Chapter 129: Fleeing in Disarray

Lie Changan felt his throat tighten. The resolve he had previously mustered, which he thought he had successfully stifled, suddenly showed signs of resurfacing.

Guli truly felt the charcoal fire in the room was too intense. She felt stifled by the heat, and her clenched palms were damp with sweat. She gathered her courage and looked up, only to be caught off guard by Lie Changan’s burning gaze fixed intently upon her.

Realizing what he was looking at, Guli lowered her eyes, and the courage she had painstakingly summoned instantly dissolved into a sea of embarrassment and shyness. She hurriedly pulled her cloak tight, her face flushing a deep, scorching red—as vibrant as peach blossoms in April or the sunset that stains half the sky.

Guli felt she had no face left to say anything more. She wondered how Lie Changan must perceive her—did he think she lacked the modesty expected of a lady? How could she have run to knock on the door of a bachelor in the middle of the night dressed like this? She thought to herself that she had truly humiliated herself today. All traces of royal decorum and maidenly reserve were gone; she was utterly mortified. Keeping her cloak pulled tightly around her, she lowered her head and bolted, fleeing in a panicked rush.

For the next three days, the two did not meet. Guli did not return to the side hall, purely out of overwhelming embarrassment. As for Lie Changan, though he felt a sense of loss and longing when she did not appear, he also understood that any meeting between them would be undeniably awkward.

"Guli."

Guli was staring listlessly in the direction of the side hall when she heard the Empress call her name. She responded instinctively, "Yes?"

The Empress picked up the warm tea on the table, took an elegant sip, and smiled. "What have you been busy with these days? You haven't come to pay your respects to your mother. If I hadn't come to see you today, I fear you would have forgotten all about me."

Guli laughed softly and pouted playfully. "Mother, how could I ever forget you? You are the one who cherishes me most. It’s just that the Empress Dowager’s birthday is approaching, and I’ve been thinking about what gift I should prepare for her."

"As long as your heart is in it, that is what matters. In previous years, haven't you always gifted her calligraphy and paintings you created yourself? She has always been quite fond of them."

"That won't do," Guli said, knitting her brows in distress. "This is the Empress Dowager’s sixtieth birthday. How could I possibly get away with something as simple as a few scrolls?"

"Oh?" The Empress smiled. "Since you feel that way, have you decided what to give her?"

"That’s exactly what I’m struggling with," Guli sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "The Empress Dowager lacks for nothing; ordinary trinkets certainly won't catch her eye."

The Empress wore a mysterious smile. "Actually, I do know of one thing. If you were to present it, the Empress Dowager would certainly be delighted."

"What is it? What is it? Tell me!" Guli asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The Empress smiled and gently tapped the tip of Guli’s nose. "Why, it is to present your grandmother with a perfect grandson-in-law, of course."

Upon hearing this, Guli nearly spat out her tea, her interest instantly vanishing. "Mother, what kind of ridiculous idea is that? It’s completely unreliable."

"Why is it unreliable?" the Empress asked. "Once the Empress Dowager’s birthday passes, you will be nearing the age of your coming-of-age ceremony. Once you have come of age, it is naturally time to discuss marriage. You need only tell her that after the ceremony, you are willing to let her decide on a match for you; she would surely be overjoyed. How could such a gift be anything but perfect?"

Guli didn't need to think twice to know that this "match" referred to Zhou Siyuan. She truly did not want to hear any more of this, and she replied with a touch of impatience, "Mother, I am still young. I do not wish to marry so soon."