kind of joy of finally waiting for something or someone. Although it didn't really matter to her if he didn't come, she was actually very happy that he was back.
She lowered her eyes, lay back on the couch, covered herself with the blanket, and gently slapped away the big hand that reached out to her.
"You knew I would be angry. Then why did you lie to me?"
"Do you know that if it weren't for you, I and..."
"You would have been with Murong Xiu, right?"
Li Xinyue's eyebrows trembled slightly, and there was a dull pain in her chest.
She suddenly couldn't go on.
Chu Junyi took off his shoes, climbed onto her couch, and pulled the small blanket over himself.
"Do you know that I love you?"
"Very much, very much."
As he said these words, looking at her turned - away back, he remembered last night's near - death experience, and his eyes were completely wet.
"Yes, I deceived you. But if I hadn't done so, the huge gap in our status and identity would never have given me a chance to pursue you.
In front of love, everyone is selfish.
I couldn't just watch you flirting with other men.
I just wanted to have you, to flirt with you.
Moreover, wasn't it you who first provoked me? How could you just walk away after I've fallen for you?
Are you really going to be so heartless?"
Li Xinyue suddenly opened her eyes. Half of her face was buried in the pillow. The feelings of excitement and shyness were like two ropes, tangling her thoughts in a mess.
She subconsciously grabbed the blanket on her chest tightly and couldn't say a word for a long time.
After a long, long time, so long that the whole room was completely quiet, she suddenly asked, "Are these words you said true or false? Did you go to so much trouble to be with me just to climb up the social ladder?
Wasn't it just to advance faster in your official career?"
"Hehe! The official career? It's so dangerous. If it weren't for being able to walk side by side with my beloved Princess, do you think I would be willing to work so hard?
Among those who passed the imperial examination in the same year, the second and third - place scholars are still working as editors in the Hanlin Academy. They clock in on time every day, wait for the end of the workday, have no worries about food and clothing, no danger to their lives, and can receive their salaries every month.
When I first took the imperial examination, I just wanted a comfortable life.
Now my job is more dangerous than all those years I spent on the streets. So what do you think I'm after?"
Li Xinyue turned around. Just as she was about to respond to him, she first noticed that he was actually crying.
A man of seven feet, who usually had a glib tongue, was actually crying. This surprised and stunned her. At the same time, she couldn't help but reflect on whether she had been too harsh on him.
"Why are you crying! You lied to me, and I didn't cry. But you started crying first."
"Who in the end should be crying more, you or me?"
She propped up her head to look for a silk handkerchief but found it was a bit far away. Forget it. She had to sacrifice her sleeve.
Chu Junyi caught the little hand that was trying to wipe his tears, kissed it gently on the lips, and then, taking her by surprise, pulled her onto his body and hugged her tightly.
Li Xinyue's heart skipped a beat. Before she could even resist, she was already trapped.
Her body was pressed against his, chest to chest. When she felt his strong and firm chest rubbing against her softness, she felt like she was on fire.