Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Ling Feng pursed his lips, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, and stammered, "No...no need to trouble Your Majesty..."

Seeing that Ling Feng's ears were also red, Jiang Qingyan stopped teasing him and squatted down to unpack the bundle and take out the contents one by one.

Ling Feng looked at the strange things in the bundle and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, what are these?"

Jiang Qingyan carefully assembled the parts, casually saying, "These are the things I used for my marriage proposal."

Upon hearing this, Ling Feng's heart trembled. The Emperor was proposing marriage? To whom? The Regent or General Lu?

But he was just a guard; what right did he have to ask the emperor questions?

Ling Feng concealed the emotions in his eyes, squatted down, and said softly, "What can this subordinate do for Your Majesty?"

Jiang Qingyan stroked her chin, as if she had thought of something, and looked up at Ling Feng with a light smile, "Go and pick some fresh flowers for me, red ones!"

Ling Feng nodded: "Alright, I'll go pick the flowers right away."

Having said that, he used his light-footed skill to leave.

After a long time, Jiang Qingyan finally assembled the frame, which was an archway woven from wire, along with some wooden frames of various shapes.

Jiang Qingyan blew on her fingers, which had been cut a few times by the wire, and looked at her masterpiece with a satisfied smile.

At this moment, Ling Feng also returned carrying a large bouquet of red flowers, followed by an unfamiliar man.

Jiang Qingyan took the flowers and examined them carefully, her excitement barely concealed in her eyes. "They're roses! Ling Feng, you're amazing!"

Hearing Jiang Qingyan's praise, Ling Feng's cheeks flushed slightly. He said softly, "This subordinate doesn't know what a rose is. I just thought this flower was very beautiful, so I picked it for Your Majesty..."

"Who made this? They have such skillful hands!" The man behind Ling Feng exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the archway woven by Jiang Qingyan.

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. "Ling Feng, who is he?"

Ling Feng pulled the man out from behind him and explained, "Your Majesty, this man is named Liang Cheng. I met him by chance while picking flowers. He said he was lost in the forest and insisted that I lead him out."

“Liang Cheng…that name sounds so familiar…” Jiang Qingyan pondered, stroking her chin.

Liang Cheng immediately knelt on the ground and introduced himself: "This humble subject, Liang Cheng, greets Your Majesty! I was originally a craftsman in Da'an City, but I was being chased by villains and fled all the way to Yunhai City... Unfortunately, I got lost in the forest... Luckily, I was fortunate enough to meet this young master, otherwise I would probably have been eaten by wolves..."

Jiang Qingyan sized up Liang Cheng, who was indeed handsome. She narrowed her eyes and teased, "Being chased by villains? Did you steal someone's wife and get caught?"

Liang Cheng's face darkened, and he quickly explained, "No, no, I'm not that kind of person. I'm a respectable craftsman..."

After saying that, Liang Cheng quickly turned around and pointed to the jade pendant at Ling Feng's waist, saying with a proud look on his face, "The jade pendant at this young master's waist was carved by this humble person!"

Jiang Qingyan stared at the jade fish playing with lotus pendant on Ling Feng's waist and suddenly realized that he was Liang Cheng, the most famous craftsman in the city whose hands had been crippled, as the stall owner had mentioned that day!

Jiang Qingyan has always been a person who appreciates talent. Since Liang Cheng has such good skills, he must not be a petty thief.

She quickly gestured for Liang Cheng to stand up, then stared at his hands and asked, "I've heard that your hands have been crippled and you can't even carve a flower now. Is that true?"

Liang Cheng rubbed his wrist and sighed, "Ah, this is a long story..."

"Then let's get straight to the point." Jiang Qingyan casually picked up a few roses and carefully placed them on the archway. After all, listening to stories makes working even more engaging...

Liang Cheng coughed lightly: "A few months ago, a young master visited my home and spent a lot of money to have me carve his likeness out of wood. I found that the young master was really handsome and the carving would be a pleasure to look at, so I agreed."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingyan couldn't help but think of the wooden carvings in the Xia King's bedroom. Could it be such a coincidence?

"After the wood carving was finished, the young master paid the silver note as agreed. Who would have thought that as soon as he left, a middle-aged man came and insisted that I carve a wood carving exactly the same as the one of the young master."

Liang Cheng continued, "I thought to myself, that wooden carving is, after all, a portrait of someone's young master, how can I just copy it for someone else? So I refused without a second thought, but that person went berserk, smashing things up in my house and even severing my tendons..."

Jiang Qingyan frowned: "And then? How did you escape?"

Liang Cheng took a deep breath, his eyes welling up with tears, and said, "It was my younger brother who risked his life to hold that man back, that's why..."

Jiang Qingyan patted Liang Cheng on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't be sad. The dead are gone, and the living must continue to live. If you meet that person again one day, I will definitely seek justice for you."

Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng's eyes flickered, his face filled with disbelief: "Does His Majesty wish for a commoner to follow by your side?"

Jiang Qingyan chuckled and nodded. "In a little while, I'll take you to see a renowned physician so she can examine your hand and see if it can still be healed."

Liang Cheng, his eyes filled with gratitude, immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "This humble subject thanks Your Majesty! Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler! From now on, this humble subject will repay Your Majesty's kindness even at the cost of my life!"

Jiang Qingyan blew on her fingers and muttered, "If your hands can still move, come and help me arrange the flowers. My hands are almost pricked through by these thorns..."

Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng quickly stepped forward, took the roses, and carefully placed them on the archway.

Ling Feng looked at her with heartache and took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, gently wrapping it around Jiang Qingyan's hand.

Jiang Qingyan narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly, "Eh? Isn't this the handkerchief I gave you the other day? You've been carrying it with you all this time?"

Ling Feng lowered his eyes shyly, carefully wrapping the handkerchief for Jiang Qingyan, and said softly, "Whenever I see this handkerchief, it's like seeing the Emperor..."

Jiang Qingyan pinched Ling Feng's chin, making him look at her, and curled her lips into a smile, "Are you reminiscing about someone because of this?"

Ling Feng's heart was pounding. He was about to nod in agreement when he was interrupted by Lv Yao's voice: "Your Majesty, Young Master Mo Ting has woken up and is looking for you everywhere!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingyan quickly withdrew her hand, but failed to notice the disappointment in Ling Feng's eyes.

Jiang Qingyan beckoned to Lvyao, "Lvyao, come here first!"

Green Herb trotted over, her eyes immediately drawn to the archway adorned with roses, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow...it's so beautiful!"

Jiang Qingyan said with a proud look, "This is only part of it. It will be even more beautiful when it's all done!"

Green Medicine nodded with envy, then glanced at Liang Cheng, who was engrossed in arranging flowers, and asked疑惑地问道, "Is this young master perhaps the Emperor's...?"

Jiang Qingyan chuckled and quickly called out to Liang Cheng, pointing to the green medicine and saying, "Liang Cheng, this is the divine doctor I told you about. Come and let her take a look at your hands."

Liang Cheng quickly put down the roses in his hand, jogged over, and presented his hands to Lvyao.