Chapter 236 Enjoying this place, I forget the court.

Chapter 236 Enjoying this place, I forget the court.

The Regent's Palace in the capital.

The sun was high in the sky, and sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, illuminating the tightly closed doors of the sleeping quarters.

The magpies in the courtyard were chirping merrily, as if still savoring the afterglow of last night's grand wedding.

However, the eunuch outside the door was pacing anxiously.

"Oh dear, it's already past 9 AM... Why hasn't Your Highness gotten up yet?"

The young eunuch held a stack of bright yellow memorials in his hands. They were sent by the newly enthroned Emperor Zhao An, who had cried and begged for them to be delivered to him early that morning.

He said that although he recognized the words on the memorial, he couldn't understand them when they were put together, and he insisted that his uncle go to the palace to make a decision.

"Um... Steward Zhao, why don't you go knock on the door?" The little eunuch looked to Uncle Zhao for help.

Uncle Zhao, eyes downcast and seemingly oblivious to his own thoughts, shook his head nonchalantly: "This old servant wants to live a couple more years. I'll go and knock your door open."

Are you kidding me? After making such a commotion last night, going to knock on the door this morning? That's practically suicide!

Just as the little eunuch was about to cry in desperation and was about to bite the bullet and scratch at the door...

"Squeak—"

The bedroom door, which had been tightly closed for a whole night and half a day, finally opened slowly, just a crack.

A long, slender, fair hand with distinct knuckles rested on the door frame.

Immediately afterwards, Pei Yunjing appeared at the doorway.

He was only wearing a loose, dark robe, the belt tied loosely, revealing a large expanse of his muscular chest, with several ambiguous scratch marks faintly visible on it.

Her dark hair fell casually over her shoulders, and she exuded a lazy, satisfied air, along with... the grumpy feeling of being woken up.

"What's all the noise about?"

Pei Yunjing leaned against the door frame, his brows slightly furrowed, his voice hoarse and deep, with a magnetic quality that made one's legs go weak.

The young eunuch was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud, holding up the memorial in his hand:

"Your Highness, please forgive me! It was His Majesty... His Majesty said these memorials were too difficult, and he was so anxious in the Imperial Study that he cried and begged Your Highness to come to the palace..."

"cry?"

Pei Yunjing glanced at the stack of memorials, yawned, casually straightened his collar, and spoke in a cool and matter-of-fact tone:

“Tell His Majesty that he is the emperor, not a baby.”

"If you can't understand the words, look them up; if you don't know how to do something, ask the Prime Minister. If you have to bother me with such trivial matters..."

Pei Yunjing sneered, raised his hand, and swatted the eunuch and the memorial away as if swatting a fly:

"Then I can have someone else sit on this dragon throne at any time."

"Go back and tell him that I am busy."

The young eunuch trembled with fear, and mustered his courage to ask, "Then... how should this servant report to His Majesty? Your Highness... what important state affairs are you busy with?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yunjing turned his head slightly, glanced at the layers of red silk curtains behind him, and a gentle smile flashed in his eyes.

"Yes, it is indeed a big deal."

He turned around and started spouting nonsense with a straight face:

"I am currently accompanying the Queen... to study the mysteries of 'life reproduction'."

"This is a matter of great importance concerning the future successor of the Great Sheng Dynasty. I don't have time for him. Get lost."

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut again.

Outside the door, a young eunuch held a memorial to the emperor, his face disheveled in the wind.

Life...reproduction?

That excuse... is way too self-righteous!

...

Time flies, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Late autumn in the North.

The battlefield, once filled with the smoke of battle, is now covered by a vast expanse of grass.

Although it is late autumn, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the wind blows the grass low, creating a unique sense of desolate and magnificent beauty.

On that land that once buried countless bones, a brand-new "Royal Ranch" has sprung up.

"Giddy up! Giddy up!"

The crisp laughter carried far on the wind.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, Tang Li, dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, rode her black horse "Mo Feng" across the grassland.

Behind her was not a vast army, but a flock of round, chubby... sheep.

"Big White! Over there! Don't let that sheep get away!"

Tangli waved her small whip, directing the white-browed tiger, who was also frolicking on the grass.

Big White let out a howl, though it looked very unwilling (the king of beasts was actually herding sheep), but it still obediently rushed over and scared the stray sheep back to the flock.

On a hillside not far away, Pei Yunjing was not riding a horse.

He took off his court robes, which symbolized power, and put on a neat cloth outfit, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his strong forearms.

At this very moment, the powerful regent of the Great Sheng Dynasty was sitting around a campfire, holding a small brush in his hand, intently... brushing oil onto a whole roasted lamb.

"Sizzle..."

Golden oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, stirring up an enticing smoky aroma. The fragrance of cumin and chili powder wafted for miles on the wind.

The "Zhanwang" sword, which had once drunk the blood of countless enemies, lay on the ground beside him, now reduced to a meat cleaver.

"It smells so good!" Tangli came back following the scent.

She leaped off her horse, tossed the reins to Big White (Big White: ?), and then pounced on Pei Yunjing like a greedy cat.

"Is it ripe? Is it ripe?"

She stared at the roasted lamb, its skin golden brown and crispy, her eyes shining.

Pei Yunjing looked at her with affection, cut off a piece of the tenderest lamb leg with his dagger, blew on it, and brought it to her lips:

"Try it."

He took a bite of the pear, hissing as it was so hot, but he couldn't bear to spit it out, and mumbled a thumbs-up:

"Delicious! This is exactly the taste I wanted! Your Highness's cooking is the best in the world!"

Pei Yunjing smiled, a smile warmer than the autumn sun.

The two sat side by side on the grass, sharing the roasted whole lamb. Big White lay beside them, gnawing on bones, while lightning swirled in the sky, occasionally letting out a clear cry.

As the sun set, the golden-red afterglow bathed the entire grassland, stretching their shadows long and intertwined, making them indistinguishable from one another.

Tang Li leaned against Pei Yunjing's chest, watching the sun slowly sink in the distance, feeling the steady and powerful heartbeat of the man behind her.

Suddenly, I felt that all of this was so beautiful it was almost unreal.

"Pei Yunjing," she called softly.

"Hmm?" Pei Yunjing put his arm around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head.

Do you think people really have an afterlife?

Tangli stretched out her hand, spreading her five fingers towards the setting sun, as if trying to grasp this moment of time:

"I feel... this life is too short."

Even if one lives to be a hundred, it is only a few decades long.

For such a profound and unforgettable love, it was far too short.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yunjing grasped her hand in mid-air, their fingers intertwined.

He lowered his head and looked at the woman in his arms whom he loved to the core.

From initial exploitation to later understanding, and now to a vow of life and death together.

She was his medicine, his life, and the final resting place of his soul.

"Yes." Pei Yunjing's voice was deep and firm, like a solemn promise.

He lifted her hand and placed a devout kiss on the back of it: "If you want it, you will have it."

"If this life isn't enough, then reserve the next life, and the life after that."

Pei Yunjing looked into her eyes, those phoenix eyes reflecting the sunset, so deep and captivating:

"Tang Li, remember this."

"No matter where you are in your next life, or what you become..."

"Even in the deepest hell, even at the end of time and space."

"I can find you no matter what."

"Then……"

He kissed her forehead and smiled as he uttered the most beautiful vow: "I'll marry you again and cook braised pork for you for the rest of my life."