Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

Xia Ximo pushed open the window and saw dappled sunlight in the courtyard, where Ren Fengjue sat alone.

She seemed taken aback for a moment, squinted slightly, estimated the time, and turned to Tian Qing, asking, "I slept for so long, why didn't you wake me?"

Tianqing smiled and replied, "Young Master told me not to wake you, saying he wanted you to sleep a little longer."

While washing her face, Xia Ximo asked, "How long has Ren Fengjue been here?"

Tian Qing replied, "Young Master arrived just as dawn was breaking."

"Did he need something from me?"

Just as Tian Qing was about to reply, Ren Fengjue appeared outside the window and said quickly, "It's nothing serious, I just wanted to take you somewhere."

Xia Ximo was somewhat surprised: "Not going to the Ministry of Justice today?"

"No, the weather's nice today, I'm taking a day off."

"..."

The weather was indeed very nice that day; the chill of late winter had faded, and the warmth of spring was gradually emerging.

Xia Ximo leisurely finished her breakfast before following Ren Fengjue out of the guest courtyard. The servant A Chun, who was walking towards them, greeted them with a smile and added a comment.

"Congratulations, sir. Congratulations, Miss Xia."

Upon hearing this, Xia Ximo was taken aback. Just as she was about to ask a question, Ah Chun had already walked away.

She then asked Ren Fengjue, "What is he congratulating me on?"

Ren Fengjue also feigned ignorance, saying, "I'm not quite sure either."

"Yeah?"

"Um…"

Xia Ximo had a premonition that something was going to happen, but Ren Fengjue didn't give her a chance to ask. He took her hand and left the Ren residence directly.

The carriage was already prepared at the entrance.

He helped her into the carriage, but didn't take Ah Xia with him. He became the driver himself and drove the carriage onto the street.

After driving for a while, Xia Ximo looked out the car window and realized that the place they were going to was far away from the East and West Cities.

Although she had never been there before, she vaguely felt that the road was somewhat familiar.

Until the five large characters "General's Mansion" came into view, memories belonging to "Xia Ximo" began to surface in her mind.

When she was ten years old, the General's Mansion was dissolved, and Xia Ximo rode in a carriage with her uncle Mu Zheng, leaving the capital and going to Xiling County.

After that, he never came back.

Although Xia Ximo was no longer the "Xia Ximo" of the past, she was still deeply moved by the scene before her.

"Why...did you bring me here?"

It is easy to see that the General's Mansion has been renovated and tidied up on the original basis. Although it looks brand new inside and out, there have been no unnecessary changes.

Because of the original owner's memories, Xia Ximo felt a different kind of emotion towards this unfamiliar building.

Ren Fengjue helped her down from the carriage, then stepped forward and pushed open the gate.

He then explained, "When you wanted to break off the engagement, I had this place renovated and cleaned up, thinking that if you wanted to stay in the capital, you would at least have a place to stay."

After General Xia and his wife passed away, the Mu family also had designs on the general's mansion.

However, with the Marquis of Renxuan's residence in the capital keeping an eye on them, they dared not make any rash moves.

Therefore, even though the mansion had been empty for more than six years, it was still very well preserved.

Ren Fengjue only instructed Ren Cong to carry out the repairs secretly, and the work was not completely completed until before the end of the year.

Xia Ximo listened silently without replying.

Ren Fengjue gave her a deep look, intertwined their fingers, and said as they walked inside, "But in the future, whether you want to live in the Ren residence, the Marquis's mansion, or this General's mansion, it's all fine with you..."

Listening to his words and looking at every scene and object in the mansion, a series of distant images flashed through Xia Ximo's mind.

She was lost in thought when she caught sight of Ren Fengjue beside her, whose eyes and brows were brimming with an irrepressible smile.

He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today; the word "excited" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Xia Ximo sensed it clearly and asked directly, "Something must have happened today, right?"

Ren Fengjue coughed lightly, then suddenly stopped, looking somewhat nervous.

After tidying up a bit, he said, "Today, the Marquis's residence received an imperial decree that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon us."

Upon hearing this, Xia Ximo simply responded with a faint "Mm".

Ren Fengjue quickly added, "Yes... it's a marriage decree bestowed upon us."

To her surprise, Xia Ximo remained calm, as if the matter had little to do with her.

"..."

Ren Fengjue knew that she was unconventional and even somewhat "arrogant," and now, fearing that she might change her mind, he said, "I beg the Emperor to grant us this marriage. To break off the engagement is to defy the imperial decree, and defying the imperial decree will result in the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

Xia Ximo glanced at him and replied, "I never said I wanted to call off the engagement."

As she spoke, she turned her head away, a slight smile playing on her lips, but continued walking into the mansion.

Upon seeing this, Ren Fengjue immediately chased after her, tightened his grip on her hand again, and refused to let go even slightly.

-

Inside the Shuyu Palace, after a cup fell to the ground and shattered, all the palace maids were driven out.

As Emperor Qingkang reached the palace gate, he heard his daughter's angry shout: "Get out, all of you! I won't see anyone!"

The palace maids retreated outside the door, and when they saw the emperor, they were startled again.

Just as they were about to bow, Emperor Qingkang suddenly waved his hand, "No need for formalities, all of you may leave."

He reluctantly stepped into the palace and immediately saw his daughter curled up on the couch, holding a rabbit in her arms, looking melancholy.

Upon seeing him, Princess Ding'an looked away, pretending not to see him.

Emperor Qingkang couldn't help but sigh, and asked softly, "Are you still angry with your father?"

Zhao Ruozhen's shoulders twitched slightly, but she remained silent.

When the news of the arranged marriage spread throughout the palace, she began to throw a tantrum, refusing to eat, drink, or sleep, and spending her days hugging the rabbit and talking to herself.

This time, neither Empress Zhang nor Consort Qi's words carried any weight.

Left with no other choice, Emperor Qingkang had to take matters into his own hands.

Seeing that his daughter looked thinner, he felt a pang of heartache and patiently said some kind words to her.

This time, however, Zhao Ruozhen was determined to be willful to the end, and she remained silent no matter what her father said.

Emperor Qingkang had no other choice but to harden his heart and utter a harsh statement.

"In short, Father's decree has been issued, and there's no way to take it back. You'd better give up on this idea as soon as possible!"

After hearing this, Zhao Ruozhen was taken aback at first, then turned to look at her father, and said, "Ruozhen already knows."

Her voice was too calm, revealing no emotion, which made the emperor feel somewhat guilty.

His heart softened instantly, and he couldn't help but step forward and pat his daughter's head, saying, "Alright, Father knows Ruozhen is a good girl. Let's just let this matter go and not mention it again, okay?"

Zhao Ruozhen nodded obediently, but her eyes clearly lacked their usual sparkle.

She still held onto the rabbit tightly, and the rabbit nestled obediently against her, a sight that evoked tenderness in everyone.

Emperor Qingkang felt even more sorry for his daughter and turned to have the palace servants serve him a meal. However, he did not notice that on the silk gauze screen beside him, besides his and Princess Ding'an's figures, there was another blurry shadow...