Chapter 159 Yearning for Her Beloved

Guli returned to the Cloud Smoke Palace, curled up on the warm couch, tossing and turning with excitement that left her completely sleepless. Recalling that passionate, breathless moment on the city wall just now made her heart race as if it might leap out of her chest.

What on earth was she thinking? She had actually been longing and hoping for Lie Changan to kiss her!

It was simply devoid of a maiden's modesty!

The most important thing was that Lie Changan had ultimately not kissed her.

Oh dear, oh dear, did that mean she had completely misinterpreted the situation?

Yet, yet why did she still have a lingering feeling that Lie Changan truly liked her?

Thinking of this possibility, Guli tightly clutched the quilt over her chest, unable to keep the corners of her mouth from curving upward into a sweet smile.

But she had already made a fool of herself by reading too much into things last time.

Remembering how humiliating that incident in the side hall had been, she felt so thoroughly embarrassed she wished the ground would swallow her up. How could she possibly have the confidence now to think Lie Changan liked her?

Guli sank back into despair and sadness.

This erratic state of mind only came to a complete end when Guli finally succumbed to overwhelming exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

For the next three days, Guli remained immersed in these bittersweet emotions. In the end, her head ached from overthinking. So what if he might or might not like her? Regardless, she and Lie Changan already shared many unique and precious memories together, and they had certainly made significant progress now.

Guli always felt that the distance between them was not as vast as before, that their relationship had grown much closer. Moreover, whenever Lie Changan looked at her now, Guli could clearly perceive a distinct gentleness and deep focus in his gaze and expression.

Guli was certain she was not mistaken.

That being the case, shouldn't she be content? At least, in his heart, she truly mattered just a tiny bit.

Thinking this, Guli found herself breaking into a silly smile all over again.

This state lasted for three whole days.

Every time Jasmine saw her princess suddenly spacing out, cradling her cheeks with a foolish smile, her pretty face flushed pink with hidden, secret shyness, she knew the princess was pining for her lover again, experiencing the first stirrings of youth.

Sigh.

Jasmine sighed, torn between joy and worry.

What brought her joy was that the princess had finally grown up, her heart awakening to romantic love, understanding the affections between a man and a woman, and finding someone she truly loved.

What worried her was that the object of this affection happened to be far from a suitable match; the possibility of the two of them ending up together was infinitesimally small, an almost predictable tragedy. She wanted to advise the princess to hold back, but seeing the depth of the princess's feelings, the words always died on her tongue.

After waiting for three days, the three-day break ended, and civil and military officials were due to resume their court audiences.

Seeing that the melting snow made this the coldest time of year, Guli estimated the time the morning court would end and had Jasmine prepare a hand warmer.

Holding the cozy hand warmer, Guli hurried toward the Hall of Heavenly Harmony just in time for the dismissal of court.

Hiding behind a stone statue, Guli watched as minister after minister filed out of the court, shrinking their necks as they walked toward the palace gates. They wore only thin court robes and, unlike women, could not carry hand warmers or wear fluffy fox-fur handmuffs. Consequently, both of their hands were exposed to the freezing ice and snow, turning bright red and blue from the cold—a truly pitiful sight.

Holding her toasty hand warmer, Guli poked her round head out a bit further, and sure enough, she caught sight of Lie Changan striding out of the hall.

Noticing that there was no one else around at the moment, Guli plucked up her courage and waved at him.

Lie Changan saw her just as she hoped, his heart trembling. Filled with an indescribable mix of pleasant surprise and longing, he quickened his pace and walked toward her.