Her hair was cloud-like and beautiful! She opened her eyes and found herself back in the third year

"Xie Qu, someone has come to see you."

When Cheng Yan looked into the cell, he saw a figure sitting quietly in the corner, who didn't even react when he heard what was said.

Cheng Yan stepped inside, and a jailer brought out a small table with some wine and dishes.

Cheng Yan didn't mind the filth of the cell at all. He sat down on the floor in front of the desk and poured himself two glasses of wine.

"Would you like a drink?"

Xie Qu remained silent for a moment, then finally walked over and sat down opposite him.

He was dressed in prison clothes, his hair disheveled, and he was no longer the young master of the Xie family he once was.

He picked up his glass, tilted his head back and downed the drink, then shook his head with a smile: "I didn't expect you to come and see me off."

Cheng Yan poured him another cup of wine and said slowly, "Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. I don't have many friends in my life, and you are one of them. After today, we probably won't see each other again."

Xie Qu's eyes flickered slightly, and his fingers tightened around the wine glass: "Are you testing whether I am still me?"

"No, I'm just here to see off an old friend." Cheng Yan shook his head. "Life is a long journey, and I have to move on."

“You smell of a woman,” Xie Qu suddenly said.

Cheng Yan paused, his hand still holding the drink, and suddenly found himself unable to drink anymore.

Xie Qu poured himself another cup and laughed, "Moving forward? It seems you and the princess have been getting along well lately, so you should leave the past behind and move forward."

"Cheng Yan, don't you think things in this world are strange? I was determined to make a name for myself and marry the woman I loved, but in the end, I ended up with nothing."

But you, who never thought of doing anything for the world, have lived the life I wanted.

"Imperial Son-in-Law, Imperial Brother-in-Law, Marquis of Pingxi, Vice Minister of War, General of the Imperial Guard... Listen to these titles, if an ordinary person could obtain even one of them, their life would be worthwhile, but you have obtained them all."

Cheng Yan drank a glass of wine and then said, "The biggest mistake you ever made in your life was conspiring with Prince Cheng to rebel. If you hadn't taken that wrong step, there would have been a way back, and there would have been many other paths you could have taken."

"You treat me as a national hero, so I will repay you with my life, that's all." Xie Qu smiled, a mixture of melancholy and relief in his expression.

"Perhaps it was because I was too resentful and unwilling, and I also harbored delusions, thinking that one day I could surpass you. It's a pity, I should have known that when it comes to fighting, there are very few people in the world who can compare with you. You are the personal disciple of Emperor Taizong."

Yes, Emperor Taizong especially favored Cheng Yan during his lifetime. In fact, Cheng Yan's military strategies were all taught by Emperor Taizong.

The so-called "personal disciple" may be nameless, but it is in reality.

"I've thought a lot these past few days and I've come to terms with it. Thank you for coming to see me off, but since you're here, I'd like to ask you for a favor. She's too stubborn. She fell in love with you and married you, so you..."

"Thank you, Qu," Cheng Yan interrupted him, "I have no responsibility to take care of your woman. Besides, the princess and I don't need anyone else."

"But I heard that the princess agreed to let her in."

"How old is the princess? Why are you arguing with her? She's young and ignorant, but are you too?"

"..."

Xie Qu was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Okay, okay, if others are unreasonable, he thinks, "Are you sick?" But when it comes to the princess, it becomes, "The princess is young and ignorant, are you going to argue with her?"

So everyone should indulge her and pamper her like you do?

Cheng Yan said seriously, "She chose this path herself and should have known the consequences. I am no one to her and have no responsibility to clean up her mess. If you ask me for anything else, I might agree, but not this."

He only wanted to be with Qin Yizhen; he would remove Wang Xianrong, that thorn, sooner or later.

"But don't worry, if she's willing to leave but doesn't want to go back to the Wang family, I'll find her a place where she can live a peaceful life, as a favor to you."

"Fine..." Xie Qu shook his head. "How about you promise me one more thing: if she does something wrong in a moment of weakness, you will spare her life, how about that?"

"Making mistakes comes at a price, just like you are today..."

Cheng Yan and Xie Qu's conversation was not pleasant; they almost came to blows several times. However, they did drink quite a bit of alcohol and returned home somewhat drunk.

Back home, mindful of his strong smell of alcohol, he didn't go to Chunxi Courtyard to find Qin Yizhen, but went straight back to Qinghui Courtyard.

But perhaps because he was a little drunk and missed his wife, he felt that nothing was going right.

Song Nian was very good at guessing his thoughts, so he quickly sent someone to invite Qin Yizhen over.

"The Marquis had some wine with Xie Qu and was not in a good mood. As you know, the Marquis has been aloof since childhood and has few friends. Xie Qu is to be executed tomorrow, so it is inevitable that he is saddened."

"He originally wanted to go back to the princess, but he drank quite a bit of wine and was afraid of upsetting her, so he stayed by himself. Princess, please keep him company."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yizhen felt a pang of heartache and nodded repeatedly: "Alright, then I'll go check on him. Have someone cook a bowl of hangover soup... never mind, let him be drunk for a while."

Sometimes, being sober is more painful than being drunk, so just get drunk.

Cheng Yan didn't want to watch Xie Qu die, but Xie Qu had committed such a capital crime, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't do anything about it. Now, he could only drink a few more cups with him and get drunk.

Qin Yizhen entered Cheng Yan's bedroom and saw him lying quietly on the bed. Her heart tightened. Seeing that he was sweating, she asked Lü Qiao to bring a basin of warm water, wet a towel, wring it out, and wipe him down.

Cheng Yan was probably really tired, and he seemed to sleep for an especially long time, not waking up until sunset.

Qin Yizhen returned to Chunxie Courtyard for dinner, took a bath, and then came back to keep him company. When she got sleepy, she took off her shoes and socks and got into bed. She walked past him into the bed and helped him to sleep.

When Cheng Yan woke up late at night and realized that someone was beside him, he was startled. Before he even opened his eyes, he reached for the sword on the bedside table.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted over, and he paused, then opened his eyes to look at the person beside him.

She didn't change into her nightgown when she went to bed today, probably because she felt uncomfortable in her clothes. She didn't sleep well, moving around from time to time and frowning as she kept squeezing closer to him.

Oh, he woke up at this time, probably because she nudged him awake.

He turned slightly to the side, reached out and pulled her into his arms. She stirred in his embrace, found a comfortable position, smelled his scent, and finally drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Cheng Yan shook his head helplessly.

In just two or three days, she had developed this habit: if he wasn't by her side, would she not need to sleep?