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"Lord Long?"

"Please forgive me, Ang Emperor. I am feeling unwell today and must take my leave." He seemed to be holding back all his strength to refrain from raising his fist to punch the emperor. He tried his best to maintain the demeanor of an elegant woman and curtsied. After turning around, he could no longer restrain himself and strode towards the door.

"Hey! Lord Long, I was just joking, don't take it seriously!"

The mocking shouts couldn't bring back the person who was already burning with anger, but they did summon the Page.

Upon seeing the true emperor, he immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and shouted "Long live the emperor!" three times.

Longyang looked down and saw it was one of his own Page. "What are you doing here?"

"Second Young Master, I have something urgent to discuss with you."

"If there's anything urgent, just wait until I get back to the manor. Why come to the Dongxu Mansion to make a fool of yourself?"

"This, no..." The Page was so anxious that tears were about to come out. He glanced at His Your Majesty but dared not say anything.

"Hmm? Long Er, your Page seems to have something he can't say because I'm here. Should I leave?" The Your Majesty scrutinized the Page's frequent glances at him, his eyes revealing displeasure. "Is there something, Long Er, that I cannot know?"

"Tch! I'm not like some people, always hiding so many secrets," Longyang glanced at Li Chenjing, who was still lost in their flirtatious exchange, then scolded his Page, "What's all this fuss about? Speak! What is it?"

Upon hearing his master's request, the Page could no longer withstand the Your Majesty's intense gaze and lowered his head to tell him everything, "The carriage of the Young General's Wife of Yuanzhou has been stationed outside the Capital. Messenger has come to inform the second young master that Madam Wu has brought a message requesting that the second young master do her a favor and allow her to enter the city."

"The Young General's Wife of Yuanzhou? Madam Wu?" Longyang murmured these two unfamiliar titles, and His Your Majesty beside him gently spoke to remind him.

"Prime Minister Li's daughter— Li Danxin."

"Li Danxin?" As if years had passed, Longyang suddenly remembered this name and hurriedly stood up, his brows furrowed as he looked at Li Chenjing. "Li Chenjing's... older sister? Why has she suddenly returned?"

"Who knows?" His Your Majesty looked up at Li Chenjing, who was still unaware of the situation, and said to Longyang, "Sister Danxin is too particular. She actually spent the night outside the city. As the Prime Minister's own daughter, why didn't Prime Minister Chancellor Li inform me of this matter? Instead, Danxin had to go through all sorts of trouble to find you to ask for the imperial decree to enter the city."

"..." Longyang glanced at him thoughtfully, wondering what he was up to, but this medicine was definitely going to be used on someone.

"What are you all standing there for? I already know about this matter. Quickly tell the Messenger to invite the Young General's Wife of Yuanzhou into the city immediately." Before Longyang could react, His Your Majesty had already raised his head and given the order.

The Long Household Page glanced awkwardly at his second young master, who had been silent for a long time, and could only grit his teeth and listen to the emperor's words before turning around and carrying out his orders.

A pot of wine, two cups.

One table, two chairs.

Only one person sat on the stone chair, sipping wine from their cup.

A green leaf fell from the treetop and landed on the stone table. It was gently picked up by the delicate, beautiful crimson nail polish and twirled between the fingertips.

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying the leaf from my hand away.

Long Ang stared blankly at his empty hand, the Emperor's irritating tone echoing in his mind again—"First come, first served."

The scent of Rouge on the lips, mixed with the cool wine, slowly turned from fragrant to bitter.

"You're Miss Long Household? You're quite pretty, not as unpleasant as I imagined."

"Your mother is pregnant too? Do you want a younger brother or a younger sister?"

"Ah, it would be nice to have a little sister following behind, but this time—I still hope Mother will give birth to a boy."

"It's born! It's born! My mother gave birth to a boy. That's wonderful! I have a little brother now! Our Li Household line can finally continue! Father and Mother are so happy! I won't be an only child anymore! With a little brother, maybe one day I can ride a tall horse and leave the Capital to see the snow and the desert! Let's go together! You look so delicate, you sit in front of me, and I'll lead you!"

"Xiao Ang, am I a bad older sister? I feel... having a younger brother is not good at all. Daddy and Mommy rarely look at me anymore. Are your parents like this too? If I became prettier, would they pay more attention to me?"

"Why do you have to compare yourself to me in everything! Whether it's looks, clothes, music, calligraphy, or painting, can you please stop standing next to me?! I hate your utterly hypocritical nature!"

The porcelain cup in his hand was suddenly gripped tightly, spilling a few drops of wine that stained his fragrant, snow-white sleeves. He raised his head and drank the rest of the wine in one gulp. The moment he put down the cup, his gaze was drawn to a dark shadow emerging from the green leaves.

He hurriedly stood up and walked towards the shadowy area where the sunlight couldn't penetrate. His delicate fingers touched a few drooping vines, and he gracefully lifted his sleeve to part the green tendrils that were obscuring them.

A face he knew all too well slowly came into view.

She wore no makeup, even her lips were noticeably white. After getting married, she wore her hair in Peony Bun without any hairpins or hair ornaments, her Buyao Hairpin making her seem unfamiliar and heartbreaking to him.

She seemed surprised to run into him here. The unexpected encounter flustered her, and she lowered her head slightly to avoid his gaze. She spoke softly, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"..." He looked at her without speaking, because he couldn't greet her as casually as she did when old friends met.

Finding a moment of composure amidst her panic, she curtsied slightly to him, saying, "Please convey my gratitude to Young Master Longyang. If it weren't for his help, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to enter the Capital right now."