Chapter 139 Secretly Meeting Behind Closed Doors

The banquet was at its height, filled with the clinking of cups, unrestrained laughter, joyous singing, and dancing, as the sovereign and subjects reveled together.

Lie Chang'an found his head throbbing from the music echoing through the hall. Taking advantage of the festive fervor when everyone was in high spirits and no one was paying attention, he stood up and stumbled toward the exit. He had consumed quite a bit of wine, leaving his head dizzy, and stepping outside for a breath of fresh air was the best remedy.

Winter had firmly arrived, and the air was intensely cold. The moment Lie Chang'an stepped into the back garden outside the hall, the biting, chilly wind swept away the heat clinging to his body, instantly sobering him up significantly.

Guli had merely turned her head to speak to the Crown Prince for a brief moment, and when she looked back, she discovered that Lie Chang'an was gone. Scanning the surroundings to no avail, she rose to leave, only to be grabbed by the Crown Prince.

"Where are you off to?"

Without a moment to spare for an answer, Guli glanced back again and noticed that Jun'an, who had been sitting in the furthest corner, had also vanished without a trace. Had those two made a rendezvous once more?

Overwhelmed with distress and indignation, Guli lifted the hem of her skirt and rushed out. Frightened out of his wits yet unwilling to scold her, the Crown Prince could only block everyone's line of sight, allowing her to slip away completely unnoticed.

The back garden outside the hall had long since passed the season of spring warmth, blossoming flowers, and vibrant clusters; now, it retained only a desolate and bleak atmosphere of withered desolation and universal silence.

Lie Chang'an stood with his hands behind his back within the garden, gazing up at the pitch-black night sky, when a voice as gentle as water sounded from behind him, "General Lie."

Hearing this form of address, Lie Chang'an didn't even need to listen to the voice to know it wasn't her. She would only ever call him "Lie Chang'an, Lie Chang'an."

Lie Chang'an turned around and, sure enough, saw Princess Jun'an standing behind him. A single touch of vermilion graced her powdered lips, and her expression carried a coy hesitation before speaking. Her posture exuded the quiet elegance of an orchid. She wore a pale, tender-yellow dress, her ink-black hair draped cascade-like over one shoulder, and a faint, graceful smile rested upon her refined, plain face.

"Your Highness."

He cupped his fists in a salute, expressionless, detached, and aloof.

A trace of disappointment flickered across Jun'an's face as she took a step closer and smiled, "The birthday gift the General presented to the Empress Dowager today was truly extraordinary. One can tell the General put a great deal of thought into it. Furthermore, the dual-sided gold and jade Buddha is a priceless treasure. In Jun'an's eyes, this birthday gift is utterly unrivaled."

Lie Chang'an knew Princess Jun'an was only offering kind consolation, likely assuming he had left the banquet in dejection due to the Empress Dowager's starkly differential treatment. Unconcerned, he offered a polite smile, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. However, all the gifts presented to the Empress Dowager today are rare treasures of this world; to call mine unrivaled is a compliment I truly dare not accept."

Sensing the aloofness in his words, Jun'an continued, "I heard some days ago that the General was gravely injured while saving Princess Danqing and had been recovering in your manor ever since. I wonder if you have fully recovered?"

"I am quite well now. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Jun'an lowered her eyelids to conceal her sense of frustration, thinking to herself: If he continues to remain this distant and courteous, when on earth will they ever make any progress? If things go on like this, how could she ever hope to fulfill her wish of having him ask His Majesty for her hand in marriage?

As she fell silent, Lie Chang'an had nothing further to say, rendering the atmosphere stagnant and stiff.

Just as Lie Chang'an was contemplating excusing himself first, a movement caught the corner of his eye. A lithe and slender figure was striding toward them aggressively, a pair of beautiful eyes glaring at him with blazing fury.

Lie Chang'an wore a look of utter bewilderment.

So he had indeed come out here to dally in secret once more!

No wonder he had been so absent-minded and listless throughout the banquet—it turned out he was simply in a rush to meet his beloved in private. Who would have thought that someone usually so rigid, stubborn, and impossibly single-minded could actually pull off such a daring stunt as sneaking away for a midnight tryst with a princess right under the Emperor's very nose!