“No.” Jiujiu’s eyes were red, pressing her hand back again, “Wi-wife-master, when you take your hand away, my heart feels even stranger.”

Empty and hollow, as if she should have been there all along, rather than being apart.

He didn’t dare look at Li Ruantang’s expression now, nor did he fully understand what was wrong with his heart.

In an instant, Li Ruantang felt the faint string in her mind growing increasingly taut. “Silly Jiujiu.”

A very soft sigh sounded by his ear. Before Meng Jun could react, a plain handkerchief gently covered his lips.

Li Ruantang leaned down, restraining herself yet indulgently pressing against it.

The moon in the sky hid behind clouds, only revealing a small half of its clear radiance.

The young man looked dazedly at the obviously energetic girl. Phew! The trick really worked!

It’s just that this handkerchief was a bit of a nuisance.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes closed dizzily, instinctively and secretly biting her lip.

Through the handkerchief, it wasn’t as comfortable as cuddling last night. It would be better to remove it.

The young man slightly raised his eyelids, but before he could reach out his hand, Li Ruantang had already sat up. Her ears and cheeks were completely red, and she glanced awkwardly at the confused Jiujiu, explaining dryly, “One, one quarter of an hour, it’s already up.”

If she continued any longer, she might not be able to remain human.

The handkerchief placed on the young man’s lips had a forceful “endure” character embroidered in the corner. Li Ruantang took a deep breath, having just calmed down a bit. Her gaze turned, and she saw the obvious wet spot on the handkerchief.

The fingers hidden in her sleeve suddenly tightened. Fortunately, she still had some clarity earlier and placed a handkerchief as a barrier, otherwise how could she have stopped in time now.

“Eh? So fast?” The young man looked doubtfully at the candle on the table. He sat up holding the quilt, comparing with his fingers from afar, and sure enough, it was pretty close to what he had said during the day.

“But.” Grasping the handkerchief that had just covered his face, Meng Jun pouted slightly, lowering his head and saying, “Wife-master is cheating. How can someone cuddle with a handkerchief in between?”

His romance novels clearly stated it, and moreover, what if there was no effect when separated by a handkerchief.

In any case, it was still early. The young man secretly tucked the handkerchief under his pillow. “Wife-master.”

Those bright black phoenix eyes, though shy, still looked at her innocently, “Why don’t we—”

The unfinished words were hurriedly covered by Li Ruantang. Her face was burning hot as she hastily changed the subject, “Jiujiu, aren’t you going to ask whose carriage will be waiting for us outside Changshan Gully tomorrow?”

The Shu Qin Prince’s mansion, ah. The young man was slightly stunned. Of course he knew who she was.

“Jiujiu, perhaps my future path won’t be smooth sailing.” Li Ruantang looked steadily at the young man with disheveled black hair, his handsome face still flushed. “And it might implicate you. If, if—”

That phrase ‘if you have other plans, I can let you leave’ had been rehearsed dozens of times, but facing him, Li Ruantang just couldn’t say it.

Those apricot eyes quietly looked at Meng Jun.

“I’m not afraid!” As if knowing what she was about to say, the young man pulled down her hand and held it in his palm.

When he was young, when news of the Shu Qin Prince dying in battle on the frontier reached the capital, she had the same expression when saying goodbye to him from atop the wall.

Unfortunately, he didn’t understand then, but now he could see clearly. He couldn’t easily wave goodbye and leave her lonely like he did as a child.

He, he couldn’t bear to part with her.

Just thinking about her being isolated and helpless, Meng Jun’s heart felt as if someone had pricked it densely with a needle tip. Like a lingering drizzle, it brought a faint melancholy to her furrowed brow.

Tomorrow, he probably wouldn’t be able to wait for the news from Sister Wei. If after returning to the capital, the imperial decree was indeed extremely unfavorable to Li Ruantang as she said.

The young man gritted his teeth. Then he would go all out. Even if no one else stepped forward, he would try his best to beg his mother to speak more kind words for Li Ruantang before the Empress.

“Little fool.”

Truly a young master raised in the inner courtyard. Li Ruantang sighed inwardly. Jiujiu didn’t understand the affairs of the court, how one thing affects everything else. How could she rightfully expect his family to suffer along with her?

“Wife-master, I’m serious.” The young man hurriedly sat up straight. His hand loosened, and the thin quilt fell away, revealing a large expanse of jade-like skin.

He didn’t care about that at all, only tightly grasping her hand, “I will stay with wife-master.”

The young man’s unknowingly passionate feelings were like an east wind blowing over miles of ice, gently brushing open mountain peach blossoms. Petal by petal, they slowly bloomed.

“Why… do you want to stay with me?”

Li Ruantang’s voice was slightly hoarse as she turned her face slightly, hiding the emotion in her eyes.

Her Jiujiu had always been silly. Now that he was so determined, it was most likely that no one had told him about the awkward situation of the Shu Qin Prince’s mansion.

As soon as they returned to the capital, all that awaited them was separation. Unless she could quickly uncover the mastermind behind the Golden Elixir case and successfully have an audience with the Empress.

Li Ruantang frowned. Although she didn’t remember much, based on what she knew now, if she considered Jiujiu’s interests, letting him leave earlier would certainly be best.

But what if Jiujiu was mocked by others after their separation? Or if he remarried and was bullied on some pretext?

For a moment, Li Ruantang’s mind buzzed, and a faint sweet fragrance wafted from her stiff shoulders.

Meng Jun leaned on her shoulder. In the moonlight, the young man gently pressed his lips together and hugged her arm. “Because you are Tangtang.”

When they were little, they had also linked pinkies and made a promise. It didn’t matter if she didn’t remember now, as long as he did.

“Silly.” Li Ruantang smiled silently. Her previously worried heart seemed to have been kissed by the spring breeze, instantly becoming soft and alive.

Indeed, judging solely by her delayed inheritance of the Shu Qin Prince title, the Prince’s mansion was indeed not very peaceful.

But there’s always a turning point in everything, such as this Golden Elixir case etched in her bones.

Vaguely, Li Ruantang always felt there was something extremely important behind this. However, now was not the best time to ponder these things.

Especially since her clingy young husband, afraid she wouldn’t believe him, had already clasped his fingers ready to swear an oath.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes were extremely serious, making Li Ruantang’s raised lips even more apparent. “Silly Jiujiu, you are my closest person in the world. How could I not believe you?”

Reaching out to tidy the young man’s loose collar, Li Ruantang tapped his nose and said with a smile, “Zhou Fulang said that plum wine easily makes people tired. You drank two cups today. Aren’t you sleepy yet?”

He hadn’t felt tired until she mentioned it. As soon as Li Ruantang finished speaking, Meng Jun yawned several times in succession.

After blowing out the lamp, the flush on both their faces gradually faded.

Meng Jun slept for a while but felt something wasn’t quite right. He secretly measured with his hand the distance between their pillows, which was wide enough to fit a fist. He stealthily moved his buckwheat pillow a bit closer.

Only when the two pillows were side by side did the young man lie back down satisfied. He glanced sideways at Li Ruantang sleeping properly beside him.

Hmm, it still seemed a bit far.

Should he move even closer?