First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Qin Yue!

Following Gu Junxi's words, Ning Hanshuang recalled the moments she had spent with Qin Yue.

On the day Qin Yue proposed to her, he brought twenty-three weapons that he had made himself.

Those weapons were all exquisite, each with a unique shape; she fell in love with them at first glance.

Qin Yue gazed at her bright eyes, gently stroked her hair, and took out a stack of drawings from behind him.

"Shuang'er, do you still remember these blueprints?"

Ning Hanshuang took the drawings and looked them over one by one. She realized that these drawings were all very familiar, as if she had drawn them in her spare time before she got married.

Before she married, she always dreamed of being a wanderer in the martial arts world, hoping to possess countless weapons and travel the world with them, dominating the battlefield.

A girl's dreams are as romantic as a poem, but after marriage, she becomes a woman, and household chores and raising children take up most of her time.

Those romantic dreams can only remain dreams forever, shelved and gradually forgotten, locked away, until even the person themselves no longer remembers them.

Ning Hanshuang was surprised that Qin Yue still remembered: "Are these all my manuscripts? Where did you get them?"

Qin Yue, a general revered by thousands, was already old enough to be a grandfather, yet he scratched his hair like a young boy.

“I remember you showed me these manuscripts before, saying you wanted to find the best blacksmith to forge a weapon for you every year. So I took it upon myself to have Xixi find these manuscripts in the cabinet in your study.”

"I've found a blacksmith to learn from, but I don't know if these weapons will meet your expectations."

It's incredibly moving to have your childhood dream remembered, realized, and delivered to you personally.

Ning Hanshuang's fingers traced over the weapons that gleamed with a cold light, her heart filled with excitement and her blood boiling. She couldn't help but pick up the longsword in front of her and demonstrate a set of sword techniques.

While practicing swordsmanship, she felt as light as a swallow, as if she had returned to the carefree days of her teenage years when she could pursue her dreams to the fullest.

After completing a set of sword techniques, Ning Hanshuang grew even more fond of the longsword in her hand. She then switched to another weapon to try it out. In less than half an hour, Ning Hanshuang had tried out all the weapons.

"Ah Yue, these weapons are exactly what I wanted; I love every single one of them. Thank you for making my dream come true."

These weapons may not seem as valuable as the various precious Buddhist beads that Gu Yuanbai painstakingly searched for from all over the world, but she truly loves them to the core.

The value of any object should not be judged solely by its monetary worth; the care and attention put into its creation are also crucial.

These dozens of weapons are far beyond what Gu Yuanbai could acquire simply by spending money.

"Shuang'er, I'm glad you're happy." Qin Yue breathed a sigh of relief, glanced down at the various wounds on his palms, concealed them by putting his hands behind his back, and a tender look appeared in his deep eyes.

"Shuang'er, this isn't really fulfilling a dream. The real dream is to take these twenty-two weapons and roam the martial world. Marry me, and let me accompany you on your adventures. Let's be a pair of immortal heroes, okay?"

A divine couple, I envy not even the immortals!

The thought popped into Ning Hanshuang's head, and her heart began to pound violently.

To cast aside all worldly concerns and roam the world with her beloved was her ultimate dream.

She had thought about telling Qin Yue about this dream, but after decades of twists and turns, it was Qin Yue who told her first.

"Okay, I'll marry you, and we'll adventure together!"

Feelings of excitement, emotion, and impulse all intertwined in that instant. Ning Hanshuang didn't have time to think about anything else and nodded in agreement.

"Shuang'er, really? This isn't my imagination, is it? You really agreed to marry me?" Qin Yue pinched his face hard, seemingly unable to believe that the proposal had gone so smoothly.

Ning Hanshuang stared at the red marks on Qin Yue's cheek that he had pinched himself, and a happy smile appeared on her lips.

As the memory ended, Ning Hanshuang touched the corner of her mouth and realized that she couldn't help but smile.

Being with Qin Yue, she'll probably be happy for the rest of her life.

At least at this moment, she genuinely felt that way.

Thinking this to herself, Ning Hanshuang felt a little embarrassed in front of her daughter, but she still nodded and said, "Your Uncle Qin is a nice person!"

“Since it’s good, then what are you still hesitating about, Mother? Do you want to be a heartless and unfaithful person?” Gu Junxi asked in return.

"Nonsense!" How could she be such a heartless person? If she really were, her father and mother would probably jump out of their ancestral graves to beat her. Ning Hanshuang glared at Gu Junxi, and suddenly the knot in her heart was untied and she felt relieved.

Since she could no longer let Qin Yue down, and her two daughters said they didn't care, if she hesitated any longer, she would just be being pretentious.

"Alright, Xixi, Lili, help me with my makeup!" Ning Hanshuang breathed a long sigh of relief and walked to the dressing mirror.

The dressing mirror reflected three beautiful faces, each with its own unique charm.

“My two daughters are so beautiful. If it weren’t for Gu Yuanbai, I would have been able to take you out with me more than ten years ago. Other ladies would be so envious of having such beautiful daughters.”

“Mother, you can take my sister and me out more often now.” Gu Junxi took out rouge and applied it to Ning Hanshuang’s face.

Ning Hanshuang held Gu Junxi's and Su Li's hands with satisfaction, her eyes filled with longing.

He envisioned a future where he would take Gu Junxi and Su Li out to a banquet together.

"Cherish the present!" Ning Hanshuang's gaze met Su Li's in the bronze mirror.

Su Li's usually nonchalant gaze softened, and longing appeared in her eyes, as if a hard shell had broken, revealing a soft interior.

Ning Hanshuang's eyes lit up, and she gripped Su Li's hand even tighter.

When Su Li met Ning Hanshuang's excited gaze, she realized that her true emotions had been inadvertently revealed, and like a snail whose antennae had been touched, she immediately withdrew them.

She averted her gaze and pulled her hand away from Ning Hanshuang's: "I'll go outside and see who's here!"

Suddenly finding her hands empty, Ning Hanshuang met Gu Junxi's disappointed gaze. They both knew that their attempt to get closer to Su Li had failed once again.

Su Li seemed to be holding her breath as she walked through the door and out of the courtyard. Only after walking through several long corridors and seeing no outsiders could she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Su Li really enjoyed the atmosphere of being with Ning Hanshuang and Gu Junxi, but she knew she couldn't get too caught up in it.

Su Li lowered her eyes, picked up a small stone from the ground, and threw it into the distant bushes. She looked up and saw a figure sneaking towards the kitchen.

Sneaking around in broad daylight, they're obviously not good people. Su Li narrowed her eyes and followed them.

In the kitchen, a plump cook placed a bowl of steaming medicine on a tray and carefully handed it to a young maid.

"Be careful, this is medicine that the Crown Princess specially ordered to be brewed for His Highness the Crown Prince. It took two hours to brew, and if it spills, it will be gone today!"

The maid responded softly, took the tray, and carefully walked out of the kitchen.

She left the kitchen, walked through the deserted corridor, and as she reached the corner, someone struck her from behind with a karate chop, causing her body to go limp and fall to the ground.

The attacker was prepared. The moment the maid fell, he caught her and the tray in her hand, took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, and put the medicine from the bottle into the medicine bowl.