Chapter 243: "You Want to Get Married, Then We Will!

On the third day of the Emperor’s stay at the hunting grounds, Mu Yunlian was the first one who couldn’t wait any longer.

He had already handled the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue and taken the opportunity to see the Emperor ahead of schedule.

In truth, they all knew what the Emperor was avoiding. He had intended to give her time to think, but he couldn’t wait that long.

"Your Majesty!"

Mu Yunlian rode into the hunting enclosure. Seeing Xiao Yang from afar, he called out to her, spurred his horse forward, and gracefully dismounted. His eyes betrayed a desire to step forward and embrace her, but he restrained himself and bowed in greeting first.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yang looked at him. "You may rise."

With that, she held out her hand.

Mu Yunlian immediately stepped forward and took it.

Her Majesty’s unreserved show of intimacy instantly soothed the anxiety that had been building in him over the past few days.

He glanced at Xiao Yang’s attire. "Is Your Majesty preparing to go hunting in the mountains?"

Xiao Yang said, "I was thinking about it. You’ve come at just the right time."

Mu Yunlian was also in riding attire; with a few minor preparations, he could join her in the mountains.

After exchanging a few words with Xiao Yang, Mu Yunlian finally turned his gaze to Li Wei, who had been standing less than two paces behind her the entire time.

The distance wasn’t improper, nor did it seem overly intimate, but the way Li Wei looked at Her Majesty was different now.

Mu Yunlian reined in his emotions. "The Great General’s valor is known throughout the Capital City. I, too, am deeply impressed. It is merely a shame that I was not able to witness it myself."

Li Wei nodded. "Minister Mu, you flatter me. I was only acting to ensure Her Majesty’s safety."

Riding into the woods, Xiao Yang was in the center, with Mu Yunlian and Li Wei flanking her from half a pace behind, protectively.

Both men’s gazes were fixed on Xiao Yang. Occasionally, as if sensing something, they would look at each other. Their eyes would meet, and some things needed no explanation.

Li Wei wouldn’t make a grand, showy declaration, and Mu Yunlian wouldn’t question things out of jealousy.

’Li Wei is worthy of Her Majesty. He is too powerful; a sword like that must be wielded by Her Majesty’s hand.’

’But... even now, even after having long since accepted reality, he couldn’t help the sour feeling that welled up inside him.’

They hunted all morning, stopping to rest by a small stream around noon.

Only then did Mu Yunlian get the chance to sit beside the Emperor, taking her hand and reluctant to let go.

"I have missed Your Majesty these past few days."

Mu Yunlian interlaced his fingers with hers, clasping them tightly. "It was my fault. I’ve put you in a difficult position."

Xiao Yang turned to look at him. "You’ve done nothing wrong. Why apologize?"

Mu Yunlian was direct. "We have put Your Majesty in a difficult position."

Whatever he had been thinking about, his expression was now one of acceptance. "Marriage is just a ceremony. Whether it happens or not, it doesn’t change my feelings for Your Majesty. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to think about it."

He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "To be able to accompany Your Majesty like this for a lifetime, I would have no regrets."

To have met Xiao Yang again, to be redeemed by her, and to have his deepest wish fulfilled—he was already content.

Marriage was a further indulgence of greed.

He wanted a wedding. He wanted a proper title.

Her Majesty was resistant to the idea of marriage and needed time to think, yet after just three days without seeing her, he was already panicking.

He was afraid that after thinking it over, she would still refuse. He was afraid she would grow tired of him and, in the end, they would grow more and more distant.

At a gambling table where the stakes were taking one step forward or ten thousand steps back, he couldn’t afford to bet at all. So he came to concede defeat in person.

Xiao Yang just watched him, watched his expression of willing acceptance, and saw the plea hidden within his affectionate gaze.

He wanted to smooth things over, to act as if this had never happened. He wanted to beg her to stop thinking about it and just let things go back to how they were.

’As a player, she had seen gazes far more desperate and pleading than this.’

’She was heartless, yet she reveled in the indulgence.’

’She loved to play the field. She was beautiful, wealthy, and generous, so it was always easy for her to captivate people’s hearts and souls. They would profess they’d die for her, begging to be with her for a lifetime.’

’What "lifetime" could a player offer? Were those people after her heart or her money? Perhaps they themselves didn’t even know.’

’She didn’t believe in vows of eternal love, nor in feelings as deep as the ocean. More than that, she didn’t like the idea of another person appearing in her life.’

’She even insisted on being registered as her own separate household.’

’Now she was the Emperor; she had even less reason to care what others thought.’

’Not even if the one asking was Meng Xuechen.’

’Gratitude was one thing, and affection was another.’

’If Meng Xuechen were in danger, she would risk her life to save him, but a life debt shouldn’t force her to compromise on the major decisions in her own life.’

’She was free and untamable by nature. Nothing could tie her down. She lived only for herself.’

"Nothing can tie me down."

In that instant, Xiao Yang had an epiphany. She suddenly understood what she had truly been afraid of all this time.

She wasn’t afraid of marriage itself, but of the shadow of her parents’ failed marriage that still loomed over her.

It was rooted in her very soul, impossible to escape.

The more she tried to fight it, the tighter its grip became, which was why she felt suffocated and oppressed when facing Mu Yunlian and the others.

But Mu Yunlian was not her father, and she was not her mother.

They were different people, meant to have different lives.

The fog in her heart lifted, and her vision suddenly cleared. The gloom that had gathered in her heart these past few days dispersed completely. She looked at Mu Yunlian and, after a long silence, spoke slowly but firmly, "Nothing can tie me down. Not the world, and not you."

Mu Yunlian’s face paled slightly, but he accepted it in an instant, his eyes filled with tender affection as he looked at her.

"Yes. You are you. Your Majesty is the supreme sovereign, the highest Emperor in the mortal realm. No one can tie you down."

’What he loved about her was her untamed spirit, her confidence and composure. How could he bear to tie her down or make things difficult for her?’

’He just wanted to spend the rest of his life protecting her, loving her, and never being parted from her again.’

Xiao Yang’s lips curled into a smile. "Then I’ll have to trouble the Minister of Revenue to prepare for Our grand wedding."

Mu Yunlian’s head snapped up. He stared at her in disbelief, afraid he had misheard.

"What did Your Majesty say?"

Xiao Yang reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled him closer, giving him a light kiss. "The only thing in this world that has ever tied me down is myself. Isn’t fearing marriage just another wall?"

"You want to get married? Then let’s get married!"

’Marriage and titles were just formalities. In this life, what mattered were one’s heart and one’s abilities.’

’She was the Emperor. How could a mere marriage possibly bind or imprison her?’

’They wanted a wedding. What was the harm in granting them that?’

"Your Majesty..."

Mu Yunlian was stunned into silence. By the time he came to his senses, Xiao Yang had already risen, spurred her horse into a gallop, and charged into the woods. Even the wind stirred by her speeding horse felt free and unrestrained.

Mu Yunlian’s heart hammered in his chest. The shock and bewilderment in his eyes finally coalesced into restrained ecstasy.

’He couldn’t have misheard. No, he definitely hadn’t misheard.’

’Her Majesty was willing to marry him! Her Majesty was willing!’

Having untied the knot in her heart, Xiao Yang spent the afternoon playing to her heart’s content.

Mu Yunlian seemed completely dazed. He did nothing for the rest of the day but stare at Xiao Yang, prompting even Li Wei to glance back at him several times.

Xiao Yang climbed up a tall rock to admire the scenery. As she came down, Li Wei caught her in one swift motion.

"Careful, Your Majesty."

He caught Xiao Yang with ease but was reluctant to put her down. He held her tightly in his arms, using all his willpower to keep from demanding a kiss right then and there.

Seeing this scene finally snapped the dazed Mu Yunlian back to his senses.

’Her Majesty’s agreement to marry had sent him into ecstasy, but he feared that this marriage would not be a happy ending for him alone.’

’Li Wei. He admitted the Great General was powerful and valiant, but that didn’t stop him from finding the man to be an eyesore.’

’It wasn’t just Li Wei who was an eyesore. All the others were, too.’